Should I get a Mac or Pc

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

I certainly understand the joy of building - but I don't see much of a point to it when the goal is a low/medium powered machine in the first place.

I had a "run-on" machine once. The case was originally from an Alienware back in the day, which I accidentally toasted. I ripped out the PSU and mobo and resuscitated it for a while, and then bought a newer system and mix'n'matched the parts to have 2 machines, 1 high end and one lower. Then i did that AGAIN later... it was grand until my worthless room mate at the time decided it was a good idea to leave the case open and drop a wrench (or some large piece of highly conductive metal) into it. That toasted one machine, and then he did it AGAIN with his other machine... fortunately I had my mac mini by then.

Like I've said on other threads, there is no safeguard against stupidity.

Sadly, I'm considering switching BACK to Windows because all of the awesome tools I have for maintenance make it easier to manage. I suppose I'll wait and see what happens with W7 first... they claim it's going to fix a lot of the problems Vista had.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

This build is $1,433 before mail in rebates and should have no problem running anything she would need.

Newegg.com - LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - CD / DVD Burners

Newegg.com - LIAN LI PC-7B plus II Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 2433BW High Glossy Black 24" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 20000:1(1000:1) - LCD Monitors

Newegg.com - XFX GX260XADJF GeForce GTX 260 Core Edition Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies

Newegg.com - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - Operating Systems

Newegg.com - Intel Core i7 920 + Gigabyte EX58-UD3R combo deal

I picked the GTX 260 for gpu acceleration in photoshop as well as rendering however if you want to save some money that is probably the place to do it.

 

[NightSurge]

@Spark

I don't think the goal is for a low end machine. It is for an excellent and speedy machine capable of detailed renders and high quality audio/video. This is not some throw away machine for basic editing.

 

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

We're talking about Maya and Photoshop - and maybe even something like Poser... this is very basic and at best moderate in requirements. spending $1400 on a machine for these apps is like putting a turbo diesel in a quarter ton truck.

If this were a Pixar workstation I'd say sure go for it, but this is a student's pc for graphic design and mass media. Student quality, not production quality. You'd be better off with a medium powered "throw away" now and then buy the juggernaut in a few years when she's done with school.

If you were talking about top end video production software and hardcore rendering apps then an i7 might be appropriate, but as it is that CPU will be utterly bored.

I have a friend who does legit high end video productions - mostly converting old NASA film footage to digital. THAT requires a beast. I don't even know the names of the programs he uses. You're talking about actively filtering out film grain, noise, and scratches.

 

[krazyq]

We're talking about Maya and Photoshop - and maybe even something like Poser... this is very basic and at best moderate in requirements. spending $1400 on a machine for these apps is like putting a turbo diesel in a quarter ton truck.

If this were a Pixar workstation I'd say sure go for it, but this is a student's pc for graphic design and mass media. Student quality, not production quality. You'd be better off with a medium powered "throw away" now and then buy the juggernaut in a few years when she's done with school.

If you were talking about top end video production software and hardcore rendering apps then an i7 might be appropriate, but as it is that CPU will be utterly bored.

I have a friend who does legit high end video productions - mostly converting old NASA film footage to digital. THAT requires a beast. I don't even know the names of the programs he uses. You're talking about actively filtering out film grain, noise, and scratches.

well she does want something future proof and she eventually wants to worth with pixar or dreamworks.

But i do agree that i dont think the i7 and that gpu and ram is necessary...i believe that might be overkill for her!

 

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

well she does want something future proof and she eventually wants to worth with pixar or dreamworks.

But i do agree that i dont think the i7 and that gpu and ram is necessary...i believe that might be overkill for her!

And I doubt she'd be all that impressed anyways unless she's a tech junkie!

EDIT: and there's no such thing as "future proof" - technology is going to advance beyond what you can possibly buy today no matter how much money you throw at it.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

well she does want something future proof and she eventually wants to worth with pixar or dreamworks.

But i do agree that i dont think the i7 and that gpu and ram is necessary...i believe that might be overkill for her!

If you think the i7 and GTX 260 would be to much this is system would be a good option. It is $1,099 before mail in rebates. I included a HD 4830 because all of the HD 4770's are currently sold out. If they are back in stock when you go to order you could get one of them instead.

Newegg.com - LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - CD / DVD Burners

Newegg.com - LIAN LI PC-7B plus II Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 2433BW High Glossy Black 24" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 20000:1(1000:1) - LCD Monitors

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100265HDMI Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies

Newegg.com - OCZ Blade Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - Operating Systems

Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II 940 + Biostar 790gx combo deal

 

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

Rome Total War is a couple of years old now... maybe I'll try it on that off-the-shelf vista machine at home... that ought to be fun!

 

[Kharn]

Curtosy of our good pal Synergy.

 

[synergy]

Curtosy of our good pal Synergy.

haha...yea, that pretty much sums up my my opinion in the matter. I just have a hard time paying the crazy dollars for a Mac when that's all you get...forever. Their customer service is crap too.