PC vs MAC laptop

therealslimfigge

therealslimfigge

Active member
My friend and I have a job at a 24 hour front desk. When things are going slowly, we can use a laptop to play games and watch movies. Unfortunately, our housemate (the one lending us the laptop) went back home for the rest of the summer. This leaves my friend and I in the market for a laptop that will help us pass the time.

Although we are buying the laptop together, I will probably buy out his share so that I can use the laptop as part of my camera rig. I intend on getting DVrack on there and using it with an HVX200.

I'm a relatively new member on the forum but I've been reading about everyone's exploits for several weeks. I'm curious, why do most people use Powerbooks instead of the more economical windows-based PC laptop? I have not seen a camera rig with a PC laptop - Only powerbooks and mac mini's. Why is that?

No doubt about it, Powerbooks are great. They are quality machines that do there job well. However, I'm finding brand new windows laptops go for half the price of a Powerbook with similar specs. I know that mac OS software is written more efficiently than its competitors, but is the software capability gap enough to warrant a triple-digit dollar difference?

I haven't had a PC problem in the past. I cut on Premiere Pro 1.5 and, despite numerous complaints from other users, I've never had a problem with it. I'm not a pro-PC whacko, but at the same time, I don't want to hop on the we-hate-bill-gates bandwagon without further research.

Any input will be of great help. Thanks in advance.
 
if you want to use DVRack, you must go with Windows PC. Plus, Powerbooks haven't kept pace with the processing power of windows-based laptops. But I think you would have to spend a lot of money on a laptop that can edit HD smoothly. Perhaps a high-end Asus notebook?
 
yep, if u intend on using DVrack, u've closed this case. I'm a long time mac user and cut on FCP, so I'd be more inclined to save for the powerbook, but if those arent concerns, then go PC.
 
If you don't need long battery-life or light-weight, high GHz P4's have the lowest prices right now -- perfect for editing. I'll be getting one soon as a "desk top replacement" to take on overnight shoots to get a jump-start on editing.
 
I am a PC guy who just purchased a dual g5 power mac. I like it. I love the software and will get a g4 power book when I can. I have a 3.2 p4 and a pc laptop but the mac software is tops. You might as well switch now.
 
I have an HP ZD7000 desktop replacement notebook. It's 3.0ghz w/2gb's of RAM and I use it for editing when I'm on the road or at school. It's only good for my small projects as it's storage capacity is only 60gb's... I suppose I could add something faster, but I'd rather not. Anyways I like the Macs better personally. I got both my ZD7000 and my xw8200 workstation for a hugely discounted price (my mother works in sales at HP) so I can't complain. HOwever I'll be living by myself in a few months (when I turn 18, I get kick outta my house) and I'll probably wait a while after that until the x86 macs come out. Then I'll buy one of those. They'll be pretty kickass I should think. I love the mac editing software, much more convienent then Avid and Premiere Pro.
 
hmm, have you guys tried Vegas? I use a Mac at work and haven't found anything I can do with it that I can't on my PC at home (and much faster, too).

now, i don't want to start the whole mac vs. pc thing. we should all know by now that they're just tools that do the same job, and we're all individuals and have our own preferences. some swear by pc, some by mac. we're very lucky as consumers to have such a wide variety of choices.

just know this: if you go with a pc laptop, don't get a celeron processor. go for the pentium-m or p4 or amd 64 or something else high end. and get a powerbook, not an iBook. the more RAM you can afford right off the bat, the better. budget for an extra battery, as well. you are most certainly going to need a firewire external hard drive that spins at 7200 rpm if you want to use it for capturing video. other than that, it's really up to you what you want.

if you want to use DVRack, it's not available for mac. neither is vegas. on the other hand, i'm in the market for a laptop and have done exhaustive research on which pc laptop would suit my needs best. with mac, there's really only one choice for on-the-go video editing, and that's the G4 Powerbook. makes it a bit easier in that regard.

Tough decision, and a major expense. Good luck on making the right purchase for your needs.
 
i've strayed away from hp/compaq because of compaq's history and hp's shitty desktop systems. the laptops are awesome, though, eh?
 
www.alienware.com computers completely put down powermac in terms of specifications. What i mean is the fastest hdd you can get for a powermac is 5400rpm.
Why can't apple catch up? My goal is to capture also.
 
apple will catch up once they start using intel processors. they can't get the hot-running g5 to an operating temperature appropriate for a laptop. that and power consumption wouldn't be conducive to "mobile computing" (i.e., very short battery life). but at least they know better than to release a crappy product that doesn't meet their high standards.

anyone seeking a top-end laptop should look at alienware or an asus ferrari. but it's gonna cost ya.

David: thanks for the input, i'll start looking at those brands more seriously.
 
You might try M-Tech laptops:http://www.m-techlaptops.com/specifications/mtechd900t.htm. Like Alienware, they build high-end PC laptops. The top-end $3,500,000 P4 3.8 extreme (600 series I think.) If you wait until November (not always a good idea) you can get a duel core CPU AMD or possibly INTEL based laptop with a 1920X1200 LCD (good enough for HD) for around the same price as the P4 extreme.
 
Frizzle Fry, I did try Vegas. I couldn't get used to the work flow. FCP and P.Pro are very close to each other. It would have been easier/cheaper for me to go the Vegas route but I have two friends I work with and now we are all on the same page. It seems to me the apple codec is better along with the complete software package.
 
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