Laptops I will buy a laptop in the next two months... PC or Mac?

[lazygarfield]

Hey guys,

I thought of posting this in the "Laptop Buying Advice" section of this board and decided against it because despite what the title may imply, I wish this thread to just be a discussion of different kinds of laptops out there, with their different OSes etc.

First of all, a few details. I am going to start college in a few weeks. I'm moving to Bombay to study Mass Media. Most probably, I'll soon start interning at places like Ad agencies, PR firms etc. And - from what I know - soft skills like photo editing, video editing etc. are a huge help in my field so I'm going to spend my spare time picking them up too (nah, don't know them yet).

That last detail is what seriously made me consider the question of a PC or a Mac. I've been using Windows my whole life, not because I know for a fact that it's better... but because that was what was installed on all the PCs I grew up around. It was what was available cheapest where I lived. Which is why I'm not what you'd call a Windows "fanboy" or a Mac "hater" - I just don't know enough about one side to actually pick sides.

Anyway, forgive my minor digression. Let's get back on topic - I have heard that a Mac is generally the preferred option for tasks like photo editing, video editing etc. Is that true? Why is Windows behind in this regard? The need for me to pick up these skills in large enough that I would be willing to learn how to operate Macs on the way. Do you people think the learning curve for Macs is very high? High enough to pose a problem? If it's any help, and at the risk of sounding vain, I'll say I'm generally good at picking up new stuff (technology only )

And now, finally, to some other details about the laptop itself. I haven't yet broached the question to my parents (still <= two months to go for the buy!) but I am pretty sure we cannot look beyond a budget of 70K. Having looked at Apple's website, I see there are just two viable models for me then - The Macbook 13" and the Macbook Pro 13" 2.3GHz (I'm not considering Macbook Air - freakin' 64GB). Are these good? Like, can they perform the tasks I outlined above? Do you know of any Windows alternatives in this price range that will perform those tasks better than the Macs?

Widescreen is a HUGE issue for me by the way. I plan to watch a lot of movies (HD - but no BluRay drive needed) and the wrong aspect ratio irks me a lot. I don't have anything against any one brand (be it PC or Mac) so don't let that keep you from suggesting anything. I am also an occasional gamer - I suppose the Mac will put a kaboosh to that?

Also, am I missing anything? Any obvious detail that would help you people in the discussion? For now, this is all I can think of.

Please provide your opinions. It would be a huge help!

 

[Amaresh]

Being slightly biased towards Apple I'd have said get the Mac but since you can only fit in the MB 13" and MBP 13" in your budget - both of which have a crappy 1280x800 resolution I'd say that your money is much better spent on getting a Windows laptop.

 

[lazygarfield]

Hmmm. Okay. I didn't know about the resolution. By the way, I just learnt of this recently, how much would you say the upcoming Macs will matter for me for making my decision? How much better will they be in features? Will there be any models that come inside my price range? Will their arrival cause a fall in the prices of this gen?

 

[dennis_nail]

A PC would be better suited for your requirements. With 70k budget, you will be able to get a very good configuration. Macbook pro 15 would have suited you better, if only for the budget. There is a learning curve for Mac, but that is not so high. After a while with a Mac, it will be difficult to go back to PC!

 

[Sub]

A Windows laptop is better suited to your requirements. By the way, for things like photo editing or video editing, Windows is hands down the better platform. Premiere Pro CS5.5 and Photoshop CS5.5 are excellent apps in this regard. The crucial thing is that CS5.5 offers 10% better performance in Adobe CS5.5 in Windows over Mac to begin with. You can run RED Epic 5K real-time in Windows, but not on Mac, using Premiere Pro CS5.5. On top of that, with a Windows laptop, you have the option for buying a laptop with a NVIDIA graphics card, and CS5.5 is HEAVILY CUDA accelerated. Macbook Pro is AMD exclusive. But then, maybe you will prefer different software - so you have to make to decide which software you want to use. Windows also has AVISynth, lossless codecs, high quality renders like MadVR, it is a complete no-brainer in my opinion. On the other hand, maybe you will prefer Final Cut Pro or Aperture (one can't rationally justify it, but people do have their preferences) in which case you have no choice but to get a Mac. Windows has excellent exclusive software too - Sony Vegas Pro is by far the most efficient and fastest video editing software, utilizing Windows exclusive technologies like DirectX. Also, a quad-core makes a huge difference for things like video editing. Must buy a quad-core.

Finally, for these kind of usage, performance is crucial. A HP laptop that costs Rs. 52,000 has superior config to the Macbook Pro which costs Rs. 1.04 lakhs (cheapest MBP with quad-core CPU). Big difference. (Granted, the Macbook looks much better and comes with a better display and battery, but performance-wise, it's a massive difference in price/performance ratio. Furthermore, you could get yourself a top-notch 30" IPS display with the money saved, or maybe a motorbike, or whatever you want.)

A 13" display is COMPLETELY USELESS for video editing, by the way. Best to get an external monitor, 1080p/22", in my opinion that's the minimum requisite for video editing.