Ken Woods wrote:
I need some advice from those in the graphics and/or video (etc) editing
world.
I am considering the purchase of a machine from the dark side and would
appreciate some advice on what type of mother board and processor etc would
be best suited for my needs.
Hi Ken
I like both ASUS and MSI boards, I make choices based on things like
on-board Firewire, gigabit Ethernet, pricing, availability etc..
I have no probs with the stability of AMD processors themselves given
their sometimes cheaper price combined with some bench testing reports.
I personally would not buy "off the shelf" PCs as they are usually
overpriced if they indeed meet requirements.
When I build PCs to similar performance requirements as yours I do my
best to emulate current Mac specifications anyway.
ATI graphics, SATA hard drives, Pioneer optical drives, Firewire,
gigabit LAN etc.. Spend your time comparison shopping on brands Apple
use and waiting for parts to ship instead of believing some brand or
other is worth your efforts.
You'll probably find that the PC price "advantage" will soon shrink this
way too.
As for Operating Systems for someone below the level of developer I can
recommend NONE (apologies to any Posix heads).
It's a real shame, as these computers are great until I install XP ;(
I use a Mac.
Seriously, you will have much less dramas, including dramas with your
clients too, if you integrate with PCs rather than use them, a better
bottom line too.
This is better known as "The Devil you know..."
You could even consider keeping a cheap or second hand PC for just the
must-do situations and use a Mac for everything else.
For instance Internet use on PCs can be made good.
Rule No. 1: no mission-critical usage at all, especially storage!
If you wish further help or hardware, feel free to contact me off-list.
Good Luck
Paul
PS I agree with all the other posts on this not-so-off-topic subject as
well!
