[whakiewes]

I am in the market for a desktop, and I am curious what you guys are using. Currently I am on an HP Pavillion 1.6ghz laptop. Its fast and reliable, but I would just like something more powerful to do my video and picture editing on. I looked at Macs, but comparably they are way more than say a 3ghz Dell at only $700 plus shipping. Just curious what you guys are running!



Wes

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[rhudeboye]

Inspiron w/ 2.2GHz Duo Core here. Plenty of power / storage/ and everything else, it even has a sub woofer. I went w/ Dell because of price. However if i were to get serious w/ video I would go Mac. It just performs better w/ graphics and works smoother.



I have a G3 Desktop that I'm learning OSX on.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[chris]

newegg.com .... chris special <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[tom968]

Dell 4600 series 2.66GHz.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Glau]

[quote name='whakiewes' date='Aug 24 2006, 05:30 PM']I am in the market for a desktop, and I am curious what you guys are using.  Currently I am on an HP Pavillion 1.6ghz laptop.  Its fast and reliable, but I would just like something more powerful to do my video and picture editing on.  I looked at Macs, but comparably they are way more than say a 3ghz Dell at only $700 plus shipping.  Just curious what you guys are running!



Wes

[right][post="25539"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



Your Apple vs. Dell comparison is not fair, you can't just look at the ghz ratings of different processors to gage computing power (if you really want a single number to compare across different platforms and manufacturers use the www.SPEC.org benchmark numbers). In car terms processor speed is like horsepower and the SPEC benchmark numbers would be like 1/4 mile or 0-60 times, bigger HP doesn't always mean faster especially if HP is measured differently...



The new Mac desktops use Xeon processors and to buy a Xeon Dell (Precision 690) you will be spending at least $1500 and to get one that uses similar components as the Apple you will need to spend more like $2000, so $2500 for the midline Mac is in the same ballpark. Plus, the Apple has some really neat engineering behind it that the Dell can only dream of, namely -- 4MB of shared L2 cache per processor and 1.33GHz dual independent frontside buses. The Apple also uses faster buffered 667 Mhz RAM vs. unbuffered 533Mhz for the Xeon Dell. However for the standard user the biggest difference between the Dell and Apple is the OS and included software, on this point Apple wins so easily (especially if video and picture editing is the main goal) I'm gonna skip the details... ask if you want to hear more.



I'm currently running 5 desktops in my home office including: 3 Apples, a Sony VAIO w/XP, and a custom made box with W2000 and Linux startup HDs -- overkill? yes maybe but they all do have their own specific purpose and utility. I also have a number different laptops floating around but really only use a G4 12" PowerBook and the wife uses a G4 12" iBook.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Mark]

When it comes to processors and chips speeds The new Macs and PC's are available using the same chips with the same cache and memory at the same speed, but with the PC you have the option to downgrade.



I would not use a $700 Dell fro graphics- you should have more memory, processing power and video speed than the $700 one will give you. That being said you can do it with the $700 one but it will take longer.



What software package were you planning on using on the PC is a bigger question and $$$ thing to me. Using XP64 bit and latest Adobe package works well for me on an inexpensive Dell with dual core processor, 4GB RAM, a good video card running fast SATA drives in a RAID0 stripe for rendering and temp files. Faster than any pre Intel Mac by a large margin.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Bob Kovacs]

I have several computers but the "big" desktop is a three-year-old Compaq with an Athlon 2800 processor and 1 GB of RAM (Windows XP). I'm surprised that this remains a fast and powerful computer after three years. I did add a 300 GB hard drive to the 60 GB drive that came with it and store all my image and video files on the big drive. It is the computer of choice in my house for Photoshop work, and I have a 10-megapixel camera. I'm sure a new computer would blow it out of the water but I'm still pleased with its performance. It cost around $850 and the added hard drive was about $200 a year ago.



One thing I suggest is to get as many front-panel USB ports and jacks as you can. You should get at least two front-panel USB ports (four is better), as well as front-panel FireWire and audio connections. I insisted on lots of front-panel connections when I bought this Compaq and am very happy to have them. They are in constant use.



If I was looking today, I'd want at least a 300 GB hard drive, 2 GB of RAM and an Athlon X64 3400 (minimum).



--Bob

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[GuardsRedCoupe]

I don't really buy new computers, my computer just sort of evolves over time. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> I prefer to build them myself, then I know the quality and specs of each component. I probably don't save any money, but I really enjoy tearing into it every now and again. A new motherboard here, bigger hard drive there, pretty soon you have a new computer without even realizing it!



That being said, I'll probably have to build a whole new system one of these days. I ran the Windows Vista beta for a while, and my PC wasn't really up to snuff. And with a lot of the new standards that are out (SATA, PCI Express, CPU sockets, etc) too many of my components will be incompatible with new components. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/mad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

i have almost got the hang of my abucus

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[cosimo]

Flash, I hate to be picky but do you mean "abacus" or if you have two "abaci". Maybe it was a slip of your thumb. Just to keep on subject I have a 5 year old Toshiba lap top with an AMD K6 processor, 4GB hard drive, CDROM (read only), Windows 98. So I'm way behind the technology curve but it still works and since I got FIOS (5MPS) downloading video is very fast. I tend to keep things till they are no longer fixable.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

oops - yes - first cup of cofee



lol

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ds968]

desktop is a week-old Compaq Presario ( $ 500 ) which just replaced the Dell Dimension I had - this one has an AMD chip, but don't ask me about any other features, because I am PC-challenged.. however, with very basic computer needs at home, I don't need anything too sophisticated ..



laptop is an HP which I'm hoping does not use a Sony battery ( aka the Ford Pinto

of batteries ) because I really don't want to test how well my fire insurance policy

covers the loss of my house ... so I'm leaving the laptop at work from now on <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[doster]

vio

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[apex]

macbook pro - 17" does everything asked of it and more ...



EXCEPT display pictures on this website!



(ok, well it *is* possible to download and view using the posted workarounds... but who has time for that?) <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[whakiewes]

yikes, step away for a minute and it takes me all night to decipher this computer language!



Here is the skinny- I run/use Adobe Premier Pro and I am thinking about purchasing Vegas6. The Adobe package (like $600 after my student discount) gives me Photoshop7, and some more things, so my Windows based editing is fine. Also, I am used to it taking me several hours to edit videos, so upgrading to the $700 computer would be like....tripple what I am on now. I have two laptops, so another laptop is out of my thoughts. I went onto Newegg and priced what would be comparable to the Mac G5 or whatever, it comes pretty damn close in price, so I can see where the value is. The downside to me is that I doubt I will every find that value in real life. I do it as a hobby, not a profession. I like to shoot videos of car meets, races, etc...then edit them for my pleasure. They rarely get hosted or posted, just my mere pleasure.



So here is what I have 3/4 come to the conclusion of. I think I am going to go with the Mac Mini 1.66 or whatever, run it through my LCD TV since I rarely watch TV and play on the computer at the same time. Eitherway I can PIP it to do both. Wireless keyboard with digital or whatever mouse from Bestbuy with an external 150GB HD. Its not the best of the best, but its plenty for me and my budget.



If anyone has any input in that setup, don't hesitate to sway me either way!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

the obvious advantage of the mac is that you can now step up to finalcut

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Etnier]

Mac MDD FW800 Dual 1.42GHz G4 w/2G ram and many extras.





I will soon be buying a new Mac Pro, probably one of the current ones when they're being blown out to make room for their replacements: presumably just before Xmastime.



This may be of interest to you:

MacPro vs. Dell comparison:

http://www.systemshootouts.org/shootouts/d...809_dt3200.html

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Glau]

[quote name='Etnier' date='Aug 26 2006, 08:30 AM']This may be of interest to you:

MacPro vs. Dell comparison:

http://www.systemshootouts.org/shootouts/d...809_dt3200.html

[right][post="25603"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



Wow I would have never imagined a Dell box with basically the same specs as a Mac would be so much more expensive. And I don't feel so bad missing the new Xeon Woodcrest chip as an option for the Dell in my first post--I guess that one stumped a lot of people according to this thread:



Link to thread about the Mac Pro vs Dell Xeon Shootout



flwbyu - I completely agree with the Mac just getting jobs done with less fuss. Three SGI's?! I haven't played on one of those since the Indigo in the mid-90s, seemed like once OS X came out Mac took away a lot of the SGI market? Also, I have checked my various email accounts every ten minutes in OS 9 on a G3 24/7 for more than a few years now and no my virus protect is not turned on or updated <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Wes - depending on the size and refresh rate of the LCD screen you may not like it much as a computer screen especially with the limited options with the graphics card in a mini. This could make fast movements in 3d video games or video with a lot of action not look so great. Although, you could probably test the LCD with your laptop first. Anyway, I think I know one person with a mini that is using it as a jukebox for his stereo and I think he likes it.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[968rz]

I just got my kid a smoking system from ibuypower, about $800 total with shipping and the thing ROCKS for gaming. That being said you can make a nice custom system for cheap (with name brand parts) that would do video fantastic.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Bob Kovacs]

I never could understand all that stuff about Macs just running better. At my last job, I had a PC on my desk and used a Mac for a few hours a week. Compared to my various PCs, the Mac was quirky and much less stable. The Macs frequently crashed and occasionally could not be restarted without the IS guy doing something to it. And I really missed the right mouse button that the PC mouse has.



Macs may now have two mouse buttons (I don't know, maybe not) but my Mac experience is pretty negative. The people in our production department loved them, though.



--Bob

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.