Mac as a PC?

[STRAT]

Hi chaps.

 

I'm a steadfast PC user and need to upgrade my systems real soon. Turns out the new mac systems are cheaper and faster than the PC equivalents. So, being as the new Macs are on pc or Intel chips, i thought of buying in new Mac hardware systems, but installing WindowsXP and using my new Macs exclusively as PC's.

 

Is this easily and viably do-able? i know i can install C4D and PhotoShop etc, but can i also install and use all my pc software (ie, Autocad, 3dS Max) onto a Mac and use it as if i were using a PC? will it give me all the technical benefits and speed and stability as if i were using it as a mac? I'm basically looking to get the fastest cheapest option for my visualisation work in PC fashon, and it looks like Macs are the best to opt for at the mo.

 

is there anyone here doing this already that can advise please?

 

thank you

[AJLynn]

Read the backlog

 

And, yes. You need an Intel Mac, a download of Bootcamp from the Apple web site and/or a program such as Parallels or VMWare Fusion, a Windows XP Pro 32 disc that's not an upgrade and includes SP2 and a blank CD. Bootcamp is a boot loader that switches between Windows and MacOS at boot, and Parallels and VMWare are like VirtualPC but much faster. Be warned, when you run Windows, it's still Windows and it still sucks like Windows.

[Frosty]

As a bonus strat, you will have OSX and could then use Final Cut Pro.

[Juan Altieri]

really so easy, i have an intel macbook pro, i install bootcamp and windows xp (plus autocad, max and photoshop) all in 2 hours, all works fine, i have both operating systems, i never have any problem with windows, runs nativelly like any other pc, and you can configure your machine to start with any of the operating systems...

the performance of the machine is the same as a pc, i have a pc core2duo 1.86 and the mac has a 2.14 core2duo procesor and render 1,3 faster than the pc.

Also you can use some of the mac features too... os triger has a lot of features to do great presentations.