MAC...

One man's opinion (beware PC user's, optional read... you'll get your panties in a bunch):

I started on PC because I couldn't afford a Mac either. Every studio I went into from Hollywood, CA to NYC was using Mac's (at that time). I know a lot of composers are using PC's nowadays so they can get more bang for the buck... and I have 4 PC's in my house (for the wife and kids). I also have 4 Mac's in my studio and will NEVER use a PC again, especially for music! That's just because... well, you shouldn't compromise your craft based on money.
Microsoft and EVERYTHING they touch turns to instant digital diarrhea and since I've been on Mac's I've been able to succeed at what I do for too many reasons to list here... but having the BEST tools makes one's job easier.

Buying computers is like buying cars... sure a cheap car will get you there (*Yugo) but cheap cars come with their limitations and their problems (*Yugo).

PC's = Yugo's

You can put all the perfume you want on a piece of shit ... it'll still be a PC.

Signed,

Converted PC user to Mac LOVER...

 

Welcome to the forums.
Might I suggest you take a little time and use the search function, search is your friend. This subject has been hashed over a number of times and you should find some threads from previous discussions that may help you make an informed decision. Personally, I agree with previous suggestions that to get more bang for your buck if you build one rather than buy. There are lots of posts here discussing specs and components for a decent audio computer in your price range.

 

i have both but i can build a better PC then Apple can build a MAC.. I usually build from parts that are a couple years old technology wise as by this time the drivers have been perfected and it cost ⅔ less then a MAC. My Mac i tried several times to do audio on it but it seemed clunky compared to my PC. MY audio machines have always been PC's My Mac i do video and Graphics with. there is a caveat to this though . to have a top quality PC you really need to know your way round them. IE set Installation Setup and maintenance ( if you do the first 2 correctly there is not much of the third). Ive you don't have that PC brain Id suggest MAC PRO, there proprietary software & Hardware are matched for each other , all you really need do is plug it in Install and go. I say MAC Pro as those are the only macs I've used that actually do Audio really well, I had a top o th eline MacBook pro and it was only marginal at audio iMac & mac mini forget about it unless your running Garageband.

 

Well thats enough about you, whats the computer like

 

Yeah, no problem at all. Just get the part you want.

 

You're like the forum's wandering idiot or something?

 

Genesis Pro Full tower running Win 10, 64 bit Core i-7-6700K (overclocked) 32 Gigs DDR4 Ram, Geforce GTX 960, 500G
Samsung Evo 850 SSD + 5 1TB WD Black HD's Liquid cooled, Live 9.

Cost me right at 2500dollars. Windows only.

I don't see any good reason to run anything Mac.. except perhaps Logic, which i wish they made for windows but.. i digress.

I think i would die if i had to go back to anything less than whaty I have now.. its a perfect Audio\Video production beast.

Superclean, Superfast.

https://www.originpc.com/workstation/desktops/genesis-pro/

They have much less expensive options, basically you choose what you want from their configuration system, they build and ship.

 

I appreciate all of your responses very much!

I hope you don't mind if I broke any of your rules unintentionally with any of my actions - I still have to get used to this place.

This forum is just awesome - I really didn't expect so much responses to a discussion, which I believe has been discussed literally a million times all over the Internet, but I just wanted to hear the opinions of people who actually use their computer in the same/similar way I do.

A big thanks to all of you!!

 

In the first place, there's no real difference between both Mac and PCs. At some things Mac excels and Windows does at others. To me, it's quite simple. If you like Android phones over iPhones, you might be dissatisfied with a Mac and see little use to the change. However, if you like iOS over any other phone, you might be a closeted Mac lover.

 

This thread has motivated me to buy a Hackingtosh when it becomes time to sell current my mac pro trash can. I have a 6 core so it'll be years later down the line. I'll probably have it professionally built as my first pc build was a nightmare. Fiddling with hardware just isn't my thing.

 

Last edited: Dec 18, 2015

Keep in mind when people claim they switched from PC to MAC><MAC to PC.. more than likely the jump across was in the form of an all around upgrade and serves no better in comparison than the idea of buying a new PC and reflecting back on your previous PC build. What you see across the bridge, PC or MAC, is bound to get the better review. Chrysostomos, Intel chips are defining both PC and MAC in most builds. If you are a PC veteran I would only suggest you switch to a MAC if your central focus is on using MAC-only software/hardware.

 

Last edited: Dec 18, 2015

It may be a good idea to base your decision on the software that you intend to use.

 

LOL!!!!

 

Super quit??
Oh yes!!LOL
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1364450?tstart=0
I have this problem too on my Mac Pro it comes and goes now it has been good for some time but i never know when it will start again and thats why i never do recording with a microphone on my Mac
Well i dont do much of recording on my Mac
I prefer my homebuilt PC which b.t.w is equally stable (And when it was built 5 times cheaper than a Mac with same specs) And if i want i can install OSX on it
Remember t is almost always the user not the computer (unless some hardware gets broken and it can be broken on a Mac too just go to random Mac forum and be amazed how that overpriced thingy is built with shitty hardware )
The problem when and on windows is that you can do alot of damage on the OS (it is better nowadays but on older Windows you could get access to anything and delete it) much easyer than on a Mac especially if you dont know anything about computers..

Many of the real Mac fanboys also never ever had a PC themeself they might have used one from time to time at school or a library or a friend whatever but never OWNED a Mac and for them it is exactly like me when i first got my hands on a Mac i was completely lost at first and it took some months before i got used to it so after three years on a Mac i can say i am still a noob ..

 

What I can say from personal experience is this... I have owned Mac and PC pre-configured machines and build from the ground up and both have died on me(there's no way around that). The easiest way to put it is my macs have had more life span to them, while the pc's were great machines they died quicker and unfortunately outdated quicker.While my mac machines eventually were slower than(obviously) new machines I always had less problems that were solvable rather than having to do surgery and figure out new software, drivers etc....! So go for a mac, youll be scrutinized by pc users but will be making music undisturbed for a long time, and thats the point of all this!

 

That osx is more stable than windows is a myth.
Anyways I also prefer to work with osx on a pc
But back to topic, what kind of powerul mac would you get for just 2000.... .?
I also would love to get a iMac , but in my prefered config ist far more expensive than 2000 and upgrading would be pita.

Some note about Hackintosh, it can get quite ugly if you like to get support for bought software.
If you send the developer yout crash reports they might reply that they do not support hackintoshes eg RME refused to help me. So be carefull when sending them and maybe just remove the latter part with the system specs

 

Last edited: Dec 18, 2015

I have the exact above machine and love it. I've added an internal 500 GB SSD, and swapped the original internal HD for a 2 TB combo drive and I upgraded it to 32 GB of 3rd party RAM. Bought it from the "refurbished" section of the Apple website. It has been smooth and fast for years now and I don't see myself needing to replace it anytime soon.

Some quick surfing leads me to believe you could pickup one of these used for well less than $2000.

I can't comment on the PC options as it has been too long (2005-ish?) since I was on that road.

 

since macs use intel cpu there is no difference but design and good screens on macs...mac is a fancy pc with a fkn good os...im running a hackintosh since 5 years ago and still can upgrade with latest os with minor tweaks...my pc is a quad 9550 with asus p5qe 8 gb ram and a radeon 6870...still i have years to use this machine with no problems
you can build a i7 6770 with 32 gb for less than 1000 euros,just saying...

i think macs will arrive with i7 4970 this year...and its a 4 year old cpu....with pc diy you're up to date if you want

 

I have a desktop PC (Win 7/Core i7/16 Gb ram/2 ssd drives (128 Gb & 256 Gb/5Tb HD) custom build in 2008) as well as a Macbook Pro (1Tb HD version/Core i7/8Gb/from early 2015).

The Mac was €2700 euro and the PC (with all the upgrades has cost me around €2000).

The pro`s of the MAC:

• ease of use;
• and it is solid as a brick. You can drop it from your dinner table all worked fine;
• service;
• faster loading of my 3rd party plugins in Ableton Live;
• it`s more stable;
• Thunderbolt is great;
• Time Machine for backup;
• I don`t have to update my OS every month (exept they find it neccessary to release a new iTunes way too often);
• comes with a lot of sofware although most is crap and I got rid of it right away.

The pro`s of my PC:

• much faster booting (My Mac has no SSD and is still under warranty. When that is done I can install an SSD in place of the DVD-Drive;
• I can modify it as much as I want so it will accomodate future;
• there is a lot more freeware available;
• the Explorer is way more practical than the Finder in my Mac.

So, I do use my PC more than my Mac for music production. I can not detect any differences in sound quality. Most important is that you can modify a PC to your growing demands without going bankrupt. Mine is 8 years old now and except for my first harddisk crashing after 5 years it still runs fine. So given your budget I would advise to build a PC to your own specs (or have it build for you). Your €2000 would get you a lot of computing power.