That's what some have said on here. I was thinking of getting a PC as my next computer. I like it better than mac, cause it's much easier for me to organize everything on. But is there something really so terrible about it for movie making software?
Are PCs really that bad for movie making?
- Thread starter harmonica44
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Actually, I carry a shank on me, at all times, just in case this debate breaks out and I have to shank a Mac-head!
Escher, when I'm in Seattle, I spend a lot of time around 4th & Lenora. Just giving you a fair warning.
Escher's response is very detailed, and that is good. My summation is a tad more simple.
For purposes of video editing, choosing between Mac and PC is like picking between six or one half-dozen of the other. Harmonica, half of a dozen is six, so I'm am saying that for this purpose, they are basically the same.
Here are the differences that matter.
Macs are expensive.
PCs have compatibility issues. This hardware doesn't work with that hardware. That hardware doesn't work with that software. Unless you are tech-savvy, you will have many headaches, and it will be less than half a year before your poorly-maintained PC is barely working.
And that is why I recommend harmonica get a Mac.
Half a year? I can see a few years, but half?
My Mac Pro is about 3 and a half years old now and running strong as ever.
Before that, I had 5 PC's over the course of 6 or so years. Some lasted longer than others. The ones that never touched the internet and never attempted a hardware upgrade once working. I did build them all, but when you put a new video card with old mobo or something seems like everything went to crap. The last one has the motherboard and processors die simultaneously about 4 months after I built it (to adobe premiere/matrox recommended hardware specs).
That's when I went Mac. A little more up front, but not a major problem at all. That's why, as long as Apple makes a powerhouse Mac (which may not me much longer) I'll be a Mac guy.
To be fair, windows 7 is supposed to have fixed most of the issues PC's have faced in the past. I never made it that far though.
Oh, and hardware costs more on a Mac, but software is waaaay less. The latest operating system is $29 vs $200+ for Windows 7 Pro and iWork is like $50 or something (may have changed), vs $150 for Office home & student. iWork ports to iPhone and iPad too making working on files on a the go a cinch.
The more expensive hardware, like Escher said, is better hardware too. You can't compare a $1300 MacBook to a $300 acer. To get similar parts you compare the $1300 MacBook to an $1100-1700 Alienware laptop.
But yes, both PC's (configured right, fingers crossed) and Mac's run Premiere great. They're both 64 bit now too.
PS: I surf the web on my Mac Pro (something that always lead to death on the PC's) without fear. I don't do anything malicious like BitTorrent or download random things, but havin Internet on my main creative device makes life sooo much easier. I have access to stock, can send files faster, and download and listen to new music in the BG when hammering away at After Effects. No problems so far.
Before that, I had 5 PC's over the course of 6 or so years. Some lasted longer than others. The ones that never touched the internet and never attempted a hardware upgrade once working. I did build them all, but when you put a new video card with old mobo or something seems like everything went to crap. The last one has the motherboard and processors die simultaneously about 4 months after I built it (to adobe premiere/matrox recommended hardware specs).
That's when I went Mac. A little more up front, but not a major problem at all. That's why, as long as Apple makes a powerhouse Mac (which may not me much longer) I'll be a Mac guy.
To be fair, windows 7 is supposed to have fixed most of the issues PC's have faced in the past. I never made it that far though.
Oh, and hardware costs more on a Mac, but software is waaaay less. The latest operating system is $29 vs $200+ for Windows 7 Pro and iWork is like $50 or something (may have changed), vs $150 for Office home & student. iWork ports to iPhone and iPad too making working on files on a the go a cinch.
The more expensive hardware, like Escher said, is better hardware too. You can't compare a $1300 MacBook to a $300 acer. To get similar parts you compare the $1300 MacBook to an $1100-1700 Alienware laptop.
But yes, both PC's (configured right, fingers crossed) and Mac's run Premiere great. They're both 64 bit now too.
PS: I surf the web on my Mac Pro (something that always lead to death on the PC's) without fear. I don't do anything malicious like BitTorrent or download random things, but havin Internet on my main creative device makes life sooo much easier. I have access to stock, can send files faster, and download and listen to new music in the BG when hammering away at After Effects. No problems so far.
Okay. So, let's cut to the chase. Which is the best porn computer?
Really people, there is an investment at risk here.
Mac, obviously. Do you have any idea how much Windows malware is on those sites?
Yes, but in 18 months it will be industry obsolete by the iShank II.
And again in another 18 months with the iShank II with SeaBass OS.
And again in another 18 months with the iShank II SeaBass with Lasers OS.
It goes on and on.
Okay so it seems Macs are the better choice, if I want a computer with the net as well. I can only afford on computer right now, and not one for work, and one for net. But there are all sorts of problems that come with a mac, such as sometimes if you upload footage you have no idea where it arrived and have to search the whole computer for it. That is one of dozens of organizing problems. And Mac's have to keep asking a lot of questions, before performing certain tasks. Questions that if you don't answer right, it could result in loss of data. PC's do that too, but not near as much in my experience, and on those, I understand the questions better. I know those examples don't help much but if I get a mac, I will have to get a book on something on how to deal with these mac problems.
This is not correct.
You drag files around in the same manner on a mac that you do on a PC. I copy over my footage files right into the very directory I want them to be in. When I was digitizing from tape instead of a card, I set my video editor's preferences to tell it where the footage should go. No mysterious loss of data, no wondering where anything landed.
And Macs will ask you far fewer questions that Windows. Seriously, it's a much more solid interface. It's not like you get an answer wrong and the whole thing blows up. My experience on a Mac has been "if you don't know something, guess the easiest possible way it might work and you'll probably be right". And if you're wrong? You're not going to kill anything.
Actually, escher, I know a guy who knows a guy who answered a question wrong, and then his Mac actually blew up. Except, right before blowing up, it punched him in the face. True story. Just sayin.
H44, get a Mac.
H44, get a Mac.
Oh okay. I uploaded all of my footage onto a PC and it went on, no problem. Then I try on my parents mac to compare, and it asks all sorts of questions and wouldn't let me proceed. Not just the one time, but have had that other times. So going by experiences on my parents and sister's macs. Sure I can ask them what to do, but at least with a PC I don't have to call someone for help everytime something goes wrong, such as uploading. But aside from that, is there any disadvantages to a Mac, where I would need to upgrade it at all, like a PC?
I'd have to know more about what software was kicking in and what questions it was asking. This sounds awfully bizarre and I've never encountered anything like it.
It may have been iPhoto, the one Mac program I disable right away.
The PC's I've owned have lasted, maximum, a few years. My last old mac ran for 10 years (a dual-core G4 PowerPC-based system) and it could even handle basic HD video even though it was manufactured in the early 2000's.
A Mac, while more expensive than your run-of-the-mill PC, will last you a looong time. My current system is the 12-core PowerMac (24 hardware threads! Woot!) running at something like 2560x1440 resolution w/out breaking a sweat. I also have an 11" MacBook Air that is the most perfect netbook-style device ever. Small, lightweight, amazing battery life, and yet the keyboard is nice and roomy, making it a great portable screenwriting system and internet interface. (I'm using it right now.)
I'm also a software developer with no life, no car, and nearly zero financial obligations, which is how I can afford all this stuff.
Edit: You'll want to get your own mouse or trackball though as the standard mac mouse kinda sucks. Also, I think they ship with the stunted short keyboard (no numeric keypad) by default -- I recommend the full-sized keyboard. I use a logitech marble trackman instead of a mouse and have a contour shuttle control to make working with video easier.
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I love my mac, best god damn thing I did was buy a mac.
But is it necessary? No.
The movie Undead had the post production done on (from memory) 7 PC's, all running windows. Sure, the failure rate was terrible, but they were dealing with massive feature film files.
Here's the thing though. Industry people use macs, so they want you to be able to use a mac. Same goes for Final Cut and Avid software. If you know how to use these products and you want a job at a media house, you have a better chance than the guys that don't know these products.
But is it necessary? No.
The movie Undead had the post production done on (from memory) 7 PC's, all running windows. Sure, the failure rate was terrible, but they were dealing with massive feature film files.
Here's the thing though. Industry people use macs, so they want you to be able to use a mac. Same goes for Final Cut and Avid software. If you know how to use these products and you want a job at a media house, you have a better chance than the guys that don't know these products.
I did not find this funny at all.
What problems has windows 7 suppose to fix, besides the internet making the computer slower problem? Is this the only issue? Can anyone confirm windows 7?
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Windows 7 has a slightly better UI that is technically up-to-date: it uses the GPU on the video card for increased performance. (Mac OS X has been doing this for nearly a decade.)
Windows 7 is more secure than its predecessors but is not as secure as Unix-design-style operating systems (Linux, Mac OS X, BSD, etc...).
Windows 7 is more resource-intensive than OS X, so you will need a bare minimum of 4GB of RAM, with 8GB preferred if you're doing anything more than running Word and browsing the internet. (This isn't as big of a deal as it used to be a few years ago.)
Windows 7 has a much more modern programming interface than its predecessors, which won't make a different to a regular user, but us developers are very happy about it.
Overall, I would say that Windows 7 is the only version of Windows you should be running if you have a PC, but that Mac OS X still beats the pants off of it from a usability, layout, and stability viewpoint. The gap is certainly closing but Microsoft still has a ways to go.
Windows 7 is more secure than its predecessors but is not as secure as Unix-design-style operating systems (Linux, Mac OS X, BSD, etc...).
Windows 7 is more resource-intensive than OS X, so you will need a bare minimum of 4GB of RAM, with 8GB preferred if you're doing anything more than running Word and browsing the internet. (This isn't as big of a deal as it used to be a few years ago.)
Windows 7 has a much more modern programming interface than its predecessors, which won't make a different to a regular user, but us developers are very happy about it.
Overall, I would say that Windows 7 is the only version of Windows you should be running if you have a PC, but that Mac OS X still beats the pants off of it from a usability, layout, and stability viewpoint. The gap is certainly closing but Microsoft still has a ways to go.
.... im still on windows 3.11... should i upgrade? just kidding.
couldnt vouche for my i7 and win7 on it, but i wouldnt even think about hooking that workhorse up to any web/games stuff.. thats why i have my good ol netbook for
couldnt vouche for my i7 and win7 on it, but i wouldnt even think about hooking that workhorse up to any web/games stuff.. thats why i have my good ol netbook for