A Photographer’s Computer Setup
I was asked recently. ” If I were to buy a PC today which one would I go for and what spec? ” Now, my first reaction was Yuck! I would never go back to a PC, as I am now a pure MAC-head. But lets assume for a minute that Apple did not exist, then what PC setup would I choose as a photographer and why?
Dell Precision T5500
So, I started to look at what was out there and like many people I headed for the Dell website. Now, the first thing that struck me about Dell, was how dull the computer range looks. Yes, they have come along way from the beige/cream towers of old, but the black and sliver did not exactly get me turned on visually. But I thought this would at least be a good place to flesh out a spec that I could recommend for a photographer using a PC.
Once I had clicked select and then the customise button. I was faced with a multitude of choices that I knew were going to drive the price up higher than the £1,079.00. Now I am tight Scotsman so seeing that as my starting price scared me somewhat, but this is what Dell suggest be bought for graphics and video work with the other computers in their range being used more for office and internet browsing.
Anyway, to make things a little less confusing I found the icon view for “Building My Dell”. I must say I went into this with an open mind and I buried my feelings for all things Apple at this point. So lets begin with the processor! No, sorry I have got to pick my box first…
Ok, I am going for the Standard Mini-Tower because its included in the price. Now, we can choose the processor. Ah, first mistake the standard box does not come with firewire and I know I am going to want to add a firewire external drive so I need to go for the Standard box with Firewire which is an extra £36.
Sub Total = £1,115.00
Dell Website
At this stage its asking me what operating system I want? Well, MAC OS X Snow Leopard is not on the list, so I guess it will have to be Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit. I have no idea whats in it, but it sounds good and 64 bit computing has got to be good. Right? Oh! and its included in the price. 
We are onto software and its asking me if I want to add Microsoft Office Professional and because as well as being my graphics workstation it is also my business computer then yes I will have that thanks. You know for the accounts and for doing seminars, emails, letters etc…
Sub Total = £1,420.00
Now we get to pick a processor
I am going to go for the one thats included in the price as things are starting to get a little steep! So its an Intel Xeon Processor 2.13Ghz. Well that seems ok! On to the graphics, which as a photographer is pretty important. I am choosing the 512mb Nvidia Quadro FX 580. Its DVI and included in the price.
At this point its asking me whether or not I want my hard drive partitioned. Which I find a little strange as I have not picked the size and type of hard drive I want to have installed. Generally, I would not partition a main drive because if it fails, then chances are the whole thing is going to go belly up. So partitioning for me is a false sense of security. Therefore I am skipping this option.
Now, for the memory. Well, at this point I would love to put 12gb of memory into the computer but at an extra £325 for it I am going to give it a miss. But what I will do is choose the 4gb option which breaks down to 2 X 1gb and 1 X 2Gb strips of RAM. This will leave room for expansion at a later date. Plus its included in the price. UPDATE: (Tom has informed me that when you are getting RAM for this kind of logic board and Processor combo make sure you run with equal amounts of RAM. In other words 3 X 2GB’s is good – 2 X 1gb and 1 X 2Gb strips of RAM is bad! and would slow things down. So thanks to Dell for giving us a choice that would slow the computer down before it even comes out of the box!)
At this point I tried to move onto the choice of hard drive, but the Dell website did not want to play ball and I had to start this process all over again. So, 3 minutes later I am back at the stage above choosing my memory! Now, remember how I said the 4gb option above was included in the price. Well, this time around its an extra £24 which I found really strange… I will leave you to ponder that one as well.
The sub total at this point has also changed to £1460.00 + VAT, so I am guessing something else that I had picked earlier is also now not included in the price. This is well fishy! but don’t take my word for it try it yourself.
New Sub Total = £1,460.00
At this point the Dell website crapped out again and I was left to go through the whole process for a third time. Sod that, I am just going to add up the remaining bits and pieces to the £1,460.00 that we were last at.
500gb Hard Drive is an extra £20
New Sub Total = £1,480.00
Add a 2nd drive for image data and you an a further £81 to the total.
New Sub Total = £1,561.00
16X DVD-ROM and 16X DVDR+/- is included in the price.
The logic board is equipped with built in sound but from experience and especially if you do slideshows or video, your going to want an independent sound card. So the Creative SoundBlaster X-FI is included in the price. Why they make it an added option if you are paying for it already I have no idea!
Also, it beggars belief that they actually give you an option for 3.5 inch floppy drive, but they do also give you an option to fill this slot with a media card reader which is a welcome choice.
So there you go! all done and here is a run down of the spec…
2.16ghz Intel Core Duo 2 Processor
4gb Memory (RAM)
512mb Nvidia Quadro Graphics Card
2 X 500gb Hard Drive’s
16X DVD-ROM and 16X DVDR+/-
Media Card Reader
Keyboard
Mouse
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit
Microsoft Office Pro
Dell Total = £1795.15 Inc VAT
Now, I know what your thinking and I am thinking it too. I could buy all the parts and build a cheaper computer myself. And YES! you are right, but my point is a lot of photographers that are not PC savvy would do exactly what I have just done, then warm up the Master Card for a not so priceless purchase.
So at this point, I would love it if you took my suggested spec as a starting point and posted in the comments your own suggestions and maybe a link or two to guide your fellow photographer to a better choice of PC, that is surely more cost effective. We have not even discussed external drives, graphics tablets, software, monitors, printers or USB hubs etc.. Which you will no doubt need and use with your new PC.
Personally, I think the best PC you can buy is an iMac. Sorry, but the minute is long since up and its time to put my MAC-head back on.
Check out this spec for a 24 inch iMac!
Apple 24inch iMac
Configuration:
2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
256mb Nvidia Graphics
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2x2GB
1.0TB Serial ATA Drive
Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse
Apple Wireless Keyboard
Apple Remote
iWork ’09 preinstalled
Apple Keyboard
It all costs £1440.00 Inc VAT and Free Shipping!
Now, before you hit back with “its got a smaller graphics card and your short on drive space by 1tb”. Well yes, but it has a faster processor and an extra external 1tb drive costs £80, plus the graphics card is optimised for the 24 inch display that is included in the price. In fact thats the whole machine! It not only looks better than a dell or any other PC, but it just works and once you get past all the myths of why a MAC is supposed to be rubbish compared to a PC then you will find out how cool it really is…
Anyway, the point of this post is not to get into a MAC vs PC war, but to flash out a spec that a photographer should be using for running Lightroom, Photoshop and these days some video editing software for their hobby or work. This gives you a starting point and also both sides of the debate. I will leave it up to you to which way you go. Generally though the higher the numbers the better your computer will be, but one final tip!
If you are running Adobe Photoshop CS4, then make sure the graphics card you buy runs “Open GL” for smoother CS4 operation. Enjoy! >
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Stuart Little and Greg McAusland. Greg McAusland said: RT @littlephotoshop A Photographer’s Computer Setup – Little Photoshop http://bit.ly/i2ySS [...]
If I was spending this type of money on a machine I definitely get a Mac. Not only do they perform better than PC’s they also hold their resale value better.
However if you do want a great PC without building it yourself, then take a look at Alienware a very reputable brand in the PC market. They also hold their value well are very sort after.
Did you know Alienware is owned by Dell?
It appears Alienware have been purchased by Dell lol. Oh well buy people will have to buy a Mac instead
A really entertaining little article, Stuart, it certainly raised a smile. You tried very hard not to say Mac, Mac, Mac. But in the end it just all came spilling out. You should be on commission!
An interesting article, that I think says more about how not to design an online store!
I’m with you Stuart. Been an iMac convert for the last three years and enjoyed trouble free computing the like of which I have never know before.
Having been in IT for 40+ years I have used a variety of dumb terminals, desktops, laptops and servers, I have to say that apart from working in the odd company where their equipment is totally locked down, with a stripped down operating system, precious little applications software and absolutely no ability for a user to load wallpaper, screensaver or anything else, I have rarely had periods where I haven’t wasted time fighting technology to complete the simplest of tasks.
In my opinion, it seams that once additional software is installed on a PC and the registry is modified, performance and stability start their inevitable downwards spiral. My business has owned five laptops over the last twelve years, each of which has needed several complete rebuilds in an attempt to restore performance and reliability to a useable and acceptable level.
The only issues I have experienced with iMac was following the upgrade to Leopard. I believe that Apple scored and own goal by not making a complete reload mandatory. Once I had done this no further issues have occurred.
Trouble free computing, good performance, no blue screens and a 24 inch display that is an absolute joy to use. (can you tell I have become a little bias?)
AS there is little point in running a Mac with Windows,(rather like putting a Mini radiator on a Rolls-Royce), then don’t we need to consider the cost of Mac software when considering a switch, thereby upping the cost?
@ Catherine – Lol I really did try hard honest and I reckon the owe me a couple of laptops worth of commission by now.
@ Tim – It has to have been built on a dell.
@ David – Its almost as big as my bias for all things MAC.
@ Steve – I actually spend less on MAC software than I ever did on PC versions of the same thing and from what I am lead to believe running Windows Vista on a MAC actually works better than on a PC.
Glad you all liked the article as it was a little off topic.
great artical BUT what about us ordinary folk I just do not think that that kind on money is around plus;
If you are a PC user will you have to start all over again with photoshop? which may add as much again for a mac. also there are no easy third party upgrades. There must be a check list of look out for this items for us poorer relations to lookout for.
Well I’ve been running mac on a 12hours basis (office hours)
To tell you the truth,its a stress free enviroment,appart from the hanging/freeze (on Adobe Illustrator) I don’t think i have any other problem on my imac at office.Since we’re dealing with 300dpi 4x4feet artwork.
But when I get home to my house,I’ll turn on my 2 year old notebook.Well,I’ve been investing on photography equipment, and some how miss out on that notebook (I’m always at the office,and do my stuff on my office imac)
Like others who have experience in the IT industry,try naming one day that your windows doesn’t crash, pop up some weird screen, dumping memory or do other weird thing blamed at virus.
Well i’ll be getting my first mac soon, even though i’ve been using macs at the office for almost 3 years.In order to understand why mac is good, ppl with pro-pc/windows idealism should try mac for a week, then try converting back to PC.
@John – I did say that you could build this kind of computer for a fraction of the price. As for the MAC. You can buy a MAC Mini at half the price and have a similar spec. When it comes to Photoshop, you can cross-grade but that is tricky, however you can upgrade from a PC version of Photoshop to a MAC version as thats what I did originally.
@AzamSa’ad – Thanks for your comments and welcome to the website.
@ old johnw – First thing, about cross grade- Adobe said “no
way” to me, but I could change platforms when I upgraded.
At the time I was using Photoshop CS, but, I also owned
InDesign 1.0 &1.5, as well as Macromedia Studio MX2004,
this enabled me to upgrade to Adobe Design Premium CS4
for the Mac. I think they treated me very fairly considering
the age of all the software I was using.
Secondly, I’ve been fixing my family’s and friends PC’s for 30
years, and I’ve hated almost every minute of it. I’ve used
microsoft products since allthey had was MS Dos. About 6
years ago I started switching my family over, one at a time,
to Macs. First my wife, my youngest son going off to college
(he was the last @ home), my other kids, their families, ME
and finally my friends and co-workers.
Since getting almost everyone I know over to Macs, I
have not had to make a single “house call” to repair a
computer and my computing life is sure a lot more enjoy-
able since.
final
I am so fed up with my PC it has been playing up for the past few months. Guess what website I am looking at and it’s not Dell.
O.K guys and girls I hear all that you are saying BUT I just have trouble with the apple monopoly, I just find it difficult to move to the Dark side!, (I appeal to Luke Skywalker to bring the force to my aid)
Repairs are expensive; Model replacements really seem to cost loads of cash.
I just think that there are people out there that could pass on good tips on cost effective up grades for PCs.
@Sue – Good on you.
@John – Before I moved to MAC I was buying a laptop per year at an average price of £600-700 per laptop. I the bought my 15″ Macbook Pro which has lasted 4 years and is only now giving me grief. It cost £1350 and if you spread that cost over the 4 years you can see the saving.
You also get more featured software with the MAC as part of the iLife suite and iWork which is Apple’s equivalent to MS office is £200 cheaper than office pro and is better featured.
Then you have the Operating System. Its around £270 for the full version of Windows 7 due out. Snow Leopard costs £25 for the full version and £59 for a version that you can put on 5 systems.
You may shell out more at the start but you make it up over the years…
Compare the spec of a PC and a MAC like for like and the MAC is cheaper.
You have one glaring “oops” in your specifications. The 2.13 GHz Xeon processor is a Nahalem class processor. That class of processor uses three channel memory. Therefore, putting in the four gigs you say ends up slowing the machine down (compared to it’s potential) rather than speeding it up. You say there would be two 1 gig sticks and one 2 gig stick. (You’d find that the board has six memory slots rather than the four we’re all used to.) Unless the memory is matched (three 1 gig sticks or three 2 gig sticks, etc.) the machine will revert to single channel operation resulting in slower performance. Hope this helps.
@Tom – Take it up with Dell, because I was just quoting there website for the best spec. If that would slow it down, then thats an issue for Dell lol. Thanks for the comment, and I am glad I have a MAC.
John,
The expense of repairing a Dell vs. a Mac is about the same. My immediate family owns 6 Macs ranging from a Mac Cube that’s about 9 years old, to my new SS MacBook. Every single one of these Macs still work, and are used every day. The only trouble any of us have ever experienced are hard drive failures, and that has nothing to do with Apple. Software is a much better deal with Macs, especially if you shop for bundle deals or family packs. NOT to mention that any of my Macs will sell for more than any comparable PC.
Buying or upgrading PC’s is really just a waste of time and good money.
Al
@Tom, I have updated the post to reflect what you were saying about the RAM issue that Dell are creating.
@Al, When I eventually replace my MBP I think I want to keep it in the family as I have grown attached to it. I wouldnt have done that with a PC!
I am well aware that Stu did not mean to open up this can of worms with his original article. I also hope he will allow this last post on a very one sided exchange.
I have typed in Apple Mac on a search engine and got the following results
Mac mini = 649.00
Snow leopard = 25.00
I have assumed that the Apple monopoly will allow me to use my existing monitor and keyboard
But here is the real rub to replicate my existing software with upgrades etc
Cost = £1123.65 plus some vat and postage to be added
TOTAL COST FOR A MAC MINI RUNNING TO THE SAME STANDARDS AS MY EXISTING PC = £1797.65 9 (PLUS SOME OTHERS COST, VAT ETC)
I think it is wrong to let PC users to think it is just a simple matter of changing a machine and spending a couple of hundred pounds on software, it will not work out that way.
What’s worse is if they cannot afford the software changeover they will end up with an inferior Total package.
Now come on folks please read both posts all I asked was if there was anyone out there with some ideas on good up dates for a PC machines with Photographic software on it.
But please don’t post your answers here follow me to thelittlephotoshop on flicker where the discussion can continue without taking up Stu valuable work space.
I put plenty of work in to building the comments section John and love to see it getting used ! So please don’t feel like its a problem to discuss the topic, we love the comments and discussion on site!
I can see what you are saying, and even though I’m a huge MAC head as well, making the switch can often incur additional costs over and above the machine. However, there are also a ton of extremely affordable mac alternative applications that can replace a great deal of pc counterparts.
I find in general that small software developers for mac share in the general passion and flare for computing found by many mac enthusiasts. As such you can come across some real software gems, of extremely high quality for really affordable prices.
I’ve lost count of the days Stu and I have come across a MAC gem and bought it on the spot for $20-40 and has given us some awesome functionality which in all honesty improves our day to day workflow.
I can’t say either way for the big boys, Photoshop Illustrator, that kind of stuff. Surely adobe can offer some upgrade or cross grade prices if you were to contact them ?
All things considered, you might have to shell out for software, so yeah. You’re going to spend more than £600 to switch, but you’re not going to end up spending £1800 either
I had to chuckle at the ‘mac monopoly’ comment by the way
I know it can be frustrating listening to all these MAC heads, but we really do become passionate about it because they make working on the computer a pleasure. It’s not so much PC hate as MAC love, but sometimes it comes across badly!
I have to kick myself occasionally to try and keep myself open minded to computing. (in other news I’m running win7 RC on my iMac o bootcamp, and it’s not half bad!)
OK John, if you are intent on staying with a PC, the least expensive, but, most dramatic increases in speed will be more memory and a larger(and faster) hard drive. Thankfully both of these have come down in price dramatically. On the other hand, replacing video/audio cards and/or mother boards is NOT inexpensive. In other words, if you have to replace the pricier pieces to get more speed/capability, then the cost to upgrade negates itself in favor of a new machine.
As far as the cost of upgrading your existing software, well, that’s just maintenance, like changing the oil in your car. Everyone upgrades their software from time to time. I just timed my upgrade needs to coincide with the change to Macs as a matter of convenience. I just had to plan for the extra cash outlay. For example, my Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 Design Premium ran me $599 USD (376.78 British Pounds). I planned on this expense whether I stayed with PCs or not, so that just doesn’t enter into the equation for me. I’m just happy that Adobe allows for cross platform upgrades, otherwise it would have run $1799.00 USD (1131.61 British Pounds). If you later decide to switch to Macs, you might consider “used”. You might have a friend that has an older Mac, and willing to part with such a cherished possession.
@John, I was watching The Gadget Show on Five the other night and they had a nice looking Samsung laptop on for just over £400. It has a good spec comparable to the Dell.
Thanks AL
But where do you get those cross grade at those good prices?
The one thing that has been the biggest surprise to me has been the cost of changing over the software. Adobe just do not answer questions on this,
Can you give me any help?
Really, really interesting BUT nobody has mentioned screens!!!!!
Plesae please advise……….Flat screen, widescreen,S-IPS etc….
Thanks in advance
Something interesting I spotted the other day was this, more than eight out of ten Mac owners also own a PC, according to a new piece of research.
The NPD survey found that 12% of US computer-owning households have a Mac. However, 85% of those also own a Windows PC, suggesting that the Mac/PC divide is nowhere near as clear cut as both Apple and Microsoft suggest. Interestingly only 29% of PC owners have two or more PCs.
Just read your article Stu and had to lol as you struggled to stop shouting BUY A MAC. I switched about 4 years ago and I wish I had done it years ago. In-fact I had given up on computers apart form having to use one at work.
To all who are considering it I like the rest of the MAC heads here will say Just Do It (or did Nike say that?).
I appreciate you can buy cheaper PC’s but can you really for the spec? I read a similar article a couple of years ago comparing prices and specs with Dell and Apple won hands over fist. The big thing you want to consider is the intangibles such as time wasted with crashes (and don’t kid yourself that PC’s don’t crash – they do). Then the cost of reinstalling the OS and all your apps and docs etc.
The only time my Mac has every crashed was when I was running Windows via Parallels – interesting.
The expense of software is such an old argument it doesn’t stand any longer. PS CS4 is exactly the same price.
One interesting point I read a few years back was a Microsoft executive actually admitted that MS Office actually ran better on a Mac!!
Also the free software (iLife) that comes with any new Mac is excellent. iPhoto is no Photoshop but for person who isn’t into image editing etc it is excellent especially at keeping all your pics in one place that tells you who is in the pictures (with Faces recognition) and a map to show you where you took the photo (if you have a GPS enabled camera) – what more do your want.
My last PC was an expensive Sony machine. I bought it with the view to producing home movies etc. I bought a Sony minDV camcorder thinking all things Sony would make it easier – well how wrong was I? I never did manage to create a DVD as I had to use 3 very unintuitive applications and gave up after spending nearly £3000 on the PC, monitor and camcorder. Now I have my Mac and all is hunky dorey and all the apps are free i.e. iMovie and iDVD.
Macs and there related software are so easy to use that even my wife who is a complete technophobe can use it. My 6 year old daughter who uses PC’s at school (must talk to them about that) jumped onto the iMac and could surf the net within seconds – no joke. She didn’t even shout out to me to say “Where’s that start button daddy?”
What is the longest anyone has kept their PC on without having to shut it down because it hangs (i.e. memory all gobbled up but no apps open?) or is unresponsive? My iMac stays on for weeks at a time without crashing!
Last comment – about repair costs. I have had three Macs to date and have purchased Applecare each time. This is basically a 3 yr warranty and also telephone support for all things Mac related. Service in my experience has been excellent. I had to have a logic board replaced once – Apple arranged for a courier to collect my machine had it repaired and returned within the week. The telephone support is second to none and they know what they are talking about. I have Dell machine for work (obviously one of those people who own a mac and a PC – he he) and the first line support is awful in my experience – they are OK once you can barge your way through to second line support. I’ve had my Dell for <18 months and have had to reinstall the OS 3 times, had the motherboard and processors replaced as the CPU's were running at 100% all the time without any apps open and had the HDD replaced – and it cost more than my MacBook Pro!! And my IT department still can't see the light.
@ John,
What I did was contact Adobe Sales by phone, and explain what I was trying to do…cross grade to a Mac platform. He asked what registered Adobe software I had besides Photoshop CS (remember, I already owned: InDesign 1.0 &1.5, as well as Macromedia Studio MX2004). The person I spoke with said that I qualified for an upgrade or cross grade to Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 Design Premium, which I already knew by researching the Adobe site extensively. I just wanted to be forearmed with information in case he said something I wasn’t expecting. The cross grade price was the same as the upgrade price, $599 USD.
What I mentioned to you earlier for a British Pound price was calculated through a currency conversion program on my iPhone using the price I paid. John, the links I have below are from Adobe and are two of the links I used in researching Adobe’s upgrade pricing… USA sites though. If I had simply needed a straight upgrade I could have saved a little money by ordering from MacMall.com or Amazon, etc., but, due to the cross grade need, I had to purchase directly from Adobe as per their requirement. I hope this helps, if there is anything else you need, leave a note.
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/upgrade/
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/design/
@ Mike Fear,
Screens are really a personal preference. I like a high contrast ratio, non-glare, flat, widescreen LCD. I’ve not had any of mine fail yet. I have a ViewSonic and a Dell for a backup. Just about any DVI monitor will work, just find something you like in your budget range.
@David Clift,
I have 4 or 5 PCs in my house, but non of them work (I really need to get ride of them). I got tired of fixing them and moved on to Macs. Of the 6 Macs I own, ranging in age from 9 years old to about one year old…ALL are working and used regularly.
@Mike, I wondered when someone would crack open this point. Yes I left out screens and everyone who is in the PC camp has not mentioned this… I am going to cover screens in a couple of weeks and the interesting thing I have found is that if you want a half decent flat screen for a PC then expect to fork out £800 – £2000. Or buy a mac with one included. In fact even the LED screen that Apple does is only £635 and its 24 inches in size.
@David, you learn something knew everyday.
thanks very much AL i’m on to it
I came across this today http://www.macintelligent.co.uk/, first time I have seen a MAC clone
Unfortunatly there is very little information on the site
David,
If there is one company in the world that will sue you out of existence for violating it’s ULA (User License Agreement), it’s Apple. Here in the US, we’ve had a couple of companies try to clone Macs. One didn’t last long before they found themselves in court. They don’t exist any more, and the other is in the middle of a legal battle with Apple. A recent article can be found at:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/172687/judge_scolds_apple_in_psystar_mac_clone_suit.html
This will go on for a while, and eventually the clone maker will run out of money fighting this issue in court. Apple could spend decades in court and not notice the expense. That doesn’t make them right, but it is the facts. In this particular issue, Apple does not license their products to anyone, so I do think they have the right to keep the fruits of their efforts, IMHO.
AL
I dont think I could ever buy a MAC clone. They look ok but there not MAC’s . lol. The UK store is a little over priced IMHO.
As photographers Apple have supported us for years before Microsoft even thought we might be important as a group. Enough reason to purchase from them. Yes they are more expensive but they also hold their value at resale unlike most PCs.
My iMac 24 has only crashed twice! Guess when? After I installed Microsoft Office and when I updated Microsoft Office. I used to loose 4 days a year in having to reinstall windows just to keep working at a suitable speed. No issues like that exist with a Mac.
If you can’t buy new buy a second hand machine, my daughter currently has iMac G5 which i bought last year for £230 , still very capable machine.
Tip if buying a second machine. Buy one that has just started it’s third year and still has a year to run on an apple 3yr care plan. That way you’ll know it will get repaired if anything goes wrong with it.
Very nice Tip Rob!
I have just had a PC built by an online company and the spec is owsome. I purchased a PC as I use it for my business as well as photography.
This is the link:http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk
Thanks Brian for that information. Much Appreciated…
PC Specialists … Hope you bought the extended warranty and have better luck than I had with them Brian.
The Apple education store is the way to go if you have kids in some form of full time education, primary, secondary or collage/university and are interested in purchasing a Mac, you can save up to £100 on the cost of a Mac …. http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/education_routing?mco=OTY2ODQzMg the same can be said for Adobe software PS CS4 Extended £144 (education version) … PS CS4 Extended £699 (non education version) same program save £555 …. (prices from amazon.co.uk) Adobe do require proof of eligibility, a letter from the school and some form of photo ID before they issue a serial number
Mac or PC ….. I was tempted to say who cares as long it does what you want it to do (ooops I just did … lol), agree about the Open GL capable graphic cards you achieve much better performance within PS.
Sheffield Collage … Was the photographic department still on the Granville Road site or had it moved by then … Had some great times in Sheffield ….
Ed
Now got a Mac..not going back! (Where have I seen that before? lol). Just finding my way around it, so tentativ steps at this stage, but so happy I’ve ben able to calibrate it with the Gretag (X-Rite) albeit automatically! My 120 luminance represents 8 Mac brightness bars!