Should my new computer be a MAC?

[Hemmick Reef]

I have a Carillon computer that I have had for several years and I am thinking of upgrading to a new machine. I have to use it for my Graphics work as well as using it in my home studio.

I have been using Cubase SX2 but would like to upgrade which will cost £150 or thereabouts. The new Logic 8 is only just over £300. So is a MAC going to last me longer, is it better built.

Could anyone cover the options for a change of direction here?

Thanks

 

[Fundy]

No, there is no other benefit to owning a Mac other than snobbery and being a chav. :lol: Seriously, if you are looking for a serious workhorse and are willing pay money for it then Mac's probably a good idea. With multi-core Mac processors being Intel now the difference in performance should be negible.

I've nothing against Mac's, it's just Apples' ultra-hedonstic approach to marketing products.

 

[Shahi]

No, there is no other benefit to owning a Mac other than snobbery and being a chav. :lol: Seriously, if you are looking for a serious workhorse and are willing pay money for it then Mac's probably a good idea. With multi-core Mac processors being Intel now the difference in performance should be negible.

I've nothing against Mac's, it's just Apples' ultra-hedonstic approach to marketing products.

I have Intel Mac Pro Running OSX 10.4.11 & A PC Running Windows XP on Xeon Dual/Quad core running @1.6Ghz X 8 (Super Micro workstation/server Class Motherboard) 4GB ram, running side by side.
I use Mac for Mixing/recording, Because I have Apogee converters on the Mac, also I use my UAD on Mac & PC for composing, sequencing etc

I will only tell you the advantages you have with Mac as compared to a PC.

Mac = OSX a naturally more stable OS as compared to Windows XP/Vista

Mac = Very Silent (Big advantage when Mixing mastering, you can actually hear yourself think )

Mac = Much better memory management when it comes to multi-Task & Multi-threading. (Mostly due to a better written OS) As we all know Audio application use a lot of all the above mentions resources to its advantages, hence a faster system over all.

Mac = a breeze to setup software hardware (Again due to better OS X Functionalities) and a better chassis Design. Like installing new memory Drive takes less then a min. No cable hassle.

To make a PC an Equal performer as Mac, make it Cooler, Quieter, & more stable you will have to spend on better Quality components, like a better Motherboard, better quality ram more powerful & Quieter PSU expensive casings, etc etc. you will have to probably end up spending just as much as you may pay for a Mac.

Mac comes with built in 1000 Watt PSU & all the above mentioned goodies factory fitted. Mac is designed more like a serious workstation. Any PC that you may buy is victim of competition, PC manufacturers use cheaper parts mostly to compete in the price wars.

My PC cost just a fraction less then my Mac, but then I had to go thru the hassle of setting it up etc Performs equally good except for occasional software errors as win XP is a flawed OS as we all are aware.


For mission-critical projects I always use Mac.
Hope this helps you decide.
Best.

 

[Hemmick Reef]

Thanks for the replies.

My Carillon was not far off the price of a Mac, 4 years ago, I think the new Carillons are probably about the same price for the same performance. I have lots of software and I would have to go through crossgrading and sorting that side of things out. Maybe move from Cubase to Logic? I have heard that you can run a version of windows on a Mac to run PC software? Not sure how well this works?

 

[boody]

Hi. I've been a PC troubleshooter and beta tester for some software for years. People used to call me with their problems and I often could help. Sometimes I had problems because I installed new software. Sometimes I had troubles because files I got from projects were infected. Latest fun I had was the rootkill virus I got from somebody's infected portable disk... but I knew what to do: format C: ... reinstall.... took me two days to get things back on track.

Then my girlfriend came with the idea to buy a mac. I never had to toubleshoot since. I turn it on and start to make music... love it. Next to that the graphical quality is simply way better than pc, even with the same graph card.

Software is software: there is no better party here, just different. To me there are three advantages to a mac:
- no virus (yet)
- the core system doesn't get mutated when installing new software = less problems
- beautiful and handy design

next to that I love the way logic works.
Switching to mac saved me a lot of time

 

[cane creek]

i have a PC and at the moment im thinking of swapping to mac because i want to run more memory and dont want vista.

However after reading this thread im just geting more confused , because ive been reading a thread on gearsluts where alot of experienced mac users are slamming (greedy ?) apple for using cheap hardware in mac's.
This stems from the fact on alot of new Mac's apple have opted for the cheaper 'Agere' firewire chips instead of the reliable tried and tested Texas instruments firewire chips and the audio community seem to be up in arms at this....
Then i read this thread and folk are banging on about apples quality parts ? just confusing for a potencial buyer

 

[Sparky2]

We can joke about Apples marketing, but damn those PC-Mac commericals are freaking just clever and funny...I bet Bill Gates probably laughs when he see's them too...It may seem unimportant, but this shows a personality from Apple and it extends towards the enjoyment and creative factor one probably derives from using an Apple...

The only Apple I own is an old PowerPC that runs my Lexicon Nuverb card...but even so, it is fun being on the thing. If I were making and money recording, I would probably go to a Mac in a heart-beat...but I just can't justify right now being an extreme hobbyist :wink:

 

[cane creek]

Hello,

as already stated in the thread 'Workaround for Fireface iMac Problem'

RME User Forum / Workaround for Fireface/iMac problem

there is a new FW 800 chip on the market from Agere, which seems to be incompatible (not only) to RMEs FireWire audio, and requires workarounds for successful operation.

The reason Apple used this chip instead of the former TI solution is easy to find: half the price and a lot smaller. So it is not astonishing that this chip now also begins to show up on Windows computers. We got our hands on a PCIe FireWire 800 card from Unibrain using this chip, and found the exact (!) same problems under Windows as under Mac OS X using this card.

Our examination of the problem showed that the Agere chip causes the Firefaces to issue a FireWire bus reset shortly after start of data transmission (isochronous mode). We tried a Motu 828 for comparison and found this to be affected as well (everything seemed to work, but playback did not start).

Therefore we have to declare this chip and all related products as incompatible, and expect a fix (if any) from Agere's side, by either firmware or driver updates.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

and the presonus forum

1. Presonus is going to ship new Leopard drivers that will make my FS work with my new Macbook.

If the Agere Chipset that Apple is now using is indeed the cause of the issues you are having, there is no driver that will correct a hardware compatibility issue with that Firewire Chipset. I believe Agere/LSI would be the only one who could possibly correct it.

2. I'm going to buy a new audio interface, because the FS isn't faithful to the IEEE 1394 protocol and I can expect it to give me problems with my Macbook, and other computers I might use it with.

All Firewire interface companies will suggest (and some will even require) the use of certain Firewire chipsets. RME does, MOTU does, and so do many of the other interface companies. It's like Engine companies requiring specific oil for certain engine models. If you use the wrong oil, the engine could perform under spec, and may not even work at all.

3. I'm going to buy a new computer, because my Macbook isn't faithful to the IEEE 1394 protocol and I can expect it to give me problems with my FS, and other interfaces I might use it with.

It's a shame that Apple is trying to cut costs with the Macbooks. Many people have relied on those laptops for audio recording for years. We're still trying to confirm the issues with Agere chipset, as it doesn't always affect the interfaces and it can be random.
Hopefully Apple will give our developers more insight into the situation with those chipsets. Until then, I'd watch out for the Agere firewire connections.
__________________
Ben Mullens
Presonus Technical Support
[email:3vz66cnn]bmullens@presonus.com[/email:3vz66cnn]

and from metric halo on the sonic mailing list

As far as the Agere chipset goes, we have had no reported problems
with any specific model of the Mac except the (quite old at this
point) Mirror Drive Door G4 tower (first gen FW800 machine). The
motherboard FW on that specific model is incompatible with the MIO,
and using the MIO on that machine will require the use of a FW PCI card.

Apple has been using the Agere chipset for some time (I'm pretty sure
that it has been in use in the Mac since the initial Intel iMac came
out), and we have not seen any problems with it.

One of the guys in tech support here just got a brand spanking new
MBP, and AFAIK he has not had any problems with the MIO. I'll double
check with him, and if anything comes up, I'll let you folks know...

Best regards,

B.J. Buchalter
Metric Halo
Metric Halo

 

[Paul S]

I almost gave up on PC's but I found a IT guy and he sold me his PC. It's a dellDimension E510 and it runs like a bastard. I can run 16 tracks on Sonar 6 wit ha bunch of plugs and my CPU meter will read less than 10% . This PC has 3 gigs of DDR2 ram so that helps.

So anyway, if you have a guy who can assemble a PC, buy good parts and you can assemble a computer for under $1500.00 that will handle around 40 tracks before it gets into trouble.

Mac is cool too but PC's are finally catching up.

 

[cane creek]

I almost gave up on PC's but I found a IT guy and he sold me his PC. It's a dellDimension E510 and it runs like a bastard. I can run 16 tracks on Sonar 6 wit ha bunch of plugs and my CPU meter will read less than 10% . This PC has 3 gigs of DDR2 ram so that helps.

So anyway, if you have a guy who can assemble a PC, buy good parts and you can assemble a computer for under $1500.00 that will handle around 40 tracks before it gets into trouble.

Mac is cool too but PC's are finally catching up.

the dellDimension E510 is only a 3GHz single core ?Run a few instances of NI massive with a good reverb inserted and you'll have 1 crippled PC no wonder the IT guy was happy to get rid. were now living in the world of Duel/quad and 8 core with synths like omisphere on the horizon
ive just ordered a Mac pro 8 core and for the price theres not a PC on the market that can touch it.....(and yes it has "TI" firewire chipset)

 

[imdrecordings]

I almost gave up on PC's but I found a IT guy and he sold me his PC. It's a dellDimension E510 and it runs like a bastard. I can run 16 tracks on Sonar 6 wit ha bunch of plugs and my CPU meter will read less than 10% . This PC has 3 gigs of DDR2 ram so that helps.

So anyway, if you have a guy who can assemble a PC, buy good parts and you can assemble a computer for under $1500.00 that will handle around 40 tracks before it gets into trouble.

Mac is cool too but PC's are finally catching up.

IMO, PC's have surpassed Macs. It's Windows that sucks a phat one.
You can build a quad machine for around 500-700 dollars with a slimed down WinXP and stomp all over a Mac. But man them (((MACs))) sure are purdy (pretty).

 

[fader8]

As a small business owner managing 3 Audio/Video workstations, when I switched to Macs a few years ago my system admin time went from 2 hours a week down to less than 2 hours a month. Productivity increased measurably too.

I'm no Mac zealot, but PC's just ceased to make economic sense here.

On a similar note, I work with two small colleges nearby, one of which runs Macs and the other PCs. They run mostly similar applications and roughly the same number of workstations. The PC campus has 21 people in their IT staff and you can barely talk to any of them as their always crazy busy with putting fires out. The Mac campus has 6 people on their IT staff and they always seem to have more time and also seem to do more developmental work rather than troubleshooting. They also replace workstations at nearly half the rate that the PC campus does.

So, regardless of the Mac vs PC debate, money talks.

 

[piranhadrum]

MAC= Happy

 

[cane creek]

Mac is cool too but PC's are finally catching up.

Ive got a mac pro 2.8 8core with 10GB ram ....it will be sometime before you see a PC with that spec.

Logic 8 see's and runs all 8 cores perfectly :wink: