He hardly uses any software that runs on Linux.
If you are not in a pipeline Linux is not a simple alternative for single user production.
He isnât really using anything that most Linux pipelines run.
Linux really is an over- complicated alternative for this case.
Yes, 100% - I am experienced in both Mac and Windows, never used Linux and I am sure 99% of the software I need to use isnât even available on a Linux OS.
BadBilly: Yes, I have to tell you in all honesty that in Linux, the softwares you are used to, may Not be available. I will NOT make the claim that Linux can solve all your problems or something.
BUT.
First, take a look at this list, itâs a gem of a webpage:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yNXpuy5tVP0q-El0DqoY-AwmPHT6K09NEZG-Pf0KJ7E/edit
Secondly, consider that you will save some money on the price of the OS itself, youâll run free of viruses (at least Iâve never heard of a major Linux virus), you wonât have to get spied on, and you wonât have to upgrade your PC every time Microsoft deems so. Thatâs quite a powerful list, right? 
You may want to read this:
Youâd save more money not having to wast time dealing with Linux than the $100 youâd save not getting Windows
If youâre concerned about privacy then itâs not like Linux will save you from those issues.
Maybe you guys should read this :
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Linux-so-unfriendly
Also this (the answer by âDavid Pearsonâ talks about the issue of privacy):
https://www.quora.com/Which-one-is-better-Linux-or-Windows
We do not actually create CG/VFX on the desktops of our operating systems.
We create and produce within our installed 3DCC programs.
for most of us that means having pipeline built around certain specific software applications
thus we need an underlying OS that supports those applications
The OP has already named specific applications he uses, that are not available for LinuxâŚperiod
No amount of links to Linux Fanboi articles will change this reality
for the OP.
Thank you!
As you said, Linux is NOT and option. I find Linux users really like to sell you to come over, and while I understand the appeal, its just not an option, which I thought was reasonably obvious.
The decision has been made - Mac is a unfortunately a sinking ship and the answer (for this year anyway) is Windows. That said, now I am in a candy store of options and am trying to find the right choice. I know roughly what I want, but to get it all together in a package is taking a little hunt.
(i9, RTX, 64GB (or at least 32gb) ram, and in a reputable brand.
Yes, I am aware of that - Linux is used widely in Hollywood, you know�
Anyway, Iâll gracefully bow out of the conversation now, just after leaving these 2 links here in case anybodyâs interested, and rest assured that these are not âfanboi linksâ in any way:
I would never recommend linux to a single user for 3D animation unless they were a total linux geek to begin with. Thereâs some very good reasons itâs used in large studios and render farms where thereâs enough staff and expertise to support it. Despite how much easier linux is today, without linux expertise or experience, a person will still likely spend some time digging through the internet trying to figure out how to install or troubleshoot an obscure driver at some point.
For a single user, productivity is most important. IMO macs are fine, but there are concerns. The lack of hardware options, the all-in-one design nature of imacs that risk taking your entire setup down if a single part fails, the potential for the mac market fracturing with ARM CPUâs soon, Apple slowly de-prioritizing the mac platform in favor of iOS, and the smaller amount of software options is what gives me great pause in recommending macs for CG work.
Windows 10 has some mild learning curves too. I often see mac users nervous about switching to Windows. Eventually they come to the conclusion it wasnât such a big deal to switch after all and that the experience is close enough to a mac to not mind which one they use.
YES, this is probably true! (Hey I popped back in ). Just saying, forums such as THESE, exist:
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/
which have entire sub-forums for âNewbieâ, âHardwareâ and âInstallationâ. Just saying
@BadBilly to be honest for my money, an optimal thermal solution should be a primary consideration, especially when the cost of these high end portable form factorâs are also taken into account and design aesthetics aside, thereâs obviously something to be said for a bulkier chassis as opposed too âwafer thinâ that IMO seems to be a trend at the moment.
The individuals I Mac only for Office workers, also if you want to just get to work just might entertain then use Windows as I am, because I regularly download the game and play the game at apknite. My life will become boring if there are games entertainment
Donât buy any laptop - the screen panels of many are often crap - before you read its review here:
Thanks. Notebookcheck has been a huge deciding factor on my final decision, as were a lot of reviews on sites, and youtube reviews.
It was a close call between the Gigabyte Aero, (the new) MSI P65 or P75 Creator, or the Alienware 17M.
In the end I went with the Alienware 17M: 32gb ram, i9, RTX2080 8gb graphics, plenty of storage but most importantly, beautiful 4k 100% sRGB - important for content creation. A huge reason I went with Dell is for their great support and warranty.
Thanks to all that helped me decide! In the end I got something 2x as powerful as the latest maxed out macbook pro, (and then some), and came out a little cheaper.
If you value your peace of mind I would suggest staying with the Mac.
Under heavy use Windows machines are generally just a gargantuan pain in the ass despite there compatibility usefulness in various situations. Therefore I only spot use Windows where I have no alternative. Most software these days is available for both OSâ any efficiency concerns most likely will be resolved in future iterations of the software.
Certainly CUDA is useful in rendering/previewing, but I just havenât seen it as useful enough to accept all the other long term system stability issues and generally more intuitive UX like keyboard shortcuts etc. with the Mac OS. All these masochists just want you existing in the same hell as they are.
(Truth be told you can excel with either platform it just comes down to where youâre most comfortable, as you probably already know.)
There are some developments that may also make the Mac the better performance choice, but you have to wait until June to really see what itâs gonna be.
With Apple reformulating their âProâ line of hardware and particularly the desktop along with the OS, so it would behoove you to wait until after WWDC to make a choice. It wouldnât surprise me at all if they showed up with a new âProâ line of Macbooks considering the reformulation process, if rumors are to be believed. Aside from that despite high heat concerns the latest MacBooks were performing betting then equivalent Windows laptops, which had biased reviewers like Linus and Austin Evans (mostly Linus) whining about excessive heat when they really were expecting to see much lower performance numbers.
AMD seems to making substantial progress in their fabrication of CPUs and GPUs. Outside of ray tracing specific tasks Nvidia RTX donât really seem to push forward that far beyond the GTX 1080ti line. Also, it seems that after 3 years Vulkan development is seeing more adoption, the Vega64 graphics benchmarks using Vulkan are quite favorable compared to Nvidiaâs newest GPU offerings and being the open standard itâs going to be more preferable then a closed standard to a lot of developers. Apple has a close relationship with AMD where it concerns GPUs so the next gen Macs will likely benefit greatly from AMDs advancements. Hopefully Apple will adopt some AMD CPUs to mix in with their Intel CPUs while leaving the ARM rumors in the dust.
Even though I donât immediately disqualify ARM as a potential desktop solution for creatives like some people do I highly doubt Apple would be able to reasonably produce such processors with compatibility compromises for non-mobile âProâ devices at a price many people would accept.
My pipeline is heavily dependant upon Reallusion Iclone pro
for âperpetual licenseâ Character motionbuilding and retargeting.
Reallusion has stated flatly there will be no mac OS version.
I still keep an Old win 7 tower on âLife Supportâ to run the extemely powerful
( discontinued)Endorphin Ragdoll physics software that has No modern day equivalent
outside of fiddling with Game engines (which I hate for Filmmaking.)
Not having access to the tools I need on My OS Destroys my "Piece of mind"
Apple has become bigger than the mighty pseudo sovereign entity
Exxon mobile, by ignoring the Pro 3DCC hardware market.
IMHO waiting year after year for Apple to pull a âcrazy Ivanâ
and change course is a fools gambit.
Virtually nothing you posted here contradicts anything I posted.
Itâs down to a matter of preference with most machines and spot using older Windows machines for specific tasks. To each their own.
I also have an old Windows 7 tower running and old copy of Faceshift. Since Apple bought that software company and they are still using the software it would be great if it transitioned back to a pro app, but Iâm not holding my breath. As far as your copy of Endorphin, I remember that app well and it was awesome in itâs time, however Iâm pretty sure you could do all of that and more in Houdini, which runs like a top on OSX on the Mac Pro and iMac Pro mind you.
Itâs all a matter of your perspective.
