Your software is almost all windows-only, and you want a specialist pc graphics card (can you get those in laptops?).

I would say you're looking at a pc.

i use windows for modeling and the mac for everything else. i don't connect the pc to the internet, so no viruses, and no need for anti-virus software (which drives me crazy). the graphics card on the new macbook pro is easily good enough. i do a lot of 3d. i haven't found anything that won't install.

graham

as they say, "its what you do with it that counts"

I've heard that a company called Parallels now makes it possible to run Windows and Mac OS at the same time without rebooting. I've yet to look into it, but it sounds intriguing. One more reason to go Mac.

I'm a longtime Windows user looking at getting a MacBook Pro in the not-so-distant future. The only problem with Parallels is that there's a bit of a performance hit with Windows-based applications. If performance is an issue (and if you're doing CAD or 3D modelling, performance is definately an issue), I'd go with Boot Camp. BTW, the next release of Mac OS X, due out this spring, will have Boot Camp intregrated into the operating system.

In the most recent version of Parallels it's possible to use your Boot Camp partition as your Parallels install (rather than having one install for Boot Camp and another for Parallels.

Also, minor thing, but remember you will probably want to plug in an external mouse for using windows, because the trackpad only has one button.

Oh cool.... Best of both worlds.

vic 20 with a tape deck

My experience:
Mac book pro 17" 2.16 2gb ram 120gb drive
Got it when I began my second year of March2 @ SCI-Arc.
Used a dell xps gen5 desktop 3.0 dual, 2gb ram the first year.

I use the Mac much more so than the dell now- it's portable, it's OSX (I've got boot camp, hardly use it), It holds up well on modeling, often renders faster than the dell (especially on batch renderings) The dell is useful when the modeling files get really big, and is for windows only apps.

You can do a lot with the macpro- certainly if you've already got it I say keep it. Can't see how a PC laptop could be improvement on it- not without a shitload of money. If anything get a good desktop- maybe second hand so you can multitask on two machines. That's extremely helpful when you get into renderings, or waiting for one machine to do something taxing.

Friends don't let friends buy PCs.

sorry if this is a stupid question but can you run autocad or rhino3d on a mac? if not and that is what you are going to be using, why buy a computer which requires emulators to run the programs that you want to use most? if i had the loot and could get those two programs running on a mac i would probably buy a mac because they look better.

what programs do those of you with macs use for your drafting and modeling?

Are Archinecter's the entire 7% of the computer market that Apple holds? Seems once a week there's another "should I buy a Mac" post and about 50 responses on how "oh my god they are the best!"

I've worked in a few offices and run across hundreds of people in this profession, both in academia and practice, and not a one of them used a Mac. Where are all you Mac archinecters?

Not saying they are bad. I have my opinions and reasons for not owning one, but just always intrigued when the topic comes up. People talk about their offices running Mac's and everyone using them in academia, etc. The old Power Mac's we had in college were mostly used for collecting dust. Then again that was pre-iPod days when Apple was largely thought of a dead company. Must be good times in Cupertino right now.

Yup, surprises me too. I've never worked with anyone on a Mac, not one of my clients are on a Mac, nor are any of my friends that work in arch offices. But, apparently, they are out there.


I have a Dell M90 with a Quadro 2500M (NOT a gaming card!) with 512mb and have been very happy with it.

M90

I would recommend looking into one. Great next day, on site service too (that Apple doesn't offer).

As they say, "Once you go Mac, you never go back...."

jafider - I used to have a Mac in the early 90's. In college I bought a Dell Laptop with a Pentium 100Mhz and Win 95. On my 3rd subsequent Dell Laptop and haven't had a problem with any....ever. Simply price point shopping I would be hard pressed to buy a Mac. Given my no problems experience with PC's and Windows software what's the incentive? So I guess you can go to PC and "never go back to Mac."

aquapura - sorry, my man, you're wrong on price point. check the specs for a new 15" mac book pro v. a dell XPS M1710. for a comparable pc you're paying dell $2,873 v. $1,999 for a mac (and you're getting 40GB less of hard drive space: 80 v. 120). as macs have improved their speed and overall quality, pcs have struggled to keep up with a higher end machine. sure you can buy a dumpy pc for $500 at best buy, but why would you want to?

i loved playing hardball and world builder on my early 90s mac with that little black and white screen, but i'm not sure that's a fair comparison.

i'm not a mac rep; i just grew up with them. they're sleek and stylish. if you're happy with your pc, more power to ya.

it can take a bullet....

i have a thinkpad t60p myself and it is extremely efficient, powerful and the customer service is spectacular..i can talk to someone in 2 minutes and is not located in india. the best of lenovo and ibm.

i personally think macs are for those who yes, appreciate aesthetics over function...but also need something simple to use and dont like to tinker with the possibilties of their computer

just dont get a dell. they were once well respected. but that time has past. m70s and m90s have been falling left and right in my studio.

I use a mac, not for aesthetics, but because it allows me to work more smoothly and efficiently. I can focus on my work, not on how my machine works.

so i dug up some benchmarking and testing from cnet.com, to address efficiencies. cause you are running two OS's when you run parallels weather bootcamp or virtual machine on the macs.

the thinkpad has a faster multi task and image-processing test, while the mac lasts longer for the dvd drain..which i guess is productive if you watch dvds all day....the definitions of the tests are found here.
http://reviews.cnet.com/Labs/4520-6603_7-5142378-1.html



Lenovo Thinkpad t60p
Windows XP Professional SP2; 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7600;
2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 664MHz;
512MB ATI Mobility FireGL V5250;
100GB Hitachi 7,200rpm SATA/150

multimedia multitasking test
867 seconds

adobe photoshopcs2 image-processing test
220 seconds

microsoft office productivity test
813 seconds

dvd battery drain test
199 minutes



Apple MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo (15.4-inch 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo)
OS X 10.4.8; Core 2 Duo 2.3GHz; 3GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz;
ATI Mobility Radeon x1600 256MB;
160GB Hitachi HTS541616J9SA00 5,400rpm

multimedia multitasking test
925

adobe photoshopcs2 image-processing test
293 seconds

dvd battery drain test
220 minutes

In addition...


macbookpro is HOT..literally

the reason they get so hot is that the motherboards are mounted upside down and the CPU actually uses the bottom of the aluminum case as a heat sink.


If you have little to no interest in OSX and will be primarly using Windows XP- the T60 is a better choice. You get no tech support for windows xp with the mac, so any bugs/glitches/issues you encounter with a beta dualboot program are your problem. XP is going to have some issues and will run slower on a computer(MBP) that was never designed to run on. Plus, if you have interest in Windows Vista or Linux- that isn't going to work with the mac.




The below are issues against boot camp and parallels programs to run xp on the macbookpro

Issues with Boot Camp Beta:

* No right click. I've looked for solutions but haven't found anything as of yet other than plugging in a USB mouse. Some on the web have suggested you turn on tapping as a right-click in the Mouse Control Panel. Unfortunately, there are zero minus one options for configuring the trackpad least of all an option to turn on tapping. (Beta 2 anyone?)

[NOTE: there is a Windows utility that fixes Boot Camp's lack of right click.]

* No delete key: but there is a workaround. This is an issue for logins. The workaround is to download Windows Server 2003 resource kit tools and remap the 2nd Command (Apple) key to a Delete key. You do not need two start menu keys. (I found this work around on someone else’s post somewhere on the web, but I can't find the site again to give credit.)
* No ability to change the partition size once it is selected unless you delete the Windows partition, create a new one, and then reinstall windows. In other words, be sure to pick the size you want the FIRST time. If it’s more than 32 Gb, go with NTFS. If less, go with FAT. Do this unless you are a nerd like me who cannot stand FAT. The average bear can deal with and want FAT in order to have write access from Mac OS X to the windows partition.
* Cannot see the HFS+ partition from the Windows side. Fortunately, you can see the Windows partition from the Mac side, but unless it’s FAT formatted, no ability to write to NTFS volumes.
* No iSight.
* No backlit keyboard.
* No modem support for Apple USB modems.
* Brightness controls work by combo-ing ctrl shift f1 and f2 respectively; this is poor in my opinion, but I do understand the need for working function keys in Windows so it was probably the right move on Apple’s part. Fortunately there is a little brightness slider on the system tray that works quite well, though not that useful it you choose the lowest setting making the screen black.

I anticipate Apple solving a lot or all of these issues in beta 2

Issues with Parallels Workstation Beta

* No drag and drop support. Though copy and paste works, mostly.
* No full screen support. The manufacturer says a fix is in the works.
* No iSight.
* Non-standard Apple GUI for configuring the PC virtual hardware. If you’re gonna write a Mac app, write a Mac app.
* Ethernet. Doesn’t automatically select eth1 in the network setup for the PC hardware for Bridging if you are using airport instead of Ethernet. Be sure to go to the network settings in the configuration setup and select the appropriate network device you’re using.
* No Delete key, use the remapping solution with Boot Camp above.
* No window resize like in Virtual PC

That's useful information rckaflla, but a slight clarification. When you are running XP through Parallels, you are using two operating systems at once. When you use Boot Camp you are only using one OS at a time.

and another clarification, its well known you can't trust cnet for an accurate appraisal of any mac -- they've always been biased against them...

bothhands,
your comment is rather subjective. cnet is probably one of the best sources in terms of reviews of all electronic devices on the internet.

:well-known" and "always" are definitive words.

is that generalization any more legitimate then saying you can't trust a lawyer? as cliche as that is, thats besides the point.

If you looked at the website, CNET ACTUALLY rates the macbookpro that I chose at a higher rating. However, my point was to extrapolate the performance from these tests, not involving the aesthetics.