I would choose MCPatcher. Yeah, sure OptiFine has A TON of cool stuff, but OptiFine is a mod. not an HD patch (therefore more likely to crash your game in YOUR FACE).

My opinion: MCPatcher= :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD OptiFine= :3

MCPatcher can auto-install a lot of mods. OptiFine is incompatible with most mods. :

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No, I didn't search through the code. in the MCPatcher program, there is an options tab. I got all the following info from there. Continue reading...

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You can choose the size of MCPatcher's patch and change the debug logging too.

Patch Logging:

-Texture Pack

-Custom Animation

-Mipmap

-HD Font

-Random Mobs (If pack allows, different mob textures...Creepers from DokuCraft)

-Custom Colors (We'll get to later)

-Tile sheet (Search on the Forums)

-Connected Textures

-Better Glass

-Better Skies (We'll get to later)

Debug Logging type:

-OFF

-SEVERE

-WARNING

-INFO

-CONFIG

-FINE

-FINER

-FINEST

-ALL

OptiFine only lagged my game, and has no debug log properties.

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EXTENDED HD

HD fonts. Custom animations for other textures. Custom compass and clock Textures. Cool right?

Well OptiFine has mipmaps, anisotrophic filtering, and anti-aliasing and MCPatcher doesn't! Oh yes it does. It also has Level-of-detail bias (don't know what that means), and each can be modified by number.

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CUSTOM COLORS

OptiFine has custom colors! You can use the pack and color it! No. That's not at all what MCPatcher is.

You can modify the colors of:

-Water (By biome)

-Swamp grass and foliage

-Pine and birch trees (By biome)

-Potion colors (DokuCraft...The speed is yellow.)

-Particle effects

-Lightning colors.

-Cloud type.

-Redstone wiring and particle effects (so redstone isn't orange at full power)

-Pumpkin and melon stems

-Creative mode spawn eggs

-Held maps

-Sheep and dyes

-Text

-XP orbs

-Fog and sky colors (By biome) (Custom blend radius)

-Other block (I think by biome) (Custom blend radius)

OptiFine has nothing of this sort.

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CONNECTED TEXTURES

OptiFine has connected textures! So does MCPatcher. OptiFine does have better grass, like MCPatcher, but it only works with standard blocks. MCPatcher also has this with OptiFine, but you can do connected textures on non-standard blocks.

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BETTER SKIES

With OptiFine, you get HD suns and moons! With MCPatcher, you get that, and custom skyboxes and brightened firework particles! See what I mean?

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CUSTOM ITEM TEXTURES

Have you ever had a pickaxe in Minecraft almost broken? Hate how with every pack, OptiFine (or not using any HD patch) they still look good as new? With MCPatcher, you can fix this! Also, stacked items can actually look stacked! Oh my face! Worn armor also gets the same effect and you can also have the enchanted item glint do stuff for a use! Oh my faces face (Hope nobody punches it [ASDFMovie reference])!

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There's a log for patching and testing Minecraft!

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CLASS MAP

Tells you what class (compiled java program) files its installing and what it does (and the class file names)

Example:

__TexturePackBase

class AbstractResourcePack (bjc.class) implements ResourcePack

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CONVERT TEXTURE PACK

Yes, this is an MCPatcher version of Mojang's Unstitcher and Texture Ender (More accurate too!)

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TEST MINECRAFT

Yes...After the patch, you don't have to close and start the long-loading Official Launcher (Will log you in as a random player; Player536)!

MCPatcher also allows you to animate stuff on mobs, and add stuff to your night sky.

This is just my opinion. I do not mean to offend anybody. You can post your opinion in the comments.

Questions I came up with for a fake FAQ:

Q: Minecraft 1.5 came with HD support, so why should I get MCPatcher?

A: MCPatcher helps support HD textures.

Q: My computer can't handle HD textures, so again, why should I get MCPatcher?

A: Some packs use features of MCPatcher although not HD packs.

Q: Is MCPatcher compatible with any mods?

A: Yes. I have Single Player Commands and Too Manny Items. MCPatcher is supposed to be compatible with Forge, but I think something messed up on my laptop, and the jar is corrupt, so it wouldn't launch. I will keep trying though... (The Too Many Items in my MCPatcher is non-forge, so...)

Q: Does MCPatcher lag?

A: It was not meant to help your FPS, but it helped mine, so not really. Unless you have a terrible computer.

Q: Is MCPatcher only for HD textures?

A: Did you even read the blog?

So, OptiFine or MCPatcher?