Mac VS PC

[ocabj]

I bought my first Mac (iBook) in 2001 because of OS X. I've been using Apple hardware since then because of the OS X.

Though a huge reason why I switched to Apple laptops in 2001 is because they worked better for mobile use. Specifically with regards to sleep mode. In 2001, you could never get a Windows laptop to properly sleep. Not to mention Windows had different variations of 'off'. Besides on and powered down, you had sleep and hibernate/suspend. Then you had hibernate to RAM and hibernate to disk. And they all sucked. It took nearly 30 sec to a minute just to hibernate fully and another 30sec to 1 min to wake up again. When I got my iBook, it was great because you shut the lid and it was off in a couple sec. You opened the lid and it was ready to go in a couple sec.

I suggest you go with a non-Apple laptop simply because it seems like you aren't hugely invested/committed to OS X. As you said before, on paper you're getting more specifications (hardware) for the dollar by going with HP/Dell/etc vs Apple.

Myself, I just can't use Windows anymore. I haven't used Windows for my workstation and laptop OS in nearly 7 years. I have to administer Windows and an Active Directory infrastructure, but I prefer to not use Windows on my own workstation(s).

But if I were to get a non-Apple laptop, I would definitely get a Thinkpad.

[Gryff]

PCs are the greatest. Any tech geek worth their salt will laugh at all those Mac PC commercials because we all know the flaws of macs and the fallacies in their commercials. Macs are for people who do not have enough brain power to handle a mouse that has more than one click. Would you put one pedal in your car? Didn't think so.

Sounds like you were beaten up by a Mac user in high school.

[jkcerda]

We have several Macs in the house and they are nice, and since I am a long time UNIX guy I like OSX...but I can also run OSX on a few of our PC's and they run great. So, yea, the performance per buck is greater with PC hardware, but that's not why you buy a Mac. If you want a Mac and the support from Apple buy a Mac. If you don't have a specific need to run Windows buy a Mac. You don't buy a Mac to brag about benchmark scores.

the impression that I keep getting is that macs ,,,,,"are cool, nice, good looking, work great, reliable, ETC"

what I also hear is that they DONT come close performance wise when you buy a PC for the same amount of cash as a mac?

1300 mac= older technology
1300 PC, = new technology

mac with I5 processor and 512 MB Video card 2.2 k http://store.apple.com/us/configure/...co=MTc0Njg1ODE

PC with I5 processor 1300 and 1 GB video card http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh.../ENVY15_series

[BOFH]

Re: Mac VS PC

If your main issue is bang for your buck the choice is clear.

[ocabj]

the impression that I keep getting is that macs ,,,,,"are cool, nice, good looking, work great, reliable, ETC"

what I also hear is that they DONT come close performance wise when you buy a PC for the same amount of cash as a mac?

Because what you say is true. Dollar for dollar, you're going to get more on paper with regards to hardware specs if you go with non-Apple. I have long been pondering building a 'Hackintosh' desktop, and the cost is far lower than any iMac or Mac Pro with equivalent or better specs.

You're kind of answering your own questions and should just go with a non-Apple computer.

Like I said before, it sounds like you're not committed to OS X, so you should just not consider it.

[ocabj]

PCs are the greatest. Any tech geek worth their salt will laugh at all those Mac PC commercials because we all know the flaws of macs and the fallacies in their commercials. Macs are for people who do not have enough brain power to handle a mouse that has more than one click. Would you put one pedal in your car? Didn't think so.

Wow. Incredible argument. I guess I'm going to go file my resignation at work since I'm obviously not worth my salt because I use Apple computers and OS X.

[jkcerda]

Because what you say is true. Dollar for dollar, you're going to get more on paper with regards to hardware specs if you go with non-Apple. I have long been pondering building a 'Hackintosh' desktop, and the cost is far lower than any iMac or Mac Pro with equivalent or better specs.

You're kind of answering your own questions and should just go with a non-Apple computer.

Like I said before, it sounds like you're not committed to OS X, so you should just not consider it.

been pondering a hackingtosh as well, PC it is, the HP Envy linked above with a 2 year accident replacement is around the 1300 buck area, seems the best choice so far.

[lazyworm]

about the price of Mac vs PC.

My response is... you either pay for it when you buy the machine
or you pay for it later in terms of wasted time dealing with virus, worms
and/or other problems that require you to juggle your data and reinstall
windows from scratch.

Go buy the mac.

If you want it cheaper, look for refurbs -- http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

[bigmike82]

OSX is the reason I *dont* use Macs. I hate it, with a passion.

Macs are *solid* machines. They're slick, sexy, and reliable. But they are not cost effective as PCs, nor as versatile.

I prefer PCs. A lot of 'creative' people like Macs. If you're going to be creating flash games, google around and see what other developers are using. That'll tell you a lot.

"My response is... you either pay for it when you buy the machine
or you pay for it later in terms of wasted time dealing with virus, worms
and/or other problems that require you to juggle your data and reinstall
windows from scratch."
lololololol. Sure you do.

[ocabj]

OSX is the reason I *dont* use Macs. I hate it, with a passion.

So what is your primary OS? Before I switched to OS X, I was using FreeBSD on my desktop and SuSE on my laptop. Windows XP strictly for Photoshop and Office.

[bigmike82]

On the Desktop? Windows 7....XP before that. Tried Ubuntu and Wine for a while, got annoyed with it, and switched back.

For my servers, mainly CentOS.

[Reductio]

Macs run on the same hardware as PCs.

Yeah, because I see so many PC's out there with multi-touch trackpads, backlit keys, magnetic charging cables, 1" thick aluminum bodies....

[nick]

Yeah, because I see so many PC's out there with multi-touch trackpads, backlit keys, magnetic charging cables, 1" thick aluminum bodies....

Umm, that's not what is usually referred to as hardware in IT. Then again, color is the main determinant when choosing a car for a lot of people

To the OP, buy whatever you're more comfortable with. If you're more comfortable with OSX, buy a Mac. If you're more comfortable with Windows or UNIX/Linux, buy a PC, as you'll get more bang for your buck there. I bought a Dell Studio XPS 16 with 8GB RAM, Core i7 720 quad-core CPU, 1GB ATI Mobility 4670 (my only gripe, I prefer nVidias. ATI makes great cards, but crappy drivers), 250GB 7200rpm hard drive (I specifically wanted the cheapest hard drive they had, as I use my own 500GB Seagates with FDE), 16" 1920x1980 LED display for about $1400 total, this includes the warranty upgraded to 4 years (and accident/other damage protection, which warranties don't usually cover). I've had few issues with Dell support in the last decade or so of using Dells, but then I only call them for hardware replacement. When it comes to Dell, I prefer buying XPSs. They're not as expensive as Precisions, and are as sturdily built (since I always have a laptop with me, they tend to be handled quite roughly every now and then. I dropped my previous XPS, m1210, for maybe 30-40 times over the 3 years I've had it for (I still have it), and it still works, nothing broke either inside or outside). I bought it from Dell Outlet, you can find pretty decent deals there, you just need to know how to play it, since every single Dell seller on Ebay tries to buy from it at the same time.

Apple support, I haven't had much luck with it. Same thing, I only called them for hardware replacement (for work, as my last Mac died over 2 years ago, and I didn't replace it with another Mac as I was able to install OSX in a VM. I'm not a big fan of OSX, but I have it so that I don't forget how to use it ). Dealing with them was like dealing with arrogant retards who've acquired a superiority complex after dealing with a bunch of dumb users. Then again, that's probably who the people I dealt with were. According to my desktop techs, they hate calling Apple support. Luckily, they don't have to do it that often, as they're pretty good at solving the numerous problems we have running Macs in an enterprise environment (as in directory services, enforced policies, various agents, etc.). One of my desktop techs complained that the 3 Macs we had at the time gave him more trouble tickets than the 120 or so PCs we had. Now that we have about 20 Macs... Then again, Macs are not nearly as bad at home, without the need to properly integrate into a corporate network, which is Macs' traditional weakness. They're ok for what they were designed for though, just overpriced.

[sfwdiy]

been pondering a hackingtosh as well, PC it is, the HP Envy linked above with a 2 year accident replacement is around the 1300 buck area, seems the best choice so far.

I've been running a Hackintosh media center for about three years now and other than the video card exploding at one point, it's been rock-solid. It's connected to a 52" Samsung plasma and 5.1 surround speakers. There's about 4 TB of storage connected to it for iTunes, movies, etc. Great for Hulu streaming also.

Core 2 duo processor, Asus board, I don't even remember what video card. 6 GB RAM. Threw the whole thing together for under 800 bucks.

The downside: Getting OS X to run with all the proper kexts for your hardware can be a major pain in the wazoo, especially for things like optical audio.

PCs are the greatest. Any tech geek worth their salt will laugh at all those Mac PC commercials because we all know the flaws of macs and the fallacies in their commercials. Macs are for people who do not have enough brain power to handle a mouse that has more than one click. Would you put one pedal in your car? Didn't think so.

One mouse button.... Is that one ever gonna go away?

about the price of Mac vs PC.

My response is... you either pay for it when you buy the machine
or you pay for it later in terms of wasted time dealing with virus, worms
and/or other problems that require you to juggle your data and reinstall
windows from scratch.

Go buy the mac.

If you want it cheaper, look for refurbs -- http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

Refurbs can be a good deal. They come with the same warranty as new products and you can purchase Applecare for them.

A note on the cost of Apple products:

The reason Macs are more expensive than PCs with the same specs is because Apple offers substantially more support to the end user at little to no cost than other manufacturers do.

Apple is able to consistently perform most of their warranty repairs on-site in their retail stores in less than 72 hours. All Apple Stores do this, and there are Apple Stores in just about every major city in the US. No other OEM can offer this kind of repair service.

Apple offers free training seminars and workshops in their stores daily to help new users learn the OS, and also to teach the basics of the iLife application suite.

You can talk to a factory trained tech, usually the same day, for free at the Genius Bar. (Before anyone goes off half-cocked about the Genius Bar, I will agree that the employees there can be somewhat of a mixed-bag. Some are exceptionally knowledgeable, others... well... not so much. But overall they're mostly competent.)

For the power user, these services may not be necessary. But for people who are unfamiliar with the platform, or are new to computers in general, offerings like these are extremely helpful and valuable.

That's why Macs cost more.

--B

[sfwdiy]

Yeah, because I see so many PC's out there with multi-touch trackpads, backlit keys, magnetic charging cables, 1" thick aluminum bodies....

The Macbook Pro I'm typing on right now has OS X 10.6, WinXP, Windows 7, Ubuntu 8 and Ubuntu 9 installed on it.

ETA: Oh yeah, I forgot about the latest Backtrack distro, I have that too.

--B