With comparably spec'd computers there is not a huge difference in performance between a Mac or PC. They both have issues in different areas though. For example... Macs tend to be slow in Photoshop and they render video realllly slow while PC's are much slower on initial startup and just painfully slow using Bridge. There used to be a large gap when it came to these types of tasks between a Mac and PC, and Macs had the clear advantage. But that was like fifteen years and two OS's ago.
And this was because Macs, by default, were able to access higher memory amounts than PCs where. Until the past few years when 64-bit PCs became big (and cheaper!), Windows users were limited to ~3.2GB of RAM, while Mac users could access up to...some much higher number (I'm not sure if it was the full 64-bit amount, or just much higher than PCs). Since video (and photo, and animation, and music, and drawing) are all very RAM intensive, this is what drove the creative market over to Macs. Since PCs are now capable of access the same amounts of memory, that advantage has slipped considerably. Especially once you go beyond the default, bloatware that's included with most computers (both PC and Mac, e.g. Movie Maker and iMovie).
And before someone goes there... I'm not Mac phobic, we actually just bought a new Mac for DH to do iOS stuff on to replace the antique iMac paper weight we had. We're bi-platform in our home.
As a disclaimer, I am not
. Though, most of my apple issues come from them charging 1.5-3 times the real cost of the item, simply for the little logo (and them perpetuating the myth that Macs are magically more secure than PCs, I take big issues with that...)
Now OP... if you're computer is having hardware issues with Windows Movie Maker then it may have problems with more advanced video editing software. Aside form having adequate hard drive space (video needs a large scratch disc) and enough RAM, you also need a solid video card. In fact, a video card upgrade can make the biggest difference in how well your machine can handle editing video.
I'd download some free trials to test out. That way you can know if you need to upgrade some hardware before you spend any money on software.
Yup, I know we've had this discussion before
, but in reality, video (and all of the stuff I listed above) are really intensive overall. If one key piece of the system is lacking (HD (speed/size), CPU, RAM, GPU), it's going to bring the overall system down. There's no real use in having a blazing fast CPU and 32GB of ram, if you're running off an Intel integrated GPU and a 5.4k RPM 20GB HD
. While the CPU is very difficult to replace (well, depending on the base system and the current motherboard), the others are relatively easy to upgrade (though, GPU can be difficult/impossible on a laptop). On the plus side, right now Memory and storage are pretty cheap, and you can usually get a last generation video card for not too much either.
Erm, as far as the OP, other than computer general chatter, I got nothing. I don't do video at all
. (Apologies for the tangent)
