July 11, 2008

• INPUT: Desktop Computer Systems…

  So, what are people’s opinions on desktop (tower) computer systems?

  Is a Mac Pro REALLY worth the $5,000+ total price tag? Apple lists the starting price at an already eye-popping $2800, and that’s only with 2 gigs of RAM, one 320 gig HD, and no display. etc. Every time I configure the machine that I feel would allow me to work comfortably, concerning both speed and capacity, I quickly pass five grand. (Then I quickly close that browser window in disgust…)

  Multiple geek friends of mine have showed me how easy it is to build a custom PC system that is even FASTER, with more capacity, for less than half as much.

  So, this forces me to asses WHY I have a Mac in the first place. The reasons that I come up with are surprisingly trivial…

  1.) I like the way my macbook LOOKS. It is simply timeless. I don’t understand why ALL other laptop makers feel the need to differentiate their product and add this or that little curve, line, shape, finish, etc. etc. It just doesn’t work for me. By trying to stand out and change the way EVERY new laptop looks, they have created a sea in which any single laptop will be lost. Show me a PC laptop that looks better than a macbook, let alone a macbook pro… The only thing that comes to mind is the Thinkpad, and those still don’t come close to looking sexier than a macbook…

  2.) I like the simplistic interface. You see, I’m the exact opposite of brilliant when it comes to software interfaces. I like the simple Apple OS X interface. PC’s may be capable of all the same things, like “time machine” and “spotlight” and the “dashboard”, but Apple has simply IDIOT-PFOOFED these things, and that is what I need.

  3.) I like fact that ALL hardware is hand-picked by Apple to work flawlessly together. I don’t have the time to get into my PC nightmare experiences with “drivers”, whatever the heck those are. Ugh.

  4.) I like the safety. I’ll be honest- I’m really dumb when it comes to things like firewalls, anti-virus, spyware-sweeping, etc. etc. This is the main reason I bought a Mac- again, no time for the stories, but suffice it to say I’m really ignorant and I’ve trashed my PC twice.

  So anyways, I guess these reasons aren’t THAT big. If it were a matter of saving thousands of dollars, I could live with a PC. Oh wait, it IS a matter of thousands.

  So, I’m strongly considering just building a PC desktop tower, to take over the duties as my main imaging workhorse. (Yes, I currently do ALL my editing from a 13″ laptop. And I somehow manage to deliver images on time, with proper color. I know, I’m ghetto…)

  And I’m no slouch when it comes to building a machine. I know how to slap on my anti-static wristband and install a CPU / HD / RAM stick. Heck, I’ve even replaced the RAM and HD in my macbook! (I should probably replace the CPU “logic board” too, sooner or later.

  I guess I COULD attempt the impossible, to custom-build a mac. You can buy towers, you can buy everything you need. But the available parts would be a lot more limited.

  But then again, that’s what I like about Apple products. All the hardware just goes together.

  But then again, many many pros out there do just fine with PC machines, machines that could run circles around the average Mac Pro tower…

  So, what’s the vote? What would YOU do? “Burn” money on a mac pro tower? Or just bite the bullet, learn Vista, and build a PC?

  Couple specs concerning my ideal machine:

  ~ Dual twenty-something inch monitors. Probably cost the same as a single Apple 30″! Samsung? Viewsonic?

  ~ One HD for OS and apps. 300 gigs probably fine.

  ~ Additional HD with a fully-bootable backup of OS / app HD.

  ~ SATA storage HD, 500 gigs. (For images and other files…)

  ~ SATA storage HD backup, 500 gigs. (Auto-backup of HD with images, exact duplicate)

  ~ SATA external HD backup, 1000 gigs. (For auto-backup of desktop AND Laptop, or is that a bad idea?)

  ~ 4 core CPU, preferably ~3 GHZ.

  ~ 4-8 gigs RAM.

  ~ BEST graphics card possible, without getting ridiculous. (I’ll be doing imaging, RAW processing, but not anything like HD video, nor high-frame-rate gaming…)

  ~ Double optical drives.

  …Surely this PC could be built for under $2,500?

  Take care,
  =Matt=

  [EDIT]

  Hate to say it guys, but having done a bunch of work on my PC lately, I am turned off yet again. I really don’t like all the little apps and things that you have to deal with. There is just SO much third party stuff out there, and THAT seems to be what ends up giving me the most trouble. All these apps get themselves into the “open at startup” folder every time I download an update, they get into my taskbar and add all these useless little icons and buttons to the left AND right corners of the taskbar, it’s just freaking annoying. Honestly, Logitec, do you REALLY have to install software and create a taskbar icon (or two) just so I can use your keyboard? (And seriously, the dang thing warns me that my mouse batteries are dead MONHTS before they actually are because I use rechargeables, it’s really annoying…) And what the heck is RAR? ZIP wasn’t good enough? Right when you FINALLY didn’t have to open a stupid application just to unzip a file, you gotta use apps to compress / un-compress things again?

  I’m sick of third parties trying to stick their fork in my tomato.

  With my Mac, I have a grand total of maybe SIX different companies going into my computer: Apple, (who for all intents and purposes we’re going to say “makes” ALL hardware…) Adobe, Mozilla, Showit, NeoOffice, and a couple “hardly ever use ‘em” apps for recovering lost images, FTP, etc.

  And that’s more than enough already.

  I dunno, I just don’t know if I can ever put THAT much into a PC again. Too complicated. I know PC’s are better, they can do more, they are more customizable, parts are easier to come by, etc. etc. But I really don’t WANT that. I just want to edit images. I LOVE SIMPLICITY.

  =Matt=

  • 1:20 pm
  • 27 Comments