Mac or PC? **iMac - Questions to be asked! ^_^**

[Distant Cousin]

Evening all


I'm getting a computer for college, and I'm doing music. So I'm gonna be using it to record music onto (Using guitars, keyboards etc), and I'd like to learn how to use graphic design, and I'm really into photography.

So my question to you, the forum-goer, is whether I should get a Mac or a PC? My friend said that I should get a Mac cause I'll be using it primarily for multimedia, but I'm not 100% sure yet.

Thanks in advance

[SubparMario]

Are you thinking laptop?

[Distant Cousin]

I was thinking about a desktop.

Would there be any advantage to a laptop? Apart from portability of course.

[randombs]

lol if it's not snes vs md or 360 vs ps3 it's pc vs mac. prepare for about 5 pages of WAR!!1!!1

expect to see a few posts involving how crap internet explorer is, and counters mentioning firefox, and someone will probably end up going 'yeah well look, macs have intel chips in them so stfu'. i'd place bets on linux appearing a few times, too.

personally, and i say this while typing on my toshiba m70 lappy so you know where i'm coming from, i'd say get a mac. they just work. they're like the playstation of the pc world. you turn it on, and it works. if it doesn't, you get a sad face (although to someone like me who's been using pc's for yonks, the sad face is so vague it's frustrating!). basically, if you know that what you want to do, you'll probably get a mac as it does quite a few things very well. if you're not sure, you'll probably get a pc as it has much more software available (choice) for it regardless of what you want to do, so even if you're not sure, there's always a guarantee that whatever you decide, the pc can do it well (very well in some cases, not very well in others).

a lot of it is down to what you feel comfortable with - i tend to just stick to what i know, but i had a mac a while back and it was great.

also for a mac, there are less distractions - you may not be interested in geforce 7800 GTi's and pci-express but once you get a pc it could be difficult not to get roped into the dark arts of 16xAA

also now with the mac, as it uses an intel processor, there's always the likelihood of being able to run xp on it, if not some form of linux (that thing can run on your toaster). i mean, who could say no to a machine that could dual-boot xp AND osx?

[Distant Cousin]

Right, that kinda cleared things up

Can anyone recommend a good Mac for no more than ?1200?

[Ginger Tosser]

I was thinking about a desktop.

Would there be any advantage to a laptop? Apart from portability of course.

The only advantage of a laptop is portability, everything else is a compromise and costs 3 times as much to replace. If its not needed to move around i'd go for a desktop PC/Mac.

If your going to spend a long time using it (from what you want to do it sounds like you do) then a laptop is going to be uncomfortable for a long term use (i use one at work a lot and prefer to use a docking station with a decent keyboard and mouse).

[Distant Cousin]

Righto, desktop it is then

[SubparMario]

Would there be any advantage to a laptop? Apart from portability of course.

Not really - the Powerbooks and MacBook Pros just look thoroughly badass.

It is a lot of money so I would check to make sure that there is no Windows-only software that you are required to use by the college. I gather there may be a XP/OS X dual boot for the ultimate solution on the way for these new Intel Macs but I wouldn't count on it!

That money will get you a 20" iMac Core Duo which is the top of the line Intel Mac. You can also get a pretty decent discount if you're eligible to buy it through the Apple online store for higher education.

[Distant Cousin]

I don't think I'll be required to use any software by the college, but I want to record music onto the computer so I can share ideas and stuff. All the graphic design and photography stuff is just an interest of mine

[randombs]

Right, that kinda cleared things up

sorry - my entire post was basically saying BUY A MAC DAMN YOU but i didn't wanna sound too one-sided so ended up blabbering about god-knows-what

[Distant Cousin]

Well I've always been tempted by Macs, and they seem like a pretty sensible option

Are they upgradable?

[Lyris]

PC, by far.

Yes, Windows needs a bit of maintenance, but the flexibility (and value for money) a maintained Windows system gives you makes it the best option if you ask me.

I've never been impressed by Macs at all in any apsect other than looks.

[Ginger Tosser]

Macs.....Are they upgradable?

Yes you buy another one

[Resonance]

Xp is bootable on Macs now but it does require quite a bit of hacking. As for which to chose Hmmmm.... Which course are you doing? What do you want to do?(just type essays and use the net, lots of coding etc...)

If it is just essays and stuff then go with a Mac. For more techinical stuff PC is the way to go since there is more software to chose from then on a Mac.

[the_dude]

PC definitely, you can do all the things you want (record music, graphic design, and photography) using a PC. I've been a New Media/Web Designer for nearly three years now and wouldn't touch a MAC, mainly due to the fact that you can get all the software that's on a MAC on the PC, anything you can do on a MAC, you can do it on a PC. Also if your doing 3D work stay away from MACs, i had a copy of Maya for the MAC and couldn't work on it without it crashing every 2 seconds. Plus with a PC you get more for your buck!

Anyway, the only reason people buy MACs is because they think it'll get them laid.