Mac v. PC Ping!
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Posted on 08/17/2009 9:15:12 AM PDT by ozaukeemom
Sorry for the vanity, but I think this is the one place I can find some reasonable opinions on the pros and cons of Mac versus PC.
By the time you deck out a PC with all the extra goodies he’ll need to work quickly, you’ve paid for a Mac.
Sounds like for his needs the $500 PC won’t work. If you price a good Dell I’ll bet the price difference is minimal to nonexistent.
I switched 1 1/2 yrs ago. Very happy I did. Just easier to use, much better display, little need to buy extra software, much less virus prone.
Get iLife and he’s good to go.
Worth it.
If your son is going into animation then he will most likely be using Mac software. If you get him a Mac he can still use Windows as well on the Mac. Best of both worlds. Personally, I prefer the screen size and clarity of a 15” Macbook Pro. The more expensive Macbook Pro has a better video card. It’s 2k, but worth every penny IMO. He should get by with this laptop for at least 4 years.
Also check out the video for Full Sail U on the Apple website.
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/in-action/
Pretty good chance that he will be using Final Cut Pro at some point as well as other animation products from Adobe, etc. He should learn his way around a Mac. It will be essential in that industry.
Try this addon to Quicktime
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx
In all honesty, if your son is going to a typical four year public university, he isn’t even going to need a full blown graphics computer until his sophomore or junior year, so why try to take a shot in the dark to buy an everything-to-everybody high end laptop now?
Get a decently priced PC laptop that he can type papers on, surf the web, and email home for more pizza money, and wait until he *knows* what sort of computer and software suites he will need for his specific animation classes.
His first two years will be filled with filling the humanities, writing, and mathematics prerequesites for his degree.
Simple response - don’t ask strangers, or blogs or even Freepers. Ask the college! Most colleges provide specific requirements. Go with the flow if you are not able to do your own tech support.
MacBook: general purpose laptop OSX & windows
Macbook Air: a boutique laptop OSX & windows
Macbook Pro: the power of a Unix Workstation
in the form of a laptop with OSX & windows
He is actually going to a technical college for an associates degree in animation, I am hoping he will go further, but am pleased he is going at all! School is not his thing, but I think he will do well.
I am checking with the school and so on, but appreciate the vast knowledge here on FR.
Also keep in mind that most colleges have computer labs and many computers will be tailored to specific class needs. This means that you can probably get by quite well on a lower end laptop (as others have said; check the college for specs and buy through the college vendor with the academic discount) and use the computers in the labs for specialized high end needs.
As indicated above, find out the specific software applications the class will be using, and then we can make informed recommendations.
1) Ask the college what the curriculum requires. 2) Don’t skimp on graphics computers, particularly if used for video production. Buying a high-end computer should delay obsolescence more than a cheap one. 3) If your son is not a computer geek, a Mac would provide a safer choice to use on the Internet. Most viruses, worms, etc. are designed to exploit the Windows architecture. For that very reason, I use Linux for web use.
You know, now that you mention it, I think you have it exactly right. As a kid my brothers wanted to play an instrument so my foks bought them clarinets and saxophones that ended up in the closet. When I wanted to learn the guitar they bought me an introductory model that I proved myself on.
When my kids wanted a car, I bought them sturdy, dependable, entry-level cars (good thing too!) before I staked them to more expensive rides.
Not knowing how much experience ozaukeemom’s son has with computers or laptops in particular, I would urge the purchase of an inexpensive entry-level machine that would meet the requirements of the syllabus (should be available at the school).
I wouldn’t dream of sending a high-end, expensive machine out the door as a learning lesson, but that’s just me...
First, be sure of what you want. Google “what PC users can do that mac users can’t”
Macs are pricey, but fine for most people. PCs are pricy and require a bit more care and feeding, but are better now than they have ever been.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Do you know what the requirements and specifications are?
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Yes you can. Check out "Flip4MacWMV" at
http://www.telestream.net/telestream-products/desktop-products.htm
P.S. While you're there check out "ScreenFlow" -- a near-indispensable nonlinear video editing tool...
P.P.S. I "do" graphics creation and animation. I have both PC & Mac laptops. The Macbook Pro is the only way to go...
Requirements for working with graphics? Two words: very high.
You need a fast CPU to process the calculations necessary to render the graphics (some high-end workstations have multiple CPUs installed, a configuration known as Symmetrical Multi-Processing, aka SMP), a large amount of RAM to handle the temporary storage of those graphics, a spacious hard drive to handle the permanent storage of those graphics, and a GPU that can handle the rendering the applications all demand.
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