PC vs Mac

Status
Not open for further replies.
So basically stick to PC...And whats your system Salem?

At least until you can find someone who can make a compelling argument for Macs based on factual performance metrics rather than vague feelings of pride.

My system:

Processor: Intel Core i7 3930K
RAM: 16GB Quad-Channel Crucial 1600MHz (4x4GB)
Motherboard: ASUS P9X79LE
Video Card 1: AMD Radeon HD 7770
Video Card 2: AMD Radeon HD 5450
Audio Interface: RME HDSPe AIO
Hard Drive 1: Toshiba 1GB 7200RPM SATA3 HDD
Hard Drive 2: Western Digital 1GB 7200RPM SATA3 HDD
I used to have a 256GB OCZ Vector SSD which was BLAZING fast but unreliable, so I had to get rid of it.

When you buy a $1,200 computer, there's generally a sense of pride in the system.
That's why Mac users are so exuberant about their systems -- they're all expensive.

Just for fun, I decided to ask Apple why they don't provide the model numbers for their processors. This is how it went (unfortunately, Jing captures only 5 minutes of video, and the rep took forever, so we don't get to see how he "resolves" the situation -- suffice to say that they had to pass me to someone else who also could not resolve it):

lol at apple - SalemBeats's library

The thing about a Windows PC (and I specify "Windows PC" to point out that Macs are, in fact, PCs these days) is that you DO need to be able to set it up properly. Windows is targeted to a broad demographic, and out-of-the-box, its settings reflect that. Many settings are enabled by default which sacrifice performance for power savings. Some Windows computers come with third-party bloatware which, until uninstalled, slow down the computer significantly. Once you change the priorities in the OS from stability and power economy to pure performance, you feel like you've gotten what you've paid for and more. You do need to take the time to learn a little bit, though.
A little thinking never hurt anyone, especially musicians, who often fancy themselves as smarter than the general public anyway.

-Ki
Salem Beats
 
Last edited:
LMAO dude that chat was pretty funny, Chrome FTW bruh
And since I'm running a laptop EVEN with dope specs am I limited in comparison to if I were to be using a desktop? I mean given the compact arrangement of the guts I wouldn't think it would affect it all that much, my Laptop stays relatively cool compared to my old HPG600 which was scorching hot
 
PC is probably better spec wise for the price but I haven't used windows since XP and I'll most likely never go back, but the days of Mac being the end all for music production is probably over
 
LMAO dude that chat was pretty funny, Chrome FTW bruh
And since I'm running a laptop EVEN with dope specs am I limited in comparison to if I were to be using a desktop? I mean given the compact arrangement of the guts I wouldn't think it would affect it all that much, my Laptop stays relatively cool compared to my old HPG600 which was scorching hot

Even with roughly the same specs adding a second SATA hard drive to a tower system for streaming audio does not tax the CPU like adding a USB hard drive to a laptop does, likewise tower systems are not limited to connecting audio/MIDI interfaces via a latent, jittery i/o that was made for printers and shit.

Whether or not you see your laptop as limited compared to a tower system will depend on how well it suits your needs, like if you work exclusively by drawing shit into a piano roll latency is not going to be an issue that matters to you, if however you find yourself in the midst of some ghetto ass desk hogging laptop setup with a squid of cables interconnecting a mess of peripherals and wall warts and you are experiencing timing issues it might be time to rethink things.
 
Last edited:
Generally you get more bang for your buck with pc or ibm instead of mac... and I'm working on a notebook as well and the only issue I run into is issues due to multiple plugins... blue screens and lagging or whatever... but my next purchase is going to be a desktop because a lot of the producers I know that run off of desktop don't have many issues at all... and it's easier to build more into a new desktop
 
Even with roughly the same specs adding a second SATA hard drive to a tower system for streaming audio does not tax the CPU like adding a USB hard drive to a laptop does, likewise tower systems are not limited to connecting audio/MIDI interfaces via a latent, jittery i/o that was made for printers and shit.

Whether or not you see your laptop as limited compared to a tower system will depend on how well it suits your needs, like if you work exclusively by drawing shit into a piano roll latency is not going to be an issue that matters to you, if however you find yourself in the midst of some ghetto ass desk hogging laptop setup with a squid of cables interconnecting a mess of peripherals and wall warts and you are experiencing timing issues it might be time to rethink things.
\

Latency matters a great deal as i can actually play the keys. I notice some plugins acting crappy in FL for some reason - specifically Nexus 2 - i have no clue why it used to work fine and still works fine in Maschine...As far as setup, i just want NO issues that get in my way of creating, and I want to do it relatively fast. My sh*t crashes more than i would like and i just bought this laptop
 
Last edited:
Really latency isn't an issue. Its just CPU and things running smoothly and quickly. I mean Salem recommended me a soundcard I don't even use because I dont see a huge difference in latency between the fairly efficient ASIO4all...I want a FREAKIN beast that doesnt interrupt workflow
 
mac os is better and more stable then any version of windows

Can you provide objective proof of this statement?

When a the last time you had to reboot your mac?

My music optimised pc ran for a total of 3 weeks before I last had to reboot it and then I only had to reboot to integrate some new os updates
 
A Mac is like a camera with a really nice fixed lens as standard while a PC is more like a camera with a crappy detachable lens which can be replaced with a lens that is far better than the standard lens found on the Mac.
 
i only reboot my mac when i have installed updates that need it to be restarted. Other than that its on 24x7

both of them
 
Last edited:
I have a degree in graphic design so naturally I've owned Macs for most of my working life. But, recently I've decided to build my own pc since the last Mac I owned decided to crap out on me after a year a half. I can tell you right now that I probably will never go back to using a Mac unless something really big came up that I had to go back (like me being hired by Dr. Luke to co-produce a Katy Perry track). But with this PC that I've built I have a computer that cost the same as my previous Mac, but with twice the power, kick ass dedicated graphics card, twice the hdd storage and at 7200rpm, upgradability, and the satisfaction that I built the computer and it's my baby.

Macs have had a reputation for being the most reliable and user friendly computers in the past but that isn't the case anymore. They're in the same category as Pro Tools. They were the go to company in the past but the competition has caught up and the differences are minimal now. Same goes for ios vs Android.

Apple as well as Pro Tools need to rethink their business models if they want to continue dominating the market.

Mac forever. They just don't slow down and become outdated as fast as Windows computers. I'm using an imac from 2009 and it still performs amazing with all the programs I use. Most Windows computers from 2009 are probably slow, virus infected and bound to crash.

No no no.

The fact that I built a PC two months ago and it is twice as fast, 3x the graphics power, more hdd space, and has expand-ability trumps the macs I purchased in the past. Macs used to be able to brag about being the most reliable and user friendly but that is not the case anymore. In the past two months I haven't run into a single problem with my custom built pc. Not one. After getting to learn Windows inside and out I can honestly say that it is as good as OSX. And I've used nothing but Apple computer for the past 10 years.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have a degree in graphic design so naturally I've owned Macs for most of my working life. But, recently I've decided to build my own pc since the last Mac I owned decided to crap out on me after a year a half. I can tell you right now that I probably will never go back to using a Mac unless something really big came up that I had to go back (like me being hired by Dr. Luke to co-produce a Katy Perry track). But with this PC that I've built I have a computer that cost the same as my previous Mac, but with twice the power, kick ass dedicated graphics card, twice the hdd storage and at 7200rpm, upgradability, and the satisfaction that I built the computer and it's my baby.

Macs have had a reputation for being the most reliable and user friendly computers in the past but that isn't the case anymore. They're in the same category as Pro Tools. They were the go to company in the past but the competition has caught up and the differences are minimal now. Same goes for ios vs Android.

Apple as well as Pro Tools need to rethink their business models if they want to continue dominating the market.



No no no.

The fact that I built a PC two months ago and it is twice as fast, 3x the graphics power, more hdd space, and has expand-ability trumps the macs I purchased in the past. Macs used to be able to brag about being the most reliable and user friendly but that is not the case anymore. In the past two months I haven't run into a single problem with my custom built pc. Not one. After getting to learn Windows inside and out I can honestly say that it is as good as OSX. And I've used nothing but Apple computer for the past 10 years.

whats the specs on your build? and price?
 
I have a degree in graphic design so naturally I've owned Macs for most of my working life. But, recently I've decided to build my own pc since the last Mac I owned decided to crap out on me after a year a half. I can tell you right now that I probably will never go back to using a Mac unless something really big came up that I had to go back (like me being hired by Dr. Luke to co-produce a Katy Perry track). But with this PC that I've built I have a computer that cost the same as my previous Mac, but with twice the power, kick ass dedicated graphics card, twice the hdd storage and at 7200rpm, upgradability, and the satisfaction that I built the computer and it's my baby.

Macs have had a reputation for being the most reliable and user friendly computers in the past but that isn't the case anymore. They're in the same category as Pro Tools. They were the go to company in the past but the competition has caught up and the differences are minimal now. Same goes for ios vs Android.

Apple as well as Pro Tools need to rethink their business models if they want to continue dominating the market.



No no no.

The fact that I built a PC two months ago and it is twice as fast, 3x the graphics power, more hdd space, and has expand-ability trumps the macs I purchased in the past. Macs used to be able to brag about being the most reliable and user friendly but that is not the case anymore. In the past two months I haven't run into a single problem with my custom built pc. Not one. After getting to learn Windows inside and out I can honestly say that it is as good as OSX. And I've used nothing but Apple computer for the past 10 years.
How well does logic run on that system?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top