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PC or Apple ?
- Thread starter JPigg55
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- Jun 11, 2013
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Really? You asked that question on a forum? This is going to be a $%*& storm. :rofl:
In all seriousness, find the software you like and then find a platform that can let you work well with the software.
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- Dec 8, 2013
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The software must be compiled for the OS it is to run on. Some vendors may offer their software compiled for one OS, some for another, others for more than one.
There are, of course, many strong opinions as to which OS is better. There is really no point in discussing that here.
A
Andre
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I'd go with windows. (ducks flying pots and pans)
They are cheaper, easier to work on, and if you don't use it for internet no chance of malware/viruses. I hope DonB will chime in, he knows more about computers than most of us.
They are cheaper, easier to work on, and if you don't use it for internet no chance of malware/viruses. I hope DonB will chime in, he knows more about computers than most of us.
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2012
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- 5,596
Agree totally with John. Just visit the websites of you candidate software and see if they have versions that run on the computer your most familiar with. If you already have an Apple computer, you can also get "virtual machine" software that can run windows on an Apple and thus you can run any windows program. The virtual machine software works pretty well actually.
Ray
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- Jun 11, 2013
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- 731
Oh man, I am starting the $%^* storm now.
VM's are good but if you need high performing software vm's can really hinder you. You want to find the right software for you and then pick the platform you deploy on.
1. Do you have the machine that you want to run the software on? If so, find suitable software for that platform.
2. If no machine, do you have a budget? CAD/CAM is resource intense and I can build a more powerful Windows machine for far less money than I can buy an Apple for. Take a look at the Intel NUC barebones at Newegg for example. Spending less on a capable computer would leave more budget for application software.
I live in a physical/virtual computer world for my day job and I will always stay away from virtualizing my hobby machines. I do dual boot between Windows and Linux as needed though. I guess if I get an itch for OSx I can always stick FreeBSD on a virtual machine in my development environment and pretend I have an Apple.
Dave
2. If no machine, do you have a budget? CAD/CAM is resource intense and I can build a more powerful Windows machine for far less money than I can buy an Apple for. Take a look at the Intel NUC barebones at Newegg for example. Spending less on a capable computer would leave more budget for application software.
I live in a physical/virtual computer world for my day job and I will always stay away from virtualizing my hobby machines. I do dual boot between Windows and Linux as needed though. I guess if I get an itch for OSx I can always stick FreeBSD on a virtual machine in my development environment and pretend I have an Apple.
Dave
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2012
- Messages
- 745
I want to try LinuxCNC which is working with a realtime kernel (more or less like the Korg Oasys synthesizers) and doesn't require many resources, so I can run it on some old PC.
But of course what I miss is a 9 axes CNC machine… I don't even have a 1 axis one :biggrin:
On the CAM side (converting drawings to G-code) there is an interesting project under development: http://www.openscam.org/
But of course what I miss is a 9 axes CNC machine… I don't even have a 1 axis one :biggrin:
On the CAM side (converting drawings to G-code) there is an interesting project under development: http://www.openscam.org/
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2014
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I agree with the thought that what is best depends on what you already have and what you want to do. In my work setting, I use a PC running Windows 7 and MastercamX7 and then send the Gcode to Haas controllers. At home, I have a Mac and run Windows XP on a VM so I can use AutoCAD for drawing and dimensioning and I use Inkscape to convert some drawings to toolpaths for simple engraving (there's a plugin to convert paths to gcode) and down in my shop, I have another PC running LinuxCNC connected to a Sherline 2000 mill and the whole mess does what I need, but then, I am pretty much a computer geek. The only other suggestion I can add is to use open source freeware/shareware whenever you can because most of it is good and in a state of constant improvement.
- Joined
- May 20, 2013
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- 390
By all means, if you are already a computer user, stick with the platform that you are most familiar with! No need to aggravate the learning curve by having to learn the new OS as well as the software. I believe that you will find more CAD/CAM software choices for the PC than the MAC. Just a side note - if you consider BobCAD / CAM, you can sometimes pick up an older version on ebay reasonably priced. Be aware that it WILL cost $100 to transfer the license on top of what you pay for the software. However, once a registered owner of one of their products, you are eligible for upgrade pricing, which the do price very aggressively - we we recently offered an upgrade to the latest version with their training cd's for $395, normally $1495 for the software and $995 for the training cd's. Do not take this as an endorsement of BobCAD / CAM - it is just information.