# pc or mac?the eternal doubt...



## concentratzen (Apr 23, 2007)

Hi,

i am searching for a new machine and i am *sick of the windows os*...i am an architect student and i move myself in the creative areas like(not only architecture) ilustration, comics, graphic design, animations...and i do a lot of other experiments=)

i work with the *adobe package(photoshop/indesign/ilustrator), *the sketchup and the *autodesk softwares like 3dsMax and autocad*...i was thinking in buy a *mac* but i have some doubts about the performance if i run the windows to work with the autodesk softwares...does it have a good performance running 3dsmax or autocad if i use the dual boot in a macbookpro for instances?

what is your advice?thanks in advance!!!and good vibes and best karma for all!!!


----------



## jonmcc33 (Jan 26, 2008)

With what you seem to use most I'd say you should get a Mac.


----------



## concentratzen (Apr 23, 2007)

thanks for the quick answer.

but will i have a good performance running the windows xp inside it...and runing then inside the windows a software like 3dsMax or autocad?thats my real doubt...just because there is no compatibilty between the autodesk software and the mac ox os.and i use them a lot...
that makes me wonder if i should get a mac or a pc...


----------



## Headrush (Feb 9, 2005)

concentratzen said:


> thanks for the quick answer.
> 
> but will i have a good performance running the windows xp inside it...and runing then inside the windows a software like 3dsMax or autocad?thats my real doubt...just because there is no compatibilty between the autodesk software and the mac ox os.and i use them a lot...
> that makes me wonder if i should get a mac or a pc...


The performance will be the same as any "PC" with the same hardware as the Mac you buy.
(I'm assuming you are talking about Bootcamp and running XP natively)


----------



## concentratzen (Apr 23, 2007)

> The performance will be the same as any "PC" with the same hardware as the Mac you buy.
> (I'm assuming you are talking about Bootcamp and running XP natively)


Headrush thanks for your help.

yes,i was talking about bootcamp and running it natively...since i heard that the paralels is not a very good option for the ones that need to run heavy softwares.

just another qestion...if i save for instances a *dwg file* when i work on the win xp os inside mac then when i reboot and choose the ox os can i get that file easilly to work in another program...how can i do that?or do i have to save it in another format like* eps* or *pdf *that are compatible with mac ox...i dont know if you understand the qestion...how can i do the articulation concerning to filesFormats between the ox and xp?

thanks in advance


----------



## concentratzen (Apr 23, 2007)

and of course there is also to consider the price diference...

the macs are still very expensive!...


----------



## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

concentratzen said:


> and of course there is also to consider the price diference...
> 
> the macs are still very expensive!...


but worth every penny for what you want to do.


----------



## dannyn (Nov 9, 2007)

yes... get a mac.. you can always run windows with boot camp if you have to for certain programs.


----------



## concentratzen (Apr 23, 2007)

> yes... get a mac.. you can always run windows with boot camp if you have to for certain programs.


dannyn yeah i know... but the thing is that the *autocad* and *3dsMax* are programs that i use everyday they make part of my tools for my process of work. And both dont have compatibility with mac ox os, they require win os to work so i will have to work with the boot camp and run the windows for work with them *often*.

My doubt is if it has a good performance but as Headrush said>>>


> The performance will be the same as any "PC" with the same hardware as the Mac you buy.
> (I'm assuming you are talking about Bootcamp and running XP natively)


i have been watching some youtube videos with ppl working on 3d on the win xp os inside macbookpro and it seems pretty fast and fluid...hope this is true...because i am almost convinced to buy a macbookpro 15"_ 2.4_2gb_nvidiaGeforce8600(256mb)...and its a hell of an investment...and of course it has to work well for what i do...

have to think a bit more...just a bit more=)

any help is welcome...and thanks for all the answers!!!


----------



## dannyn (Nov 9, 2007)

i use boot camo..
i also use auto cad... 
i also use rhino..http://www.rhino3d.com/
it runs fine... but thats with the mac book pro.. if you want to do this the pro edition is a must!!


----------



## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

man, I'm loving the look of the Mac Book Air.  and with solid state hard drive (optional)


----------



## adamm321 (Jan 31, 2008)

I am also considering whether to purchase a Wins based PC or a Mac. I am not in the graphic arts business, but knowing I would like to use Adobe Photoshop to edit photos etc. I was looking carefully at the video cards. Just the specs [which I realize, doesn't always tell the whole story] seem that they are pretty good. BUT, I don't see as many options for higher performing video processors with a Mac that you can get with a Win/PC, correct? If I were in the business and using autocad etc, I guess I would think I would be looking for the most powerful computer and one configured especially for these specific types of programs.

I am just very curious what about the Win/PC that you are so unhappy with that you would move to Mac? For me, it is the constant threat of viruses, spyware, etc., that I am hoping a Mac would be better in that regard. I am having other issues though with the switch so I am going to take my time and make sure I am not going to have any surprises AFTER I buy a computer.

I hope you get more input about the questions you have. Too bad you don't know anyone with a Mac that you can try out the machine for awhile. My daughter has a macbook that I am using right now and she will not be using it for the next two weeks, so I get to really check it out first hand.


----------



## dannyn (Nov 9, 2007)

> man, I'm loving the look of the Mac Book Air. and with solid state hard drive (optional)


money vs. performance= very bad =]

mac is amazing and i love it... there is few viruses... 1 comon one and you even have to type in your password to install it.. so if your careful you wont get any


----------



## concentratzen (Apr 23, 2007)

i finish buying a *macbook pro 2.4 | 256mb_graphic memory | 2gb_ ram memory*...so far so good... but i am getting sick of receiving the message "not responding" when i run the *macPowerpoint* for instances...and i tried to open the same file on the windows(because i work with the bootcamp) and it runs preety fine on windowsXp....so or either* i am doing something wrong*(that i dont really think so) or something is wrong with the *macPowerpoin* or something *is wrong with the macOX lepard*(and that makes me think and be worried about)...so i guess this time winXP wins...

also, i want to take of the horrible noise that the macOX has when it opens and i dont know how to do it...and the strange thing is that even if i have my phones connected to the computer it still makes the same sound outside the headphones...

besides that i would like to ask if its normal(i think and hope not) that the *vlc* and the *windows media player* and also the *skype* "quit unexpectedly, there is no damage to the macOX...blablabla"...but it is annoying and i would have bought a pc with windows inside if i wanted to deal with that unexpectedly...

if you can help me solve this questions it would be great for me ...and my relation with the macOX leopard...because i am a pacient person(i have been dealing with windows for almost 10 years=)) but i am losing my patient because it happens everytime i open one of this programs...

thanks in advance


----------



## middigit (Feb 3, 2008)

congrats on buying a macbook pro (damn i'm jealous ) first off then 

the noise on startup is normal, and there is freeware software that you can use to mute it

look on http://www.freemacware.com/ or http://coolosxapps.net/ as i don't recall the name sorry.

as far as your powerpoint problem, the first thing i'd ask it what version of office you have on either system? and what format the file is in?

i personally would'nt have bothered buying MS Office for mac, NeoOffice is a decent enough option if you just want to edit the odd file.

it's ot normal for apps to unexpectedly quit, but it does happen sometimes, especially with vlc and skype - they are usually aps that are in continuous development i find.


----------

