Hi again, everyone!
Although I was not accepted into CalArts, I am still going to pursue my animation choice in SCAD.
So first off, does anyone have anything to tell me about the college? About its location, the teachers, the animation program, or anything really that could be informative?
As for what I really want to ask. I always hear that Macs are the way to go when it comes to computer graphics and stuff, but I don't see how a Mac can be better than a PC with kick-ass hardware. Call me a noob - I AM a Mac noob - and I'd really rather stick to a PC unless if really necessary. I was planning on buying a customized Dell (or... other brand.. any suggestions?), topping the price up to the one of a 15 inch Macbook Pro. What do you guys have to say?
In the end it's all about compatability issues, really. Everyone and their grandmother knows that Macs are WAY overpriced until you get up to their full-on Mac Pros. Saving for compatability between operating systems is doable but, in my experience, can lead to the occasional hiccup and a lot of work that's just not worth it.
Another thing, about Laptops. When you're working with video, let alone rendering animation, your computer doesn't have to be a little bit beefed up, it has to be a lot a bit beefed up. I know individuals with computers that run around 3 or 4k made specifically to work with video, and they can still hardly function when it comes to editing and finishing high quality video work. If you're only going with a laptop for the sake of convenience, my advice is to not do it. Get an actual computer. A 3k desktop gets you a lot more than a 3k laptop will any day, and honestly, the only deciding factor between a mac and a windows operating system should be what your school uses in its video department. At least this is my approach with CalArts. Plenty of people still use Dell and HP, but the few people i've talked to said that Macs were just the industry standard and that doesn't seem to be changing any time soon, even if all the specs are the same between computers.