Mac vs Windows Bid difference?

Diego5150 · Post by **Diego5150** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:58 pm

Hey guys,

I was looking to get a new computer and was looking for some imput regarding the old age Mac vs PC question. I have an 2 year old Dell but was checking out the Mac Pro and the Macbook Pro. Other than the price what do you guys think about either one or both?

BobTheDog · Post by **BobTheDog** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:00 pm

If you like OSX get a mac otherwise a windows machine is gonna be much cheaper.

Build quality and component quality on apple computers is very good, I have a bunch of apple computers, none have ever gone wrong and all are still running, so reliability is good.

Diego5150 · Post by **Diego5150** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:12 pm

Thanks Bob.
Reliablity is an important variable for me.
I also like the fact that I am not that familiar with the studio software and garageband seems like a good place to start.

BobTheDog · Post by **BobTheDog** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:22 pm

A 'cheap' solution if you already have a compatible monitor hanging around might be a mac mini, the cheapest one would probably do, just upgrade the memory to 8GB.

Diego5150 · Post by **Diego5150** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 9:00 pm

Unfortunatley I have nothing compatable with any Apple products.
Nothing 18 month interest free financing could not fix.

BobTheDog · Post by **BobTheDog** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 9:18 pm

That's the spirit

Post by **Sharp** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 10:15 pm

Since your already a PC user, I'd highly advise you stick with what you know and just buy a new Windows 8 PC.

There is nothing to be gained by switching to a Mac unless there is a specific program you must have that is not on windows. As you said too, you don't even have anything that is mac compatible.

Mac's are no more reliable than other popular brand of PC.

Regards
Sharp

Akos Janca · Post by **Akos Janca** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:57 pm

Hi, I just want to help sharing my opinion, and won't debate.

Based on my two-decade daily experience with more platforms I say nothing has changed: if you want to concentrate on creatively using the computer then buy a Mac. You will enjoy it from the first moment and won't regret it.

If later you will need Windows for some reason, you can install it besides OSX on the same Mac (using the built-in Boot Camp) and switch between the two OSs or use them at the same time (see Parallels or Fusion apps). So you can have 'two computers under the same roof'.

Best regards,
Akos

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 2:02 pm

... or you could save the environment by upgrading an older PC with new-ish guts. It's easy enough to do with products from NewEgg.com and such, and you can usually find advice on how to do it pretty cheaply (library, mags, online how-to/DIY, etc.).

My own plan, as I'm currently in the process of building a studio, is to use my mac for about 80% of the things I'm gonna do, but I want to have a PC to use some of the freeware/shareware programs that are only available for that platform and to keep copies of stuff I still use without having to buy an upgraded or mac version of the same software.

I also plan to isolate the PC from the internet (mal-ware) as much as possible.

BB

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:33 pm

I use both at work and at home.

I have to say after experiencing blue screen on stage and DJing at parties with a PC, I've never seen anything similar happen with my mac and I'm happy I made the switch for my music work.

Also having since got into Linux at work, it's nice to find all the same utilities and structure as I do on our linux servers and desktops. Most of the important infrastructure and servers in the world are running some Unix derivative, and it is very stable. Our windows servers have to be rebooted on a monthly and sometimes weekly basis whereas some of our linux servers only have to go down for maintenance once a year.

Having said that, PCs aren't all that bad. But if you go for the cheapest option then you're probably either a genius getting a real great deal, or more likely you'll get a poor build quality. Keep in mind that a lot of manufacturers now are skimping on build quality before specs because they know that specs are more quantifiable and that is what they compete on.

You could also buy a more expensive laptop and find it's poorly built. YMMV by quite a lot and it's difficult to tell.

Not so much of a problem with desktops though.

I have to say most of the computers I've had Windows problems with were AMD. Intel processors never seem to blow up and they seem to be more stable. Maybe that's what makes my mac so great?
But at heart the mac is just any other PC now. It is built to a good standard though and you know all the components are going to work together. I do disagree with some of Apple's methods and their software, but it's also fairly intuitive and allows you to get on with things. I've nothing really bad to say about it though besides the relatively high prices.

Actually I've been looking at getting a new mac, and couldn't find ANY pc laptop with the same spec. Most mfgrs don't seem to be doing the kind of processing power I was looking for. One laptop option I did find was dubbed a 'mobile server' and started at about £4000. However I could get a spec for a fairly decent laptop (close match) for about £700, which is a third of the cost of the macbook I wanted to buy.

I'm not going to suggest you go for one or the other because I'm kindof undecided myself. Just unloading my experience so far into words for you to derive your own decision.