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Subject: Re: [AE] OT: PC Buying for Mac Users
From: James Culbertson <albion@speakeasy.net>
In-Reply-To: <list-4743266@media-motion.tv>
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:43:16 -0700
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References: <list-4743266@media-motion.tv>
To: "After Effects Mail List" <AE-List@media-motion.tv>

The main thing stopping me from buying a PC is that it only runs Windows =
and I'm not ready to Hackintosh yet.

I'm wondering how the new Retina MacbookPros compare in speed to the =
single Quadcore MacPro? The SSD drive upgrade is enticing. And 16G RAM =
is probably enough for most of what I do. I'd probably consider it if =
there was a suitable Thunderbolt Chassis to pop my old MacPro hard =
drives into.

James


On Jun 11, 2012, at 3:08 PM, Stephen van Vuuren wrote:

> To echo Greg's offer - I would be happy to help any Mac folks wanting =
to
> make the change. I have a lot of years of working with Mac since I =
started
> out on computers on an Apple II and also have a Hackintosh currently.
> Although you can write a novel about this stuff, here's my two cents =
of core
> points of the 4 basic options.
>=20
> 1. Most Mac users will be happiest with a HP/Dell/Boxx workstation =
system.
> Be sure to get the US-based support. Especially with Dell but also HP =
etc.,
> they have outlet stores that offer substantial savings, often on just =
order
> cancellations or unopened returns and offers the same warranty =
options.
> Also, even more than Mac, buy the barest bone system possible and add =
your
> RAM, additional drives etc. This will not affect warranty or support.
>=20
> Don't automatically go for a Xeon-based system. Currently, most AE =
users
> will get far more bang for your buck with a Sandy Bridge EP system =
unless
> you do a lot of heavy 3D renders and need more than 12 render threads. =
I
> think right now a 6-core/12-thread Sandy-Bridge with 48 GB of RAM or =
more is
> fantastic AE system.
>=20
> 2. There are also a number of boutique PC builder shops that build
> custom/high-end workstations for specific niches. Great deals and =
amazing
> performance to be had but support and longevity varies, so research
> carefully and stick with vendors that have been in business for a =
while with
> great reviews.
>=20
> 3. Build your own box is the best way to get the "perfect system" but =
you
> need to be sure PC building is an "enjoyable hobby". For many of us it =
is
> and if you follow good recommendations, these systems are just as =
stable,
> powerful and reliable as Apple or Dell or HP - but if something does =
go
> wrong and sh***t happens, it's far more difficult to deal with than =
Dell or
> HP 4 hour, same day response.
>=20
> 4. Hackintosh is a dangerous seducer because it means OS/X. It has all =
the
> same pro/cons as #3 plus it takes careful OS tweaking and management =
to keep
> things right. OS updates can be scary as you can break a build and =
never get
> it back stable again. Not recommended for you primary #1 machine for =
most
> people - but if you do, stick to one of the tested builds out there =
and be
> sure to have multiple image-based backups to easily get your system =
back to
> usable condition.
>=20
> My two cents is a Hackintosh running OS/X is more work to configure =
and
> maintain then moving a complicated setup from OS/X to Windows on
> off-the-shelf hardware.
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> stephen van vuuren
> 336.202.4777
>=20
> http://www.sv2dcp.com/
> http://www.sv2studios.com/
> http://www.outsideinthemovie.com/
>=20
> A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It =
should be a
> progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the =
emotion, the
> meaning, all that comes later.
> -Stanley Kubrick
>=20
>=20
> -----Original Message-----
> From: After Effects Mail List [mailto:AE-List@media-motion.tv] On =
Behalf Of
> Chris Meyer
> Sent: Monday, June 11, 2012 5:36 PM
> To: After Effects Mail List
> Subject: Re: [AE] [OT] The Mac Pro is dead
>=20
> On Jun 11, 2012, at 3:21 PM, Steve Oakley wrote:
>=20
>> 3rd parties are flashing nVidia cards with mac firmware and they work
> except during boot up.
>=20
> Following the conversations up here, I was getting the (probably =
mistaken)
> impression that after pre-installing the drivers that the Windows =
cards
> worked out of box, except you didn't get to see the boot screen; the =
eBay
> custom-flashed cards added the boot display hack.
>=20
>> the effort for them to support 480 / 580 /680 is pretty minimal. they
> couldn't even go for a fews days of an engineer's time to tweak the =
firmware
> for boot up ?
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> Given that third parties are flashing the cards, rather than offering =
an OS
> patch, I got the (again, perhaps mistaken) impression that "officially
> supporting" those cards required the third parties to update firmware =
to
> offer Mac versions, rather than rely completely on Apple.
>=20
> But I'm speculating based on what I'm skimming over on this list. Can =
those
> who are running "Windows" cards on their Macs give us some explicit =
details
> of exactly what they had to do, and what they have to do without (like =
temp
> sensing in the power management - something else that comes up with =
the eBay
> flashed cards)?
>=20
> Regardless, dismayed that Apple didn't at least add the Quadro 4000 to =
their
> Built To Order options.
>=20
> - Chris
>=20
>=20
>=20
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>=20
>=20
>=20
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