MAC vs PC... FIGHT !

[Ultraslide]

I work on Mac TDM and PC PTLE regularly.
For the long haul Mac TDM is the best bet.
Both platforms are very stable but when all costs and depreciations are taken into consideration a used Mix system on a used G4 500 is still a better value then a cheap PC (that will be worthless in 1 year)running PTLE. Macs cost more but have excellent resale value. Same with TDM gear. PCs lose 1/2 thier value every 6 months. Macs take 2 years to depreciate that much.

I have 2 PCs but my next upgrade will be Mac TDM (its expensive, but for Pro Tools its the way)

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[jsmooth226]

you could probably upgrade your pc three times before you equal the price of a compatable mac.. [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[Ultraslide]

Not so ... I pulled my receipts and after all the upgrades and parts to build a quality system, Macs are no more expensive after depreciation is considered.
Remember ... whats cheap today is worthless tomorrow. Consider what you're paying to "use" your PC. Build a good box for a grand and add 200 for the OS. Now two years later your box is worth $200 maybe and the OS is worth $200. You've paid 800 to use that PC for two years. With no support and a bagfull of vendors to deal with for hardware support. Ever had a hardware problem on a home built PC?? Every vendor has mastered the "its the other guys fault" line. You are fscked. (2 words ... Creative Labs)

Buy a Mac for 2000 (OS included) use it for two years sell it for 1200. You've paid 800 to use the Mac for two years. You get real support and the option of warranty extension (249??). Cant do that on a home built cheapo PC. In fact most el cheapo PC parts only come with a 90 day warranty for OEM sell-offs.

I really dont see what the flap is all about. PCs have thier place, so do Macs. But this praddling about cost by PC users is so short sighted and typical.
Nobody dares to say PCs are actually better, because for ProTools they're not. They'll just do more tracks.
"More is better !!!"-the battle hymn of the PC.

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[mBoxLuvr]

Originally posted by Ultraslide:
...Buy a Mac for 2000 (OS included) use it for two years sell it for 1200. You've paid 800 to use the Mac for two years. You get real support and the option of warranty extension (249??). Cant do that on a home built cheapo PC. In fact most el cheapo PC parts only come with a 90 day warranty for OEM sell-offs...
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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">This is true from what Ive experienced up here in Canada! Weird that I can still sell an Powermac 6100/66AV for 500 to some MacHead, but have a harder time getting rid of an old DellXPS300 (300mhz) for 300!

[Martin Vipond]

I've run PTLE on a Digi001 on both a Mac and Win98 and WinXP within the last six months.

I got tired of messing with 98. I am a network adminstrator and do that all day long. The real advantange of a PC is that there are some many possible combinations of hardware to use. The big disadvantage of the PC is that there are so many possible hardware combinations.

So I decided to switch. I bought a G4 and dedicated it to PT. Easy install, hardly any configuration at all. The system was stable from the git. Plus it just somehow seemed "happier" on the Mac.

But I missed my plug ins. I didn't have a burner. I didn't have a two track editor. (I used Sound Forge on the PC) Plus I edit video and the selections for that on the Mac aren't as plentiful as on the PC.

So I sold the MAC and built a new PC. XP works great and is stable. So it's all good. My old video card has some issues. Sometimes the display just "isn't quite right." But I'll switch it out for a different card and fix it.

Having said all of that, what seems a little strange to me is all of the Mac advocates that can't wait for the OSX version to come out. Essentially, OSX is Unix, and I be willing to bet a bunch that they wouldn't switch to a Unix box if Digidesign came out with a Unix version of PT. Right? So the writing was on the wall anyway, it won't be long before PT won't be supported on 9.2, and it's had a longer history on Windows than on Unix. So the only advantage I can see is that the Apple hardware is more consistant from box to box.

The thing is this, I can send you songs produced on either platform, and you won't be able to tell me which came from which. So it's a matter of being comfortable with your system, it's little idiosyncracies, and unique capabilities. Just like any other tool you use.

If you think you need MAC, go get one. If you'd rather have a Windows box, go get one of those. There is little difference in the way the software works on either and there is lots of support for both.

mjv

[bouncing balls]

It's solid as a rock and I'll fight before I'll switch!

[Ultraslide]

Ok ... I dont wanna seem like zealot. There are those that benefit greatly from PCs.
Since I started down the PC path 8 years ago, I have built countless machines and that knowledge has turned into a lucrative day job.
Point is ... after a while one may get sick of the headaches associated with building a PC and getting support. Even if Macs are more expensive upfront the advantages can outweigh the initial cost.

I realize these arent "fighting words" ... but hey, its really all about the music. I'm not gonna knock some Les Paul owner because I love Strats. Whatever inspires you is what's best.
Some people are inspired by building that box. Theres good feeling booting up a PC you have an intimate knowledge of.
Some are inspired by nice looking GUIs and plugin variety.

to each his own.

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[qbert1]

This whole PC = More Horsepower concept.

I'm not real sure, but I think I read a long time ago that a PC processor needs to make 4 calculations when a Mac takes only 1?

Are we improperly comparing a 500Mhz G4 with a 500 P3? Or have we taken this into consideration?

If this 4:1 ratio I mentioned above is true, wouldn't a G4 500 more or less equal a P4 2.0 ghz?

I could be way off, but thats what I remember. Any input?