One year later, from Mac to PC

It’s been just over a year since I finally decided to change from using my Apple iMac as my main computer for my Motion Graphics, to my new Windows PC. I want to quickly talk about some thoughts and findings I gathered during this process.

Why did I decide to change?

The main reason for my switchover was rendering power. As a Motion Designer and 3D Artist, I rely heavily on rendering when it comes to speed and efficiency. Often I can spend hours if not days on seeing what I created fully rendered and with the introduction of GPU rendering mixed with live render previews, I knew Apple’s computers were just not up to spec. The lack of upgrading options along with general old and slow hardware meant I needed a change, however resistant I was. GPU rendering software like Octane and Redshift has changed the game. Allowing a user to spread their rendering power over multiple Graphics cards.

As a digital designer, I use a selection of programs, so jumping from one program to another needed to be effortless. So in general, I needed a machine that could handle just that, and also have enough Ram to do this task. The worst thing is having programs crash after an hour of work, and you haven’t pressed save once!

What are the Pros of switching over?

• Price! You can build a simple PC at half the price of any Apple computer on the market.
• Options. There are many companies and brands you can choose from.
• Customisation. I love the fact you can pick and choose your specs to your needs for using a computer. Truly customised by the way, not just expand some memory like the Apple way, but be able to choose and change every component in a PC.
• Expandability. I love the fact I can keep expanding my computer, to the limits of the case and power supply, but in essence, anything is possible.

What are the Cons of switching over?

• Operating system. Windows has come a long way from my XP days, the last time I used a Windows machine. But it’s still very messy and I can find my equivalent to Apple's amazing Finder!
• I miss the screen quality from my old 4K iMac. I have a BenQ 4K monitor which has better specs than my old iMac, but there was something about the Apple screens which just popped differently.
• General ecosystem. I still have an iPhone which I most likely won’t be giving up anytime soon. But I do miss having it link up seamlessly with my calendar and notes on my computer.

Viruses!

I know what some of you Apple users are thinking, what about the viruses! Well, just get antivirus software, their pretty cheap nowadays. Also, just stop visiting dodgy websites and clicking on random surveys!

Final thoughts and recommendations.

Overal the switch was a little bit difficult, but honestly, once you're in the software you usually use there’s no real difference from using one or another. Speed and power was my major reason for changing and if you’re thinking of doing the same to get more out of your computer when it comes to digital design, I would highly recommend it!

I would say dependant on your price range, choose wisely at what you really need to get from the PC first. You don’t need to stuff it with high specs at first also, remember you can always save and expand, get that extra graphics card later on in the year if you need to.

You can have a look over my work here, and pop over to my social networks too to see what I am posting on Twitter and Instagram more regularly. Oh and don’t forget, if you like this post give it a recommendation by hitting the heart icon and give me a follow to stay up to date with future stuff.