Mac vs. PC

[nufe22]

As ym senior year of high school closes up, I have to start thinking about what computer to buy for college. I'm looking to start doing some recording with this computer, and I was wondering which type of computer people here prefer for this purpose.

Any other insight as to the pros and cons of Macs would be appreciated as well, I am not too familiar with them.

Thanks,
Will

[youneverno41]

If it involves anything with audio or video...go mac. I edit my videos with my mac and I master my recordings with it too

[som3d3vil34]

If you want a young, hip, cool computer than does fun stuff, get a mac. If you want a suit, get a PC.

[supertramp_dmb]

I have recently switched over to a mac and it is perfect for recording. Once you start to feel the flow of things on a mac everything becomes super simple, but very powerful. especially for recording and editing audio & video. Hell, the things even run windows xp better than some PCs.

[DIDriveOut2SPAC]

MAC all the way....with motu digital performer...

[malarks26]

I've never owned a MAC, but I heard the audio/visual capabilities are really nice features. If you're going down that path then I would suggest going with one.

[NVeeEm]

Mac no contest! It'll take you a little while to get used to, but then you'll wonder how you survived without one!:hump

[nescient]

honestly, if you aren't doing any kind of professional audio/video editing, capture, etc., it doesn't matter...most consumer macs and pc's have pretty similar specs...A nice PC will record nicely for your purposes...as will a mac...both have plenty of supported tools for your purposes...however, if you want to go professional, nobody will argue with the mac...

[youneverno41]

honestly, if you aren't doing any kind of professional audio/video editing, capture, etc., it doesn't matter...most consumer macs and pc's have pretty similar specs...A nice PC will record nicely for your purposes...as will a mac...both have plenty of supported tools for your purposes...however, if you want to go professional, nobody will argue with the mac...but when it comes to a computer coming stocked with programs that can be used towards audio or video...mac will beat a PC

[nescient]

but when it comes to a computer coming stocked with programs that can be used towards audio or video...mac will beat a PC

I'll give you that...

[youneverno41]

I'll give you that...

:lol that's all I ask

[nufe22]

thank you all for the help

[BMattyD]

They both do the exact same thing. If you are more comfortable with a Mac, get a Mac. If you are more comfortable with a PC, get a PC.

[hylidaea]

Wow... I saw "mac vs. PC" and fully expected to find the flame war of the century in here. :)

I suggest Mac, too, even though I am a PC user. I've been in the corp world for too long and do a lot of work from home, so I kinda have to stick with PC. But one day when I can afford another comp for home, it will be a Mac.

[youneverno41]

however, PC's are better for gaming

[som3d3vil34]

however, PC's are better for gaming


Nerd.


:p :D

[youneverno41]

Nerd.


:p :D:lol yeah I guess but I mean come on, it's easy to get bored during the week at college

[nufe22]

Does the performance of a mac make up for extra money it costs to get one? Specifically an apple notebook that runs for $1300 has pretty much the same specs as a Dell notebook that costs about $900. Sorry to get a little bit off topic.

[DreamRapunzel06]

My roommate got her first mac right at the beginning of the school year. At first she was so confused and did not like it. Now she never wants to go back to a PC.

[Panoramical]

Does the performance of a mac make up for extra money it costs to get one? Specifically an apple notebook that runs for $1300 has pretty much the same specs as a Dell notebook that costs about $900. Sorry to get a little bit off topic.

I really would stay away for Dell - they're not recognised as one of the best computer makes...rather the brand people go for who just want a cheap oen that won't necessarily last. I'd go with the Mac, but others have said nowadays there's not really much difference between them. You have to weigh up the pros and cons and decide for yourself!

[youneverno41]

my school offers great deals on all apple products so I got a macbook pro

[youneverno41]

ps-macs RARELY get viruses. I had a Dell for like 2 months and it was so fucked up beyond belief. I've been using this mac since last August and it's still running like I just opened the box

[LoveDreamer]

Go Mac.

While, yes it is true that in this day, many PC's have caught up to Mac as far as performance/speed. Mac still does it better.


- fewer, if any, viruses (in 4 years with my own Mac and another 2 years using them for school/work I have NEVER experienced a virus on a Mac, though they say they do exist, rarely...)
- fewer hang ups with programs
- almost every piece of software you'd want for a PC there is a Mac version or similar product available, and if not, you can still run most any PC software on a Mac because you can also run Windows, Linux or any other operating system simultaneously with the Mac OSX.
-The Mac OS is the leader in operating systems (Unix based), super easy to use/navigate, and Windows is a direct rip-off of the Mac platform only somehow microsoft got it wrong and added all kinds of problems.

All in all it's just a more versatile machine.

As far as price goes, well the old saying, "you get what you pay for", really does come into play here. a Mac will last you longer, need fewer upgrades, and require less maintenance (of course there are always exceptions, there can always be a lemon in the bunch, but Mac's customer care division is pretty good when it comes to helping you out).

Every person I know who has decided to try a Mac has agreed they will never go back to a PC.

Here's a couple of sites you may want to check out. A lot of info and links to lots more info:
http://macvspc.info/
http://macs.about.com/od/faqsandglossary/a/mac_vs_pc.htm

[som3d3vil34]

:lol yeah I guess but I mean come on, it's easy to get bored during the week at college

I know what you mean. I still play Counter Strike every once in a while.

[willndmb]

Does the performance of a mac make up for extra money it costs to get one? Specifically an apple notebook that runs for $1300 has pretty much the same specs as a Dell notebook that costs about $900. Sorry to get a little bit off topic.
mac no question, i use both and the mac gets way more use
besides the fact the can run windows programs on a mac if you need/want too (trust me you will not want to)

at any rate you will save with the pc, but when you add in the cost of programs you will be over the mac cost

you also get student discounts from apple so the cost would be about 200 less then the listed price

[zdaddy]

Mac for sure to start out with. Great combination of programs that come with it standard.

In the long run i'd go with a PC though. So many more options for upgrading instead of having to buy a whole new computer. I bought mine a few years ago for 700, and with about the same cost in upgrades, it could flame any mac on the planet.

and as for virus's on pc's, just stop looking at porn:twak

[jamjumpin]

Macs are way better, you'll never look back. But if you're doing multi tracking get a Korg D3200, (this is mine http://jwilloug.spymac.com/studio.JPG) they're the dogs bollocks for your money and it supports 12 track simultaneous recording and 32 track playback.

[ZaqDiesel]

Just a word of caution as I recently purchased a new PC. Look at all of the programs you currently use right now on your PC and see if there is a version for mac, and also how much it costs. Between using quicken to balance my checkbook and pay my bills, activesync to sync up my pocket pc, ripping and burning dvds (tons of freeware for pc, very little for mac), and some other programs, it would have cost me about $300 on top of the expensive mac price to switch without having to change all of the things I am used to and happy with.

Also, beware of the "you can just run windows on a mac now." Yes this is true, but since Apple has switched to Intel based machines, there is no more virtual PC program. You must use either Boot Camp or another program (I forget the name, but it runs Windows as a window in the Mac OSX) AND provde your own new copy of Windows!! The cds you probably have lying around as your pc backups will not work as they were only manufactured to run on the exact pc you purchased (trust me, I have tried many times).

All in all, I'm very happy with my PC purchase. With rebates I bought a HP Windows media center pc and a ViewSonic 22" widescreen hi def monitor, wireless mouse and keyboard, and new speakers for $1250 out the door (plus a free upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium edition). Took me ten minutes to set up scheduled scans and updates for SpyBot and my antivirus program, and no problems. Runs just as fast as all of the macs I tested out in the stores.

[TurboPGT]

These days, there is absolutely no argument to made in favor of a PC. Actually there never has been, but people were consumed by affordability at one time. Certain things are just not meant to be ridiculously affordable.

[TurboPGT]

however, PC's are better for gaming

Actualy no, they suck at gaming compared to a Mac.

It just happens that games are not commonly written for Mac OSX.

...However, now you can simply partition your harddrive and install windows XP on your Mac. Gaming solution.

[ncdude2k3]

MAC. I love my Macbook.

[BMattyD]

Actualy no, they suck at gaming compared to a Mac.

It just happens that games are not commonly written for Mac OSX.

...However, now you can simply partition your harddrive and install windows XP on your Mac. Gaming solution.

Did you just say "Simply install XP on your Mac?" Everyone I know who has tried this has had nothing but problems after the installation. Mac finally got smart and realized that they were getting their butt's kicked in the processor performance...

I also have a friend who was going nuts over Mac releasing the new dual core processor in their machines... I simply responded "Yeah, I bought a dual-core PC about 6 months ago..."

Why does everyone go nuts over a Mac? They are cool, but they do the exact same thing as a PC - just a different interface, with less program compatability.

If you are comfortable with a PC, get a PC... If you are comfortable with a Mac, get a Mac...

I'm so sick of everyone being so one-sided on this issue

These days, there is absolutely no argument to made in favor of a PC. Actually there never has been, but people were consumed by affordability at one time. Certain things are just not meant to be ridiculously affordable.

Ever tried to join a Mac do a domain and use Group Policy to deploy program updates and install packages?

[BMattyD]

Go Mac.

While, yes it is true that in this day, many PC's have caught up to Mac as far as performance/speed. Mac still does it better.


- fewer, if any, viruses (in 4 years with my own Mac and another 2 years using them for school/work I have NEVER experienced a virus on a Mac, though they say they do exist, rarely...)
- fewer hang ups with programs
- almost every piece of software you'd want for a PC there is a Mac version or similar product available, and if not, you can still run most any PC software on a Mac because you can also run Windows, Linux or any other operating system simultaneously with the Mac OSX.
-The Mac OS is the leader in operating systems (Unix based), super easy to use/navigate, and Windows is a direct rip-off of the Mac platform only somehow microsoft got it wrong and added all kinds of problems.

All in all it's just a more versatile machine.

As far as price goes, well the old saying, "you get what you pay for", really does come into play here. a Mac will last you longer, need fewer upgrades, and require less maintenance (of course there are always exceptions, there can always be a lemon in the bunch, but Mac's customer care division is pretty good when it comes to helping you out).

Every person I know who has decided to try a Mac has agreed they will never go back to a PC.

Here's a couple of sites you may want to check out. A lot of info and links to lots more info:
http://macvspc.info/
http://macs.about.com/od/faqsandglossary/a/mac_vs_pc.htm

I set a Mac up to access a domain (Using OSX 10.4) and I had to reboot the notebook 3 times to get it to work.

Also, what do you mean by PCs catching Macs in terms of performance/speed? Wasn't it Mac who switched to the Intel chipset for performance increase? Yes, they did have a faster FSB, but benchmarking tells a different story.

[willndmb]

I am the typical mac basher

mac mini is for you
you can own a mac yet put it in the desk or closet when friends come over

[LoveDreamer]

I set a Mac up to access a domain (Using OSX 10.4) and I had to reboot the notebook 3 times to get it to work.

Also, what do you mean by PCs catching Macs in terms of performance/speed? Wasn't it Mac who switched to the Intel chipset for performance increase? Yes, they did have a faster FSB, but benchmarking tells a different story.

Yes Mac incorporated the intel chip to increase speed, but the way the intel chip was used in PC's wasn't using it to it's full potential. Don't kid yourself into thinking that just because PC's used intel first, they were faster.

And yes, benchmarking has shown some PC processors to be faster, but, when you have to run inferior operating systems and stock programs that are too big and cause a lag in the performance of the processor that kind of defeats the purpose.

As far as your friend with the Dual core...He may have just been behind the times in his information, Mac was the first to release a dual core system back in about 2000-01, and shortly after, PC followed. Of course he may also have been refferring to the Dual core 2 which was infact the first quad core machine.

[BMattyD]

Yes Mac incorporated the intel chip to increase speed, but the way the intel chip was used in PC's wasn't using it to it's full potential. Don't kid yourself into thinking that just because PC's used intel first, they were faster.

And yes, benchmarking has shown some PC processors to be faster, but, when you have to run inferior operating systems and stock programs that are too big and cause a lag in the performance of the processor that kind of defeats the purpose.

As far as your friend with the Dual core...He may have just been behind the times in his information, Mac was the first to release a dual core system back in about 2000-01, and shortly after, PC followed. Of course he may also have been refferring to the Dual core 2 which was infact the first quad core machine.

I've used both platforms my whole life. I have installed Macs and PCs with the same applications - specifically AVID, Cubase, and Nuendo - and in almost every installation PC has more processing power - and can make better use of onboard controller and process cards.

mac mini is for you
you can own a mac yet put it in the desk or closet when friends come over

Again, I'm not bashing the Mac - just the egotistical pompous people who use them...

[UltimateFrisbee]

OMFG somebody has to come in here and say it. If you want VALUE, go PC. You can build your own INCREDIBLY fast, INSANELY powerful PC for 1/5th the cost of the mac equivalent. Macintosh's monopoly over their computer parts is ridiculous. By refusing to allow any competition, they can charge whatever they want. I built a 2 GB ram, 300 GB hard drive, 3.6ghz dual core processor, gforce 6800 computer with case and power supply and motherboard for like $400 over a year ago. There's like 8 parts to buy and if you have a screwdriver you can build a computer. At $400 per brand new computer you can get a new computer every two years and still have money left over and always afford to be at the cutting edge of technology. Don't get gouged by the mac!