Latest round and topic of computer research continues... trying to understand the latest possible curveball..
It's becoming increasingly apparent I will probably want to directly boot MacOSX (I also hope to explore using OSX under ESXi, VMware, etc but I assume that's easier - this is specifically concerning OSx86 direct boot stuff) because as I get more involved in AV pursuits it's becoming clear i'll be going uphill if I don't go with the standard. It wont be the only OS (everything will be multiboot) but it looks like I need to definately plan for "Mac too" for my workstations.
Note I may NOT exclusively run the newest Mac OS - because Apple seems to strip features from each new version making me want to explore back older versions as well and i'm not even sure how far back that will be. Ie Final Cut Pro 7 doesn't even load anymore in 10.13 apparently. I dont know much about Mac but now know I will have to learn. I'm just trying to get a leg up on whether I should favor certain hardware for these future explorations? Such as for consumer level boards the answer seems to be "go Gigabyte mobo, Intel cpu, Nvidia gpu" from notes I took in the past because that's essentially the most compatible option. I dont remember who the next tier would be, I just remember seeing so many positive reports about Gigabyte that it stuck in my head years later.
Except now i'm wondering about an expanded look into workstation class stuff including makers who dont even make consumer stuff. I am seeing used workstation class motherboards on ebay for instance from Supermicro, Tyan, and Intel all offering dual LGA 1366 sockets (what i'm probably settling on for now until Quanta Windmill prices maybe come down) huge RAM capacity and multiple PCIe slots. On top of course of possible options for used workstations from Dell, HP, and others which aren't even ruled out either. Since i'm not locked into just hunting for one maker or model (unless I need to?) and might be jumping on a good ebay deal of whatever meets my requirements i'd rather separate makers into more and less desirable. How would those in the know rate these makers? Feel free to vote AND post specific feedback if you are familiar with the ins and outs.
Who should I consider the A list? Which makers should I specifically avoid? (in terms of difficulty of installing software/OSX especially )
It's becoming increasingly apparent I will probably want to directly boot MacOSX (I also hope to explore using OSX under ESXi, VMware, etc but I assume that's easier - this is specifically concerning OSx86 direct boot stuff) because as I get more involved in AV pursuits it's becoming clear i'll be going uphill if I don't go with the standard. It wont be the only OS (everything will be multiboot) but it looks like I need to definately plan for "Mac too" for my workstations.
Note I may NOT exclusively run the newest Mac OS - because Apple seems to strip features from each new version making me want to explore back older versions as well and i'm not even sure how far back that will be. Ie Final Cut Pro 7 doesn't even load anymore in 10.13 apparently. I dont know much about Mac but now know I will have to learn. I'm just trying to get a leg up on whether I should favor certain hardware for these future explorations? Such as for consumer level boards the answer seems to be "go Gigabyte mobo, Intel cpu, Nvidia gpu" from notes I took in the past because that's essentially the most compatible option. I dont remember who the next tier would be, I just remember seeing so many positive reports about Gigabyte that it stuck in my head years later.
Except now i'm wondering about an expanded look into workstation class stuff including makers who dont even make consumer stuff. I am seeing used workstation class motherboards on ebay for instance from Supermicro, Tyan, and Intel all offering dual LGA 1366 sockets (what i'm probably settling on for now until Quanta Windmill prices maybe come down) huge RAM capacity and multiple PCIe slots. On top of course of possible options for used workstations from Dell, HP, and others which aren't even ruled out either. Since i'm not locked into just hunting for one maker or model (unless I need to?) and might be jumping on a good ebay deal of whatever meets my requirements i'd rather separate makers into more and less desirable. How would those in the know rate these makers? Feel free to vote AND post specific feedback if you are familiar with the ins and outs.
Who should I consider the A list? Which makers should I specifically avoid? (in terms of difficulty of installing software/OSX especially )