Arguments for Mac over PC
- Thread starter Sweetnighter
- Start date
Laptops are far inferior to desktops in pretty much any measure of performance. The most notable are hard disk and cpu speed. That being said, today's laptops do have enough power for many DAW applications.
I would definitely not get a laptop if your planned usage falls under the following categories:
you will be working with many simultaneous tracks,
you will be using lots of effects (especially reverb)
you will be working with 24bit/88khz audio or higher
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If your primary interest is mobility, then by all means get a laptop.
I would definitely not get a laptop if your planned usage falls under the following categories:
you will be working with many simultaneous tracks,
you will be using lots of effects (especially reverb)
you will be working with 24bit/88khz audio or higher
-----------
If your primary interest is mobility, then by all means get a laptop.
moogyboy
New member
Nothing against laptops here. The only issue I have which I really don't know much about is expandability, connecting sound cards or interfaces or whatever, but with USB and firewire it may not be a problem. I just don't know personally.
And if an iBook is that cheap, by all means look into it. Contrary to what I said before, I'm not a Mac hater, I just can't afford them. But whatever.
cheers
Billy S.
And if an iBook is that cheap, by all means look into it. Contrary to what I said before, I'm not a Mac hater, I just can't afford them. But whatever.
cheers
Billy S.
bennychico11
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sonnylarsen
New member
I have been a PC user since 1991, and I have used Macs only intermittently as circumstances allowed. Now I use both and I love both, although if this comparison were based on the sheer beauty of the gui...Mac wins hands-down.
I have a 12" ibook g4 that I bought in January, I upgraded the RAM to 1.2 gig, and I bought and external firewire hard drive and along with my m-audio omnistudio usb I have been recording like a madman, using GarageBand, Tracktion, and Logic Express. I got the iBook initially because I needed a laptop and I fell totally in love with OS X when my friend Anne bought her powerbook a few years ago. So I went with a Mac, thinking I might do some recording with it, but mostly to do my day to day tasks. Then I decided to hook up my Omnistudio and played with garageband and I was quickly addicted. The thing that really pulled me in was the completely painless process of hooking up the hardware and getting going. It took less than five minutes and I was tracking, and then when I tried the other software, setup was also a breeze.
My PC, however, was where I started recording, and I learned most of what I know from recording from it. And, since I switched to XP, I have had zero stability issues, even with the PC being used for internet and games. I have an AMD Athlon 64 3000 with 512mg RAM and a 120gb hd. It is a great machine and I honestly have to say that the only reason I see to use my mac over my PC is that the mac is easier on the eyes.
Now with all this in mind, I would have to say that if you want something that will work great out of the box and looks beautiful, go with a mac. If you don't mind Windows's clunky appearance and don't mind doing some configuration work (i.e. removing unused services from startup, manually configuring page file, etc.) the a PC running windows XP will work fine for you. As far as software goes, for Windows I would recommend SONAR 2.0 or later, a very powerful program and inexpensive if you buy the earlier version.
Just based on what you have said it seems like you are ready to make a switch. Go with the Mac. You will love it and when your project is done you will miss it terribly and end up buying your very own.
I have a 12" ibook g4 that I bought in January, I upgraded the RAM to 1.2 gig, and I bought and external firewire hard drive and along with my m-audio omnistudio usb I have been recording like a madman, using GarageBand, Tracktion, and Logic Express. I got the iBook initially because I needed a laptop and I fell totally in love with OS X when my friend Anne bought her powerbook a few years ago. So I went with a Mac, thinking I might do some recording with it, but mostly to do my day to day tasks. Then I decided to hook up my Omnistudio and played with garageband and I was quickly addicted. The thing that really pulled me in was the completely painless process of hooking up the hardware and getting going. It took less than five minutes and I was tracking, and then when I tried the other software, setup was also a breeze.
My PC, however, was where I started recording, and I learned most of what I know from recording from it. And, since I switched to XP, I have had zero stability issues, even with the PC being used for internet and games. I have an AMD Athlon 64 3000 with 512mg RAM and a 120gb hd. It is a great machine and I honestly have to say that the only reason I see to use my mac over my PC is that the mac is easier on the eyes.
Now with all this in mind, I would have to say that if you want something that will work great out of the box and looks beautiful, go with a mac. If you don't mind Windows's clunky appearance and don't mind doing some configuration work (i.e. removing unused services from startup, manually configuring page file, etc.) the a PC running windows XP will work fine for you. As far as software goes, for Windows I would recommend SONAR 2.0 or later, a very powerful program and inexpensive if you buy the earlier version.
Just based on what you have said it seems like you are ready to make a switch. Go with the Mac. You will love it and when your project is done you will miss it terribly and end up buying your very own.
augustheat@mac.
New member
For what it's worth...
I was/am a die-hard PC guy for 20+ years. Working as a Technical Director/Producer at a church, two of us were PC guys, and the other two were Mac. All of us used Pro Tools, etc. We had our share of platform wars daily. There was NO WAY you were going to convert me away from my Sonic Foundry software and my WinXP Athlon Smoker!
Well almost...For me, it got down to what software I wanted to use long term for audio and video production. While I was using Pro Tools in XP, the Mac version afforded some advantages. For video production, Final Cut Pro was my choice. Thus, I converted a year ago January. While I still use a PC on a daily basis, My 17" Powerbook is my workhorse, hands down! Bottom line, I would never go back to a PC for audio/video production. The Mac has proven to be way more stable than my PC ever was. I have now switched to Logic Pro and a MOTU Traveler. Add the Powerbook to that and you have a completely portable system.
Don't let anyone talk you out of the laptop scenario. I would never go back to a desktop. I like to be able to mix at my neighborhood coffe shop, or while sitting by the lake. Get's the creative juices going! bottom line...you can't go wrong either way. Decide what software you want to use, and go with the platform that suits your needs. But, like I said before...been there and done that...for me it's a Mac all the way. Good luck!
I was/am a die-hard PC guy for 20+ years. Working as a Technical Director/Producer at a church, two of us were PC guys, and the other two were Mac. All of us used Pro Tools, etc. We had our share of platform wars daily. There was NO WAY you were going to convert me away from my Sonic Foundry software and my WinXP Athlon Smoker!
Well almost...For me, it got down to what software I wanted to use long term for audio and video production. While I was using Pro Tools in XP, the Mac version afforded some advantages. For video production, Final Cut Pro was my choice. Thus, I converted a year ago January. While I still use a PC on a daily basis, My 17" Powerbook is my workhorse, hands down! Bottom line, I would never go back to a PC for audio/video production. The Mac has proven to be way more stable than my PC ever was. I have now switched to Logic Pro and a MOTU Traveler. Add the Powerbook to that and you have a completely portable system.
Don't let anyone talk you out of the laptop scenario. I would never go back to a desktop. I like to be able to mix at my neighborhood coffe shop, or while sitting by the lake. Get's the creative juices going! bottom line...you can't go wrong either way. Decide what software you want to use, and go with the platform that suits your needs. But, like I said before...been there and done that...for me it's a Mac all the way. Good luck!
noodles2k5
New member
bdemenil said:
Where are you getting all this bunk info?
You buy a mac for the experience. Everything in the OS has to offer, the iApps intergration with each other, the security, the ease of use, the design. and the style..... yes the style. And for this you pay a higher price. I like macs because for me they work. I personally can't stand spending hours fixing bad printer divers. I would never buy another PC
That being said I think the PC is best choice in balances power with price.
That being said I think the PC is best choice in balances power with price.
I'm still wondering how anyone can spend hours troubleshooting a print driver. I can reload Windows XP from scratch in under an hour.
Follow the instructions for the drivers, and bang! You're printing.
Even Linux takes me only a few minutes getting it printing. And that's with sharing it to my Windows boxes.
Follow the instructions for the drivers, and bang! You're printing.
Even Linux takes me only a few minutes getting it printing. And that's with sharing it to my Windows boxes.
elevate said:
My G5 hasn't crashed period.... In my experience, they tend to be more stable.... No they are not imprevious to the effect of bad drivers, though if a drive doesn't work it doesn't bring the system down with. I am merely stating that I have spent to much time fixing windows.
MichaelM
New member
Really Windows XP is very hard to break.. Well at least compared to previous versions. They've really tried hard to make XP 'computing for dummies'... My gripe is that I have to *ask* to look in the windows or program files directories. The longest time I've ever spent fixing things up is making XP behave how I want, eg classic start menu and theme, show control panel in my computer, show quicklaunch bar, turn off those damn notification balloons, show hidden files etc...
Id have a very long hard look at the Mac Mini's (500 bucks). They have more processing power than my Powerbook which cost me about 3k 18 months ago. Baaa !! Minis are really great is you happen to have a spare monitor / keyboard kicking about.
Remember you can also go for the Mac educational discount which can count for a lot. I got Logic pro 7 for 500 as opposed to 1000 dollars !! Oh yes !!
You may also find Garage band get really boring very quickly. Id have another good look at Logic Express.
Remember you can also go for the Mac educational discount which can count for a lot. I got Logic pro 7 for 500 as opposed to 1000 dollars !! Oh yes !!
You may also find Garage band get really boring very quickly. Id have another good look at Logic Express.