I've been a full-time wedding photographer for the past eight years and an Apple fan since I was in fourth grade. But today, that has all changed. Here is why.
In fourth grade, I remember using the Apple II GS workstation in math class. When I was in high school I learned Photoshop on the famous colored and clear iMacs. In 2004 I bought the first line of the G5 white iMacs and I upgraded a few years later to a Mac Pro tower with dual processors. In 2008 I bought a Macbook Pro and after that a 27-inch iMac i7 with an array of connected G-Tech hard drives. So to say I was an Apple fan would be an understatement; I was truly committed in every way.
Six months ago it was time for an upgrade and I was willing to pay an extremely high price to purchase a computer that could keep up with my busy wedding photography business. I went to my local Apple Store and was sadden to see Apple's current workstation options. It felt like Apple was completely neglecting the pro market. As an example, a top of the line 27-inch iMac costs $5,300 and this doesn't even include the market's latest hardware. $1,400 of that price was for the RAM alone (more than double the market price). I was told by an Apple Store employee that the new line of iMacs are no longer user upgradable, and if I attempted to add RAM after the sale it would void the warranty. I was willing to pay a premium for an Apple computer but this was ridiculous.
When it comes to the physical look and design of Apple computers, it's obvious that they are still the king. How do they do it? Throttling. Have you ever held a powerful GPU? They are huge; almost the size of an iMac by itself, and that's why you can't get a powerful GPU in any Mac. Even if an iMac has the same chip as a comparable Windows computer, by slowing down the performance of that chip, it will create less heat, and Apple can save space. I love the beautiful design, but for my business, I need the best tool for the job, not the sleekest.
If you're anything like me, you're probably a big fan of Apple's operating system, but if you really think about it, you may realize just how little you rely on your operating system. I don’t know about you, but for me as an actual working pro my software needs are simple:
- Lightroom
- Photoshop
- Photomechanic
- Premiere Pro
- Word and Excel
- Google Chrome and Google Calendar
None of the computing needs for my business require an Apple computer. But, when I thought about building my own computer, I realized that the Apple ecosystem was limiting me. Here's a list of things that you could never do with an iMac:
- Ability to experiment with VR.
- Ability to play some 3D AAA game titles.
- Ability to integrate ALL external drives inside of one case (clear off my desk!).
- Ability to have removable internal storage for offsite backups.
- Ability to replace or upgrade any part at any time.
- Ability to use a screen larger than 27 inches and not have to have more than one (or have to use Thunderbolt).
- Ability to use the latest tech, and have full control over power and performance.
So I decided to leave Apple and for the first time in my life. I built a PC, and not just any PC, “my” PC.
My Computer Components
- Case: $215.00
- Motherboard: $300.00
- CPU: $329.89
- CPU cooler: $89.90
- RAM: $778.00
- GPU: $799.99
- PSU: $244.99
- Display: $902.00
- Keyboard: $99.00
- Mouse: $99.95
- m.2 SSD (OS and applications): $289.99
- 1 TB SSD (live work): $437.00
- 1 TB SSD (games and VR): $437.00
- 2 TB SSD (pictures and “digital warehouse”): $859.00
- 2 TB 7200rpm (video drive): $139.00
- 1 TB 7200rpm (data drive): $84.99
- 1 TB 7200rpm (archive drive): $84.99
- 8 TB 5400rpm (master backup drive): $274.00
- 8 TB 5400rpm (offsite drive, x2): $274.00 + $274.00
- Removable hot swap drive bay: $17.49
- Card reader: $29.95
- Bluetooth dongle: $12.95
- Windows 10 Pro: $139.00
Now, I will save you the time in totaling this all up and tell you that it’s $7,213 before shipping. That might sound like a lot, but it is still more powerful and way cheaper than a top of the line iMac Pro and external storage. If you're unfamiliar with building a computer, check out this video.
My Workflow and Data Backup System
Speaking of storage, one of the things that I am most proud of on either system (Apple or PC) has been my personal “data workflow” which I shared here on Fstoppers about this time last year on my Apple computer system. I am so excited to have been able to finally refine this and drastically reduce the amount of “mess” needed to accomplish the same task with this PC build. I use separate internal drives (listed above) for different applications. Then, every night at 3:30 a.m. my system looks at all the connected drives one by one and writes not one, but two copies of all the data creating a mirror on large 8 TB drives (basically a RAID 1). One of them is the master backup and lives in my PC all the time. The other is the offsite drive and this is ejected, and replaced with a third 8 TB drive once a week and taken offsite. So, this means that all my data is on four drives at all times and one of them is offsite. The program that I use on the PC to manage all of this, ViceVersa Pro, is incredible and costs just $60. I would strongly recommend this setup for anyone who can not afford to lose their clients data, and complete details can be found in the video at the top of the article. To me, this is what it means to have a professional setup and workflow.
What's It Like Using Windows?
Coming from a lifetime of using OSX, moving to Windows was my greatest fear. I can tell you that all of the little things that I loved about OSX are now available in Windows 10, and a current PC is not like it was years ago. Microsoft has finally caught up to Apple in this sense and is leading in many ways. Gone are the days of worrying about blue screens of death or viruses. My computer just works and the operating system is almost completely forgotten as I use the same software that I used on my Mac.
macOS is a closed system with hardly any user options. This is not the case with Windows 10. You have the control to use your computer how you see fit, but, at the same time, it doesn't require any customization if you'd rather keep things simple. Using Windows 10 has been incredibly easy, and at no point have I wished I was back on macOS.
I am not here trying to say that Windows PCs are the best solution for everyone, it all depends on how you use a computer. If you don't have a long list of performance expectations, then Apple’s products may be the best choice for you. But, if your goal is to work as quickly and efficiently as possible, you may want to consider building a custom rig to meet your exact needs.
Don’t just listen to me, or any one person. Do your own research and become your own expert. Don’t let emotion cloud your judgment when it comes to high ticket items like this. Do what makes the most sense, and don’t be afraid to consider all of your options. I can tell you that my only regret is that I did not do this sooner.
Written by Travis Harris.
Have mac laptop, build beast Hackintosh. Best of both worlds, done
I hate the hardware situation too, but if it ain't OSX, it will eventually find a way to make me hate it.
Do people still do the "hackintosh" thing? Because that's my only option.
Haha! This article mimicked my sentiments so closely, I thought you had stalked my Facebook page. Congrats on the switch and continued success in your business!
Great article!
Somebody may already have asked this, but how’s your Lightroom performance?
Since doing my build in March (assume very similar capabilities as yours sans so many hard drives) the speed of Lightroom has been absolutely abysmal :/
The LR performance increased.. but, not "crazy" fast. I think LR needs to do a better job of taking advantage of hardware. FYI, the new LR update (to classic) was nice, and is faster now too. All in all its all good :-)
As someone who's into their gaming as much as their photography, I could never use a Mac. Also design wise, I think beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I personally much prefer the look of a nice PC case with a side window and the RGB lighting over the vanilla look of the Macs.
I'm extremely unhappy at how slow Apple to update their Mac Pro line up.
It's been since 2013! If that is not glaring proof that Apple is done with "Pro" use I don't know what is. The iMac Pro is their answer, and I just dont think this is what people want (who are looking for more options as I was). Its too bad. Look, the truth is.. is that IF Apple still had the Mac Pro Tower.. I would have bought that.. but.. they dont.
Travis - how quiet is your system. I built something similar to yours because I didn't want to fork over $5k and ended up building a PC instead. I do miss OS X but they need to open their systems up so people can upgrade them. I think that is a missed opportunity because most that buy macs are not going to tinker with them. Its the folks like you and I that will want to max out the memory and swap out drives when more space is needed. I ended up making mine water cooled, same chip with 12 TB of HDD space and a 500GB SSD for the OS and apps. I built it for my PLEX server and also do video editing and Lightroom/Photoshop. I use the free version of Macrium Reflect for backup. We use the paid version at work for our servers without issue so I decided to go with that because its easy to setup. Thanks for making the video to show its not just Macs that can do creative work.
On a side note I was a Windows user ever since I got into computers but switched in 2011 and bought a Mac and never looked back but the cost is killing them in sales. At some point you say its just not worth it and do what you did.
Right on Steve! Thanks so much! My system idles at less than a whisper at 38C average temp. I have the curves in BIOS set to ramp fans when the temps ramp up etc.. So far it is just as quite as my iMac. Also.. with my iMac (see my workflow video from last year, and that massive setup) I had a ton of external drives. THIS made a TON of noise 24/7 and I got SO sick of having to deal with external drives. I did not want a NAS, or to have to be forced to use thunderbolt for speed. I was done with Apple. LOL.
I have been a Windows computer user since Windows 3.11. I have recently switched to Macs, and I do not believe I'll never go back.
The problem with the writer's statement that the operating system doesn't matter is that it does matter. Although Lightroom, Photoshop, and many other photo industry software packages run as well on one as the other is true, it's only true when the Windows machines are new.
Every Windows machine I've ever had, whether factory-built or home-built, has, over time, slowed to the point of being useless. This applies to laptops and desktops both, regardless of how much RAM, HHD space, processor, Windows version, or anything else.
Why this is so is something I'm not at all sure of -- all I know is that it is absolutely true, not only of every Windows computer I've ever owned, but of every single one anyone I know has ever owned. As a result, the average life of a Windows computer seems to be about 5 years, after which time, it is so slow, and the system is so bogged down, that running even the simplest apps is virtually impossible without enduring hangups, extremely sluggish behavior, and numerous crashes. On the laptop I just retired, I could not run Lightroom and Photoshop at the same time without all sorts of problems. Yet, 6 years ago, when that computer was new, it was a screaming machine.
To make matters worse, the problem can seldom be fixed by installing a new version of Windows, as the drivers necessary to make it the old hardware work are not included in the newest versions of Windows -- on purpose.
On the other hand, I currently have on my desk a 7 year old Mac Pro, the big old silver tower. I am at least the 3rd owner of this magnificent machine. I have dual monitors, 3 internal drives (including 2 SSDs), and no fewer 8 external drives. I can have LR & PS open, 10 or 12 Google Chrome windows open, and still listen to music on iTunes, all at the same time, without the Mac Pro even blinking. And I just upgraded to the latest version of the operating system, which was absolutely painless. Everything works, just as it should. There are no missing drivers, or any other problems.
And I repeat -- it's a 2010 model, which I believe makes it 7 years old.
That old Windows laptop has been replaced with a 15" MacBook Pro. Like the Mac Pro desktop, I can have a multitude of things running all at once, and the Macbook just keeps humming along at top speed.
I'd love to hear from the writer of this article in 5 years, to see how his Windows machine is doing. My bet is it will have slowed to a crawl, possibly to the point of being unusable. And good luck installing the latest version of Windows on what will then be a 5 year old machine.
Hey Don! I will have to report back with some more time as you said. We will see :-) I have used Apple since 2004, and fully understand everything your saying. My data workflow video from last year will show you just has invested I was. I truly think it comes down to the user and what they are doing with the PC, what they are installing, and what kind of "updates" they are allowing. I dont foresee this setup getting slower in time.. and I have done more research than I can possible communicate here. It's a different time now with Windows, and PC's But, what remains to be the same is that its WIDE open.. so yes, a user can mess things up if they are not careful. I am not that user. So.. hopfully I can report back with good news. 4months into it now.. nothing but love so far. Nothing changes in my setup.
Good luck! I'd love to be wrong, but as I said, I've never heard of a Windows computer that didn't start to slow down. My laptop took several years, and when I retired it, it was like a snail. Have fun!!
I have also used Windows since 3.11 and Dos, build my first Dual Pentium and installed Windows NT4 WS...
The things about Windows slowing down is mostly because of usage. If you have a complitly closed system as Apple is, you don't have the same problems as if Windows is "wide open" for install any software user wish to try out.
I have a network with Windows Servers running, Domain Controllers, Hyper-v with Exchange Servers, A Raid 6 Storage Server, all with Windows server 2012 R2, all but the Exchance Servers upgraded from Windows Server 2008 (New installed on old hardware running Windows Server 2003 because of changes to AD I didn't want to upgrade)...
All my Servers running on Hardware more than 10 years old, oldest near 15...
The systems just runs, no trouble, same with my Windows 10, it just runs, only problems I have is with connectivity to my Samsung phone and from time to time with Amd GPU drivers...
And I use my system for self education on Windows Operating Systems in addition to photo and a little dev.
Only real problems I get with Windows is when I do something stupid...
Mr. Harris, within a few months I am getting a new computer and I really like the idea of doing this. However, I am thinking of going with the new iMac Pro since for a while now, my W10 machine does not show my thumbnails for NEF or RAF raw files. (Yes, I have all the updates.) Researched and found this is an issue w/ W10, and I tried the solutions proposed on the Web. Nada. Oh, and I have the same issue on the Surface I use for work. BTW, for my personal computer, I switched from Mac to PC 3 years ago (though I bought what I now realize was an under powered model) because I liked the W10 OS just a little better. Any suggestions? Really, the only thing making me think of switching back to Mac OS is the thumbnail issue, since it is a pain not seeing what to work on. Thanks for any feedback. ~Fern
Hey Fern! You are 100%. My RAW files (in file explorer) are not showing the thumbnail preview. JPEG is fine tho. I know this is not what you want to hear.. but, dont use finder for anything for RAW data. Check out my workflow video.. and you will see that It's totally a non issue. Switching to a Mac (or PC) for anything like this.. I think would be silly. Frustrating yes, but this is not something that is needed in a professional workflow. I would think about the way your processing the data, and not worry about it at all.
The preview thing is because Microsoft dowsn't update the Windows RAW Codec often enough...
Go to the homepage for your camera produsent and download and install the RAW Codec from there... It should solve most problems...
This is not a Windows/Microsoft problem, but a camera dev. problem... they need to send the codec to the windows update system if it should be updated by Windows Update... sad but true...
But as Travis say, its not actually needed... if you need a fast browser just to look at your raw files, install the freeware Faststone Viewer, but you should use your DAM software (Lightroom, On1, C1, Photo Supreme, PM or sim. for this)...
1000W PSU and GTX 1080 TI are way overkill; none of the Adobe programs nearly use 50% of the power of this GPU.
Correct. My 9 hard drives maybe a different story tho. Also.. I kinda like to play GTA 5 at max settings here and there when I am not "working" LMAO. The way I looked at it.. why not have a PC that can do it all! :-)
Windows 10 is nowhere close to apples OS. I use both; Maybook & Windows Workstation (because of the price/performance). Mac OS is so much more comfortable to handle. And - and this is a biggie - it has the space bar preview function which is huge for creative workers
Totally agree! You know, it was funny you said this.. That was the only feature that I was like "oh, man.. no more preview with the spacebar!".. but.. then.. I googled it, and downloaded a free plugin.. and now.. yes, I have this again in Win 10 :-)
This has absolutely nothing to do with windows catching up to apple and everything to do with you growing half a brain.
Apple fans think that windows fans hate apple just because... in reality that just because is common sense.
PCs have always been easier to customise than Macs. Always. Windows have always been cheaper than Macs for the last two decades at least. This isn’t some new phenomena.
Buying a Mac is like using a gold bar as a door stop, it’ll do the job but it’ll cost you more to do it and will likely not have as much functionality as an actual doorstop.
"Don't Buy the iMac Pro, Build This Instead"
"Now, I will save you the time in totaling this all up and tell you that it’s $7,213 before shipping. That might sound like a lot, but it is still more powerful and way cheaper than a top of the line iMac Pro and external storage."
Why not just write an article about building your ideal computer without comparing it to something that's not comparable? Why compare it to the iMac Pro if you're not going to even include comparable processors, RAM, video card, or display?
Hey William. I hear bud. It's not a perfect write up, and I did project some of my personal, subjective feelings along the way. I guess the reason it has this tone is because I was in fact very invested with Apple, and apart of me is / was upset that they just stopped with the nice pro solutions (Mac Pro Tower). In hind sight, everything is in fact comparable. If I wanted something close to what I did, this would have been the iMac Pro (closest thing).. and would have been the logical next choice in the Apple line up for me. I did in fact mention that if you did go spec to spec.. you would save about $1500 on the normal iMac, which.. can be built to closely match the basics of my system. I think this was the whole point.
I'm not sure what the author means about not having to worry about viruses [sic; I assume he means malware]. Windows is still a major target for attack.
Otherwise, the author's analysis is sensible. Except for an inexplicable "collapse" of Windows in 2004, I've never had problems. All my machines have been custom models from a local dealer that included exactly the features I wanted.
I do worry about Virus.. But the days of hacking porn sites, and downloading shit for free are long over. Hopefully as a workhorse to my photography this will stand up without going down. Time will tell.
Critiquing iMac when you should be looking at a pro mac. Straw man. Stupid
Well.. the specs are the closest when compared to the iMac. That.. in fact is the crazy part! If I compared to the Mac Pro.. then Apple looks worse, and is even more costly vs. what I built. I compared it this way, as I already had the iMac.. and have a video all about that on my channel. Why people comment, and call others stupid is beyond me. Is this how you talk to people you meet in person? Seriously.. LOL.
a hardware fail and all those drives are out the window ... and the "offsite drive" useless because it would need to have the same topology to restore efficiently...
oneSSD internal backup, one SSD on an external drive and one on-the-cloud account and you are
done by a dropbox/google_drive/ and you are safe (DropBox lets you upload original files) :-) ... of course this workflow is not perfect you rely on a high speed connection (30mbs per second upload speed or better)... Less clutter definitively less expensive and really reliable.
Hi everyone
I have got question in regards the Dell 43 inch monitor
1. The Dell 43 inch monitor which Travis Harris using is better then the iMac 27 inch screen ?
2- can you do color collaboration with Dell 43 inch?
As far as I know for photo editing the best resolution is 2560/1440.
What do you think ?
You have a sweet machine!!!!! :-) And it looks cooler than my MacPro beasts!
Your Backup IS AWESOME!! :-)
Also yes Apple did fail its professional user base by not keeping the MACPro up to date. This computer below is more powerful than Apples current MACPro trash can with all bells and whistles.
Less than 2000 bucks is all you needed to spend… To keep using the Mac - FEB 2017 Build
Mac PC / PC Mac I still vote for Apple Mac Pro 2009 – 2012
So I built TWO last year for 4K+ video editing
All MAC PRO 2009 - 2012 are used but I bought mine for $300 from Texas University
What a great computer!
So yes I had to do a few upgrades.
Dual Xenon 3.46 Ghz Upgrade - $ 180
128 GB RAM (Yes RAM) - $ 280
ASUS NVIDIA GT980 TI OC 6 GB VRAM - $300.00 VR READY!!!
USB 3.1 PCI CARD - $35
DUAL SATA III PCI card - $45 after rebate
Two Samsung EVO 950 1 TB Raid 0 - $575
Two WD RED 8 TB HD - $265 ( best buy WD easy store swap out ;-) ) INTERNAL!
This MAC screams!!!!! Only for $ 1980.00 Less than 2000 bucks
No Thunderbolt.. sorry… BUT
* 24 Threads
* Overclocked NVIDIA 980 will be dropping in a NVIDIA 1080 soon. VR Ready also!!!
* 128 GB RAM
* 2 TB RAID 0 - Boots in seconds
* 16 TB HD MASS Storage INTERNAL! Room for two more drives.
* USB 3.1
* Dual Gigabit Ethernet Ports
APPLE supported to MAC/OS MOJAVE running the beta now ;-)
Your build was 5000 more plus software application conversion costs.
I built two of these Work Horses..... Very stable!! 24/7 operation if needed..
Pictured Is the unit internals with Nvidia 980.
Looking close the I have two 1 TB 2.5 inch drives for testing on the SATA III PCI card.
Next picture is the XENON CPUs with huge cooling towers.
This is a BAD ass Machine!!
Fun fact this is less powerful than the imac pro the imac pro is using a Xeon cpu which is a pro class cpu which has more cores and preforms better for things like photo editing that take advantage of the more cores the only real atvantage to this is the more storage and better gpu but mac os optimises the gpu very much so it will preform about the same also take in mind that this doesnt include a 5k display and most 5k isplays are about 1k too 2k whish is mostly why the imac pro is such a good value this pc is not a imac pro killer