PC Vs. Mac. My thoughts

Backtothemac · Jul 16, 2003, 05:27 PM

Well, as many of you here know I am a die hard Mac user. I have been using Mac's since the days of Oregon Trail. That being said, I have been using PC's since the 80's. However over the last few years I have been Mac only. I am an MCP, and was a network admin for several years, and most recently sold Mac's for a living.

Recently, a friend was moving to Utah, and needed to sell his Dell PIV 1.5GHZ Dimension 8100. So, to help out him, and to have a system at home that I can get games for my daughter from Wal Mart, I bought the system.

After two months, here are my observations.

1st. Windows is still Windows. It is a pain in the ass. For example. Bought a new ATI 8500 All In Wonder DV the other day, and although the card worked, the USB Remote would not. No matter what. It would not see it for the driver to install. SO, exchanged for an Nvidia 5200 Ultra 128MB, and that install took all day, and required a clean install of the OS. But, now it is fine. The machine is fast, real fast. Much more so than my 17" iMac. It is cheap, everything is easy to find for the system except the expensive RDRAM.

2nd. Mac OS X is the greatest OS on the planet. It does what is meant to do, let you work. Hardware is pricey, but my God, it is beautiful, and worth it. Software is a pain to find, and drivers, well, we all know how that goes. 3 years for scanner support in X was sick. I love the Mac. The G5 will be the saving grace. But for consumers.....

3rd. Consumers would have more fun on a Mac, and less headache, but they would have to learn the OS, and they would have to get used to being treated like a second class customer. The computer industry doesn't respect the Mac customer. Nor does the average consumer know that Mac's still exist, or how they work. I have actually had people say that he did not wan't a Mac because you could not get on the internet with a Mac. (Sidenote: Do we really want people like that using our beloved Macintosh?)

So, I have decided to sell my iMac, because we need the money. Not because we want to, but beause we had to. I will be getting a G5 before to long, but I would love to see it move to the consumer systems. They need a serious power boost. When you consider that a 2 year old Dell will scorch a brand new iMac.

Durandal7 · Jul 16, 2003, 05:35 PM

I agree with you completely B2TM. For individual use the Macintosh is king. The main advantage I see in PCs is in their price, if I'm running a server or render farm I'm going for a PC. I want a personal computer then I'm going Mac.

Backtothemac · Jul 16, 2003, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Durandal7
I agree with you completely B2TM. For individual use the Macintosh is king. The main advantage I see in PCs is in their price, if I'm running a server or render farm I'm going for a PC. I want a personal computer then I'm going Mac.

Exactly. The Mac is superior, but the PC has benifits. Especially for people on a budget. Why buy an eMac for 799 or 999 that a PC can blow the doors off of, and you can't software for easily. It is out there, but most people don't want to spend the time looking for it.

So, Apple should power up the low end systems, or drop margin and prices on them, and market better than damn switch ads.

Royal Pineapple · Jul 16, 2003, 07:38 PM

a aggree cheeper equipment and MUCH better ads will do it, i dont see why apple didnt push airport like intel is pushing centrino(if thats how you spell it) i meen apple could have done the same kinda ad, wiht people surfing the internet in places they shouldent be. and they would have been amazing. if apple were to push extreem and market it as being so much faster than centrino tech then they ought to be noticed. as for the software issue, well thats a problem that the software companys are gonna have to fix. but as for software that comes pre installed the mac is amazing, even the cheep winblows computers dont have MS office so i dont understand why people are complaining. granted its harder to get software for the mac, but im just rambling now and i think il stop

to make a long and uninformative post short, i aggree with you B2TM i think better ads will most definatley help

MrMacMan · Jul 16, 2003, 08:01 PM

Wait so you bought the PC off your friend to help him out with moving, but then that caused you to see your iMac, shucks how depressing.

There are good and bad points to everything, if a products sells then it had those characteristics.

scem0 · Jul 16, 2003, 08:38 PM

Both have advantages - and both are better than the other in different areas.

Personally, I think Macs are better over-all - but that is just my opinion.

scem0

Billicus · Jul 16, 2003, 09:42 PM

I agree totally with BacktotheMac and I think that the main advantage of the Macintosh platform is its intuitive Operating System, OS X. While I think Windows has come a ways in the past few years, since '95 and ME, I still think it has a ways to go since it is a giant piece of bloatware and some of it's "features" end up being headaches.

pEZ · Jul 16, 2003, 11:39 PM

As far as software goes, most of the universe, including potential switchers, don't believe that there is any software for the Mac platform, because big name developers like 3DO, MicroProse, EA, etc. DON'T support the Mac anymore - they sell their rights to the software to third party developers, and they port it, sometimes doing an awful job.

*glares at copy of Heroes of Might and Magic 4*

The real beauty of the Mac platform, at least in my opinion, is the huge loyalty base - small developers who love the OS develop software for the Mac because they found a program that the platform needs. Open source rocks my world.

Seriously, I use products by Apple, Adobe, and Macromedia - everything else on my computer is third party / individual developers. And it's quality stuff, unlike what used to be out there for OS 9 and prior. How cool is that?

General Suicide · May 12, 2006, 05:00 PM

An argument used against the pc is that it is a high maintenance system, however, I would beg to differ, every argument about updates and viruses... Can be countered with this, almost every anti-virus, anti-spyware program, can be streamlined to do updates and scans, while you are not around or sleeping, microsoft updates can take care of themselves by turning automatic updates on. It is an easy process it's just most users don't take the 15 minutes to do it. So that argu
ment is flawed. As for the person who says the mac is far less stable, I would point out that you said yourself that it is tweaked out the wazoo, that would be the cause of your stability. Macs are great in the field of video processing, as well as sound editing. But I will remain a loyal PC fan because of the huge variaty of programs, and abilities that the PC has. I also hate the fact that the macs, up till recently have made it so only mac parts will work for the mac computer, I realize this is starting to change, but it is still a large problem with the mac archetecture of business.

Brize · May 12, 2006, 05:07 PM

Why resurrect this thread after nearly three years?

iGary · May 12, 2006, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brize

Why resurrect this thread after nearly three years?

Because he's a troll.

Boggle · May 12, 2006, 05:18 PM

Yep. This thread is a mechanism of pursusion. B/c most people here haven't made up their minds already.

evoluzione · May 12, 2006, 05:44 PM

and he spells Mac, MAC

also looks like he just pasted that reply in there too, probably posts the same thing on every Mac forum...

Unorthodox · May 12, 2006, 10:31 PM

How can someone commit "General Suicide"?

jsw · May 12, 2006, 10:39 PM

Well, at least he was able to use the forum search mechanism to find the thread instead of trolling with a new one

, and, honestly, it sounds to me more like an opinion than a true troll attempt.

We'll see if he comes back....

dmcelroy · May 12, 2006, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Durandal7

I agree with you completely B2TM. For individual use the Macintosh is king. The main advantage I see in PCs is in their price, if I'm running a server or render farm I'm going for a PC. I want a personal computer then I'm going Mac.

If you want a real Windows server with all the features and software you get with an XServe...you will spend twice as much. Buying a cheap PC and trying to make it a server is a recipie for disaster. Compare real servers to real servers. At my office our XServe has had a longer functional life than our Dell servers, cost a fraction of the price, requires little or no maintenance, and is a piece of cake to administer.

someguy · May 12, 2006, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Backtothemac

...exchanged for an Nvidia 5200 Ultra 128MB, and that install took all day, and required a clean install of the OS.

Just wondering, how exactly did this process require a complete reinstallation of the OS??

vniow · May 12, 2006, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by General Suicide

blah blah blah

Is it that difficult to notice the dates of threads before you reply to them??

Unorthodox · May 13, 2006, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vniow

Is it that difficult to notice the dates of threads before you reply to them??

What?
General Suicide is the one who bummed this thread.
Maybe you should get your facts straight.

someguy · May 13, 2006, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unorthodox

What?
General Suicide is the one who bummed this thread.
Maybe you should get your facts straight.

What the hell are you talking about? He quoted General Suicide in his post, not you.

Jul 16, 2003, 05:27 PM	#1
Backtothemac macrumors 68040 Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Lafayette, Louisiana	PC Vs. Mac. My thoughts Well, as many of you here know I am a die hard Mac user. I have been using Mac's since the days of Oregon Trail. That being said, I have been using PC's since the 80's. However over the last few years I have been Mac only. I am an MCP, and was a network admin for several years, and most recently sold Mac's for a living. Recently, a friend was moving to Utah, and needed to sell his Dell PIV 1.5GHZ Dimension 8100. So, to help out him, and to have a system at home that I can get games for my daughter from Wal Mart, I bought the system. After two months, here are my observations. 1st. Windows is still Windows. It is a pain in the ass. For example. Bought a new ATI 8500 All In Wonder DV the other day, and although the card worked, the USB Remote would not. No matter what. It would not see it for the driver to install. SO, exchanged for an Nvidia 5200 Ultra 128MB, and that install took all day, and required a clean install of the OS. But, now it is fine. The machine is fast, real fast. Much more so than my 17" iMac. It is cheap, everything is easy to find for the system except the expensive RDRAM. 2nd. Mac OS X is the greatest OS on the planet. It does what is meant to do, let you work. Hardware is pricey, but my God, it is beautiful, and worth it. Software is a pain to find, and drivers, well, we all know how that goes. 3 years for scanner support in X was sick. I love the Mac. The G5 will be the saving grace. But for consumers..... 3rd. Consumers would have more fun on a Mac, and less headache, but they would have to learn the OS, and they would have to get used to being treated like a second class customer. The computer industry doesn't respect the Mac customer. Nor does the average consumer know that Mac's still exist, or how they work. I have actually had people say that he did not wan't a Mac because you could not get on the internet with a Mac. (Sidenote: Do we really want people like that using our beloved Macintosh?) So, I have decided to sell my iMac, because we need the money. Not because we want to, but beause we had to. I will be getting a G5 before to long, but I would love to see it move to the consumer systems. They need a serious power boost. When you consider that a 2 year old Dell will scorch a brand new iMac. __________________ MacBook 2.4GHZ 3GB Ram 320GB HD

Jul 16, 2003, 07:38 PM	#4
Royal Pineapple macrumors 65816 Join Date: May 2002 Location: Why do I live in California? Because the sun sets a block from my house.	a aggree cheeper equipment and MUCH better ads will do it, i dont see why apple didnt push airport like intel is pushing centrino(if thats how you spell it) i meen apple could have done the same kinda ad, wiht people surfing the internet in places they shouldent be. and they would have been amazing. if apple were to push extreem and market it as being so much faster than centrino tech then they ought to be noticed. as for the software issue, well thats a problem that the software companys are gonna have to fix. but as for software that comes pre installed the mac is amazing, even the cheep winblows computers dont have MS office so i dont understand why people are complaining. granted its harder to get software for the mac, but im just rambling now and i think il stop to make a long and uninformative post short, i aggree with you B2TM i think better ads will most definatley help __________________ I'm like a superhero, with no powers or motivation Bare Feet, Not Arms All of the true things that I am about to tell you are shameless lies. -Bokonon

Jul 16, 2003, 08:01 PM	#5
MrMacMan macrumors 601 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: 1 Block away from NYC.	Wait so you bought the PC off your friend to help him out with moving, but then that caused you to see your iMac, shucks how depressing. There are good and bad points to everything, if a products sells then it had those characteristics. __________________ There is a little Steve in all of us! -->Folding is Fighting Against Disease and help MacRumors. Join Today!<-- Props to --> Shadowfax For Making My Avatar! IM Me On AIM Already!

Jul 16, 2003, 09:42 PM	#7
Billicus macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Charles City, Iowa	I agree totally with BacktotheMac and I think that the main advantage of the Macintosh platform is its intuitive Operating System, OS X. While I think Windows has come a ways in the past few years, since '95 and ME, I still think it has a ways to go since it is a giant piece of bloatware and some of it's "features" end up being headaches. __________________ "...I know it's hard when you're up to your armpits in alligators to remember you came here to drain the swamp." - Ronald Reagan February 10, 1982

Jul 16, 2003, 11:39 PM	#8
pEZ macrumors 6502 Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Madison, Wisconsin	As far as software goes, most of the universe, including potential switchers, don't believe that there is any software for the Mac platform, because big name developers like 3DO, MicroProse, EA, etc. DON'T support the Mac anymore - they sell their rights to the software to third party developers, and they port it, sometimes doing an awful job. glares at copy of Heroes of Might and Magic 4 The real beauty of the Mac platform, at least in my opinion, is the huge loyalty base - small developers who love the OS develop software for the Mac because they found a program that the platform needs. Open source rocks my world. Seriously, I use products by Apple, Adobe, and Macromedia - everything else on my computer is third party / individual developers. And it's quality stuff, unlike what used to be out there for OS 9 and prior. How cool is that? __________________ Choose life.

Jul 16, 2003, 05:35 PM	#2
Durandal7 macrumors 68040 Join Date: Feb 2001	I agree with you completely B2TM. For individual use the Macintosh is king. The main advantage I see in PCs is in their price, if I'm running a server or render farm I'm going for a PC. I want a personal computer then I'm going Mac.

Jul 16, 2003, 08:38 PM	#6
scem0 macrumors 601 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: back in NYC!	Both have advantages - and both are better than the other in different areas. Personally, I think Macs are better over-all - but that is just my opinion. scem0

May 12, 2006, 05:00 PM	#9
General Suicide macrumors newbie Join Date: May 2006	PC, Better Than MAC An argument used against the pc is that it is a high maintenance system, however, I would beg to differ, every argument about updates and viruses... Can be countered with this, almost every anti-virus, anti-spyware program, can be streamlined to do updates and scans, while you are not around or sleeping, microsoft updates can take care of themselves by turning automatic updates on. It is an easy process it's just most users don't take the 15 minutes to do it. So that argu ment is flawed. As for the person who says the mac is far less stable, I would point out that you said yourself that it is tweaked out the wazoo, that would be the cause of your stability. Macs are great in the field of video processing, as well as sound editing. But I will remain a loyal PC fan because of the huge variaty of programs, and abilities that the PC has. I also hate the fact that the macs, up till recently have made it so only mac parts will work for the mac computer, I realize this is starting to change, but it is still a large problem with the mac archetecture of business.

May 12, 2006, 05:07 PM	#10
Brize macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Europe	Why resurrect this thread after nearly three years?

May 12, 2006, 05:18 PM	#12
Boggle macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Krazyglued to an office chair in a perpetual meeting on coffee break abuse.	Yep. This thread is a mechanism of pursusion. B/c most people here haven't made up their minds already. __________________ When the light turns green you go When the light turns red you stop But what do you do, when the light turns blue With orange and lavender spots?

May 12, 2006, 05:44 PM	#13
evoluzione macrumors 68010 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: down the road, that's where i'll always be	and he spells Mac, MAC also looks like he just pasted that reply in there too, probably posts the same thing on every Mac forum... __________________ I am Hando Jin, Hang Wong's son...

May 12, 2006, 10:31 PM	#14
Unorthodox macrumors 65816 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Not at the beach...	How can someone commit "General Suicide"? __________________ Advertise your site, software, or service in this space and be seen over 100,000ish times per day by your target audience. Click here for info.

May 12, 2006, 10:39 PM	#15
jsw Demi-God (Moderator) Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Andover, MA	Well, at least he was able to use the forum search mechanism to find the thread instead of trolling with a new one , and, honestly, it sounds to me more like an opinion than a true troll attempt. We'll see if he comes back.... __________________ You'll be the one moaning for me to give you some. - THC(taken out of context)

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