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The Ultimate Workstation (with budgets in mind)
I’m looking to purchase a new workstation in following weeks specifically for After Effects (currently AE 7, will be jumping to CS3 within a month) with some work in Premiere, Maya and Photoshop. I’m currently torn between Mac and PC (as the prices have become quite similar) and am having difficulties cultivating a single source for the PC components. We have a budget of $10000 and here’s what we’ve looked at thus far. The systems have fairly similar components and land just below the 10000 mark.
MAC
2x Quad Core 3 ghz Intel
8 gb Ram
Nvidia FX Quatro 4500
500 gb HD
gb lan (for small projects and backup)PC
2x Quad Core 3.2 ghz Intel
Nvidia FX Quatro 4500
8 gb Ram
500 gb HD
ASUS DSBF motherboard (or better)Which will be better? Any recommendations or changes in components?
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17 Replies
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I don’t want to reignite the Mac vs PC debate but the first questions you need to answer is what software you will use and what your workflow experience and expectations are.
I ditched my Windows machine last fall for a MacPro Quad, loaded it with 4 500GB drives and have it set up to dual boot, so I can run Windows and Macintosh software. Some of my clients prefer me to edit in Premiere, others want FCP. I don’t have any regrets at all. The machine is rock solid in both OS’s.
I primarily run AE, the Creative Suite, Premiere and Final Cut Studio.
RAM for the MacPro is pricey, it needs FB-DIMMS with special heatsinks. Don’t buy the additional RAM from Apple, they charge a premium. Don’t buy it from a discounter either. Get good RAM from a specialist, there are several good ones (Ramjet, OWC among them).
The Nvidia board won’t help with rendering in AE but will with OpenGL previews.
Still, though I’m happy with the Mac, make your decision based on software and your familiarity/workflow.
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Chances are any replies to this type of question will be subjective in nature, so no answer will be “the” definitive one.
That said, my personal choice between the two would be the mac option without a doubt. Here’s my basic (and admittedly personal) reasons:
1. Vista sucks with pro apps, it’s pretty well documented. Add to that the myriad security issues, constant Windows headaches and OSX feels like a dream by comparison.
2. Vista will hog more of your RAM and other resources just to run.
3. You will likely be able to take better advantage of that amount of RAM using a mac, depending on your needs and workflow, etc.
4. In my experience, macs have better support via AppleCare
4. Mac networking is easier and more solid/reliable
5. You can run Windows AND OSX on a mac using bootcamp/Parallels, with great performance on both OSs, so you really get two systems for the price of one.
6. More bang for the buck on OSX since you can run Final Cut Suite and Adobe apps, making your system a complete end-to-end production machine. I know you mentioned using Premiere, but you may eventually want to go with FCP. Having this option without purchasing a new rig offers nice flexibility.
Again, these are just my opinions and I’m sure people will have great reasons for using Windows boxes instead. My studio is currently ditching all of our PCs in favor of macs for the reasons listed above, but also the IT costs of maintaining the PCs (which are rife with BS issues that should have been ironed out years ago) far outstrip maintenance costs of the macs.
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I agree with these points, especially the RAM cost issue. I buy all of our mac RAM from Other World Computing (and purchase their brand) because it matches the Apple RAM specs and costs a fraction of what Apple charges.
You could build out the system listed for 25% less than your budget if you don’t let Apple stuff the box with all those things, and buy them third-party instead.
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Thanks! Like yourself, we have a mixed clientel and have had to decline a few projects because we’ve been primarily PC based until now. Our CS licences are PC based and we’d hate to have to purchase new software (for the moment at least) due to OS changes so your solution sounds quite promising. There are also many advantages to FCP or even Motion which we just can’t utilize yet.
So essentially, MAC can ‘become’ a PC anyway, and due to hardware, PC’s can’t really become MACs. Sound like a much better route at the proffessional level considering, the prices are virtually the same anyway.
I’ll look into 3rd party RAM and see what I can price out… maybe even go with 16 gb 😉
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[beenyweenies] “I buy all of our mac RAM from Other World Computing (and purchase their brand) because it matches the Apple RAM specs and costs a fraction of what Apple charges. You could build out the system listed for 25% less than your budget if you don’t let Apple stuff the box with all those things, and buy them third-party instead.”
Here, here, mon ami. :o)
We do the same. Other World Computing’s RAM has served us well over the years and always comes in well below what Apple (over)charges.
Best,
Ron Lindeboom
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Also, Premiere is available for Mac in the latest release. In addition you can upgrade from a previous PC version of CS2 to a Mac version of CS3. Just trying to confuse you with more options (;
Darby Edelen
DVD Menu Artist
Left Coast Digital
Aptos, CA -
Adobe WILL do license cross-grades from PC to Mac, you just have to call and request it with a rep. If they try to tell you it can’t be done, call them out and tell them you know people who have done it without problems.
They can and will do it, but I have heard stories of their reps trying to pretend it’s not possible.
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not confused—thrilled!
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If you’re looking to go the PC route, the best thing you can do is find out from Adobe and Autodesk who their certified systems integrators are. Asking which is better Mac or PC (IMO), will get you more misinformation than anything else. 🙂 Mostly, you want to look at individual companies like 1Beyond, HP, Boxx, Dell, etc. to find out who has the better support, pricing and value. It’s also worth it to talk to your IT staff/person to find out what they’re willing to support. Who knows, they may even be able to get a better deal than you can get on the same hardware.
Finally, for 10,000.00 most systems integrators will give you a great deal on support, especially if you buy more than one machine. Many (especially Dell) offer on-site support, so if you blow a power supply (or something) someone will be there in 12 hours to swap out the part and get you up and running again.
Thanks,
Shawn
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Other World Computing has two rams, one is tested and registered with Apple and the other (though the same) is not, and has a slightly lower price tag? What would you recommend? I suppose its just based on a risk factor.
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