Over four years ago I was editing video on a pretty antiquated PC (running Windows XP). To be honest I really don’t remember the specs, but they weren’t stellar and editing was a slow process. I was using Pinnacle Studio and a piece of software called ALAMDV 2 to do most of my editing. While things were OK in the editing department, my computer ran slow and crashed a lot. This seemed to always be a problem with me, ever since Windows 98. What was the deal? I was always careful with my internet browsing, performed disk defrags routinely and other Windows management practices. But no matter what, after a couple months of use the compter would slowly start to degrade in performance. Maybe I just suck at computers, I dunno.
Sabers was edited on my old PC. That film was a pretty big achievement for me at the time.
I then heard of this company called Apple, perhaps you’ve heard of them? 
Anyway, their computers were supposed to be rock solid and made for video editing and other design work. Final Cut Studio was of course the big deal breaker when it came to video. So, while the computer had a steep price, I purchased a 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo MacBook Pro. Now I could do video editing on the move! Yay!
Well, the computer has worked well over these four years. I really like Final Cut, and I’ve never had any major problems computer-wise. I’m also a fan of Apple’s operating system. However, my MacBook Pro is getting older now. There are way faster computers out there, not to mention the 2GB of ram doesn’t go as far as it used to. Hard drive space is also an issue and for a serious video editor, a laptop isn’t probably the top choice. Also, if you know anything about Macs, you’ll know that it’s hard to upgrade these computers due to the closed nature of their manufacturing. This laptop has servered me well but it was time to take the next leap.
My first instinct was to look to Apple again. However, as I examine their prices, and even as a satisified Mac user… it’s just hard to justify. I know the arguements: you pay for quality hardware, the superior operating system and reliability (and in my case Final Cut), but if this really the case anymore? I hear great things about Windows 7, it sounds like things have come along way since Windows XP (I was absent during the Vista era), you can get way, way more bang for you buck if you go the PC route in terms of power and with the introduction of the Adobe CS5 Suite, I am hearing excellent things about Premiere. I have never used Premiere, always stuck with Final Cut, but with Adobe’s tight intergration between programs, 64 bit processing and so on… Adobe really makes an inticing offer. Flash CS5, while a worthy upgrade, wasn’t enough of a reason to upgrade my Creative Suite but now with Premiere, my mind has changed. Flash, After Effects and Premiere making sweet, sweet love together. Now that’s something worth paying money for.
They may be expensive as hell... but they're sure sexy.
So, after careful thought, I ordered a custom built PC. It’s loaded with Windows 7, a new i7 processor, lots of ram and a screaming video card. The kicker is spec wise, it’s over double the strength of a Mac that is almost $1000 more. So even after upgrading to the new CS5 suite, I’ll still come out ahead with a PC in terms of money.
Will I regret my purchase? Should I have stuck with Apple? Will I fall in love with Windows 7? All of this will be answered soon when my computer arrives. I will write a follow up article when that happens.
