Mac computers and second life?

[Ricky40]

I am looking into buying a new computer and am thinking I would like I get my first Mac. Are macs good for running sl? What should I look for?

[Pussycat Catnap]

Lots of Mac users in SL, self included.

Make sure its either an iMac, or one of the higher end laptops that has an actual graphics card.

 

[Madelaine McMasters]

SL does not run as well under Mac OS as under Windows. I presume that's because LL develops first on Windows. That said, SL viewers run fine on my various Macs. Pussycat is quite right in recommending iMacs or the 15" MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Those are the only Macs that have nVIDIA GPUs. The MacBook Airs, 13" MacBook Pros and Mac Mini all use integrated Intel graphics and will not run SL as well. The upcoming Mac Pro will have ATI graphics. Opinion here in the forum seems to favor nVIDIA.

You can run Windows on a Mac, so the performance hit of running SL on Mac OS may be avoidable.

[Emma Krokus]

See this thread:

/t5/General-Discussion-Forum/PC-vs-Mac-What-makes-one-better-than-the-other-for-Second-Life/td-p/2058129

Gave me loads of useful info from knowledgable forumites.

 

Emma:)

[Qie Niangao]

The new MacPro will probably be okay, if you have four grand or so to spend.

[Orca Flotta]

It doesn't really matter anymore from what kinda box you're running SL these days. Macs are just posh PCs with supposedly better build quality. So if hardware doesn't make a big difference it all boils down to the OS. And for OS I prefer a Linux over the MacOS and Windows.

In terms of hardware upgradeability I'd never buy a Mac since they are very restricted when it comes to swapping out parts. Not that important if you go for a laptop (you toss those in the bin after 3 years anyway) and desktops. But if you opt for an odd-shaped machine like iMac or those miniMac thingies you're trapped.

 

[Ted McGregor]

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Ricky40 wrote:

I am looking into buying a new computer. What should I look for?

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Invest in a PC with the better components at lower prices. Think modular and D.I.Y.  , Ricky40.

 

Don't listen to the others. :robottongue:

[Syo Emerald]

Hey, Pussycat I haven't seen you in...ages here! :catvery-happy:

[Daniel Regenbogen]

Qie Niangao wrote: The new MacPro will probably be okay, if you have four grand or so to spend.

 

 

Well you would need to get the highest so far rumored model of the new Mac Pro to get comparable graphic power to a "normal" high end graphic card in other computers. Workstation graphic solutions like in the new Mac Pro are not really meant for 3D gaming. The rumored top graphic option are AMD FirePro W9000, which puts the machine in the range of a normal AMD Radeon HD8970 or a Nvidia GeForce GTX770. Only problem with that: four grand won't get you far with that Mac Pro - the FirePro W9000 already is roughly four grand. And there are two of them installed :-)

[Orca Flotta]

Invest in a PC with the better components at lower prices. Think modular and D.I.Y.  , Ricky40.

Zacly! That was the best answer in this thread.

Do some market research, collect all the parts from the cheapest supplier, get a pretty case and stick it all together. Building a computer from scratch is like Lego and not half as complicated as building a house in SL. You'll probably save some bucks, don't have to live with compromises and the result is your very own and individual compi. We're not talking rocket science here.

Then install any OS you like ... *cough* linux *cough  cough* ... and be happy ever after :matte-motes-nerdy:

[Strangie Vaher]

I just wanted to add that I have a 15" macbook pro without retina and running second life absolutely BOILS my machine.  Seriously, the temperature rockets.