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Need Help: Mac Pro OR PC?....or Both??

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:38 pm
by exs8900
.

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:41 pm
by flippo2007
Hi!

Buy the Mac! I bought exactly the same Macbook Pro you described for live and received it last week and its grrrrreat!

Greetz, Flip

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:48 pm
by Mesmer
Hi ex,
it is my opinion that by making your own PC you'll basically end up spending the same amount of money and end up with a similarly spec'ed computer; than if you went with a solidly built and tested, and under warranty, Mac computer. If you went out shopping for a PC, it is my opinion, that you'll find perhaps a slight edge in components for a similarly priced PC. Ultimately this is your decision. But there is ONE important consequence: the Operating System in your new computer.

I have a work in progress in the form of a newbie FAQ here:
Our Own FAQ

feel free to contribute with questions or with answers when you feel you can provide insight at a later time!

One of the very few already with a draft answer is: Mac or PC. Take a look at it down the page #1.

Best regards.

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:49 pm
by dcease
neither.

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:53 pm
by The Phat Conductor
mac pro desktop all the way.

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:17 pm
by MrTiddles
Buy the Mac, then use bootcamp. It'll be an easier transition to OSX/Leopard.

good answer

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:24 pm
by exs8900
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:11 pm
by Mesmer
Its as good as any piece of software, not glitchy at all. One thing to remember is: it's not free anymore.
It should set you back some $$...
-h

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:20 pm
by aqua_tek
Mesmer wrote:Its as good as any piece of software, not glitchy at all. One thing to remember is: it's not free anymore.
It should set you back some $$...
-h
i think it's free with leopard now (?)

anyways another vote for the mac + bootcamp combo. don't run bootcamp myself, but i figure having a mac that runs both osx and windows is better than spending extra money on a separate pc

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:42 pm
by Mesmer
wow, apple gives it away now;
for a few days after launching leopard it was supposedly on sale because that meant that Boot Camp was no longer in Beta, and people with working copies should either uninstall or purchase ($70 something like that)...
But yea, seems that's old news now.

anyway, just for multiple booting one can rely on GRUB in most cases.

Re: Need Help: Mac Pro OR PC?....or Both??

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:36 am
by jlgrimes
exs8900 wrote:I'm trying get myself the best MacBook Pro I can get (you know how Apple is, the second you buy something, they come out with something better...and I'm not made of money...this is an innnnnveesssstment lol)...anyways right now I have a garbage HP AMD Turion64 x 2, 1.90Ghz, 3GB RAM, 5200RPM...and it is just not cutting it. Granted, I've been learning Live for the last 9 months or so, and for that it's been good...but I've made some strides, and I'm doing gig's and looking at my first club gig in the next few weeks possibly and I have to decide......

should I put together an 'audio-performance' Windows laptop (what OS? what hardware?) or a Mega-Mac Pro? BTW, my 'dream' Mac is a Pro, 4GB RAM, 200GB HDD @ 7200RPM, 2.6Ghz Core Duo....so we know how expensive that would be...

gimme pro's and con's of both.

I know Live supports 2 installs so I may just keep the HP and add a Mac...i dunno....school me!!!

Also: my other hardware for now is a UC-33e, and a TC Electronics Konnekt Live audio interface
I'm a PC guy, but it more comes down to what software you want to use.

Using programs like Sonar and Fruityloops will keep you on the PC where wanting programs like Digital Performer and Logic will keep you on the Mac.


The Pros of a PC will probably be a little money saved, however I thing the main con will be most new Laptops will have Vista 32 which is horrible for DAW use (unless you are using Service Pack 1). Anyways Vista is still kind of wet behind the ears.

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:43 am
by Machinesworking
Die hard Mac user here, but the straight dope if all you use is Live would be PC desktop, roll your own, and Macbook Pro. I don;t think either are to be beaten.

Mac Pros are nice, but you can get the same hardware for about 1/2 the price. Laptop wise, little things like real firewire, express card slot, back lit keyboard, Gigibit ethernet, OSX etc. all add up to make it a better investment than PC laptops IMO.

I use Logic and Digital Performer at times, as well as a few other mac only pieces of software so I'm not able to use a PC desktop to it's full use, but anybody using just Live would haver to think about it IMO.

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:16 am
by shaneblyth
Machinesworking wrote:Die hard Mac user here, but the straight dope if all you use is Live would be PC desktop, roll your own, and Macbook Pro. I don;t think either are to be beaten.

Mac Pros are nice, but you can get the same hardware for about 1/2 the price. Laptop wise, little things like real firewire, express card slot, back lit keyboard, Gigibit ethernet, OSX etc. all add up to make it a better investment than PC laptops IMO.

I use Logic and Digital Performer at times, as well as a few other mac only pieces of software so I'm not able to use a PC desktop to it's full use, but anybody using just Live would haver to think about it IMO.
you can get the same spec as a mac pro for half the price..?
Not from Dell you cant the Mac Pro ends up being cheaper usually .. just get extra ram from somewhere else

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:37 am
by Machinesworking
shaneblyth wrote:
Machinesworking wrote:Die hard Mac user here, but the straight dope if all you use is Live would be PC desktop, roll your own ,
you can get the same spec as a mac pro for half the price..?
Not from Dell you cant the Mac Pro ends up being cheaper usually .. just get extra ram from somewhere else
Bold for emphasis; a good PC builder can make a nice powerful PC from scratch that stands up to a comparable Mac for almost half the price.

Personally if I was to get a PC desktop there's no way in hell I would get an OEM machine. I would put it all in a four space rack case and have a semi portable music machine! 8)

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:44 am
by shaneblyth
Machinesworking wrote:
shaneblyth wrote:
Machinesworking wrote:Die hard Mac user here, but the straight dope if all you use is Live would be PC desktop, roll your own ,
you can get the same spec as a mac pro for half the price..?
Not from Dell you cant the Mac Pro ends up being cheaper usually .. just get extra ram from somewhere else
Bold for emphasis; a good PC builder can make a nice powerful PC from scratch that stands up to a comparable Mac for almost half the price.

Personally if I was to get a PC desktop there's no way in hell I would get an OEM machine. I would put it all in a four space rack case and have a semi portable music machine! 8)
I do that for a living pretty tough call.. Sure I can use cheaper more inferior bits but quality wise it is a tough cause. There is so little margin these days it often isnt worth it.