PC versus Mac question

Dani53

Dani53

Cathlete
I am beginning the thought process of getting a new computer. I honestly never paid attention to what was out there before, and just went to Costco and bought one. Now I am thinking more about needs etc, and have a friend who is TOTALLY into her Mac. I spent about an hour and a half with her today and came away so confused that my head hurts.

I hate to say it but I was not overly impressed, or at least not enough to necessarily switch. I guess I need more reasoning than "it is just so user friendly". Maybe if I was just learning to use a computer, but I know my system, seems friendly enough to me.

Apple pros: Quality, simple to use-stable OS, great for video editing, customer satisfaction, tech support great, low percentage of repairs.

Apple cons: I am not certain my Desk Jet is compatible, software incompatibility, high cost, it is a PC world

I would really like to know what you all are using and why...if you have a reason for your choice. Especially if you are pro PC and why you don't like Mac. Or vice versa. Thanks!!
 
I have a PC but only because I couldn't afford a Mac. My SO has a Mac. Both are laptops; mine was $1100, his was $3500. His Mac has incredible graphic capability which is important if you use your computer for image editing and so forth. The main pro-argument for Mac (I think) is that the MAC OS has way fewer people trying to hack it, create viruses, steal info from it, etc. versus Windows. So you will have fewer problems overall with the Mac OS over WIndows, but you also have to learn an entirely different OS.

If you can afford a Mac, will be using it for complicated operations, are concerned about system security and virus protection, I would recommend it. If you want to deal with the opposite of those issues, a PC is fine.

In the four months I've had my PC, I have gotten two viruses (despite really good anti-virus software) and Windows locks up at least once a week. Also, when I installed Service Pack 2, it totally crashed my laptop and I had to spend over an hour on the phone with tech support to remove.

Hope this helps.
 
I use both and love both but I love my Mac the most. I'm am both a creative person and a technical person but my Mac is the better environment for creative work.

However, that said, the most important question you should ask yourself is what you want to do with your computer. I would love to get a Mac for my parents but for one thing which is the MSN Game Zone that Mum loves to use does not work on the Mac because the site still uses Microsoft Java. Mum's not willing to part with her Bespelled and Texttwist games ;)

From a practical point of view, Macs need much less maintenance than PCs. There are very few viruses for OSX (the latest Operating System), and I've never had a problem with spyware or pop-ups on any of my Macs. Some Web sites don't load properly on the Mac but Cathe's site and all my favourite fitness sites load just fine.

PCs need a lot of maintenance and a lot of savvy. However, there is a huge games market for the PC and they do cost less. You can also custom build your PC to have anything you want inside.

Edited to add: There is also the new Mac Mini which is the most reasonably priced Mac to date. You will probably want to increase the amount of memory inside it (I believe you can do this at a later date at an Apple store but I don't know if this is true or not) and perhaps change to a Superdrive so you can make DVDs. http://www.apple.com/macmini/ for more information. The only downside is that it doesn't come with a monitor but if you already have one that is compatible, then it's not a downside after all.
 
I have a PC. When my DD was preparing for college last year, we went to the Apple store here. Believe it or not their sales rep talked us OUT of buying a mac for her. He told us that the only reason anyone should/would want to buy a mac is if they are looking for great graphic capabilities & would be doing some sort of graphic design. He said other than that we should save our money & go buy a pc. We nearly fell out. A commissioned sales person telling us to take our money elsewhere? Yep, he did. And don't you know when it came time to buy DD that MP3 player at Christmas I still had that man's card & went right to him to get an IPod instead of some no name brand. But I digress....
 
I love, love, love my iPod!! This is what lead me to even consider going to a Mac in the first place. I guess I knew they exhisted but just never thought of it when it comes to computers.

I actually do want to do a little bit with editing. I am just not sure how much I need a Mac for what little I need to do. Basically, my first project is to scan in all my very old family photos and create a musical slide show that I can burn onto a dvd for family members. This way I have copies out there in the world of all these priceless pictures and yet it is in an easy to use/view format. Kind of like a home movie of still pictures. I have a lot of them, but again, is it worth it?

I love the input!

I really do like the idea of being less of a target for virus' and hackers. That is a true bonus with a Mac.
 
i grew up with a mac, i use a pc now. personally i find a px much more versatile. more things are made for pc than mac because mac doesn't go open source. Contrary to popular belief that mac is sooo great for video editing and all that, well, hate to burst the bubble, but that software is all available for the pc as well. pc's are just more standardized, you pretty much don't have to worry when buying hardware and software, it's almost guaranteed to be compatable.

then there is the thought that macs don't get viruses. DON'T get stuck in that trap. Mac recently got hit with their first big virus, you know what that means....more! plus, there are simple ways to avoid viruses and hacks (which usually won't happen unless you have something someone wants). Have good antivirus software, don't open any emails unless you know who it's from (so don't sign up for random things that will be sent to you), and use a different browser than explorer. such as mozilla, it is prone to less viruses since the virus-maker dudes haven't started making them aimed towards mozilla.

plus, if you're ever worried about the operating system cause it's 'all' microsoft, there is linux out there, and it's free! And just about everywhere you turn you'll find someone that knows how to fix pc's. whereas macs only have a limited supply of help, the place you bought it and the few mac experts. one last plus i'll mention for the pc, it's highly upgradable. unless you get a dell or gateway which tend to be proprietary like mac and then you can only add things you buy from them.

anyway, i know this was kinda long, but i hope it helps! :)
 
Maddie, I disgree with you on every single point you made except the ones you stuck about Gateway (we don't have them in this country) and where you said PCs are upgradeable.

PCs have never and will never ever be standardised!! I don't mean to sound mean but that's the funniest statement I have ever heard. A PC can contain absolutely anything inside or loaded onto it. Anyone who writes anything for PC parts, the OS or software to run on it knows this. Anyone with any real experience of using a PC, knows this.


There are Mac viruses out there just as there are viruses for any system. However, and I'm going to throw in some wild silly numbers here, for every single Mac virus (and we're talking about viruses designed to strike systems running OS9 and below) there are a million-billion PC viruses.

As an example let me tell you the story of what it's like to get, say the Klez virus in with an e-mail...

Computer: "You've got mail" (alright we know real computers and real e-mail clients don't say this but what they hey)
Mac: "Hmm what's this silly .exe .com .pif (etc.) file for? These viruses don't work on me"
Result: nothing happens to the Mac.

On a PC you can say goodbye to your files and maybe your internet connection for a while, whilst your ISP keeps you offline until you've disinfected your machine.

Creative work whether it's video editing or a static image is still a better and smoother process on the Mac. Those of us who use PCs and Macs concurrently will attest to this.

There are plenty of open source applications around for the Mac. OSX was built on BeOs and Unix. Macs are very versatile and can be as complicated or as uncomplicated as the owner requires.

By the way, Dell PCs are upgradeable depending on which model you get and you don't have to buy from Dell.

Your post sounds like you're a recent PC convert with old Mac knowledge. There's nothing wrong with that. As I said, I love my PC and I love my Mac. They're both very versatile machines but plain MacOSX gives you a lot more than plain WinXP. I know how to keep both machines stable but I have far more trouble with XP than I do with OSX.

ATB,
- Lisa
 
That is a point. To get a Mac that's upgradable, you have to go with the super-duper Power Mac, which is pretty expensive. But, the Macs do come with a s/w sweet (iLife) that's pretty useful - image organizing, music organizing, and video and DVD editing.

There're not perfect, my DH gets frustrated because the apps have so few options. But then, I just have the OS apps and iLife on our macs here.

A big downside is that the 3rd party software that is available for the Macs is more expensive than the PC version.

But then, the plus that sold me is the OS tends to be more stable, and the likelyhood of getting a bad macro or virus is much lessoned over using a PC.
 
Let put it this way. I've had loads of PC's and depending on what you look at on the internet, or the e-mails you open i have had so many troubles with worms, virsus, etc... that i gave up in the end and got a MAC. Never, not once, have i got a worm, or virsus and i look at some pretty doddgy suff! Though i like the operating system of PC better, i love the MAC in that it never gets ill, compared to PCs. Not virsus protection needed for MAC. YEA!!! Also, you can get a mini MAC for $400 or a IMAC G5 $700 (which i have) and they are amazming to look at and use.
 
okaaaaay...i'm sure you didn't mean to sound so snippy, at least i hope so. I'm merely speaking from the experience i have had and the applications that I have used in my IT major.
My experience is that Mac's can be user friendly for the beginner computer user, and that they are most exclusively used in music and graphics. But i also know for fact that you can make a pc that is capable of all these same things.
how can you say a pc isn't standardized? the slots to add hardware in a pc are standardized. those three main slots PCI, AGP, and ISA slots are all the standard that you will find on any motherboard, why? cause they were made the standard back when there was too many different slots that weren't compatible. the connectors are standard: serial, USB, PS2, etc. in other words, you could buy ten diff. brands of motherboards and be able to plug the same things into them bacause of the standards set in place.
As for viruses, i was only making the point that more viruses are beginning to show up on Macs. the only reason they are so prevalent is that virus writers know the majority of computer users have pcs. they try to strike the masses. (another hint on how to not have as many pop-ups and viruses from the internet is to use mozilla instead of explorer, don't know if i mentioned this before) I think it's a bad idea to think that if you have a mac you won't get a virus, the chances are slim, but not impossible.
As for the open source proprietary issue, i had a dell and hte parts were proprietary. i installed a new dell at a high school and it's very proprietary. if you need a new part such as a power supply, you have to order from dell becasue the inside of the case is made in such a way that you can't purchase a normal part for it. i couldn't even put in a new video card! my point about the source code was that mac controls completely who sees their code and who really gets to write programs for it. and that's not all bad, but it limits what you can use.
I am not slamming Macs, by no means. if someone is using it for making music or graphic design, they are awesome. i'm saying that a pc can do the same thing is all. they have the same programs, but they do cost more. anyway, i hope this didn't sound defensive or anything, or snippy. i apologize if it did. :)
 
>PCs have never and will never ever be standardised!! I don't
>mean to sound mean but that's the funniest statement I have
>ever heard. A PC can contain absolutely anything inside or
>loaded onto it. Anyone who writes anything for PC parts, the
>OS or software to run on it knows this. Anyone with any real
>experience of using a PC, knows this.

As someone who has personally "written" software for a PC, I can tell you that if they were not standardized, that anyone who wanted to write anything would also have to write specific operating systems. C++ is called a "standard" language, and it is necessary to develop many pieces of software. Java, Visual Basic, COBOL...these are all front ends for developing programs using a "standard" set of functions/procedures/etc

>Computer: "You've got mail" (alright we know real computers
>and real e-mail clients don't say this but what they hey)
>Mac: "Hmm what's this silly .exe .com .pif (etc.) file for?
>These viruses don't work on me"
>Result: nothing happens to the Mac.
>
>On a PC you can say goodbye to your files and maybe your
>internet connection for a while, whilst your ISP keeps you
>offline until you've disinfected your machine.

This is assuming you have no antivirus protection and actually open all attachments. I manage a network of over 80 PC's, over 60 users and have not once had any problem with a virus. Why? Norton Antivirus and attachment blocking. This is available on corporate versions as well as personal versions of most antivirus software.

>Creative work whether it's video editing or a static image is
>still a better and smoother process on the Mac. Those of us
>who use PCs and Macs concurrently will attest to this.

Mac's were the "original" method of doing any kind of video editing, and were quite good at it. Sure, you wouldn't want to develop a movie on Windows XP (simply because of the wasted resources)...but take a PC loaded with Linux, and suddenly you can outperform, outrender, and out-edit a comparable Mac.

>There are plenty of open source applications around for the
>Mac. OSX was built on BeOs and Unix. Macs are very versatile
>and can be as complicated or as uncomplicated as the owner
>requires.

:) Notice how Apple ditched its OS to expand on Unix? Unix is very powerful, very stable, very efficient, and very good at doing just about everything. Linux is essentially a stripped down version of Unix.

>By the way, Dell PCs are upgradeable depending on which model
>you get and you don't have to buy from Dell.

Yes, and this is a recent thing for Dell. Dell, Gateway, IBM, and HP/Compaq have felt the heat from those of us that build our own PC's. We like to upgrade, and we like the feeling of ordering a video card online and installing it on our own. Many of these PC's would be developed in such a way that parts wouldn't fit. Maddie was correct...Dell had a motherboard where the RAM was fitting in such a way that any other video card you bought wouldn't fit. Only recently have they moved towards standarizing their systems so that people *could* purchase that new GeForce or Radeon.


>Your post sounds like you're a recent PC convert with old Mac
>knowledge. There's nothing wrong with that. As I said, I love
>my PC and I love my Mac. They're both very versatile machines
>but plain MacOSX gives you a lot more than plain WinXP. I know
>how to keep both machines stable but I have far more trouble
>with XP than I do with OSX.

Windows XP is the most stable home version of windows that Microsoft has developed, so it's kind of difficult to "have problems" with it. If you are using programs like Kazaa, LimeWire, Gnutella, etc without any virus protection, then yes...I can see you having problems.

>Never, not once, have i got a worm, or virsus and i look at
>some pretty doddgy suff!

A simple $50 purchase at Wal-Mart, rather than a $700 mac, would have saved you a lot of problems with your PC. Norton Antivirus. Like was mentioned before...Mac viruses *are* starting to appear. Why don't you hear about them? Because 70+% of the market is PC-oriented. It's not on the front page. I would consider buying an anti-virus software even for your mac.

Bottom line is...if you want true versatility in doing anything...a PC really is the best way to go. Good luck in your decision.
 
...

Mohenjo,
How interesting that this is your first and only post to this entire forum. Even more interesting is that you read through all the pages and picked a PC vs Mac thread to use as your launching point. I have read your post which I have found quite over the top. Dani53 asked for advice on choosing a home computer. Your post had absolutely nothing to do with her post and you did not even respond to her request. You did not introduce yourself and you clearly are not fond of thinking things through before you blast your opinions on others. You did not log onto this forum and read this thread with the intent of offering advice to Dani53. You logged on to show off and impose your opinons on this community.


>As someone who has personally "written" software for a PC, I can tell you that if they were not standardized, that
>anyone who wanted to write anything would also have to write specific operating systems. C++ is called a
>"standard" language, and it is necessary to develop many pieces of software. Java, Visual Basic, COBOL...these are >all front ends for developing programs using a "standard" set of functions/procedures/etc

Interesting. Clearly you assume I have no comparable experience. I do. And it compares very favourably to yours. My statement still stands. Any fool (qualified or no) can see for themselves that all you have to do is throw in a new piece of hardware or software to see the chaos that it can bring. Granted, you do not see the kind of hair-pulling results that were common a few years ago but they are still there and are still frequent.

>This is assuming you have no antivirus protection and actually open all attachments. I manage a network of over 80
>PC's, over 60 users and have not once had any problem with a virus. Why? Norton Antivirus and attachment
>blocking. This is available on corporate versions as well as personal versions of most antivirus software.


I’ll take your 60 plus, users and add *thousands* to the network here where I work and that is just in this country. There are PCs, Macs, Unix machines... you name it. We have machines here that I hadn’t ever heard of. I doubt you would have heard of some of these machines either. It’s a fabulous and very varied environment. Yes, anti-virus and firewalls are in use here too.


Of course you are talking about a corporate environment where a great deal of control can be exerted over a persons access priviledges. Out in the “wild” there is no way to control individual computers. Since the original poster was asking for advice on a home computer purchase, your post is not relevant.


>Mac's were the "original" method of doing any kind of video editing, and were quite good at it. Sure, you wouldn't
>want to develop a movie on Windows XP (simply because of the wasted resources)...but take a PC loaded with Linux,
>and suddenly you can outperform, outrender, and out-edit a comparable Mac.
>Notice how Apple ditched its OS to expand on Unix? Unix is very powerful, very stable, very efficient, and very good
>at doing just about everything. Linux is essentially a stripped down version of Unix.


Ah… so here we get to the root of the issue. You believe Unix is “King Of The World” Again, what does this have to do with the original request? Clearly you are trolling for a PC vs Mac vs Windows vs OSX vs Unix fight.


>Windows XP is the most stable home version of windows that Microsoft has developed, so it's kind of difficult to
>"have problems" with it. If you are using programs like Kazaa, LimeWire, Gnutella, etc without any virus protection,
>then yes...I can see you having problems.


Thanks but if I want software that must be paid for, I will pay for it. In addition your statement fails to accommodate those home users who do not use filesharing programmes and still get infected. Last year was particularly bad for computer viruses and the many home users who do not run their anti-virus update every single day were getting caught.


>Never, not once, have i got a worm, or virsus and i look at
>some pretty doddgy suff!

Good for you.

>A simple $50 purchase at Wal-Mart, rather than a $700 mac, would have saved you a lot of problems with your PC.
>Norton Antivirus. Like was mentioned before...Mac viruses *are* starting to appear. Why don't you hear about them?
>Because 70+% of the market is PC-oriented. It's not on the front page. I would consider buying an anti-virus
>software even for your mac.

Wow. Not only didn’t you read the thread clearly but you didn’t even read my post clearly. You say a simple purchase of Norton Anti-Virus would have saved me problems with MY PC! LOL. There have been NO viruses on any of my computers thank you very much. ALL of my computers have anti-virus without exception. You assume too much.

>Bottom line is...if you want true versatility in doing anything...a PC really is the best way to go. Good luck in your
>decision.
>mohenjo, mcp, A+


Well I’ll commend you on getting your MCP A+ and round it up by calling you a silly show-off. I’ll repeat: you did not log onto this forum and read this thread with the intent of offering advice to Dani53. You logged on to show off and impose your oppinons on this community.

Good day to you.
 
i hope this
>didn't sound defensive or anything, or snippy. i apologize if
>it did. :)

.. it didn't and I apologise to you too. {{{hugs}}}

ATB,
- Lisa
 
Gerfling,

I have no intention of arguing windows vs. linux vs. mac vs. unix. It is a completely irrelevant argument, as each had/has its uses. My post tried to touch on two items which i'll try to focus on, rather than focusing on how many posts we've each had, or how many computers we each may manage.

#1. The issue of standardization.

I'm curious what your thoughts are on standardization, and why you think that PC's are somehow lacking in it. I look at a custom PC and an HP DC5000, and I see two fairly standard pieces of hardware (software is a completely separate issue that i'll address). All motherboards have a certain "standard" set of features. This assures PC users that if your keyboard or mouse breaks, that you can go buy a new one, plug it in, and feel pretty confident that it will work.

Tackling standardization in software can probably be a topic on its own. TCP/IP is a standard developed to allow computers to access the network. Without it, we would probably be dealing with thousands of non-standard network protocols. Microsoft Outlook allows for the POP3, IMAP, and SMTP protocols. Again, these protocols are standard. The list, as you can probably imagine, grows quite large. 3rd party software, developed for Windows, uses many sets of standards to ensure that the software itself is compatible with Windows. Now I certainly can not attest that 100% of software written for Windows will actually work correctly with Windows (since many pieces of software conflict with settings and configurations of 'other' pieces of software), but the percentage is pretty high.

To summarize the standards issue, a home user, buying a computer and having to choose between PC and/or MAC, should not be left with the wild idea that somehow PC's are not as standardized as MAC's. "Standard" is not the term to use with MAC. "Proprietary" is the term for MAC's.

#2 Virus protection and security risks

I agree that many home users do not update their virus protection software, let alone update Windows with things like Service Pack 2, etc. It is amazing what a few simple "common-sense" technique's can do to improve resistence against infections, and it is unfortunate that not everyone knows or can be taught them.

The point I wanted to make was that neither system is safe out of the box. Mac's are vulnerable, as well as PC's, to viruses, trojans, and other nasty things. A home user looking to buy a new computer should not be left with the notion that MAC's are indestructible and not vulnerable to viruses, etc. They are.

The last half of my first post wasn't directed towards you, it was actually directed towards icklemoley, who said he had constant problems with PC's, bought a mac, and never had another problem.
 
RE: ...

:eek: oh my....

gelfling, do you realize how rude you sound?? this post has gone way off topic now what with you flaming mohenjo. i know i probably shouldn't post either as that just keeps the cycle going, but i just couldn't help it.

you made a big point about this being mohenjo's first post. well hun, everyone has a first post. what difference does it make where? are you mad because he was responding to your post and just happened to not agree with you? there are a lot of lurker's on this board who just read, and they don't post until something interests them. apparently computers interested mohenjo.

you also went on to make a statement to the effectg that mohenjo is 'imposing knowledge' and showing off or whatnot. well...if you reread your post, you did the same thing (the one-ups-manship with saying you work on thousands of computers), so don't flame someone for something you did yourself.

btw, if you reread all the posts you'll see that the quote "never, not once, have i got a worm, or virus and i look at some pretty dodgy stuff" was not original to mohenjo, but to icklemoley. mohenjo was quoting.

i'll end with a small quote from your post "you assume too much" where you then go on to say "you did not log onto this forum and read this thread with the intent of offering advice to Dani53. You logged on to show off and impose your oppinions on this community." um.....i think this is where that first quote should be. you assume to much....

whoa....heh, completely off topic, i just realized why my post is above my earlier post... >.< i responded to the wrong one the first time! lol
 
RE: ...

Hi Maddie,
I did not *flame* Mohenjo at all. I responded as a grown-up. Yes, I was irritated but is that any surprise given those words?

I was NOT rude to Mohenjo and I did not sound rude. Not only do I know how to write clearly, I also know well enough to write, wait, re-read and then ask someone to verify the tone of my words if I am at all concerned that it could be miscontrued or come across as rude. I did this with my response to Mohenjo.

Monhenjo's original post was written in a forceful and confrontational style. I simply responded in as clear a manner as possible and put a lot of thought into my words. Yes, I did ASSUME that he was trolling and explained why I thought so.

Mohenjo did not make it clear that he was quoting another person. I ask you... Why did you feel the need to log on and give me a verbal "telling off"? My post was in response to Mohenjo's not yours.
 
Hi Mohenjo,
Great post! I agree with your words with the caveat that whilst PCs have standard physical connectors, you can still enter a world of hurt when changing a video card, for example.

Thanks for explaining that you were also responding to icklemoley. I did wonder why you wrote what you wrote. It's always worth making it clear if you are responding to other posters.

ATB,
- Lisa :)
 
RE: ...

I responded because I did think your comments came off sounding rude. It's only natural that you wouldn't agree. I was not saying in any way that you do not know how to write or are in someway uneducated. And although your post may have been directed at mohenjo, it was submitted in a public forum. If it had been for mohenjo's eyes only, it would have been better to send him an email. and you actually can tell that he was quoting as all quotes are shown with the > symbol next to it.

anyway....let's all go do a good hard cathe workout and by the time we're done this will allllll have gone bye-bye.
 
RE: ...

>anyway....let's all go do a good hard cathe workout and by the
>time we're done this will allllll have gone bye-bye.

Sounds good to me too :)
 
Before reading my opinion, understand I am a computer user(abuser), I like to tinker with hardware and software. I also get paid to do it.

I would not own a computer I did not build myself, period.

I want to spec out the hardware. I want to spec out the operating system and the programs I want to load.

I stay away from Mac as parts are expensive, whether its the volume or Apple's proprietary licensing is anyone's guess.

The PC I build isn't available from Gateway, Dell or any of those guys.

My computer also runs 2 operating systems Windows XP and Linux. I like Linux because it's almost everything I want in a system howeer it's not "mature" yet. I suffer through windows for those things that Linux won't do yet.



I have discovered in working on computer for 32 years (yes that's thirty two) that computers, programming languages, operating sytems are like religion and sex, don't discuss them at the dinner table.

Dave
 
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