Mac VS PC

[ScottyDsntKnow]

Well now they have those "mac geniuses" in apple stores to transfer all files over. I think its a good idea since most ppl have no clue how to do anything with computers other than browse the internet, use word/powerpoint, or maybe play a game.

But like I said, having used both I think that a PC running the latest windows XP, taken care of(regularly defragged/scanned) is just as fast as a mac. Now, Vista is a whole other story...

[Ophiuchus]

Exactly what problems are people having with Vista? Our family got a new PC last year and I got a new laptop in Oct. Both have vista and we've yet to experience any issues with it. What are people complaining about?

[piper]

Exactly what problems are people having with Vista? Our family got a new PC last year and I got a new laptop in Oct. Both have vista and we've yet to experience any issues with it. What are people complaining about?

Hello, I'm an IT Consultant myself. At work we use Windows XP, at home I have Vista. The only reason I have Vista is because it came pre-installed with the laptop I have now.

The problem people have with Vista, is they say it runs slow. Well the reason is plain in simple, Vistas graphics are a lot more demanding then XP. When I first got my laptop it only had 1 gig of ram in it (2 512 sticks). All I did was go out and buy a 2 gig($55) stick of ram and pop it in, update the BIOS and I was good to go. If you don't update the bios, you may see the blue screen of death.

It does seem annoying after a while that when you try to install a program/application on your computer, it asks you permission to do so. Yes that is annoying, but it also does this for removing programs/drivers, anything like that. I was cleaning up my computer one day and almost uninstalled the VideoCard driver for my computer, but because it asked permission, I obviously said no.

There are little things here and there, like compatibility with programs. A lot of programs won't run on a MAC os. Someone I know, went and sold there laptop for a MAC, and I warned them before they did so that a lot of the programs they use, will not work on a MAC. They didn't care, they tried a MAC and thought it was great. 2 weeks later he sold his MAC and now has a laptop with XP on it.

For me it's not about personal preference, it's about what I can do with my computer. For me, I have no use for a MAC. Yes I have used them, and no I don't like them.

For however much MAC laptops are going for, read the specs of the computer itself. 80 gig hard drive, 2 gig of ram. You can double that or more, if you buy a pc with vista/xp on it.

The macbook air, $3500.00. Doesn't even come with a cd-rom, needs to be bought seperately. People think Windows are all about making the money, but look at price differences compared to what you can potentially get in each.

One more thing, if you install XP on your MAC at the same time as the mac osx, that's taking more space of the tiny hd's that come with macs. So no, it's not really beneficial to install XP and the mac os both on the same machine.

That's all I have. Sorry.

[TMoore]

Thats probably one of the biggest beefs I have with MAC users is that its almost a religion more than just a machine to them and they just want to cram it down peoples' throats.

I totally agree. Last time I was at an Apple store the kid helping me had a tattoo on the back of his neck of their Apple logo. I'm all for tattoos but thats a bit over the top.

[ScottyDsntKnow]

Hello, I'm an IT Consultant myself. At work we use Windows XP, at home I have Vista. The only reason I have Vista is because it came pre-installed with the laptop I have now.

The problem people have with Vista, is they say it runs slow. Well the reason is plain in simple, Vistas graphics are a lot more demanding then XP. When I first got my laptop it only had 1 gig of ram in it (2 512 sticks). All I did was go out and buy a 2 gig($55) stick of ram and pop it in, update the BIOS and I was good to go. If you don't update the bios, you may see the blue screen of death.

It does seem annoying after a while that when you try to install a program/application on your computer, it asks you permission to do so. Yes that is annoying, but it also does this for removing programs/drivers, anything like that. I was cleaning up my computer one day and almost uninstalled the VideoCard driver for my computer, but because it asked permission, I obviously said no.

There are little things here and there, like compatibility with programs. A lot of programs won't run on a MAC os. Someone I know, went and sold there laptop for a MAC, and I warned them before they did so that a lot of the programs they use, will not work on a MAC. They didn't care, they tried a MAC and thought it was great. 2 weeks later he sold his MAC and now has a laptop with XP on it.

For me it's not about personal preference, it's about what I can do with my computer. For me, I have no use for a MAC. Yes I have used them, and no I don't like them.

For however much MAC laptops are going for, read the specs of the computer itself. 80 gig hard drive, 2 gig of ram. You can double that or more, if you buy a pc with vista/xp on it.

The macbook air, $3500.00. Doesn't even come with a cd-rom, needs to be bought seperately. People think Windows are all about making the money, but look at price differences compared to what you can potentially get in each.

One more thing, if you install XP on your MAC at the same time as the mac osx, that's taking more space of the tiny hd's that come with macs. So no, it's not really beneficial to install XP and the mac os both on the same machine.

That's all I have. Sorry.

Anyone with a big corporate logo(not your own small business or something similar) tatooed on them is a gigantic tool in my book unless they are a ceo or own the company etc...

As far as running XP on a Mac, my sister's laptop had a 120gb hard drive and I used the minimum 32gb size for XP. She basically runs office, windows photoshop and other similar programs on there and the rest on mac OS. Its the best of both worlds since she's not limited by one system.

And I agree with you on cost as I mentioned before. When you buy a mac you're paying for a brand name and you're stuck with mac everything. With a PC, you have a ridiculous array of products/support to choose from. So you pay double or sometimes triple for a machine of equal capabilites for all intents and purposes.

Now, I still love the macbook laptops but I can get a nice web browsing/word processing laptop for like $400 that'll do everything I need it to just fine. For graphic heavy stuff/games I see no point in a laptop unless its your only computer. This is where the PC really shines from a price standpoint as you can get a very nice one for under a grand. Like I mentioned before I can build a pretty good dual core AMD based machine for about $600. This is basically just pulling the mobo/video card(I don't have to change the vid card but a radeon 9600 is just not getting it done anymore) and ram and replacing it with a new mobo/video card and ram. Oh and a new heatsink.

Vista does have massive memory loads compared to XP but ram is so dirt cheap now that it should never be an issue. I still do find Vista to be pretty buggy which is why I prefer XP but it'll get worked out in a year or so. Remember when Windows 2000 came out? By the time they got a few service packs out it was a really great OS. I used it for quite awhile with no issues from 2001-2004. Support is there, Microsoft isn't going to just sit there and let Vista lose to Leopard, they'll tweak/upate/fix and stay competitive.

[mooingtricycle]

I will never. Ever. Own a mac. EVER.

Down with proprietary hardware!!!

PC OWNS
MAC FAILS

[Morphie]

I love macs. I love everything about them. I don't feel like i'm being babysat by the user interface, and it just... works. It doesn't do weird stuff i don't ask it to do, and it communicates well.

I have a linux machine at home for stuff that just doesn't work on mac, but i only fire that thing up once every few months or so for like.. games.

Macs are very smart and operate with a good-faith relationship with the user. I just don't feel that way about windows. Windows is for.. like.. the people who hate computers and only use them because they have to.

[m00kfu]

Macs are very smart and operate with a good-faith relationship with the user. I just don't feel that way about windows. Windows is for.. like.. the people who hate computers and only use them because they have to.

See, now I feel the opposite. Granted I've only used a mac once or twice, but to me it felt very dumbed-down. Of course, I'm one of those people who like to know everything that is going on with my computer. It only does what I tell it, when I tell it. Most people's problems with PC's come from them doing something without realizing what it is they're doing.

[ScottyDsntKnow]

I love macs. I love everything about them. I don't feel like i'm being babysat by the user interface, and it just... works. It doesn't do weird stuff i don't ask it to do, and it communicates well.

I have a linux machine at home for stuff that just doesn't work on mac, but i only fire that thing up once every few months or so for like.. games.

Macs are very smart and operate with a good-faith relationship with the user. I just don't feel that way about windows. Windows is for.. like.. the people who hate computers and only use them because they have to.

Ugh Mac tagline sighted!!! They don't always just "work", they have their issues as well. I don't feel like Windows babysits me at all, I tell it to do something and it does it. If it won't its a safeguard or a setting that you just need to change.

Plus if they always "work" then the Mac fixit forums would not exist. Not saying that PCs don't have their issues either but think about it for a second. There are a TON of companies out there making PCs competing for sales. Some of these companies use really cheap parts to sell a computer that has a nice set of specs on paper but winds up being crap when things start to break left and right. My wife's uncle's e-machine from wal-mart has all sorts of issues and he hates the thing. My homebuilt PC from 2003 has run like a champion for over 5 years because I used quality parts instead of garbage that gets put into stuff like e-machines and their ilk.

I built my PC with top of the line parts(well, back in 2003 anyways) and its still going strong right now. Plus when things do break I can replace them for cheap, good luck doing that on a Mac. I'm still debating on whether I want to drop the money for a full mobo/processor/etc... upgrade or if I just want to get another gig of ram, a bigger hard drive and just go with what I have for another few years. I have that luxury and would not with a Mac. If something on a Mac breaks you're going to pay an arm and a leg for the part and then if you can't install it you have to go to a specialty store that's going to charge another arm and a leg to do it leaving you like the guy from Monty Python and the Holy Grail(tis just a flesh wound!).

Sorry, I just don't think its smart to get a Mac desktop. Laptop I can argue for but not the desktop.

[whitewolf]

My next PC or laptop will be Alienware. You can't judge PC's as a whole until you've tried one. Dells, gateways, emachines, etc are just crap loaded with spam compared to those computers. I'll never buy a dell ever again.
As for Macs, they aren't that great. I've had to use them for art school and I dislike them. They have just as many issues as PC's in my experience with them and they aren't that much better for art either. The only difference is that Mac supposedly looks better and look more artsy, but that's just the social stigma (cult) that surrounds them. When it comes to how obnoxious the users of these two systems have been, Mac users totally tip the scales so far with the people I have encountered. I'm not saying that's true for everyone though, that's just my experience with a small sample size population