help..tell me about MAC books

[joolzriff]

i currently own a pc that wont deal w/ recording software(media edition-crap) and ive been told by the masses that a MAC is the way to go.
i'm sold on the idea...how easy is it to transfer your brain from pc to MAC and how good is the MAC book at recording??
i'm not looking at BOB rock recordings just good quality demos basicaly that i can submit to the band and or put on myspace....
will the macbook handle these jobs?????

[PB+J]

Everything you hear about the Mac is true--it's easy and stable and about as painless as it can get. Here are some clips I did using a macbook pro and GarageBand, which comes free. I'm a total novice, so listening to these you can get an idea what a novice can do with Garageband and a MacBook Pro

http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/magic/samples.html

The interface is a Mackie Satellite. It's very easy to do with the Mac

[Maxer]

Good advice. By the way, for the original poster - we call it a "Mac," not "MAC." Sure-fire way to signal your newbie status.

(;->))

However, there's plenty of PC software that does killer music. Your problem sounds like it's hardware-related. Perhaps you need a machine with more oomph. You might want to consider that first before you opt to switch platforms.

That said, I get great results with Logic and before that it was GarageBand... GB is a fantastic introduction to home recording.

[joolzriff]

the gentleman above said he has a mac book pro,i was actually wondering if the normal mac book would handle the duties,i can afford the basic one w/ gb mem
would that deal w/ it

[rockinrob]

The lowest tier Macbook right now is pretty kick @$$- way faster than any low end product they had before. 2.0 ghz C2D, 1 GB memory, 80 GB HD. Of course it depends on what you're running, how many tracks, pluggins, etc. But I'm pretty sure it can handle it- there's a lot of people still using 1 GHz iBooks and Powerbooks with great results. I'm probably going to get one soon myself- I don't think there's a need to upgrade to the Macbook Pro for most audio applications.

If you get really into it you can always add an external hardrive and upgrade the RAM tp 2 GBs, and then you'll be set for most anything.

[getbent]

you don't need the pro to be able to record. I have both, either will work fine... add ram, get an external firewire drive.. have fun...

[Darkburst]

you don't need the pro to be able to record. I have both, either will work fine... add ram, get an external firewire drive.. have fun...

Yep. The main limiting factors are the amount of RAM and hard drive speed. Laptops have very slow drives for the most part which is why it's recommended to work off of a high speed (7200 rpms) external Firewire drive.

[getbent]

using the slower spin speed on notebooks decreases power consumption which is a key variable in the grand game!

[eru]

Macs are amazing.

They're easy to get allright at, and they're easier than windows to get pretty good at. To get really incredible at...well, it's possible...I still don't believe in windows power users...and I used to be one (I now refuse to use them).

And I have a macbook...I use it for DJing, recording, production...it runs Logic, Ableton, and Pro Tools just fine, though with Logic the lack of a video processer shows through when drawing scrolling waveforms. It's Logic's problem, not the computer's.

Most of my recording/production knowledge comes from dance music, but the macbook will suit you well, just max out the ram and make sure you don't use the USB port closest to the power plug for audio interfaces...design flaw causes audio dropouts. The other one and the FW are just fine (I have an RME FW interface and a USB Mbox2 Mini, both work great if you don't use that USB port for an interface).

[joolzriff]

u guys are brilliant!!! i appreciate all your guys input,thankyou very much

[Jo]

I bought a Mac over a year ago to do recording with as an upgrade from using an XP PC running Sonar.

Well long story short, I never found any software I liked (that was cheap enough and didn't require a dongle). So I bought a new PC and am back to running Sonar on it and I'm happy as can be.

My beautiful G5 iMac with it's 20" flat screen is now just used for surfing the internet (typing this post) and just email. :/ I was quite disappointed with my transition to the Mac.

[PB+J]

Hard to see how you couldn't find software for the Mac--besides GarageBand, Apple offers Logic, which isn't too expensive and doesn't require a dongle. As far as I know, only protools requires a dongle to run. Maybe I'm wrong about that?

LogicPro requires a USB key, which is a pain, and it's expensive unless you get a student discount

But lots of the other commercial and freeware DAWs run on the Mac.

I can say again as a novice to recording GarageBand made it really really easy to get started. I have and use LogicPro but I don't like it--it's over-complex and counter intuitive. But I'm no a pro. It's got all the features you could ever ask for and more, and the plug ins are great.

[hw2nw]

Macbook + Pro Tools LE = you're set.

[Da5Id]

Ordered and am waiting on a new macbook pro, semi-retiring my 1Ghz 17" powerbook. I love Logic Pro. Although it is certainly complicated it's also tremendously powerful. The plugins are top tier for sure. I use it with a Metric Halo ULN-2.

[riker4208]

When I shopped for my laptop the thing that stopped me from going mac was the price. I want to be able to upgrade every couple years, and the bottom of the mac line of laptops was double the price of the PC I bought. And to add to that insult my laptop was twice as powerful with dual processors and twice the storage. I will agree though that its hard to put a price on convenience of everything working smoothly on a Mac.

[Jo]

Hard to see how you couldn't find software for the Mac--besides GarageBand, Apple offers Logic, which isn't too expensive and doesn't require a dongle. As far as I know, only protools requires a dongle to run. Maybe I'm wrong about that?

LogicPro requires a USB key, which is a pain, and it's expensive unless you get a student discount

But lots of the other commercial and freeware DAWs run on the Mac.

I can say again as a novice to recording GarageBand made it really really easy to get started. I have and use LogicPro but I don't like it--it's over-complex and counter intuitive. But I'm no a pro. It's got all the features you could ever ask for and more, and the plug ins are great.In comparison to Sonar, I was unable to find any decent software. GarageBand is cutesy, and doesn't have near enough options that I use.

My XP machine runs perfectly with Sonar. These days there's really no need to move over to a mac. XP machines run just as well.

[eru]

When I shopped for my laptop the thing that stopped me from going mac was the price. I want to be able to upgrade every couple years, and the bottom of the mac line of laptops was double the price of the PC I bought. And to add to that insult my laptop was twice as powerful with dual processors and twice the storage. I will agree though that its hard to put a price on convenience of everything working smoothly on a Mac.

Nothing against you, but I have not seen a laptop that runs as well as my macbook (c2duo 2.0ghz, 2gb ddr2 ram, 120gb hdd) except other macbooks and macbook pros. Call me a fanboy, but even though the hardware is nearly identical now, the computers are so much more durable and the OS is written so much better than when you actually start doing things with it, it doesn't slow down. There's a reason the Macbook Pro was named wired magazine's gaming PC of the year last year...not gaming laptop, gaming PC.

I used to hate macs, but...nothing could make me go back to Windows now. Nothing. If I end up having to use one for my job, they can buy me one and fix it every week or so when it slows down and pisses me off.

In comparison to Sonar, I was unable to find any decent software. GarageBand is cutesy, and doesn't have near enough options that I use.

My XP machine runs perfectly with Sonar. These days there's really no need to move over to a mac. XP machines run just as well.

XP machines do not run as stably. After administering computers from servers/domain controllers to laptops, I'm 100% convinced that Linux (specifically Gentoo) and OS X are just plain better. If you don't like it, that's fine...you not using them will lower demand and keep the prices reasonable.

But, to each his own. Sonar is a very good program. I'd probably own it if it ran on Macs, but it doesn't, and I don't.

Someone said something about dongles...Everything requires a dongle.

Logic Pro, Pro Tools (all), Digital Performer, the good version of Cubase, etc.

Not requiring a dongle is definitely in the minority of top-end DAWs.

[rockinrob]

I bought a Mac over a year ago to do recording with as an upgrade from using an XP PC running Sonar.

Well long story short, I never found any software I liked (that was cheap enough and didn't require a dongle). So I bought a new PC and am back to running Sonar on it and I'm happy as can be.

My beautiful G5 iMac with it's 20" flat screen is now just used for surfing the internet (typing this post) and just email. :/ I was quite disappointed with my transition to the Mac.

In comparison to Sonar, I was unable to find any decent software. GarageBand is cutesy, and doesn't have near enough options that I use.

Finding software that you like is very important- something being better than something else is relative to how you get along with the interface. I agree, dongles are a pain, but what's the issue if you're using it on a desktop?

Someone said something about dongles...Everything requires a dongle.

Logic Pro, Pro Tools (all), Digital Performer, the good version of Cubase, etc.

Not requiring a dongle is definitely in the minority of top-end DAWs.

Live doesn't... :o

[dkaplowitz]

By the way, for the original poster - we call it a "Mac," not "MAC." Sure-fire way to signal your newbie status.
Aside from the yelling with all caps, what's the problem with calling it a MAC?

[kldonegan]

MacBook user here. It will more than handle the software out there. You'll want to get a 7200RPM external drive to record to, though... ProTools, for example, doesn't like a 5400RPM drive and neither does Guitar Rig. Run your software on the computer's drive and track to the 7200RPM.

www.newegg.com is a great source for RAM and things. I upgraded my RAM to 2GB for about 80 bucks... the RAM has a lifetime warranty, too.

[Maxer]

Aside from the yelling with all caps, what's the problem with calling it a MAC?

"The problem" is only a problem if you want to identify with fellow Mac users, none of whom would stoop to the vulgarity of calling it a MAC. Of course, you are always free to call it whatever you please... but at the same time you can't reasonably expect to be taken seriously in the Mac world.

[bdegrande]

In comparison to Sonar, I was unable to find any decent software. GarageBand is cutesy, and doesn't have near enough options that I use.

My XP machine runs perfectly with Sonar. These days there's really no need to move over to a mac. XP machines run just as well.

Not even close in terms of stability of the operating system, viruses, spyware, etc. Vista is a very big inorovement in terms of stability, and, if you leave the proper settings on, you might be able to make that argument for Vista, but not XP. Microsoft claims that 70% of XP blue screen crashes are due to problems with two particular brands of graphics chips, problems which simply don't exiist in Vista or OS X or Linux, etc.

There are obviously many higher end music programs on the Mac than Garageband, so I have no idea what that statement was about either. It's like saying you can'ty do word processing in Windows because WordPad is limited in features.

[dkaplowitz]

"The problem" is only a problem if you want to identify with fellow Mac users, none of whom would stoop to the vulgarity of calling it a MAC. Of course, you are always free to call it whatever you please... but at the same time you can't reasonably expect to be taken seriously in the Mac world.Ugh! Macs look less and less appealing the more I read what other Mac users are saying.

[~CWY~]

got my Macbook last year... its the best investment I think I've ever made. PCs seem unusable to me now basically.

I recommend the mid-level Macbook (with the DVD burner :cool:) and then upgrade the RAM and HD, and pick up an external HD to back everything up. Take advantage of Mac's student discount/rebate deal, and make sure that you DON'T purchase the RAM upgrade from Mac (they are WAY overpriced). You can pick up the RAM from a retailer at a fraction of the cost and install it yourself. I got mine on eBay.

With this setup you should be good to go for all applications.

welcome to the club

[Maxer]

Ugh! Macs look less and less appealing the more I read what other Mac users are saying.

LOL

By all means, let the words of others dissuade you from trying out something that could really work for you.

[dkaplowitz]

By all means, let the words of others dissuade you from trying out something that could really work for you.
Or stated another way, don't buy into an expensive hardware solution if you think the user community built around it is smug and self righteous -- who wouldn't even "stoop" to address a new user who was so "vulgar" as to mis-capitalize the name of some corporation's product. Puh-leeze!

[the_Chris]

got my Macbook last year... its the best investment I think I've ever made. PCs seem unusable to me now basically.

I recommend the mid-level Macbook (with the DVD burner :cool:) and then upgrade the RAM and HD, and pick up an external HD to back everything up. Take advantage of Mac's student discount/rebate deal, and make sure that you DON'T purchase the RAM upgrade from Mac (they are WAY overpriced). You can pick up the RAM from a retailer at a fraction of the cost and install it yourself. I got mine on eBay.

With this setup you should be good to go for all applications.

welcome to the club

I'm looking at a Macbook Pro as we speak. How difficult is it to upgrade the RAM and hardware? I've always stayed away from getting lesser equipped laptops because of the simple fact that upgrading would be a pain.

[bdegrande]

I'm looking at a Macbook Pro as we speak. How difficult is it to upgrade the RAM and hardware? I've always stayed away from getting lesser equipped laptops because of the simple fact that upgrading would be a pain.


RAM uograding is pretty easy. Hard disk upgrading is possible. Most other upgrades are done exrternally with FireWire or USB. The Macbook (non-pro) can actually take 3GB of RAM, although Apple only claims 2FB. Other World Computing seels this upgrade. The Pros do have bigger screens, FireWire 800, and an expansion card slot which the regular Macbooks lack. Digial audio I/O is standard on both, a nice touch

[jdogjent]

Logic is so much better than Pro Tools. I got a macbook and use logic on a daily basis.

I have Pro Tools also and it is just stupid how much better logic is.

[nateco]

When I shopped for my laptop the thing that stopped me from going mac was the price. I want to be able to upgrade every couple years, and the bottom of the mac line of laptops was double the price of the PC I bought. And to add to that insult my laptop was twice as powerful with dual processors and twice the storage. I will agree though that its hard to put a price on convenience of everything working smoothly on a Mac.


You bought a windows notebook with 2 gigs of memory, 160 gigs of storage.....with a non existent 4 ghz laptop processor...for 550 dollars...wow....show me where.

Sorry for being a sarcastic jerk.....but mac laptops are usually better priced than windows PC's with the same hardware...the argument that macs cost more is even more off base Vs the same argument for desktops.


I havn't seen a windows PC with a Santa Rosa dual core processor and all the other features that the macbook has for any less than the macbook.....they're usually pretty close, but not significantly cheaper......and win laptops are usually a lot bigger and heavier in design.

and maybe I'm wrong, but there isn't a whole lot you can upgrade on a laptop....not anymore upgradable than the Apple products


1099 gets you a lot of laptop.

[dkaplowitz]

Sorry for being a sarcastic jerk.....but mac laptops are usually better priced than windows PC's with the same hardware...the argument that macs cost more is even more off base Vs the same argument for desktops.

......and win laptops are usually a lot bigger and heavier in design.

Not sure if my experience is the same as yours. For entry level stuff, Apple has some great offerings, I agree, but it's also very competitive (price and performance) with similarly spec'ed PCs/Laptops (entry level core 2 duo, similar ram, similar drive space --- drive space being so cheap now it's not even an issue, I bought a Samsung 500G SATA drive for $99. shipped the other day). But if you like "the good stuff" quad core, what have you, Macs are up there in cost. What's the entry level tower, starts at around $2499.? I was pricing them on Alienware's site (PC hardware) and they were coming in much cheaper (but if you start piling on 1000 watt PSUs, etc. they start getting close to Mac Pro territory). You could also build a PC with the same specs for a lot less than both Apple and a vendor like Alienware will charge.

The size argument doesn't hold water at all. The ultra portables are pretty powerful little machines for their size, and not too far off spec-wise from iBooks (if not the same). And you can buy small, form factor PCs with Core 2 Duos in them.

The only reason I know is b/c I've been looking to upgrade and I'm on the fence between getting into a Mac (new for me) or going with what I know in PC land. So I'm doing tons of price comparisons and have for the last 6-9 months.

[nateco]

Not sure if my experience is the same as yours. For entry level stuff, Apple has some great offerings, I agree, but it's also very competitive (price and performance) with similarly spec'ed PCs/Laptops (entry level core 2 duo, similar ram, similar drive space --- drive space being so cheap now it's not even an issue, I bought a Samsung 500G SATA drive for $99. shipped the other day). But if you like "the good stuff" quad core, what have you, Macs are up there in cost. What's the entry level tower, starts at around $2499.? I was pricing them on Alienware's site (PC hardware) and they were coming in much cheaper (but if you start piling on 1000 watt PSUs, etc. they start getting close to Mac Pro territory). You could also build a PC with the same specs for a lot less than both Apple and a vendor like Alienware will charge.

The size argument doesn't hold water at all. The ultra portables are pretty powerful little machines for their size, and not too far off spec-wise from iBooks (if not the same). And you can buy small, form factor PCs with Core 2 Duos in them.

The only reason I know is b/c I've been looking to upgrade and I'm on the fence between getting into a Mac (new for me) or going with what I know in PC land. So I'm doing tons of price comparisons and have for the last 6-9 months.

Well....

If you're out lookin at new geek boxes....check to see what generation the C2D chips are from...the macbook stuff is using the Santa Rosa chipeset....I find it really difficult to find out what gen chips sets are in windows machines....I'm sure it shows somewhere....but I can't seem to find it.
You may be be right about the price, but from what I've seen, the macbooks really do have great hardware for the price compared to dell and HP.
I haven't looked at ultra portables...and apple isn't making one right now....they've rumored to have something coming in an ultra portable..but nothing right now...I was trying to make a comparison for a laptop with a given screen size...the macs are usually a bit smaller....or I should say they were when they first issued the macbook, I'm sure the others have caught up by now.


As for the Mac pro....thats a serious pro work station and really expensive... although it's the fastest computer you can buy, Apple has an exclusive on the 3ghz 8 core zeons...I really really wish Apple would make a mid level tower...something expandable like the Mac Pro and more robust than the mac mini.


New Imacs are just around the corner...so it might be worth the wait to see what the new design will have in them.

I would think, over the life of a computer, the difference of a few hundred bucks is worth splurging on.......there are advantages of OS X that you can't get in windows....but whatever works for ya, go with it....I went with apple and I'm very happy I did, I doubt I'll ever go back....unless MS really catches up with it's OS...which I doubt will be anytime soon.

Anecdotally.....my brother bought a shuttle PC, small form factor,he got it at the same time as I bought my imac.....his was 120 bucks cheaper than my imac, but my imac beats it in every category but storage size, mine has 160 gigs, his has 320. My mac came with a monitor and a keyboard and mouse...his came with free anti virus.....his shuttle isn't even dual core, mine is a 64 bit C2D.


anyways...something to think about.

[dkaplowitz]

As for the Mac pro....thats a serious pro work station and really expensive... although it's the fastest computer you can buy
You mean the fastest computer you can buy from Apple, right? Cuzz there's a lot faster in the world than Intel/AMD stuff.

I would think, over the life of a computer, the difference of a few hundred bucks is worth splurging on.......there are advantages of OS X that you can't get in windows....but whatever works for ya, go with it....I went with apple and I'm very happy I did, I doubt I'll ever go back....unless MS really catches up with it's OS...which I doubt will be anytime soon.

Anecdotally.....my brother bought a shuttle PC, small form factor,he got it at the same time as I bought my imac.....his was 120 bucks cheaper than my imac, but my imac beats it in every category but storage size, mine has 160 gigs, his has 320. My mac came with a monitor and a keyboard and mouse...his came with free anti virus.....his shuttle isn't even dual core, mine is a 64 bit C2D.


anyways...something to think about.
You're assuming the world is divided between Mac OSX and Windows, which it is not. I'm a Linux user. When I'm talking about hardware, I'm just talking about hardware. The OS that's on that hardware is a lot less of a factor in my decision making since chances are good any hardware I buy will have various different OSes loaded on it until I find the one I like the best, which would be the one that uses the hardware I purchased to its fullest -- that pretty much rules out Windows, and might even rule out OSX since my guess is you're trading a significant amount of performance for that beautiful interface.

Just something else to think about...

[nateco]

You mean the fastest computer you can buy from Apple, right? Cuzz there's a lot faster in the world than Intel/AMD stuff.


You're assuming the world is divided between Mac OSX and Windows, which it is not. I'm a Linux user. When I'm talking about hardware, I'm just talking about hardware. The OS that's on that hardware is a lot less of a factor in my decision making since chances are good any hardware I buy will have various different OSes loaded on it until I find the one I like the best, which would be the one that uses the hardware I purchased to its fullest -- that pretty much rules out Windows, and might even rule out OSX since my guess is you're trading a significant amount of performance for that beautiful interface.

Just something else to think about...


Actually that's what i meant about the mac pro being the fastest.....it's got the fastest intel chip available....and it's only available with a mac pro.
Of course I know there is faster computers out there...I'd hate assume that the fastest computer on the planet is one you can buy from Apple.....but i think it's probably the fastest commercially available geek box that a civilian can buy.
You know what i was getting at with that comment.


I'm glad linux is making inroads...but it's still not widely used on personal computers.
Personally...I'd like to see all govt and public schools switch to linux....it'd be a lot cheaper in long run.

[HammyD]

Talking about fast computers....this article may be of interest.

http://www.apple.com/science/profiles/vatech2/

[bdegrande]

There are definitely some holes in Apple's product lines. A mid level desktop is one - more expandable than the mini or iMac, but well below the Mac Pro in cost. Another, which I think you might see soon, is a subnotebook. With 64GB flash memory coming, you can make a VERY small and rugged laptop without a hard disk.

I bought a Macbook recently and didn't think it was overpriced at all compared to Windows machines. However, I wanted digital audio I/O, the camera and microphone, and the FireWire port, If I didnt use any of those, I could probably have gotten a similar Windows machine maybe $100-150 cheaper (eBay prices, I have no idea what list prices are). To me OS X vs Windows XP and the iLife applications would probably have been worth the price difference anyway.

[dkaplowitz]

Talking about fast computers....this article may be of interest.

http://www.apple.com/science/profiles/vatech2/
That's 1100 G5s clustered! It better be fast! It is a bit different than a single, supercomputer, however. Impressive though. I can't imagine the kind of number crunching you can do on a thing like that.

There are definitely some holes in Apple's product lines. A mid level desktop is one - more expandable than the mini or iMac, but well below the Mac Pro in cost.
I am definitely inclined to agree. I keep finding myself looking for something in that gap. The introductory ones seem nice, but I want more robust with better expansion potential. I love the Mac Pro, but it's just expensive enough (after I spec it out with a warranty and beef up the RAM, etc) to make me think twice about it.

[Maxer]

Or stated another way, don't buy into an expensive hardware solution if you think the user community built around it is smug and self righteous -- who wouldn't even "stoop" to address a new user who was so "vulgar" as to mis-capitalize the name of some corporation's product. Puh-leeze!

Hmmmm... I think you've described some of the staunch PC advocates I'v encountered here very well. Well done! You have taken my inch and made it a mile. Ah well, it's the internet. Scale gets lost in the process sometimes.

Anyway, I applaud the original poster's choice of a Mac - provided that's what seems right for him. But that said, I'm not such an ironclad advocate of the Mac that I can't enjoy great music, regardless of what platform it's been created with. Whatever works! I'm just glad that there are now much more choices for the Mac than there used to be.

[Maxer]

From the rumors circulating (and yeah, rumors are to be taken with a pound of salt, especially with Apple), sounds like Apple may soon be repositioning the iMac to be more of a premiere product... so I expect the coming revision to have quite a bit more 'oomph' than their laptop offerings while at the same time still falling somewhat short of the capabilities of the tower line.

In other words, a new iMac might be a pretty good platform for someone starting out, or looking for a decent home studio setup... it would likely run any number of apps very well, provided it's got enough RAM and hard disk speed & space... Logic, Ableton, Cubase, whatever. I'm also curious what the next version of GarageBand will offer. It's going to have to be a significant upgrade yet not eat into Apple's own market niche for Logic Express.

[the_Chris]

RAM uograding is pretty easy. Hard disk upgrading is possible. Most other upgrades are done exrternally with FireWire or USB. The Macbook (non-pro) can actually take 3GB of RAM, although Apple only claims 2FB. Other World Computing seels this upgrade. The Pros do have bigger screens, FireWire 800, and an expansion card slot which the regular Macbooks lack. Digial audio I/O is standard on both, a nice touch


Thanks a lot for the info :BEER

[Crunchyriff]

"By the way, for the original poster - we call it a "Mac," not "MAC." Sure-fire way to signal your newbie status."

Phooey! I bought my iMac G5 over two years ago... & still call it a MAC.

:D

[Crunchyriff]

"The problem" is only a problem if you want to identify with fellow Mac users, none of whom would stoop to the vulgarity of calling it a MAC. Of course, you are always free to call it whatever you please... but at the same time you can't reasonably expect to be taken seriously in the Mac world.

Oh that is absolutely asnine....and lower your pinkie while you drink your tea, will ya? :Spank

I have plenty of MAC (hehehe) user friends that could care less whether you use caps, no caps, etc.

What IS important is the fact that there is another MAC user.

[Maxer]

Guys, guys... if you want to confuse a software and hardware company with a cosmetics firm, that's cool... good for you! No worries here, man.

[juts perfectly-manicured pinkie out, lifts delicate china cup for another swig of steaming tea]

[joolzriff]

chill.its a computer

[Maxer]

Chilled... it's a forum.

[rockinrob]

The Macbook (non-pro) can actually take 3GB of RAM, although Apple only claims 2FB. Other World Computing seels this upgrade.

Really? You know I slightly remember something about this, but are you sure that it's not that it can take 3GBs but will only actually use 2GB?

[Ferg Deluxe]

Actually that's what i meant about the mac pro being the fastest.....it's got the fastest intel chip available....and it's only available with a mac pro.


??

Intel makes chips available to Apple that are not available to Dell, Lenovo, HP, et al??

I've never heard this.

[bdegrande]

Really? You know I slightly remember something about this, but are you sure that it's not that it can take 3GBs but will only actually use 2GB?

No, it will use it, although peformance is not quite as good as using matched pairs. Overall, performance with 3GB is better than with 2. Other World Computers has details, and they also will give you a trade-in if you send them your old memory (not much, though)

[nateco]

??

Intel makes chips available to Apple that are not available to Dell, Lenovo, HP, et al??

I've never heard this.


yeah...the top of the line chip in the mac pro is only available to apple....