Mac Vs Pc, cost Vs Capabilities
Personaly im more comfortable with PC but I’ve been looking into a more powerful computer to work with and Mac seems rather inviting.
Here is my recent experience:
I had to burn a bit dough before the year ended and bought a Mac Pro.
Now it sits next to my quad Opteron Tyan Board based PC.
Opteron PC runs XP. And all Apps without a hitch. And it is making noise. Even with ball bearing fans it sounds like a desk fan in summer.
The Mac Pro is not making any noise. Spooky… Has more power. Runs XP with Bootcamp without a hitch, runs all PC apps (have not tried ZBrush yet…) and runs MacOS which is Superior to XP in a few ways. When I boot OSX I can read and write the PC partition. The quality of the Apple cabinet, interior, and design is something I have not seen in 20 years of looking at hardware. You would have to roll over it with a tank to make a dent into that box. You need a weight lifter belt as well when you transport it… It weighs about twice as much as my Opteron tower.
I render distributed with both in XP mode and all is ducky and LIGHTNING fast.
Processor differences have not shown any difference in floating point results concerning render results. No weird shadows, colors, simulation results. Both work hand in hand when they crunch figures together in XP mode.
Having eight buckets in a preview screen tearing through a complex scene is real fun. Tweaking never has been so much fun 8).
What is interesting is that the SOLID aluminum, dead sexy, whisper quiet, dual OS, quad processor MAC costs less than the PC equivalent…
My only salvation is that it was not available at the time I got the Opteron PC.
No way I’ll buy a regular PC (highend) anytime soon.
I have dual screens on my Opteron PC. So I use free virtual desktop software to have the Mac desktop on my PC screen in a window. Quite decadent…
If you are looking for a highend system, go get an Apple. Otherwise go get a dual CPU AMD PC for cheap.
Cheers
Lemo
PS:I installed XP on the Apple. Home edition because I am cheap… MS revenge was instant: Only two CPU’s are used of the four and half the memory… So I got a XP Pro license (sighhhh) and installed that. That instantly had installation problems because of the fact that the previous version was there. There is no update path between XP Home and XP Pro. Actually no update from any older MS OS to a newer one has worked for me…
I installed again and this time let it format again. I thought it will clear the disk. BUT, not really surprising considering MS quality of design, it still failed. I had to merge the partitions back together with the Apple utility so any trace was removed, then let bootcamp create a new partition and then start the XP installation which then worked like a charm. After that the installation of the apple device drivers was no problem and all I throw at it in XP mode acts as if it runs on a ‘regular’ PC. Blistering fast however as the memory and a few other designs on the Mac outperform any regular PC chipset. Downside is that the Memory IS expensive by comparison. But fast and error corrected memory IS a bit more complex than the cheap memory in the ‘regular’ PC.
Am I an APPLE Fanboy? No, but I like fast stuff for a good price. And Apple got it right now.
PPS: I spend a couple hundred dolalr on a apple care maintenance package.
THAT pays. 3 Years warranty and phone support. I used the phone support in the past and Microsoft was sub standard compared to the expertise of the Apple folks. Totally different solution concept. One definitely get’s his money worth from the Apple Support. Never waited to long on the phone either. Which I cannot say about the MS service…
I’ve worked on Macs since 1988 and been cross-platform since 1993 at my job as a graphic artist/illustrator at Boeing. I’m now required to work on PC, but my home computer is a Mac.
I just finished ove 3,000 sq feet of Photo murals with an average file size of 2.5 gigs. The dual Xeon performed like a pig. I’d give my left testicle to use a MacPro on my projects at work! :mad:
There are tasks I’ve done using my Mac Mini Intel Core Duo 1.67 ghz, and it outperforms the Dell. There are days at work, I feel my hands are tied, after thay took away my Mac. :o
You know, since the advent of the intel macs and Boot Camp, I havent seen one of these threads pop up in quite a while. Shame on the OP for bringing up what invariably degenerates into one of the most contentious topics on the internet, and yet still manages to generate no definitive answer.
Build a dual boot machine. There is no “vs.” anymore. End of discussion.
PC -
More ram
More 3D application support, for both opengl and Direct X.
More graphics card support. Quadro ect…
Less windows to create less confusion during work.
Higher grade components and drivers for pc
PC also has greater support from a 3D industry stand point. It’s backed by autodesk (case closed)
I could go on.
All good points I’d say. At the end the ability to choose wins. And good that we have a choice. Today we can choose from an absolutely mind blowing amount of extraordinary applications on various platforms. That’s what counts for me.
Lemo
Buy the Mac. It runs everything, OSs, apps, whatever you want and is rock solid. PCs do not have more RAM or better graphics cards anymore. They are also less competitive price wise, just follow all the WallStreet press, news jokey tabloids, etc… All drivers are available on way or another, depending on the OS you have running at the time. So even if you have Window based Zbrush now an dother apps, you will just continue using those uder Windows.
If you want an OS X app, run it, if you want Windows only app, run it, if you want Linux variant app, run it.
You no longer have to choose, do it all and enjoy life with rock solid, equipment and state-of-the-art technology.
Oh yeah, and those that feel the need to mod, you can do that as well. Mac users have been doing it for years, but the new ststems are all componants, so go crazy.
Seems Mac is the way to go, but to make it worth it how much do you think I’d have to spend? maybe 5 grand? I have an off of an alien ware computer dual Intel processor (will probably replace for AMD), 6 gigs of RAM (omfg), and a nvidia geforce 6200 graphics card with Turbo Cache for around 1 - 2 thousand. I dont like to spend money were i don’t have too.
Cheers, Isaac
Well it depends on the config you want. Just goto the Apple site, click on store, click on MacPro and configure to suit. Currently Apple has some pretty good deals on RAM and they will be parity matched for optimum performance if you buy at once. The price for the mid-level machine and 8GB RAM in only 4 slots leaves you options. The graphics cards are impressive to say the least, but remember Zbrush is more memory than graphics, so it just depends on what you are really going to do with the system.
Now a maxed out 17" MacBookPro loaded with 3GB RAM and with an external Firewire 800 drive or two would allow you to almost grab a 30" monitor to go along! I use the laptop myself for almost verything it is an amazing machine. I use it on set, off set, in meetings, for pipeline code, development, stories, spreadsheets, everything. Replaced my desktop system and is in a much smaller foot print.
The choices are yours. You will need a copy of Parallels for the Desktop, like $100 for your Windows apps or you can dual boot. 
Life is full of choices.
But do not forget that a few things are different in the pc and the mac archtiecture. Even if it says intel, it does not mean it’s a PC chipset…
The memory in my Power Mac is MASSIVELY faster in throughput than my dual opteron. Much to my demise… But it is also more expensive. Actually… regardless where you look, it’s the most expensive. Then the Alienware rig will make noise like a vacuum. The PowerMac says NOTHING. Absolutely quiet. I always forget to switch that darn thing off…
Are the additional Mac benefits worth the higher price? THAT depends on the wallet of the beholder…
Lemo
You switch 'em off???
As for the cost, yes more and with good reason. However it is each person’s call and it depends on you doing something with it to make the cost worthwhile.
It’s a PC habit 8).
Lemo
Macs cost too much. I can pop down to my local computer store and pick up a decent component (which will run fine for years) for almost nothing compared to what Apple are charging, and pop it into my PC. If something dies (and things do with computers from time to time) I’m not at the mercy of a Mac repair man to get it fixed. I can hunt around for the best bargain and do the job myself without too much grief. With a PC, you can get all of your components at prices that make Mac costings look abusive, and mix and match both old and new components fairly easily. Want to pass on your graphics card and motherboard to a family member’s old PC when you upgrade? No worries with a PC.
If you don’t want to have that kind of control over your computer, or you just can’t be bothered learning, buy a Mac. Mac’s a great for people who like to use a computer without knowing much about what’s inside the box, or who have a lot of disposable income If you want control and the ability to build a computer to be exactly what you want, buy a PC. There are pros and cons to both Windows/Linux and the different Apple OS, so… I think when it comes to being either a Mac or PC user, each is best depending on how much control you want out of it.
Side note: Alienware are like Apple for PCs.
Reactor… You’re about 5 years behind with those statements. Check out an Apple store and play with one. You don;t have to buy one but just have a look at OSX and the hardware prices on the web at stores like macmall.com. All you noted was valid before OSX came out. Times have changed rather drastically in the Apple Camp.
Cheers
Lemo
Prices have improved, but I can knock a ton off what they’re charging. I know what I’m talking about… I did the maths when people on Cgtalk started harping on about the pricing when the Mac Pros arrived.
Sure you can. Memory is a big cost in mac’s. But the reason for that is speed and error correction. On a hardware level it is difficult to compare a regular PC with a typical chipset and the common memory and the Apple which usually pulls out all stops. My Dual Core Opteron 280 is about 40% slower than the MacPro running XP and rendering the same scene with the same environment. That’s a lot based on simple architecture differences. But 2GB of memory cost about 5-600$. And that’s already a third party source and not the holy Apple Shop… Sighhhh.
Lemo
Mac’s are still expensive just have a look and compare the laptop prices for example. Also you don’t have any choice… you can have a white one and a black one… but the black one is 200 dollar more lol :lol:
lemonnado, I’m no hardware expert, but you can’t just talk about ‘memory’. What type of memory are you talking about? Also, the motherboard you choose will also make a huge difference, so it’s not all just about ram.
I’ve used both Macs and PCs on the job, where cost wasn’t the issue. What works was. Macs simply work better. The OS is better, period. Windows has always been behind the curve as an OS since 3.1. It’s never been as good as any Mac OS. To be blunt, it’s a cheap bloated knockoff of the Mac OS and always has been. Recent reviews of Vista state that this is still the case.
When you buy cheap, usually you end up, paying more. Replacing cheap parts over and over.
The most valuable commodity you have is your time. Digging around in the guts of a computer, searching for parts, driving to get stuff ends up costing more than it’s worth.
Say you place a $100/hr value on your time (time, to me is priceless), just going to the local mall three times in a two year cycle to fix or replace hardware ends up really not being worth the value you think you’re getting. Add to that, the time spent taking the box apart, finding you need to get something else, etc and putting it together; you could be out several hundred dollars, if not thousands.
Yeah, but you know your way around computers. But the day or so you just blew on getting your PC back up and running can’t ever be retrieved. And if time is not a premium for you, then have at it. BTW nobody has plenty of time.
I can’t AFFORD the hassle of fixing a cheap PC, it’s just too expensive. My time is more valuable to me.
While you were futsing around with computer innards, wasting precious time, your competition was creating another masterpiece with ZBrush on a Mac, that doesn’t crash.
Having a machine that rarely ever breaks and is easy to use is why Apple still sells Macs and is gaining market share.