[SuperJon]

Ok, I'm thinking about taking out a student loan to get a new laptop for next semester and I'm not sure which to get. The more I get into video editing and graphics the more I think I want a Mac, but then again I like my PC that I'm on right now. Any suggestions?

[mrmacphisto]

You don't want me to answer that.

[SuperJon]

I seriously want honest opinions on both. Here's what I'll use it for:


Taking notes at school
Editing video
Playing in Photoshop to kill time
Announcing baseball games (keep the music on there)
Occasionally I'll do appraisals on there

[mrmacphisto]

I'll try to give the best answer that I can, but I'm in the middle of a computer crisis of sorts. The choice between Mac and PC is for the lesser of two evils, and at this point in time, I still consider Apple the lesser.

My iBook is pretty much the most worthless piece of crap I've ever owned as far as computers go. I'm currently on my fifth and final logic board, which, if history is any indication, will fry within a year.

That said, every other Mac user I've known has had no such problems. Only one or two other models (that are known at this point) have had the issue I've experienced. The problem I have with Apple as a company is that they seem more concerned with doing what's right for them than what's right for their customers. If you buy an Apple notebook that is found to be defective, they'll repair it without necessarily fixing it, as many times as they deem necessary, until they decide it's no longer their responsibility. Forget about a replacement.

Apple has a great OS, and the software they bundle (iLife) is worth hundreds alone, making it easier to pay a higher price for their computers. Garage Band has provided me with hours of fun, and if you have the right equipment (and like to produce music), you can get pro-quality results.

Windows is horrible. It hogs memory, it freezes, it causes computers to run slowly and crash. It's essentially a virus masquerading as an OS. For this reason and others, not the least of which is that Bill Gates is a crooked businessman who seeks to enslave the masses with his inferior products, I could never recommend a PC. But it is with some misgivings that I recommend a Mac.

That's it, in a rather sizable nutshell.

[ATrain]

They make FinalCut for macs...its FAR better than Avid. Photoshop is better with macs too, but I do tend to use it more on a PC just b/c I hate dealing with macs. But you probably want a mac.

[mrmacphisto]

Mac OS takes a little getting used to if you're accustomed to Windows, but it doesn't take long to get the basic differences down. You'll learn a lot more as you go along.

[SuperJon]

I've been using Vegas to edit right now but I tried to render a HD version of Parking Spaces the other night and it crashed my computer.

[Sly Fox]

Final Cuts Pro is easily the best editing software. We have a suite using it our station (NBC in Top Ten market).

And you better have a strong microprocessor and tons of gigs on your hard drive for rendering video in HD of any length.

[mrmacphisto]

Yeah, you're looking at a top-of-the-line machine at that point, or close to it.

[SuperJon]

I don't think it was actually HD. It was like 5mps or something like that (too lazy to look it up exactly). Paul can do it on his laptop so I figured I could do it on my comp but couldn't.

[El Scorcho]

If you want a Mac, there's no reason not to get one now. It can run Windows as well. As a matter of fact, the MacBook Pros, iMacs and Mac Pros are currently the most Windows Vista ready machines on the market. I'm already running Windows Vista: Enterprise Edition on my MacBook Pro.

Get a Mac, and you get the best of both worlds. Seriously.

[SuperJon]

I doubt I could afford a Macbook Pro. The regular ones I could get though.

[PAmedic]

you guys are nuts.

unless he's launching the next orbiter or running the missle defense network- save the money and build a good Dell for about 750 bucks.

remember the guy is a college student.

time for building the ultimate AV-geek laptop AFTER he gets a degree and a decent paying job.

HIPPIES

[SuperJon]

A good Mac laptop is only $1200 through the school. I'm going to get a student loan to pay for it anyways, that's why I don't mind spending that much. If it'll last me the next year and a half/two years to finish school and do the things I enjoy doing then I'll be happy. Macs just seem to be better for graphics and video.

[PAmedic]

don't buy into the liberal agenda.

stay strong. Vote Republican

[SuperJon]

Ok, he's back on drugs.

[PAmedic]

true.

have been ill for the last 4 days and am just mixing any concoction of meds I can find right now to ATTEMPT to feel better.

very perceptive, SJ

[SuperJon]

It's not hard when you make it so blatantly obvious.

[El Scorcho]

If you can't afford the Pro right now, here's my advice: Wait until January 9th to make your decision. Apple will be announcing new products at MacWorld on the 8th, and when that happens there's always the potential for price drops. There's also always the potential for new models. Though most of the new product rumors are focusing on the announcement of their first phone, good word has it that a smaller "ultraportable" version of the MacBook Pro will also be announced.

That aside, even with a MacBook (which is a fine machine with only one major difference, and a couple of minor differences from the Pro) you can run Windows as well. Might as well have both options.

[SuperJon]

What's the biggest different between the two? I like how the regular is 13" and the Pro is like 15" or 17". What are the biggest differences and why would I need them?

[El Scorcho]

The one major difference between the Macbook and the Macbook Pro is the video card. The Macbook uses Intel's integrated graphics and shared memory to drive the display. There's nothing wrong with this unless you're a gamer. If you plan on booting into Windows to play games, that's not what you want to be using. The Pro model has an ATi Mobility Radeon X1600, which is near as good as you can get in a laptop these days. The two faster Pro models even have the 256MB version.

The other major difference obviously is screen size. The Pros are bigger.

The minor, less obvious, differences are in the Pro features. The Pros have Firewire 800 in addition to Firewire 400. They have a DVI port. You can get the faster 7200 rpm drives in in them. They have faster DVD/CD burning. They also have the ambient light sensor and illuminated keyboard. All minor but important details.

[SuperJon]

Ok, either I have no clue on the stuff you're talking about or I'm not planning on using the things I do understand. The Macbook is probably what I should go with.

[PAmedic]

DELL

and you'll only lose the thing anyway.

or have it stolen by those "gangs"

[SuperJon]

I liked the Dell laptop I had. I just kind of want to try something new.

[mrmacphisto]

Dells don't come with the iLife suite. IMO, that's worth more than the price difference. And, as previously mentioned, if you want to sully your machine by loading Windows, that's an option too.