I'm pretty split on PC vs Mac, the only reason I have a Mac is for making iPhone games and while I do like the quality of sound and visuals on it, I really don't like the poor selection of games to play on the Mac. Plus it seems like my Mac is going to be busted just as quick as any PC I've owned.

Mac. its does what i want and is easy.
my dad is hardcore PC and brought me up on it, soon as i started thinking for myself i went straight to Mac. i don't think il ever go back tbh... unless for Gaming but even then i wold still use a mac for everything but gaming

I won't comment on other things, but I do take issue with the bolded statement. Not that I'd argue that it'd be easier to find pirated software, just that there are so much free and open source alternatives available nowadays that pirating software is very seldom, if ever, justifiable.

When you're studying specific programs like Autodesks and Adobe cheaper alternatives are not an option... try to find something that'll replace the programs you'll use in real life... "Ehh sir we need someone that knows Nuke... Compositing Magic is not what we're looking for sorry... NEXT!!!"

Sorry I'll go with the industry and use what they need.

PC all the way. The premium price point for Macs of high/mid-range spec are double (depending on the model, sometimes nearing triple) what I could get with a PC. Then there's the relatively low software support which forces you to install Windows and dual boot anyway, in which case you're essentially paying double for the same machine PC users get.

In this case the premium price is for Mac OS only, which is nice if a bit gimicky imo.

Agree with this totally. Most of my PCs in the past have lasted 5+ years. I bought my previous PC in January 2005 and only built my new one in November of last year. Fact is, I could have kept using that PC too if I didn't game on my PC. Actually, even with my gaming I could probably have continued to game for another year or two. If you spent as much money as a top of the range Mac costs on a PC, you could be playing the games on it for 10+ years.

If you're really studying, then you can get Nuke student licence, for example, at 95% discount. Most other software makers also provide very cheap student licences, and many schools provide the software installed on school hardware. And if you're studying to become a professional, using the software to make a living, then you definitely don't have justification to pirate it.

Student versions are still very expensives and they won't allow you to make money with it anyway. When I finished my graphic design studies I used pirated versions of Adobe and Quark for some time until I could affort to buy a full version of Adobe (used Quark only twice for projects). As for now, I got student versions of Autodesks but before that I had to submit a portfolio of projects (some entry test to ensure you'll be able to follow the course) I got a pirated copy of Max did my portfolio, got accepted then now I could use the student versions.

You have to think that not everybody use pirated copies just because they don't want to pay. To me it's like wellfare, some abuse of it and some don't but it's there so you can use it. I'm not the kind that rejects everything just because some media tells me it's bad. Movies/music/games all gets pirated like hell still they report massive profits every years, people need to be more intelligent in regards to piracy.

Let me ask you a question. Say you've done a big project for a customer, and it took you 12 months to do it using many tools. Let's say you did a 3D animated movie for a Superbowl ad, created the models, textures etc. You did it for a big international corporation and got paid for your work according to your contract, which stipulates that the ad is to be displayed only during the Superbowl. Later you see your ad running on TV during prime time shows. Should the big international corporation pay you extra? After all, your contract specifically stated that they can run the ad only during Supoerbowl.

Mac for me. If people could just look past that "my PC has better specs" stuff. If you are on a tight budget or want a pure gaming machine go Windows. For everything else I would suggest getting a Mac. At least don't write it off before you used it for some time.