Mac Vs Pc

[Torquewrench]

What is everyones opinion of Mac vs PC. Who has made the switch, one way or the other? Do the programs that allow you to run a windows based program on a MAC really work?

I am fed up with Windows problems, always a new version and always more problems. Are MACS really imune to virius,malware? Lets hear it!! Thanks, Ross

[MADMAX22]

LOL this is like starting a "whats the best oil" thread on a motorcycle forum. You will hear about every opinion you can think of.

Personally I like pc's but then again I assemble my own computers and install windows myself. I dont have any problems with windows. I had XP for a long time, changed over to vista 64bit which dispite the ill informed masses was actually a very good OS. Then I went to windows 7 64bit and like that even better (vista and w7 are basically the same OS, same kernal with minor tweaks and such).

Macs are apparently pretty nice if all you do is listen to music, play around online, and do things like school work and such from what I understand. I never got into them because Im not gonna run a OS that I have to run another program to run the original program that I want to run. I would rather just install a OS that runs all my programs and games. I also like being able to not pay really high prices for equipment that only macs can use that is generally slower then regular pc parts that run for far less money.

As for your question on can a mac get a virus or hacked or whatever, the answer is yes. Even linux can get virus's and be hacked its just hackers and such dont find a big drive to do so since most of the world is on windows type operating systems.

Ive played with linux and its fun but I didnt grow up with it and find it hard to do things that I want to do easily. Its free though and can be ran on most pc's once you get the conflicts squared away. It has a long learning curve for most people though.

I think it would be better to say what you want to do with the computer then more knowledgable people can help you find the right path to play with.

Edited March 28, 2010 by MADMAX22

[esantoro]

I prefer the PC for all the reasons Madmax22 mentions.

LOL this is like starting a "whats the best oil" thread on a motorcycle forum. You will hear about every opinion you can think of.

Personally I like pc's but then again I assemble my own computers and install windows myself. I dont have any problems with windows. I had XP for a long time, changed over to vista 64bit which dispite the ill informed masses was actually a very good OS. Then I went to windows 7 64bit and like that even better (vista and w7 are basically the same OS, same kernal with minor tweaks and such).

Macs are apparently pretty nice if all you do is listen to music, play around online, and do things like school work and such from what I understand. I never got into them because Im not gonna run a OS that I have to run another program to run the original program that I want to run. I would rather just install a OS that runs all my programs and games. I also like being able to not pay really high prices for equipment that only macs can use that is generally slower then regular pc parts that run for far less money.

As for your question on can a mac get a virus or hacked or whatever, the answer is yes. Even linux can get virus's and be hacked its just hackers and such dont find a big drive to do so since most of the world is on windows type operating systems.

Ive played with linux and its fun but I didnt grow up with it and find it hard to do things that I want to do easily. Its free though and can be ran on most pc's once you get the conflicts squared away. It has a long learning curve for most people though.

I think it would be better to say what you want to do with the computer then more knowledgable people can help you find the right path to play with.

[Art]

For digital press and some editing operations, the MAC is better. For editing and composing pictures, video, and music the MAC is still a little ahead, but not much, Adobe has pretty much leveled that playing field. Premier works either way. There are a thousand things you can plug into a MAC, there are a million things you can plug into a PC. The quad core PCs are screaming fast, the Quad core MACs just are not as hot. Put them side by side, I've done it. My daughter loves her MACs, all 3 or 4 of them. Son, Wife and I love our PCs, and we're the ones in the IT business. Dollars, Dollars, Dollars, MACs are much more expensive. Look at all the shows on TV and the characters are using MACs; Apple pays those shows for that, excuse me, MAC users pay those shows for that (indirectly). I've heard all the screaming about open source, blah blah, but it is open hardware technology on the PC side that has driven the IT explosion of the last 25 years, and THAT is PC, not MAC. Still, different strokes for different folks. Logically it may be PC, emotionally it may be MAC.

I don't care what you buy, put a virus checker on it, McAfee, Norton, or Trend, they all work and usually your broadband provider provides one of them for free. Sure, they slow down the box, just buy a faster box.

Art

What is everyones opinion of Mac vs PC. Who has made the switch, one way or the other? Do the programs that allow you to run a windows based program on a MAC really work?

I am fed up with Windows problems, always a new version and always more problems. Are MACS really imune to virius,malware? Lets hear it!! Thanks, Ross

[skipj]

I switched from PC to a Mac. I'm happy with the Mac, there is a learning curve with them, more than I expected, but a lot less headaches. I've got a virus program now, Comcast provides it, but I had no problems before that, had it about one year. You do pay more for the computer, but I hope they are well made. Less programs available, but it depends on what you need. I'm happy with the support from Apple, I live near a Apple store and take the free classes they offer. I have boot camp so I also can run windows if there is a program I just have to run. I boot it rarely.

SkipJ

[jbird]

well MAC now runs both pc and mac it's a duel processor in my mind with mac you cant lose, no viruses no hiccups, no nothing.

my two cents

Josh

PS I grew up pc and i own a mac.

Edited March 30, 2010 by jbird

[AndyL1]

"There are a thousand things you can plug into a MAC, there are a million things you can plug into a PC."

That's true but a good percentage of those million things is crap. I only here the headaches people have because software "A" is not compatible with software "B".

But yeah, the PC price is nice but I do love my Macs. Never had one problem. I've been on a Mac for 15 years. I may be biased too as I'm a graphic designer... but like you said, Adobe has leveled that field.

-Andy

[jbird]

I still say that there is nothing you cant do on a Mac now that they can run both systems.

Josh

[Rawhide]

I was a MAJOR, and I mean MAJOR PC guy for a long time, I built them, fixed them and used them exclusively. I curled at owning a mac. I finally did make the switch about 4 years ago. I now wish I had converted years ago. The mac just works. I use a pc for work, but I run my business with a mac, and my home computer is a mac. Yes it's more expensive, but I love it. For those programs that are pc only, I use Parallels. It runs right along with mac osx and can be ran in several modes. Crystal is my favorite, because it looks just like a native mac program, and is seemless to go between mac osx and windows. There is nothing on a pc, that I can't do on my mac (even windows), not to mention no viruses.

Right now I run mac osx leopard and windows 7. If you do switch, get the book, by David Progue "switching to the mac, the missing manual".

Good luck.

[$$hobby]

i have both. probably will for a long time.

i was broken in on PC and learned on MACs later on. I like MACs better then PC cuz THEY WORK. yes i do have some issues from time to time, but not like a PC. It took me about a year to get win 2K to work w/o any issues and then all it took was 1 game to screw it up again. I will say that i also have built ALL of my PCs too and that is about 4 so far. I will probably end up building another one since my latest PC has the Intel Prescott in it and it can heat up the whole house if i use it all day. also, most newer games need more processer speed and i will have to upgrade the OS to (puke/barf) Windows 7 for any of the newer games.

i use my MAC for eveything other then my CAD programs since they dont offer them for the MAC platform. My current MAC platform is a G4/1.25 Ghz mirror door unit that has been working for 5? years now. i have both connected to a KVM that shares a printer, external DVD burner, scanner, speakers and monitor. I dont dare use my PC on the web since i dont have any virus SW. The last time i did, it crashed my HD with more viruses in 5 minutes then i could have believed. that was when i found out W2K doesnt have any virus protection. its was so thoughtful of MS to offer that feature.

im sure you can get a virus on the mac but i havent checked mine recently and anyway, i dont have any virus SW installed so what could i check?. i guess i should get some virus proteciton one of these days. but ive been on the web for 10+ years w/o any issues. i believe my ISP provide does alot of blocking. i also dont open anything from anyone i dont know.

fwiw, i have a good friend that was a diehard PC person although he was anti MS. He had built his own PCs and used Linux/Red Hat and such for as many years as they have been out. the only issue with those shareware is that alot of HW he used didnt have drivers for them so he ended up writing his own or hacking something similar. IAC, he actually bought one of the mini macs and loves it. No one could have told me he would buy a MAC and i would have belived them, but its there. i asked him why? his response was, "it works. you turn them on and they work".

i think if youre unhappy, you may want to look into a mac. my curent mac, the 1.25 ghz i got used btw. im not sure i would buy a mac just to run a windows emulator. im sure they are great, but youre taking up process power to emulate something. If you do get a mac and emulator, let us know how it goes. if it works, may just dump my PC and do the emulator route. of course i would upgrade my mac.

[jbird]

I use my pc side on my mac every day for a couple programs and its blazing fast in fact it works better than my pc did. there is no slowing down its a amazing.

[lightningad]

If everyone used a Mac, then who would us Mac users have to feel superior to?

[particle]

This is a pretty old thread, but since it popped back up... I'm about to buy a new computer. I priced out a pretty powerful PC build that I could use to edit videos, and it was considerably cheaper than a MAC with comparable features. That being said, I think MAC software is generally better designed and geared towards creative people. Right now I'm using Sony Vegas to edit my videos. I'd love to buy Adobe Premiere, but the price is just too expensive. With MAC releasing Final Cut Pro X for $299, I think that may have sealed the deal. And that 27" iMac display runs higher resolution than a typical monitor which is great for creative pros that need a lot of screen space for tool bars, palettes, etc. I'm still on the fence, but definitely leaning towards a MAC.

[lightningad]

It all depends on what you want to do with video editing. If like me, you were a professional video editor, then you would be in a strange place right now. Apples introduction of FCP-X was actually a kick in the teeth to many pro editors. They decided that the professional user was no longer that important to Apple so decided to re-invent video editing for the consumer user, and brought out FCP-X at the same time as discontinuing FCP - which many thousands relied upon for their living.

This allowed Avid and Adobe to regain ground they had been consistently loosing for the past decade, and a lot of Editors have dropped FCP altogether. Many have stated they are considering PCs for the first time in years. Personally, I don't like editing FCP-X - feels too gimmicky to me. It does some things very well, but not enough to make me want to relearn everything. When i need to upgrade, there are plenty of other options to consider.

Personally, I love the Mac, although a lot less than i did a year ago. The two major OS (mac and windows) seem to be getting closer and closer to each other, and the various edit applications that are available for both systems are said to run the same regardless of the OS in use.

I can't say whether or not you should go for the mac or the pc. That choice is yours alone.

My own experience is that Macs work a lot more reliably than PC's. They also seem to last longer.

They are not infallible, but then nothing in life ever is.

adam

[particle]

I'm not a FCP user (since I'm on PC), and I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a Premiere user either - I've used it at work a few times to compile animation stills into final presentation videos with basic transitions and title slides, etc. I was happy to see Adobe start offering subscriptions for their programs - great for the occasional user. Would you say FCP-X is any better/worse than Adobe Premiere? It was my understanding (at least from watching the promotional videos on the apple site) that FCP-X was a pro-level video editor. Since I consider myself more of an "enthusiast", I need more than "Windows Movie Maker", but I can do without the top-tier functions (whatever those may be - I'm not a pro, so I don't know what they are).

Have you used the 27" iMac? Or one of their cinema displays? I'm sure I can build a faster PC cheaper and buy a nice 27" HD screen, but it'd still be running lower resolution than the iMac and I'm sure won't have the same picture quality.

[lightningad]

FCP-X is just very different to any other video editing app. My own personal dislike of it is down to having tried it, and not liking it. Premiere is very similar to the older FCP, only it will run in 64bit.

As for Apples claim that its a pro application....they would claim that. But i don't know of anyone using it for professional broadcast work. That may change over time, but i'm sceptical in the short term.

I'm sure you could buy a big screen for a pc and get as large a resolution as the iMac. But don't let the screen resolution be your deciding factor. You need to keep in mind where the finished video is going to be seen. If you are putting them on a dvd or on Youtube, or broadcast tv, in fact, any place other than your own room, then the resolution of the screen you use to edit is completely irrelevant. The quality of the screen will have no bearing on the quality of the video you create. It'll just look nicer while you are working on it.

Great as the iMac is, its upgradeability is limited to what you can plug into its external ports.

I would imagine that for most tasks its perfectly acceptable but if you play a lot of games, then its probably not quite up to that level of graphics.

I know a pro photographer who swears by his 27"iMac.

I use various flavours of mac, including MacPro's and a MacbookPro - which i have edited tv commercials on whilst sitting in an airport lounge! I doubt i could have done that on a pc.

[Sylvia]

Are MACS really imune to virius,malware? Lets hear it!! Thanks, Ross

NOPE they are not immune. Read more here. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12537279/ns/technology_and_science-security/t/macs-no-longer-immune-viruses-experts-say/#.T1T0kPWMzxE

Many people buy Macs thinking that they are USA made... that's no longer true either.

PC emulators are available but I can't speak to how well they work.

Buy what you are comfortable with. There is a learning curve for PC users who switch to Mac so be prepared to spend some time getting used to the new machine.

[HellfireJack]

Hah I always love listening to the Mac/PC debate. It ALWAYS turns into a Mac vs Windows debate just like this one pretty much did.

First off. Windows is an operating system. Any discussion of hardware and Windows and you've left the scope of any real comparison. WIndow's doesn't make hardware. Discuss hardware between PC and Mac and you pretty much hit a stalemate. Each architecture has it's ups and downs. There is no real special bonus for owning a Mac. THe PPC chip is done for and the little mouse who could eat more than an elephant can is a goner. It's all elephants now.

Comparing just operating systems side by side and it's pretty quick to see why a Mac "just works". It doesn't do anything. The majority of people who purchase Macs own a 1400 dollar facebook machine as they sit and tell everyone how they "could" use it to edit video professionally while sipping a latte and playing Farmville at Starbucks. I've used pretty much every MS operating system since DOS 3, OS/2 Warp, every redhat distro since Apollo, countless Mandrake, Debian, Suse, FreeBSD, NetBSD and Ubuntu distros, I ran Solaris 8 on my main desktop for 3 months until I got tired of porting over software from Linux when I wanted to use a new piece of software Personally, I'm waiting for Android to finish it's OS. I can't wait to see what they do for PCs. Trust me when I tell you that operating systems are just collections of tools and as far as a Mac OS goes it's truly nothing special. I started using Macs pretty much right after the Lisa failed. It was a monochrome all in one monster that they practically gave away to schools. I've used Macs off and on since then. Windows beats it every time hands down.

You're absolutely crippled hardware wise when it comes to a Mac anyways and I'm not even talking about externals. Ask any sane person if they'd let their realtor tell them what furniture they can have in their house after they buy it and they'll look at you like you're a moron. Ask any car owner if they'll let their dealership tell them what aftermarket engine upgrades they can have in their car and they'll probably tell you to go jump in a lake because you're a nutter. Now ask a Macintosh owner if they're OK with Apple not allowing them to upgrade their computer as they see fit and they'll tell you that it's pretty much OK with them. They don't know anything about that stuff anyways. As long as it just works. That's WHY It just works. It has no ability to have it's core components upgraded or changed to anything other than Apple approved hardware. Every piece of software is written specifically for a known hardware list of miniscule proportions. It's like saying you'd rather have a 1200 dollar hammer over a 500 dollar nail gun because the hammer just works and you "could" use it to build a house professionally.... Yeah. No thanks.

All these people claiming they built PC's for years and then found peace in a Mac are at best wasting their money. You can build a Hackintosh now people. It's why Apple is suing the crap out of anyone that tries to produce one for mass market because once a machine that can run their OS out of the box hits the market any person still willing to pay 600-2000 dollars extra for brand loyalty and is quickly going to disappear because it'll just work on those cheaper machines too.

[Chavez]

I'll add my 2 cents.

I've been using Linux for almost 7 years and I must say that it's user friendliness has improved significantly. 7 years ago you had to be a geek to run any of the *nix but its not the case any more. My mrs migrated to kubuntu 2 years ago and she never shitches windows on unless she absolutely has to. She knows nothing about computers yet she has no problems using linux.

Macs are great...for people who don't want to know anything about their computers and are prepared to pay for this priviledge. I'd compare it to buying a car with a chauffeur, so you don't have to drive yourself. Only the chauffeur will tell you what car to get, where to go and what you should wear while you're being driven. I'm not saying its bad. If you are prepared to pay for this service and this service suits your needs and saves you valuable time - go for it. There's no need to read long manuals (Linux) or live with a crappy OS that doesn't work half of the time (that's windows).

If you have some spare time on your hands, try linux and see what the world is like if you don't use windows.

[lightningad]

for me, i'd rather spend my time learning and running the software i need to do my work, instead of mucking about trying to keep the OS happy.

I have never seen a piece of software yet that has made me wish i could run windows! Everything i need to create broadcast quality video, 3d animation, music and sound mixes are available on the mac and at the same price they are on the pc.

OK the mac costs a bit more, but for me its a work tool, not a hobby. I want to switch it on, work all day without problems, then repeat daily for several years. In the time i keep and run a mac, someone in the office here has usually gone through two or three pc's, and had endless hours of tech support . Initial outlay may be higher, but i reckon over its lifetime it works out cheaper.

Oh yeah, I don't buy a car with the intention of changing its engine - i buy the right one to start with!

[HellfireJack]

You're implying that PCs don't last as long as Macs? Funny. Incorrect but funny non the less. Macs simply do not outlast PCs.

The PC I bought in 1998 for 250 dollars lasted me until 2007 when I forced myself to retire it as my main computer. I still used it as a media server for another 3 years until it finally got parted out and recycled. I used it everyday without fail during those 9 years with the exception of one bad memory stick which was replaced within hours. That means for 99.99999% of the time I just turned it on and it worked.

The work machine I'm using right now I've had for 6 and I paid 350 for it used. I'm sure there are thousands and thousands of people who have similar stories for their PCs. In my house I've had literally dozens of computers, both PC and Mac and I know for a fact they operate the same way and there isn't one that will outlast the other given the same care.

[lightningad]

not implying, just speaking of personal experience!

each to their own.

[HellfireJack]

That's why It was a question. It's pretty much what thought I had read.

If you're not asking us to accept the conclusion that macs may cost more but they last longer and can therefor be cheaper in the long run then I guess I'm mistaken.

No big deal. It's not like we're fighting. I'm just giving you my personal experiences as well.

[mrdabeetle]

I still say that there is nothing you cant do on a Mac now that they can run both systems.

Josh

Off the shelf Mac system can't perform as well graphically as a pc. They aren't built for rendering 3d with advanced shaders in realtime. There are mac desktops that can, but prepare to spend a lot of money. As far as hardware is concerned, Mac has better quality components than a stock HP, Dell, etc., but an Asus, or other comparable brand will provide the same level of quality as a Mac.

Windows crashes are almost always related to user error. I have an old Compaq Presario 5000T (made in 2001) that is now used solely as an internet appliance. To date, it has never crashed, hung, or shown any signs of age. Just like your car, if you don't maintain your computer, it will fail. Windows has built in security features, but most users ignore them and they remain off for convenience.

If your browser looks like this, you need to back away from the computer and never touch it again.

Mac will never crash...

...almost never.

Here's a little song to set your mind at ease about the OS war.

[hummeri7582]

I switched six years ago. Funny story, actually. I interviewed for a job where computer use is a big part of it. For the previous ten years, I had been working with Windows. On my first day on the new job, they showed me to my desk where the IT guys had just installed a brand new, High-end workstation. It was a Mac. Through all of the interview process, they never mentioned that they were a Mac shop! So I went home and bought one online that night, along with a few books to teach me how to program with it.

I've been very happy with the switch.

Some observations:

1) They are terribly expensive. However, the one I bought six years ago is still running fine and is still usable. I've upgraded it as far as it will go. I never had a PC laptop that lasted as long and aged as gracefully. My opinion in that regard is that Macs are more money up front, but over the course of their use, the expense really is a wash.

2) The learning curve was pretty flat. WIthin a day or so, I was moving around and doing things just as well as I was on PC. For keyboard shortcuts, they're almost all the same, only substituting "Command" for "CTRL." e.g.: On a PC, Copy is CTRL+C, paste is CTRL+V. On a Mac, it's Command+C and Command+V respectively. I'd say that 90% of the keyboard commands are thusly similar.

3) They are not immune to viruses, at all. That said, I' have never had one on any of my machines, but that is not because they can't get them. Fact is, PCs get more viruses, Malware and other such things because more people are writing them for that platform. As Macs become a larger portion of the market share, expect people to begin writing viruses for them, too. IN fact, there was one a month or so ago.

4) I don't give mush credibility to the "PCs are more upgradable" thing. Macs use Intel processors, Nvidia and ATI video cards, etc. Same things as PCs. Most PCs you buy from computer stores have integrated video, sound, etc just like Macs, so they are no more upgradable than a Mac. Unless you're building your own computers from components (Which I used to do back in the day), it's somewhat of a moot issue. On my Macbook, I have upgraded memory, Hard drives, and processors myself all with generic stuff I bought from the computer store. On my Mac Pro (Apple's high end workstation) most of the components are modular, so they can be swapped out. With my Mac Pro, I've upgraded video cards, RAID Controllers, RAM and Processors. The Mac Pro is very, very upgradable. It's also Apple's most expensive computer.

5) Mac Software can crash. However, it's a lot less likely to bring the OS down with it. I've had some crappy software on the Mac that crashed a lot, but the OS remained stable. In six years of Mac use, I've had a Kernel Panic (the equivalent of the Blue Screen of Death) maybe twice or three times. I think I had that happen with Windows more often, but not so much that it is really worth mentioning.

6) I can run Windows either in a virtualization system (like Parallels) or I can boot the machine straight into Windows (Or linux, for that fact). I have used both virtualization and direct booting and it works flawlessly. One issue with virtualization is that it is resource intensive. You're basically running two OSes, plus your software on one machine simultaneously. If you're using Windows software that is processor intensive, you'll be happier direct booting into Windows.

Recently, I upgraded. I gave the old Macbook I bought six years ago to a family member going to college and bought myself a new MacBook Pro, Quad core Intel i7 processors, two video cards (one low power intel card on the board for everyday graphics, a second AMD/ATI Radeon for higher-end graphics) lots of RAM and Solid-state hard drive. I'm pretty much sold on Mac. I like it. But I can afford it. If I could not afford it, I would get a Windows machine and I'd probably be just as happy with it. In the end, it comes down to preferences, and how well you take care of it. Installing junky, crappily-written software on any computer will cause problems, no matter the OS.

This is my experience. For my wife, it's totally different -- Macs are the only choice. She's a genetic researcher, and most of the genetics software she uses is written for the Mac, or for Unix/Linux, and Mac OS X is UNIX at it's heart so it can run Unix software natively. As to why so much of the genetics software is Mac-centric, it's an accident of fate: the first guy at a university who thought of using personal computers for genetics work way back in the late 70s and early 80s programmed it for the computer he had -- an Apple II. In 1984, he upgraded to a Mac, and re-wrote his software for that. He was a pioneer in computer applications for genetics, and many of the people who learned to write that software learned it from him. Of course, they learned it on Mac, too. So, to this day, much of that software is written for Mac. Old habits die hard. PCs have made inroads in that sector, but that notwithstanding, she and most of her colleagues have Macs on their desks.