Mac or PC?

[Ry_Trapp0]

these are pretty much the current "in general" rules-of-thumb for the mac/PC debate...

macs are higher quality in their construction(not necessarily hardware)
PCs are a better value
macs won't require as much maintenance(of the OS, but maintenance of the current iterations of windows is very minimal)
PCs have more available/a larger variety of software(and it's native, not ported - lower chance of bugs/issues)
macs have better resale value
PCs have more upgrade potential(you should have no problem upgrading up to the capability of an "average" computer maybe 6 years into the future, if not longer)
macs have seamless integration with other apple products(duh...)
PCs are easier to integrate with the numerous other non-apple products(though still apple product capable of course)
mac OS is a little more accessible/simpler
windows is more flexible/offers easier personalization(i REALLY like having my shit set up exactly to my liking)

...and that's about it as far as i'm concerned. at this point there aren't any huge gaps like in the past, quality and value are the only major differences. i'd suggest trying out a mac if any friends have one before pulling the trigger, because you will need to learn a new operating system if you're not familiar with it, and you might just find that the advantages that a mac offers just aren't worth the time.

 

[Svtmustang01]

What it comes down is if your using a computer for sole enjoyment then a mac is great. Try to do any real work and its horrible. Forget trying to use microsoft office or anything professional. I have a lenovo w530 which is an amazing computer but im asking a lot of my computer using programs such as solid works, a 3d drawing program. The mac is a great computer for surfing the web etc. I would personally go for a laptop myself. Even though you say you dont take it on trips etc. its because you never really had the option. I love having the mobility of using my laptop in my living room, my patio, kitchen, and wherever I want. The mac will literally last forever. You dont have any worries of viruses or any problems really. If you do go with a pc DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT GET WINDOWS 8. DO ANYTHING TO REVERT FROM WINDOWS 8 IT IS JUNK!!! Now windows 7 on the other hand runs great and fast. No BS like windows 8. I have a macbook I got over 6 years ago and it runs like the day I got it and it only has .5gb of memory left haha. The only thing that doesnt work is the thumbpad doesnt click in anymore but that doesnt stop me from using it. The 13.3 inch screens are actually quite convenient and end up not being small once you get use to it. The lenovo I have has a 15" screen but honestly id rather lose the weight if it was an option.
Good luck with a computer!

 

[O'Neill]

Does that $757 include a monitor? Mac mini's do not come with a monitor.

You mentioned, "big screen" that the salesman had showed you. Exactly which screen did he show you?

 

[RDJ]

What it comes down is if your using a computer for sole enjoyment then a mac is great. Try to do any real work and its horrible. Forget trying to use microsoft office or anything professional.

this is horseshit. I have a mac I run Microsoft office without issues and it is the same as the PC version. I create a document in WorD on the mac and my PC will read it just fine. MACs are still the preffered computers for most of the high end graphics shops, print shops, and a lot of photo studios. PCs are catching up in the graphics and publishing arena but MACs are still ahead over all.

I have a lenovo w530 which is an amazing computer but im asking a lot of my computer using programs such as solid works, a 3d drawing program.

you have a computer that is built by a company owned by the communist chinese. congratulations for giving them your money commrad citizen

The mac is a great computer for surfing the web etc.

of course it is. it is also a great computer for a whole host of other things that you seem to discount because you either don't know how to use them or don't know they exist.

I would personally go for a laptop myself. Even though you say you dont take it on trips etc. its because you never really had the option. I love having the mobility of using my laptop in my living room, my patio, kitchen, and wherever I want.

this is true probably the one really true thing in your post

The mac will literally last forever. You dont have any worries of viruses or any problems really.

untrue 100% untrue. they will not last forever, as software grows so must the device eventually, whether it be PC or MAC. MACs go out of date just like anything else just not as quickly. and there ARE viruses written for MACs just not as many because there are less of them so the hackers don't waste a lot of time on them

If you do go with a pc DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT GET WINDOWS 8. DO ANYTHING TO REVERT FROM WINDOWS 8 IT IS JUNK!!!

while I dislike windows 8, it is extremely difficult to buy a PC from the manufacturer with windows 7 on it anymore, other than old stock. in order to "revert from windows 8" you have to buy either an OEM copy of 7 which comes with zero technical support or buy a full retail version and install it yourself. and SOME makers have rigged their cheaper computers so you CAN'T downgrade to windows 7. if what you buy has windows 8 on it, it is easier and cheaper to "upgrade" to windows 8.1 than downgrade to windows 7.

Now windows 7 on the other hand runs great and fast. No BS like windows 8.

windows 8 runs just as great and just as fast, once you are at 8.1 and get used to how it works. I agree with you that it is a pretty bad OS but it is not nearly as bad as you make it out to be.

I have a macbook I got over 6 years ago and it runs like the day I got it and it only has .5gb of memory left haha.

how do you only have .5gb of memory left? did you take some of it out? or are you talking about disk space? maybe you should try cleaning some of the crap you have on it out. free up some of that "memory"

The 13.3 inch screens are actually quite convenient and end up not being small once you get use to it.

depends on what you are doing with it. I despise 13 inch screens and will never own one.

 

[VRYALT3R3D]

I hate using Apple computers. I have an Alienware laptop that I love. Build quality is excellent, graphics are amazing, I had zero issues with it. It was expensive but still cheaper than a comparable Apple laptop.

 

[RDJ]

I hate using Apple computers. I have an Alienware laptop that I love. Build quality is excellent, graphics are amazing, I had zero issues with it. It was expensive but still cheaper than a comparable Apple laptop.

I have 3 alienwares 2 or 3 DELLs and a MAC laptops.... I love my alienware but they are too big to travel with, all of them are 17" fully loaded monsters

 

[Blown 89]

this is horseshit. I have a mac I run Microsoft office without issues and it is the same as the PC version. I create a document in WorD on the mac and my PC will read it just fine. MACs are still the preffered computers for most of the high end graphics shops, print shops, and a lot of photo studios. PCs are catching up in the graphics and publishing arena but MACs are still ahead over all.

Actually, this isn't true anymore. The Adobe suites for instance have been better utilized for Windows platforms for some time now. I think it was CS5 or the first CC (I don't recall at this point) that was utilized for Windows first and as a result the PC versions of the software blitzed the Apple options. This was mainly due to receiving 64 bit support first. Rendering large prepress files on OSX was 90 seconds slower than on Windows 7 at the time. Adobe was very public about changing their development strategy towards Windows when the market shifted in the 2000's.

You will also find that Windows is the preferred software to run hardware. None of my hardware is even compatible with Apple OS's nor were any of the offset litho presses I worked on prior to owning this company.

What's holding back the printing industry are the desktop operators. It's a business that's been using Apple operating systems for ages at this point and that's all the people in the field know how to use. Believe it or not prepress operators are generally computer illiterate. I was in charge of product development for a company and we found that the PC's were not only cheaper to operate and maintain but also ass raped the Macs in terms of processing times for the files we scanned, converted, and worked on for our clients. When we began to roll out PC's in place of the Macs (that were falling apart and experiencing OS slowdowns) the operators had a meltdown because they couldn't figure out how to perform simple tasks on the PC's for no other reason than they had been using Apple computers since the industry went digital.

The argument that Macs are better for video and graphics is an argument that should have died 15 years ago.

 

[VRYALT3R3D]

I have 3 alienwares 2 or 3 DELLs and a MAC laptops.... I love my alienware but they are too big to travel with, all of them are 17" fully loaded monsters

That is why I bought the Alienware 14 The 17 and 18 are huge and heavy. The new Alienware 13 is much lighter(4 pounds) and only an inch thick.

 

[RDJ]

Not going to argue the point other than to say that the main issue I was pointing out is that macs are perfectly capabale of running professional type programs as well as any equivalent pc on the market which is what he said they could not do. You obviously have more recent expernience in the publishing arena than I do and I suppose my comments are more in line with your 2nd paragraph. the printers / publishers I am more aquainted with are still using macs for 90% of their stuff. the reasoning is quite possible that their prepress operations are just used to macs and they don't want to spend the money to buy new equipement just yet lol

Actually, this isn't true anymore. The Adobe suites for instance have been better utilized for Windows platforms for some time now. I think it was CS5 or the first CC (I don't recall at this point) that was utilized for Windows first and as a result the PC versions of the software blitzed the Apple options. This was mainly due to receiving 64 bit support first. Rendering large prepress files on OSX was 90 seconds slower than on Windows 7 at the time. Adobe was very public about changing their development strategy towards Windows when the market shifted in the 2000's.

You will also find that Windows is the preferred software to run hardware. None of my hardware is even compatible with Apple OS's nor were any of the offset litho presses I worked on prior to owning this company.

What's holding back the printing industry are the desktop operators. It's a business that's been using Apple operating systems for ages at this point and that's all the people in the field know how to use. Believe it or not prepress operators are generally computer illiterate. I was in charge of product development for a company and we found that the PC's were not only cheaper to operate and maintain but also ass raped the Macs in terms of processing times for the files we scanned, converted, and worked on for our clients. When we began to roll out PC's in place of the Macs (that were falling apart and experiencing OS slowdowns) the operators had a meltdown because they couldn't figure out how to perform simple tasks on the PC's for no other reason than they had been using Apple computers since the industry went digital.

The argument that Macs are better for video and graphics is an argument that should have died 15 years ago.

 

[Blown 89]

Not going to argue the point other than to say that the main issue I was pointing out is that macs are perfectly capabale of running professional type programs as well as any equivalent pc on the market which is what he said they could not do. You obviously have more recent expernience in the publishing arena than I do and I suppose my comments are more in line with your 2nd paragraph. the printers / publishers I am more aquainted with are still using macs for 90% of their stuff. the reasoning is quite possible that their prepress operations are just used to macs and they don't want to spend the money to buy new equipement just yet lol

Now that Apple no longer has their own hardware architecture since they switched over to Intel based systems they are literally exactly the same as their PC counterparts. It's the reason the graphics industry is dead even.

OP: The difference these days is the operating system. Just like the notion that Apple hardware is different is dated so are the arguments about long term operating system sustainability. Microsoft has their shit together with their operating systems and the days of system slowdowns are long gone. It's been my experience that if someone will bork their Windows operating system so bad it will come to a grinding halt they will do it with OSX as well.

Security isn't the same argument either. As Apple starts to creep into the end user market they're coming closer to a big problem and the tech community is op: waiting for the big day when everyone realizes what they already know. I will say this. 99.9999% of the people's problems I see are due to the anti-virus programs they're running, not any particular virus itself. Antivirus programs are notoriously buggy and they tend to take the OS down in burning flames with them. Microsoft has been fairly vocal about that problem over the years.

 

[lobra97]

i wound up buying a macbook pro 13 in 2011 (used) for $475. got it off cl, seems great, very fast, but does take getting used to. it came with microsoft office (w/pp/xcl), and i just downloaded yosemite for it. guy showed me the battery cells, all buttons work, no dings, battery didn't looked replaced, speaker, usb ports, and no busted pixels. i was going to get a new one but decided to buy this one to see if its worth it and i may upgrade to a larger one if i end up liking it (later of course). so far i like it! i need to get lightroom as my other computer took a dump and had it one there

any tips for the new mac user? lol

 

[Grabber]

Grats on the purchase OP. I've never been big on Mac Computers/Laptops and have only used their tablets and iPhones.

In terms of durability and performance, I feel a Custom built PC rig will outperform and outlast just about any Mac Computer. I personally won't touch Alienware either since it is very expensive for only moderate out of the box features/performance. Although, what they make is awesome and the products are decent.

Enjoy the Macbook Lobra! If you do have problems, the Apple stores are pretty good to go to for troubleshooting as long as you make an appointment. I believe troubleshooting is free, but, technician services are a paid service for any repairs and such.

 

[Stanger00]

i wound up buying a macbook pro 13 in 2011 (used) for $475. got it off cl, seems great, very fast, but does take getting used to. it came with microsoft office (w/pp/xcl), and i just downloaded yosemite for it. guy showed me the battery cells, all buttons work, no dings, battery didn't looked replaced, speaker, usb ports, and no busted pixels. i was going to get a new one but decided to buy this one to see if its worth it and i may upgrade to a larger one if i end up liking it (later of course). so far i like it! i need to get lightroom as my other computer took a dump and had it one there

any tips for the new mac user? lol

Install a minimum of 8gig of ram. I bought crucial twin 4gig sticks for 70 bucks a few months ago on Amazon for my MBP. Yours is going to need it if it doesn't already. My shit lagged big time when I used word, xcl and PowerPoint all at once with Firefox. Now it handles that load perfectly fine.

 

[lobra97]

Grats on the purchase OP. I've never been big on Mac Computers/Laptops and have only used their tablets and iPhones.

In terms of durability and performance, I feel a Custom built PC rig will outperform and outlast just about any Mac Computer. I personally won't touch Alienware either since it is very expensive for only moderate out of the box features/performance. Although, what they make is awesome and the products are decent.

Enjoy the Macbook Lobra! If you do have problems, the Apple stores are pretty good to go to for troubleshooting as long as you make an appointment. I believe troubleshooting is free, but, technician services are a paid service for any repairs and such.

thanks! yeah seems sweet so far, hopefully it stays that way. i need an appt to get it checked out at the apple store, buddy told me same thing.

Install a minimum of 8gig of ram. I bought crucial twin 4gig sticks for 70 bucks a few months ago on Amazon for my MBP. Yours is going to need it if it doesn't already. My shit lagged big time when I used word, xcl and PowerPoint all at once with Firefox. Now it handles that load perfectly fine.

it has 8gb, so download 8 more?

 

[JasonSnake]

I like both, but I need to use Windows for my programming needs. I can also watch blu-rays on it without any problems using PowerDVD. There's a blu-ray player for Mac you can buy too, but it's in its infancy and still really buggy. Windows is also more ideal for HTPC setups and gaming (which I don't really do).

For Apple, I love their machines - very well built, and I miss my 17" MBP, the very last model made before they got phased out. When I sold it last December, I got back around 75% what I paid for it new. Incredible.

 

[Stanger00]

it has 8gb, so download 8 more?

No, ram or memory is physical and you would have to install it yourself.

If you click on the apple logo in the upper left of your screen and then click on about this mac you can see the computers installed hardware. If you click on memory you should be able to see how many gb of ram it actually has because if it has 8 and you bought it for 475 you got one hecka of a deal because that is literally at one point a 1400 computer. I have the 15" version and I paid just under 1600 for and it only came with 4gb of ram back in late 2010.

 

[Silver2003Cobra]

here you go.. 2nd largest computer group on the planet uses Windows based computers.. (and the reason why I use Windows based computers, since when I was in the Navy, I was part of the group that worked with and on NMCI in the early years)


The Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) is the Department of the Navy’s (DON) shore-based enterprise network in the continental United States and Hawaii, providing a single integrated, secure information technology (IT) environment for reliable, stable information transfer. NMCI represents about 70 percent of all DON IT operations and is second only to the Internet in size...

 

[shurur]

This may be too extreme for you but I'd Build an AMD 990fx MB system and run Ubuntu LTS 64 bit OS.....FREE OS...

I have a single uP AMD athlon MB well over then years old running the Ubuntu LTS 32 bit OS..runs great..

 

[RDJ]

I worked on the hardware end of that for a bit when I worked for Dell. man the Marine IT folks hated that program and still do from what I have seen. never worked with the Navy guys out here so don't know about them. NMCI went with windows based becasue it was cheaper and they already had windows, not necessarily because it was better. but not going to argue the point here

here you go.. 2nd largest computer group on the planet uses Windows based computers.. (and the reason why I use Windows based computers, since when I was in the Navy, I was part of the group that worked with and on NMCI in the early years)


The Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) is the Department of the Navy’s (DON) shore-based enterprise network in the continental United States and Hawaii, providing a single integrated, secure information technology (IT) environment for reliable, stable information transfer. NMCI represents about 70 percent of all DON IT operations and is second only to the Internet in size...

 

[SirShaun]

The second you bootcamp a MAC and browse to the ol device manager you get to see what's under the hood. What you will find is a bunch of Intel hardware. You can purchase an Intel Windows laptop at a fraction of the cost.

The whole argument of Mac Books and Macs having better hardware is false. The aluminum case is nice, I will admit, but that's an expensive beer can.

I am a fan of Windows and Linux. I see Apple as being a designer brand, capitalizing on a craze. I have yet to see any true innovation come from Apple.