OK, Im graduating from High School in another month and over the summer I plan on buying or building a new computer mainly for video editing in college. Im looking to spend about $1500 for all the hardware and an OS. The other software Ill download most likely. But I was wondering what you would suggest I get, a Mac or a PC. Also if you have any hardware suggestions let me know. Thanx and PEACE

uh oh, here we go. There's going to be a big controversy now. People are VERY protective of their computer types here.

What kind of editing software are you familiar with (Mac based or PC based)? That should be a major aspect in your decision.

MAC's are awesome man, but highly overrated. Pro's and Con's
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Pro's= MAC are very fast and have a tendency to be more reliable while editing (e.i. not crash alot) Also you can buy some pretty sweet programs for the MAC. Plus they have good customer service.

Con's= $$$$$$$$$ and lots of it. For most students going out on their own, this is the big problem. To get a really good MAC you gotta fork over a big pile of dough. Not very upgradeable.

PC

Pro's= Highly customizable. If you get someone who know's what he's doing, you can build a bad ass system for a really good price. Wide range of programs.

Con's= Windows sux. The dreaded error window can pop up on you at the most inappropiate times. Hard to make as fast as a good MAC (this is due to the fact that it doesn't run on windows, therefor cutting down on tasks it runs)

Overall the MAC really wins out for someone that just wants a work computer. But for someone that wants to use it for more, PC is the way to go. Personally,I'm about to purchase a customized laptop that my brother did for me for $1600

i think at this point i could actually write everyone's response in this thread for them (JW i'm looking in your direction ). We should dedicate a seperate area just for these topics, weed em out. Maybe that will reduce their frequency.

I'm gonna let you all duke it out - have fun! This thread will be at three pages in no time!

I agree with Fuster, PC is good for editing AND personal use. But MAC is better for professional use.

if you are going to college for film, check with the schools you are looking at to see what they teach editing on and what they recommanded. A lot of schools dont care what you use, but some might.

i'm gonna say, go with whatever YOU feel more confident about.

go to your nearest Apple Store (yes - i found it for you. i just wanted to see if there was one there)

ask them to show you how Final Cut Pro works. Chances are they'll hook up a DV camera, plug it into a g5 with a couple flat screens, each the size of a bus ad, and open up FCP. you'll be hooked.

if not,

try to find a similar way of testing editing with Avid or Premeir on a windows box and, just go with whatever seems like your thing.

the apple, contrary to what everyone is saying, CAN do normal stuff like email, websites, games, all that. there are slightly fewer games, but the good ones get ported eventually.

If it is for college use, check out if your college has editing suites available for you. If so, you might just want to get yourself a firewire drive.

But back to the computer issue, I would recommend you get a pc if you only have 1500. But if you plan on upgrading frequently and will have the cash flow, you can pick up a mac and throw more cash into it as you get it. That's how I would look at the money situation.

But what you feel comfortable with is a different issue. Try both editing systems and figure it out for yourself, everyone here can offer you advice, but only you know what you truly want.. and if not then don't fork over 1500 dollars for something your not sure about.

Let me see if I can put in a portion of the final word on the mac vs. PC debate

Macs, as they are, are low resourced...NICE to use. They don't dick around, and you can run premiere, final cut...whatever with ease, rendering is fast, frame droppage is unheard of, and everything is nice.

PCs...Bill gates allows resources to run in the background so there is a lot of dickking around. However, a wise PC user can get around this. It's not easy though, and takes a LONG time to learn how to budget these resources.

PCs are also very upgradeable. Like..EVERYTHING is built for PCs. For a decent price you can get a lot of speed, ram, a dual output card...all that ****. A mac...everything is so proprietary that you can't just go and do that. Hovever, the speed that mac proclaims acts much faster than it really is.

Economically, if you're well read on PCs, go PC. The software is almost identical on both systems, and you'll find it easy on your wallet in the long run, and you have the flexibility to spend more if you need to, and there are many many options on perhipherals.
A Mac is good if you don't know much about computers and how to tweak em to your liking. If you only wanna drop $2500 one time, then a mac is for you. You may find yourself running into a wall when it comes to upgrades however.

I somewhat agree with Nobody on the upgrade issue with MAC, but the ever growing popularity of them in the video editing field will soon take care of that problem. RAM can be expensive if you get it thru Apple, but there are ways around that. You drop enough cash on a basic dual g5 set-up, and save up your cash, chances are you wont' need a bigger processor ever again, just money to put into a video-out board, software, flatscreen's, etc... stuff you will need for a pc just as much as a mac. Either way its possible to drop a lot or little cash at all whether you go PC or Mac.

I won't comment other than to say much of what was previously said and many of the comparisons listed are very wrong. Don't believe everything you read.

damn people...
who gives a ****
if you have a ****ing pc, then use it
if you have a ****ing mac, then use that

WHO CARES ANYMORE?!
stop focusing on some ****ing thing like this, and worry about more important things..
like getting movies MADE...

J.Micheal -- Sorry he asked a question and I was just trying to give some advice on what to do. Movies need post production, therefore people need advice on purchasing editing systems. Your right in your thought that this idea is extremely over discussed on this forum.

If this forum didn't help try the forums at dv.com or www.creativecow.net ... not to spam (and no I don't work for them) but if your answer isn't getting answered here, check that place out.

Macs are far superior for creative work - why do you think so many video professionals use G5s?

We have superior software (FCP, Shake) and the hardware is first-rate. Not to mention the fact that OS X is rock-solid stable and much easier to use than Windoze...

On the opposite side, you wanted a Mac for $1,500? I don't know if that's answered, but it is unrealistic to the max.

i say, go with a PC. both times i've used a mac, it's been nothing but an unresponsive, over-priced toy. i can do some serious editing with my Windows XP running PC that I built for a little under 500 dollars. It's stable as hell, It never crashes. One could argue that PCs crash more than MACs, but not if you take care of it. Clean the registry, make sure it's spyware free, and take care of it. PCs are a better buy...less expensive and far more stable.

A Mac for $1500 is perfectly doable if you don't buy top of the line - i.e. this years model.

Since the current rev of G5s start at $1999 you can probably get the last rev for around $1500 if you look hard enough.

-Chris
Studentfilms.com

*Sigh* (Seems like this topic comes back every month or so...)

Look, I'm a PC and a MAC guy...
If you have the cash, get a MAC, hands down...
I'm not going to explain why, because you can use the "Find" feature on the site, and browse through the 1 million+ posts about JUST THIS TOPIC.

And Paul, my best friend builds PC's and for the same price he would spend on high end parts, I could get a G5 for the same price...

(speaking of which... MY G5 WILL BE HERE ON THURSDAY!!!!)

Well, everyone here knows what I think, but to answer the question of the original poster, use whatever suits you. Try out both and see what you prefer, because they both do indeed have pros and cons. Apart from upgradability, reliability, etc, I would suggest a Mac just because of Final Cut.

I do recommend visiting an Apple Store, though.