Are macs more stable than PCs?

[ugahairydawgs]

Here's my experience: My son and daughter both have, and still use, two $299 made-for-Walmart Compaq laptops (XP). Both have survived college life with absolutely no problems; including no virus'.

I work from home and have been using a Dell laptop (running XP) since 2007. I restart Monday morning, start up about ten applications (ranging from multi-tab Explorer & Chrome, citrix windows, old DOS based legacy program, MS Office apps, MS Communicator, etc). I have a program that simulates keystrokes so it stays awake ~ 12 hours a day; all week. I only restart it once a week or when there are updates to install. No h/w, s/w, virus issues. I can ask the company for a new model, but the laptop is stable and the dual core cpu is still fast enough.

I have an Acer pc next to my work desk. I upgraded the power supply and installed a high-performance ATI video card (large kind that takes up two slots). That is going on four years old. It runs Vista with four separate accounts. My son uses it as his gaming machine in the evening and weekends. I use it mainly for photo editing, Google Earth, and e-mail. My wife uses it for the Internet, video streaming, e-mail, and Skype.No h/w, s/w, or virus issues. That pc stays powered on all the time and easily wakes from hibernation when we move the mouse. We rarely restart it.

So I cannot complain about MS OS or some of the hardware that runs it. However, I am considering getting our first Apple product (reason why I'm on Apple forums). I am concerned about the number of post about h/w and s/w issues. The number of posts seems high considering Apple PCs and laptops are only about 5% of the user base of PCs.

Just keep this in mind....

When people come online to talk about their product it is almost always because something is wrong. The average consumer doesn't seek out an Apple-themed message board to gush about the laptop they just bought that is running flawless (not saying that there aren't positive reviews out there, just that most aren't compelled to say something about their purchase unless something has gone wrong).

The same holds true for any product or service.

 

[Barna Biro]

There are no (zero) known viruses for the mac.

If you know of any, please point me to it. (I tell clients above fact all the time and i would really want to know if it's not true anymore)

Here you go: http://www.sophos.com/en-us/press-office/press-releases/2006/02/macosxleap.aspx reported by Sophos ( a quite reliable and well known company in the anti-virus business ) back in 2006... there have been a few more viruses developed and spotted since... If you really want to find more, you can surely search the web yourself

Just think about it: If there were really no viruses for Macs, then why are companies focused on developing anti-viruses and other "protective software" making their products run on OSX and why are people buying and installing such software? I am confident that you can find the links in these events and you can put the puzzle together yourself...

 

[VFC]

Just keep this in mind....

When people come online to talk about their product it is almost always because something is wrong. The average consumer doesn't seek out an Apple-themed message board to gush about the laptop they just bought that is running flawless (not saying that there aren't positive reviews out there, just that most aren't compelled to say something about their purchase unless something has gone wrong).....

I understand and accept what you are saying.

We are thinking of getting our son a Macbook Pro for graduation. We will wait for the refresh and probably wait another month to monitor the user feedback on the Mac forums.

In the mean time, I am seriously considering getting an iPad for myself (personal use and work). However, there seems to be a number of problems being reported on the forums. I understand it's nearly impossible to calculate the failure rate based on forum posts; but it does indicate that there's enough smoke (there could be fire) for me to hold off a few months. If Apple has not acknowledged all the more significant problems by the June time frame and offered hope for a fix, I will probably end up buying an Ultrabook with Windows 8.

 

[VI™]

The nightmare of blue screens is long gone (pretty much since Windows 2000 if you were picky with hardware/driver support), this was mostly caused by dodgy third party hardware drivers and nowadays x64 windows requires Microsoft signed (and thus, tested) drivers.

Does this count?

I had 3 blue screens the other day...but that's because my over clock wasn't right...

 

[mikeo007]

Mac is much more stable than Windows. A Mac can run for years without a reboot. Windows needs to be rebooted many times a day because it slows down, crashes or blue screens of death. Mac is such a remarkably efficient and stable operating system to use. It has been said by some experts that OS X is the world's most advanced operating system, and I tend to agree with them.

I won't get into the fray, but I'll warn people to watch out for posts like this. I'm not advocating for Windows or OSX, and I just grabbed this post because it stuck out.

Whenever someone uses extreme absolutes like "is much more stable" or "can run for years without a reboot" they're full of it.
If a user uses marketing terms like "remarkably efficient" in their posts, it's another way to pick out someone who doesn't know what they're talking about.
When a user speaks of "some [unnamed] experts", you can be sure that they don't have a source for this information and that it's a product of their imagination.

It's pretty easy for Macrumors regulars to pick out the bull, but new comers may not be as well versed in the uninformed flamewars that go on around here.

Everyone has an opinion, and you'll find all sorts of opinions around here. The important thing is to find people who's statements are backed by fact. Just looking in this thread, I can point you to a couple of users who prefer different OS's (Windows and OSX) but both provide valid support for their reasoning in almost every thread I've ever seen them post in.

thejadedmonkey seems to prefer Windows OS, but always backs up his arguments with sound reasoning and evidence.
GGJstudios has never hid the fact that he prefers OSX, but he also backs up his arguments with factual evidence and doesn't make false claims about Windows or other OS's.

 

[gpzjock]

Any OS can have problems, usually they are caused by the nut behind the keyboard.

I have used many different computers and operating systems over the last 30 years (yes 30!). The one thing that stands out from all my time getting a monitor tan is that any computer system will run fine provided it is left to its own devices. The main cause of breakdown, denial of service or unreliability seems to be when these squishy bags of blood and flesh start poking them.
We change their environment, hardware and software so much that they are bound to become unstable eventually.

I had a ZX81 that worked perfectly from the time you switched it on until you input enough crap BASIC commands to make it choke.
Turn it off, then on again, it reset to a blank page and off you went again.

I had a Commodore 64 with a tape drive to load data. The inefficiency of the transfer made it crash as the squeaky noises it listened to corrupted and distorted the 1s and 0s.

In the floppy drive era just leaving a diskette next to a hifi speaker killed its data enough to screw up the next PC you put it in...

Today the biggest modification we make is through the internet where all kinds of crap, supposedly benign or malicious, modifies the insides of your PC/Mac according to your wishes. If you make the right choices, it works fine, if you don't, it turns to $#¡† real fast. I have repaired Macs that folks have updated beyond their capabilities by rolling back their OS to a more manageable one, or developed workarounds to stop badly written code cause an app to eat up all the RAM (Safari in Lion specifically).

At work we have so many folks poking and prodding the elderly Windows network, it spends most of its time reeling from the impact of yet another badly thought out modification. None of these operating systems are inherently unstable, we just make them that way by moving the goalposts too much. Windows may seem more unstable to some folks, but I think this is just because the number of variables or modifications and the number of Windows based machines in existence, is many more than any other system.

I love my Mac cos nobody else gets to phuq it up for me.

 

[GGJstudios]

This is a Mac vs PC thread, but these false and misleading statements need to be addressed, so others aren't misled:

Here you go: http://www.sophos.com/en-us/press-office/press-releases/2006/02/macosxleap.aspx

That's not a virus. That's a worm/trojan.

reported by Sophos ( a quite reliable and well known company in the anti-virus business )

Well known, yes. Reliable, not so much. I wouldn't trust any antivirus company that doesn't know the difference between a worm, trojan and virus. In fact, the Sophos app should be avoided, as it could actually increase your Mac's vulnerability, as described here and here.

there have been a few more viruses developed and spotted since...

False. Not a single virus has ever been released in the wild that can affect Mac OS X. Please check your facts and educate yourself before posting such misinformation.

If you really want to find more, you can surely search the web yourself

I have, and have found your statements to be baseless.

Just think about it: If there were really no viruses for Macs, then why are companies focused on developing anti-viruses and other "protective software" making their products run on OSX

Greed.

and why are people buying and installing such software?

Ignorance and fear.

I am confident that you can find the links in these events and you can put the puzzle together yourself...

Name one Mac OS X virus. Before you throw a name out there, read the following link to learn what a virus is, what a trojan is, what other forms of malware are.

Mac Virus/Malware FAQ​

You don't need any 3rd party antivirus app to keep your Mac malware-free. Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 10 years ago. If you practice safe computing, the only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which cannot infect your Mac unless you actively install them, and they can be easily avoided with some basic education, common sense and care in what software you install. Also, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion have anti-malware protection built in, further reducing the need for 3rd party antivirus apps.

1. Make sure your built-in Mac firewall is enabled in System Preferences > Security > Firewall
   
   
2. Uncheck "Open "safe" files after downloading" in Safari > Preferences > General
   
   
3. Uncheck "Enable Java" in Safari > Preferences > Security. Leave this unchecked until you visit a trusted site that requires Java, then re-enable only for your visit to that site. (This is not to be confused with JavaScript, which you should leave enabled.)
   
   
4. Check your DNS settings by reading this.
   
   
5. Be careful to only install software from trusted, reputable sites. Never install pirated software. If you're not sure about an app, ask in this forum before installing.
   
   
6. Never let someone else have physical access to install anything on your Mac.
   
   
7. Don't open files that you receive from unknown or untrusted sources.
   
   
8. Always keep your Mac and application software updated. Use Software Update for your Mac software. For other software, it's safer to get updates from the developer's site or from the menu item "Check for updates", rather than installing from any notification window that pops up while you're surfing the web.

That's all you need to do to keep your Mac completely free of any virus, trojan, spyware, keylogger, or other malware. You don't need any 3rd party software to keep your Mac secure.

 

[Boe11]

Having owned several PCs and Macs over the years, this is my opinion:

If you've got a low to moderate level of technical knowledge, OSX is less prone to problems, by design. If you're a techie type and know the ins and outs of your computer and operating system, you're going to experience about the same rate of failure and problems between each of them.

I haven't personally had a lot of issues with either Macs or PCs (and I've pretty much exclusively built my own of the latter) but I've always been interested in technology. On the flip side, it's staggering just how quickly my parents can sabotage a brand new windows laptop with junk.

TL;DR - Mac are more stable for non-computer people. Macs and PCs are equally stable for techies.

 

[Freyqq]

In my experience, if you buy a cheap PC, you will have issues.
If you buy a high quality PC, it will be just as stable as a mac.

 

[Interstella5555]

Thanks for the answers. Two very different opinions. By the way, I think there's more pc help forums because pcs have a much larger market share.

People who have problems are louder than those with no problems. In my general experience, yes, OS X is more stable that Windows, but that's not to say that it doesn't have its own problems.

 

[roofz]

To answer OP's original question:
In my personal experience, mac pcs are more stable than windows pcs

 

[throAU]

Mac is much more stable than Windows. A Mac can run for years without a reboot. Windows needs to be rebooted many times a day because it slows down, crashes or blue screens of death. Mac is such a remarkably efficient and stable operating system to use. It has been said by some experts that OS X is the world's most advanced operating system, and I tend to agree with them.

Sorry but i have to disagree, certainly when comparing Lion vs Win7 anyway.

I've had to force-reboot my 2011 MBP plenty of times, due to processes running away and becoming unkillable (generally the finder).

I haven't had to force-reboot my 2006-vintage windows box (currently running 7, previously vista) since I removed the dodgy tp-link wireless card from it (the earlier driver caused it to blue-screen occasionally) - which was several years ago.


Not to say the mac is unusable (i don't plan on buying another PC for the foreseeable future), but the days of windows randomly crashing are pretty much over if you use decent hardware.

 

[Bernard SG]

People coming from a Latitude to MBP are rare but if they do they are much more likely to complain than be amazed about stability and quality.

I switch daily from a Latitude (work) to a MBP (home) and I'm amazed at the crappiness of what's supposed to be Dell's high-end.

 

[SvP]

Here you go: http://www.sophos.com/en-us/press-office/press-releases/2006/02/macosxleap.aspx reported by Sophos ( a quite reliable and well known company in the anti-virus business ) back in 2006... there have been a few more viruses developed and spotted since... If you really want to find more, you can surely search the web yourself

Just think about it: If there were really no viruses for Macs, then why are companies focused on developing anti-viruses and other "protective software" making their products run on OSX and why are people buying and installing such software? I am confident that you can find the links in these events and you can put the puzzle together yourself...

I'm sorry: the existence of antivirus software says nothing about viruses on mac's. It's a logical fallacy you have there; if i create anti carebear software, doesn't mean carebears exist ;-) It just says someone wants to make money. This is proven in the fact that they make false statements on their website. Someone before me corrected you, so i don't see i have to do that again.

 

[KohPhiPhi]

I dont necessarily find OSX more stable than Win7. In fact, I've had to hard-reboot my Mac a few times due to screen freezes.

However, I do find OSX much more intuitive and user-friendly, which is my #1 reason to go for Mac over PC.

 

[gpzjock]

These guys have an interesting argument, but is it real or perceived?

GGJstudios can you deconstruct this view point for us?
http://www.macforensicslab.com/ProductsAndServices/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&products_id=174
Please note it is a little out of date, referring to Leopard primarily so things may have moved on since.
Thanks in advance.

 

[MikeAK]

I dont necessarily find OSX more stable than Win7. In fact, I've had to hard-reboot my Mac a few times due to screen freezes.

However, I do find OSX much more intuitive and user-friendly, which is my #1 reason to go for Mac over PC.

Exactly! I agree with you completely.

I think a lot of us work with windows on a regular basis and if being honest about the OS should be able to acknowledge that the old days are pretty much gone as far as unstable, unreliable WinOS. True, in my opinion and many others, OSX is much more user friendly but Win 7 is a fine OS and only the hardest of Apple cool-aid drinkers will tell you otherwise... heck, I even work with WinXP and that OS has matured quite nicely over the years.

 

[p4madeus]

My two cents: My PowerMac G5 runs 24/7. It's been running 24/7 for years. When I maxed out the RAM 4 or 5 years ago I went with ECC RAM... it never crashes. I actually cannot remember the last time it crashed. The only time it gets reset is for software installs. I'm sure the ECC RAM plays a role, but I can say without kidding myself it is solid as a rock. I've never experienced that with a Windows box. I have one I built myself and it does run fantastic most of the time but I can't say I don't remember the last time it crashed and burned. I just got a brand new PC (Lenovo something or other) at work as well, and I also cannot say I don't remember the last time it crashed and burnt.

 

[DanaS]

MBP vs. PC????

I have used PC computers and PC laptops for the past 20+ years. I've owned mostly HP laptops and personal built desktops. My most resent PC laptop purchase was a Asus gamer 17in with with 12 gigs RAM, 1 TB of storage and a top of the line graphic card running Windows 7 Pro. I recently purchased a Late 2011 17in MBP running Lion. I upgraded it to 16 gigs of RAM and a Samsung 512 Gig SSD. Other than the different GUI's and the speed of bootups and shutdowns due to the SSD in the MBP there is very little difference in stability and performance in either. I have to agree with earlier posts, a well built machine with a stable OS (clean install/Windows 7 Pro) and applications I load not the bloatware it came with, the my PC laptop is as stable as my MBP. I think that the fit and finish of the MBP is very good. I will state that the ASUS runs much cooler and is better ventilated that the MBP, running the same video intensive programs. Just my 5 cents worth.

Dana

 

[l0gikb0mb]

I have both, and am about to post a topic in this forum but saw this as well.

Bought a macbook (2010) in faith as I hate how windows goes so slow without reformatting every few months. It's been running great, except if I turn it off. I don't do anything weird with my mac, barely have anything installed and barely use it. But this is the 2nd time I've had to turn it off, and it does this (both times): first boot, spinning circle at apple logo, 2nd boot: same thing with huge fan noises, 3rd boot: finally boots.

Oh yeah, and on 3rd boot it's VERY slow. Feels like I'm just at home with windows... so I basically can't turn it off. And nothing is wrong with it, hardware wise at least.

Pathetic... I barely touch the damn thing.

 

[thekev]

Mac is much more stable than Windows. A Mac can run for years without a reboot. Windows needs to be rebooted many times a day because it slows down, crashes or blue screens of death. Mac is such a remarkably efficient and stable operating system to use. It has been said by some experts that OS X is the world's most advanced operating system, and I tend to agree with them.

You should just fill in a coloring book and enjoy your juice box. Windows runs on an incredible range of hardware. Typically if you're experiencing such things, it is an issue with hardware rather than Windows. The oem designing it should be testing components properly. BSOD almost never happens without hardware issues or bad drivers. On OSX I've seen kernel panics for the same reasons. Obviously less hardware that can create such a situation exists on this side, and a lot of the older/less up to date stuff won't work with Lion anyway given that Carbon went away. I prefer OSX due to familiarity, but really there's not much of a difference in stability these days assuming properly functioning hardware (and macs fail too).

By the way, that Windows needs to be rebooted constantly thing basically died with the 1990s.

I have both, and am about to post a topic in this forum but saw this as well.

Bought a macbook (2010) in faith as I hate how windows goes so slow without reformatting every few months. It's been running great, except if I turn it off. I don't do anything weird with my mac, barely have anything installed and barely use it. But this is the 2nd time I've had to turn it off, and it does this (both times): first boot, spinning circle at apple logo, 2nd boot: same thing with huge fan noises, 3rd boot: finally boots.

Oh yeah, and on 3rd boot it's VERY slow. Feels like I'm just at home with windows... so I basically can't turn it off. And nothing is wrong with it, hardware wise at least.

Pathetic... I barely touch the damn thing.

Is your hard drive really really full or something? It's not very likely that it's the hard drive, but I thought I'd ask given your reformatting comments. Do you have any peripherals hooked up to it that might be causing this? The spinning wheel basically means it's waiting on a response from hardware. Keep in mind here, all computers can experience hardware failure. This isn't unique to either side. I hate how people on here sell Macs as being perfect machines that will run forever. They can fail just like any other machine, and you should be aware of that when purchasing one.

 

[sehnsucht77]

I've used macs for years, but haven't actually owned one. As far as I could tell, their OS and hardware seemed to be less prone to freezing and crashing relative to their PC + Windows counterparts.

However, a quick glance at forums like macrumors show several people complaining about serious problems with their macs.

So my question is, are problems with macs common? How about compared to HP and Windows machines? Approximately what percentage is prone to failure? I understand this is a forum so the people who are having problems are bound to congregate here, but as an onlooker, it seems that macs are likely to break down on you often. Tell me this isn't true.

like with anything computer related, it depends how much stuff you've done to the machine. this is an old topic that has been beat to a pulp and doesnt make sense wasting time over. any computer can break down and any computer can get a virus -period.

 

[that1guyy]

this is an old topic that has been beat to a pulp.

You said it yourself. This topic was created in January and I'm more than satisfied with the answers. I don't understand why people keep bumping the thread unnecessarily.

 

[chrono1081]

You said it yourself. This topic was created in January and I'm more than satisfied with the answers. I don't understand why people keep bumping the thread unnecessarily.

Although I don't want to resurrect the thread...I was wondering if whichever one you went with if you were enjoying your new purchase (I didn't see which direction you went unless I missed it in the thread).

 

[Medic278]

I absolutely think that mac is more stable than windows. My Vaio that I had constantly ran slow and was filled with bloatware. It always was freezing or programs would refuse to load. With my macs everything just works all the time, I have never once had to do a hard reset and am loving it all the way. Converting was the best thing ever and the only regret I have is that I didn't do it sooner.