What equipment to get for editing

[Brian]

I switched over to Mac in 2009. I didn't like the way Microsoft was headed and wanted to avoid Windows 8 like the plague. 

I poked around with Macs since 1984 and became a certified Apple repair tech in the 1990's. So I was one of two techs in my repair shop that fixed them. So when they switched to Intel CPUs, I was in the market for a new computer and liked their displays. So getting back into Photography, seeing a nice screen and knowing that Macs were regarded well (and still are) in the professional world, I opted for a 21.5" iMac. 

Keep in mind, this was when Apple did things right and didn't cripple the 21.5" iMacs. So you could get the $1499 Machine back then and it was just as good as the their 27" counterpart. The only difference was the screen size. So after pricing out a fancy IPS display and a decently fast Windows computer, the Mac was only a few hundred more. 

Combine that with the fact that I fix computers and printers and servers for my day job...when I come home, I don't want to fix my shit. I want to turn it on, get things done, then shut it off. I don't play games, I have an Xbox 1 for that. So for me, a Mac made sense. 

Fast forward to today. My official stance is, "Macs aren't better, they are just different..."

There are two camps, one that swears by a Mac and the other will go into fits of rage questioning your sanity for spending money on a Mac.  It used to be that the only system that had graphic arts / music stuff was only available on the Mac platform, so there is this entrenchment in the industry. 

Even today, you walk into a meeting with an Art Director for a commercial client with a Windows laptop under your arm, you have a very good chance of not being taken seriously. I know, I know...I can hear the AD members screaming that it doesn't make a difference in what you use and blah-blah-blah. I agree with you, it shouldn't, but it still happens. So you tell me, you meet with an Art Director from Nike or Coca-Cola, and you know they prefer Macs, you aren't gonna lose that $50,000 gig because you refuse to use a Mac; your ass is walking in with a Mac and you can't convince me otherwise!!! I have a friend who used to work for Nicelodeon Studios in NYC. (If you have kids in the 1990's, you have seen her work. Like the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Logo, but I'm digressing.) She bitched that her $500 Windows PC ran circles around her Mac Pro, but as far as Nick was concerned, it was a Mac shop or you were not working for them, period.

Currently, just as before, if you want Spreadsheets, Databases, and business stuff, that is better suited to Windows. Even though it's a lot better now in terms of Photoshop, you won't find many Macs in a Windows networked environment. It's still mostly Windows in your business/ medical environment, at least from my POV in the US. 

So now we come to Windows 10. I really don't like what Apple is doing with El Capitan (Adobe Software doesn't always play will with the latest Max OS) and Windows 10...I'm not too keen on the spying stuff that they do. They are taking a page from FB's playbook and likes to data-mine. (How do you think Win 10 is free at the moment??) Even if you try to turns all that stuff off, it's still there in some form. 

Nice? Eh? 

That being said, I might switch back to Win10 for my next computer. Or may get a 27" Mac. I'm really not sure. 

My advice: Try both. See what makes sense to you. If you want to spend the money for a Mac, go for it. If you feel like a Win10 computer makes sense, then buy one of those systems. Just make the decision based on your terms, not from people on the Internet.  

[Brian]

One of the biggest selling points is the "Ecosystem" with Macs. They are the primary source for repairs, you can schedule a class at the Genius Bar to teach you how to use your Mac, it's very user-centric. Of course, you pay for this with the cost of a new Mac. LOL!! Nothing is "free" but it's a nice selling feature. 

[Kerry Lush]

Thanks Brian, as I told Damien, I have a clever friend who has offered to build me what I need for a fraction of the price, he seems excited by the prospect. I've told him what I need it for so he knows what to add on to it.

[Kerry Lush]

This is what I will be getting, hope you approve