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Mac or PC

sheemone00

Senior member
I'm looking to buy a new computer for some graphics (for achitecture studies and such). So I'm looking for a system that can handle 3-D performance pretty well. My main question is Mac or PC? Price range is around $2000 dollars for the hardware stuff. If you guys can tell me any specific system details that would be great also. Thanks!
 
Id say PC...althought I am anti-apple. I guess all my bad experiences with my old IIe and IIGS left a permanent mark over the years.
 
with $2000, your not gonna get an apple with great 3d performance. around that price they ship with geforce fx 5200 or rad 9000.

On the ither hand, you can get a nice 3.0ghz pc, Abit IC7 MAX3 with 1gb RAM and a radeon 9800, couple of HD, and a dvd-rom/cd-rw for much less than that
 
Depends on the software, but if you're going to be using AutoCAD or 3D Studio Max or whatever then PC.

If you're using Maya and stuff then it depends, but still probably PC. For a Mac you're looking for a dual 2.0, which is $3000.
 
I'd go PC. Mac are not upgradable, the software is expensive, and the damn things are just hard to find. But if you want to be one of "those ppl" get one, buy a beatle, and retro - fi everything in your life. And don't forget to eat some acid or the effect wont last.
 
now that photoshop is just as good on PC's (it wasntwhen they just made photoshop deluxe) i'd say PC. my roomate is a graphical arts major and she hates her mac, and it's a pain to get software for it. she actually considered pay $130 for mac-to-pc software, it actually lets you install windows os on your mac 🙂

isnt there anybody out there who thinks he should get a mac? I'd like to hear their argument
 
Welcome to Anandtech, sheemone00.

Get whatever your department uses most of. I assume you will be using some form of CAD for architecture and most CAD users I know use PCs. But I don't want to assume - find out for yourself. It doesn't matter which computer is better. What matters is how easy it will be when you use one computer in class and have the same thing at home. The difference can often be 30 min to do the assignment on one vs taking 8 hours to do the same assignment on the other since you must fuss over the minor details (files not working, layout of program different, mouse controls different, etc).

That said, for equivalent performance the PC will generally be 50% cheaper.
 
Originally posted by: dullard
Welcome to Anandtech, sheemone00.

Get whatever your department uses most of. I assume you will be using some form of CAD for architecture and most CAD users I know use PCs. But I don't want to assume - find out for yourself. It doesn't matter which computer is better. What matters is how easy it will be when you use one computer in class and have the same thing at home. The difference can often be 30 min to do the assignment on one vs taking 8 hours to do the same assignment on the other since you must fuss over the minor details (files not working, layout of program different, mouse controls different, etc).

That said, for equivalent performance the PC will generally be 50% cheaper.

this person is absolutely right

its a matter of getting the work done

esp if your time means your money
 
Like some of the users said here, it depends on what software you'll wind up using. If the software can be had on both the mac or pc platform, the pc will get you better performance for the money.
 
If you can swing a dual G5 and can get the SW you need for OS X then consider a Mac. It is owning PS7Bench. Adobe Nightflight demo has also been a winer on this machine. The big question is SW.

 
Originally posted by: blazerazor
Mac are not upgradable, the software is expensive, and the damn things are just hard to find.

This is wrong.

I know the internet could tell you this.

I know I'm reading this on the internet.

I know...

 
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