Talk to me about switching to Mac...and still running XP

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I was looking at macbook pros meself, they look very good indeed, and they're fair priced, but still quite a hefty investment.
je n'ai pas besoin de copier.
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Steven T wrote:Cost/performance - THE BASIC TRUTH:

Mac - Laptop (most pc's use low quality parts inside) Mac build solid laptops.

PC - Desktop (custom built destroys mac to itty bitty peices)

apple doesn't build computers, the same tawainese companies build all of them.

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OSx86 :D

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grillo wrote:I was looking at macbook pros meself, they look very good indeed, and they're fair priced, but still quite a hefty investment.
Hefty indeed, but it will last you for a long time.
..::*Jack of all DAWs* brianbotkiller.com : OBEDIA.com::..

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botkiller wrote:As to what I wish I'd known before switching to Mac, I'd say that I wish I'd known that my productivity would have gone up by %90! I spend WAY less time doing analytical shit like finding files and dealing with OS issues. I'm being %100 serious here. I have been a Windows user since 1.0 - and I've never gotten things done as fast as I do on my Mac. Don't get me wrong, I still love windows for various things - but I just get more done on OS X. Perhaps it suits me better. Your results will vary.

There's nothing else I wish I'd known, everything else I already did. Good luck!
Yeah, I've been working with computers since 6th grade (well into last century let's just say), am familiar with both platforms and used a PC for almost 7 years (it only seemed like 20) for my music and I can echo botkiller on this one. I've gotten more done with my Mac in the past year than I did in the previous 3 yrs on my PC. Plug-ins actually work and don't crash my system during playback and I've yet to reach the limit of instruments, effects and audio tracks I can use on a song. I feel like I'm growing again musically because 7 years on a PC had stunted my growth! :D

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Thanks VERY much for the detailed responses. :) It is much appreciated.

(And incidentally I honestly didn't want to turn this into a 'Mac vs PC' thread!)

Regarding why I was thinking of a laptop, it's not for stage use, but simply because the PC is the single largest and most inconvenient object I possess. (ok, maybe apart from my ironing board.) I move house quite a lot, and don't have a car, so every time I move I curse the enormousness of my desktop PC.

Then my thoughts turn to laptops, and I regard Mac laptops to be higher quality than PC laptops (as others agreed above).

But I appreciate it may seem a bit daft to spend so much on a Mac only to then run Windows much of the time.

The Mac Mini is an interesting option because it's so portable and I could of course use my existing (very nice) monitor - but are these now powerful enough for serious music production?

Thank you all again for the opinions so far.
Sound design, audio editing, and instrument programming for UVI Workstation and Falcon/MachFive
http://www.iainmorland.net

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iain_morland wrote:Thanks VERY much for the detailed responses. :) It is much appreciated.

(And incidentally I honestly didn't want to turn this into a 'Mac vs PC' thread!)

Regarding why I was thinking of a laptop, it's not for stage use, but simply because the PC is the single largest and most inconvenient object I possess. (ok, maybe apart from my ironing board.) I move house quite a lot, and don't have a car, so every time I move I curse the enormousness of my desktop PC.

Then when my thoughts turn to laptops, I perceive Mac laptops to be higher quality than PC laptops (as others agreed above).

But I agree it may seem a bit daft to spend so much on a Mac only to then run Windows.

The Mac Mini is an interesting option because it's so portable and I could of course use my existing (very nice) monitor - but are these now powerful enough for serious music production?

Thank you all again for the opinions so far.
The Minis are pretty solid, and actually very powerful, for the price. I've not done a lot of DAW work on them, but I know people who have who have said they're pretty solid.

Sorry if it did turn into a PC/MAC thread, too. I know how annoying that can be. I don't think you're daft for wanting to do this - in fact I endorse it, just give yourself some time to learn OS X and don't get frustrated too fast.
..::*Jack of all DAWs* brianbotkiller.com : OBEDIA.com::..

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Actually - one further thought - if anyone can recommend a really good PC laptop manufacturer, I'd be interested to hear.
Sound design, audio editing, and instrument programming for UVI Workstation and Falcon/MachFive
http://www.iainmorland.net

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Even though the Intel Macs can run Windows, the available video cards are several generations behind the PC in terms of 3D performance. If you like to play modern 3D games, then keep your PC handy for them. For all else, the Mac is a solid platform and you'll get the best of both worlds. :tu:

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debra1rlo wrote:
botkiller wrote:As to what I wish I'd known before switching to Mac, I'd say that I wish I'd known that my productivity would have gone up by %90! I spend WAY less time doing analytical shit like finding files and dealing with OS issues. I'm being %100 serious here. I have been a Windows user since 1.0 - and I've never gotten things done as fast as I do on my Mac. Don't get me wrong, I still love windows for various things - but I just get more done on OS X. Perhaps it suits me better. Your results will vary.

There's nothing else I wish I'd known, everything else I already did. Good luck!
Yeah, I've been working with computers since 6th grade (well into last century let's just say), am familiar with both platforms and used a PC for almost 7 years (it only seemed like 20) for my music and I can echo botkiller on this one. I've gotten more done with my Mac in the past year than I did in the previous 3 yrs on my PC. Plug-ins actually work and don't crash my system during playback and I've yet to reach the limit of instruments, effects and audio tracks I can use on a song. I feel like I'm growing again musically because 7 years on a PC had stunted my growth! :D

wow........... :shock:

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iain_morland wrote:Actually - one further thought - if anyone can recommend a really good PC laptop manufacturer, I'd be interested to hear.
Asus... :D my laptop has survived me for 2 years so far (includes falls and water spills).
Last edited by umd on Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

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iain_morland wrote:Actually - one further thought - if anyone can recommend a really good PC laptop manufacturer, I'd be interested to hear.
I'm not 100% sure these days, but when I got the last pc laptop, sony's were by far the "coolest" I can put that on my lap and use it for just about anything.

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stale bread wrote:

apple doesn't build computers, the same tawainese companies build all of them.
well obviously lol

.... You know what I meant.. (smart alec) :)

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The new Macbook Pro is a killer machine, i got one(15" 2.4 Ghz, 160 HD 2 Gb Ram, 256 Vram) last week to replace my dying 1 Ghz Powerbook.Logic Pro 7.2, Reaktor 5, Stylus RMX are not even taunting the cpu meters yet.Still have a good amount of expandability available too - more ram, esata HD rig.For the sheer boredom of it i put XP home on a 20 GB partion and it ran hella good, i have not touched MS crap since 1999 when i did work for them.In some ways i actually enjoy XP, so the MBP is a great laptop for a dual purpose duty.

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warp x wrote:
johnny1982 wrote:I would only recommend a mac to someone how doesn't know shit about computers and has a lot of money to spend.
actually, I would recommend PC's to those people.
I would recommend a couple of friggin X-Boxes for those people and keep them away from home computers totally... :smack:

Sorry, I'm just bitter because I'm the one who fixes everyone elses damn PC around my way...and its always some mundane stupid thing that they done that screws up their system.. :roll:

:hihi: :hihi: :hihi: :hihi:

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