Are PCs Cool Again?

The video showcases and discusses the latest desktop computers and what features you can get with regards to screens and processor capabilities in the category. I've used a laptop for most of my photography and videography career. The idea of not being able to take the machine with me when I need to go has been my reason for not getting a desktop machine, and the work I do requires me to get up and go when a job arises. 

However, having a capable desktop machine at home is something I have considered. Not needing to chimp down to your laptop on the table and being able to open several apps at any given time and having all the windows visible is something a 27" monitor will give you. Eye-level viewing is also ergonomically the best for your body too, espcially if you use a machine for a significant part of your day.

I use a Macbook Pro, but this doesn't mean I am not open to operating systems or PCs that can give you something more than what I currently have. The video also shows what Windows is doing with regards to providing tools for the creators in the creative industry, who depend on these machines and hardware to do their work. Although I don't think I'll switch to Windows soon, it's most certainly good to know what's going on with regards to PCs.

Wouter du Toit's picture

Wouter is a portrait and street photographer based in Paris, France. He's originally from Cape Town, South Africa. He does image retouching for clients in the beauty and fashion industry and enjoys how technology makes new ways of photography possible.

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27 Comments

Make PC Great Again

Every issue outlined in this post is just talking about the difference between a laptop and a desktop. You do realize Apple makes the iMac, right? And also that a laptop can plug into 27" desktop monitors? The OS and the hardware are entirely separate discussions.

It was tough using windows for the last 12 years while every other creative professional I knew used Mac but it is becoming cool once again to use Windows and I can finally say: "I used PC way before it was the cool."

That being said, I'm still not falling for these all in one systems. I can't work without dual monitors and I way more power than any of these "pretty" options have.

Why was it hard? Because you were not cool enough? I know so many "artists" and "professionals" who use/used Macs because they were cool/silver/looked nice.
We work in an industry that is full of shallow people but when you hear pluses that Mac is better because it is silver or that it looks good it really makes you wonder..

It was a joke... Apparently not a very good one

Just look at the sort of machines that someone like jayztwocents are building and you'll realise that PC has always been cooler than Mac.

Apple is the one that started the "attractive and functional” PC (Personal Computer) "renaissance” with the iMac, long before Microsoft decided to become a hardware maker too.

My two computers are a 27" iMac and an iPad mini 4. Most of my daily computing is done on my iPad mini 4, including on the road since it is a cellular model with unlimited data. A lot of people similarly prefer a tablet for easy use and portability with the option of a big screen desktop computer at home. When tablets are allowed to become even more functional I think you will start seeing the market for laptops start shrinking dramatically.

My late 2012 i7 32GB RAM iMac still effortlessly handles all the photo editing I throw at it.

I would say the same about my iMac except the GPU just died... My MacBookPro GPU died too. Fortunately there was a class action that forced apple to recall 2011 model and I got new motherboard. Apple is designed to last no more than 5years (actually I got first motherboard replaced within 6 months because of BIOS/UEFI issue). Cheap thermal paste and poor cooling design causes parts to overheat. Now I am in market for new computer, and I will build more powerful machine than apple offers for less money.

"Apple is designed to last no more than 5 years" That's a lie. I have a MBPro form 2008. My sister has an iMac from 2009. Going strong and no way I would get rid of it. You only make that comment because you had trouble. My whole family has Apple products and they are all fine.

Well, I am computer tech and I am fixing PCs and Macs. I don't have conspiracy theory that at 5year mark the computer dies. My iMac was 2009 model purchased in 2010, so it did last 7 years. Other people didn't have as much luck. Lookup how many people have issues with overheating GPUs. Check eBay for iMacs and see how many iMacs for sale are with failed graphics.
It is a cascade problem btw. It starts with low quality, quickly aging thermal paste. The thermal paste looses its properties and it doesn't transfer the heat well onto the radiator, where the heat sensor is located. The controller doesn't know about the temperature under the radiator so it keeps fans on low RPMs. The GPU and CPU has build in thermal sensors that protect them from overheating for the most part. If the internal temperature reaches to high it will throttle down to reduce the heat. So first warning is when the computer works slower than it used to.
I used to blame dust and air blockage but my computers were clean...

Disagree.

My last Mac product lasted nearly 10 years and I upgraded for Thunderbolt and dual GPUs

As far as I'm concerned, this has nothing to do with "cool". The new MacBook is a piece of crap, and we need something powerful. Most of us aren't interested in dropping however much the Mac Pro costs, so the next obvious alternative is a PC. Along with this, there has always been a "Well for $3000, you can build a MUCH better PC", but most of us have ignored that because the MacBook has been THAT good. Unfortunately, it isn't anymore, so now the PC makes sense.

Sad to say that I'm jumping ship to PC in the next month or so as well. I've absolutely loved my MacBook, but until Apple pulls their finger out of their ass, I'll have to switch to PC.

I have a PC desktop with full specs and a MacBook Pro that cost about the same. I use the desktop for all work that requires intense processing and the MacBook for importing images on the road. The PC occasionally crashes and the MacBook has never crashed, but I don't push the MacBook very hard. I appreciate the design elements of the MacBook when I travel. It's small and convenient to carry.

I'm completely satisfied with this system, but in the future when the Mac needs an upgrade, it may be more affordable to get a PC.

Regarding the coolness factor, this is completely irrelevant for photography, but relevant if you're the hipster photographer type who desires to be seen as an artist. If you really want to look the part in a post industrial themed coffee shop, it's best to have a moleskin notebook and a pen (which you store in your beard)

Can't say that I'm a big fan of all-in-one systems as I love being able to customize my PC from scratch. That curved monitor does look quite appealing, though.

I`m always amused when I see these never ending "pc vs mac" wars and discussions, especially when we talk about users who do something more than running benchmark software.
Macs never have been the very best, flexible, powerful option. But this is not relevant for some users or some tasks.

I would not use curved screen on precise image editing tasks though.

well stated.

Well, PC's are great value for money. This year will be great for creatives on the PC side of things. Specially with the latest releases from AMD, their new CPU, much cheaper than the i7 counterpart and faster. I believe that, by creating something for gammers, AMD helped a lot of creatives. In case most don't know what i'm talking about, i'm talking AMD Ryzen 7 lineup CPU's. 399USD CPU on pair with intel's own 1050USD i7 6900K. Benchmarks on creative software like premiere pro or Cinebench r15 tell no lies, Nvidia's latest GPU's are also something to be near too, GTX 1070 is a beast of a GPU, waiting for AMD's Vega though.
PC's that can be built for less than 1000USD more powerful than MacPro's costing 3 times more.
Windows 10 seems to be refined to be less distractive than windows 8 and to me the best part is the lack of window borders (like OSX), working on a clean envyroinment is great.
Still, i'm a fan of the iMac lineup, shame the lack of upgrades and all.

My PC was built some 5 years ago, with an 8 Core CPU (crappy AMD bulldozer achitecture), bought last year a GTX 970 to pair with my 2.5K IPS BenQ display and it works flawlessly on Adobe's CC2015 suite (let's not mention Lightroom for the sake of our mental health). Windows 10 improved the way my Wacom tablet works.

The war between PC and Mac came from trenches with very different types of user, on the Mac side there were the creatives, on the PC side gammers. Both machines are great, and back then I just didn't buy the iMac 27" because it was way too expensive.

Nowadays the line between the two has smudged and we can also see 3000USD windows laptops, or 4000USD windows desktops like the Microsoft Surface Studio. It comes to how used one is to the operating system and not the machines per se.

While the PC may be better then it used to be, I don't think PC's will ever be cool for photo and video work, since it's not so much the hardware that is so well suited for our profession, but the OS, and interface, and PC can't compete with that. :)

if you are working with images or video you using adobe software and interface, which is same on both OS

I'm not referring to IN the adobe software, I'm referring to file management, etc that goes along with what photographers do. the mac os with a journaled drive is so far superior, that it's not even a fair comparison. Not to mention the obvious reliability vs windows. Windows is a very poor OS, built on a bad foundation, with the way the windows registry works etc, a linux/unix style system is far superior, period.

I'm glad you found your happy medium to manage your work

I spend the vast majority of my computer time in Lightroom or Photoshop, and there is little difference between Mac and Windows when working in them. I built a screaming PC for half the price of an equally equipped iMac. I was a huge Apple fan for about ten years before that, but now I don't see going back.

working IN the Adobe programs isn't my point, it's more the OS. and the reliability of the linux type OS is far superior to windows, and always will be no matter what windows ever does.

Since when working on PC or MAC became cool for a photographer?
I would rather look through a viewfinder and capture perfect image then stair at the screen, perfecting an original creation.

Did I miss something? When was PC not cool?