# Who actually moved from Mac to Windows (PC) and don't regret it ?



## Patryk Scelina (Nov 2, 2022)

I switched to Mac from Windows XP x64 and didn't look back until now. Windows 11 looks nice, while Apple policy is getting worse every year. That makes me wonder. Is it worth it to go back to Windows. I still remember all my headaches and heart attacks when computer crashed or audio drivers stoped working without any reason, just before some deadline. But I believe many things have changed since then.

I don't want to start discussion with all Windows users, because I know all the pros and I know I can buy two PCs in price of a single Mac.
I would simply like to ask those of You who switched to Windows from Mac, how do you find everyday work in DAW ? What do you use as an alternative to Timemachine and how do you find using antivirus software along with DAW ?

Thank You for all answers.


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## Øivind (Nov 2, 2022)

I haven´t gone from Mac to PC, but I did add a Mac to my studio recently and I have only been using Windows before. Hopefully some of this info is helpfull anyway 

I would recommend to only use Microsoft Defender, which comes built-in with Windows. It does not affect performance in any meaningfull way and stays for the most part out of your hair. 3rd party anti-malware applications are not needed and should be avoided.

I don´t do any system image backups, even though Windows has a rudementary built in option. Bad habbit. I do use Syncthing (free and open source) for keeping backups of folders (projects, documents etc). It supports file versioning if needed. I cross sync between the Mac, PC and the NAS.

Depending on how much work you do via a file explorer (batch renaming, copying, ftp etc), I would also recommend looking into Directory Opus (paid) as an Explorer replacement. Even tho Explorer is finally getting tabs now, it´s still a very basic file manager. Directory Opus looks pretty old and for some, ugly, but download a dark theme and it quickly becomes pretty decent looking. It´s extremely customizable and versatile and has been an incredible time saver for me. It´s one of the few things I really really miss on the Mac as it´s Windows only.

Day to day DAW work feels pretty much identical to me. I can´t say I have had many issues with ASIO or drivers in general on Windows.


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## robgb (Nov 2, 2022)

Patryk Scelina said:


> Is it worth it to go back to Windows.


No.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Nov 2, 2022)

Patryk Scelina said:


> Apple policy is getting worse every year.


What don't you like about Apple's policies?

I'm not saying you're wrong, I just don't know what you mean.


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 2, 2022)

robgb said:


> No.


No to the no.

The answer is: it might be worth it.

Both OS have pros and cons. Just depends on if those are in areas that matter to you. I've not had any notable issues with Windows for years. I've had as many, or more, small issues with Macs (I've had Macs stop working or decide to upgrade at inopportune times as much as Windows since Win7x64). That said, there's no Windows laptop that has the battery life and performance of the new Macs yet. There's also no Mac yet with more raw performance than a top of the line PC desktop.

For both Macs and PCs I recommend getting a NAS to backup to. I use Macrium Reflect (paid version) to image my PC, Time Machine on the Macs. You don't need a 3rd party antivirus on Windows anymore.

Clearly, there's an issue if you're heavily invested in using Logic. Otherwise, lots of DAW options.


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## AudioBrewers (Nov 3, 2022)

IMHO in 2022 this discussion is rhetorical... both OSs are good in some things and bad in some others. Just use whatever is more comfortable for you. If you know how to use either, you'll have 0 issues with it.

I use both OSs continuously and always get annoyed that one can do something and the other can't, this goes both ways, so in the end, stay in whatever you feel comfortable.


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## Patryk Scelina (Nov 3, 2022)

Nick Batzdorf said:


> What don't you like about Apple's policies?
> 
> I'm not saying you're wrong, I just don't know what you mean.


I believe mac's lifespan becomes shorter and shorter recently. Apple is pushing strongly to buy new computers every few years. I used to use old Mac Pro for years. These days you buy a mac and after 5 years you can no longer update OS. That's one thing that annoys me the most. Especially I was planning to buy new Mac Pro but first I can't be sure how long is going to be supported and secondly I'm concerned about system drive which You simply can't replace because it's encoded.

What I'm also struggling with recently on Mac is Cubase instability. Ofcourse it is caused by some plugins but if I can't use any thirdparty plugins without risk of a crash in Cubase, it's becoming pointless.
I already get rid of Waves plugins (these were crashing Cubase like hell) and found replacement. But it happens that some other plugins can crash Cubase from time to time.

I could try different DAW for sure. I'm just not sure if I find time and strenght to switch after 15 years to something different


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## Nimrod7 (Nov 3, 2022)

I would advice to check how good your audio interface drivers are on Windows. Secondly how stable is the DAW you're going to use. 
The stability of the OS itself it will depend on those.

macOS drivers generally break on updates, Windows drivers are either good or not. Just a different kind of mess I guess.


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## Fr. hugo (Nov 3, 2022)

I switched to pc last year, because I needed a lot of raw power and the new macs weren’t there yet, and a lot more expensive. I had to get used to it for a while, but I’m actually quite content. I like it that the system is more accessible and adaptable. I needed extra storage and just opened the thing and plugged 2 m.2’s into it, presto. One thing, though: I love Cubase, but it just isn’t the most stable software in the world. That’s no different on the PC.


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## Patryk Scelina (Nov 3, 2022)

Fr. hugo said:


> I switched to pc last year, because I needed a lot of raw power and the new macs weren’t there yet, and a lot more expensive. I had to get used to it for a while, but I’m actually quite content. I like it that the system is more accessible and adaptable. I needed extra storage and just opened the thing and plugged 2 m.2’s into it, presto. One thing, though: I love Cubase, but it just isn’t the most stable software in the world. That’s no different on the PC.


Many people say Cubase works better on Windows. If you say it's not, that one vote agains switching to me


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## 3DC (Nov 3, 2022)

Patryk Scelina said:


> Many people say Cubase works better on Windows. If you say it's not, that one vote agains switching to me


Cubase Pro 12 is very stable for me on my Windows 11 Pro workstation. Its a bit slow to load very large projects. I suspect this is probably due to the Steinberg new authorization system. Once the project is loaded it simply works. Crashes are very rare but with regular saves and backup system not a real problem. 

That said my PC workstation runs on base CPU model and frequency, no boosts or overclocking, its always updated and completely optimized so that there are no hardware or system bottlenecks. I also perform fresh install every two years to clean up the system.


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## easyrider (Nov 3, 2022)

The amount of problems I read of people having issues with MAC OS and multiple forums is astonishing. Seems a Mac OS update breaks stuff.

I’m on windows 11 using Protools and it’s been stable as a rock for years….I can upgrade hardware….add drives….use legacy software if I choose that just works…

windows is for taking control over your user experience. You can run scripts that disable all the unwanted programs and windows features and services you don’t need. Meaning faster boot. More stability less bloat.

These scripts are written by Microsoft professionals and with one click you can have a powerhouse DAW platform that infinitely configurable.

Planned obsolescence with apple MAC ain’t my idea fun.


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## Manaberry (Nov 3, 2022)

easyrider said:


> The amount of problems I read of people having issues with MAC OS and multiple forums is astonishing. Seems a Mac OS update breaks stuff.


Well, nowadays people tend to update their OS when they don't need to.
"Oh, my system is working great, no issue so far. Let's update it!"


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## Patryk Scelina (Nov 3, 2022)

3DC said:


> I also perform fresh install every two years to clean up the system.


Oh boy. I always hated this on Windows. You just brought back my worst memories :D


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## Patryk Scelina (Nov 3, 2022)

Manaberry said:


> Well, nowadays people tend to update their OS when they don't need to.
> "Oh, my system is working great, no issue so far. Let's update it!"


True. I always stay at least one OS version behind. Now I actually plan to update to Monterey.


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 3, 2022)

Patryk Scelina said:


> Oh boy. I always hated this on Windows. You just brought back my worst memories :D


That advice went by the wayside at least 10 years ago. Going to 64bits made a huge difference once the dust settled. I stopped bothering to do fresh installs even when upgrading. Zero issues.

Alternatively, Apple does everything it can to get you to buy a new computer every 2 years. Hehe.


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## Patryk Scelina (Nov 3, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> That advice went by the wayside at least 10 years ago. Alternatively, Apple does everything it can to get you to buy a new computer every 2 years. Hehe.


True but that's more like 5 years to be honest.


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 3, 2022)

Patryk Scelina said:


> True but that's more like 5 years to be honest.


No, much longer than that, to be true.


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## Patryk Scelina (Nov 3, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> No, much longer than that, to be true.


I was talking about Apple. You said 2 year but it's more like 5. New OS is compatible with 2017 machines.


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 3, 2022)

Patryk Scelina said:


> I was talking about Apple. You said 2 year but it's more like 5. New OS is compatible with 2017 machines.


Oops! Sorry.

But Apple really does seem to try to get people to upgrade every 2 (or 3) years. They’ll introduce some new tech or something that starts making the old stuff obsolete, leading to breaking things for consumers and/or developers. Unless things are upgraded.

We have both Macs and PCs here.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Nov 3, 2022)

Patryk Scelina said:


> I believe mac's lifespan becomes shorter and shorter recently. Apple is pushing strongly to buy new computers every few years. I used to use old Mac Pro for years.



You can't run the latest macOS on machine older than five years or so, true, but Macs still last a very long time and hold their value very well. In other words, you just sell it if you need to run the latest macOS.

I finally replaced my 2009 Mac Pro with a Mac Studio, but my 2014 MacBook Air is still going strong on Big Sur - which they continue to update with security fixes.

Having said that, I won't argue with anyone who has trepidations about spending $10K+ on the current Mac Pro.




Patryk Scelina said:


> These days you buy a mac and after 5 years you can no longer update OS. That's one thing that annoys me the most. Especially I was planning to buy new Mac Pro but first I can't be sure how long is going to be supported and secondly I'm concerned about system drive which You simply can't replace because it's encoded.



Fair enough, but that certainly isn't enough to make me want to abandon the platform.

However, I'm old enough to remember when computers were 2-1/2 year investments at best. They simply couldn't keep up with the latest music and audio software.




Patryk Scelina said:


> What I'm also struggling with recently on Mac is Cubase instability.


Ah, now that's a different matter. If your DAW runs better on Windows, then that's a very good reason to switch.

But that's not quite the question you asked!


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## Daren Audio (Nov 3, 2022)

It's been the opposite for me but now I'm about to setup dual OS (Windows on Mac) since MoCap developers have moved away to PC platform only.


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