PC or Mac Notebook with CS3 ???

[la canon amateur]

Well as some of you know I ordered a new HP note book with VISTA Ultimate last week. I am a mac and a PC follower, but I have not used Vista or Leopard yet.

Had Apple already come out with the new MAC Book Pros. I am sure I would have ordered one instead of the HP PC.

I was about to cancel the delivery of the HP when I got the notice that it had already been shipped. I will have 21 days to return it if I choose to do so.

Any one have any opinions on which system ( the one I have ordered or a mac with comparable setup) will run CS3 the best. I am sure the Comparable Mac will cost a bit more and wont have options like Blu-ray.... I can handle the difference.

Thanks for your comments......Hall

The system being shipped by HP at this time is listed below.
HP Pavilion dv9700t Entertainment CTO NB
- Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.50 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
- 17.0" WXGA+ High-Definition Ultra HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1440 x 900)
- 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS
- HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
- FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (160GB x 2) from 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive!!
- Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
- HP ExpressCard Digital/Analog TV Tuner
- High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- Norton Internet Security(TM) 2008 - 15 Month Subscription
- Computrace LoJack for Laptops, One Year
- System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)
- Micros! oft(R) Works 9.0
- Mobile Stereo Earbud Headphones (1 pair)


Product description Product #QtyYour
extended
price
HP Pavilion dv9700t Entertainment CTO NBGT811AV1$2368.23
Summary of discounts for order: xxxx
Instant discounts you received:
$150.00 PC instant rebate

LA Tax:
Shipping:
Grand total:$219.06
Free
$2587.29

[monokrome]

They both spec out pretty equal, it's all a matter of preference. I have heard many that have gone to Vista and went back to XP, I haven't heard any go to Leopard then go back to Tiger.

It's all in the what feels better to you. I have a MBP running CS3 and Lightroom with Tiger (Leopard soon, waiting to convert a 30D first), a PC desktop running Lightroom. My desktop will be the last PC that I'll own. But that's just my personnel preference now.

[Tony-S]

I suspect both machines will run CS3 about the same since they're built on the same chipset. If all you're doing with it is image editing then it'll do the job just fine.

Is there a specific reason why you had your eye on the MBP in the first place?

[Rey]

One of the main reasons that design professionals use Macs is the native wider color gamut (Apple/Adobe '98 vs. sRGB). I have a MBP running the CS3 suite with Aperture. I prefer Aperture over Lightroom but that's my personal preference.

Can you use either for CS3? Sure, again I think it mainly comes down to personal preference.

[la canon amateur]

Is there a specific reason why you had your eye on the MBP in the first place?

My wife and I share a mac book pro at home, I have used it with light room and CS2. (Says she will never have a PC of her own again):lol:

But since I work away from home often, I need one that is dedicated to my photography hobbie to take with me to work.

http://www.noblecorp.com/Fleet/Rigs/CBoudreaux_200.jpg This is work most of the time.

Another MAC would make it easier to share programs between the two of us as well as communicate via I chat while I'm away.

The only real plus to the PC is the Blu Ray and TV tuner Card (and Cost). I know they have the tuner cards (79.00 - 150.000 for macs and the external Blu Ray as well (599.00 ugg). The blu ray on the PC can burn upto 50 gigs/disk...Not bad.

I use a PC notebook at work, but it belongs to my employer. Plus its already loaded to the gills with Canon software that I will remove when I get the second notebook/PC. I am definitely leaning towards the Mac. I love a good challenge but I am not sure that I have the spare time to duel it out with Vista...:lol:

[ejwebb]

My wife and I share a mac book pro at home, I have used it with light room and CS2. (Says she will never have a PC of her own again):lol:

But since I work away from home often, I need one that is dedicated to my photography hobbie to take with me to work.

http://www.noblecorp.com/Fleet/Rigs/CBoudreaux_200.jpg This is work most of the time.

Another MAC would make it easier to share programs between the two of us as well as communicate via I chat while I'm away.

The only real plus to the PC is the Blu Ray and TV tuner Card (and Cost). I know they have the tuner cards (79.00 - 150.000 for macs and the external Blu Ray as well (599.00 ugg). The blu ray on the PC can burn upto 50 gigs/disk...Not bad.

I use a PC notebook at work, but it belongs to my employer. Plus its already loaded to the gills with Canon software that I will remove when I get the second notebook/PC. I am definitely leaning towards the Mac. I love a good challenge but I am not sure that I have the spare time to duel it out with Vista...:lol:

Can't see why you would buy anything but the Mac with another one already in the family. :)

Out of curiosity, what is the allure of the tv tuner in a laptop? I seriously don't know what that does for you - can you clue me in?

Do you have a need for the blu ray? Not sure I get that one, either...

[frankgindc]

I'm a Mac user and about to become a Mac upgrader, but I'd say that within CS3 there would not be an appreciable difference. If you have other considerations -- sharing a PC/Mac with another, or HD considerations, cost, slick Mac software suite v. wider PC software availability, or just plain preference etc. -- that should tip the balance one way or the other. But I"d say no real diff within CS3.

[la canon amateur]

Can't see why you would buy anything but the Mac with another one already in the family. :)

Out of curiosity, what is the allure of the tv tuner in a laptop? I seriously don't know what that does for you - can you clue me in?

Do you have a need for the blu ray? Not sure I get that one, either...

While at work I can leave the laptop in my room and have it record shows or SEC Football Games that are being brodcast while I'm working to play back later. Much like a DVR.

We have a blu-ray player at home, so it would allow me to view the same disc while at work plus being able to burn 50 gigs to one disc isn't a bad storage alternative. Would have been great if Apple would have made it available since most of the PC makers are offering the option.

I will probably get the Mac Book Pro and upgrade the memory from 2 to 4 GB later.

[Tony-S]

I need one that is dedicated to my photography hobbie to take with me to work.

It doesn't sound as though you need a MBP (or the HP you've described) - a MB would serve your purposes just as well.

The only real plus to the PC is the Blu Ray and TV tuner Card (and Cost). I know they have the tuner cards (79.00 - 150.000 for macs and the external Blu Ray as well (599.00 ugg). The blu ray on the PC can burn upto 50 gigs/disk...Not bad.

I use an Elgato Eye TV Hybrid for my HDTV recordings. Great app with remote scheduling (web-based). The only use for a Blu-Ray burner for a Mac is file storage; and a firewire or USB drive would be a lot more convenient and cheaper. You won't be able to play Blu-Ray movies with your Mac, unless you install Windows on it and get the appropriate play-back software. I don't think Apple will release such software anytime soon since it is contrary to their business model of video downloads, and only the Apple TV will give you HD (720).

With the money you'd save with a MB you could buy yourself an external display or other things you might need. Will this computer make trips into the GoM with you, or will it always stay at home?

If you need that Blu-Ray drive, then you'd probably be better off with the HP machine that's coming to you now.

[akprice]

mac all the way. hate peecees!

[Tony-S]

Posting this as fyi: Blu-Ray drives don't play nice with batteries, apparently.

http://www.wired.com/gadgets/pcs/news/2008/02/bluray_power

[la canon amateur]

Posting this as fyi: Blu-Ray drives don't play nice with batteries, apparently.

http://www.wired.com/gadgets/pcs/news/2008/02/bluray_power


Thanks Tony, that was an interesting read. Along with the comments in the forum. I'll have to test a fully charged battery while playing a BR disc on the HP before I return it.

[neil_g]

all the mac and PC fanboy-ism aside..

both are much the same spec and will run CS3 with no noticable difference. only difference is the shell (operating system) interface and what youre used to. but then you could put windows on the mac anyway now they share internals (which kinda negates the "i hate pc" arguement, macs are pc's now theyre intel based).

re vista - people were ditching it because a) it was slow on lower spec machines, b) driver issues on older systems. neither of those points will effect you on that spec HP.

which leaves you with personal preference..

hope that helps

[20ls01]

i just bought a laptop with vista. i installled windows xp after 20 minutes of using vista. if you do plan to use xp home or pro, make sure your xp cd has sp1 or sp2 installed or you get bsod during setup.

p.s. pc > mac :P

[Tony-S]

p.s. pc > mac :P

Whatever. :rolleyes:

[neil_g]

i just bought a laptop with vista. i installled windows xp after 20 minutes of using vista. if you do plan to use xp home or pro, make sure your xp cd has sp1 or sp2 installed or you get bsod during setup.

p.s. pc > mac :P

some reasoning behind both the vista and xp comments would help cheers

[ironbelle]

Do yourself a favor and lose the Vista. I got a Dell and they put Vista on it. I try to caption my images and put the caption in two places and clicked on save. I was told my wire service that my images were not caption. Made me look bad and all of my work of getting the images over after the event were in vain. I used photoshop 7 on my desktop but I cannot install the old version on the new laptop. I thought the captioning feature would be a good alternative until I could afford to purchase CS (or anything else camrea related)for my laptop, but I was wrong. The desktop HD is full so that I why I use the laptop. Maybe if I get anything from that tax rebate program, I'll be able to buy a big external HD to use as storage.

[20ls01]

some reasoning behind both the vista and xp comments would help cheers

i like xp very much and felt there was no need to re-learn some minor differences in vista. plus i heard there were still some quirks in vista, so that also led me to reinstall xp.

newer computers require pci-e drivers, and sp1/sp2 has them. if you dont have either service pack it will not let you proceeeed with the installation