AE CS3 seems faster on Windows

[Jason Jenkins]

Yeah, that is a downer for Mac Pro users like myself. So, I can stick with XP and be RAM handicapped or go OSX and be OS handicapped.

[Brendan Coots]

Bear in mind that this comparison is based on Apple hardware, even though it is running under Boot Camp. The Dell XPS that comes closest to matching the Mac Pro system specs is around the same price (only a few hundred dollars less) and, as we all know, Dells are nowhere near as reliable or well built. As such, you’d really need to go with a manufacturer like Boxx to match the quality AND specs of the Mac Pro, and you’re looking at paying about a grand more than the Pro.

Either way, I have moved to the Macs for more reasons than a few isolated benchmarks. They are, in my experience, more reliable, easier to use, less prone to viruses and corruption, and generally less frustrating to network/other IT issues. The ability to run OSX and Windows on the same box is a huge plus, as is the ability to use them as full blown FCP edit rigs AND 3D/motion graphics workstations. Versatility is key in my studio.

Brendan Coots
Splitvision Digital
http://www.splitvisiondigital.com

[Bimdas]

The days when macs were more stable than windows are long gone ever since windows xp has been out. I’ve encountered too many spinning wheels off death on the mac to be pulled into that side of the arguement. What it comes down to though is whatever floats your boat, they both use the same hardware and come with most of the same software these days anyway.

[Shawn Lance]

Agreed. I got tired hearing the debate, so I bought both ( yes, it hurt financially and yes, I’m lucky to be able to swing it)

[Michael Zoppo]

Windows XP is great, I agree, but as far as protection against corruption and viruses and just overall crashing I would have to say the mac has it beat by a long shot. Although most studios I have heard of use Windows for After Effects because they believe it runs smoother, and it just may be so. But another thing that really turns me away from Microsoft is the company itself, Im not gonna shop at a company I dont trust. And Microsft is certainly not on my list, most of there campaigns are just for the purpose of money, and I know they are suppose to be trying to make money but everything they make just falls apart. Take for example the xbox, its horrible and so is the 360 they always crash and cause problems and the customer service is horrible where as if you look at a company like Nintendo, they are a people person company and have a reliable machine and free internet, where as microsoft charges the user which is ridiculous. But im ranting so I shall stop. I would have to say that Mac has more pros vs cons , then microsoft does.

[Brendan Coots]

The Mac vs. PC debate is almost as pointless as it is ageless. People have their personal preferences, and certain factors are more important to some people than others. It is pretty much up to the user to decide which works better for them.

That said, there simply is no debate about which platform is more secure and protected from viruses. For my studio, there is no debate about which platform is easier to network and administrate. There is also no debate about which platform provides the most value, since a Mac can run both OSX and Windows, and every application in between. And finally, for me there is no debate AT ALL regarding which company I would rather send my hard-earned dollars to, Apple vs. Microsoft. All other things being equal (which they aren’t) I would choose macs just on general principal.

Brendan Coots
Splitvision Digital
http://www.splitvisiondigital.com

[Shawn Lance]

I agree with that too

[Tonton1]

I wonder, is there a difference like that with other apps ?

[Wvladik]

Is anyone really surprised about this ?

First , you have Adobe who just dont give two dimes about Mac OS.
This is company that released CS3 on Mac more crippled than previous version 7. (openGL comming soon , yea we heard that before , like OpenGL motion blur fix in version 7 that never came)

Second , as much as i love Mac ( bought Mac Pro 8 core and new MacBook Pro ) Tiger has some serious issues under the hood. Tasks jumping from one core to another for no reason, beach balls when network drive is disconnected , old OpenGL (is Apple really using 1.4 version ? now that is messed up).(oh and just tasty Kernel panics with brand new MacBook Pro due to buggy as hell Wireless N drivers , just look at apple’s own forums you’ll find hundreds users with same issue)

Corruption on Windows ? I really dont know what some of you are doing out there but i’m running web server , FTP server , on my media center PC and havent had a single virus or trojan since 2002. Both my mac’s and my server pc are behind router , and all of them run software firewall.

But all in all , Mac OS just feels better designed. I love the fact that when i have an issue i just deal with one company , period , no blaming it on “the other guy”. And for us , Apple users , there’s hope things are gonna get much better. Leopard is gonna use new OpenGL (is this what Adobe is waiting for ? ) , new task scheduler , it’s going to be fully 64bit OS and finally new FIXED Finder.

( sorry for such a long post )

[Brian Lynn]

To add my two cents:
About Mac being able to run both OS… well, PC machines CAN run OSx… I’ve installed it myself, just to test it, on an HP laptop. The results? Amazingly fast. I installed 10.4.4 on a quad boot system (WINXP, WINVISTA, OSX, and OpenSUSE) just to see if I could do it. Its back to a pure WINXP machine now for work purposes, and, without a legal license for a PC machine I would not install OSX again.

It was a fun experiment, and I personally don’t understand why apple won’t license its OS out to everyone. 10.4.4 was faster on my HP laptop than it was on any CoreDuo machine out at the time. I’ve not played with the Core2Duo Mac machine’s but my HP laptops have not seen a gigantic increase in performance from the CoreDuo to Core2Duo verions (I have 3 of these laptops).

I would love access to Motion and FCP, but I’m not willing to invest in a new machine just to run a few pieces of software. CircusPonies notebook program would be another I would run, but still its not enough to justify a whole new machine. If apple would give me legal access to install OSX on my PC, I would go tomorrow and buy OSX, FCP, and Motion all at once, as would 1000s of other PC only guys. Image what that would do to apple’s stock…

Of course it would be very interesting to see if apple’s OS can be as flexible as windows once its spread out across 1000’s of machine configurations. That’s one thing I give Microsoft props for… Windows runs on just about anything that meets the minimum requirements, despite its hardware configuration. In this day and age just about any body can build a box to that will handle windows.