Switching from Mac to PC...

Tim M · 27 Mar 2008, 18:06

I am considering switching to the PC version of SU from the Mac. Not because I don't love the Mac but an upgrade on my Mac is imminent and financial considerations are weighing heavily in the decision/purchasing process. Also, there are some PC only plugins that I would like to begin using.

My question is not whether Mac is better than the PC or vice versa. But rather I would like to know from any cross-over users how much difference there is between the two versions. I have been using the PC mouse so that won't be an issue.

Thanks,
Tim

bigstick · 27 Mar 2008, 20:28

I switched the other way - PC to Mac and until the latest version, I would have said that the PC version is way better. Until the latest update the Mac version was truly awful, but now I think things are more or less the same. I switch between versions daily.

I think generally, once you tweak a PC and get used to it, you can be more productive. The Mac is more creative though I think, but you also need quite a few utilities to become improve usability. Also there are no stupid nagging messages, viruses or spyware. I am a recent Mac convert. I use a PC in the office and am responsible for managing 60. I have a PC and Mac at home, but I prefer the Mac.

Tim M · 28 Mar 2008, 00:29

Thanks for the observations. I have always used a Mac and love it. There is a lack of familiarity with the PC which is a concern but if SU works about the same on both platforms,I think I could swing it. In the end, it will probably come down to which one I can afford.

Thanks,
Tim

@bigstick said:

I switched the other way - PC to Mac and until the latest version, I would have said that the PC version is way better. Until the latest update the Mac version was truly awful, but now I think things are more or less the same. I switch between versions daily.

I think generally, once you tweak a PC and get used to it, you can be more productive. The Mac is more creative though I think, but you also need quite a few utilities to become improve usability. Also there are no stupid nagging messages, viruses or spyware. I am a recent Mac convert. I use a PC in the office and am responsible for managing 60. I have a PC and Mac at home, but I prefer the Mac.

Tim M · 28 Mar 2008, 13:45

BTW, what kind of specs should I look for a PC running SU? I guess I could consider a laptop too.
Thanks,
Tim

remus · 28 Mar 2008, 13:55

Dual core processor at about 2 GHZ, higher is better when it comes to clock speed.
A couple of gigabytes of RAM, again more is better if you can afford it.
A decent graphics card, Nvidia quadro if you can afford it, if not any nVidia card from around 6600 upwards.

If you do end up getting a laptop, be extra careful that it comes with a graphics card as integrated graphisc=crap SU performance.

Tim M · 28 Mar 2008, 14:06

Thank you Remus. Excuse my ignorance but I didn't understand the graphics card for a laptop suggestion.
Tim

@remus said:

Dual core processor at about 2 GHZ, higher is better when it comes to clock speed.
A couple of gigabytes of RAM, again more is better if you can afford it.
A decent graphics card, Nvidia quadro if you can afford it, if not any nVidia card from around 6600 upwards.

If you do end up getting a laptop, be extra careful that it comes with a graphics card as integrated graphisc=crap SU performance.

remus · 28 Mar 2008, 14:10

Some lower end laptops dont come with a graphics card, instead they have a chip on the motherboard which does all the graphics. This means that less computing power goes towards graphics than if you had a graphics card, as the card is more powerful than the integrated graphics chip.

Hope that makes sense.

Tim M · 28 Mar 2008, 14:15

Yes, thanks.

@remus said:

Some lower end laptops dont come with a graphics card, instead they have a chip on the motherboard which does all the graphics. This means that less computing power goes towards graphics than if you had a graphics card, as the card is more powerful than the integrated graphics chip.

Hope that makes sense.

bigstick · 28 Mar 2008, 20:36

Actually you can get a pretty good dedicated 3d graphics chipset on a reasonably cheap laptop. For say $800 you can get a machine with a 'proper' accelerated 3d graphics chipset. There are only manufacturers to look out for - Nvidia and ATI. You can research the various specs on Google. Needless to say it is less than half the price of a Mac with a comparable spec...

Burkhard · 28 Mar 2008, 21:15

I think you need a real open gl support on that graphic card. Don't know about chipset specs

remus · 28 Mar 2008, 21:41

Quite a lot of info on graphics cards chipsets in the article mentioned here: http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=8077

Tim M · 29 Mar 2008, 01:38

I will check the options and article out. Thanks to all. I really appreciate the input and the expertise. This forum is really a great resource and community.

Thanks,
Tim

sketch3d.de · 31 Mar 2008, 08:54

the OpenGL support of PC based 3D graphics accelerators is, because of the long experience the manufacturers do have with this platform, more mature and stable than on the Macitnosh side. Therefore OpenGL based issues regularly mentioned in connection w/ OSX driven systems are much less occuring especially in connection with the nVidia Quadro CAx series of video cards.

If you can afford it, the e.g. Dell Precision workstation notebooks with a Quadro GPU are probably the best choice for running SU on a mobile system yet. Because single core speed is more relevant for SU than multiple but currently unused cores (by SU), focusing on the fastest dual core is recommendable.

hth,
Norbert

Tim M · 31 Mar 2008, 11:55

Thanks Norbert, I’ll check this out too. It appears the nVidia cards are preferred by the SU community.
Tim

@sketch3d.de said:

the OpenGL support of PC based 3D graphics accelerators is, because of the long experience the manufacturers do have with this platform, more mature and stable than on the Macitnosh side. Therefore OpenGL based issues regularly mentioned in connection w/ OSX driven systems are much less occuring especially in connection with the nVidia Quadro CAx series of video cards.

If you can afford it, the e.g. Dell Precision workstation notebooks with a Quadro GPU are probably the best choice for running SU on a mobile system yet. Because single core speed is more relevant for SU than multiple but currently unused cores (by SU), focusing on the fastest dual core is recommendable.

hth,
Norbert

Mike Lucey · 31 Mar 2008, 12:09

Hi Tim,

I'm not sure what you are doing but I run both versions of SU
on my MacBookPro. The Win version is run via Parallels 3.

The reason for using the Win version on Parallels 3 is because
I'm using Podium. It's not the quickest but does the job.

When I switched to the Mac and started to get to grips with Mac
SU it took a little while to get used to some of the key stokes.
But again I was also getting used to the Mac way of things at
the same time.

I think your learning curve will be with the PC Win more that
SketchUp itself!

If you are going for a Win Laptop I agree that Dell is a good
bet as their backup (in my experience) is quite good. But again
I can't understand why you are taking this route

Mike

Tim M · 31 Mar 2008, 12:28

Mike,

I would prefer to stay with the Mac but I need a contingency plan in case the finances don’t allow a new one. I know a PC is in the budget. I’m crossing my fingers.

Tim

@mike lucey said:

Hi Tim,

I'm not sure what you are doing but I run both versions of SU
on my MacBookPro. The Win version is run via Parallels 3.

The reason for using the Win version on Parallels 3 is because
I'm using Podium. It's not the quickest but does the job.

When I switched to the Mac and started to get to grips with Mac
SU it took a little while to get used to some of the key stokes.
But again I was also getting used to the Mac way of things at
the same time.

I think your learning curve will be with the PC Win more that
SketchUp itself!

If you are going for a Win Laptop I agree that Dell is a good
bet as their backup (in my experience) is quite good. But again
I can't understand why you are taking this route

Mike

kmead · 2 Apr 2008, 01:54

Be sure and compare the same specs on the PC as on the Mac, the Macs are much more cost competitive than you might think. The biggest issue I have with Macs is that they don't have a mid line box with an upgradeable video card available at the moment. I am toddering on with my 7 year old Mac tower which has been doing surprisingly well. My MacBook Pro is more than adequate and can go where I go.

If they offered a midline tower with an upgradeable graphics card, I would drop my 1800 tomorrow to buy it.

I don't often see graphics glitches on any mac, I see more on my bosses MSW box but so it goes.

Keep in mind that buying the memory after market is much better than buying it from Apple (or Dell for that matter) cost wise.

Tim M · 2 Apr 2008, 12:04

Currently I have a G4 450 MHz running on OS 9. It has been and still is an excellent machine. I have had it for 8 plus years. Of course I can't run SU on it unless I upgrade to OS 10. One of our IT guys at the office advised against it saying I would be better off in the long run with a new computer. What I don't know is if OS 10 would work on my current computer or not. Is anyone running SU on a computer like this? Maybe there is hope in an upgrade.

I will compare both platforms. Thanks for the advice.
Tim

@kmead said:

Be sure and compare the same specs on the PC as on the Mac, the Macs are much more cost competitive than you might think. The biggest issue I have with Macs is that they don't have a mid line box with an upgradeable video card available at the moment. I am toddering on with my 7 year old Mac tower which has been doing surprisingly well. My MacBook Pro is more than adequate and can go where I go.

If they offered a midline tower with an upgradeable graphics card, I would drop my 1800 tomorrow to buy it.

I don't often see graphics glitches on any mac, I see more on my bosses MSW box but so it goes.

Keep in mind that buying the memory after market is much better than buying it from Apple (or Dell for that matter) cost wise.

Glenn at home · 2 Apr 2008, 20:25

[quote="Tim M"]Currently I have a G4 450 MHz running on OS 9. It has been and still is an excellent machine. I have had it for 8 plus years. Of course I can't run SU on it unless I upgrade to OS 10. One of our IT guys at the office advised against it saying I would be better off in the long run with a new computer. What I don't know is if OS 10 would work on my current computer or not. Is anyone running SU on a computer like this? Maybe there is hope in an upgrade.

I will compare both platforms. Thanks for the advice.
Tim

I'd have to agree with him. What is the ram in a G4 450, PC-100? Does this one even have an AGP video card? Sure OSX will run on it but why do it?
Looking at http://www.everymac.com I see that these could have a 2X AGP slot and they did have a 100mhz system bus speed. Looks like a mini would be a faster machine that these in OSX. I got rid of my old PowerMac6500 for this reason. Not worth the upgrade headaches

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Tim M · 3 Apr 2008, 12:09

Glenn,

I can’t remember the exact specs on my G4 but I do remember I maxed out the RAM a few years ago. His concern was the same as your’s it probably isn’t worth the headaches. Oh well, I’d rather know this than attempt a futile upgrade.

Thanks

@unknownuser said:

I'd have to agree with him. What is the ram in a G4 450, PC-100? Does this one even have an AGP video card? Sure OSX will run on it but why do it?
Looking at http://www.everymac.com I see that these could have a 2X AGP slot and they did have a 100mhz system bus speed. Looks like a mini would be a faster machine that these in OSX. I got rid of my old PowerMac6500 for this reason. Not worth the upgrade headaches

301 Moved Permanently

(www.everymac.com)