Wow, no humor or sarcasim permitted on FR? Is there now also a flag@freerepublic.com email address?
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.
rule #1 of mac laptops: dont talk about mac laptops. rule 2: see rule 1.
In his animation class aren’t there computers for him to use? I mean computers that are up to the task whether they be Windows PC or Mac?
Or is each student expected to bring in a laptop suitable for animation and this is what they use in class? As others have said— Try to find what the professor expects each student to have as far as computers
With portable hard drives he could work on his animation projects in class with their computers and at home with his desktop computer (not laptop) A Windows desktop that can do proper animation in not so expensive. Maybe the school can get him discounts on anmiation software for PCs and Macs
Before jumping on the "Macs are far more expensive" bandwagon, take a look at a few things: If your son is going to be doing graphics-intensive work, then the $399 Wal-Mart laptop is not going to be very satisfying. For that matter, most PC laptops under $1K will fall into that same category. Low-end laptops, regardless of maker, usually use "on-board" graphics cards, which not only share system memory, but are overall, generally less qualified to do graphics-intensive (especially animation) work. Apple's MacBook uses on-board graphics right along with most other $1k and below laptops. That means you are looking at a higher-end laptop, regardless of platform. Take a look at Apple's web site and browse their refurb section. Apple's refurbs have the exact same warranty as brand new, and at a pretty nice discount. Do not fear Apple refurbs. But again - you are looking at a MacBook Pro if he is going to do serious animation on the 'book. Under the Windows OS, you are looking at HP or Dell machines that will be somewhat over $1k to start with. A MacBook Pro from Apple's Education price is $1100 - not such a huge premium. And don't forget about all the "other stuff" necessary on a PC - antivirus, anti-spyware, etc. So my suggestion - look at what he wants and will use, and get it. Avoid the MacBook Air - nothing wrong with it, but it has no optical drive, and is likely the most "limited" of the Macbook line. But again - you will NOT spend 3X the money, unless you were looking at buying a rock-bottom, basic (and unsuitable for the purpose intended) machine. Compare Apple's to Apple's - Equally equipped PC's vs. Apple's are not so greatly different in price, certainly not 3X difference in ANY segment.
I thought warnings had been issued in the past about the whole “gay” postings on Mac threads.
I guess Rush Limbaugh is Gay...
if I find out what it is and if I can load enough RAM and ROM onto one.
Load enough ROM??? This tells me a lot...
Actually, after the recent round of price cuts, and with the education discount, the 15" MBP is probably around $1500.
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.
That puts a little different face on the issue. It means that you need not consider the likelihood of the obsolescence of his computer in 3 or 4 years. You need a computer which is up to snuff right now, and will be up to snuff when his second year begins. That would make a refurb more of a lively possibility for you. But IMHO you will want to have OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" on it if in fact the school's requirements are high enough that there is no particular cost advantage to buying a PC. And I would try to wait 'til I saw the whites of their eyes before buying graphics software, in hopes that by then that computation-intensive software will have been written/rewritten to take advantage of Snow Leopard's features (taking it as a given that you will not get an old PowerPC Mac but a newer Intel Mac).I associate myself with the point that it apparently is difficult to write viruses and junk for the Unix operating system, of which Mac OS X is a variant. That doesn't make it impossible to get malware, it just means that malware has to trick the user into agreeing to allow the malware to run. This is called a "trojan," i.e., a "Trojan horse," program. The thing is, tho, that before I got my Mac I fell for a trojan precisely because I was paranoid about viruses on my PC. So the fact that your son won't be so worried about viruses on a Mac (Swordmaker does an excellent job of steadying peoples' nerves in that regard) actually helps defeat the trojan threat as well.
In my experience the Apple Store is an enjoyable experience - but if in fact you buy a refurb it will be via the Apple web site rather than the store. So there would be something to be said for shopping online first, before shopping at the Apple Store itself. So as to not be inspired to buy new before even knowing if refurb is a better option. Even tho Apple Store sales people are not on commission and don't tend, in my experience, to try to press you for a choice.
I would recommend contacting the department at the university and asking what they recommend, then presenting those recommendations here for alternatives.
Although a MacBook Pro can run both Windows and the Mac OS, so a MacBook Pro would offer your son the flexibility and options available to both operating systems.
If you want to donate your iMac to a good cause... ;-)
You can install Windows XP or Vista in bootcamp on your iMac and then use your iMac as a PC until you’re ready to switch over (upgrading your PC software during the next iteration to the Mac version).
Recommended upgrade...
In all seriousness it depends on what software they will be teaching.
In this one case he simply needs to conform.
They both work about equally well for 3D modeling (the meat of 3d animation). But there is much more market for PC trained 3D modelers as that is where all the good games are at.
BTW if you sons long term plans include a carrier in gaming he should seriously reconsider.
Every gamer kid wants to be a game programmer/artist/author.
The gaming companies know this and pay peanuts while requiring constant death marches.
Typical carriers are less then five years from fresh graduate to krispy burned out ex-game programmer.
Make sure he has a backup plan. Game artist/programmer is in the same category or carrier aspiration as rock/movie star.
He has never said anything about gaming. He loves to draw and create. He wants to have a career in some artistic vein. People kept telling him it was a pipe dream, but if he is going to go to school, it has to be for something he wants to do. I figure, he has to take general classes now, he may change his mind as far as goals. But, if I had pushed him into business, he would resent it and not work as hard. He wants to be a success, but be happy also. :)
The best thing I can say about it was there wasn't any hassle or fiddling to download pictures or to get online, and updating the computer software was effortless, and generally, it was less hassle to use than a PC. But it is very expensive.
I think my dad paid close to $5,000 for it. I would switch to a Mac but they are just so expensive and the regular tower model that I priced for my needs, as a video editor, came out to about $16,000. I could get what I want in a PC for about $7,000. Mac also offers one year of personalized training anytime you have a question about the function of your Mac or how to use a piece of software. My dad and I went to the Mac store and our trainer answered all of our questions. My dad can go back any number of times throughout the year. I think the training is $99 for one year's worth. Good luck.
That's what it is. I've just gotten so used to it.
Load enough ROM??? This tells me a lot...
Do I sound that dumb? I guess ROM is read only memory. I meant the size of the internal hard drive, internal memory. I'm not good with the hardware or fixing Windows part of it. And I used to be a computer programmer, but that's a specialty and I didn't have to worry too much about the hardware side of it.
If you want to donate your iMac to a good cause... ;-)
Figured something like that was coming ;-). My granddaughter would love to have it. I'll tackle it this winter when I'm not so preoccupied with my other hobby and summer yard work.
You can install Windows XP or Vista in bootcamp on your iMac and then use your iMac as a PC
I think that is what the Fusion software is for and have heard bootcamp, not familiar with the mac terminology, think it's another interface. The bottom line is once I put Win XP on that thing, all the years of updates and patches, I don't dare run it without anti-virus software which, I guess I've reached my limit as to how much I can handle simultaneously. I just don't want to mess with it. At least now.
Which makes me think I should change to the mac version of Photoshop, give up my other apps or run them on a laptop or my pc as long as it works, and just forget about loading Windows on it. Much simpler, concentrate on the new features of the mac. So if I do that, I've wasted $79+ on Fusion. Plus I know I'm going to need the apple care contract for $199 for 3 years and have to purchase that before the first year is up.
Decisions. Decisions. I know they get hot on here about one vs. the other. The way I see it is each has their advantages and disadvantages. Kind of like the Nikon-Canon wars. Both are excellent products, and even though I went with Canon doesn't mean that I don't think Nikons aren't great as well. After all these years, you wonder if you bought into the right system because both are so good in their own way. Same with pc vs. mac although mac is inherently better I guess, but I still like the logic of the tree file structure of Windows. It did take me a couple years to get up to speed with some of the features of that, and I'm by no means an expert with any of it. Too much to learn. Take Photoshop. The learning curve is a lot harder than other graphics editors, I'll never tap the full power of it, it's not intuitive at all, but I finally decided I wanted to go with it rather than keep upgrading Paint Shop Pro, glad I did. If I want to do something more advanced, yes, I have to slow down, look it up, struggle with it until I get it. Otherwise I can do a lot with it without looking anything up, the way I like it.
Most of the new things I tackle, I just figure out how to run them somehow without spending a lot of time with help and/or looking/asking for answers.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that—limited software development for the Mac and tons of stuff for PCs. Excellent video.
Just from talk and recommendations by people who use them (I don't have a cell), I'd personally go with the iphone. It takes great photos for a cell phone, better image quality than BBerry. That's not the main reason you buy them, I know, and I don't know about prices and monthly service contracts or the myriad other things they do, like load them up with photos and music.
People send me emails from their cells, the two most frequent ones are both iphone users.
Bootcamp isn’t another interface, just a program that allows you to create a Windows partition so you can install XP or Vista. Nothing new to have to learn how to use it.
The 24" monitor is fantastic, but it displays web pages more like a tablet (taller and narrower), not the "landscape" mode I'm used to (width exceeds height).
I do a lot of Photoshop work and have just upgraded to CS4 and Lightroom, but I can't install it on the pc because it's on dvd which I didn't realize when I bought it. I can't install it on the imac because it's for Windows.
The monitor is landscape. All you have to do is take the lower right hand corner of the web browser and drag it to whatever width you wish.
Why'd you buy a 24" iMac and then get CS4 for Windows?
MacBook might work, but with animation he's going to need a good graphics card, and it's partially good graphics that separate a MacBook from a ...
... MacBook Pro, which is what he would need. The entry level for hard-core use is the 2.66GHz 15" at $2,000. That's when the graphic abilities top-out and you're not paying a bundle for a huge screen and faster processor. This means he gets low-power, long battery life if he uses one set of graphics for his regular classes, and he can switch to high-speed graphics at much lower battery life when he's doing hard-core animation. If he doesn't like the screen size he can get a cheap monitor for when he's in the dorm, which he'd have to do for pretty much any laptop anyway.
Get only that minimum configuration. Don't upgrade hard drive or memory from Apple or you'll get royally ripped-off. It's about a five minute job to add memory for a lot less than Apple charges. For the price Apple charges for upgraded hard drives, he can get himself a higher-capacity portable Firewire 800 drive that will be just as fast as the internal.
I had thought of a desktop and then a PC netbook for taking with him, but he seems to disagree.
With a netbook he won't be able to do animation in class, he'll have to take everything back. He might not even be able to play a high-quality video of his animations without it being choppy. If you're thinking a PC notebook, PC ones comparable to Macs across all the features usually don't cost much less, if not more.
So, my question is, is it that big of a difference?
What's the difference between a Lexus and a Chevy? Better engineering and build quality on the hardware. Plus you get a better OS, and never a castrated version like Vista Home Basic or some such, always Ultimate. Generally, people are happier with their Macs for longer. I always upgraded my PC every year or so, but I'm going two years with my iMac and have no desire to upgrade. If you get him a PC he'll probably be asking for another one halfway through school. He'll probably be happy with the above Mac until he graduates.
What are your transition problems? I moved over two years ago, so I’ve probably gone through it. I’m happy now.
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