AMD vs. Pentium

AbstraKt · Post by **AbstraKt** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 2:31 am

tzusing wrote:
Mac has set the next standard for PCI slots
what exactly do you mean? if it is true i don't think it matters as audio cards are made for older standard pci slots. and yes i agree with cyhl pci has been around forever and the drivers written for pci cards are more stable than fw and usb cards. also fw/usb audio cards cost more and also take up the much needed fw/usb slots.

I read that the older PCI slots are being fased out with the new PCI-X. I think Mac's are the only one's right now with this. I really want to invest in something that is going to last for sometime. With that in mind I think I have my answer.

All your help was much appreciated, many thanks

cyhl · Post by **cyhl** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:19 am

AbstraKt wrote: the new PCI-X. I think Mac's are the only one's right now with this.

no, I'm pretty sure you find PC motherboard with PCI-X slot... what they probably meant is that mac comes with them by default (which I can't confirm since, you probably know it now, I don't know anything about mac), whereas if you buy a basic dell pc (or any other brand), you won't get PCI-X...

adam · Post by **adam** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:49 am

If you want stability, go Mac. The processing archetecture on mac machines is way more robust as well and you will be able to crunch alot more with a lower mac than you could with an equvelent pc. x386 archetecture isn't exactly impressive, it's just kind of an all-purpose platform. The new mac OSX is rock solid as well.

I've operated PC's for years and Mac's for probably a couple years or something. Especially since XP, PC's are very unstable, even when they don't go online or anything. However, you can get more bang for your buck if cost is more important than stability. if you ever have the opportunity though, go ahead and try a "low-end mac" next to a higher end PC for a couple weeks and abuse 'em both as much as possible. I would never use a PC in a live performance if it could be helped. In the studio, you could be fine though. It's just been my experience that a mac system makes for a smoother production experience all around.

For the record, my g4 imac outperforms a similar configured computer to the pc you've described in my house every day of the week. It's on the internet though.. but then again, so is my mac

fader · Post by **fader** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 1:14 pm

cyhl wrote:
AbstraKt wrote: the new PCI-X. I think Mac's are the only one's right now with this.
no, I'm pretty sure you find PC motherboard with PCI-X slot... what they probably meant is that mac comes with them by default (which I can't confirm since, you probably know it now, I don't know anything about mac), whereas if you buy a basic dell pc (or any other brand), you won't get PCI-X...

which pc brand?

i can confirm my mac has one

cyhl · Post by **cyhl** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:20 pm

f3d4r wrote: which pc brand?

as I told you, I dunno about pc brands, but I know that the components exist... just gotta check the specs...

cyhl · Post by **cyhl** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:25 pm

adam wrote:For the record, my g4 imac outperforms a similar configured computer to the pc you've described in my house every day of the week.

no, the system for which I gave the specs is as fast as a dual g5 (I benchmarked these 2 machines for my day job)

silegnav · Post by **silegnav** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 5:37 pm

well back to the topic at hand, how much of what everyone has said is relevant to laptops? I am especially concerned with stability while playing live? i've been using PIIIs with win 2000 for the past couple of years, and yeah my brother and my laptop have both crashed numerous times while playing live. luckily there's 2 of us so one of us can back the other up when that crap happens. however i was hoping a newer OS and a buffer computer would remedy this situation, so XP is more unstable than 2000? GREAT

i would love to go for a powerbook but the difference in price especially when software is factored in, is kind of staggering. i already have so many apps for pc and access to even more...for free. with a mac you gotta pay for everything and it ain't cheap!!! also if i was in the market for a mac(they are pretty nice), i would love to get a G5 in a powerbook but right now that's nothing more than rumors. i just can't wait another year or so when they finally decide to put those in the powerbooks.

v

adam · Post by **adam** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 7:23 pm

silegnav wrote:well back to the topic at hand, how much of what everyone has said is relevant to laptops? I am especially concerned with stability while playing live? i've been using PIIIs with win 2000 for the past couple of years, and yeah my brother and my laptop have both crashed numerous times while playing live. luckily there's 2 of us so one of us can back the other up when that crap happens. however i was hoping a newer OS and a buffer computer would remedy this situation, so XP is more unstable than 2000? GREAT i would love to go for a powerbook but the difference in price especially when software is factored in, is kind of staggering. i already have so many apps for pc and access to even more...for free. with a mac you gotta pay for everything and it ain't cheap!!! also if i was in the market for a mac(they are pretty nice), i would love to get a G5 in a powerbook but right now that's nothing more than rumors. i just can't wait another year or so when they finally decide to put those in the powerbooks.

v

I can vouch that XP is far less stable than any operating system i've seen, especially PC side. On a laptop that was optimized as much as possible and had never touched a network or the internet, the OS failed/corrupted multiple times and reinstalling everything was the only cure. This was on a laptop, not that it matters.