I just quit Apple...

[scoobs69]

I would bet that, like me, that PC in your sig runs more than one operating system.

It can, but it doesn't. I only have Windows 10 installed. I'm more then satisfied using Windows 10. My system is lean and clean - custom built for my needs, from the ground up.

I do miss a few features from OS X, most notably being able to preview a document by clicking on the avatar/thumbnail, and seeing the file image, or scrolling through the PDF when in columns view. ...which brings me to columns view. I miss that as well to some degree. But, those aren't deal breakers for me, and I have work around for previewing my photography. It doesn't take but an extra couple of clicks.

Someone might suggest those extra couple of clicks will add up over time. And while that may be true, the amount of time I save in my workflow, while working on this Windows 10 photo editing workstation, far outweighs that little extra couple of clicks for previewing my work in their respective folders.

Could I have gotten a 4-core iMac and make it work? Sure. But I would have spent over $3,000 to do it. I paid $1,950. Plus the iMac only has (1) internal flash drive -- all other storage options are external, and I never keep my working files (active or back-up files) on my boot drive. ...I can have (2) NVMe drives, as well as (3) 2.5" SSDs in my PC. And I still have (4) USB 3.0 ports, (2) USB 2.0 ports (for keyboard and mouse), and (2) USB 3.1 ports, along with 3 open PCIe slots. I can swap out my Radeon RX 580 for 1080ti if I feel it's warranted. I can swap out my 8-core CPU for a up to 18-cores without having to change my motherboard (though I might need a new power supply for 18 cores) . ...expansion and upgradability Apple simply can't touch.

If Apple would release a tiny tower with the i7-8700 (or i7-8700K) CPU, dual internal user upgradable NVMe slots, GPU options ranging from the 8GB Radeon RX 580 to the Vega 64, up to 64GB of user upgradable ram, with 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, and 6 USB 3.0 ports, I would likely come back to Apple if they made this starting at $1,600 with 16GB RAM and a 256GB NVMe drive.

If Apple made this tiny tower with the 7800x, upgradable to the 7900x, and start with a similar price point of $1,600 (with these specs: 7800x, 16GB RAM, a 8GB Radeon RX 580, and a 256GB VNMe boot drive)...I'd switch back to Apple in a heartbeat.

...I believe a TON of Apple users are waiting for this machine.

 

[AndyMacAndMic]

I do miss a few features from OS X, most notably being able to preview a document by clicking on the avatar/thumbnail,

https://sourceforge.net/projects/mediainfo/

After install: Select the item in Windows explorer and press spacebar. It works for pdf files too.

 

[dk001]

It can, but it doesn't. I only have Windows 10 installed. I'm more then satisfied using Windows 10. My system is lean and clean - custom built for my needs, from the ground up.

I do miss a few features from OS X, most notably being able to preview a document by clicking on the avatar/thumbnail, and seeing the file image, or scrolling through the PDF when in columns view. ...which brings me to columns view. I miss that as well to some degree. But, those aren't deal breakers for me, and I have work around for previewing my photography. It doesn't take but an extra couple of clicks.

Someone might suggest those extra couple of clicks will add up over time. And while that may be true, the amount of time I save in my workflow, while working on this Windows 10 photo editing workstation, far outweighs that little extra couple of clicks for previewing my work in their respective folders.

Could I have gotten a 4-core iMac and make it work? Sure. But I would have spent over $3,000 to do it. I paid $1,950. Plus the iMac only has (1) internal flash drive -- all other storage options are external, and I never keep my working files (active or back-up files) on my boot drive. ...I can have (2) NVMe drives, as well as (3) 2.5" SSDs in my PC. And I still have (4) USB 3.0 ports, (2) USB 2.0 ports (for keyboard and mouse), and (2) USB 3.1 ports, along with 3 open PCIe slots. I can swap out my Radeon RX 580 for 1080ti if I feel it's warranted. I can swap out my 8-core CPU for a up to 18-cores without having to change my motherboard (though I might need a new power supply for 18 cores) . ...expansion and upgradability Apple simply can't touch.

If Apple would release a tiny tower with the i7-8700 (or i7-8700K) CPU, dual internal user upgradable NVMe slots, GPU options ranging from the 8GB Radeon RX 580 to the Vega 64, up to 64GB of user upgradable ram, with 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, and 6 USB 3.0 ports, I would likely come back to Apple if they made this starting at $1,600 with 16GB RAM and a 256GB NVMe drive.

If Apple made this tiny tower with the 7800x, upgradable to the 7900x, and start with a similar price point of $1,600 (with these specs: 7800x, 16GB RAM, a 8GB Radeon RX 580, and a 256GB VNMe boot drive)...I'd switch back to Apple in a heartbeat.

...I believe a TON of Apple users are waiting for this machine.

Ever look at Object Desktop?
Added that to mine and it gives me a number of options some reminiscent of MacOS.

 

[phillytim]

If I were to go back to the Windows side of the spectrum, which I certainly am after not being happy with the current MacBook Pro hardware, I pretty much would only consider Lenovo hardware, as I demand quality.

 

[dk001]

If I were to go back to the Windows side of the spectrum, which I certainly am after not being happy with the current MacBook Pro hardware, I pretty much would only consider Lenovo hardware, as I demand quality.

Say what you want, Lenovo products have been trooper for me.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

It can, but it doesn't. I only have Windows 10 installed. I'm more then satisfied using Windows 10. My system is lean and clean - custom built for my needs, from the ground up.

I do miss a few features from OS X, most notably being able to preview a document by clicking on the avatar/thumbnail, and seeing the file image, or scrolling through the PDF when in columns view. ...which brings me to columns view. I miss that as well to some degree. But, those aren't deal breakers for me, and I have work around for previewing my photography. It doesn't take but an extra couple of clicks.

Someone might suggest those extra couple of clicks will add up over time. And while that may be true, the amount of time I save in my workflow, while working on this Windows 10 photo editing workstation, far outweighs that little extra couple of clicks for previewing my work in their respective folders.

Could I have gotten a 4-core iMac and make it work? Sure. But I would have spent over $3,000 to do it. I paid $1,950. Plus the iMac only has (1) internal flash drive -- all other storage options are external, and I never keep my working files (active or back-up files) on my boot drive. ...I can have (2) NVMe drives, as well as (3) 2.5" SSDs in my PC. And I still have (4) USB 3.0 ports, (2) USB 2.0 ports (for keyboard and mouse), and (2) USB 3.1 ports, along with 3 open PCIe slots. I can swap out my Radeon RX 580 for 1080ti if I feel it's warranted. I can swap out my 8-core CPU for a up to 18-cores without having to change my motherboard (though I might need a new power supply for 18 cores) . ...expansion and upgradability Apple simply can't touch.

If Apple would release a tiny tower with the i7-8700 (or i7-8700K) CPU, dual internal user upgradable NVMe slots, GPU options ranging from the 8GB Radeon RX 580 to the Vega 64, up to 64GB of user upgradable ram, with 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, and 6 USB 3.0 ports, I would likely come back to Apple if they made this starting at $1,600 with 16GB RAM and a 256GB NVMe drive.

If Apple made this tiny tower with the 7800x, upgradable to the 7900x, and start with a similar price point of $1,600 (with these specs: 7800x, 16GB RAM, a 8GB Radeon RX 580, and a 256GB VNMe boot drive)...I'd switch back to Apple in a heartbeat.

...I believe a TON of Apple users are waiting for this machine.

I completely agree.

 

[maflynn]

Ever look at Object Desktop?
Added that to mine and it gives me a number of options some reminiscent of MacOS.

I've used them over the years, a nice set of utilities and tools

 

[marshzd]

I completely agree.

Me too. My Alienware I posted in the OP has two more slots for video cards, I can easily upgrade to 64gb of RAM, has several hard drive slots, an extra nvme slot (one is currently my main boot drive).

It's hard to pay an extra $1500-$2000 when I buy a machine that's better spec'd for less, and still can expand to be even more better in the future...

That's why I'm buying that second 1080 gti when the prices drop!

 

[macgeek18]

Very nice machine. I wanted a new iMac but could not stomach $3,000 for a machine with less performance than my pre-built Dell. I have an Inspiron 5675 and it's meant for Gaming but it's a killer workstation for all I do. Windows 10 is not that bad either. Over the last 3 years I have only had to do one re-install and that was because of some driver issues on Windows 7 hardware.

 

[kazmac]

I am looking at a NUC now, but I also have to think about including all region blu ray player / conversion into this next setup, as my standalone all region blu ray player is starting to flake out. This is something that I will want because of my European film collection.

I know VLC softawre used to be work pretty well with all region conversions, but I suppose I am thinking about what kind of optical drive I should be looking at for the next system and/or Windows software I should be looking at. Any suggestions would be great.

 

[curtvaughan]

Hope you paid extra for US-based Pro Support.

I work on Dells for a living and I've spent hours on the phone with level 'none' 'technicians.' One of them asked me if I tried using a known good power cord after putting me on hold to 'consult' the one guy in the building who knows anything.

To be fair, I've had similar experiences with Apple Geniuses lately, though it wasn't always that way. I've gotten good email / forum support from the Dell Developer Edition technicians.
[doublepost=1532723324][/doublepost]

The fact that Windows is a massive train wreck. You could not pay me to go back there. MacOS does everything I need and does it well.

It’s my opinion, but I believe every word of it.

This is more about hardware decisions than OS; unfortunately, the closest thing to MacOS for a PC would be FreeBSD, which is really poor with desktop interfaces and application support (really a stable server system). If Apple really does get out of the professional computer hardware business, one would hope they'd either license MacOS for non-Apple hardware, or that applications previously dedicated to Macs would be ported to other systems (Windows or Linux).

 

[maflynn]

If Apple really does get out of the professional computer hardware business, one would hope they'd either license MacOS for non-Apple hardware, or that applications previously dedicated to Macs would be ported to other systems (Windows or Linux).

Given the roll out of the iMac Pro and promises of a modular Mac Pro, I think they're showing a re-dedicated effort for the professional segment. Whether those machines are successful is another topic, they are showing a focus on that demographic.

They'll never license the OS, unless they choose to stop making all Mac hardware which doesn't make any sense since its a 6 billion dollars last quarter, so they pull in 24 billion dollars a year on the Mac line, there's no way licensing macOS will come anywhere near that.

 

[purgatori_sakkara]

Okay?

 

[scoobs69]

Given the roll out of the iMac Pro and promises of a modular Mac Pro, I think they're showing a re-dedicated effort for the professional segment. Whether those machines are successful is another topic, they are showing a focus on that demographic.

They'll never license the OS, unless they choose to stop making all Mac hardware which doesn't make any sense since its a 6 billion dollars last quarter, so they pull in 24 billion dollars a year on the Mac line, there's no way licensing macOS will come anywhere near that.

$6 Billion isn't surprising, as everyone who has been waiting to buy a new worthy laptop suddenly flocks to buy a 6-core MacBook Pro with 32GB of RAM.

 

[hajime]

If I were to go back to the Windows side of the spectrum, which I certainly am after not being happy with the current MacBook Pro hardware, I pretty much would only consider Lenovo hardware, as I demand quality.

Have you bought a Lenovo laptop yet?

 

[curtvaughan]

Have you bought a Lenovo laptop yet?

Get an HP Omen gaming laptop - top of the line i7 chip, Nvidia graphics, 512 GB SSD + 2 TB HDD, 16 or 32 GB RAM. Install Linux on it. It will kick a$$. I did it with the 6th gen. I7, 4 cores, bought two years ago. It's not pretty on the outside, but it's display and innards are incredible. Just my take.

 

[hajime]

Get an HP Omen gaming laptop - top of the line i7 chip, Nvidia graphics, 512 GB SSD + 2 TB HDD, 16 or 32 GB RAM. Install Linux on it. It will kick a$$. I did it with the 6th gen. I7, 4 cores, bought two years ago. It's not pretty on the outside, but it's display and innards are incredible. Just my take.

Thanks for the suggestion but gaming laptops are too heavy for me. I am looking for a laptop below 1.8kg. The lighter the better.

 

[dk001]

Have you bought a Lenovo laptop yet?

I use a Yoga for work and a Thinkpad prior to that. Looking at a Yoga for my personal use (hybrid).
They are troopers and best of all I can upgrade the essentials.

 

[xraydoc]

After waiting for WWDC in hopes of a decent hardware update, I just couldn't do it anymore. I found a machine with really great specs, easily upgradeable, and that has been performing like a beast for me.

My work is primarily video distribution, so I help editors a lot. I love FCPX, but I also love gaming, raw computing power, and the latest cool tech. So I'm switching to Davinci Resolve as my editing platform.

I will probably get a MacBook Pro when they finally update them, that way I can still coordinate and work with FCPX editors more simply and keep up.

Here are the specs:
i7-7800X Hexacore
32gb DDR4
256 PCIE Drive + 2TB Storage Drive
Nvidia 1080 ti 11gb (I will expand to 2 of these when the prices drop)

Dual 34" Wide monitors, which is giving me tons of real estate for editing and entertainment.

I am really happy so far. It feels like a beast of a machine and I don't feel like I got ripped on the price of the hardware.

Total cost (there was a bundle deal and sale): $4800 + tax

View attachment 766886

Nice monitors, but wow that's wide.
I'm thinking about buying just one like that (3440x1400) but I'm afraid for normal desktop stuff it's too wide and that I might be better off sticking with my old Dell 30" 2560x1600 display for the taller aspect ratio.

 

[marshzd]

Nice monitors, but wow that's wide.
I'm thinking about buying just one like that (3440x1400) but I'm afraid for normal desktop stuff it's too wide and that I might be better off sticking with my old Dell 30" 2560x1600 display for the taller aspect ratio.

I'm loving it so far, but I could see how it's not for everyone for sure. I had the Apple 30" monitor for a long time, and loved it, so I think your set up is pretty great. 30" is plenty.

 

[LiE_]

I quite Apple October 2017. Mainly because I like new things and wanted to see how the other side was and do a bit of PC gaming.

I'm now at a cross roads.

I've moved everything to Google services, and they are great. However I miss the polish, UI, tight integration of Apple. I have a gaming PC I built and a Google Pixel 2, so a pretty decent setup. What I miss the most is those gorgeous retina screens, I love some me high PPI. That combined with Apples beautiful UI made using macOS a pleasure.

I also find myself no longer gaming, turns out the gamer I used to be, is no more.

I can't really afford to move back to Apple yet, but I am keeping my options open. I'll be selling my gaming PC and using my Lenovo work laptop for a while.

Another challenge I face is that I moved my wife over to Android/Google and she loves it. So there won't be any family account perks like we had previously. I also don't think I can move away from Google Photos, not sure how well that works on iOS.