I've had both, and had a better time on the Mac. Multi-touch is nicely integrated, as well as integration with the OS, and Apple products are well regarded in the graphics industry. They also have beautiful screens, especially the new Retina display. Even the standard glossy display blows almost every other screen I've seen out of the water. That said, I doubt most people going into graphic design actually *need* a Mac - maybe the professionals can take advantage of those little features, but I doubt you'll see any noticeable difference between the two past multi-touch features (if you use a tablet, that will basically negate that, anyway). My recommendation, assuming you want to go into some kind of amateur graphic work and can't afford to blow money for small advantages, is to get a decent PC computer and a nice tablet. One of my friends got really good at graphic design on a cheap, home-built computer (<$300) with Ubuntu installed (my favorite Linux distro, it's very easy to do and free... Windows is pretty damn expensive), using the free GIMP program and a mid-grade tablet. Once he got to the level he was getting paid good money for good work, he moved to a Mac with Photoshop. @Matty: Only two i5 processors are currently quad-core (I could be wrong about this), while all i7s are besides for the hexa-core offerings. i7 also has (I think) a slightly higher CPI, and significantly more cache, as well as hyperthreading. That said, it also has a lower clock speed. It's a better chip, but unless you're doing processor-intense tasks, it's relatively negligible considering the cost. If you can afford an i7, sure, go right ahead. But personally, I'm more than happy with my i5. I could have downgraded to an i3 and been fine in games, but since I also do some mid-level processing programs (MATLAB, PSpice, Office, Eclipse), I think this was the best choice for me given the money. Sure, an i7 would be nice, but I think a SSD drive, more RAM, and a nicer screen comes before that in terms of cost vs usability (in my case).
Don't care about what you are saying with the monitor. For an £800 monitor, anything less than exceptional is rubbish. There is a company that sells the iMac display for £280. Essentially they are the ones that were unwanted by apple; they work perfectly and there is nothing wrong with the screen, it's often just a case of the refresh rate being too high or low, so they just chuck them. Something I hugely disagree with. Unbelievable waste. And I don't get what you are saying about the multi-touch thing. If you are a pro, you would undoubtedly get a proper tablet and pen (not the machine, the slate or whatever it is called now) to do sketches on. And they would handle the same on both. Also Matty, how is it that you get ****ed over on the mac?
Apple's multitouch system is much better than any I've ever used on any windows computer, and it handles particularly well in programs like Photoshop. But yes, any self respecting professional will have a tablet, which (as I said) essentially negates that benefit. I don't see Apple tossing monitors with an off refresh rate as wasteful - it's part of what you pay for, to get a product that isn't what it shouldn't be. Should they sell it as a refurbished item? Probably. I'd assume that's where this company gets them, probably wholesale at a nice cheap price from Apple. But just throw it in the computers anyway? Definitely not.
Chrono, you're right, this is going nowhere. You make a lot of good points, and you're right that I was reading too far in to what you said. It seemed like you were doing precisely what you now point out you weren't, singling out Apple insofar as high end brands go, but you make fair points in accounting for higher end brands at large (PC or not) vs. user spec'd laptops. I concede, and will definitely take more care to argue against points that the other person is actually making next time lol. On that note, should finally be getting a passable graphics card for my Pro tomorrow. Only an HD 5770 but it'll run Skyrim and SC2 fine so I'm happy enough. Chrono, you actually missed a trick here as well, look up prices for official Apple 5870s, but be sure to put a cushion under your jaw before you do so. Mac Pro graphics cards are the single best example of Apple mark up, and that really IS just a component, NO design or build aspect to it in comparison to the PC version. Even though it's a way to make back costs on something they sell very few of, it still just boggles the mind how much more you pay for an essentially identical item (only difference being EFI firmware on Apple cards). Luckily I found a 5770 for under £100 and can sell my current 2600 XT for like £70 (yes, a PoS old 2600 XT for £70...), so overall I'm fine. I gotta say, if the price aspect of Macs is offputting then it's ALOT easier to stomach once you work out how well you can do in the buy/sell second hand market if you know what you're doing. I have to say, I find wheeling and dealing in the second hand Mac market pretty fun. I've owned 6 Macs so far and only bought one of them new, best deal of the lot being a 2011 MBP for £350 from a friend. I may defend their prices, but that doesn't mean I'll pay them if I can avoid it lol. EDIT: Insane, you must have missed my post before. Check the Wiki page, there are dual core i7s. I think they may only be mobile ones, so if you're specifically talking about desktop CPUs then you might be right, but dual core i7s exist. I should know. I have one. LOL fail I have an i5.
You know, I checked other places than Apple for their same RAM, and I was actually able to find some that is supposedly as low as $100 if you don't count shipping (shipping was free from Apple for purchases over $50, which I found funny), but that's still more than twice the price of equivalent non-Mac RAM. I haven't seen much about their cards, but I don't think anything would surprise me at this point. Going used for Apple products is a good idea if you want to make a profit, mainly because you have a large market that isn't always fully informed, so you don't even have to do anything dishonest or shady. Very similar to the used car business in some ways.
Haha epic edit Peg XD I've been meaning to play SC2 but I've gotten way too into Skyrim in the short time I've had this computer (nearly 28 hours in...). I've had trouble with it being too fast paced, do you run into that issue? I suppose a computer that runs faster than 10fps will help, but I'm just used to slower games of that genre (ie. Age of Empires II)
All MODERN i7s are quad/hex core. The only dual core i7s were from the first generation of core processors. No point getting those, so no point even counting them.
For those interested in the HP dv6t - I believe I've figured out the speaker problem where I was experiencing crackling noises particularly in the mid-low frequencies and potential fixes - I had it on "power saver" mode, which was still running games at ~40fps (nice graphics card for a laptop, that 650M...). However, I guess that spikes in audio kinda overwhelm whatever restrictions are placed on the audio system... this seems silly to me, but that seems to be how it is. After turning it to Auto or High Performance, the speakers sound fine. Not great, but typical Beats overdone bass and nicely loud. If I wanted quality I'd be using my earbuds (NuForce NE-700M, I highly recommend them if you're looking for a really good quality ~$50 earbud; Klipsch S4s are also a great option I've had). Right now having a listen through Daft Punk's Human After All - the album has a nice range of sounds to check it - and varying the volume; these speakers definitely have trouble with treble, especially high volume and when it's pushed. Like right now, it's having a little trouble with "Prime Time of Your Life", a little crackly at the chainsaw-y WHHHRUHHHWHHRHHHHHHHRHHHWHHHHH. Anyway, speakers work fine.
It may not be your cup of tea, but try Jools Holland's "Robert's Roost" at around 30 seconds. If you have good speakers, you will just smile
I figure this is a little offtopic, but whatever, it's kinda computer-related. This is what forums are for anyway, discussions Anyway, I don't think it takes good speakers to hear that, but a fun song anyway. The more psychedelic rock bands (which are my favorite) always have a lot extra when you listen close with a good sound system. There's some incredible complexity you'll miss without it, not just like "oh I can hear high pitched noises!"... as in like, you can understand how all the instruments are different, but together... I'm sure you know what I mean. Also, surround sound is REALLY nice with these bands. If you've got a good sound system and are willing to turn it loud, just sit there and pay attention, be sure to try out stuff from Pink Floyd, Yes, Tool, Radiohead, etc - here's some that I really enjoy... remember to turn them to the highest quality, and if you can, find a better quality link: Tool - Rosetta Stoned - YouTubeTool - Lost Keys + Rosetta Stoned Tool - Third Eye (Full Version HD) - YouTube Tool - Third Eye (if you need to follow the words with lyrics, do so... it's not easy without em normally Pink Floyd - Echoes - YouTubePink Floyd - Echoes (I love the whale noises and the use of "submarine" as an adjective) Close To The Edge - YouTubeYes - Close to the Edge
All im missing now is a graphics card upgrade im using an old HD 6670 and im looking to upgrade to a gtx 660 - 680. and the price difference is $300 - 500. Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GV-N66TWF2-2GD GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card ^ what im looking at plus it comes with borderlands 2 are there any games that even need a better one?
There is no difference aside from a few shortcuts and some OS exclusive features that don't have to do with photoshop particularly. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Source: I'm a full times graphics artist (3 years, going on 4, I choose PC