Need Advice! Which Computer Should I Buy?! Mac or PC?

  • Thread starter Thread starter hybridsound
  • Start date Start date
I could sorta assist you on building a pc and I know some good sites with hardware

newegg.com
egghead.com
tigerdirect.com
directron.com

theres more but those are the only ones that intrest me , especially newegg.com
 
I roll my own, thus I endorse IBM PC compatibles. I can fix them, upgrade them, pass them down to the kids. Macs, in my opinion, network a bit easier, but that does not justify the cost! They are also less prone, it would appear, to virusus. Macs lose value faster simply because they are more expensive to begin with. A PC starts off cheap and just gets cheaper.

You can build up a very hot box (i.e., P4 3ghz (3.0E processor) 800mhz FSB w/1gb of RAM, dual 80GB HDD, CD-RW, DVD, wireless keyboard and mouse, nice LCD display) for between $900 and $1,100 depending on what you buy and where you buy it. I do not believe that you could even come close to that kind of firepower on a Mac for that price, or close to it.

You make the call. You say you already have software. Do you want to buy more? Do you have the time and the motivation to do this? Do you have the cash to drop on a dual processor Mac and large format LCD and never miss it? There are a lot of religious viewpoints hereabouts, but the bottom line is that the manufacturers are pretty hot about pursuing the PC market, and somewhat less hot about pursuing the Mac market.

Read into that what you will.
 
Both PCs and Macs can be good recording systems. Both can be reliable, or buggy, depending on what you load onto them.

I would go with the PC if for no other reason than your fiancee is going to have one, so you will have easy portability of non-music programs and data.
 
http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/

Start here.

Just make sure you check the motherboard manufacturer's website for processors and ram that are compatible. I've done a lot of replacements/upgrades for my 1998 Dell but haven't done it from scratch till now. I was aiming for near silence and quality with my new system so I thought I'd research and do it myself.

Do a search in google for silent computers and read everything that might help including sample setups from specialized dealers. You can see from their own configurations a general idea of what you need and then change parts according to your taste and what is compatible. Dedicate a weekend to research and then go for it.

newegg.com is a good resource for buying the parts and seeing what others think about them.

First pick your motherboard, case that can fit your motherboard type, then processor and ram. Then whatever suits your needs.

http://www.endpcnoise.com/
http://www.quietpcusa.com/
http://www.advanceddesignky.com/
http://www.newegg.com/
 
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build a pc

you might be surprised to see the cost of building your own PC..I have checked out dells prices as of late and they have been pretty high! A site I like to use is www.accessmicro.com if I'm feeling lazy and don't want to put anything together..they have pretty good prices and give every setup a 24-hr. burn-in and offer a 3 yr. parts/labor warranty for an additional 100.
 
Unless you have extra cash to blow, I'd also suggest building your own PC. As has been said, you can get a comparable amount of power as a high-end Mac for a whole lot less. Just make sure you buy an assload of RAM and a big, fast hard drive. You can use the extra money you'll save for some better recording equipment (i.e. a real mic), because we all know how expensive this god-forsaken hobby is. :-P

If you really would rather not build your own, I still like Dell. Their computers do come very bloated with a whole lot of crap you don't need, but they are reliable, fast, and usually priced pretty well. I also have no problem with Macs, so if you want to go that route, do it. I just don't see that big an advantage to the Mac platform anymore, especially for the type of work you're planning on doing.

As far as which is more stable ... I run XP (sp1), and it's pretty much rock-solid. It really only locks up on me when I have a hardware or driver conflict that needs to be remedied. I haven't used OSX much, but OS9 ... had a lot of hard lockups that required a lot of hard reboots and made for a lot of lost work. Both will crash on you, but both are pretty reliable. Save often, regardless.
 
You sometimes get real bargins for Dell Desktop in their outlets area. They are generally in new condition, have warranties, but cost less. I bought one unit there for about $250.

Best times are Tuesdays and Wednesdays for good deals there.

Ed
 
Well,

You cannot build an equivalent pc to a mac. Pc's do not have 64 bit processors yet. Only 32. Processing speed between the two types goes up exponentially, so 64 is way, way better.

Mac clock speeds are not scaled the same way as Pc's. A mac 1 Ghz processor will outperform a PC 2 Ghz processor.

When was the last time you heard of someone writing a virus for mac? nobody does it lol. You wont get viruses.

Mac OS does not run 90 gagillion (yes thats a scientific term :rolleyes: ) programs at once.

How long can you leave your PC on with windows running before it stops to work? I have the latest XP and Its 6 days tops. My friends been running his G5 for 3 months.

As you can tell I am prone to macs. The only thing that PC's outperform macs in is Games.
 
the sneak said:
You cannot build an equivalent pc to a mac. Pc's do not have 64 bit processors yet. Only 32. Processing speed between the two types goes up exponentially, so 64 is way, way better.
Click to expand...

Well, AMD's new Athlon FX is a 64-bit proc, and Intel's is coming soon(ish), though we'll have to wait awhile for Windows and other applications to natively support 64-bit operation.

As I said, you can build a 'comparable' system for a lot less. Macs are generally still ahead when it comes to intensely taxing operations (i.e. 3D graphics work, large graphics projects, complex audio work, etc.), due to a much more efficient architecture, but a) all that comes at a price, and b) from the sounds of it, he's gonna be recording smaller projects, probably one track at a time. Spend $1500 on a PC and it'll run circles around a Mac costing the same amount. I still say spend less and get a PC and then you'll have that much more to spend on recording equipment.
 
The old Mac vs. PC argument again.

It... does... not.... matter.

A decent PC will cost you as much as a Mac (unless you can build your own PC. I built my PC DAW for approx. $500 from newegg.com parts - all Intel P4 and with 35 stereo 24bit/44.1khz tracks it runs at only 12-15% CPU useage.) But EITHER will work.

#1 ) The determining factor on buying ANY computer is SOFTWARE. If you want to run Digital Performer, Logic or Protools... go with a Mac. Sonar, Audition, etc you will have to run a Windows box. There are a few cross-platform applications (Cubase, Nuendo, etc) but CHOOSE YOUR SOFTWARE FIRST.

#2) Factor in your other gear. Does your soundcard of choice work on both platforms?

#3) Then factor in what technical support you have locally. If you're in a small town with only PC people around....

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Before the flames continue, I have owned both Macs and PC since the early early 1980s. In fact I ran a graphics studio (all Mac) for several years. And I have worked in all-PC IT departments for over 10 years.

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Don't fall into platform bickering. Both work well and can do more than you are capable of handling.....
 
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