Is it time to switch to Windows for video editing? Philip Bloom thinks so
Dec 21, 2017
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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Quite a few folks seem to have been considering the switch from Apple to Microsoft ever since the whole MacBook Pro dongle thing. Not everybody, though. Some chose to stick with Apple and either just dealt with the dongles or buy Type-C USB cables for their accessories. It seems, though, that the idea of switching from Apple to Windows has been popping up again lately.
With the price tag for the high end versions of Apple’s recently announced iMac Pro coming in at over $13K, it’s understandable. One such filmmaker is Philip Bloom, who’s been having a go with a new MSI 4K editing workstation to replace his Mac Pro, which seems to be getting slower by the day.
Whether shooting stills or video, one constant seems to remain. Editing takes up far too much time. We all prefer to be out shooting, and Philip’s no different in that respect. But by far the biggest slowdown for video is the time it takes to render out the files.
While Philip’s been editing on his 2013 Mac Pro, his three and a half year old Apple is still sold as the current model in that line. And for Philip, it’s too slow. Recently he produced a Cinematic Masterclass, a nine and a half hour 4K course, which took around three months to create. He says that much of that time was just waiting for video to render and for the computer to keep up. So, he needed something faster.
A new top of the line iMac Pro is out of the question. A closed system with zero potential upgrade future is no good to him, nor to many others. So when MSI approached him to try out some of their kit in a Windows based 4K editing machine, he gladly accepted. So, here’s the hardware around which his new Windows PC is based.
- Cooler Master H500P Case – $149
- MSI X299 SLI Plus Motherboard – $399
- Intel i9-7900X 10 core 20 thread CPU – $999
- 64GB HyperX Predator DDR4 RAM – $899
- MSI Geforce GTX1080 graphics card – $599
That’s a total of around $3045. Of course, you need to add storage to this, too. Say, a Crucial 1TB SSD system drive at $259 and a couple of Western Digital 6TB hard drives for storing footage at $189 each. You’ll also need to buy a copy of Windows which will set you back another $119 or $199 depending on whether you go with the Home or Pro edition.
This brings the final total to a little under (Win10 Home) or a little over (Win10 Pro) $4,000. And, of course, there are other manufacturers out there from whom you can buy components. Personally, I’ve always been a fan of ASUS components in the PCs I build. I just find they offer me the greater longevity than any other manufacturer I’ve tried with fantastic performance.
As a die-hard Apple user for 15 years, Philip was pleased with how well everything seamlessly transitioned over to the Microsoft OS. All his Adobe software settings were stored in the Creative Cloud, so when he installed Premiere and everything else onto Windows, it worked as it had always done on his Mac. Only faster. WAY faster.
Doing some side by side comparisons rendering out the same clips with the same adjustments applied, render times were brought down by around 40%. The actual editing process itself was even faster and smoother. Thanks to the graphics card with an NVidia chipset, he’s now also able to utilise Adobe’s Mercury Playback Engine while editing. He can scrub through unrendered files with effects applied whereas his Mac Pro would simply choke. It isn’t perfectly smooth, but it’s a drastic improvement over not showing at all.
It looks like MSI are making a big promotional push for PCs since the iMac Pro price announcement. I’ve seen similar such videos from The Film Look, Tom Antos, and Learn How to Edit Stuff, to name but a few, in the past couple of weeks. Their motive is obviously to make people buy their components, although there are many great alternatives out there, like ASUS, Gigabyte, ASRock, EVGA and plenty more.
Although MSI did supply the hardware to Philip, too, his points are still quite valid. The primary ones being the speed of the system today given the cost vs the competition, and the potential for future upgrades. If it starts slowing down, he can whip the side off the case, add in some more RAM, go to a faster graphics card (or multiple graphics cards), a new CPU, or add any piece of performance-enhancing hardware he chooses.
[I want to] see friends and have a great time and not be stuck in an edit suite watching a progress bar slowly increase to 100%.
I’m very open to trying something new. Trying something new that can give me a big chunk of my life back.
– Philip Bloom
Philip notes that the new PC is also faster than his £4,000 (~$5,350) top of the range MacBook Pro as well as his fully specced out iMac 5K. He stresses that he is in no way leaving Apple Macs, though. He loves how they work, but the speed advantages of a purpose-built PC are undeniable, especially considering the cost. And Adobe’s software works the same on both platforms.
So, if you love your Mac, but want better rendering performance, you may be best going dual system. I know quite a few who edit on a Mac but still use a PC for the rendering grunt work. Even for those on Windows, many just use two PCs; One to edit with and one to render. Having a second computer to render on means your main computer isn’t tied up for hours when you want to continue working on something else.
Have you made the switch to Windows? Have you gone the other way and switched to Mac? Do you run both?
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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70 responses to “Is it time to switch to Windows for video editing? Philip Bloom thinks so”
Mobile: Mac
Desktop: PC
Same for me.
MAC – spying
PC with Windows – bullshits, malware, viruses
PC with Linux – OK
Mac spying: how is that?
Also, Mac is a Unix system… Why don’t you recommend Mac with Linux or Unix?
nah, its based on BSD variant of UNIX but your statement is close enough.
May you clarify how your comment is tied to the topic?
your statement is “Mac is a Unix system” but that is not correct statement.
Correct statement is “OS X is based on UNIX”!
OK I see. (I simplified things as I’m not sure people who read this will benefit from or care about this kind of detail…)
Plus, your point misses the two topics being discussed:
* security and the alleged spying claimed by Zygmunt Zarzecki, which really does not exist / make sense
* the ability to run Linux & co on a Mac
Linux for video editing which is what the article is about: trash
I’m abandoning Mac laptops in the future. I have an AIR, but the inability to upgrade storage and RAM sucks. Since Apple is forcing you to buy dongles and extensions to do basic things, I’m done.
I’m in the same boat. What are you getting instead of a Mac laptop?
I highly recommend the Dell XPS 15! Very fast, long battery life, aluminum & carbon fiber body, and a stellar 4K display. You can get a highly spec’d one for under $1500 if you find the right deal.
For how long and how intensively have you been using the Dell XPS 15?
On paper, the Dell XPS line looks great, and it regularly receives top reviews (based on a few days of testing).
But in the real world, many people have complained about quality issues. Also, depending on your unit, you may face constant whining.
With Dell (and others), you have no choice but to use Windows, while on a Mac, you can use macOS and Windows.
I’ve been using it solidly for over a year now. First thing I recommend everyone do when buying a new Windows computer, versus building your own, is do a fresh install of the OS in order to get it in it’s cleanest state without any unneeded bloatware. I’ve not had a single Windows crash nor have I had any quality issues with my unit. I don’t have any problem only getting to use Windows. I don’t have any issues with Macs, but there’s nothing that they can do better than any of my Windows machines can do. I can configure my Windows machines for peak performance while you’re pretty much stuck with what you get with a Mac. In my nearly 25 years of building Windows computers, I’ve never had any problems out of my built computers and have never had a virus. I love my iPhones and iPads, but I’ll always be a PC user.
I have a custom built desktop that is my main workhorse. When it comes time to get a new laptop, I don’t know.
The Air is designed for minimal tasks. If you wanted a better machine you should have bought one to start with.
So you can upgrade storage and RAM in Apples “better” machines? LOL. How does the kool aid taste?
It was given to me as a gift, but thanks for the condescending comment.
You’re welcome. Stop complaining.
So douchey!
The MacBook Air does not require any dongle, as it is USB-A…
I was also initially not thrilled by the removal of the USB-A, but after having used a MacBook Pro for about 1 year, the dongle point is really minor. It is just adding a small cable or tiny adapter, which cost a little. In other words, it is not really warranted and objective to not use a MacBook Pro for this reason.
I say it every time a mac vs. windows article (or similar) comes up: You cannot beat the MacOS operating system (although there are some things about Windows that I like better), and you cannot beat the capacity for upgrading a custom PC (or even some bought from the major manufacturers). I just with there was a completely legit way to run MacOS on a PC (I won’t consider a hackintosh).
And to answer the question posed at the end of the article, I switched from Mac to Windows in 2016. I built a custom PC, which I found quite fun, honestly, although I did a lot of research to make sure there weren’t conflicts in my choices of hardware. I’ve enjoyed the change, tbh. My experience has been nowhere near as rocky as Windows XP, which was my last experience with Windows before the switch. I don’t know how much of that is attributable to the OS and how much is me picking better hardware.
Macbook pro for mobile work, Imac pro for smaller businesses, pc if you need to run a massive production house with multiple editors and want to save money.
it doesn’t really matter that much which tools you use, but unless you prefer tinkering under the hood to just getting the job done, mac is preferable.
I always laugh at pc guys who go on about hardware specs and upgradeability but fail to realize the programs they use aren’t optimized to use all that hardware and they have a machine that on paper should smoke my macbook pro but my MBP running optimized FCPX finishes rendering and exporting a 50 minute film project an hour before thier higher spec’d pc does…
Adobe apps don’t fully utilize all cores on macOS whereas they do on windows. The same is true for many audio apps. Yes fcpx / logic are optimized but they’re not cross platform.
Well, I just swapped the HDD to an SSD in my ancient laptop and popped in some extra memory. Also I was able to purchase a new battery and change it with my bare hands. Can you do that. But even if I don’t do anything like that, it is still half price. So for me it is not a hard decision. Also iOS is just different, not so much better than Windows. Please do not come up with crashing Win 98… That would be ridiculous.
“back” ? :D
Linux, always.
Yeah, and how’s Adobe working out for you there?
All you complaining about usb c, pc is getting there 2
+ Pc only works for short time, mac last for life
#ProMacIsDead
Kasper Kamuk #noooooooowayjosé
Tell that to my HP Workstation. Mac is Crap.
Dear HP Workstation YOU ARE CRAP, and will die soon, your master will get tired with you, when usb-c plugs from newly brought devises won’t fit your old usb-a ports ? ?? Royce Trounson could you deliver the message for me ??
mac does NOT last for life…hahahaha! they break and go obsolete just like any machine.
Vincent Reyna ohh NO i didnt know haha, and dont even care, i like mac/apple products better so i use them,but your welcome to use pc :*
Gee, my HP is still working fine and it was purchased in 2013… i7, 32g, 500gb ssd c drive and 12 TB storage…I bought my mom a Mac to surf! lol
“Last for life”? With the limited availability with Macs, to upgrade, a lifetime is useless. Technology is ever evolving. Tell me how pleased you’ll be in 5 years, or so. I don’t keep any computer for more than 5 years. We get you love Apple… but attacking others does nothing to validate your loyalty. You too are welcome to use your choice!
I built a PC a little over two years ago got audio production and doubt I’ll ever switch back. However I still love my MacBook Pro and my iPhone. Dual system is def my preferred setup now.
I’ve been building monster PC’s for years. Its the only way to go for video editing. However it must be built right. I won’t let anyone else do it
I use both daily but have preferred Windows ever since XP. There are two reasons. First, you can get a more powerful machine for less money by building your own if you go Windows. Second, Windows computers are easier to troubleshoot. Well, actually Macs are easier to troubleshoot for minor problems. But if you ever run into a serious problem, Macs can often be impossible to fix, whereas a Windows machine will likely just be very difficult. My saying is: “Apple assumes you’re an idiot and Microsoft assumes you’re a genius. Neither treats you like they should.”
But if you have the extra money and aren’t as computer savvy as you’d like, then I’m still going to recommend a Mac for you. They both have their place. And since the all of the software I use these days is available and runs fine on either, the differences between them are minor at best.
Windows is the king. Mac users are just brainwashed with marketing hypnosis.
WRONG! I’d dump my mac’s in a second if I could do a bootcamp install of macOS…
Would have been true for me too a few years ago… macOS has fallen behind recently. New bugs, new security holes. Face it, Cook has his priorities elsewhere.
I’m running High Sierra, like many, without any issue.
Have the security holes or bugs you’ve read in the media personally impacted you? I doubt so.
It is not productive, helpful and rationale to fall into catastrophism and generalisations…
You confuse two totally distinct things: the OS, and the computer.
Didn’t you know you could run Windows on a Mac?
macOS is much more enjoyable and efficient to use.
say the brainwashed windows user who has no knowledge outside his mother’s basement.
Windows is easily the worst operating system available. If you’re remotely creative, get a Mac.
It’s a poor artist who blames his tools
I don’t own a Windows computer, so I don’t use that as a tool.
I’ve used Windows, OSX, Ubuntu and Chrome OS. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Reality is that aside from Chrome, they’re all comparable. It’s all about preference.
Nope, it’s about the availability of the tools you need to get your work done. In some areas that means: macOS and/or Windows. If you can get away with Ubuntu (or any other Linux variant) or Chrome OS – lucky you!
What has creativity to do with an OS?
Many apps are not available, less stable or work more slowly on a given OS.
Also, the ease of use and “general feeling” of the OS can impact the creative process. Can you reach max creativity if you don’t feel good or like a place?
Looking for example at the most famous (and richest) DJs -who create songs and melodies-, they use Macs.
Beware of those who think in false binaries; it usually indicates dogmatic thinking without experience with whatever they are eschewing. Windows vs Mac? No, it’s Windows AND Mac, depending on one’s needs. Why must we choose one at the expense or hostility over the other? Each is a tool, nothing more, nothing less.
I have used both extensively over the years as a professional photographer. I’m currently on Windows 10 not just because it’s a great tool on flexible hardware, but because Mac OS is increasingly the past; what has materially evolved over the past 10 years? Not much. Look at the Surface Studio and tell me that isn’t the future. Poor 1st gen hardware, but the ideas and software execution are definitely the future for many creatives.
https://youtu.be/BzMLA8YIgG0?t=46s
I custom build my desktops and order my laptops from Origin PC. If you dont want to build, Origin PC is the way to go.
I’m interested in abandoning both Microsoft and Apple in favor of GNU (commonly mislabeled Linux) because I am sick and tired of someone else owning my software and telling me what I can’t do with it.
You write your own software? Or do you license someone else’s? No one transfers ownership of software
macOS is a Unix system. You can install Unix/Linux tools / apps on a Mac.
I’m just USING my software instead of whining about performance ???
It is just the software. PPro is slow and lags on a Mac, if you use fcpx, editing and rendering wil be way faster than PPro and speed up your work much more than PPro can do at the moment, even on a Mac Pro from 2013. PPro users are better of with windows and the ability to upgrade does give them an advantage over the current Macs. That being said, I’m able to edit 4k in smoothly on my MacbookPro from 2011, something that can not be done with PPro.
My concern and maybe you can help me with this is sharing drives. If i take a project home and the drive is formatted for a Mac I fear that windows won’t be able to use it because of FAT. No?
I wouldn’t advocate dumping a Mac, haha, but there are various tools for each platform to read certain filesystems. Iirc, FAT32 can be written to and read from both.
FAT is a Windows native (and ancient) format. FAT is not tied to Mac.
for videography… cool… windows… 4k 5k 6k video blah blah fine get a souped up machine… but for photography ANY mac will do… specially the new ones with those fantastic displays ram and cpu wise they are more than adequate.
There’s ProRes on Windows too. Plugins and exporters have been around for a while now, even free.
I run a Hackintosh for my workstation. It’s the best of both worlds. I built it a few years ago and it’s still probably faster than any of the Mac Pros. My travel machine is a MacBook Pro. Windows may be faster, but I’m slower on it so that’s never even been a consideration for me. I do hope this new pro machine Apple has hinted at will be worth switching to though. If not, I’ll be building a newer Hackintosh and throwing this one on the farm or repurposing it for gaming or something.
A crucial point missing from this reasoning is the existence and use of eGPUs (external graphic card). All Macs (and other computers) with Thunderbolt 3 (and 2) can very easily be connected to an eGPU, hugely boosting performance.
Gains can be as high or higher (depending on the GPU) than what this filmmaker has achieved, for a fraction of the cost.
While the iMac Pro cannot see its internals replaced (except the RAM), it can be connected to numerous eGPUs.
Many pro software work best with multiple GPUs. DaVinci Resolve is hugely faster that way.
PC has been MUCH more reliable for me as a video editor. My independent business has been operated with PC edit systems for 15+ years and my day job has been on MAC for about 6 years. So I am a power user on both platforms. Particularly now that the content I work with is 4k, the MACs just can’t keep up. The number of lockout freezes that I am achieving on a brand new IMac (6/2018) is unbelievably frustrating. Also the fact that the “amazing design” of Mac – ports on the back of the machine… really? Occasionally, professionals have to attach an external drive or media reader to transfer files :P
the only things i recemended MAC is best in security systme have no viruses in it, no cach fils. bat the windwos it developing that by using the sdd draive good CPU good GPU i will get realy better performance better then then the MAC. if you bay a gamer pc and you wented to go back to the MAC os you can search in google hackintosh