So what do you think is better? Mac or PC?

I personally think mac.

Also dont say PC because you have a PC

I like Macs for the user compatibility, but I tend to use PCs a lot more because it's not possible atm to not use one at some point.

Let the OS Fanboy Brawl BEGIN!!

Of course PC, you have the best games on Windows.
What would i do without games?
And no PC Suite and only iSync?
Lol..
I count on i will never in my life need a mac..

PC's are better in my opinion. You get more options and macs just seem so unnecessarily expensive. I also find the Mac OS hard to use, but that's just me.

I have been using macs since 1998. I think I can say that they are better based on my experience. I have a mac mini that runs windows off a emulator, and I enjoy the mac a lot more.

People who say PC is better just because of games are not thinking correctly: computers are not just for games.

Blasphemy.

No, 1998? Isn't that when they were first made pretty? Yeah, macs are overpriced for less. You can't customize them, you get worse hardware, a stupid mouse, extremely bad compatability, and a pain in the ass fanbase. That's just for starters.

Out of the two, PC. Games are more important than showing off how much money you have to waste, and Linux is better in every way than the two, other than with games.

is nobody going to mention the fact that macs are significantly less virus prone than PCs? plus anyone can customize a mac if they know enough about their anatomy.

True if you assume that the PC your reffering to is running windows......
I'd put my $800 home Built PC up against ANY Mac ! ! !

What can i do with my mac? I guess i can put some like £1,0000,000,000 RAM in. What can i do with my PC? Anything i want.

Besides, Viruses aren't a problem if you're sensible and if you have AVG or something of the likes. Or Linux, of course...

Before we start: viruses are a stupid issue to debate. If you're going to argue that macs get less viruses, it's because of the market share. Nobody owns macs, because they're just not economical. Nevertheless, you have to be stupid to get viruses in the first place. If you were to spend more on less, just for viruses, you would have to be even stupider.

I'm not arguing that mac users are stupid. I'm arguing that mac users using macs for the lie that is no viruses -- you're an idiot.

Saying Mac vs. PC is like askinng, "d o you eat your sandwich on bread or a slice of bread?" Macs are still PCs, because PC stands for Personal Computer. Now then--I prefer Windows boxes for overall compatibility. Macs are ridiculous when it comes to upgrades, so they lose my vote. On the other hand, the only Mac I liike is the Mac Mini, which makes a nice small and thin box.

Macs are basically about fasion (sp?) IMO. I normally see it with different colors and whatnot.

PC's (what I'm using) I think are better.

And about the virus thing...don't go on stupid sites. And scan your computer. Simple as that. OH, and Macs are less virus-prone since Windows have been around for a longer time. Macs haven't, so hackers are still trying to figure out how to hack them.

Or the fact that more people have windows computers, but ok...


I'm a big PC fan. I took a look at the 24" iMac. It cost $1700 and only had a 2.8ghz core2duo. Unacceptable for that amount of money.

Yes that too.

I'm curious why Mac's are so popular though. And why on Youtube, lots of the videos are recorded with a Mac PC.

This is one way to open a can of worms...

Too lazy to retype what I've said before on past Mac vs PC topics. Here's what I've said in one PM with Tabarnak about Mac vs PC.



I'll add in more and quote other people as this topic progresses.

Please, keep the fanboy crap out of here, though, okay? Can we actually get past page two this time without starting a riot? :x

~Bcloutier~

well said about the "Macs are still PCs"

I have used both mac and PC's
Anyways here are my points:
Bad Points
1. Macs are way too expensive. Like redmonke said $1700 for a 2.8ghz core2duo, 9400m, 4 gigs of ram 24" computer... for that amount I could probably get a Core i7 940, 1 GTX 295 and 8 gigs of RAM.
2. Macs have horrible compatibility.
3. Too expensive to upgrade, which means that they are almost impossible to upgrade.

Good Points
1. Good software, OSX is great a bit hard to use at first, but noneless a great operating system
2. Very light, most mac computers are light
3. Enviroment, Apple is always finding new ways to help protect the enviroment by using new materials.


In my personal opinion I like PCs due to their compatiblity. But Linux is the best.

In my experience with Macs, they are slow, can't load EXE files (I like to make games) and the only point I would care about is iMovie, which I don't need due to Sony Vegas Movie Studio.
PCs have what I need.

I never used UNIX, Ubuntu, Linux or any other of those... D:

Here's my "view".

Mac = basic, simple, easy to use. Not really for the hardcore adventurous techy people who program and use lots of neat software. Its more for those who want a simple and easy computer experience that just has basic things and does those things well, mainly involving media.

PC = more...customizable than mac, used for more programs and software uses than Macs, and "usually" preferred more often by tech people than normal users. PC is for those who want more than just media program like the mac, and PC has a wider range of software and programming uses than a Mac does, it seems like requires more computer skills than a Mac as well.


Both are good, I just think the mac is for simple use and mainly media work, while the PC is used more often by the techy type people who use lots of programs and software.

I'm a district tech for school so i fix and monitor 10,000 mac computers, but I've used PC all my life. Overall, I prefer the PC more because of it fits my interests and desires in the computer field, and career.

-Austin

My two cents...
I have a mac, I made the switch a year or two ago and love it :-) I find it a lot easier to use, there is an app for everything I want; with lots of customizable features. I don't need to be able to fiddle with every single setting: I use it for viewing photos, opening documents not controlling a nuclear missile.

I find them incredibly reliable, they come with a better set of starting software, and there a wide array of free, user-friendly applications. I don't want to upgrade either, if after three years I find a computer outdated, I'll buy a new one...

The system it self I find much easier to navigate and control, with 100s of simple commands, things like spaces are great as well.

I love the mac, I got the macbook Pro a few weeks ago and I think it's way better that the PC. And I know a few programs that can play windows only games on a Mac. 'Cider' is, but there are many more. Combining that with the usability and the features of a Mac, it;s easily better than the PC.

NOOOOO this topic will most likely be burned into a fiery red envelope that it is by the unavoidable flaming..

but before it starts-

I'm using PC because
- Gaming
- Programs
- Have used it for a long time

It's really simple.

Oh and yah you can bypass some things on a Mac for running certain things, but LOL you can't run 90 % of the world still... I'd go crazy when I see something that says 'windows only' >_>

Most windows products have a similar app for Mac...

Mac's are better than PC's, just like this suit is black...NOT.

Doesnt that depend on what you like doing, of course if i liked editing videos and playing with cs2 id probably be better off with a mac but i'd rather be playing cod4 or somthing.

And now you don't even need that



The majority of that post was centred around the software you can use on it. Let's ignore for a minute the fact that i for one use Open Source software (Sumo Paint, for one) that i for one think surpasses the mainstream software in almost every way, and concentrate on what you said. Default programs, i believe was your main point. Well, as i just mentioned there are Open Source programs but still, WMM is a decent bit of kit for amateur video editing, and if you're really good it can look quite professional. And have you seen the Paint in Windows 7?

And then you talked about the software you can buy, which is irrelivant since every notable program has a Windows port.

And customer service. From what i've heard Microsoft Customer Service are shizzle. But i can't really imagine why you would call Microsoft, and in every situation i can tell you how to curcumvent the telephone altogether by using their website. In that respect at least, every time i've used Customer Surport (which wasn't actually to do with my PC (please Bob, don't criticise me for wrong use of an acronym )) it's been brilliant. Besides, you only ever need to use Customer Surport if there's a problem

There we go again, lol.

I use mac atm, it's good, but for the things I do on my computer there's not much of a difference between mac and pc. I might build a gaming PC with windows 7 on it in a year or so.

I'm gonna offer my 1.25829 pence in the form of a good old fashioned roundup.

Apple Macs
In the matt aluminium/white->yellow plastic corner, we have the Mac. By far the most common iteration of this is the MacBook: its earlier generations were made from white plastic which turns yellow if you use it with sweaty hands, and shiny patches appear on the mousepad (itself a good invention, but there is multitouch on some other trackpads and a proper right click); there is also an aluminium, thinner one with a bigger trackpad and.. oh wait, that's all it has to offer. The only size it comes in is 13.3", a bit big to carry with you everywhere in one hand but still a good size, but its little sister, the MacBook Air, is truly astounding, the thinnest laptop in the world (..oh no, look at MSI, and the 1 USB port (what the utter hell?)). Each of these runs on old hardware (9400M.. lol), stifling innovation. Also, it costs £80 to upgrade from 2gb to 4gb RAM and £720 to upgrade from a 160gb HDD to a 256GB SSD. There exists also the MacBrick Pro, which is slightly larger and runs on the same hardware as the top MacBook, unless you spend an extra £200 for a slightly newer CPU and graphics chip.

Then we move over to the desktop segment. First we'll look at the Mac Mini, a dainty little morsel of Apple. The base spec isn't quite as good as the base MacBook, but it is a lot smaller, and it doesn't have a screen (quite an important thing to have), so you either find a cheaper screen or spend £635 on a 24" Apple one - that's about as much as the Gateway XHD3000 30" if you do the conversion. The Mac Pro is simply ridiculous - the flagship offering has no prospect of SSD (or OCZ z-drive?) and the best graphics availible is one RHD4870, oh, and an extra CD drive will set you back 80 squids. And finally, the iMac: this actually offers the best performance to pound ratio but £880 to upgrade from 2gb to 8gb of RAM? No SSDs in sight? On the lower end, the same graphics chip as the laptop? It's high end desktop prices for laptop performance.

Now I have covered the actual computers, I must mention a few things common to all of them: the mouse; the keyboard; the software. The mouse/keyboard are simply awful and totally unusable. I don't know about the Mac-fanboys/people-who-use-Macs among us, but I can tell you that when I press a button, I like to know I've pressed it, and if I don't think I have, I press it again. If I had to use a Mighty Mouse daily, using my computer would not be an 'enjoyable experience (like using a power tool is enjoyable)' but a constant annoyance. The keyboard also provides little feedback to those who have pressed on it, so it's like drumming your fingers on a table. I think Apple have put looks before usability here, and they always have: I remember a perfectly circular Apple mouse from an iMac running OS8 (which broke several times) and a keyboard which was the total opposite of today's and took a hammer stroke to press the keys (which, consequently, broke constantly).

Mac OS X Leopard is fine, and it's mostly a matter of taste as to who likes it. I can see how it is user friendly and it 'just works', but fewer games work on it and the Mac ports aren't as good - they certainly won't run as well as on a better PC. I'm also not keen on Expose, and the dock doesn't come close to Windows 7's taskbar.

Windows PCs
In the beige, black, silver, red, green, blue, acrylic, stainless steel, polished steel, painted steel, carbon-fiber, glass, wooden, shiny aluminium, matt aluminium, anodized aluminium, plain aluminium, powder coated, spray painted, whatever-the-hell-you-want-it-to-be-made-of corner is the Windows PC. PCs, I believe, truly allow people to express their individuality, and PCs prove that people are inventive. The Windows PC is more versatile than a Mac: with a Mac you are limited to one design, one set of hardware and one set of values; PCs, however, range from the boring Dell Optiplex workstations to the Asus Eee keyboard PC and the HP TouchSmart series.

It's impossible to round-up every 'PC' as there are so many to choose from. That doesn't mean it's nescesarily hard to choose what you want to buy - you may simply want an HP Pavillion desktop (nice and simple) or you may know you want a Sony Vaio media centre PC (incidently about the same size as a Mac Mini but with more slots and a TV tuner and a keyboard with touchpad and a slightly better pricetag for the performance). You may also want to build your own, in which case you have a vast selection of cases (Antec, Thermaltake, even bloody MountainMods), many motherboards with different numbers of different ports to suit your individual need and with room for expansion, different CPUs, different graphics cards and manufacturers of RAM (all priced in real world prices) (I have 2 sticks of OCZ 'Special Ops Camo' RAM in my desktop in camo colours with a neat heatsink , not to mention cool things like sound cards and KillerNICs, as well as potential for case lighting and huge networks of water pipes to cool your graphics card. Granted, some of these possibilities cost more than a Mac (except my RAM), but aren't they cool (no pun intended)?

Overall, there are more applications (therefore more choice) for Windows and we have better hardware possibilities (and worse ones, but for cheaper - why spend more for something slightly better if you don't need it?) such as touch screens, so I go with PC for the choice.


I'm expecting a long post about how Macs are more secure than Windows, so hit me.

Put it this way, I'd rather only have two choices of design that looked like this:


than this in every shade I wanted.


And the earlier generations of PCs were so much better?


Guess you're forgetting the 17" MacBook Pro.

Well then go and spend £30 on a dell one...


And who on earth uses the default mouse that comes with their PC? It's not like you can't get a new mouse - and in terms of what they are they're actually quite good. I don't know what you're on about the keyboard, or the mouse? In fact you've complete lost me about knowing if you've pressed a button...


You're complaining about a computer because of the mouse? Do you want me to take a picture of the default mouse that came with my PC?


Well firstly, things appear on the screen - that normally gives you feedback to whether it's working or not...


I've had no problems with my keyboard, and I don't think it's really fair to talk about OSs and keyboards from years ago.


You seem to have spent a long time on the tech specs, but not very long on the OS. Most people neither understand or care about the specs... I find Mac OS X incredibly easy and fun to use.

I find the dock amazing and incredibly useful and the W7 taskbar just seems a worsened copy of the dock...

What about the Dells with different skins in different patterns? Or the HP Vivienne Tam edition? Or the Asus U6V Bamboo?


As far as I'm aware, they're still shipping a plastic version of this gen of MacBooks...


I haven't seen a 17" MacBook because they haven't made one. The MBP is a different segment.


It's still outrageous that they have such a thing on offer at such a high price.


When I press a button on my keyboard, I feel the resistance of the key as I press it and I hear the reassuring click of the key as it is pressed down; and when I click my mouse I feel and hear the click as it is pressed.


Mostly they're fine, I haven't upgraded the mouse (standard HP ball mouse) on my desktop and the Dell ones are alright.


Yes, but the buttons don't make any noise.


It's just proof that they've always valued different things in a mouse/keyboard.


So using the awkward right click on one of the dock icons and pressing a small menu item is better than having a list of thumbnail previews appear with the window title to help you switch to your window easier and without thinking along with all the colour glows around selected icons, moving glows around icons of running programs when you move your mouse and the glass effects, along with an easy place to get to your programs in a list form that isn't on the taskbar?

I would kill for a mac, the price tag is just too much though. I'd have one over a Pc, because you have all the wonderfulness (is that a word?) of a mac, with the ability to use windows programs on bootcamp. If windows could run OSX in a similar way to bootcamp, then I would happily sacrifice the great looks of the mac to keep save a lot of money. Its more the OS than the actual machine that I like.

That was the first Apple image I came to, that was the same PC image I came to.


Yes, you didn't mention a 17" at all, making it sound as if they only went up to 13.3"...


Yes, but it looks like it just fell off a B&O delivery truck....


I can hear every single click I make as well..


They do after a week or so But I never look at the keys anyway so not a problem for me.



Switching to another window is easy, I either click on the app button or press ⌘left, right etc. If I want to find or open an application, I hit ⌘return and type in the app using spotlight. Or I can press ⌘⌥return and view it from a list using Todos. You can set your Mac to display any image you want under an open app so that you know it's in use... I really don't see how I need any more than that.

Ok here's a stupid question......

I already know you can run pretty much any Mac OS on windows (dual boot) and vice versa....

Can you uninstall Windows on your PC and Install Mac osx Or even Leapord on a PC with out windows?

If you can wouldn't this do away with the Price of the machine argument? And it would make the stability of your OS argument go away to right? Correct me IF i'm wrong but this doesn't seem impossable(spelling).

I know alot of people that Dual Boot there pc's but what about just running Mac as the sole OS on your PC?

Responses (in order):

Why the hell would you want that design? Besides, have you even seen the Vaio?

Yes, i still have a trusty old beige PC case and it looks pretty much exactly the same as the day it was new.

17" is far too big for a laptop. I know too many people who just put laptops on desks and use it as a PC.

Okay, i will.

I use the default keyboard and mouse that came with my Presario Desktop. Comfortable, enough buttons and above all, free.

Yes, the mouse that comes with it isn't comfortable. The mice that come with PCs are. You can't ignore this point, as it's exactly the same as debating about default software.

It's not the actual outcome, it's the feeling. If you do use one of those infa red keyboards on a table all day, your fingers will hurt. This is what's wrong with Apple keyboards.

Reminiscing is fair. But the first point is valid, Apple do put looks before functionality. Strange, because they don't even look that good...

That just isn't true. Whenever i use a Mac the dock always seems wrong, out of place. Still, the first computer i remember using was running Windows 3, so i may be a bit bias on this.

You've seen the Vaio and the Macbook and you still want the Vaio? I didn't even release their looks were debatable.


If it's too big for you, don't buy it. If you want a laptop for on the go you buy an Air, if you want anything smaller go and buy a Netbook.


And the keyboard for Macs are in my opinion comfortable and free.


I've found the opposite.


I much prefer a flat keyboard like the Apple ones, and I've never got pains in my wrists


I'm sorry - if you think a Sony Vaio looks better than the new MacBooks I really feel you're blind.


Why does the dock feel wrong?

You can't possibly think that the Vaio looks worse than a Macbook. That's just wrong...

And the dock feels wrong because it's just sticking out of nowhere.

Just sticking out of nowhere? You can chose 12 positions, make it auto hide, change its look etc. I fail to see how the start menu looks any different on a PC. I don't know how you can think the Vaio looks better...

The Start Menu has nothing to do with this... besides, that's only there when you want it to be and it's very functional when it is. You can customize the toolbar just as much, but the dock is just chunky and doesn't fit with anything.







One's sleek, colorful and nice to look at. The other is grey, chunky and to put it bluntly, exactly the same shape as a pizza box:

Sorry, the Vaios just look blunt and ugly in my opinion, especially the desktops.

I really don't see how. They're simply... grey boxes. There's nothing else to it.

Personally I prefer non-Mac products (i.e. Windows or Linux systems - it's already been pointed out that Macs are PCs as well, which is why I'm not using the term PC). I have two main reasons for this decision:





So that's why I use Windows.


Yes, it is entirely possible to buy a copy of OS X Leopard from Apple and install it on a non-Apple desktop or laptop. The resulting computer is sometimes nicknamed a 'Hackintosh'. However, this can be extremely difficult. A lot of Windows-compatible hardware isn't compatible with the Mac, and often BIOS settings have to be changed. There is plenty of information on the internet about this, but I cannot give you links as this subject lies on very shady ground (you are voiding the Apple software agreement).


I have a 17-inch laptop which I use for around 3-4 hours a day. I normally use it with a stand to keep it cool, but it sits perfectly comfortably on my lap without one. The large screen is brilliant for playing games, watching movies and multitasking.

And finally, in response to the battle going on with Magical and Caboose above:

With a desktop looks aren't very important. If it looks ugly, just shove it under a desk and never even look at it unless you have to turn it on. Works a treat for me

With laptops looks are a bit more important, but I would rather have an ugly looking thing with great performance than a thin, sleek laptop that looked great but couldn't cope with multitasking and games.

But if looks are such an issue, you can pay a bit extra for a Windows desktop/laptop that looks very good. Bamboo or colour plating, coloured lights, fancy desktop cases, and ultra-thin laptops can all be found in the Windows sector.

Honestly, I'm a person that's very much into design, but rating a laptop by some manipulated images?

Slight difference: there are many thousands of pc designs from a lot of brands. On the other hand, a white and black Mac. Yay.

[quote name='Magical' date='May 25 2009, 08:38 AM' post='3229110']
Put it this way, I'd rather only have two choices of design that looked like this:


than this in every shade I wanted.

{/quote]

Total fiddlesticks. You're posting evidence disproportionally, and that may be misleading. Get your facts straight

It's either the apple computer versus



hp hdx
..or

acer vs.


macbook pismo

They were just the first images I came across on the respective websites... The HP just looks clunky, the finish looks cheap and the tracker pad looks like horrible. But the screen in nice...

I don't even get why you're so touchy about looks. Sure, it's nice if they look good anyway, but are you just afraid that you spent £1000 on something for it's looks, when it doesn't look as good as the thing that surpasses it in every way, including price?

But they don't surpass them in every way... And looks are pretty important...

We already covered that they do. Hardware? Big tick. Software? Tick. Price? Big Tick. Aesthetics? Tick. Compatibility? Tick. Ease of use? Tick... the list goes on.

Customer support. Ease of Use. Looks. Starting software. Compatibility. I've yet to find a PC program that doesn't have a mac version.

We covered customer support earlier. Ease of use is definitely on the PC side. Default software isn't even that good, you're only talking about the Video Editing program which if you're that serious about Video Editing (that you would spend that much to get a mac) then you wouldn't, you would just get a decent PC and some other image editing software. Compatability? Macs.... now you're just being plain stupid. In fact, that's a line i used earlier, you're just switched PC and Mac.

This is what I don't get about customer support, don't you usually call if there's a problem with the Mac? There's no problems with Macs!!

Only time I've called tech support was to confirm how much RAM my computer could have and what one of the partitions contained. Toshiba tech support is amazing.

Applecare is a joke.
Windows is easy. Mac is slightly easier, since it's prettier. Is that worth 500 dollars more?
Starting Software - What do you mean?
Compatibility - If anything else, this isn't an advantage, nor an equilibrium. Mac is less compatible, that's a fact. It's pure common sense to assume that the one with the larger market share has more compatibility with software and hardware. Oh, and any Autodesk program is not compatible with mac.