Hello there!
I am thinking of getting the latest iMac Core2Duo 2.4Ghz with 2 gigs of Ram. Would it be a ‘smart’ move to do so (I’ve only used Blender with my XP PC)? Is it possible to load Windows -made- blend files at a Mac computer running Blender?
One last question: Would the iMac described above be able to capture and edit HD video (I have a Sony HDR-FX1)?
The alternative to the iMac would be a Quad core PC with aprox 4GB of Ram (and Vista?).
Any thoughts?
Yes you can do that all on the mac if your camera has a DV plug…
Also: besides blender, good sequencers (premiere, final cut) cost an arm and a leg on any platform.
yessiree! Are you ordering online or from a store? If online, beware the fine print. If it’s a BTO (build-to-order) configuration (upgrade HD, or ram for example), you cannot return it within the return time. You’re better off buying it exactly as is when you select it, then adding Ram etc yourself from a different supplier (cheaper, and doesn’t void warranty). I went through this problem 3 years ago with my iMac G5. The fine print may have changed a little, but just a heads up/fyi to read the fine print.
That said, blender runs great on a mac. The only thing to be aware of with opening Windows files is that any paths for textures etc will have to be re-pathed, since there’s no “C-drive”…and Mac/Unix/Linux use forward slashes instead of backslashes for path structure.
You should be fine I think. I don’t know about the camera but I assume it would work. Only thing I’d suggest is wait until October when Apple releases Mac OS X Leopard which is the next operating system.
Good luck
Cuby
you will get much more for your money with a PC, plus:
More software to chose from.
Cheeper prices on software.
More games to choose from.
No waiting for Mac verisons.(if you want to use Zbrush 3 you get to wait untill next year sometime)
More hardware to choose from
Only time I would suggest a Mac is if they had some pice of software you NEED that you cannot buy on a PC.Or well… if you just prefer Mac
And with a Mac you get:
Better hardware (doesn’t fail as much)
Better OS (OSX is so much better than Vista/XP)
Better Software (in general there is less bloat/trashware on Apple machines)
No Viruses (and no need to buy anti-virus software)
Better support (compared to Dell)
I’ve used PCs my entire life (except for a job I used to have where I did video editing on a Mac). And my next laptop will be exactly what you just listed.
For what its worth Apple uses hardware that isn’t bleeding edge technology so its been around for a year. The good news is they almost all the bugs worked out by this point, vs. us PC Bata testers.
bleeding edge? the quad core xeon 3.0 CPU isn’t even released to the public yet as far as I know. (and the top end Mac Pros have two of them). But on average, you’re right MrRage. They definitely do more robust compatibility testing with the hardware to ensure stability and performance. Yes they might cost a little more, but they’ll sell for a lot more 3-5 years from now when you want to upgrade. And you can still use 5 year old Mac hardware with current software/OSes…unlike other systems cough Vista cough. …sorry…not trying to start a flame war…there are enough of those on every forum available.
If you people don’t want to start a flame war then just don’t start to bring up these pro’s and cons.
That said, I’m enough of a prick to throw in my 2 cents.
I’ve used macs in school before OSX… They sucked bigtime. I’ve used pcs with window for quite some time, not too much trouble with it. Used OSX at a printing office once. It got the job done, but it felt to gimmicky, not better or anything, just different compared to windows.
I’m running linux now, except for the sound recording that doesn’t work as it should now, everything else does, and I’m a happy camper.
But seriously, the os or even the hardware doesn’t really matter these days. every os can run on every piece of hardware around nowadays.
Thanx guys! Still a bit confused though… I might go for the PC.
How about:
- IntelMacs (MacBook, etc) can run Mac OS X, Windows, Linux side by side or in dual boot mode
I don’t have to go further, since that pretty much destroys all your arguments against buying a Mac
macs are expensive… so that destroys your argument daredemo… plus os x has the worst user interface ever. Nice expensive hard ware… rubbish OS… if money is an issue by a PC… if your a hobbyist with time to waste on rubbish user interfaces get a mac… and put linux and xp on it.
I’d save the cash get a pc with a better graphics card. Then you can at least get a better chip and mobo in 6-8months without having to cough up for a whole computer.
If you want more processor poweeeerrrrrr for your buck: assemble a PC, figure out how to run Gentoo on it and be a happy renderer.
If you want to do a bit of everything (blendering, browsing) but also want to play the latest games and you have everybody else you know that also run windows: get windows (XP, vista still has to mature a bit).
If you want a reliable machine, and a user interface even your mom would understand… and especially if you’re using wifi gadgets a lot: get a mac.
If you are a fanboy: git of da lawn ye darn kidz!
I’m using all three at home depending on what I need to get done:
A PC with dualboot winXP/ubuntu studio to compile and run games/get rendering and art done.
An old powerbook G4 12" to check my mails, browse around and watch TV (usb), and to have the ability to watch something on the go.
If you don’t know what you want to do with your computer: buy a windows machine, it swings both ways.
If you have a habit of opening 50 applications at once and have had it with blue screens: get a mac or Linux box.
If you want a computer that will run and still be serviceable in five years (as in: it hasn’t blown up, or become instable): buy a mac.
If you want to be thrilled by the latest games, but plan to upgrade parts, and like to get your hands dirty: buy PC parts, and run WinXP or Linux… except if you want the latest, just out of the factory parts… then there’s only windows that garantees cough that you have the latest drivers to run that hardware.
as said above…if all you care about is pure render power, go for the quad core (the q6600 will quite easily overclock to be faster than dual opteron 2220s, the opterons go for almost twice the price as the q6600, and you need two of them!). Then run linux (probably stay away from gentoo if you want to get some real work done), and compile the source customized for your kernel. Get an nvidia video card, and your off to the races. I also have all three (well ok 5) - OS X, Mandriva Linux, XP Pro, Win2K, Ubuntu 7). My main machine is the linux box, and my wife uses the iMac the most right now. Windows machines and ubuntu machine are collecting dust.
For the price of the latest imac you can definitely build a killer quad core pc. Put ubuntu on it and you’re sorted.
I am not terribly sure about using linux though if you do a lot of video editing. Perhaps a mac is best for you if you do that sort of thing a lot. I know macs are great for video editing. You will prob need to shell out for some software though.
I dunno, that mac does look pretty good I must say - it’s the 24 inch screen that clinches it. Must be full HD 1920x1080 right?
A rubbish interface… a rubbish OS??? According to whom?? You? OSX is based on BSD Unix and runs just fine. If you’re saying that OSX is rubbish, then you’re also saying that all Unix/Linux is rubbish as well.
I don’t know where everyone comes up with this line of BS that Macs are so much more expesnsive than PC’s. If you compare a Mac at the hardware level, item per item, chip to chip, Macs are about the same price as a comparable PC. Granted - One thing I’ve never liked about the iMacs is that they aren’t very upgradeable, but they weren’t meant to be. Plus an iMac will have a much higher resale value once you want to upgrade and get a better one.
In my own humble opinion, PCs aren’t as upgradeable as you might think. Once a new faster CPU comes out, I would say at least 80 - 90% of the time it won’t be compatible with your current mother board and you’re going to end up getting a new computer anyway!! Or - it at least won’t run as fast as it would would with a newer mother board and you’re going to be asking yourself “Should I upgrade or just get a newer computer?” Most people end up buying a new PC!
Bottom line is… You really should listen to anyone on this thread (even me). You should buy whatever computer you’ll be most comfortable with and will make you the happiest. If that’s a PC, then buy a PC. If it’s a Mac, then buy a Mac.
gr8! before you spend a whole lot of money on a Mac, just consider my post which I posted some time ago:
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=99921
I now have 10 lines running across the screen of my imac core duo at work. This machine is just over a year old. It started plus-minus two days after the one year warranty passed. We have contacted our Mac agent here numerous times, they are now avoiding us and not returning our calls and emails.
I like both Macs and Pc’s and have both at home, however, I will simply not buy one, honestly dude, buy yourself a top-notch pc instead. At least then when something goes wrong it’s easier and less expensive to fix.
Again… simply not true. If the Flat Panel on your PC went out, why would it be any easier to fix?? You would basically run into the same problem.
Also - If you take your iMac to an Apple Store and plop it onto the counter of the Genesis Bar, they ship it back to Apple and fix it. Might even do it for free if you bitch loud enough.
Not a chance mate. Not without forking out a sh** load of money.Have a look at those links and the problems people have worldwide with this specific issue. And if you know of someone spesific I can contact about this please let me know, because well, this is still a problem that needs sorting.
At least with a pc you can simply replace the screen as it’s a separate unit, with an Imac if the screen goes the entire machine is stuffed. It happened with my previous and older imac where the screen card or something packed up, twice, the first time we had it replaced which cost a small fortune, the second time my boss simply decided to buy a new machine as it was not worth spending so much money to get it fixed.
I need a laptop. And for that matter there is no other option out there. I refuse to use Windows, and linux is just not ready for laptops. You might disagree for sake of disagreeing with me, but for my needs there’s no other option.