Thread: New Computer required... PC or iMac ???

It is quite possible that you will need a $2000 to do the things you need to do.

However, because I have often seen people using a sledge hammer to crack a nut and I have seen people using Photoshop to do things that could be done with a more basic program, have you considered that it is not your PC that is the problem, but your program?

A lot of people never use the more powerful features of Photoshop and could do what they do with a much simpler, free program maybe even running under Linux.

As I said, maybe you do need Photoshop. Some people do. On the other hand a lot more, like me, manage with a 10 year old PC running Ubuntu and a variety of free software.

Thanks vnx. All very valid comments and thoughts.

I used Ubuntu on one of my older machines for about a year, a while back to try to put off needing an upgrade. As much as i tried to stay away from the pc I often found myself reverting back to the PC for things like photoshop, illustrator and office.

I never really got to grips with the free imaging / photo programs and found that openoffice just wasnt compatible enough with microsoft office (i do a lot of collaborative work with MS office documents and need the latest compatability just not found with openoffice).

Must admit, I dont need to use illustrator anymore as my work requirements have changed a little and I believe Apple's Aperture 3 will do 99% of the photo manipulation stuff required for photos (??).

J

For Photoshop the Apple monitor is a dream and the 27"is fantastic and excellent for calibration.
If you have PSCS5 then an Intel based PC with 4 gb ram and Win 7 will be super!
I use PSCS3 in an Intel based PC with 4Gb of ram and Win XP and it is more than enough for my 250mb files.
IMO for PS it is more important a good monitor than a poweful computer.

If you get a new intel based mac then you can run windows as well for the stuff you can't do on mac but you will find after six months you don't bother because you've found mac based alternatives that do just as well. As for hardware, all your networking is as you said IP based so just run static IP's assigned through your router (purely for simplicity in remembering numbers) and it'll all go well. Cameras will just work, usually no software required, just plug in and recognized. Memory is find, the OS isn't that hungry. Rave works (well mine does). Send me a copy of microcat and I'll let you know.

I have three macs (one of the 1st imac lappys, a powerpc based imac and a intel based), two windows lappys, a windows media box, networked HDD, three xboxes as media centres plus the PVR's hooked into the network and The only machines that have issues in seeing stuff is the win devices. the macs just work. It's just a slightly different way of dong things, usually easier.

Linux, Open Office and open source software (like so many things) are constantly evolving. If it is a while since you used them, it might be worth seeing what they offer now.

After all, as I'm sure you know, you can download something like Ubuntu and run it from CD without installing it, to see if your hardware works and whether the software that is available is suitable.

Originally Posted by vnx205

It is quite possible that you will need a $2000 to do the things you need to do.

Huh?????

I can't see 2k there. The only way is if you bought photo shop... that is very pricey but I see there are several options. Many of them free or cheap.

All the rest of it should be cheap. You can buy office home for $209... What else would you need? At a stretch you could get parallels ($50) (virtual machine) and install windows on it and then you could run your old software.

The PC people will beat themselves into a flap but I only know of one person who has actually bought a mac and been unhappy with it (put your hand up Drivesafe!).

Everyone else raves about them. They have the solidity and security of UNIX wrapped with probably the best GUI out there provided by the US stock exchanges no2 company by capitalisation.

Originally Posted by Captain_Rightfoot

Huh?????

I can't see 2k there.

It wasn't me who found a $2000 computer in a shop.

It was Jon.

Originally Posted by vnx205

It wasn't me who found a $2000 computer in a shop.

It was Jon.

Sorry I thought you meant 2k worth of software

The 2k computer is worth every cent IMHO as I sit in front of my 27" I7 imac