Mac or PC, which is the winner for audio production?

[pcmusicpro]

Hi

I've been a PC user all my life and I've been using PC systems since Pro Tools 5.1. Now I use PT9 with a Core 2Quad Q6600, an Asus MOBO on Win 732 bits. I'm happy working well.

Recently a friend of mine started using PT. He came from Nuendo, and he has a PC very similar to mine. He is not doing OK and He is blaming Win 7 and wants a Mac because people say to him that Mac is better.

Is this old controversy still valid? does a Mac system outperforms a PC system with similar caracteristics (equivalent CPU, Ram, Mobo)?

Thanks.

Ed.

[Dot]

we had this conversation so many times, and i'll answer as always. its a personal preference. some people blame pcs switching to macs, and some people blame macs switching to pcs. the truth is that, you can't compare $1500 mac to $400 crappy dell laptop. components play big role obviously but if you know how to use your gear you shouldn't have problems at all. If you use your computer for multipurpose from gaming to music and what not at some certain point something gonna go wrong. Win7 is a great system, Pro Tools works just fine on my machine and my laptop as well.

[EGS]

This question is soooo old... PTools works quite well on both platforms, so get a computer and make music !!! Mac users will tell you Mac, Win users will say Win. Advantages/disadvantages to each. (I use both.) I suggest you read through these forums a bit. Also, try this:

http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/self...p?DocId=353265

[Charles D. Ballard]

Ditto the above. Asking which works better for audio is like asking which is better for the long jump, black or white shoes? :)

[albee1952]

Well said already. My take; Mac requires more cash, while PC requires more homework. Would I love to have a mac Pro 12 core? You bet! Do I make a living with my $1200 self-built PC? You bet!

[The Weed]

Do I have money left over for other gear besides a computer - YOU BET!



Cheers,

[ondruspat]

Pcmusicpro, if your buddy has a "similar" system to yours advise him to swing on by the DUC and post a SANDRA report. It might just be a small tweak or one overlooked piece of hardware hanging him up. Hate to have him buy a whole new system when his might do the job when it's tweaked...

[GTBannah]

The debate continues! Albee's point about doing homework is an excellent one, and it encapsulates my feelings.
The PC world is very muddy. EVERYBODY and their brother feels that their way is the best way to build components; all the chipsets, sockets etc.
This week I had a situation where I had an MSI MOBO running an i7 chip. it ran reasonably well, but I decided to switch to a Gigabyte MOBO, only to realise, that the Gigabyte uses a different socket from the MSI, so I had to change the i7 chip as well.

I have had WEEKS of down time in the past, only to find out, that even though the video card was compatible with the chipset on the MOBO, as soon as you connect the DELTA 1010 (remember those?) you had to get a different video card. The good old days!

With a Mac, you buy a computer, and you are 100% assured of ZERO compatibility issues. ANY hardware built to work with a Mac HAS to fit into the Mac criteria!

It cost more, but it works.

In terms of performance, in the days of the Motorola chips, 1998, I saw a buddy of mine with a 200MHz G3, doing twice as many trcks and effects than I was on my P3 266MHz. It was so embarassing! I understand, that with the "new" Intel chips, the performance difference is not so great. Those with more knowledge on these matters, please clarify, as it will inform decisions for the future.

Why am I not working with a Mac, because my "other" DAW is not on the Mac platform .... YET!

[The Weed]

I don't know about your PIII, but my P4 and others on the forum at the time were all getting about 50% more power in Pro Tools than the Macs at the time.

Avid is getting better at the PC world and the PC world seems to be narrowing chipset choices too.

The strength of Macland is that it's basically monolithic; essentially everyone has the same computer and it's very easy to code software and drivers in that regard. The weakness in Macland is - it's monolithic; there's not a lot of choice.

In PCland, the weakness is there's so much choice; it's very difficult at times to code software and drivers for the diverse components, their variations in assembly and their quality. The strength in PCland is - there's so much choice. You can choose the best parts from various manufacturers and assemble a monster, quality computer for a reasonable cost if you so desire. For a PC audio computer, a little homework can save you money and grief and, if your PC will run Pro Tools reliably and in a stable fashion, then it should run any other (audio) program extremely well. See the i7 thread, first page for tried and tested parts and configurations.

At the end of the day there are two points to remember: 1) the parts inside a Mac and a PC are now pretty much the same - same manufacturers, same suppliers and 2) they're tools, not religious icons - use what you're comfortable with and what you can afford.

Cheers,

[spenner]

Originally Posted by pcmusicpro

Is this old controversy still valid? does a Mac system outperforms a PC system with similar caracteristics (equivalent CPU, Ram, Mobo)?

Several years ago I bought an iMac and Macbook on an educational discount because I was told Mac was better. The difference would be indescribable causing a sudden rush of euphoria. Did not happen. It was no more stable than the Core 2 Quad I had built + optimized for audio. I still preferred Windows OS.

Today, I have Windows 7 Pro on the Macbook and use them both mostly for office stuff. My i7 930, 12G RAM, 4 INT 1TB HDD, housed in a HAF 932 runs DAWs with no problems. And, was cheaper than buying a Mac with the same specs.

My point, choose the OS you prefer and get a powerful compatible computer. The which one is better stuff is is outdated, lame, and largely driven by those who expected a $400 PC to run like a $3,000 Mac.