Mac versus HP i5 Computers for software/Imaaging

[MortonBay]

Just bought a CCD (ZWO290) and would like some advise as which system to use for software/imaging.

Mac Book Pro 15 i7 or HP i5 Win10

JK

[billdan]

Most Astro software and camera/mount hardware drivers are written for the Windows based machines. Some manufacturers do write software for Macs later after the Windows version has been deployed.
If it was me I would stick to Microsoft Windows.

EDIT: With forums like this you will get more help with a Windows related issue, rather than a Mac related issue, due to the larger knowledge base.

[Andy01]

That being said (and agreed) - a few of us here do persevere with macs :D

[spiezzy]

much more reliable platform Andy and there is some good astro programs for Mac Nebulosity 4 is great but yes windows does dominate in that respect either are good just personal preference

[phomer]

JK,


Imaging is practical with Linux, Mac and Windows and I am sure that whichever path you take there will be ample support.


If you don't want to risk an expensive computer being exposed to the weather you may want to consider running a Raspberry Pi or similar and controlling it from your computer wirelessly.



Paul

[Martin_S]

JK

Browse this section in Cloudy Nights it will have all the information you need

https://www.cloudynights.com/forum/95-astronomy-software-computers/

This link might be of interest https://www.macobservatory.com/

Sharpcap is a good Windows based Imaging program.

ASICAP is supported on Windows, Android and IOS but does not have as many features as Sharpcap .

There are lots of programs to choose from , just do your research on what field of imaging you want to follow.

I still use a small XP lap top with 2gb Ram as well as a windows 10 Laptop


Martin

[sil]

which generation i7? i5? the i7 would be the one to go for but if a couple of gen old then the current i5 will probably outperform it. number of cores will often win out though

[SimmoW]

Jurgen, it's partly based on preference and then a fair chunk of your financial health!

I bought a Dell inspiron i7 laptop, latest 8 series, mindblowingly fast, beats my 5yo beefy desktop, so I rarely use it now.

Yes Sharpcap and SGP are big advantages to the pc side.

[dpastern]

you should be able to do things on your Mac - for example, Stellarium and The Sky both run natively on mac. PixInsight runs on Mac (I personally wouldn't use any other astro imaging editing software).

With that said - modern macs lack grunt when compared to same generation Windows based laptops. Apple is running older gen CPUs and charging like a wounded bull for it. So, the HP, if a similar generation, and similar price point, will more than likely outgun the Mac imho.

If the HP is indeed more powerful (as I suspect), you can even run GNU/Linux on it, which will be far better security wise than Microsoft Windows ever will be. Both PixInsight and Stellarium run on GNU/Linux. of course, drivers might be an issue though!

[MortonBay]

Hi All

Thank you all for your responses and links, I will go through the info and inform myself as to which way to go.

My computers are as follows,
15" Mac Book Pro, 16GB Ram, 750GB HD.
15" HP i5 Pavillion, 8GB Ram, 750GB HD.

[dpastern]

CPU types?

are the hard drives sata or SSDs? I presume the former.

You won't be able to change over the hdd in the Mac (they're hard soldered on, which is one of the reasons why I'll NEVER buy another mac), I don't know if HP does the same ****e. RAM is also hard soldered on the Macs too...

These days, I would never advise to buy a mac. Too many hardware design issus (check out Louis Rossman's youtube channel) that Apple refuses to acknowledge, let alone fix. Post sale support from Apple is also torridly bad.

As much as I dislike Windows, at least you can replace it with Linux :-)

I personally wouldn't go with a laptop these days, too much BS going on with hard soldering and price jacking for upgrades. Far better to go with a normal PC, preferably built by yourself so you know the quality of the parts used. It ain't hard to build a PC. You'll also get more bang for buck from a PC than laptop in terms of price vs performance.

But hey, what do I know, 15 years in the industry, and 20+ years of building my own PCs...