Is ないとダメ a stronger "must" than なければダメ?


I learned that one way to form a "must" sentence is "negative verb +
conditional + ダメ・ならない・いけない":

I mainly see two kinds of conditional used - the 仮定形 and と. For example

> 食べないとダメだ。
>
> 食べなければダメだ。

Then I thought, since と expresses a conditional that 100% will happen, like
"if you drop an apple, it falls", does this mean that "must" sentences created
with と express a stronger "must" than those created using the 仮定形?




It's not really whether one is "stronger" than the other, but instead a more
"standard" form. I find the following:

> 〜なければ（なりません）

to be more common in instructional or written text, than say:

> 〜ないと（ダメ）

Part of the reason perhaps is prudence because it is quicker to say or
understand, especially when you immediately need to call the listener's
attention.

As a side note, I've seldom encountered the phrase

> なければダメ

