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Mac Vs PC (2022 edition)

cybershot

cybershot

Well-Known Member
Or perhaps the 'really expensive laptop recommendations' thread.

Hopefully this won't go too off topic, as I'm after some genuine advice.


In regards computers I've been PC my whole life. In fact my whole job currently revolves around keeping a 15,000 user estate using Windows PCs happy. Although that will change soon and also involve a lot of Macs.

Despite being Windows majority of my life (Tried Linux for for a good couple of years or so before giving it the boot) everything else I own is pretty much Apple. (Phones, iPads, HomePods, AirPods etc)

I'm in the market for a new laptop. My current Lenovo IdeaPad is 5 years old, and it does the job to be fair, but the screen isn't great and one of the speakers has stopped working. Now I'm doing a lot more 4K video stuff, drone and non drone related, I want something with a bit more beef to render stuff fast. So there's the "what will I be using it for" A decent screen is also vital as I don't want to be rendering then watching it back on something else, realising the colour grading is all wrong, and having to render it again.

I'm struggling with the price of powerful Windows based laptops, they don't seem 'value for money' compared to the latest MacBook Pros! Of which I'm looking at the base 14" model at £1899 before a modest 10% discount via work.

Nothing seems to come to close for off the shelf, and I especially currently have beef with Dell so don't want one from them. (if you're bored feel free to try and find me a decent priced Windows based powerhouse laptop)

The only real deal I can see is using PC Specialist to get something kind of custom built ala PCSPECIALIST - 15 inch Laptops for Gaming, Business but these look pretty hefty compared to a MBP.

Their TrustPilot seems good, apart from delivery times, which to be fair at the moment, I know is a huge problem across the board for computers, so that's not a massive concern.

So whilst I can spec up something with twice the RAM and twice the HDD space of the MacBook Pro and save around £300, is it worth the gamble when spending this amount of money!

My experience tells me with Apple I'll get decent customer service compared to any other once it's out of warranty, and the product should last a good amount of time. This is the most amount of money I've ever splashed on a laptop, and I want it to last at the very least 5 years. Is going with some no brand custom build type shop too risky?

Thoughts?

And just for the giggles:

 
Have you considered buying a Mac second hand / refurbished? That's often where you get the best value with Macs in my opinion - a fair chunk knocked off the initial price but something that will very likely keep going reliably for some time. That's been my approach with all the macs I've owned... With the exception of my current one which is an M1. The leap up in performance of the M1 macs potentially changes the equation for older non-M1 macs but maybe also has an implication for second hand prices on high spec intel macs.
 
cybershot said:
Or perhaps the 'really expensive laptop recommendations' thread.

Hopefully this won't go too off topic, as I'm after some genuine advice.


In regards computers I've been PC my whole life. In fact my whole job currently revolves around keeping a 15,000 user estate using Windows PCs happy. Although that will change soon and also involve a lot of Macs.

Despite being Windows majority of my life (Tried Linux for for a good couple of years or so before giving it the boot) everything else I own is pretty much Apple. (Phones, iPads, HomePods, AirPods etc)

I'm in the market for a new laptop. My current Lenovo IdeaPad is 5 years old, and it does the job to be fair, but the screen isn't great and one of the speakers has stopped working. Now I'm doing a lot more 4K video stuff, drone and non drone related, I want something with a bit more beef to render stuff fast. So there's the "what will I be using it for" A decent screen is also vital as I don't want to be rendering then watching it back on something else, realising the colour grading is all wrong, and having to render it again.

I'm struggling with the price of powerful Windows based laptops, they don't seem 'value for money' compared to the latest MacBook Pros! Of which I'm looking at the base 14" model at £1899 before a modest 10% discount via work.

Nothing seems to come to close for off the shelf, and I especially currently have beef with Dell so don't want one from them. (if you're bored feel free to try and find me a decent priced Windows based powerhouse laptop)

The only real deal I can see is using PC Specialist to get something kind of custom built ala PCSPECIALIST - 15 inch Laptops for Gaming, Business but these look pretty hefty compared to a MBP.

Their TrustPilot seems good, apart from delivery times, which to be fair at the moment, I know is a huge problem across the board for computers, so that's not a massive concern.

So whilst I can spec up something with twice the RAM and twice the HDD space of the MacBook Pro and save around £300, is it worth the gamble when spending this amount of money!

My experience tells me with Apple I'll get decent customer service compared to any other once it's out of warranty, and the product should last a good amount of time. This is the most amount of money I've ever splashed on a laptop, and I want it to last at the very least 5 years. Is going with some no brand custom build type shop too risky?

Thoughts?

And just for the giggles:

Click to expand...

You know the answer, and it has a shiny fruit on it. It will be better, last longer, and integrate seamlessly with all the other bits you own.
 
editor said:
There's a good selection here, although I haven't had the need for a super powerful laptop in ages. How much power do you realistically need?

www.wired.com

The Best Laptops to Work and Play Wherever You Are

These are our favorite Windows notebooks, MacBooks, and Chromebooks.
www.wired.com www.wired.com
Best laptop 2021: 15 best laptops you can buy

I've always like the look of the HP Spectre series and there seems to be plenty of people who love their Microsoft Surface machines
Click to expand...

Will have a shifty through that list and see if any bargains, though the Macbooks are in 1,2,3 of the best laptops of 2021 so doesn't really help me in trying to change my mind.

Probably should have mentioned in the OP the main software suite will be Premiere Pro, Audition, After Effects, Lightroom & PhotoShop.

Surfaces we've had at work and have been no end of problems, but that was a couple Gens ago now.I currently have a Dell XPS 13 for work, barely 4 years old and it doesn't hold a charge anymore. The screen resolution is also hugely important in this purchase, so standard HD isn't cutting it.

The main reason I'm willing to pay the bucks is the quicker I can output this stuff, the more time I can spend doing other things.

The Apple M1 processors seem lightning quick, watching YouTube videos of people comparing them to last years models the improvements in rendering time isn't just a small gain, but quite large ones! So main reason teuchter I don't want to go second hand/refurb and may as well take advantage of my 10% discount while I can.

But.... I know Windows, so basically, unless i'm being blind. I'm happy to stick, if there's anything as good or better, for less, but from a reliable brand, and tbf, the only PC maker I have any sort of real faith in is Lenovo, and when spending this type of money after sales support also becomes a major factor, but I'm willing to be influenced before pulling the trigger. Helped by bugger all being in stock! :D
 
I got my laptop from PC Specialist. Dealing with them was fine, no probs. The only thing I don't like about the machine, is the case is a bit plasticy. However, it's been great. It was essentially a gaming machine but I skipped the graphics card upgrade. I just needed something powerful for running several VMs.

It still works fine, 7 years on, though it's stuck on Win7.

That said, if I had the money and needed a new laptop, I'd consider a Macbook now too.

So yeah, not that helpful. :D
 
xenon said:
I got my laptop from PC Specialist. Dealing with them was fine, no probs. The only thing I don't like about the machine, is the case is a bit plasticy. However, it's been great. It was essentially a gaming machine but I skipped the graphics card upgrade. I just needed something powerful for running several VMs.

It still works fine, 7 years on, though it's stuck on Win7.

That said, if I had the money and needed a new laptop, I'd consider a Macbook now too.

So yeah, not that helpful. :D
Click to expand...

Thanks, nice to hear from someone who has at least used PC Specialist, so that was kind of important input, also useful to know they've been around far longer than I thought, so maybe won't vanish overnight at no notice.
 
I've got a 2020 HP Spectre as well as a 2019 Macbook Pro.

Over the last couple of years, I've gradually become less of a Macbook acolyte, and have come to love the Spectre. It's genuinely a fantastic machine, and I even quite like Windows now compared to MacOS.

As someone with an iPhone and iPad, the one annoyance is that iCloud integration isn't as slick on Windows compared with the MacBook (obviously), but I don't do enough work on documents/files across the devices to really bother me that much.

I've basically moved to the Spectre as my main machine now, but still use the MacBook for portability and general browsing in front of the TV.

I don't do any of the more technical stuff that you'll be doing though, so YMMV.
 
Those PC Specialist laptops will be like all other high-spec windows laptops: Hot and loud. I'm using a "high end" HP laptop right now and it has those big air vents on the side too. You can warm your hands on the air coming out of them and forget about putting it on your actual lap. The new M1 apple laptops are very very good computers. Faster and better battery life than anything running Windows, and they barely get warm. Intel should hang their heads in shame. If my software ran on macOS, I'd switch in a heartbeat.
 
Crispy said:
Those PC Specialist laptops will be like all other high-spec windows laptops: Hot and loud. I'm using a "high end" HP laptop right now and it has those big air vents on the side too. You can warm your hands on the air coming out of them and forget about putting it on your actual lap. The new M1 apple laptops are very very good computers. Faster and better battery life than anything running Windows, and they barely get warm. Intel should hang their heads in shame. If my software ran on macOS, I'd switch in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...
This is a good point actually, and something I forgot to mention.

My Spectre is mainly used for email, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams etc. Whenever I have too many applications open (even just Spotify and WhatsApp), the fan starts going and it becomes very hot. Not an issue for me, but probably will be for anyone doing more intensive stuff.

My wife has found similar for her top end gaming Dell.
 
I'm trying really hard to convince myself to not go MBP but I think I'm failing and you guys are just convincing me more than not (which I was actually not expecting)

Can't get hold of one for love nor money at the moment anyway, so plenty of time yet to be convinced otherwise and I'm in no rush. So plenty of time for more people to give their two pence worth.

I think I've at least narrowed it down to the MBP, Lenovo Legion S7, ASUS ROG G14, or a custom build PC Specialist at the moment.
 
Yep, fair, my laptop blows out a fair bit of hot air when busy. I got a 15` model cos I wanted a full size keyboard and usually use it on a desk.
 
xenon said:
full size keyboard
Click to expand...
ah yeah, actually that's the one thing I'd really miss. This laptop has a number pad and I specifically chose it over the alternatives because of it. Every mac laptop has the same keyboard, regardless.
 
Crispy said:
Those PC Specialist laptops will be like all other high-spec windows laptops: Hot and loud. I'm using a "high end" HP laptop right now and it has those big air vents on the side too. You can warm your hands on the air coming out of them and forget about putting it on your actual lap. The new M1 apple laptops are very very good computers. Faster and better battery life than anything running Windows, and they barely get warm. Intel should hang their heads in shame. If my software ran on macOS, I'd switch in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...
Absolutely this. We have to use powerful windows machines at work for running Vmix on our virtual/hybrid events, and while they’re technically impressive and more than capable, the machines themselves are ridiculous - huge, heavy, run hot, and sound like a jet engine the moment you get them doing anything remotely interesting.

The new MacBook Pro’s are in a different league. This isn’t fanboy-ism, it’s a basic fact of the market as things currently stand. I’m sure they’ll be a new wave of better PC solutions coming at some point, but then isn’t now.
 
editor said:
Plenty of reviews over the year say so, and of course some PCs come with the added bonus of a touchscreen.
Click to expand...
The former is good, the latter… having now had the chance to use one for a few months on a work machine my view hasn’t changed. A touchscreen is an inherently inefficient laptop interface compared to a decent multitouch trackpad.
 
beesonthewhatnow said:
The former is good, the latter… having now had the chance to use one for a few months on a work machine my view hasn’t changed. A touchscreen is an inherently inefficient laptop interface compared to a decent multitouch trackpad.
Click to expand...
Good job I wasn't suggesting a touchscreen as a trackpad replacement then, but I'd hate to lose the option on my laptop seeing as I use it every single day.
 
editor said:
Good job I wasn't suggesting a touchscreen as a trackpad replacement then, but I'd hate to lose the option on my laptop seeing as I use it every single day.
Click to expand...
I’ve tried with one, honestly. It just somehow never seems to be the easiest/quickest/ergonomic option for whatever I’m doing.
 
I really hate the touchscreen on my laptop. It gets filthy and whenever I'm showing stuff to people and they point at the screen, windows close and things move about because they don't realise. They only thing it's good for is getting customers to sign documents. Apart from that its a pain in the arse.
 
I've got a Windows Surfacebook for work (web design stuff) and its great for that. I use the touch screen a lot for sketching and annotating. And it runs Adobe stuff and Visual Studio without much complaint or noise.

But if I was buying a new machine for 4k video editing/rendering, with what's available right now, I'd definitely go for a Macbook. Based partly on the fact that the 10 year old MBP I have at home is still going great guns, but my 3 year old Surface is starting to get quite temperamental.
 
beesonthewhatnow said:
I’ve tried with one, honestly. It just somehow never seems to be the easiest/quickest/ergonomic option for whatever I’m doing.
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear it doesn't work for you. Works just great for me and presumably it must work well for millions of other users too, otherwise manufacturers wouldn't waste money adding them to their laptops.
 
I’ve got a 2018 purchased, base, MacBook Pro. I suspect it’s a bit of a low point in the product lifecycle. I’ve not had problems with the butterfly keyboard, but I wish I’d bought one with more memory. After a couple of years getting warnings about disk space and problems updating stuff, I had to reformat the disk recently, and that’s despite running CleanMyMac every day. The disk just seemed to fill up with “other”. It restored from iCloud without a hitch.

I don’t do anything fancy, but I do have Windows on it via Parallels, which is very slick.

ETA, it sounds like there will be more versions later this year
 
pseudonarcissus said:
I’ve got a 2018 purchased, base, MacBook Pro. I suspect it’s a bit of a low point in the product lifecycle. I’ve not had problems with the butterfly keyboard, but I wish I’d bought one with more memory. After a couple of years getting warnings about disk space and problems updating stuff, I had to reformat the disk recently, and that’s despite running CleanMyMac every day. The disk just seemed to fill up with “other”. It restored from iCloud without a hitch.

I don’t do anything fancy, but I do have Windows on it via Parallels, which is very slick.

ETA, it sounds like there will be more versions later this year
Click to expand...

I never did understand why they sold those with 256GB HDD. My ex's daughter has that one I think before she went to Uni. I made absolutely sure she got the 512GB model after checking it out in the store, and seeing that after the OS and what not the 256GB model has barely 100GB of free space I think. Again she was doing a media course and would be using Premiere Pro etc, so once those were installed, she'd have had barely any free space.
 
pseudonarcissus said:
I don’t do anything fancy, but I do have Windows on it via Parallels, which is very slick.
Click to expand...

By the way for anyone thinking about moving from PC to mac - beware that (unlike with the intel ones) it's not currently possible to run Windows on the new M1 macs and it looks a bit like it never will be.
 
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