If you dig deep into technicalities.. Macs are more powerful due to the way their internal systems function with their respective OS in comparison to a PC with the same CPU.. so dont just think that because both machines have "2.2 ghz core 2 duos" they have the same inside

best bet is to try both out for yourslef and see if you can justify the additional $$ for a mac

Since we're talking about technicalities now, would you mind sharing some of the key differences? I'm curious as to what they are.

Hopefully we don't stray too far off-topic in doing so. =)

Some tidbits:

Intel Mac's use a newer form of Bios (EFI) whcih is supposed to help with communications between perhipals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extens...mware_Interface

Mac's dont use a "Master boot REcord" which loves to fuck up on windows boxes.. they use something called a GUID Partition Table

The only PC stuff to use this is the Intel Itaniums, and windows does not support it.. only *nix and OSX

I'm not sure at the specifications but the way their "dual channel" technology works is different from the PC.. I know wit hthe Mac Pros they have the riser cards for the ECC

it'd be dope if someone really researches it.. because there is probably something more specific than me talking from the top of my head since I dont even own a mac (yet.. need job haha)

Preface note: the lines between the terms 'PC' and 'Mac' are blurred especially since Apple switched to Intel chips. Also, Windows and PC are not interchangeable, as it is a one-way relation:
Windows -> PC (We'll ignore the Alpha and Itanium versions of Windows)

Confused? So am I. =) Moving on...
EFI and BIOS are firmware used to initially boot your computer. They are executed when the computer is first turned on and are used to boot into the main operating system.

EFI is the replacement/successor to BIOS, which are both only used to bootstrap into the main operating system. Regardless, the operating system must be able to support it, which is a software issue.

GUID Partition Table (GPT) and Master Boot Record (MBR) are methods to store the partition table of a hard drive (or storage device).

The Master Boot Record (MBR) is a reserved portion of the hard drive (first 512 bytes) which contains executable code and the partition scheme of the hard drive. The GUID Partition Table (GPT) is a replacement for the legacy partitioning scheme (MBR), which was limited as to how many partitions it supported (4 primary, with capability for extended/logical partitions). GPT actually still has a MBR for backward compatibility, but EFI ignores the MBR and instead reads the GPT to boot.

When the MBR gets 'fucked up', it usually means the executable portion of the MBR has been changed and the BIOS can't load the OS from the disk. I would presume EFI could alleviate this by just booting from the 'active' partition in the GPT from its built-in shell.

Dual Channel architecture is where two banks of (identical) RAM have direct data channels to a memory controller. The design effectively doubles the memory bandwidth, with the overall goal of reducing them memory bottleneck (CPU has to wait for data from RAM). This technology is implemented in hardware and is OS independent.

I would guess that the riser cards for the Mac Pro are done so large banks of RAM can be easily added or removed. Mac Pros use a 64-bit architecture, which can address huge amounts of memory (16 exabytes max). The 32-bit architecture can only address up to 4GB, with Windows XP artificially limited to 3GB due to software limitations. The riser cards may also have other circuitry that makes controlling memory easier.

Sidenote: ECC is 'error-code correction', which can correct some errors in the data. Most commonplace RAM is non-ECC.

To summarize, these are all hardware. While it is true that the software (the OS) needs to be able to support the hardware (hence the need for drivers), the underlying architecture is the same and available to all. The only difference is the actual hardware implementation.

The real Apple advantage is that they sell you a computer, both hardware and software, that works well together, with minimal fuss from the user.

Disclaimer: I am an electrical engineer.

EDIT: I guess what I was trying to say was, "The underlying architectures are similar enough, and the only difference is the OS. Pick whichever one you prefer."

Last edited by AnomalyConcept on Jan-14-2008 at 08:10

Added a new 24" iMac:



The Christmas lights are amazing, I know.

Good write -up man!

That should deserve its own thread, thanks for giving a more specific look on things..

The reason I decided to go with Mac is for the OS because I'm sick of Windows and just cant feel 100% welcome at home with a linux distro (about 90-95%)

quote:

Originally posted by AnomalyConcept Preface note: the lines between the terms 'PC' and 'Mac' are blurred especially since Apple switched to Intel chips. Also, Windows and PC are not interchangeable, as it is a one-way relation: Windows -> PC (We'll ignore the Alpha and Itanium versions of Windows) Confused? So am I. =) Moving on... EFI and BIOS are firmware used to initially boot your computer. They are executed when the computer is first turned on and are used to boot into the main operating system. EFI is the replacement/successor to BIOS, which are both only used to bootstrap into the main operating system. Regardless, the operating system must be able to support it, which is a software issue. GUID Partition Table (GPT) and Master Boot Record (MBR) are methods to store the partition table of a hard drive (or storage device). The Master Boot Record (MBR) is a reserved portion of the hard drive (first 512 bytes) which contains executable code and the partition scheme of the hard drive. The GUID Partition Table (GPT) is a replacement for the legacy partitioning scheme (MBR), which was limited as to how many partitions it supported (4 primary, with capability for extended/logical partitions). GPT actually still has a MBR for backward compatibility, but EFI ignores the MBR and instead reads the GPT to boot. When the MBR gets 'fucked up', it usually means the executable portion of the MBR has been changed and the BIOS can't load the OS from the disk. I would presume EFI could alleviate this by just booting from the 'active' partition in the GPT from its built-in shell. Dual Channel architecture is where two banks of (identical) RAM have direct data channels to a memory controller. The design effectively doubles the memory bandwidth, with the overall goal of reducing them memory bottleneck (CPU has to wait for data from RAM). This technology is implemented in hardware and is OS independent. I would guess that the riser cards for the Mac Pro are done so large banks of RAM can be easily added or removed. Mac Pros use a 64-bit architecture, which can address huge amounts of memory (16 exabytes max). The 32-bit architecture can only address up to 4GB, with Windows XP artificially limited to 3GB due to software limitations. The riser cards may also have other circuitry that makes controlling memory easier. Sidenote: ECC is 'error-code correction', which can correct some errors in the data. Most commonplace RAM is non-ECC. To summarize, these are all hardware. While it is true that the software (the OS) needs to be able to support the hardware (hence the need for drivers), the underlying architecture is the same and available to all. The only difference is the actual hardware implementation. The real Apple advantage is that they sell you a computer, both hardware and software, that works well together, with minimal fuss from the user. Disclaimer: I am an electrical engineer. EDIT: I guess what I was trying to say was, "The underlying architectures are similar enough, and the only difference is the OS. Pick whichever one you prefer."

Those iMacs have to be the sexiest (affordable) piece of aluminum that have light coming out of them that i've ever seen

quote:

Originally posted by jupiterone Added a new 24" iMac: The Christmas lights are amazing, I know.

i hate you

Real cool setup ! love the Lemur and the Mac's !

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quote:

Originally posted by Alex Everyone puts ableton in their pics because they want to look cool and pretend they know how to use both at the same time as good as James Zabiela,

yeah, that's what everyone's claiming.

quote:

Originally posted by Sashwat yeah, that's what everyone's claiming.

Yeah, who died and made him the Ableton king?

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