Is Mac hardware really that slow?

[bookem]

Looking around here of late, a lot of people seem to be of the opinion that Apple hardware is somwhat slower than PC hardware.

So would a dual G4 1.4Ghz with DDr ram be outperformed by a similarly priced PC?

I'm just wondering whether the processors themselves are slower, or whether the whole architecture at any level is.

[pianophile]

>So would a dual G4 1.4Ghz with DDr ram be outperformed by a similarly priced PC?

It really depends on the task. It is possible that the PC will be faster at certain tasks, but I think the real question to ask yourself is, "Is the Mac fast enough for me?"

>I'm just wondering whether the processors themselves are slower, or whether the whole architecture at any level is.

This sort of question leads to holy wars that quickly devolve into flames and recrimination. Personally, I like to consider factors other than speed when comparing CPU architectures. In general, PPC is more admired by CPU enthusiasts, but x86 has the weight of Wintel marketing and a massive installed base behind it.

[ulrik]

Originally posted by bookem
Looking around here of late, a lot of people seem to be of the opinion that Apple hardware is somwhat slower than PC hardware.

When you build it for raw power, yes, it will be. Currently, there is nothing to beat an overclocked Dual Athlon MP 2200 with a high quality motherboard. Even some high end workstation owners switch to similar setups since you get insane performance for your money.

These machines even outperform Macs in Photoshop.

Then question is, do you need pure speed (because you are a 3d artist) or is your focus on other things. For example, the Mac has a superior collour correction, better firewire implementation and well - to most of us - the better OS.

All in all it is a matter of taste.

But the sad truth is, that at the moment, even with the recent speed update, we might got closer to Intel again, but the Athlons are just a league both above us and Intel.

THen again, Athlons are terribly insecure, that's why you won't find Athlons in ANY server.

That might change with the Sledgehammer this winter.

Don't get me wrong, this is no mac-barking-reply, I am still using a Mac and I still love it, but the sad truth is that, at the moment, AMD is ahead of Apple when you compare prices.

[Matrix Agent]

I'm with Ulrik.

PC's of comparable price to a Mac are generally faster, though they often do not include things like the Superdrive or the more refined industrial design/ergonomics.

[bookem]

That makes things a little clearer. I only ask as I just got a Cube 450, and compared to imac g3 600's, its unbelievably quick. It also seems to outperform my P3 600, at least in Reason, which is the only CPU intensive app I use.

Thanks for the explanations.