So all PCs are the same, because they all use Intel [or compatible] processors?

You mean I can save $4,000 by buying my next PC from Staples instead of from BOXX?


At any performance level, a Mac is more expensive than an equivalent PC.

True to some extent, but a Mac Pro is usually less expensive than an equivalent Windows workstation, which is what you should compare it with.

A general purpose "PC" is not a workstation, but I understand that not everyone has even seen one.

My specific statement was that a Mac Pro is better built than the equal cost HP xw8600 workstation. The Mac Pro is also better built than the comparable Dell workstation (that will cost quite a bit more than the Mac Pro unless you say "Mac Pro!," in which case Dell's reps will immediately drop the price by 30% to try to get the sale).

I also said that to get to the same level of build quality as the Mac Pro in a Windows workstation, you have to go to BOXX. Their machines cost the same as or more than a Mac Pro, but they are in a different league compared to other media production/science/engineering Windows workstations.

I encourage you to ask some workstation owners, or at least check out workstations on your own at NAB or some other professional trade show. You'll lose your virginity pretty quickly.

The only great OS was CP/M. I still have 2 machines running CP/M. It is very fast, no GUI issues, and never a BSOD. The only other OS that is great is Cromix that Is used more than CP/M. I networked 6 computers, two printers and a 15-inch Kennedy disk drive. I still have the Cromenco computer in the rack. I did lots of work at home back to the office on that network. I have made a lot of money with those machines.

David

A Supermicro workstation server will easily match up against a high end Mac, both for components and quality. If you COULD buy one at Staples, than I suspect it would match up. You seem overly impressed with the badge that's on the box. Once you pick your hardware configuration, then all you have to decide is whether you want to run PC NLE software like Vegas, Mac software like FCP or something that runs on either like the Adobe Production Suite. All I'm saying is the Apple gives you no advantage over Win 7. None. Zero.

"Again, absolutely no offense intended to you Mark or any other Mac fan. There's nothing wrong with buying a boxed Mac or PC, just like there's nothing wrong with having one built or DIY."

No offense taken. It is, after all, just my opinion.

But for those of you arguing that there's no difference in the design or build quality between Mac Pros and PC workstations; have you honestly opened up a Mac Pro and looked at it? The all aluminum case, the slide-in hard drive slots, the lack of messy cabling, etc... there is a world of difference...

http://assets.gearlive.com/blogimages/mac-pro-09-open.jpg

A Supermicro workstation server will easily match up against a high end Mac, both for components and quality.

I have a Supermicro workstation also (my main Vegas system for uncompressed video for years), and while the motherboard and general component quality can't be faulted, the functional mechanical design and build quality are quite noticeably better on the Mac Pro.

I don't care about the badge, in fact there is no badge on the front of the Mac Pro, or on the SuperMicro.

When I remove the sheet metal side panel on my SuperMicro workstation, it doesn't look close to what I find when I remove the solid aluminum side panel from my silent Mac Pro:





The key differences between a $3,000 workstation and a $600 PC are a) using different CPU families, such as Xeon instead of Core 2 Duo, b) more slots for high speed RAM (32GB in the 2009 Mac Pro), c) using ECC (Error Correcting Code) RAM which becomes important especially for long renders running across 8 - 32GB where the odds of getting through a job without cosmic radiation bit errors are getting diminished, and d) workstation class graphics boards.

Many people have found that today's high end consumer boards are OK for much of what the Quadro FX and FireGL workstation boards used to be mandatory for, but it is crucial to look at the OpenGL version supported and the performance in this area specifically (if you are using professional tools that take advantage of OpenGL).

Not everybody needs a workstation instead of a PC, but it is always helpful to know what you're missing (which may be nothing of importance for your specific needs), vs. how much money you've now got left to spend on other useful things if you go with the PC.

LOL:

http://www.sevenforums.com/customization/12290-transform-windows7-rc-mac-os-x-leopard-r2-theme.html