Pros and Cons

[SPstudios]

I know that this is a tired subject but i am looking to buy a new computer and I cant decide between a mac and pc. I have read the performance data on the windows forum and am impressed. The thread i would like to start is strictly pros and cons of each. I am looking to use this computer as my home computer and my DAW all in one.

Thanks

[Mr T]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>"I have read the performance data on the windows forum... " <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Well...perhaps you should do the same on this forum...Do a search on "track counts" for example.
But don't ask us if we are pro or con Mac...The answer resides in the title of this forum...

[kris whitten]

Mr. T is right.

Thats like asking a redneck with a ford or a chevy which one you should get.

Depends on which one he's driving.

Having driven both (pc and Mac). I would never go back to a pc.

I bet you will find a lot of people in this forum who used to own a PC.

You probably won't find too many PC users who "recently" dumped the mac.

But the wisest advice is to get the one that best suits your needs, and allows you to work quickly and efficently.

And taking into consideration the amount of time you will spend rebooting, and rebuilding.

If you get the other one that is [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[seandaly]

as somebody who dumped PC for Mac as a DAW, I keep my old PC around for non-audiovisual stuff (surfing, mail, word processing, spreadsheets, games) and use the Mac as a dedicated workstation for PTLE and Final Cut Pro work. I must say that after my millionth blue screen of death under Windows the boring stability of the Mac is a real pleasure. On the other hand, it IS true that I tried to get my poor old overworked PC to be a jack of all trades... I wound up choosing Mac because at this time it is a clearly better platform for digital video editing (better software available, native firewire, better massive RAM management).

Although a new PC running Windows will give you more (maybe even MUCH more) processing power at a lower price point, stability and compatibility issues tend to be worse. Which is not to say that Macs are immune to these pbs, I just find that Windows requires more fighting.

If I could give advice, it would be: whatever you choose, keep your DAW as clean as possible. Troubleshooting takes up too much time.

P.S.: it's a tough call, since both Apple and Microsoft have just released revamped operating systems (X.1 and XP) which are both reputed to be more stable and handle multiprocessing better... when PT will be multiproc compatible...

[The Electric Trombone]

I used to use a PC for a DAW. I now use a MAC for a DAW. Also, I would not recommend using a machine for both a home computer and a DAW. It can be done, its just more headache. I have found that something dedicated to audio is less hassle to maintain. Oh and consider the term "DAW".

[Eddie K. wannabe]

MAC PROS
1)Better performance (reliabilty)
2)software install is easier (my opinion)
3)Better software apps
4)eaiser to diagnos and fix problems
5)serious people (i.e. PROS) use mac, you wont find PCs in most pro studios, post propduction houses, etc. That's not to say they are better than PC, but that leads to a commonality among more people professional and hobbyist alike

MAC CONS
1)COST

[phamtec]

Oh,

And the very final reason why you should use a mac is that.... PC's SUCK!!!!!



Paul.

[SAMP]

My two cents:

Check around with pro studios: although PT sessions transfer between Mac and PC, I found that most studios in my area (so cal) do use a mac.And, someday, you may want to take that killer session you did at home, throw it onto a disk or external drive and take it somewhere for mastering or whatnot. Believe me, there's nothing like unplugging your firewire drive containing mucho gigs of audio on it, carting it down to a pro studio, plugging it in to their gear and having it pop up seamlessly.

The studios I work with are always relieved when I tell them the session originated on a mac. That speaks volumes right there.

That said, I'm a mac guy-so obviously, my opinion isn't objective. Good luck.

[sidneymusic]

I've been a Mac fan since they came out...hated PCs. I am also a software developer who uses PC's all day every day.

My understanding is that Pro Tools LE will only run on Win 98 or Windows ME. These operating systems are very unreliable and probably the source of most poeple's PC problems on this forum. Because I'm a developer, though, I use a REAL PC operating system at work, XP Professional or Windows 2000. These operating systems are incredibly better and more stable that the Win 95/98/ME family. I pound the heck out of my PC boxes and never have crashes. Seriously...I reboot my machine only when I have to for installing new software. So...I trust my PC way more than my Mac. My Mac LE system is pretty stable, but probably crashes once a week with moderate use. If Digidesign started supporting the more robust PC operating systems, I wouldn't have a problem switching and you'd probably see a lot of Mac people slowly switching as well because of hardware price...if they can learn to trust Bill a little. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

I wouldn't even mess around with a Win 95/98/ME system if I were you. Wait and see...maybe Digi will announce XP support for LE at NAMM, then consider it. But I would go with a Mac system for now considering the options available today.

[nz]

One one...Mac.