iMac/Mac Pro for animation or Windows build???? - still deciding sadly

PrinceAvalon · Jan 11, 2010

Hey, all

I'm new here.

I'll be brief and not do a long intro thing. I used to have a MAC and used them before, loved many things about the OS and interface. I honestly can't say whether it is truly superior or not to Windows, but I am taking classes online to finish my degree in animation.

I was considering a MAC again but now hear rumors the new iMacs sporting the i5/i7's have a very high failure/return rate. I hear also not to get the Pro.

I'm wondering, and I'd appreciate some honesty here not arguments or fanboyism that doesn't help me out. Not trying to sound rude but sadly I've run into a lot of idiots when trying to seriously ask about MACs and get fanboys who treat me like an inferior piece of s...

I was just curious are the rumors true, do they work well, should I get one for animation I kinda need more power than a mini can offer lol to do my projects for animation studies as I won't have a lab with the big "tricked out" Pro's to use?

Thanks in advance guys/gals, fellow mac users. I may be the prodical son who returns lol. I'd appreciate any help.

Hellhammer · Jan 11, 2010

I would still buy an iMac and return it if it's defective. What I've heard, more and more people have gotten a perfect one now so it should be quite dafe to buy

PrinceAvalon · Jan 11, 2010

Hellhammer said:
I would still buy an iMac and return it if it's defective. What I've heard, more and more people have gotten a perfect one now so it should be quite dafe to buy

Thanks for the reply.

I was kinda thinking it might just be a bad batch so to speak but yeah I can always just return it if defective lol.

I honestly can't say for sure I couldn't tell but I heard they're more optimized for stuff such as animation and media in that area, any truth to that or are PC's technically just as good?

flopticalcube · Jan 11, 2010

Technically the same but more care has been taken to ensure all the parts work together than many cheaper PCs.

spinnerlys · Jan 11, 2010

LOL

To sound condescending: It's Mac and not MAC (Media Access Control).

Have a look at the iMac sub-forum here, there are lost of threads about current experiences with the i5/i7 iMacs.

Also a more descriptive and precise thread title will help cater to the right audience and get you more responses.
To edit your thread title, just click on the

button on the bottom right of your original post and then click the "Go Advanced" button below your message.

LOL

Hellhammer · Jan 11, 2010

PrinceAvalon said:
Thanks for the reply.

I was kinda thinking it might just be a bad batch so to speak but yeah I can always just return it if defective lol.

I honestly can't say for sure I couldn't tell but I heard they're more optimized for stuff such as animation and media in that area, any truth to that or are PC's technically just as good?

PCs and Macs uses same hardware so technically they are equal. Biggest difference is the operating system and applications available for it. Many media companies uses Macs because of the applications available for OS X

PrinceAvalon · Jan 11, 2010

spinnerlys said:
LOL

To sound condescending: It's Mac and not MAC (Media Access Control).

Have a look at the iMac sub-forum here, there are lost of threads about current experiences with the i5/i7 iMacs.

Also a more descriptive and precise thread title will help cater to the right audience and get you more responses.
To edit your thread title, just click on the

button on the bottom right of your original post and then click the "Go Advanced" button below your message.

LOL

Oops, okay "Mac" then and I've never heard MAC "Media Access Control" so..... lol

More descriptive how or such as....?

I'm more or less wanting a Mac again and considering it, I won't say for sure it'll be an iMac or Mac Pro or what have you. I guess I can change it to Considering Switching back to Mac or something lol.

PrinceAvalon · Jan 11, 2010

Hellhammer said:
PCs and Macs uses same hardware so technically they are equal. Biggest difference is the operating system and applications available for it. Many media companies uses Macs because of the applications available for OS X

That may be true but can I buy OS X and put it on my "PC" hardware that is currently a gaming machine? I thought it was against the Apple EULA?

So I'm just wondering if the OS is really more optimized for work such as animation/design or should I just stick to Windows, a few friends are suggesting me to get a Mac but I'm here trying to get some more advice than just friends' hearsay and conjecture. Not saying they're dumb but they're possibly just speaking of excitement of their new toy and not totally thinking of my situation/career choice.

flopticalcube · Jan 11, 2010

PrinceAvalon said:
That may be true but can I buy OS X and put it on my "PC" hardware that is currently a gaming machine? I thought it was against the Apple EULA?

So I'm just wondering if the OS is really more optimized for work such as animation/design or should I just stick to Windows, a few friends are suggesting me to get a Mac but I'm here trying to get some more advice than just friends' hearsay and conjecture. Not saying they're dumb but they're possibly just speaking of excitement of their new toy and not totally thinking of my situation/career choice.

Put the word animation in your thread title to attract someone from that crowd.

PrinceAvalon · Jan 11, 2010

flopticalcube said:
Put the word animation in your thread title to attract someone from that crowd.

Duh lol, thanks lol that one sort of slipped my mind.

Hellhammer · Jan 11, 2010

PrinceAvalon said:
That may be true but can I buy OS X and put it on my "PC" hardware that is currently a gaming machine? I thought it was against the Apple EULA?

So I'm just wondering if the OS is really more optimized for work such as animation/design or should I just stick to Windows, a few friends are suggesting me to get a Mac but I'm here trying to get some more advice than just friends' hearsay and conjecture. Not saying they're dumb but they're possibly just speaking of excitement of their new toy and not totally thinking of my situation/career choice.

OS X can be installed on PC as well BUT it's against EULA and you have to download a Vanilla OS X which includes extra drivers so it'll work in PCs and those illegal because you have to download them from torrent sites. Those drivers usually suck so you can't even dream about smooth animation. Buying a real Mac is the most trouble-free and easiest options though it may cost you little extra

PrinceAvalon · Jan 12, 2010

Yeah, I'm not gonna do that for many reasons, I was just more or less saying that rhetorically. I know it's against EULA and I don't care to bother "hacking" and "tweaking" to get it to maybe work.

I was just wondering if I should get a Mac since most say they work better for animation and that type of stuff or is Windows technically fine for that too?

I'm tired of some Windows issues lol but so far no one yet in the animation crowd really came by to say anything or give advice just so far basic info, most of which I knew.

I know the hardware is basically the same but I'm wondering is the OS really more optimized for animation and graphics work or is that more or less like a myth, a remnant of the old days like sure in the past they were but now they're practically about the same.

I have about 4500 so far saved and just deciding should I go Mac this time round or should I just build a Windows rig?

Badger^2 · Jan 12, 2010

What "animation" software will you be running?

Have you budgeted for that?

PrinceAvalon · Jan 12, 2010

Badger^2 said:
What "animation" software will you be running?

Have you budgeted for that?

Yeah, that's a separate budget lol, the money I listed is strictly for the hardware more or less.

Mostly Maya, 3dMax, Adobe stuff the usual lol.

PrinceAvalon · Jan 12, 2010

Really lol, no one here knows, who is in the animation or graphics field can tell me if OS X and Macs are better suited and the OS is more optimized for that type of work versus Windows machines lol.

spinnerlys · Jan 12, 2010

You sure laugh a lot, which is not bad.

3DS Max is not ported for Windows, and since Maya belongs to Autodesk (the firm that own 3DS Max and Softimage and many, many other software titles) the Mac version of Maya is seen by many as more unstable.

Adobe software is available for both platforms, you can even cross licence them if you need to.

http://www.creativecow.net/com is a good resource for digital media production issues.

There is also MRoogle and the official representation of the software you wanna use to research.

PrinceAvalon · Jan 12, 2010

spinnerlys said:
You sure laugh a lot, which is not bad.

3DS Max is not ported for Windows, and since Maya belongs to Autodesk (the firm that own 3DS Max and Softimage and many, many other software titles) the Mac version of Maya is seen by many as more unstable.

Adobe software is available for both platforms, you can even cross licence them if you need to.

http://www.creativecow.net/com is a good resource for digital media production issues.

There is also MRoogle and the official representation of the software you wanna use to research.

Yeah, what's the saying laughter is the best medicine, heh maybe it is lol not sure.

Not sure so what are you suggesting, I need both?

spinnerlys · Jan 12, 2010

PrinceAvalon said:
Yeah, what's the saying laughter is the best medicine, heh maybe it is lol not sure.

Not sure so what are you suggesting, I need both?

I'm suggesting looking at the forum I linked to and at the official websites.

3ds max is Windows only, Maya and Adobe products come in Windows and Mac OS X flavour, so you can choose.

If you're keen to use 3ds max, you can either boot camp or just get a windows machine.

PrinceAvalon · Jan 12, 2010

spinnerlys said:
I'm suggesting looking at the forum I linked to and at the official websites.

3ds max is Windows only, Maya and Adobe products come in Windows and Mac OS X flavour, so you can choose.

If you're keen to use 3ds max, you can either boot camp or just get a windows machine.

You sound a bit 'twigged' if so no need to be lol. I'll look but was just unsure how you wrote if you were suggesting a certain platform or not.

I have a windows box now, not the greatest but.. I have one and was told by so many since I'm finishing my degree in animation/game production etc to get a Mac they're better for it.

Rather than make a reckless purchase just cause someone said I figured I'd come here to see if their OS really does work better with specific apps or should I just stick to Windows and upgrade to either i7/i9 or dual Xeon's and just use Windows as the OS?

As per for preference, well I have used Macs in the past and liked many things about the OS better than Windows and no registry is nice and little to no viruses compared to windows is nice but... it comes down to what is more practical for animation/graphics work

dead goon · Jan 12, 2010

Autodesk is kind of neglecting Maya on the Mac. There are some issues that are still not resolved that can really effect it from running well in OS X.

If you're going to be in Maya a lot of the time, I would suggest putting together a really beastly PC over a Mac.

dead goon · Jan 12, 2010

ps. don't expect much from Autodesk in the future when it comes to Maya and OS X. It's mainly done in Windows/Linux as far as I know.

PrinceAvalon · Jan 12, 2010

dead goon said:
Autodesk is kind of neglecting Maya on the Mac. There are some issues that are still not resolved that can really effect it from running well in OS X.

If you're going to be in Maya a lot of the time, I would suggest putting together a really beastly PC over a Mac.

Yeah, it seems maybe that's best for me to do.

Though 7 has so many bugs and might be worse than Vista go figure so not sure which OS to go with, XP or Vista/7?

But that's gonna be a beastly machine as you put it, 4500 to spend on hardware lol.

spinnerlys · Jan 12, 2010

PrinceAvalon said:
You sound a bit 'twigged' if so no need to be lol. I'll look but was just unsure how you wrote if you were suggesting a certain platform or not.

I have a windows box now, not the greatest but.. I have one and was told by so many since I'm finishing my degree in animation/game production etc to get a Mac they're better for it.

Rather than make a reckless purchase just cause someone said I figured I'd come here to see if their OS really does work better with specific apps or should I just stick to Windows and upgrade to either i7/i9 or dual Xeon's and just use Windows as the OS?

As per for preference, well I have used Macs in the past and liked many things about the OS better than Windows and no registry is nice and little to no viruses compared to windows is nice but... it comes down to what is more practical for animation/graphics work

I should have elaborated more: the forum I linked to is full of threads regarding the media production issues, therefore you will find more and insightful answers there.

The advantage of the Mac is, you can have Windows, Linux flavours and Mac OS X on your machine, so you decide what OS you use for what task.

Your workflow questions will find better and deeper answers at the creative cow forums, as the forum is made of people working in those fields.

I give a little example on workflow from my experience:

I work as an editing assistant at two firms, one has Mac OS X based Avid Media Composers, one has Windows based Media Composers. It takes me longer in Windows to get the same job done, as it would take in Mac OS X, but that may be due to several circumstances like the administration of the Windows workstations (there are plenty of them and many users, Mac OS workstations only have me and my two or three editors), hardware configuration (Avid has a lot of extra hardware in its program to run more sufficient or so), my knowledge (I was Windows user for 12 years maybe, been Mac OS X user since five, but seldom do I touch Windows based PCs, unless I have to) and some others.

If you're new to Mac OS X, it will take some time to get used to the new interface, new ways to do the same and other kind of things before you even can think of any animation software.

For me Mac OS X is more efficient and fun to use, it is more intuitive and suits my needs. That might not be with you though, it is a possibility that you just better fare with Windows, regardless of what is used there and what is used there.

It is good to have knowledge of two or more OSs though.

I hope that helps a little bit finding new questions.

PrinceAvalon · Jan 12, 2010

spinnerlys said:
I should have elaborated more: the forum I linked to is full of threads regarding the media production issues, therefore you will find more and insightful answers there.

The advantage of the Mac is, you can have Windows, Linux flavours and Mac OS X on your machine, so you decide what OS you use for what task.

Your workflow questions will find better and deeper answers at the creative cow forums, as the forum is made of people working in those fields.

I give a little example on workflow from my experience:

I work as an editing assistant at two firms, one has Mac OS X based Avid Media Composers, one has Windows based Media Composers. It takes me longer in Windows to get the same job done, as it would take in Mac OS X, but that may be due to several circumstances like the administration of the Windows workstations (there are plenty of them and many users, Mac OS workstations only have me and my two or three editors), hardware configuration (Avid has a lot of extra hardware in its program to run more sufficient or so), my knowledge (I was Windows user for 12 years maybe, been Mac OS X user since five, but seldom do I touch Windows based PCs, unless I have to) and some others.

If you're new to Mac OS X, it will take some time to get used to the new interface, new ways to do the same and other kind of things before you even can think of any animation software.

For me Mac OS X is more efficient and fun to use, it is more intuitive and suits my needs. That might not be with you though, it is a possibility that you just better fare with Windows, regardless of what is used there and what is used there.

It is good to have knowledge of two or more OSs though.

I hope that helps a little bit finding new questions.

Yeah, thanks that helps.

Well I used Macs before and had one for a while before an idiot drove into our house and destroyed it oops.

But since then just had PCs so it'll be a while sure before I relearn/remember all the commands but... like I said so many more recommended getting a Mac and trying to play around with a friends or taking classes to learn the OS so when I buy it it'll be fine.

Now a few more are starting to say just stay to Windows.

I did like, as I said, many principles of the Apple OS and the way it "operated"

But for now I'm more familiar to Windows but I'm a very fast learner so transitions for me aren't really an issue it's more or less would it be better and since I can switch between all the OS's it gets a plus but I can do Windows and Linux on a "PC" too and have dual booted before so..

Just wondering what may be better. Maybe I should just for now stick to Windows then when I get my job in the field after I'm finished with the degree I can buy a Mac then if it's more suited or recommended based on where I work.

Badger^2 · Jan 12, 2010

I didnt finish my thought, but Spin sorta went the direction I was trying to go.

Whatever you choose hardware wise really isnt relevant -- what *software* you are going to use is.

I would be far more inclined to let the software be your guide.

iMac/Mac Pro for animation or Windows build???? - still deciding sadly

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