Mac Pro vs Pc with very high specs

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Read the next link

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Apr 14, 2009 12:57AM PDT

Read http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1710

Thinking about your typical Windows machine, tell me how you would be able to do the following -> "You can choose to preserve your user and network settings before installing."

We can only hope that such a nice feature would appear in Windows some day.
Bob

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Hardware

by jedirock Apr 15, 2009 5:22AM PDT

Looks like a nice machine, but we're missing some stuff to compare.
1) How much RAM does the PC have?
2) What are the costs of both?

Even despite those two, I'd probably be leaning towards the Mac Pro because of the Mac OS. OS X is very clean, and while Windows 7 seems nice (which I'm currently running on my overclocked quad-core), I'd still prefer to run OS X on it if that were ever (legally) possible.

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..

by kensammydee Apr 15, 2009 5:07PM PDT

but look at it this way.. lets say im gonna put ddr3 ram in it.. which is 2gb each.. and ill place 3 ram ..
the prices are, hm.. lets say... $3043 for the mac pro... and for the other computer $2500... thats only estimated price.. but the i7 and the gtx 295 are the best in the world... so what do you say about this? should i still go with mac pro? or the other computer?

btw.. with $2500 i would also have samsung 22" lcd.... and other stuffs too.. so $2500 is like the maximum

thank you and please do reply..

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For the price...

by AkulaTheDeathScythe Apr 15, 2009 5:42PM PDT

You won't be able to beat the PC in a price to performance ratio, its just not gonna happen. However what you should consider is what you're going to be doing with this machine you build. If you're just looking for a gaming rig then by all means go with the PC as you can't beat the combo of an i7 and a GTX295 for gaming. If you're looking for more of a down a dirty video editor (with a whole lot of polish) then you'll prolly want the Mac Pro as xeons are great at proccessing video and managing the massive amounts of data attributed to such undertakings. So consider the hardware you're getting with each and where their strong suits lie.

If thats not enough to help you choose then, think about which OS you like. If you really like OSX then the choice is simple, you can always dual boot windows if you absolutly want to have it around. If you're a pure windows fan then idk why you're here.

Hope this helps. Peace.

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thanks

by kensammydee Apr 15, 2009 9:29PM PDT

thanks man!!! it did really help...

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Mac vs PC

by cookrd Apr 17, 2009 1:01PM PDT

First, I have been a Windows user since Win95 and DOS before that. But I also have Mac and Linux computers.

You did not mention anything about the screen on the PC, which I think is vastly inferior to screen on my MBP. You also need to consider the quality of the OS, which I think for most users OS X is superior overall to Vista or Win7.

If there is an Apple store in your vicinity, you can take advantage of the Genius Bar and the free on-site training.

Your Mac can run Windows and you may want to do this if you are into gaming, maps, or need to manage an Access database.

With OS X, you also don't have regstry problems, shared DLL problems or need to defragment your HD.

Take apart even a high end PC and take apart a Mac, there is no comparison. If you can't do this, just bang on the keyboard and you will notice the difference (take a look at that gorgeous Mac display while you are at it). Battery life on a my MBP at a good 5 hours better than any of my PC laptops....and it is lighter.

I never turn off any of my Macs - can't do that with any of my PC's.

Apple customer satisfaction far outstrips its nearest competitor.

What you are trying to do is to compare a loaded up Ford Pinto with a Ferrari. I don't think I will die wishing I had a Pinto instead.

Bob

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Mac Pro, not Macbook Pro

by AkulaTheDeathScythe Apr 17, 2009 1:33PM PDT

He was looking at a Mac Pro, the desktop, not the Macbook Pro the laptop. If we were comparing a Macbook Pro to a high end PC laptop then the screen would matter, but we're not. Here we were conversing about desktops, screens were never mentioned, and in terms of computer monitors, there are much better options out there for much cheaper then apple. Personally I love my Asus monitor; full 1080p in a 21.5in monitor is a great thing for those of us who like pixel density on the higher end. I can't find that in an Apple monitor. then there's the big one, the mini display port, the little ****** that it is. A great idea when first used on the Powerbooks, but in recent iterations, most namely with the new high end monitors, the fact that you are left with a fuzzy screen with no apple fix for it yet just sucks. Again if this were a discussion about laptops I would agree that the Macbook Pro has a great screen, but this is about desktops, a whole different realm in which the 3rd party monitors definitely have the edge, in terms of quality, resolution, contrast, and price. Yes there are some not so good ones, but one the other hand there are a bunch of really good ones, the newer HP ones for instance, simply stunning.

Now about that little OS debate you're trying to start there; there's a separate big long thread for that already, you can go on over and jump in. I've pretty much already said it; the OS you choose is more often than not simply personal preference. Myself and others I know use OSX because we like it, for no other reason than we like it (well one of them prefers it for vid editing, which I'll admit I do like much better under OSX, especially with a couple of xeons doing the work). At the same time I and most of the people I know still use Windows primarily. Why? I can spit out reason after reason after reason, but when it gets right down to it, its because we like it. If you want to get in a ho hum about the strong suits and shortcomings of each, by all means go find one of my posts in the Why I switched to a Mac thread and have at it, I might even be bored enough to eventually answer you. i try to be as non biased here as I can so that I can try to help as many people as possible, and do it to the best of my abilities, not hindered by silly fan boy biases.

Thank you and goodnight.

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Hardware comparison is easy, but what are you looking to do?

by dj_erik Apr 18, 2009 1:35AM PDT

First start out with what do you plan to do with this computer.... Honestly, a computer is nothing more than a screwdriver, it only as useful as what you do with it.

If your looking for a gaming system, I would suggest not getting the Apple. Gaming software is primarily written for Windows.

If your looking for a graphic arts workstation, I'd definitely start to consider the Apple. Allot of the software is written for both platforms, but I tend to say that Apple has a bit of a lead in this area with major manufacturers, (ie Adobe, Quark, Apple's own label, etc...)

For the hardware, your basically looking at a high end gaming system and comparing it to a starter server system/workstation. The Cpus (Xeon vs i7) basically tells you this.

The Apple probably will take more memory if your looking to run any large databases, but for general applications you won't need to max out either system.

Hard drives are sort of irrelevant as they are basically cheap and easy to install on any system.

Graphics cards are definitely going to be better on a Windows system as they tend to get the latest cards and drivers quickly, but this goes back to the first issue of what you plan to do with the system.

I hope this helps clarify a bit of the differences between the two systems. PS. Don't let fanboys on either side sway you, like I stated in the beginning it comes down to what you want not, and what other people think/perceive is better.

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One little thing that makes all difference

by Stefanos M Aug 6, 2009 4:29AM PDT

I have not see any comment on one of the things PC users are moving to Mac .

1. System lock ups on the Mac are rare.
2. Extremelly fast internet vs PC
3. Virus on Mac , I had not seen one yet ( 1 whole year ) , on the PC , 2 to 10 a day .
4. Mac shuts down and powers up in a blink , windows , if you are lucky 5 minutes .
5. Software like ILIFE on Mac , you may need to spend 3 to 5 K for a PC to match .

I am not a MAC fan , I am just writing my experience , 20 years on PC vs. One year on Mac
PS: the 2GB , 2.XX ghz systems the Mac pro offers are great , you do not need to go higher , and even if you want , you can always add 2 Gb of ram for $ 100 . Hard Drive , external hard drives cost no more than $ 100 for 500 Gig.

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