PC vs Macbook, which one to get?

You are gonna get a whole debate going over this like a million other threads.

The basic is…any laptop will do…the money you invest into a laptop will ultimately dictate the type of laptop you are going to get.

A macbook or PC will work…and there are issues with both of them. I prefer using a PC because i have grown up with a PC and i am very fluent with Windows so i can trouble shoot any problems very quickly.

Those that are not as computer savvy will be better off with a Mac. However…remember with a mac you are not just paying for the components you are also paying for the MAC name.

My older alienware laptop still to this day cannot be out performed by any mac….mind you my alienware was around 3500 brand new 4 years ago.

Well let me start saying that i first bought a medium priced PC for my DJing and i thought it was fine. But then it started to become infested with viruses so i got a Macbook Pro. I now COMPLETELY regret EVER getting a PC! Macbook runs alot faster, has more compatibility, looks better, Has better screen, More RAM, Better CPU, The service is outstanding, AND it is built like a tank! I cant tell you how many times i have dropped it. It is all bent out of shape and is over 5 years old yet still runs just like new. YOU MUST GO FOR MAC. PC works but Mac dominates

DJ Toxcidic, post: 36461, member: 8283 wrote: Well let me start saying that i first bought a medium priced PC for my DJing and i thought it was fine. But then it started to become infested with viruses so i got a Macbook Pro. I now COMPLETELY regret EVER getting a PC! Macbook runs alot faster, has more compatibility, looks better, Has better screen, More RAM, Better CPU, The service is outstanding, AND it is built like a tank! I cant tell you how many times i have dropped it. It is all bent out of shape and is over 5 years old yet still runs just like new. YOU MUST GO FOR MAC. PC works but Mac dominates

“But then it started to become infested with viruses”
Thats what happen when you use your DJ laptop as everyday laptop.

“Macbook runs alot faster”
Haven’t found one that run faster than my ROG

” looks better “
Doubt that a MAC look better than a ROG.

” Has better screen, “
Full HD 17″ LED and even that don’t apply to Djing, 3D screen.
and even with the “retina” screen ( wich I have in my New IPAD)
as up to this moment you won’t see a difference from 1080p.

“More RAM”
Doubt that yours have more than my 16 expandable to 32 RAM.
And dual 512SSD

” Better CPU”
Intel core I 7 3dr gen; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M video card.

Not only you’re 5 year old laptop won’t match this but not even the new ones

Edited by moderator: Ranting removed.

Back onto topic…Macbooks are good…and considered industry standard because they were marketed so.

Par for par for a Mac would be looking at manufactures like Alienware, Asus ROG series, MSI. All of these brands laptop will work just fine for DJing…Hell my old Toshiba thats like 7 years old would still be good for DJing had the screen not cracked…

But yes if you want something that just works with inferior parts and will get the job done…then get a mac.

If you know your shit with computers and like to maximize it for best performance get a PC.

Im not a fanboy. Yes PC can be better but it will cost a lot to get a decked out PC. also screens and everything do count. It helps alot. Also having a macbook makes you look alot more professional at gigs AND they are so much easier to use. Also if you are going to drop over a grand for a computer why would you not use it for normal activitys? makes no sense.

Guys keep it civil or I will swing the moderation hammer 😉

Thing is:
Apple products are really well made and hold up really well. Now you can get the same quality in PCs, but due to the fact that there are so many manufacturers it is much harder to differentiate between good or bad build quality. This is even more complicated as big vendors such as Dell or HP, build cheap laptops that I would never consider for DJing, but also have lines that are very good quality and it is not always easy to decide which is which.
For Apple it is more simple as there is only Apple to buy from hehe

Of course this has also downsides, as there is only Apple to buy from you have a more limited range of what you can buy and some things like SSD prices are ridiculous.

However Apple does not equal higher priced. I just compared for a friend an Apple MacBook Air vs. a Dell XPS 13 and actually with same specs the Air was cheaper. So PC does not always mean cheap (but you can get very cheap ones).

The only real thing that is turning me off PCs is the driver situation, which is also inherited from having so many vendors. Of course the Mac OS also has drivers, but since you only have one hardware platform all drivers are already there. So you plug in your DJ controller and have 100% latency free connection without any setup to go through.
With a PC laptop you need to install some kind of driver for the controller (most of the time ASIO for latency free operation) and sometimes tweak the driver settings. This was always too complicated for me, but I have grown up with Macs, so prolly for someone like Hee this is a walk in the park….

Also for PCs many people recommend only having a laptop for DJing as other software can clutter up that PC and make it work slower… I do not know if this is true as I am a Mac user, but I use my MacBook for anything. I have thrown it around, it has dropped off tables and it has tons of software installed for all my computing activities. I have my older one for over 6 years now and it has never ever let me down on a gig.

So there is not a definite answer, the only thing that I really want to point out: Get good quality. But if it is Apple or Alienware or Dell or HP is your choice.

If you got the money to spend for a Mac, and you wont miss it, meaning that you don’t need to get anything else, music related or not, then i think there is no right or wrong situation. It’s just two different approaches for the same goal. Personally there is no way i would spend more than 600-700 euros for a computer, but that’s just me.

If you like messing about, with hardware, or software, get a Pc. Not that you absolutely need to mess about to get it right, but you can, and I love getting more ram, different hardrives, programmes for this and that, etc etc, fiddling in general. If you don’t…. get a Mac.

Drivers! I dont know what the big issue with drivers is. If your accessory/hardware was built for windows xp, you should run it on xp, windows 7? then have on a machine with windows 7 and so on. problems usually occur when someone upgrades the operating system or buys a new computer, and then you can have incompatibilities. it isnt always so (because say windows 7 alreadly included a lot of drivers for older periphels), but it can happen. ive had problems myself but managed to find away around them and that was time consuming but it worked. It’s usually down to how dedicated the manufacturer of the hardware is, because it’s down to them to make a driver for a hardware they might no longer be selling.

If you prefer playing games on a console rather than a pc…..get a mac.

The only grudge i have against apple, is that they tend to sue, not blind copiers that make crappy lookalikes, but anyone who comes up with a descent/better phone or tablet. microsoft are definitely no saints neither…but anyway!

Oh no…….this conversation.

My TLDR opinion; if you plan on producing in FL, go windows. If you plan on producing in Logic, go Mac. Itunes is a nice perk, but the ”nobody programs viruses for macs” argument is slowly becoming invalid. Both are fully competent, the only determining decision is dependent on which djing/production software you are planning to use, and OS compatibility with each. I wouldn’t wineskin DJing/production software, latency becomes a problem.