time to upgrade...MAC PRO or again PC ?

[lukx]

I'm very old PC user, but for soem time I'm thinking about switching to dark side .
Right now I have quad core pc with 8800GTX card 8 GB ram, but I need more power for 3dsmax, vray, Photoshop, AE, and would love to use Final Cut. Do you think that 8 Core MAC PRO mighe be a good idea. I'll be honest I also want to buy in future Apple laptop and I love their design.
I read a lot and it seems they are worth the price.

[thablanch]

Design is great.. But buck for buck, you get more from a PC.. if you are willing to pay that extra 1000$ for Mac ( for about same specs) you may consider putting that money on better processors, more ram, kick-**s videocard, something usefull. I'm not Pro-Mac or Anti-Mac, but on a logic sens, they make less logic. Then again, their design is nice, so can not argue with that...

[judderman]

Agree with thablanch, I'd spend my money on a faster PC. I don't really care if my actual desktop isn't a thing of beauty, it's what you do with it in the end.

[rmejia]

With Macs I believe it is best to buy right after an update... if you can wait for it.

[3DMK]

QUESTION - Do good looking computers render faster????
Answer - NO!


Like the guys said.....spend the extra money on a better CPU, more RAM, etc

There is also the issue of working under the MAC operating system.......NOT fun if you are used to windows.

Here's a CAR/computer analogy

My mate used to love pulling up next to flashy new sports cars at lights in his beat-up hotrod.
They would gennerally look down their noses at him.....especially when he started to rev up his rust bucket, looking for a drag race.
Needless to say when they started to race, he always blew them away simply because his engine was usually twice as big & powerfull.
The new car owners may have looked cool [Like macs].......but usually come last.

There is more to life than LOOKS.

Cheers

[dcullipher]

I am trying to figure out where you can buy a PC that has Dual Xeon procs that is 1,000s less than a mac. Everyone keeps saying it but going to Dell or Boxx or HP workstations its the same price or more. Not trying to make a point I just really would like to know as I buy a bunch of PCs as well.

As Far as the mac pro question you could easily go with that machine, however what I would recommend is that you get an iMac for FCP and use it for rendering in addition to your new machine. I find personally it is better to have two machines and it will give you the most flexibility and extra horsepower.

[3DMK]

I am trying to figure out where you can buy a PC that has Dual Xeon procs that is 1,000s less than a mac. Everyone keeps saying it but going to Dell or Boxx or HP workstations its the same price or more. Not trying to make a point I just really would like to know as I buy a bunch of PCs as well.

Xeon's are way over priced compared to the new 8 core i7.
I just bought two i7 computers for only slightly more than one Dual Xeon.

The best thing about the i7 chips is that they can be overclocked much better than the xeon
I have two bios settings where I can run it at it's normal 2.8 Ghz with 8 cores or I can switch it to 4 cores [hyper-threading off & safely run it overclocked at 3.6 Ghz]
The beauty of this is that I can work in max at 3.6ghz which makes everything super quick [when building/working up a scene & when it's final render time I will reboot with 8 Cores.


I would also avoid buying from the larger companies like dell, boxx and go for a medium size company as I have found they usually give the best prices.

Hope this helps

[dcullipher]

So the 8 core i7 is with hyperthreading on? With my Xeons I get 16 HT cores. In that case for me its about rack density. But the value in the i7 is undeniable, we are upgrading alot of old machines to those. We are also testing the i5 vs the i7 to see how much difference there is between the two.

We mainly go with the big guys due to warranty and next day replacement from all of them. This is something that should be pointed out with the Mac Pro as well. Apple Care is good but Dell, Boxx and I think HP fix their problems within 24 hours in case of a hardware failure. I would be interested in any other companies you have dealt with.

[3DMK]

We mainly go with the big guys due to warranty and next day replacement from all of them. This is something that should be pointed out with the Mac Pro as well. Apple Care is good but Dell, Boxx and I think HP fix their problems within 24 hours in case of a hardware failure. I would be interested in any other companies you have dealt with.

I am in Australia and have purchased my computers through 'ENSPIRE' and found their service & warranty both great. They are a company providing specialist computers for 3D, rendering, video, etc.
Most good computer companies will offer an extended warranty offer & I think that's very important. I usually take extended warranty of 2-3 years.
I have also got a few render nodes built by UMART [They offer an extended warranty as well] but the problem there is making sure you research & know what parts you need

Cheers

[Intrinsia]

I recently went through the same dilemma when deciding what to buy for my new laptop. (I cannot speak for the MAC Pros as I have never used one.). I have a lot of friends who are designers and they all chanted, "Buy the Mac! Buy the Mac!" I was seriously considering buying the latest MacBook Pro; even to the point where I had it spec'ed out and was almost ready to push the purchase button. I too have been a PC user for 10 years now and wanted to try something different.

In the end I could not justify paying double for a Mac when I could get the same thing in PC, (actually faster), for less that half the price. I love the Mac OS and they are solid machines but in my opinion you are paying for more form than function.

[dcullipher]

I think in laptops this is mostly true. You can get a screaming PC laptop for 3k. In desktops its a bit blurrier if you are talking Xeons.

[mike_kennedy]

I would avoid the mac, they are a "mobile" company now
The lack of i7 is the main issue I would think......
Hard to beat the bang for your buck. a year ago I might have gone mac pro..but not now ....
Get and Imac 21 or 27 if you need the OS....but get another PC fr the price of a Mac Pro work station..best of both worlds

[Dschaga]

The 27" imac is a real bargain now :
One of the best screens with a 2560x1440 resolution together with a 4core processor ...for 1800€! ..this is really cheap, because there is no 27" screen with this resolution and this quality. There is also a i7 processor available, which is faster and have HT, but costs 180€ more.

If i would need a new workstation - not a renderworkhorse, i would buy a new imac.

[lukx]

And if I need dual monitor setup ?

[rmejia]

I think you can have dual monitors using the video out in the iMac with a mini dvi to dvi cable for the second monitor.