Should I get a Mac?

[h4rri3r]

Well...

Two years passed after I bought a new PC (Sony Vaio) and now, I'm thinking about getting a new computer this year. My idea is to get a MacBook, because Mac OSX is a fantastic OS as I can see while reading the reviews, but there's a problem... The compatibility with certain programs.
I like to play Valve games on PC, such as Team Fortress 2 and Half-Life 2 and, at the same time, I don't want to buy a Mac for 1500$ to install Windows on it, because if I want a computer for Windows I can spend that money in something with better specs and for a lower price.

• The question here is, should I really get a Mac?
• Anyone of you have problems with compatibilities frequently?
• Is there a Instant Messaging client for Mac OSX compatible with voice chat via MSN Messenger/WL Messenger?
• What are the main diferences and problems that I may have with a Mac comparing with Windows?
• What are the features that you more like in your Mac?

Note that I can play that games that I mentioned in my actual PC, so there's no problem with that games. But I prefer playing them in a new MacBook that I may buy, because I don't want to PCs if I can do all in one only.

Thanks in advance for all that will help me with this.

 

[upinflames900]

The MacBook isn't really a gaming computer so if you expect to be able to play games on it you may not be really happy. Plus it is a 13" screen so if you are really into gaming I would spend the money on a Mac Book Pro. There are compatibility issues obviously as Mac is a minority of the market, however, they are growing so things are getting better. iChat is a program included with every Mac that should allow you to do any video chatting you want. I personally run parallels (which allows you to run both mac and windows operating systems at the same time) and that works great. However, I am not a gamer, so things might slow down if you do that. Mac OS is a way better operating system than Windows, and that is the main reason I would advocate mac. It is a lot more stable, powerful, etc.

 

[emptyCup]

Thanks in advance for all that will help me with this.

So many have made the transition before you that you are not breaking new ground. Microsoft purposely changed the way a lot of common activiities are performed to make it harder for you to leave the reservation. That does not mean it is hard. Get a book like Switching to the Mac or read Apple's Switch 101. Others will give you specific advice about software.

Since you know you can run your PC software on your PC or the Mac, there is nothing to lose. You just want to try another operating system. Buy one of the less expensive Macs (or a refurb) and explore. Give yourself a couple of weeks to get used to OS-X (although many only take a few hours). Don't start modifying the machine until you have given Mac software a chance.

Best wishes.

 

[DavidR91]

I took the 'shoot first, ask questions later' approach - I had no idea what to expect, but I just bought the best spec'd iMac I could afford and just jumped in - and it has actually turned out amazingly well. The Mac is now my primary development machine. I do programming in my spare time, so whilst I use VMware Fusion to push Visual Studio along, everything else has worked out wonderfully - Skype (native port) Firefox (native port) seamless transition from Win-> OS X on iTunes (via my iPod) Pages and the rest of iWork are pretty damn good once you get used to them (UI is not as well laid out as office, but it has much better precision control over page elements)

Everything else has worked like a dream. I think the key thing to enjoying a Mac when transitioning, is just to jump in. If the apps or OS pose a conflict to your work style, don't fight it - embrace it. New apps, new UIs etc. Normally the way the apps work etc. is different because it is a better way of working, rather than just inconvenient.

What are the main diferences and problems that I may have with a Mac comparing with Windows?

Keys, and key shortcuts. OS X places a big emphasis on keyboard use - at least, a bigger emphasis on it than Windows does. And after a while, it's actually pretty damn good. It's a bit weird to begin with, but soon enough you'll be using shortcuts to do practically everything.

 

[flopticalcube]

I think Crossover supports most Steam games. No Windows required.

 

[h4rri3r]

I think Crossover supports most Steam games. No Windows required.

I made a research about how CrossOver works with Steam games and I read somewhere that there are some problems with graphics and font bugs while playing Team Fortress 2 with it. Maybe that was all fixed with the new version of CrossOver. I will check it when I get my Mac!

I took the 'shoot first, ask questions later' approach - I had no idea what to expect, but I just bought the best spec'd iMac I could afford and just jumped in - and it has actually turned out amazingly well. The Mac is now my primary development machine. I do programming in my spare time, so whilst I use VMware Fusion to push Visual Studio along, everything else has worked out wonderfully - Skype (native port) Firefox (native port) seamless transition from Win-> OS X on iTunes (via my iPod) Pages and the rest of iWork are pretty damn good once you get used to them (UI is not as well laid out as office, but it has much better precision control over page elements)

Everything else has worked like a dream. I think the key thing to enjoying a Mac when transitioning, is just to jump in. If the apps or OS pose a conflict to your work style, don't fight it - embrace it. New apps, new UIs etc. Normally the way the apps work etc. is different because it is a better way of working, rather than just inconvenient.

Keys, and key shortcuts. OS X places a big emphasis on keyboard use - at least, a bigger emphasis on it than Windows does. And after a while, it's actually pretty damn good. It's a bit weird to begin with, but soon enough you'll be using shortcuts to do practically everything.

Your post has taken off all my fears about buying a Mac. Seriously! I loved the way you described your experience with your new Mac in some resumed words. I will go for a Mac!

Thanks you all for the opinions! And considering that later this year Apple will release the new Mac OSX Snow Leopard and, maybe, some new MacBooks updated, I will wait for them, because I don't have to buy a new PC right now, I can wait some months.

 

[nutritious]

If you play steam games and want to play them at high settings, I recommend getting an iMac with the 4850...it would be perfect for it..

Second of all, Mac OSX has the best IM app ever, Adium. Should be one of the first things you download. That and quicksilver..

Third of all, If you really want a Mac, go ahead. It seems as if it will fit your needs, but obviously for a price premium. I think a PC could be more practical since you are primarily a gamer it seems...and you can get a nice gateway PC with an i7 920 and an ATI 4850 for like $1200.

Up to you, though.

 

[bobbleheadbob]

Should I get a Mac?

Asking this question on a Mac discussion board? What do you think the answer will be? Of course!!

 

[somewhatvaguely]

That's crazy because I had a sony vaio PC computer for while(until last summer, when it totally crashed). And then last January I got a macbook. What a difference. Really, you can't even compare the two, the macs trump them all. For me, the "biggest" problems are compatibility(with windows-only software, or PC users), and well, the price. Yes, it's more expensive, but that's one of the only issues there is. It's totally worth it, though. And the price(excepting software, iLife/iWork updates, etc.) is just a one time deal, then you have this great shiny piece of art, ha ha.

 

[h4rri3r]

Asking this question on a Mac discussion board? What do you think the answer will be? Of course!!

Nooo, don't go that way!
I thought of doing this question here because I was expecting opinions from people that did the migration process from Windows to Mac OSX and that is what is happening. I'm liking all your opinions in this topic, and I think that that's the most important thing.

Again, thanks to all!

That's crazy because I had a sony vaio PC computer for while(until last summer, when it totally crashed). And then last January I got a macbook. What a difference. Really, you can't even compare the two, the macs trump them all. For me, the "biggest" problems are compatibility(with windows-only software, or PC users), and well, the price. Yes, it's more expensive, but that's one of the only issues there is. It's totally worth it, though. And the price(excepting software, iLife/iWork updates, etc.) is just a one time deal, then you have this great shiny piece of art, ha ha.

Your situation is identical of mine! But yes, that's the big problem that maybe is getting Apple-wannabe-users afraid of getting a Mac, like me. Let me ask you something: Adium has some kind of support for voice-chat with MSN Messenger users?

 

[antdgar]

Do NOT get a Mac.

If you care about performance you can get much more at a better price if you buy a PC laptop.

Only buy a Mac if you already have a desktop PC that you can use to play games etc.

If this laptop will be your only computer then I strongly recommend not to buy a Mac.

I bought a macbook in 2007.
People will not tell you this, but Leopard is buggy. I have experienced many bugs. I've had many applications just freeze. More so than with Windows, in my experience. OS features like 'Spaces' is very dodgy... Don't get me started there...
Some features of the OS are amazing, and it feels great, so to speak.
Forget gaming, dual-booting is not an option. It's too tedious if you game more than once per month.

Hardware quality is sub-par. I've had 2 hard disks break. Maybe the uni-body macbook is better, who knows, I can only speak for myself.

For the price it's simply not worth it. You can get 4GB of RAM, a faster CPU and a faster GFX card for similar prices.

You could buy a much more powerful Windows machine. If I could go back in time, I would probably have done so

I do like my Mac. But I only have one because I have a very powerful desktop PC. If you don't care about performance or games then get a Mac.

If you care about either, then don't get one. It's my honest advice

 

[kwanzaa]

Do NOT get a Mac.

If you care about performance you can get much more at a better price if you buy a PC laptop.

Only buy a Mac if you already have a desktop PC that you can use to play games etc.

If this laptop will be your only computer then I strongly recommend not to buy a Mac.

I bought a macbook in 2007.
People will not tell you this, but Leopard is buggy. I have experienced many bugs. I've had many applications just freeze. More so than with Windows, in my experience. OS features like 'Spaces' is very dodgy... Don't get me started there...
Some features of the OS are amazing, and it feels great, so to speak.
Forget gaming, dual-booting is not an option. It's too tedious if you game more than once per month.

Hardware quality is sub-par. I've had 2 hard disks break. Maybe the uni-body macbook is better, who knows, I can only speak for myself.

For the price it's simply not worth it. You can get 4GB of RAM, a faster CPU and a faster GFX card for similar prices.

You could buy a much more powerful Windows machine. If I could go back in time, I would probably have done so

I do like my Mac. But I only have one because I have a very powerful desktop PC. If you don't care about performance or games then get a Mac.

If you care about either, then don't get one. It's my honest advice

Osrry but i have to disagree with u on this, i used ot use macs a lot but in 2001 i needed to use pcs cos i needed to program in pascal...last december i bought the new leopard revision white macbook, ive had no problems at all with it and i used to treat it like my slave, and it worked wonders, i sold it and am getting a mb Pro after wwdc cos im extremely pleased with the mac experience, i didnt take long at all to get used to the OS and i had no prblems at all with it, no hardware failures at all, only thing i didnt like abt mine was the plastic body and how susceptible it was to getting scratches and cracks. Otherwise it is working like a charm. I honestly suggest getting a mac, theyre a pleasure to use, and gaming wise dual booting aint that bad. I used to dual boot but then i started finding games for mac. Once ur gonna play a game swap over to the XP partition and once ur done swap back, as far as i know there is a specific version of crossover that works well with steam. Hope it goes well for u, but i too suggest MB Pro cos the Mb's screen isnt big enough to be comfy. The new gra[hics cards certainly give d macs a boost, the laptop i had had the intel GMA X3100 which impressively runs Games such as CoD 2 pretty well.

Good Luck

 

[h4rri3r]

Was you Mac experience that bad? You are contradicting all the other posters here.

 

[ditzy]

Do NOT get a Mac.

If you care about performance you can get much more at a better price if you buy a PC laptop.

Only buy a Mac if you already have a desktop PC that you can use to play games etc.

If this laptop will be your only computer then I strongly recommend not to buy a Mac.

I bought a macbook in 2007.
People will not tell you this, but Leopard is buggy. I have experienced many bugs. I've had many applications just freeze. More so than with Windows, in my experience. OS features like 'Spaces' is very dodgy... Don't get me started there...
Some features of the OS are amazing, and it feels great, so to speak.
Forget gaming, dual-booting is not an option. It's too tedious if you game more than once per month.

Hardware quality is sub-par. I've had 2 hard disks break. Maybe the uni-body macbook is better, who knows, I can only speak for myself.

For the price it's simply not worth it. You can get 4GB of RAM, a faster CPU and a faster GFX card for similar prices.

You could buy a much more powerful Windows machine. If I could go back in time, I would probably have done so

I do like my Mac. But I only have one because I have a very powerful desktop PC. If you don't care about performance or games then get a Mac.

If you care about either, then don't get one. It's my honest advice

While I agree that if your first priority for your computer is gaming then buying a mac is not the best choice, and you would certainly need to use bootcamp if you did buy a mac.
The rest of what has been said here I would have to strongly disagree with. I have never bought cheap PC's and yet all of them became really slow after six moths of using them. This has not s yet happened with my mac and I have had it a little over a year. PC's now eel like a waste of money to me, but then I am not a big gamer, and it is possible that if I was I would feel different.

 

[h4rri3r]

While I agree that if your first priority for your computer is gaming then buying a mac is not the best choice, and you would certainly need to use bootcamp if you did buy a mac.
The rest of what has been said here I would have to strongly disagree with. I have never bought cheap PC's and yet all of them became really slow after six moths of using them. This has not s yet happened with my mac and I have had it a little over a year. PC's now eel like a waste of money to me, but then I am not a big gamer, and it is possible that if I was I would feel different.

The only problem there is with Steam games, because with the others (and my favorite) companies, they have their games also available for Mac. Electronic Arts, Blizzard, Activision...

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Do NOT get a Mac.

If you care about performance you can get much more at a better price if you buy a PC laptop.

Only buy a Mac if you already have a desktop PC that you can use to play games etc.

If this laptop will be your only computer then I strongly recommend not to buy a Mac.

I bought a macbook in 2007.
People will not tell you this, but Leopard is buggy. I have experienced many bugs. I've had many applications just freeze. More so than with Windows, in my experience. OS features like 'Spaces' is very dodgy... Don't get me started there...
Some features of the OS are amazing, and it feels great, so to speak.
Forget gaming, dual-booting is not an option. It's too tedious if you game more than once per month.

Hardware quality is sub-par. I've had 2 hard disks break. Maybe the uni-body macbook is better, who knows, I can only speak for myself.

For the price it's simply not worth it. You can get 4GB of RAM, a faster CPU and a faster GFX card for similar prices.

You could buy a much more powerful Windows machine. If I could go back in time, I would probably have done so

I do like my Mac. But I only have one because I have a very powerful desktop PC. If you don't care about performance or games then get a Mac.

If you care about either, then don't get one. It's my honest advice

Disregard the above. ^^^

If you want a machine that works, and works great, get a Mac.

 

[AluminumMB]

Do NOT get a Mac.

If you care about performance you can get much more at a better price if you buy a PC laptop.

Only buy a Mac if you already have a desktop PC that you can use to play games etc.

If this laptop will be your only computer then I strongly recommend not to buy a Mac.

I bought a macbook in 2007.
People will not tell you this, but Leopard is buggy. I have experienced many bugs. I've had many applications just freeze. More so than with Windows, in my experience. OS features like 'Spaces' is very dodgy... Don't get me started there...
Some features of the OS are amazing, and it feels great, so to speak.
Forget gaming, dual-booting is not an option. It's too tedious if you game more than once per month.

Hardware quality is sub-par. I've had 2 hard disks break. Maybe the uni-body macbook is better, who knows, I can only speak for myself.

For the price it's simply not worth it. You can get 4GB of RAM, a faster CPU and a faster GFX card for similar prices.

You could buy a much more powerful Windows machine. If I could go back in time, I would probably have done so

I do like my Mac. But I only have one because I have a very powerful desktop PC. If you don't care about performance or games then get a Mac.

If you care about either, then don't get one. It's my honest advice

go the pc route and hackintosh
thats what im going to do