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Post by Mister Chase on Jul 4, 2021 15:02:27 GMT -6
I've built my own PC's for 22 years now, since high school. My last build in 2017 that I am currently on has been the most troublesome. I think it's centered around the Gigabyte motherboard.
In 2019 it went down for the count and Gigabyte had to repair it. Studio PC down for 3-4 weeks. Very bad.
In April, a windows 10 update bricked the PC. I could have turned off the updates I suppose, but I didn't want to miss important updates. So, I had to reinstall everything.
Thursday, another BSOD happened. This time, I couldn't restore from my backup software no matter what I did. Tried for days. Did a fresh install, which bricked again, so now I am on a second install. I'm not reinstalling everything again. I'm on one stick of ram in case the second DIMM or stick was the issue(it crashed the first fresh install as soon as I put it in).
Days of troubleshooting = losing money and frustration.
I'll keep this PC for gaming, but seeing as how this 2012 MBP is still kicking arse after all these years(I got in in 2018) I figured I would go Mac. The mini m1 is coming and I will sell it to get a more pro model when they come out.
I didn't need to spend any money, but I can't be dead in the water.
Fatal mistake or best decision of my life?
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Post by gravesnumber9 on Jul 4, 2021 15:12:39 GMT -6
We all get there eventually. It hurts at first but you’ll never go back.
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Post by svart on Jul 4, 2021 16:15:26 GMT -6
I'm sorry.
I went the other way. Had a Mac and nothing but trouble. I'm on my 2nd recording PC in 15 years now.
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Post by mrholmes on Jul 4, 2021 16:28:38 GMT -6
I'm sorry. I went the other way. Had a Mac and nothing but trouble. I'm on my 2nd recording PC in 15 years now.
I am on Mac since 1996, and I will never look back again. My main computer for music is from 2010 and the second one from 2006.
PC guys constantly buy new machines, and I just wonder how powerful my old Mac pros are in 2021.
My next buy will be depending on the fact if Apple starts something to do to save humans and the planet. I am really pissed that one of the largest companies still thinks it's OK to ruin mother earth.
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Post by drbill on Jul 4, 2021 16:55:25 GMT -6
I'm on a 2010-2012 Mac cheesegrater tower that's been upgraded many times. Now its at its end of life stage. Can't upgrade anymore. But I'll actually still be fine for several years I'm thinking. The only catastrophic thing that I've had happen is due to Google Chrome and one of their updates taking everything down. Incredibly reliable computer.
It's akin to driving a 57 Chevy with a built 750 horsepower Vette motor in it.
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Post by plinker on Jul 4, 2021 17:06:27 GMT -6
Please don't think the Mini M1 is not pro -- I just got one and it's bad ass! Miles beyond the Intel platform Macs, already.
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Post by jmoose on Jul 4, 2021 17:38:39 GMT -6
Do it. I was you once... Mr custom windows guy.
Loved XP back when... good old trusty XP service pack 3. That machine & it's backup were tanks for years. Then win7 was great. More years of relaible service no hiccups.
Eventually 2 things happened. One major issue was computer failures. Normal wear & tear stuff like drives & bad video card starts to chew up time & money on older systems. Troubleshooting & sourcing parts started to become a grind.
Other problem was Win10. Let's just say early experiences were less then positive.
Bought a 4k retina iMac in 2019. Love it. Still learning it to a degree but no question should've done it years sooner.
Its such a pleasure to just sit down and work, not have to start screwing around. Also mix projects. Had 3 or 4 last year where I can just plug in a drive, open a Logic file and get right in.
Worth mentioning is the for hire factor vs being on the island.
The pro studio world basically runs Mac. I can only think of one shop that runs win10, and he's a gamer if you want to draw the stereotype... but everyone else speaks OSX.
I was the pro guy on Windows island for years. Eventually realized it's a lonely and shit place to be.
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Post by indiehouse on Jul 4, 2021 17:44:48 GMT -6
Exactly why I stay Mac. I use PC’s at work and they are just trouble. My Mac’s always run fairly trouble free.
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Post by gwlee7 on Jul 4, 2021 17:51:18 GMT -6
What does someone need from a Mac if they will only be using it for music mostly and maybe the occasional simple video?
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Post by drbill on Jul 4, 2021 17:57:15 GMT -6
The only thing that I'm not good with on Macs is the ever incessant OS upgrades and the inevitable aftermath that that entails (updates for everything, or everything is out of date, or nothing works). Horrible. But hardware wise, they rock. If apple would just slow down their incessant OS rampage I'd be a lot happier.
PS - if you're a logic user it's probably better....
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Post by rowmat on Jul 4, 2021 18:04:43 GMT -6
Or just be a rebel and run Reaper under Linux!
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ericn
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Balance Engineer
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Post by ericn on Jul 4, 2021 18:20:27 GMT -6
Or just be a rebel and run Reaper under Linux! Old school rebel RADAR V on BE!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2021 18:33:50 GMT -6
The only thing that I'm not good with on Macs is the ever incessant OS upgrades and the inevitable aftermath that that entails (updates for everything, or everything is out of date, or nothing works). Horrible. But hardware wise, they rock. If apple would just slow down their incessant OS rampage I'd be a lot happier. PS - if you're a logic user it's probably better.... Meanwhile the Digital Fish Phones and Variety of Sound plugs still work on Windows 10. Crazy.
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Post by stratboy on Jul 4, 2021 18:52:11 GMT -6
Mac all the way. You won’t regret it. I was sysadmin for my windows Android family. My life has been so much easier since I switched to Mac iOS. And I’ve recorded on minis since 2006. Problem free. Next up is a M1. Do it!
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Post by reddirt on Jul 4, 2021 19:08:31 GMT -6
I'm biting the upgrade bullet when M1x is given a decent proving run in the field ; still on a 2010 MBP 17" running Snow Leopard but wanting to run new plugs and knowing wear and tear will get me one day but cant fault this machine for sure.
Cheers, Ross
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Post by Mister Chase on Jul 4, 2021 20:50:27 GMT -6
Do it. I was you once... Mr custom windows guy. Loved XP back when... good old trusty XP service pack 3. That machine & it's backup were tanks for years. Then win7 was great. More years of relaible service no hiccups. Eventually 2 things happened. One major issue was computer failures. Normal wear & tear stuff like drives & bad video card starts to chew up time & money on older systems. Troubleshooting & sourcing parts started to become a grind. Other problem was Win10. Let's just say early experiences were less then positive. Bought a 4k retina iMac in 2019. Love it. Still learning it to a degree but no question should've done it years sooner. Its such a pleasure to just sit down and work, not have to start screwing around. Also mix projects. Had 3 or 4 last year where I can just plug in a drive, open a Logic file and get right in. Worth mentioning is the for hire factor vs being on the island. The pro studio world basically runs Mac. I can only think of one shop that runs win10, and he's a gamer if you want to draw the stereotype... but everyone else speaks OSX. I was the pro guy on Windows island for years. Eventually realized it's a lonely and shit place to be. Yup. Totally. I was deep in it at one point. Helping build water cooling into friends systems. Lots of gaming, all that stuff. XP sp3 was really great. Windows 7, really great. Win 8, garbage. Windows 10, a mess on and off. 20H2 update killed my comp at worst, and at best, still killed local network discovery making my life hard with clunky workarounds.
I just need a studio computer to work on that is not going to ef itself with weird updates. I also find settings change and I'm often tweaking to make things work in win 10. I just need to turn it on and work. I get enough work that it makes a difference. I guess for years I did have the odd client and my own projects, so I just used my PC for games and work. I'll still build those systems for games, but if they crash, I don't have 1000 plugins and software to reinstall and activate if it does crash.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2021 20:58:35 GMT -6
The problem with windows is spotty hardware drivers and needing to optimize everything. The problem with Mac is OS updates breaking your software and not being able to repair your computer easily.
The solution is to buy only what you need right now and to sacrifice to the silicon gods that your computer won't break. The upcoming Mac Mini looks great though especially with PC parts cost through the roof.
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Post by Mister Chase on Jul 4, 2021 21:00:08 GMT -6
What does someone need from a Mac if they will only be using it for music mostly and maybe the occasional simple video? For me, it's the more simple OS and reliability. Mac's seem to be really purpose built and controlled from the factory. Hardware is made and selected to work together specifically and with the OS. I guess you can buy PC's similarly but it's a less controlled, more free, but inherently more hazardous venture. Just looking at the downtime and money I've spent/lost fixing this particular PC build for years now, it's something I just really don't want to deal with, at least on my studio computer. A gaming rig, annoying but that's about it.
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Post by Mister Chase on Jul 4, 2021 21:01:38 GMT -6
The only thing that I'm not good with on Macs is the ever incessant OS upgrades and the inevitable aftermath that that entails (updates for everything, or everything is out of date, or nothing works). Horrible. But hardware wise, they rock. If apple would just slow down their incessant OS rampage I'd be a lot happier. PS - if you're a logic user it's probably better.... So true. I had to upgrade my 2012 to Catalina to use Logic for a client project. This also made it so I had to upgrade all my waves plugs. It's always moving on Mac and you have to spend money to stay working, software wise.
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Post by Mister Chase on Jul 4, 2021 21:02:09 GMT -6
Or just be a rebel and run Reaper under Linux! Old school rebel RADAR V on BE! I wish I could be that much a rebel. That's pretty hardcore.
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Post by Mister Chase on Jul 4, 2021 21:02:55 GMT -6
The only thing that I'm not good with on Macs is the ever incessant OS upgrades and the inevitable aftermath that that entails (updates for everything, or everything is out of date, or nothing works). Horrible. But hardware wise, they rock. If apple would just slow down their incessant OS rampage I'd be a lot happier. PS - if you're a logic user it's probably better.... Meanwhile the Digital Fish Phones and Variety of Sound plugs still work on Windows 10. Crazy. I LOVE some of those Variety of Sound plugs. He just announced on Facebook that he'll be updating them all to x64 soon. Can't wait. I had the plugin wrapper in Reaper.
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Post by Mister Chase on Jul 4, 2021 21:06:54 GMT -6
Mac all the way. You won’t regret it. I was sysadmin for my windows Android family. My life has been so much easier since I switched to Mac iOS. And I’ve recorded on minis since 2006. Problem free. Next up is a M1. Do it! Exactly. I have built my grandmothers computers, my sisters, my mom's, all mine... I've been tech guy for years for the family. I just grew up in it so I had a knack for it.
If you get everyone switched over, the ecosystem seems to work together much more fluidly. You lose some freedom I think, but you trade it for things just working a higher percentage of the time. Getting my home network for windows 10 pcs to all talk to one another has been an ongoing job.
M1 is coming. 16g ram, 1tb SSD. I'll probably give it to my mom as she is on an AMD fx6200 hand me down that is on it's last leg. It's either that or build her a new PC for windows 11. IDK about all that...
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Post by Mister Chase on Jul 4, 2021 21:12:31 GMT -6
The problem with windows is spotty hardware drivers and needing to optimize everything. The problem with Mac is OS updates breaking your software and not being able to repair your computer easily. The solution is to buy only what you need right now and to sacrifice to the silicon gods that your computer won't break. The upcoming Mac Mini looks great though especially with PC parts cost through the roof. Yes. Parts are through the roof.
My problem is motherboards. So many are gaudy and gross and just aimed to tickle some 19 year old kids fancy with lights and cool looking heatsinks. Form over function. Where are the good old fashioned boards of the early 2000s? Remember ABIT? Those things were ugly as hell and solid as a rock. Loved them.
Thankfully it looks like ASUS is getting smart and has come out with a "creators" line or something like that. No frills, connections like Thunderbolt. Aimed at audio video.
CPU's are no problem. Intels are great, AMD Ryzen is great. Good quality RAM can be found. The all important motherboard? Not as easy. I suppose you could get a custom one.
If the mac thing doesn't make my jello hard after a year, I can sell the mini for a good bit because of their resale value and go back to PC. It's really a low risk move to mac for me right now.
I just have to make my damn audio drive exFat or whatever works on Mac and not NTFS.
M1x mini would be the ticket for me. If I like the mini coming this week enough, I'll get one. If not, I'll bail.
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Post by Bat Lanyard on Jul 4, 2021 21:29:39 GMT -6
Or just be a rebel and run Reaper under Linux! Yikes. Worst UX ever. IMHO.
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Post by johneppstein on Jul 4, 2021 21:55:55 GMT -6
I'm sorry. I went the other way. Had a Mac and nothing but trouble. I'm on my 2nd recording PC in 15 years now.
I am on Mac since 1996, and I will never look back again. My main computer for music is from 2010 and the second one from 2006.
PC guys constantly buy new machines, and I just wonder how powerful my old Mac pros are in 2021.
My next buy will be depending on the fact if Apple starts something to do to save humans and the planet. I am really pissed that one of the largest companies still thinks it's OK to ruin mother earth.
"PC guys constantly buy new machines" Uh, no.
I run my PCs until their legs fall off. I've run machines with the side permanently off because the company who made it were really bright and used a nonstandard power supply that was about an inch shorter than normal - when the PS went I had to hang the new supply out the side. Still have that one, it's the only thing I have that runs Photoshop PS2...
I built our studio machine, used a server rackmount case. Been rebuilt once already.
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