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mac vs pc laptop (your experiences)
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cytopia
Cytopia.org
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 11:23
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I couldnt find a thread with detailed info. I am shopping for a laptop and cant decide between mac or pc.
Some people swear macs run more stable and have less glitching and conflicts, other insists that PC of same speed will run just as smooth and that macs also have problems.
Logic is not the issue, I am a cubase literate and will stick to that for the time being regardless of whether I buy a pc or a mac.
Anyone want to share their experiences of mac vs pc for music production? Interested in your comments. Thanks in advance,
Sander
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Glitch_CapeTown
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 11:49
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Spindrift
Spindrift
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 12:19
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@glitch
He was asking about a laptop.
The powerbooks have max 3GB of RAM, and hence a bit less than many PC's.
Usually macs is overpriced for what you get, but not so much so with the powerbooks.
If you spec a quality PC to match the powerbook the price difference will not be big enough to be the deciding factor IMO.
As for stability with the PC you need to research things a bit more to get good hardware and be able to tweak the OS.
Otherwise you might get an unstable machine, but windows can run your software just as well as OSX.
Basically it comes down to if you really want to run OSX for whatever reason since the hardware and cost will not differ too much.
IMO the OS itself doesn't matter much.
I don't play around with it a whole lot for the sake of it, just configure it and start running my apps.
I couldn't care less if one is prettier than the other or one got a better finder than the other.
The most important aspect is what software it will run.
There windows have the advantage and that's why I use it, but if you would be really keen on for example Logic or metasynth that would mean going for OSX.
Of course nowadays you can run windows on your MAC as well as install OSX on your PC (although it's not allowed by apple).
So the main thing would be to look at the hardware specs and see which one best fits your needs.
Maybe it happens to be the powerbook, and in that case go for it.
If you find OSX limiting in the software options then just run windows on it.
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cytopia
Cytopia.org
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 13:36
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Thanks Spindrift.
The main issue is stability. My pc has bugged out alot and I spend so much time configuring and reinstalling plugins etc while I want to be making music.
Mac is more expensive, and then I cannot also open the same project on my PC. This is the downside of getting a mac. Plus i hear from some people that macs bug out just as much as PC.
Anyone using a macbook for music --> Is is running stable??
Thanks again 
Sander
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Kalimamboh
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 13:49
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From the moment I had both I can tell you that there is not much difference in terms of power and performance, it really depends what do you need it for...If you plan to use your laptop mainly for production and use cubase so maybe the pc has the advantage ,because you'll find a lot more vst's out there for windows.
If you need the laptop for gigs so maybe a Mac it's more stable, OSX is a better operative system and it looks and feel nicer....
It's more a matter of taste than a real technical issue
If you decide to go for a PC get a Sony VAIO, probably the best laptops out there,
but if you get a new powerbook pro has the Intel CPU so you can run both windows and osx and cost more or less the same of a Vaio.
Ok my friend take care and good luck |
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Glitch_CapeTown
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 14:34
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Spindrift
Spindrift
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 14:58
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Quote:
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On 2007-06-13 14:34, Glitch_CapeTown wrote:
Coz, PC Laptops are pretty crap, they last about a year maybe 2...
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Err...maybe it depends a bit which one of the thousands different laptops available you choose?
There is for sure PC's that is sturdier built than powerbooks, but they can be very costly.
That is the problem with PC's compared to MAC's though....you'll need to research to make sure you get good quality.
And if you do get a comparable quality machine it will not be much cheaper than the mac with the same specs.
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psylevation
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 15:40
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Quote:
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On 2007-06-13 14:34, Glitch_CapeTown wrote:
Is It Mac(Laptop) Vs. PC(Desktop)???
Coz, PC Laptops are pretty crap, they last about a year maybe 2....
Dont ever get a PC Laptop :S
I have had very bad experiences, with PC laptops....
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You just need to pick a quality laptop. I've had a
Sony
Vaio for years, my friend also has had one and have had no problems, they always run great.
Though end up being a bit out of date after a while  ...
~Airyck~
~Unoccupied Mind ~
Psyowa! |
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cytopia
Cytopia.org
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 16:07
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Thanx for the input
Yes I mean mac laptop vs pc laptop.
Good to hear Sony runs stable. I also hear good things about the more advanced ASUS models.
The macbook pro is really expensive, maybe I go pc and then will be able to get a good soundcard. I
I am also Osx illiterate, and using XP will make laptop files and projects interchangable with my desktop. But having said that, I find my pc desktop doesnt really run as stable as i would like it to, which is why mac tempts me. Perhaps dualcore pc without all the office stuff will make the studio run smoothly....
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Glitch_CapeTown
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 17:34
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RenderingRebel
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 18:18
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I've had this issue before
I have a powerbook now, running really smooth
For livesets its great, never had ANY problems whatsoever
now im going for a macbook pro, gonna be even more pleased
(im selling my pb 17" 1.67ghz 2gb ram if you're interested
Running cubase in windows so i can produce on the road and running macosx on stage.
Since i went mac, i never want to go back 
But i like xp aswell for some points that why i chose for this configuration
the macbook is powerfull enough aswell but im a sucker for big screens because i do design aswell
btw: running tinyXP inproved the stability of my studio desktop alot
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Colin OOOD
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 18:33
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Spindrift
Spindrift
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 18:41
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Generally I think ASUS is good quality, but their laptops can be problematic for audio.
A common problem is the controllers they use for cardbus and/or firwewire.
For audio use, if you think you might be running a PCMCIA or firewire soundcard, you want the chips to be Texas Instruments.
With most manufacturers that varies from model to model. The high end DELL Inspirons (8x00 and 9x00) used to be very good for audio, but the latest model Inspirion 9400 uses, like many ASUS laptops, a Ricoh controller that causes problem.
Anything Sony is usually overpriced, but I heard many good reports about their newer models.
But I still doubt they are good value.
Apart from checking what controller you get I can't give much specific advice about the current offerings though.
I only use laptop for live and DJ use, and don't need so many tracks and plugins, so I just got myself a Inspiron 8500 s/h that I'm sure will do the job because even my old Inspiron 8000 hardly had any difficulties running sufficient amount of track and plugs for my purposes.
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OpenSourceCode
Datavore
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 19:57
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Two things to consider:
What connection does your sound card use? Mac laptops have the full-size firewire port built in, which is MUCH more stable in a live situation. I have a PC and the little 4-pin port ended up coming loose inside the computer. So now I use a PC-express firewire card. Which is just one more set of drivers to go wrong, and another fragile little thing to get broken in my gig bag.
The other thing is drivers. With macs, (at least if you're running OSX) all the hardware is going to be the same, and most any hardware/drivers will have been tested before release with that specific hardware. With PC, its a crapshoot. Consider a audio-specialized PC. They're usually built with good hardware.
I use a sonica laptop. Aside from the crap firewire port, its pretty solid. www.sonicalabs.com
RAIN makes some pretty good stuff, too. look around... |
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Spindrift
Spindrift
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Posted : Jun 13, 2007 20:48
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Yeah...those 4 pin connections is really bad.
There is some Toshibas, Samsungs and Acers with 6 pins, but 99% of PC's use 4 pin which is not only fiddly and unreliable but also doesn't provide bus power.
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