Convince Me to Go Mac!

[MatrixClaw]

Ok... Weird thread, I know... But I've been buying computer parts with the intent to build a Hackintosh out of it. This has been something I've been wanting to do for several years, but haven't had the cashflow until recently. My computer's current specs are:

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H
Intel Core i7 3770K w/ Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo fan
32 GB G.Skill Ripjaw X
120 GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD
1 TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
EVGA GeForce GTX 680

All of the parts are compatible with a fairly smooth install of OSX.

My recording rig is:

RME HDSP 9652
SSL Alpha Link AX
Audient ASP008
Focusrite ISA428

Right now, the computer is running Windows 8, which I've found is quite a bit quicker than Windows 7, but I find it to be more difficult to work with, because it lacks the Start menu. I could run the Classic Shell, but I'd really rather just stick with the stock OS.

My original idea was to just dual boot OSX and Windows 8, so I could still play games and things on the Windows 8 side, but the more I think about what benefits I'd gain from going to OSX, the less justification I can think of (I'd want to have a separate SSD and HDD to run the second OS, which means another ~$250 in parts).

I run a 2013 iMac at work (I'm a graphic designer) and really enjoy where OSX is going as compared to Windows... but at the same time, I've used Windows since 95 and know all the ins and outs of it. My main purpose for switching was to run Logic and Final Cut Pro for video work I do on the side, but as I've been researching FCP recently, it seems to have become somewhat of a joke in the video industry, and since I already own Adobe CS6 Master Collection, and know Premiere very well, I'm not sure I'd gain anything there. On the audio side, I own Reaper, Pro Tools 10, Cubase 6.5 and Presonus Studio One Pro 2. I really just wanted to try Logic again, since I remember really enjoying it when I've played with it in the past, but I'm not sure switching to OSX is going to be worth my trouble if I have to continually switch back and forth between OSs for different applications, plus my CS6 is licensed to Windows and I'd have to figure out how I trade it out for an OSX version, which means I wouldn't be able to use it on my laptop or any other computers I own.

So my question to you - Is there anything super huge as far as stability and performance I'd gain going with OSX, that I wouldn't already get with such a powerful computer on the Windows side? Sell me on OSX!

 

[arv_foh]

FWIW, super stable hackintosh i7 for almost 2 years. Just as stable as the Mac Pro that I owned, 4x increase in performance, and 900 bucks.

I also built a mac mini media center too for 200 bucks. Ethernet occasionally doesn't work on boot but a simple reboot fixes it. Considering I used the cheapest everything I could find that was compatible I'm content with it.

You may want to rip your hair out the first time you install OSX.. it probably won't work perfectly, maybe I'm wrong and you'll get lucky. I think installed OSX 10 times before I had everything working so make sure you've got the entire day free, haha.

Sounds like you may have to do some work to get that graphics card working properly.

http://hacksbyalfa.com/post/25257705761/how-to-get-gtx670-working-in-lion

 

[blue_fAng]

Mac if you want Logic
That's the only justification

And apogee interfaces.

If you don't know mac you will have to learn a new os from scratch and it looks like you like games so I'd say stick with windows.

 

[LeSedna]

Don't think too much, just jump and see yourself, that's what I did and I never regretted it.
It's really not hard to switch and with a few little free or cheap apps you can find your way in OSX while keeping a few good windows ideas

Just FYI, hackintosh are illegal, might be considered if you're earning money with your computer

 

[Line666]

Just FYI, hackintosh are illegal, might be considered if you're earning money with your computer

Not entirely true, I discussed this in another thread:

No, it's not technically illegal; it voids the ToS but that is a civil matter - not necessarily breaking any countries laws (you can write anything in a ToS); so Apple would have to prosecute effectively against Hackintosh users in the use of its software for anything to actually stick and you could never get a criminal record for it, just fined - which they will never do because its too expensive/in bad taste to go after a small community who still purchase and use your software if not your hardware.

As it stands it is in a state of undefined legality - a bit of a schrodingers cat scenario; given that Apple lost their court cases in regards to jailbreaking iPods and iPhones it is also unlikely to ever see court as the revenue lost is not worth the return.

I have a hackintosh laptop and desktop, its great but if you don't spec the parts super precisely be prepared to have to do a few workarounds at first that might take a few attempts to get off the ground. Once you get them stable they are pretty good though - you lose the games but that's about it. If you make the right hardware decisions though its hard to go wrong with any OS.

 

[LeSedna]

I recall it is written very precisely in the user's agreement it is not authorized to install mac os X on any hardware not branded Apple, like, very precisely, so I don't think the fact there is no first case makes it any more "grey", it's just a tolerance. It is not because Apple doesn't want to sue hackintosh users that it makes it an "good". Here it is :

The grants set forth in this License do not permit you to, and you agree not to, install, use or run the Apple Software on any non-Apple-branded computer, or to enable others to do so.

I just thought it's a good idea to know it if you're about to earn money legally from it !

 

[Line666]

That's a user agreement though, that's not a law, its something you agree to, you can agree to a user agreement that says any manner of things; you can create a agreement that says you have the right to cut me to bits and eat me - that doesn't actually make it legal for you to do so even if I agree.

To give you an idea of how ridiculous the Apple EULA is:

How is that even enforceable on any level?

 

[LeSedna]

Aha yeah I see your point. So there is nothing in the law that makes it possible for a brand to restrict the use of its software to its hardware only ?

 

[Line666]

No current legal precedent (if we go by US law at least); but as I said Apple lost the case for restricting the use of software to theirs and theirs alone on their hardware platforms - ie running variations on the core OS for iPhones and the like, so its likely to be the same for the other way round.

The other court case of note was Apple vs Psystar in which Apple won against Psystar for profiting on the sale of Hackintosh systems but that's a seperate legal precedent from individual use because it involved the mass distribution of hacked systems for profit ie due to its corporate nature it inherently infringed on the Apple brand.

 

[onqel]

I've just bought a Mac Mini i7, and I'm happy with mac so far after using windows since windows 95

 

[nezvers]

I have mac pro 13" but mainly runing bootcamped Win7, because of my favorite softwares + games. But I must say that I love that I have mac on my hands and I can operate it when ever I want. Switching to mac is easy-peasy if you are at least a bit experienced with computers.

 

[MatrixClaw]

Really not too worried about using Apogee or Metric Halo stuff. That was actually my original justification for switching to Mac a few years ago, I wanted to go for a MH ULN-2, but my SSL and RME combo is great and I don't see myself upgrading anytime soon, especially to anything higher end that MH or Apogee has.

I'm quite familiar with OSX as an operating system, so I'm not really hung up on getting used to it at all. Like I said, I use an iMac at work and have no issues. I do find CS6 to run very smooth on the system, but I don't have Premiere or Final Cut at work, as I don't do any video stuff there, so I can't really compare to the Windows side. I don't have CS6 installed on the new computer yet on Windows 8 anyway, so I can't really draw a fair comparison between the two OSs, because my iMac at work isn't nearly as powerful as the new computer at home, so any issues I might have with it at work (3D rendering on Illustrator is absolutely HORRID) might just be because of the system and not necessarily a limitation of the software on the OS.

My main issue is that I'm going to have to switch over a lot of my software to Mac versions, as well as buying more hardware to dual boot OSX and W8, plus the cost of more software ($200 for Logic). Most notably, the main reason I'm still even considering OSX is that when I run Pro Tool 10, it can be very unstable on the Windows side, and I've heard it's much better on OSX. I don't use Pro Tools that much, mainly because I don't WANT to on Windows, as it's such a hassle, but I might take the time to dig into it deeper if it was more stable on OSX.

I'm actually not much of a gamer. I mean... I do play games, but I could really care less about maximum frame rate, etc. I don't need to play everything at the highest settings - If the game is fun, I don't need it to look lifelike : I have the high end graphics card for video work mainly. I bought it so I have peace of mind that I won't have to upgrade for quite some time.

Really stability and performance is my top concern right now. If OSX can address both of those well enough, I'm all for it.

 

[ballstix]

There's no good argument either way, unless there's some legitimacy to the Pro Tools argument. I used Windows exclusively since 95, but gave Snow Leopard a shot when it came out (and Lion after that). As far as tangible differences go with respect to audio applications, the only one I found was that Logic's available on Mac and there's a better assortment of free plugins for Windows. Stability and speed were never a problem in either case, the latter seeming to obviously be more hardware dependent. Now I'm just back to Windows full time since it's more robust for a general purpose computer.

 

[blue_fAng]

I've heard about pro tools stability issues in widows too. I'd give mac osx a try. You have an i7, I wouldn't worry about performance, I'm still using an old dual core and I run a lot of plugins at the same time with no problem, not in pro tools though.

 

[ecz]

Maybe I'm just to dumb to use a Windows system properly but switching to OSX was the best decision of my life, so if you ask me just do it