Mac vs PC

[Cat_Dad 17]

I have only used a Windows PCs for  X-Plane 10 and now 11. I have heard professional video editors like the Mac for it's image quality. Besides costing a bunch more to buy, does X-Plane 11 run better on the Mac or PC?  Also with the updated Vulcan coding to be released in the future, would a Mac be able to take advantage of it?

 

Terry

[mjrhealth 820]

Mac doesnt use vulcan, its not windows, biggest complaint on forums about macs is audibility and cost. And from what  i nave read, so far, no it doesnt run better. Simply because with apple as far as i know, dont think anything has changed, once you buy apple you are stuck with apple. Its called keeping out teh competition.

[Murmur 3,941]

I think I read XP will be ported to Metal too, alongside with Vulkan. Metal should be the Vulkan equivalent for Mac.

[Paraffin 2,197]

Right, the graphics API will be updated to both Metal and Vulkan very soon.

The main limitation for Macs, as far as I can tell as a PC user, is that some of the aircraft and utility add-on developers will release plugins first for Windows, and then later for Mac. Or not at all on the Mac (or Unix). That can lock people out of aircraft models and utilities that use plugins, so the safest bet is to stay with Windows, if you can.

It depends on the 3rd party developer. Some of them are just not comfortable, or willing to make versions for all three platforms.

Edited July 22, 2018 by Paraffin

[Cat_Dad 17]

Thanks to all for your responses and inputs. Nothing I have seen here so far has made me want to go out and buy a Mac.

 

Terry

[mike4 3]

I triple boot Ubuntu/osx86/win10 without problems and use 99% Linux.

 

[Old_As_Dirt 160]

Personally, I love Mac as long as it is the iPhone or iPad.  For a computer, I have always used PCs.  Part of the reason is that when you buy (another reason - buying is expensive) a Mac, you are pretty much stuck with what you buy - it is a "sealed" unit.  No upgrades to the equipment except for a few limited things is my understanding.  If you need a program, you have to go to an exclusive Mac store to buy it.  Mac's trick is to provide their computers to schools and "sell" students that it is the best money can buy.  I have no gripes with Mac.  I have the utmost respect - but in their portable devices for reasons stated above.  I have no problem updating PCs - never have.  At age 75, I have built and maintained many computers and still troubleshoot/fix friend's computers (PCs).  When they need parts, just go out and buy a part and stick it in and introduce it to the system.  I do not service laptops for the same reason I don't do Macs - parts soldered to the motherboard.  Yes, even with the ipod/pad/phone, the parts are soldered, but that's a different animal.

Edited July 22, 2018 by Old_As_Dirt

[pots 10]

I started using X-Plane on Mac Mini on year 2012. It was mid 2011 model with 2.5 GHz processor and with 256 MB video memory. Still remembering the magic moment with X-Plane 10 demo, taking off with default 747 from KSEA. Soon upgraded system memory from 4 to 8 GB. It was nice system to fly with Carenado Cessna or Bonanza around default scenery. Even Felis Yak-40 was running fine. But weather had to be CAVOK all the time, other framerate falled down. Remembering one approach to airfield with real weather. GPS was estimating arrival in 5 minutes, but time went and went and still nothing. I checked the frame rate and it was less than 10 - so X-plane has slowed the simulation down to keep any framerate. In 2016 I bought Felis Tu-154m and it was first aircraft to be unsuitable for this Mac Mini. Everything was fine in cold and dark, but after switching on different systems the simulation almost frozed. During the summer of 2016 Oculus Rift and Nvidia GTX 1080 became available, so I bite the bullet and ordered new PC with i7 processor, GTX 1080 and 32 GB RAM and Rift also. And it was very intresting to start X-Plane 10 and see frame count ~120.

On the moment Apple seems to be focused on iPhone and iPad, ordinary computers are left aside. Mac Mini was updated in 2014, iMac is not updated too often. PC is much-much more powerful for simulation needs on the moment.

[Bob Tildesley 6]

I have had probably 10 PC's over the years. Never had a problem except a blown power supply which was replaced economically. My reason for upgrading was always to get better performance for my flight sims. But a few years ago I got a mac mini just for music recording purposes. Used it for a couple years sparingly, then the hard drive died. The first HD failure I ever experienced. I replaced it with a new SSD but then there were major problems trying to get the latest OS installed. Never got it working. Sure, it's possible to solve these problems but it's obvious Apple just want us to buy the latest supposedly greatest. The mac proprietary philosophy is nuts. Get a new app...oh gee it doesn't work with that OS..surprise! That's the last Apple computer I will ever buy....

[Delta111 29]

2 hours ago, Bob Tildesley said:

I have had probably 10 PC's over the years. Never had a problem except a blown power supply which was replaced economically. My reason for upgrading was always to get better performance for my flight sims. But a few years ago I got a mac mini just for music recording purposes. Used it for a couple years sparingly, then the hard drive died. The first HD failure I ever experienced. I replaced it with a new SSD but then there were major problems trying to get the latest OS installed. Never got it working. Sure, it's possible to solve these problems but it's obvious Apple just want us to buy the latest supposedly greatest. The mac proprietary philosophy is nuts. Get a new app...oh gee it doesn't work with that OS..surprise! That's the last Apple computer I will ever buy....

 

 Thats why there are alternatives..You have the same thing with Android and Windows OS...Apple builds computers for their Operating System....Windows builds operating systems for computers....Big difference...I must use a WIndows system at work...At home its MAC....An Imac Pro....My last Mac was a MacPro 1,1...lasted 9 years...Still runs great, but has seen its best days behind her...

Different strokes...

[tonywob 4,768]

I have a Macbook Pro from 2013 which I use for development, and when I attempted to upgrade the OS to the latest one I had bad performance issues and had to downgrade. I've used Macs exclusively for years, but they're definitely not what I would consider decent gaming machines. This system only has a 2GB 750 with 16GB or RAM, and it can barely run XP11, but what it can do is run all the other software I use for development nicely without lag. Apple recently released their i9 based Macbook Pros with 32GB of RAM and I'm going to order myself one of these, but certainly not for games because the graphics card is an AMD with only 4GB of RAM. Also, they lack any sort of support for VR.

It was only last year I bought myself a gaming laptop (1070GTX, with 32GB or RAM) with Windows 10, and I really don't like the OS. I couldn't use it to work on as I find navigation and the full-screen start menu a huge step back from Window 7. Whilst it does make a good gaming computer when it doesn't overheat, I'm tempted to sell it on and just build myself a proper desktop machine. And Microsoft's server OS, who in their right-mind at Microsoft thought having a full-screen start panel was a good idea 

[jcomm 5,890]

50 minutes ago, tonywob said:

It was only last year I bought myself a gaming laptop (1070GTX, with 32GB or RAM) with Windows 10, and I really don't like the OS. I couldn't use it to work on as I find navigation and the full-screen start menu a huge step back from Window 7. Whilst it does make a good gaming computer when it doesn't overheat, I'm tempted to sell it on and just build myself a proper desktop machine. And Microsoft's server OS, who in their right-mind at Microsoft thought having a full-screen start panel was a good idea 

I got used to win 10, and there are ways around that "full-screen" stuff. You can make it look just like win7 !

I've long been willing to jump into Mac OS, but price and not being able to run IL-2 Great Battles there makes me revoke any impetuous decisions ...

[Humpty 751]

During XP10 i had a hackintosh which was a complete AMD FX series with a HD 7750 GPU, it was working fine with XP10 .  I think it was Snow leopard or mountain lion i don't remember.

What one needs to consider is that upgrading the mac hardware is limited , one reason is the GPU as all can't be used because Apple makes it's own drivers and has only certain Device ID for them  so if i am looking to make a hackintosh of my current AMD system with an AMD GPU it will not work as Apple has no Device id enabled for the RX 550 but the RX 580 works OOB.  CPU / RAM / HDD / SDD might be upgradeble.  Apple does not support AMD CPU's.  GPU's are limited too.

I would love to get a Mac just for normal day to day stuff but that thing is just too expensive. Maybe one day.

Got a dual boot W10 / Lubuntu.

Now i am XPing only in linux due to AMD Windows OPengl implementation just sucks. What i find better when using XP in linux that it performs way better in terms of memory and the system response is much better.

Awaiting vulcan.

Edited August 1, 2018 by HumptyDumpty

[Paraffin 2,197]

7 hours ago, tonywob said:

It was only last year I bought myself a gaming laptop (1070GTX, with 32GB or RAM) with Windows 10, and I really don't like the OS. I couldn't use it to work on as I find navigation and the full-screen start menu a huge step back from Window 7. Whilst it does make a good gaming computer when it doesn't overheat, I'm tempted to sell it on and just build myself a proper desktop machine. And Microsoft's server OS, who in their right-mind at Microsoft thought having a full-screen start panel was a good idea 

Can't you just set it to classic mode (or whatever it's called) and get rid of that dumb full screen icons UI?

In that mode, my Win10 screen looks just like it did in WIn7, with just a few changes to the status bar at the bottom. 

[tonywob 4,768]

I opted to use this http://www.classicshell.net/ in the end.

Works a treat and gives me back the more efficient start menu.