I need some advice...Mac or PC, componants etc...

ProVox

Ok I'm looking to buy/build a machine to handle high-end audio/video post-production.
I'm looking to keep it to the absolute bare minimum of essential programs, but willing to spend to have a powerful and reliable piece of kit.

I have no preference between Mac or Pc, I'm comfortable with both.
I'm willing to build it myself if thats the best option, but if you could recommend somewhere that would do it for me well all the better.

Any suggestions on what to put into it?

Monotype

Unless there's specific software you need with the mac, you're better off with windows. The hardware is exactly the same except you're paying a lot more with the mac.

The important thing in video production is plenty of ram and processing power. You'll be probably be looking at either an Intel i7 platform for the best processing power, or AMD hexacores for a little cheaper (and possibly more upgradability).

For RAM, you'll be needing at least 4GB, preferably 6-8GB.

Video acceleration is starting to creep into more of this branch of software, but it depends on what programs you're using.

Have you got a budget and can you please list all the possible programs you are likely to use?

ProVox

Well I'm hoping to have my Apple ProTools certification soon enough so I'll be using ProTools definitely. I'll probably also use Soundtrack Pro 3 and Logic.

Seeing as its an Apple Certification should I stick with a Mac or go PC?
My budget is approx 2500Euro.

I'm only going to be using this as a workstation; all games/entertainment on separate PC.

What should I be looking for in a soundcard?

Monotype

You probably would need a dedicated sound card for professional work, I can't recommend any as I am not familiar with the current market, but you'd want to make sure it's compatible with the software.

Protools is available for windows and I'm guessing there's not that much difference between the versions. You can still install windows on a Mac (and mac OS on a PC, but it's against the license agreement).

Will you be doing any animation/CAD that needs workstation graphics cards?

There's a Mac forum, which you can ask for their opinion, but it might be biased! I think it's a lot to pay for Mac OS when you're not in favour of either, unless there's essential software that can't be substituted.

Solitaire

Mac is really for amateur-but-not-novice productions, once you reach the professional level you're back to big heavyweight PCs with pricey peripherals such as €400-600 IPS panel monitors and €500-€2500 studio-grade soundcards. Anything Mac can do PC can do better... they're just not the fashion accessory Macs are :rolleyes:

djrlittleton

Solitaire wrote: »

Anything Mac can do PC can do better... they're just not the fashion accessory Macs are :rolleyes:

that is a really hitting the nail on the head as per mac's

perhaps the op should think about a hackintosh?
2hard drive one for windows and one for os-x?

ScumLord

I didn't know you could assemble your own Mac?

I know people that are big into Macs but still have to run Windows, although they did say that the Mac they had could run windows in the background on the Mac.

The bottom line is it's a PC world, Macs are a niche market for enthusiasts if you want to be guaranteed compatibility (as much as you can guarantee these things) go with the PC simply because nearly everybody else is using one and when you do encounter a problem there's more than likely someone else that has had the same problem on the same hardware and has already found the fix for you free of charge.

Monotype

ScumLord wrote: »

I didn't know you could assemble your own Mac?

I know people that are big into Macs but still have to run Windows, although they did say that the Mac they had could run windows in the background on the Mac.

Modern macs are built on the same hardware - they are PCs with Mac OS. You can run Windows on a virtual computer inside Mac OS or you can boot Windows separately, like any normal PC.
You could assemble your own mac, but it's against the license terms of the Mac OS.

Venom

ScumLord wrote: »

I didn't know you could assemble your own Mac?

I worked with a guy who cobbled together his Mac from bits and pieces of broken Macs he bought on ebay

Op, a PC will give you way more bang for your buck and at a fraction of the cost you will Apple for their overpriced products.

ProVox

Ok so I've decided to go for PC. I suppose if I want to keep unnecessary programs/memory usage to a minimum I should use XP as opposed to Vista right?

My budget is gonna run to about 2500 all in all, and I've got a friend to help me assemble it.

So what should I be going for component wise? Would i7 be better than AMD hexacore?
What soundcard should I buy considering I'm going to be using a ProTools? Soundcard is very important to me because I want to be able to use a high-end mixer.

I'l be opting for 8GB memory. Have my own monitors, don't really have too much concern re graphics card or network connections.

ScumLord

ProVox wrote: »

Ok so I've decided to go for PC. I suppose if I want to keep unnecessary programs/memory usage to a minimum I should use XP as opposed to Vista right?

No, no, no, Windows 7, your going backwards using XP. 7 is a great OS there's no going back. You can strip off allot of the effects but on a big machine like your planning to get I don't think Windows effects are going to interfere much with your work.

smck99

If you're looking to run Logic and Soundtrack, Mac is the only option. Which is a win-win in my opinion! If you've got a €2,500 budget, you could get yourself a serious MacBook Pro, or if you're going for a desktop, a top notch iMac or Mac Pro.

Monotype

ScumLord wrote: »

No, no, no, Windows 7, your going backwards using XP. 7 is a great OS there's no going back. You can strip off allot of the effects but on a big machine like your planning to get I don't think Windows effects are going to interfere much with your work.

Definitely. You're going to need plenty of RAM and XP is old and unsuitable for large amounts of RAM (and XP 64-bit is problematic).

With that kind of budget, you'd want to look at the i7s. They're more powerful than what AMD have, but you're also paying an excess as it's a more expensive platform (motherboards are considerably dearer and the CPU prices are fairly steep). This is what you get in the Mac Pros (although I think they're using xeons now). If you get a decent socket 1366 board, you can use the equivalent xeon if you prefer, but there won't be much difference in performance.

Is this budget to include everything? Do you have high quality speakers you have your eye on? What about monitor(s)?