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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Mac or PC

C

Chris L

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I've always been a fan of OSX. But I'm debating whether or not my next computer should be a mac or a PC
I will be going to college soon for video production and graphic design, and I'm not sure what to get. I want to build a desktop, as high end as I can get (64GB RAM, Core i7 ivy bridge when it comes out, flagship - overclocked, SSDs, SLI/Crossfire). First off, the only reason I would get a mac is for FCP. Although I've never used it extensively, I do like the interface. But all of my work before has been done in Premiere Pro/After Effects. If I had a PC, I would probably get Avid. So basically, is FCP so more superior than Avid that I should give up more customization, slower RAM, less SSDs, 3gbps instead of 6, and lower-end graphics all for FCP? thanks
 
FCPX will support red in the future though... and i dont wanna spend a ton of money on a computer and regret it three months later
 
If you want to be safe then pick pc components that will work in a hackintosh as well.

But it seems more risky to buy a system with limited performance and expandability(red rocket, etc) for editing software that may or may not work with r3d in the future and may or may not be accepted by the pro editing community.

None of the local pro editing facilities near me have gone to fcpx. Most of the ones that did have fcp7 are switching to avid. How awesome will fcpX have to become to get them to switch back, and will in be during the lifespan of your machine (2-4 years)?
 
My newest computer is a PC. I was waiting on a new Mac Pro tower to come out but I got tired of waiting and needed a better system now. Lenovo and HP both make great computers that could serve as an alternative or better solution than a Mac. Or build it yourself if you have the know how.

I wouldn't call FCP superior to Avid at all.
 
Mac + PP.
 
The fact that I've been computer trouble-free for 7 years since I switched to mac has been a huge deal for me. I used FCP and still do for some things, but I'm transitioning to Adobe CS 5.5 — an easy thing to do really. 64-bit, can map the key commands to match FCP to make the transition easier, supports R3Ds in the timeline etc etc etc... Mac + Premiere is really the best of both worlds. I'll never touch a PC again. (And of course I have no plans of touching FCPX either :scared: )
 
You can run Avid on a Mac or a PC.
You can run Premiere on a Mac or a PC.
You can run After Effects on a Mac or a PC.
FCP is dead if you are editing Red.
But Resolve runs on a Mac.

Buy the computer you want.
 
@Brian lol I wouldnt buy one I'd build one, so my options are endless. @everyone else I'd love a mac pro IF they get updated... and can support two graphics cards in x16 (One for gaming, one for editing) I guess I'll just wait and see.
 
I needed a better system now, so I opted for a PC but if you don't actually need a system now just wait it out. There's always something newer/ cooler a few months away. If you can afford to wait for the next best thing...why not.
 
I just bought a new MB Pro, 17", 8GB ram, 256GB SSD and am installing a 512GB SSD in place of the optical drive. Thunderbolt interface to Black Magic Ultra Studio 3D interface running both Premier Pro and AVID. Entire system, way faster then my Mac Pro, under $5K (plus software) Here's the deal... if you own FCP, do a crossgrade to AVID for $1499 (you just missed the $995 deal with a free upgrade to Media Composer 6 - which I just got) If you own other Adobe products, for example, I owned Photoshop 5, you can get the entire suite upgrade for about $1000 that includes Premier Pro and After Effects.
Best thing is, if you need to run Windows, do it on boot camp. So much better than any of my old PCs. In fact I just converted my last two over to Mac Minis to run my accounting software and AutoCAD workstations. And, my Apple stock almost hit $400 again today... Got AAPL?
 
I agree with Ron, I have both Mac and PC but I prefer Mac I have a MB Pro 17 and 13 and both with 8gb ram and 1tb solid drive, and for the programs I use Adobe Master Collection, but if I need something from Windows I use Paralell Desktop that you can use for install like a complete windows on your Mac running like another program, and for desktop Apple Cinema Display its the best.
 
PC hands down. Mac will never have the video driver performance of PC - just doesn't have enough market share to motivate nVidia and ATI to invest the time.

As much as certain acolytes will try to tell you otherwise, FCPX = iMoviePlus.
 
D Fuller said:
You can run Avid on a Mac or a PC.
You can run Premiere on a Mac or a PC.
You can run After Effects on a Mac or a PC.
FCP is dead if you are editing Red.
But Resolve runs on a Mac.

Buy the computer you want.
Click to expand...

Resolve will be out for PC after the new year.
 
1. He is a student he said, Avid will cost him 195 dollars. The whole suite from videoguys had all the 3rd party software included for 500ish when i got avid 5.0 as a student myself, not sure if its still set up that way but you should look into that. you want the whole suite if your gonna get it. plus 4 years of free upgrades! best student deal out there
2. again cs5.5 as a student is pretty cheap as well, like 500ish?
3. find out on what NLE your school uses, go with that unless your 100 percent sure EVERYTHING you buy is compatible. ports on drives, software between NLE systems, every damned thing, the smallest detail will sink your compatibility. they most likely aren't on new software versions unless they just updated the facility
4. building systems ahead of your needs is foolish, you can't anticipate future needs. if your not in a film school your probably gonna be shooting beta, dv or some other ancient codec/format. find out what your school uses and buy for that, don't assume your gonna be cutting stereo 3d epic r3ds anytime soon and "might" need a super computer, that is going to cost you a ton and get you nothing...

point of fact EVERY mac pro has the older sata port, and no thunderbolt? how far ahead are those guys who dropped 5k? they got hosed is what happened. plus when ivy bridge drops and the 4k tvs drop this year then what? buying now into old tech is a bad move unless you can make the money back in folds before april/may... students cant make money for their lives typically, other then the best ones i ever met. those kinds of students are few and far between

i cant recommend mac or pc until fcpx either becomes accepted or dies out. its too early to make that call. i wouldn't even buy it now if i were you, until its either mainstream like the predecessor or is officially shunned by everyone. so far the second one seems more likely to me, but im not upgrading until a definitive answer appears...

this all being said your school has computer labs with all the NLE stuff you will need. lots of people dont blow 5k on gear, they use the schools for free. the school is your rental house as your a student there, use it for what its for while you can. you cant use it when you stop paying them....that 100k switcher is gone...

ps if your into graphic design buying CS5.5 is your best bet....

and if u go with mac buy barebones and upgrade ram/ssds/hdds/anything at owc. owc is great compared to mac prices. i wish i had known about them when i was a student...

so that is about it, i was in your shoes not so long ago, good luck its tough out there and i ain't kidding. its so tough i work for nbc for free, its that tough lol

which brings up another good point: students and recent grads hardly land paying work, and when they do the pay sucks. so really factor that into purchase choices you make. you might need that super computer cash for a car, school debt, paying rent, etc. if i could take everything back i would never have gone to school and bought a red package and a car. no one cares about your degree just your reel/portfolio. see my thread about "getting a scarlet or an MFA"... some of the best guys on here don't care what degree you have... what your gpa was, etc

no one cares about schooling in this business. my grades don't matter to anyone or my awards. its very shotty since i worked hard for them... and i feel pretty annoyed that i was stuck in there bustin my butt for a 3.25 and all the awards i got and none of it matters to anyone. i am still working for 0 dollars just like my friend is at nbc who got probably less then a 2.0.... in this economy recent grads are going to work for free for the rest of their lives potentially lol, its really bad man...consider switching majors while you still can. you can always shoot if you like to, or cut, for fun. making it your job wont make it fun necessarily. you might end up working for free for some daytime talk show you don't even like... :crazy:
 
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Brian Merlen said:
no one cares about schooling in this business. my grades don't matter to anyone or my awards. its very shotty since i worked hard for them... and i feel pretty annoyed that i was stuck in there bustin my butt for a 3.25 and all the awards i got and none of it matters to anyone. i am still working for 0 dollars just like my friend is at nbc who got probably less then a 2.0.... in this economy recent grads are going to work for free for the rest of their lives potentially lol, its really bad man...consider switching majors while you still can. you can always shoot if you like to, or cut, for fun. making it your job wont make it fun necessarily. you might end up working for free for some daytime talk show you don't even like... :crazy:
Click to expand...

While it's generally true that nobody in the film industry really cares what school you went to, or what degree you might or might not have, your statement is a bit - I don't really know how to say this without it potentially sounding harsh - naive. Education is vitally important to moving up in this business, perhaps more so than in any other I can think of. Except that education is not trade school. If all one wants to do is operate a camera, or perhaps be a really good AC, that's fine. But if one has ambitions to be an artist - and I very much consider cinematography an art form - one will eventually find themselves in meetings, conversations, and working relationships with directors, writers, actors, and other cinematographers in which a lack of education, especially in the arts, is not only harmful, but often fatal. Directors as a group, at least at the higher levels of the industry, are among the smartest and most well educated people I've ever met. They will often talk in terms of existing artistic works - both well known and obscure - for both simple reference and inspiration, and expect that any of their close collaborators (and the cinematographer is one of the principle ones) are familiar with what they're talking about, can keep up with them, and can use those things as a jumping off point, a kind of shortcut for "this is what I have in mind." To be an artist, at least in part, one needs to be intimately familiar with the great works of the past, and in many situations this is expected. Education is not about learning how the camera works. It is about establishing a deep and lasting relationship with paintings, sculpture, architecture, music, and literature. It is about widening one's mind beyond being able to use a light meter. A rejection of education simply because it doesn't directly lead to a job is a rejection of the true meaning and value of artistic expression, both others and your own. And that is a sad commentary.

As I said, I don't know how to put this in a way that doesn't sound harsh. But it always pains me when people think of education as a financial investment that should have an immediate and significant financial payoff, because that's not what it's about at all. Unfortunately, most people only realize this years later.....
 
Mac or PC is the same since Windows 7 is out.
Both are stable. And both have roughly the same software. It's now a matter of graphic interface, price, and availability of components, thus speed.

GUI is better on mac, but PC wins on prices and performance. And you have apple like skins for w7 :)

I really like the combo Macbook, iphone, ipad though.
But Macpros? It has ALWAYS been really too expensive for what it is.
 
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