Mac or PC

IBNZ_RG · #1 03-16-2009, 12:06 AM

I've decided to buy a laptop computer for easier recording for my band. just cant decide between mac or pc. what can i get more out of for my money and which is faster. looking at MacBook or the Dell XPS laptops.

jb4674 · #2 03-16-2009, 12:09 AM

What's your budget? IMO, for a pc to be usable in a recording environment, it has to use windows xp pro, otherwise you're going to sacrifice a lot of performance because vista is not very user friendly when it comes to tweaking it for recording.

Jimmy

IBNZ_RG · #3 03-16-2009, 12:21 AM

well both are around $1000. xps has vista home preminium, more memory and hard drive space. the macbook has Mac OSX instead of windows. so idk. right now im comparing them online so idk. thanks for the advice

jb4674 · #4 03-16-2009, 12:25 AM

No problem. My only gripe with Vista is its unwillingness to let you tweak it like you would xp. OSX is definintely more stable for recording but, you also have to take into account the TCO because you'll obviously need software depending on the platform you choose.

Jimmy

markg5150 · #5 03-16-2009, 05:28 AM

I'd go for a Mac - the bundled Garageband software is pretty good as a start. If you need to upgrade then Logic Express is only £129.

You'll probably need to add RAM to the Mac and maybe a 7200rpm hard drive. I imagine you could spec the Dell to include these from the start

shredmaster · #6 03-16-2009, 12:52 PM

i'm using a new dell laptop with vista, 4 gigs ram. i believe it's the Dell 1530 series, running pro tools for remote sessions. runs awesome. never a hiccup. from a couple of friends with macs... they are limited. i'm also running pro tools in my studio with the 002 rack, vista again. never an issue. if you have a newer machine, or especially new, vista runs perfect. vista loves power and if you throw a great board, cpu and ram at it, it will scream! my shutdown times on my workstation are about 5 seconds...core 2 duo. you also get a lot more power for your money going pc vs. mac. everyone knows that. a friend of mine who uses mac priced out a quad cpu mac system for around $2800 - $3200, whereas you could get a quad pc with 4 gigs ram for about $1400 if you build a nice machine yourself...which is what i will be doing down the road.

guitvai1 · #7 03-16-2009, 09:54 PM

If you want pretty much plug and play hassle free recording go for the Mac. If on the other hand you like to spend hours fiddling with the software and drivers to try and get drivers working and sound in and out of the computer go for the PC. I've used both and switching to the Mac for recording to me is a no-brainer. Garage-Band comes stock and is quite powerful, and I picked up the full version of Logic Pro Studio for $500. By the way I've used Dell laptops for years at work and they are awful. After a while you'll find the mouse cursor jumping around the screen after just touching the case near the keyboard. This has happened on all 5 Dell laptops I've had.

**elcid** · #8 03-16-2009, 10:02 PM

Really? Another Mac/Pc Thread

**jemsite** · #9 03-16-2009, 10:05 PM

grossly overpay for mediocrity = mac

guitvai1 · #10 03-16-2009, 10:29 PM

grossly overypay for microsoft crap = PC

**jemsite** · #11 03-16-2009, 10:32 PM

Windows Xp/Vista costs OEMs $25-$40 - IF THAT. XP netbooks sell PROFITABLY for under $300. please get a clue

...glen

guitvai1 · #12 03-16-2009, 10:54 PM

Honestly why are you such an Microsoft lover - all Bill Gates did was promote the hell out of something that is bloated and mediocre at best and become extremely wealthy doing it. Now if you want something that is relatively hassle free and user friendly get a Mac. By the way save snarky little insults for people you know or at least people in same room as you :P

shredmaster · #13 03-16-2009, 11:05 PM

every company is greedy. i'm certainly not a microsoft lover but i prefer it over mac. i do like apple products, to a point. i draw the line at ipod and iphone. again, it depends on the person. if you're technical minded, you will more than likely go with pc, as there is so much more you can do in upgrades and configs alone. garageband is good for stuff but i personally am too limited by it. burger king or mcdonalds, same thing. i have never spent hours on drivers and such with all my machines. never had issues. maybe cuz i'm a tech and have been so for over 10 years? i don't know, my stuff just works. maybe the people having issues with pc's are the ones trying to run a massive app such as pro tools on an xp machine running a gig of ram, at best, with a pentium IV processor. One of my friends is an avid mac lover and i make fun of him all the time... and he gives it right back. it's all good fun. i have never been a fan of..... you can only do this..... and that is it! what if you had a guitar that had the floyd rose permanently fixed to the body, along with the pickups and this guitar was connected to one amp and that was it? that's no fun. i like changing out pickups. what if the floyd goes bad? you're stuck. i change out amps and mix it up. that's kind of where it is for me. i like to upgrade and change things to see how far i can push it. but, as you said, if you like plug it in and go, here it is, that's all you'll get...then mac is for you....and you will pay 6X's as much easy. it's kind of a cult in a way...kinda creepy. walking into an apple store reminds me of some weird sci fi movie....it's all too white and plastic for me like a futuristic operating room.

**elcid** · #14 03-16-2009, 11:17 PM

I built my current computer about 6-7 years ago, the only problem I've ever had with it was my power supply burned out last year. No crippling software problems, never (in 15 years) a blue screen, and that's real life fact, not internet rumor and marketing bullsht. Not having a basic understanding about how something like a computer works, and basic configurations is just stupid, it has nothing to do with ease of use.

I'd personally never buy any mac product for the simple reason of being one of the people who buys a product and instantly feels like they are part of a "community". A friend of mine bought a mac and eventually ever apple product they release. He even has a cute apple sticker on his car, so strangers on the highway know he's cool.
Worse than part of the mac community he became one of the more arrogant ones. I avoid computer discussions at all cost with him, to hear him tell it macs cure cancer, feed the hungry and give puppies to little children.

**jemsite** · #15 03-16-2009, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitvai1

Honestly why are you such an Microsoft lover - all Bill Gates did was promote the hell out of something that is bloated and mediocre at best and become extremely wealthy doing it. Now if you want something that is relatively hassle free and user friendly get a Mac. By the way save snarky little insults for people you know or at least people in same room as you :P

microsoft lover... ROTFLMAO... you really have no idea what you're posting. Fact remains that microsoft does release better products overall at a fair & reasonable price, sure it took some litigation to but those were different times... look at what google is allowed to do nowadays. Microsoft has open architecture on basically everything, including for developers.

OTOH apple requires licensed chips to use headphones with new iPods

...glen

ps - i also loathe charging 2x for inferior products and the people who champion that type of business model.