Taylor J
Well-known member
And my experience is the complete opposite.
Need some help deciding ...
- Thread starter Davyc
- Start date
Then we both are using our gadgets for differen purposes. My experience with Iphone left me to never buy their products again. Not talking about freedom of free apps as well.
Muddy Boots
Well-known member
I switched to Macs back in 2012 and have never looked back, if I need windows (which I do for work programming, I just spin up a Win10 or Win7 Virtual machine in Parallels. I switched when doing Photography / Video work, back then the windows software was totally carp and in my opinion slow and cumbersome, switched to Mac and everything photo / video wise was sooooo much quicker......
And then as a bonus - didnt get stressed with blue screens of death and all the hassle that goes with the windows OS........
So if your doing graphics and photography you wont go wrong with a Mac........
zappaDPJ
Well-known member
I'd put this at the top of my list. A more minor consideration might be the costs involved should you need to purchase software for a different platform.
I have an extremely powerful, ten year old PC which won't run Windows 11. Because I use it in a professional capacity security was becoming a concern and after a lot of deliberation I bought an iMac 24" rather than a new PC.
It did take a while to make the transition. Everything is easy on the Mac IF you know how. After plugging it in I had to Google for the on switch
There is a bit of a learning curve but I'd definitely make the same decision again.
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Taylor J
Well-known member
They put the power button on the backside of the mac studio... I keep finding myself reaching for the front the rare times I use it.It did take a while to make the transition. Everything is easy on the Mac IF you know how. After plugging it in I had to Google for the on switch
whynot
Well-known member
I would go for one with Intel Core i7.
For storage there is no need for an extra 2TB HDD.
Muddy Boots
Well-known member
It depends on your budget, I have a Mac book pro 16" 2.4 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 - It runs hot, my last 15" MacBook Pro also run hot, my daughter has a newer M series Mac - finless - its silent and runs a lot cooler...... When I upgrade (normally every 5 years) ill be looking at the M series
Lee
Well-known member
My battery life is exceptional on my iPhone 14 Pro Max. Couldn't be further away from your description.
Plenty of free apps available too..?
Miri
Well-known member
If the memory capacity is 512GB for Mac, I don't recommend it. You would only need a 30-minute 4k video and Davinci Resolve to edit it, and you would run out of sufficient memory. So, in that case, I would suggest getting Windows. However, have you considered looking for another computer with even more RAM or a more recent processor for the same price?
Davyc
Well-known member
I actually don't need a lot of extras in a Windows machine as I have SSD drives and 64GB of DDR4 memory sitting in my old machine. A barebones system would do, but my usual supplier doesn't do barebones anymore and I am getting mixed reviews of other suppliers.
I'm now looking at a third option, that's to buy a new graphics card for my current machine and a new monitor - both are 10 years old, though my current machine is only 2 years old (Intel i5 11th gen). I may just hold out a little longer and go with my third option.
A new 13th gen machine would be nice, but it wouldn't do anything better for what I use it for. A lot of mixed views on the mac mini which just makes matters more confusing, plus they're not upgradeable. So, I'm at a bit of an impasse, but leaning more to option 3 for now and just wait a little longer to see if anything new makes an impression on me.
I thank everyone who commented and gave me good advice and sent me on a journey of investigation; it was most enlightening, not to mention frustrating lol. So, option 3 is looking more promising - unless I change my mind lol. Many thanks again for stepping up and helping me out.
I'm now looking at a third option, that's to buy a new graphics card for my current machine and a new monitor - both are 10 years old, though my current machine is only 2 years old (Intel i5 11th gen). I may just hold out a little longer and go with my third option.
A new 13th gen machine would be nice, but it wouldn't do anything better for what I use it for. A lot of mixed views on the mac mini which just makes matters more confusing, plus they're not upgradeable. So, I'm at a bit of an impasse, but leaning more to option 3 for now and just wait a little longer to see if anything new makes an impression on me.
I thank everyone who commented and gave me good advice and sent me on a journey of investigation; it was most enlightening, not to mention frustrating lol. So, option 3 is looking more promising - unless I change my mind lol. Many thanks again for stepping up and helping me out.
That's the most wise decision, it saves your some cash and you will upgrade current device.
Arantor
Well-known member
Me personally, in your situation, would go Windows. And not for any of the things you mention, interestingly.
I have a Windows laptop for personal use and a MacBook for work, and do web development on both, so that’s not the hangup, and I use the same apps on both.
What kills me, and I mean kills me, is muscle memory. I have ~25 years of Windows muscle memory for the keyboard shortcuts, and for how the various things behave. 18 months of using a Mac daily… nope.
Like I frequently want to copy/paste and strip the style (or, as Mac calls it, Paste and Match Style). Shift-Ctrl-V on Windows. Natural modification to the Ctrl-V I’ve been using for decades. On Mac, standard paste is Command-V, but this thing is Command-Shift-Option-V. Super intuitive.
I just cannot get used to the weird keyboard shortcuts or the various UI quirks that are unique to MacOS that just irk me. My work days frequently have muttering of swear words of “no, that wasn’t what I wanted you to do” where I’d hit the Windows shortcut for a thing and it did something different in the Mac equivalent.
I have a Windows laptop for personal use and a MacBook for work, and do web development on both, so that’s not the hangup, and I use the same apps on both.
What kills me, and I mean kills me, is muscle memory. I have ~25 years of Windows muscle memory for the keyboard shortcuts, and for how the various things behave. 18 months of using a Mac daily… nope.
Like I frequently want to copy/paste and strip the style (or, as Mac calls it, Paste and Match Style). Shift-Ctrl-V on Windows. Natural modification to the Ctrl-V I’ve been using for decades. On Mac, standard paste is Command-V, but this thing is Command-Shift-Option-V. Super intuitive.
I just cannot get used to the weird keyboard shortcuts or the various UI quirks that are unique to MacOS that just irk me. My work days frequently have muttering of swear words of “no, that wasn’t what I wanted you to do” where I’d hit the Windows shortcut for a thing and it did something different in the Mac equivalent.
cdub
Well-known member
Get the mac then. It'll work very well with your iphone and it's a breeze.
The M2 is quite fast too.
Taylor J
Well-known member
I deal with that issue of memory muscle on keyboard shortcuts daily. I switch back and forth from my work laptop to my Mac constantly and always end up using the shortcut from the other machine. I've gone far enough to re define some of the shortcuts to what I was used to with Windows as I was not willing to use 5 keys for something that used to take 2 or 3.
Davyc
Well-known member
The keyboard issues were present in mind when looking at the Mac's. The one thing that put me off was the fact that the M2's were slower than the M1's when saving and opening files. The other thing that put me off was the lack of cost-effective upgrades. Going from 256GB to 512GB was an extra £200 - I can get a far faster 1TB Samsung 990 pro with heatsink for £124 and if that burns out through constant use, I can easily replace it.
So many factors to consider, so until I can get my head wrapped around everything that I need to know and understand, I've opted for just a new graphics card for now. A new monitor is still on the cards, but I need to explore my options for this more. I prefer Dell monitors but the option for the one's I prefer (16:10 for that extra vertical space) have been reduced to just one. So, I need to look at other makes.
I fancied dipping my toe in the water with a Mac but the price, the lack of being able to upgrade and the negative aspects regarding the memory and storage have made me kick that option into the long grass for now. But what I have works, so I'll content myself for now until I have saved some more cash up and probably treat myself to some monster i9 with thousands of gigabytes of DDR5 memory and a stonking graphics card, 65-foot curved monitor and a full body transplant so I don't ache with every move lol.
So many factors to consider, so until I can get my head wrapped around everything that I need to know and understand, I've opted for just a new graphics card for now. A new monitor is still on the cards, but I need to explore my options for this more. I prefer Dell monitors but the option for the one's I prefer (16:10 for that extra vertical space) have been reduced to just one. So, I need to look at other makes.
I fancied dipping my toe in the water with a Mac but the price, the lack of being able to upgrade and the negative aspects regarding the memory and storage have made me kick that option into the long grass for now. But what I have works, so I'll content myself for now until I have saved some more cash up and probably treat myself to some monster i9 with thousands of gigabytes of DDR5 memory and a stonking graphics card, 65-foot curved monitor and a full body transplant so I don't ache with every move lol.
TPerry
Well-known member
All I will tell you is I am STILL doing most of my work on a Mac Mini (circa 2012) and the ONLY real issue I am having with it is two things.
The 11 year old Apple keyboard I have is finally taking a dump on itself.
After having a fan go out on the Mac Min the memory is finally starting to have issues 2 years later, and that's with the memory chip labels obviously browned from the additional heat.
Would I buy another Mac? You bet your bottom dollar I would in a heartbeat. In fact, instead of a Mini, I'd go with the Studio.. which I am looking long and hard at now and debating between it and another refractor telescope.
I mean, honestly.. I can buy new memory and keyboard for around $150... and then use all that other extra for another scope... and STILL be happy with how my system is processing.
I do most of my astrophotography processing on a newer Windows 11 machine that has a RTX4090 GeoForce GPU for use with my astrophotography software. So most of my "day to day" use is on the Mac. Could I process the same images on a Mac.. .yep, but honestly, it would cost a LOT more, and I have clients that are willing to subsidize my Windows PC costs.
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Davyc
Well-known member
Well, my new graphics card arrived today and installed without issue. Looking at monitors now as mine is now over 10 years old and looking a little tired. I'm still looking at Dell monitors as I've had fantastic use from them for many decades. I'm considering moving up the scale to a 27" with a higher resolution as my eyes are also beginning to get a little tired from being older lol.
I must admit that I'm heavily invested into Windows having used it since 3.1 in those heady days when a PC cost a whole years' wages and hard drives were measured in MB rather than GB. So, apart from the excessive cost of a Mac (what I would need for my photography) I'd need to invest in replacing my software and then go through the learning curve of a new system and new keyboard layout.
So, ATM I'm happier now that I've decided what to do
I must admit that I'm heavily invested into Windows having used it since 3.1 in those heady days when a PC cost a whole years' wages and hard drives were measured in MB rather than GB. So, apart from the excessive cost of a Mac (what I would need for my photography) I'd need to invest in replacing my software and then go through the learning curve of a new system and new keyboard layout.
So, ATM I'm happier now that I've decided what to do
TPerry
Well-known member
With the exception of how Safari is tied to the OS version. If you hardware no longer supports updates, then you don't get Safari updates, which also negatively impacts Chrome or ANY other browser. Apple is somewhat siloed in their OS offerings.
I've got a Mac Mini (circa 2013), an iPhone 13 Pro, 3 iPads, my spouse has an iPhone 14 Pro and have a Mac Studio that I'm about to drop the hammer on.