New comp

[AbdulaOblongata]

I am currently looking for a new computer. I have been looking seriously into getting a Mac Pro because of the video editing capabilities it provides. I also have several friends with Mac computers and they love them because of the lack of error messages and general software problems. Personally I am only hesitant because I have always heard that PC's are better for gaming. I wouldn't consider myself a huge gamer, but I do play a lot of the new stuff that comes out(if it seems decent). So I was wondering if anyone knows how the Macs run newer games? I also know that with the Boot Camp feature a Mac computer will run Windows. Will PC games run on a Mac this way or will you lose a lot of graphics and processing power? I also know that Bizzard is releasing Starcraft 2 for the Mac system. Is this becoming a trend for large games and are more companies likely to take this approach with their games?

Thanks for the help.

 

[LinkedKube]

90% of games arent supported on mac, some macs are good with video editing, but they're expensive. Blue screens are a piece of trouble shooting. Blizzard games do run on macs. PC games will not run on macs.

 

[LinkedKube]

If you have a budget we can put something together for you if you're willing to build yourself, otherwise we can give recommendations for prebuilt systems.

 

[AbdulaOblongata]

I am definitely interested in putting together my own PC if that was the direction I decide to go. However I have never actually built one from the ground up. I have installed some basic stuff like ram, power supply, and hard drive. Most of what I know comes from an A+ hardware class that I took in college. How hard do you think it would be for me to put something together. Right now I have a HP M1270n Media Center edition and it is hard to do anything with it simply because it is so cluttered. As far as budget goes, the Mac Pro that I was looking at was going to be about 3,000. I'm not sure I want to put quite that much into a PC because they seem to last as long as the Mac systems before errors start to become prevalent. Also with the Mac Pro I would be able to upgrade it to the point of doubling its initial power. Still I would probable put about 2,000 into a good system. Any and all suggestions for computer components will be greatly appreciated. Also I don't know how much you know about video editing but are there any programs out for PCs that can compare with Mac programs such as Final Cut Pro. This may be getting a little off topic but I have a HD camera and right now I can't even watch the video on my computer, much less edit it. This computer is about 4 years old so that probably has something to do with it. Anyway this post is getting pretty long so I will cut it off there and check back later to see what you think.

Thanks

 

[LinkedKube]

2000 dollars is a huge budget in the pc world, building something that can last you another 3-4 years. I'll suggest some builds for you.

You've already replaced the bulk of a pc so I dont think you'll have much of an issue.

As for the final cut pro question, you should wait for other replies in the next day or so I'm sure you'll get some. I dont dable in video editing too much.

 

[LinkedKube]

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374 $259.99

VGA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102830 $199.99

CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202 $279.99

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224 $159.99 x2

Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 $ 99.99

Power Supply Unit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153038 $ 149.99

CD/DVD drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030 $ 31.99

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043 $ 172.99

Didnt include monitor, keyboard, mouse etc, because its clear you already have those.

Grand total 1339.94 before shipping but does not include the $~70 dollars in rebates.

 

[BrownPaper]

The Mac Pro at $3000 USD will only get you a Nvidia GT120, which is a rebranded Nvidia 9600GT. With $2000, you can get a very, very fast PC. Fast CPU and fast graphics card. The Mac Pro's top of the line graphics card is the ATI HD 4850. You can get a much better graphics card for the same money with PCs. The new Mac Pro can use "top-of-the-line" dual Intel Xeon Nehalems but those will cost you upwards of $6000.

Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas is comparable to Final Cut Pro. If you work in a Mac-centric industry, it may be worth it for you to go Mac to be compatible with everyone else.

 

[AbdulaOblongata]

I am thinking that I'll go with the pc after seeing what I can get for the price difference. What about a sound card though. I didn't see that on there, but I don't guess they could be that hard to pick out. With the components you suggested would I be able to run duel monitors or would I need another video card? I'm going to bed now but I'll check back in the morning.
Thanks

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Macs are garbage as far as price vs. performance goes. They are simply poorly-equipped PCs with OS X and a Mac logo on them, which raises the price by $2000 compared to a similarly-equipped PC.

supersmash's build is pretty good, although if you're upto it, you can get the CPU here for about $80 cheaper, but it's an in-store pickup only. They have stores in VA and GA though, which are the only nearby states to yours (they don't have stores in NC). Also, you can go with the GA-EX58-UD3R here to save some more cash.

However, I disagree with the choice of graphics card. You should go for this card instead, since it provides the fastest performance for rendering and it is a great gaming card as well. I would also recommend Avid, Sony Vegas, Adobe Premiere Pro and Edius as excellent alternatives to FCP. Most of the people I know in A&D that use PCs use Edius for video editing and Vegas for sound editing.

The sound card would be decided by what kind of audio editing you do. Depending on your application, I recommend these professional audio editing systems. However, if you are not looking to do any serious audio editing work, then an ASUS XONAR, Creative X-Fi Titanium or Auzentech X-Fi Forte would be my recommendation, if your budget allows it; if it doesn't, the onboard sound on the mobo will be fine.

Lastly, I would recommend this PSU instead of supersmash's recommendation as another potential money-saving opportunity.

Note that while you are cutting costs with the above choices, you are in no way sacrificing performance. You are only saving money, and nothing more.

 

[SNGX1275]

You really came to the wrong place to ask about whether you should get a Mac. This board is incredibly biased towards PCs.

Every Mac sold by Apple now (and for the past 3? years) will run Windows as well as OS X. It is true that your video card options are limited and weaker than you can get in the PC world for gaming. But like most things there is an enthusiast scene out there that work on getting PC graphics cards to work on Macs. You can currently buy a 4890 and get it to work in a Mac Pro (although there is a compromise of only one DVI port working).

Talk with your Mac buddies and see if they do any video editing, see what software they use, then look at the PC side. Don't blow off a Mac just because it doesn't have as many games available, because you can just boot into Windows. And if the 4870 isn't good enough for you then you could make a 4890 work. This has been true for lots of cards in the past and I don't see any reason it won't continue to be true in the future. The quad core Xeon is going to have plenty of power for games too.

Edit: Also found this: PCs GTX285/275/260/295 working in any MacPro....

 

[howephillip]

For video I use PowerDirector 7 and After Effects CS4. Mainly I use after effects because of the HD support and just the amazing things I can do. I think it's gunna depend on what you'll do with the video. A mac will run Adobe After Effects as well as PC (although the price for AE is a little much) And on the other end PowerDirector 7 is great for everyday edits (and also does HD). Just if you need to do it faster. I don't know about PD 7 on Mac although bootcamp should run it just fine, but on PC it's fine.

 

[AbdulaOblongata]

Hey guys, sorry I haven't responded recently. As of right now my computer has been working like it should. If it keeps running I'm going to hold off on a new build for now. I'm going to keep the forum saved though and I'll check it out again when the time comes. Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

 

[captaincranky]

The only justifiable reason that I can think of to go with Mac, is if you intend to purchase "Final Cut Pro" for video editing.

I haven't used it in years, but as a guess I'd speculate that "Adobe Premier Pro" has equaled it's capabilities.

In either case, you need a really hefty machine to take full advantage of either program. ( And lots of money for software).

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Avid, Premiere Pro and others are on par with FCP. Avid is better than FCP IMO, but that's subjective.