Mac vs PC is the oldest debate that exists in the field of graphic design. Which is better? Apple computers have excellent tools to control your workflows. While Windows PCs are highly customizable and allow you to use them pretty much any way you want.
So, without forgetting what should be taken into account when buying a laptop, here you will find a comparison of both operating systems to declare the definitive winner of the close contest Mac vs PC when it comes to graphic design.
What to take into account when choosing Mac or PC
If you are thinking of buying a new computer, and you need it for graphic design, here we explain the four aspects that you should pay special attention to:
Hardware and price
Windows computers integrate much more affordable and easily available components. Likewise, the options for less than 1000 euros are more varied compared to Macs.
In that same price range, the PCs that can be purchased have AMD Ryzen 7 6800H or Intel Core i5 processors. Generally, with 16 GB and SSD of 512 GB or more. For the same price you can get a device with an IPS screen, this being a section in which, thanks to its retina screen, the Mac is noticeably superior.
In terms of technical specifications, you don’t get much more from Apple, since with less than 1000 euros you can buy a MacBook Air 2020, which has the Apple M1 chip, 7 or 8-core GPU, 16 GB of unified RAM and SSD of up to 2TB.
In the mid-high range of PC and Mac, the differences are not so noticeable either. And with just over 1,500 euros you can buy a computer with Ryzen 7 or Intel Core 7, 32 GB of RAM and RX 7800 XT or similar NVIDIA graphics card.
On the Apple side, you’d get anything from a MacBook Pro to an M1 iMac. In any case, it would be an extremely powerful computer, although it is true that Apple has already presented the new versions of its processor, M3, although they cost around 3,000 euros on the market.
Software Compatibility
Since design tools like Adobe Creative Cloud or Sketch were no longer the exclusive property of Apple, the compatibility gap between Mac and PC has narrowed considerably. In this sense, you will have no problems running any program regardless of the ecosystem of your preference.
Updating hardware, accessories and peripherals
In this section the winner is PC, since they are much more versatile computers and, consequently, easier to modify and update. This is due, among other reasons, to the fact that PCs integrate standard components available everywhere. In contrast, the Mac uses components manufactured exclusively by Apple, which are much more expensive and difficult to obtain.
Security and performance
While it is true that with a Windows computer you will need to have one of the best antivirus on the market, with a Mac you will not have that problem. On the other hand, when it comes to starting the Mac computer it is still much faster than the PC.
Final verdict
To all of the above it must be added that PC is compatible with a wide variety of peripherals from different brands and operating systems, while Mac is only compatible with Apple products. Thus, Windows computers offer a more complete user experience although Apple wins in aspects such as security and speed.
