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Hi, I am just curious to know how many of us use pc's vs macs. Now I've used pc's all my life, was taught on a pc and have used pc's at work dating back to my mechanical engineering days. I believe most graphic design and sound/media peeps use macs but is a mac really that much better? do they like macs because of its OS or or because its processing power is better. please enlighten me, I would like to know.:cool:

Edited by carlangas
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I think he was comparing OSX on Apple hardware to Windows non-Apple-made computers...

 

I have a 15" Mac, an 11.6" PC and a desktop PC. The PCs run Windows 7 64 and the Mac runs 10.7. The Mac remains my go-to box for non-3DS-Max use except when I need more portability or power. I find the Mac just all around better. It's very well designed and made. Some PC makers are catching up but they're not quite there. The OS is excellent, but Windows has made up some ground and is just as usable now. The software to run on them is mostly the same, though Aperture is Mac only and I could never give that up.

 

I'd say that in real world use you can pick either interchangeably unless you have some software that requires one platform to run. With Windows boxes you'll usually get a higher spec for your money but with Macs you'll usually get a better made box with a better customer experience, especially if you live near an Apple store and can get your tech support in person. I've had Dells and Acers break down, and Apples break down, and with the Apple being able to make an appointment the same or next day to have somebody look at it in person is great.

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I've used both Macs and PCs in the past. For me PCs are a far better value. I definitely recommend you consider that with a Mac certain software will not work on newer/older operating systems (I'm specifically thinking of Adobe Creative Suite) requiring across the board software upgrades everytime a new OS comes out. With PCs, pretty much any version will work with any recent OS (Windows XP / Windows 7).

 

E

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I've been doing some reading and the prices for macs are just ridiculously high for me, a mac pro with a 3.2 cuadcore w 16gb ram costs $3,674 at the apple store, I can get a 3.4 i7 cuadcore with the same 16gb of ram at costco for $900. I really dont see the value of having a few less crashes and an aesthetically pleasing box for $2,700 more than the pc. wow, is all I can say...

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That's not really all that true. I'd been under the impression that all Intel builds of Adobe apps run in 10.7. All the software I used moved over just fine except the i1 Display 2 software, which isn't going to be an Intel binary until the next release.

 

Value is, of course, based on what you're looking for. If you want CPU power for rendering on, you go with a Windows box. If you want a computer for everyday use, the Mac's better design and customer service might be more appealing.

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Carlos, you're comparing a "workstation" with Xeon, ECC RAM, workstation MB and all that to a rock-bottom consumer grade PC. I wouldn't necessarily want to rely on the Costco one for rendering projects...

 

ok, taking the quality of the components out the equation, would the mac still be a lot faster than this costco pc? I have actually bought systems off the shelf and made upgrades like getting a better video card, ssd and has worked fairly well for me. I've purchased several machines that way and are all still up and running.

 

-EDIT-

 

That said, I very, very rarely have a crash or any hardware issues on these machines.

Edited by carlangas
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No, the Costco one would be faster (but monitor the temperatures - they don't design these things for people who run the CPU at 100% for hours). Like I said, if all you need is CPU power for the renderer you get a Windows box. That and Max doesn't run on OSX. That's why all the recommendations I put on 3DATSTech are Windows boxes - but my Mac is still my most used computer.

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Carlos has pointed out an interesting hole in Apple's product line. My IT friends and I have been talking about this for a while. Nobody will argue about the Mac Pro dual CPU workstations, great machines at a good price. iMacs and portables are more of a personal preference thing. But Apple is missing the boat with a Xeon based single CPU workstation. That box should be based around an i7 and be about $1000 cheaper.

My two Canadian cents.

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