mac vs. pc

[Tim Saunders]

i have read a few threads about this topic, but all the answers seam a little vague.

here are my questions, let me know what you guys think:

1) i have a dual xeon at work that crashes all the time, and doesn't render any faster than my amd2400 at home. everyone says macs handle graphics better than pc's. true for rendering?

2) what do you think would be the best program to start with if someone were to make the change from max/viz.

3) some of the programs have been marketed to mac and pc clientell, is the interface the same? ie. formz, cinima4d, maya (at least i heard those are all available for bot pc & mac).

4) what format can be imported into the other programs mentioned (3ds, dxf dwg, etc)?

 

i'm just getting real sick of pc's. between work and home, i have to have the worst luck with computers. there is ALWAYS something wrong. i just wonder if macs are the dream they seam to be.

 

thanks for any input.

[bokkins]

hi there, if you think your amd is better than your dual xeon, why not invest on amd athlon64's, much cheaper than mac's. actually, there's not much a difference between the two, since mac will soon use intel boards, although mac platforms are more stable than most pc's. I've tried both, but havent had any problems, I just want to share my experience. thanks

[STRAT]

thats a shame. sounds like your xeon needs a re-build and a new install. thats seriously slow.

 

macs have always traditionally been a better graphics computer compaired to the pc, but i think thats all change these days.

 

i'd prefer a pc purely for compatability and future expansion reasons.

 

but if i could afford it, i'd have a uber fast g5 mac running software that was originally designed for it - c4d and photoshop. and formZ is definately a nice cad app to learn.

[Sketchrender]

hi

I had the same situation for a few years.

I had a mac in work and pc at home, and tried to run formz on both, and photoshop all the usual tools, c4d too.

 

I got a bit fed up, and finaly switched to a pc full on.

The speed difference , I didn't not see to be honest, but the the pc i found much more stable, and I had used the mac on classic for 6 years.

Now i use a pc full time at home and in work.

I still use formz, and max.

As for interfaces, they are all the same, macs always have a pretter interface i think, but your paying for it, and always will.

 

pcs are cheaper, and software is more available I found when i wanted to purchase sencond hand software, bigger market.

 

pick one or the other..............it will do your head in otherwise.

 

phil

 

it's what you produce at the end of the day.......

[Monarch]

I use PC at work and Mac G5 at home running mostly the same software - 90% Archicad (dual licence - the only software that does it A.F.A.I.K.) plus C4D, Artlantis (v quick but lacks quality - but now with radiosity) and photoshop etc

 

Both similar specs and no dramatic speed difference - never timed anything but feels about the same on most tasks - but the Mac will open up programes/ files much faster. The problem with the PC seems to be as time goes on it's gets v sluggish with many crashes - the MacG has never crashed in nearly 2 years (I rarely turn it off). Could be something to with viruses, worms etc - the IT guy at the office spends alot of time updating software. If I was a one man band ( and I am part of the time) I would definitly go Mac if only becuase of no down time. Can't gareentee you won't have probs but in 10 years of using Mac at home have never had to pay an IT guy. The only software I can't run is Autocad which I can very happily live without - you can run PC software thru Virtual PC but then open to all those nasty viruses.

 

Plus the Mac OS is much nicer

 

Harry M

[4DM]

Mac OSX on a G5 here.

 

No probs at all. (Tempting fate here, but what the heck...!)

 

Vectorworks+C4D+Photoshop. All run very stable indeed.

 

No viruses, spyware, adware. Never needed any IT hardware support.

 

Plus the delight of knowing you're not making Microsoft richer.

That's priceless!

 

It's what you create that counts in the end, of course.

 

Cheers,

 

D.

[mbr]

My most recent experience with a Mac was using a dual G5. The thing crashed constantly using Photoshop and Illustrator! I've always thought macs were pretty, but I've never experienced any stability increases, quite the opposite.

 

But as mentioned, it's a mute point now that they'll be using Intel. But we'll see how the os war goes. Everyone seems to think you'll be able to run everything on everything. That would be great for everyone but the most elite mac-er.

 

I know I'd buy a laptop if it could run XP and Max.

[ecastillor]

I coulnr possibbly worj with a MAc....none of my clients uses it...all of them are autocad users...

[Tim Saunders]

great replies everyone. thanks so much. it sounds like both have their pros and cons. my thought is architecturally there would be no way to go mac, but it doesn't sound like it (except for a couple of you). i think i'll sit tight for a while. i'm still struggling to figure out several issues in vaz as it is. not quite ready to learn a new software all together. i'll probably check out the demos at home on my free time (which i have tons of) not really.

[gipper51]

While I really have no first hand experience with Macs, I would stick to a PC because of the cost to performance ratio and also the better software availability. If I were getting a new PC today, I would build and machine with an Athlon 64 X2 processor. Reason being is that it offers about the same performance as true high end dual-processor Opteron and Xeon systems, but plugs into a standard desktop AMD 939 motherboard. No expensive registered memory, no $300+ motherboards. Sure the chip is expensive, but you could still build a great system with 2 gigs of RAM and a stout video card for under $1500 that will run neck and neck with other machines costing twice as much. I'm not pro PC or Mac, I just want what runs the fastest for my modest budget.

 

You never really hear about people upgrading the core components of Macs though, because I don't think you can buy them reasonably. They may throw in more RAM or a better video card, but when it's time to replace the processors, it's time for a whole new system. You cannot buy just a new motherboard and processors and have a new machine. Although at work most places would buy new machines anyway as opposed to upgrading major components so I guess it's a mute point. But for your home machine...

[Monarch]

If you need convincing that Macs work well for architects read this link - especially page 3 and about their underworked IT dept. Quiet a few architectural firms here in Australia are Mac only using either Archicad or Vectorworks - there is an alternative to Wintel/Autcad

 

http://www.apple.com/business/profiles/orcuttwinslow/index.html

[manta]

Well I might have been a little more convinced if it wasn't on the Apple site...

 

Hardly impartial I would think...

[4DM]

Hey, Harry - if you're in Australia, how come you're flying the Austrian flag?

 

D.

[AJLynn]

Well I might have been a little more convinced if it wasn't on the Apple site...

 

Hardly impartial I would think...

 

I know a partner at another firm that's used on that site, and he advocates for Macs even more strongly in person than the site does - apparently they're about a 100 person office, with only one IT guy, and they use Vectorworks - which has done a decent job of closing the Autocad compatibility gap in the past few years, though they used to suffer from this quite a bit when dealing with consultants. Their experience is not unusual - a lot of companies report way fewer IT issues when using Macs.

 

I think if I were starting an office I'd go Mac. Put a Mac Mini with a 17" or 19" LCD at every desk, save a lot of space, the guys who need more power get dual G5s, everybody has Vectorworks, Microsoft Office (all other MS software is banned) - you'd save a LOT of money and time.