Photoshop on Windows VS Photoshop on Mac?

[Sikka]

Hello.

Lurker with a burning question...

For anyone with experience using Photoshop on both Mac and Windows, is there a dramatic difference? I'm wondering because I'm going to purchase a new laptop shortly. I'm not sure which machine to go with. The Macbook Pro offers fewer features for a much steeper price than the Windows machine I'm looking at (which is a Dell Studio XPS 16... feel free to point me towards a more capable machine if you know of one. I'm fairly lost in all of this.)

If anyone can answer the broader question of why Macs are favored in the industry, I'd be grateful. :]

The primary capability I need from this new laptop, regardless of brand, is to be able to open and work on huge Photoshop files without seeing the system lag or become generally unstable.

Thanks so much for any advice! ... and I hope I've placed this inquiry in the right forum.

[Daniel Andrews]

Based on my experience (Moderate,Average)
PC vs Mac is an endless and redundant question, BUT its valid at the same time.
Im not a very technical guy, but I have used PS on both Interfaces, desktop and laptop.
PS run pretty much the same on either PC or Mac, there are a few default setting differences but those can always be changed to how you prefer to work.
If you are using PS for 3D work, you may need to research which applications you are using for your 3d work and how much compatibility it has with either PC or Mac. I work at a 3D animation studio and there are certain render apps and are not Mac compatible. There are still way around it though given we are a 100% Mac studio. It just something to watch out for.
Back to PS itself, it makes no difference in "my experience" as side from which interface I enjoy using more.
I cant give you answers for specific brand names of computer which are the most reliable, but as far as PS running smoothly. Good specs on a computer are good specs! Fast is fast, regardless if its PC or Mac.
Good luck in your find.

[Sikka]

Thanks Dan.

Looking like PC is the way to go, thus far. I've asked on several forums and there haven't been any strong arguments to go either way, so I'll probably go the less expensive route. :]

Still, gonna wait a few more days before I make a final decision. If anyone wants to throw in on this discussion, I'm still looking for input.

[Ian Barker]

I've used both, and aside from the Mac sporting a more attractive interface, there aren't any major differences that I've encountered. PC should work fine.

[Gabour]

I have Photohop on both my Mac and Windows boxes. In my experience,
Photoshop's performance is better on a high-end Mac than on a similarly
high-end PC, though the gap is so narrow it's likely to be completely
irrelevant to almost all users. I'm sure a properly tweaked PC can give
equivalent performance to a properly tweaked Mac; performance is no
longer a reason to choose one over the other, except perhaps for
Photoshop CS2, whose brushes can be sluggish on PC systems.

In terms of cost, Macs are no longer more expensive than PCs; in fact,
the reverse is true. I have an accountant for my business, and I bought
a high-end Mac system and a high-end Windows system at the same time a
few years back. The Mac system cost me a little bit more (not much; the
difference in cost was only about 2%); but over the last four years, the
Mac's productivity has consistently been higher, and the Mac's total
cost of ownership, which factors such things as downtime, hardware
failures, and other expenses, has been lower.

[donm]

I like macs monitors better because it seems to default at closer to daylight in terms of color temp (degrees kelvin?)

as far as performance goes though, I don't think it matters much.