Switch Over?? help me decide

[johnnywest]

Alright, ive been a windows user since i was 7, ive used a mac probably all of 5 times, but i really like the ui. the main reason why i havent gotten one already is because i used to be a big gamer, but now im over that whole scene. im more into photography and video editing, and obviously a mac would be better for that, so...is it worth it to get a macbook?

or stick with windows....
are macs really as fast/smooth as people say? :/



thanks!

 

[TheBobcat]

I used to be a longtime Windows geek since we got 3.0 in my house when I was four. I got sick and tired of all the crap and spyware and problems, so I went Mac. My safety net was bootcamp, because as I saw it, if it really didn't work for me, I had a perfectly viable (damn good looking) Windows laptop. Needless to say, I barely even boot into Windows.

Now, the thing to remember is that although OSX is a lot better, it is different and a lot of stuff is just different from Windows, and is not exactly the same. You're going to need help from time to time and this place is great for that. But other than that, its a great challenge and it really expands your knowledge.

Take the plunge, if you don't like OSX you have a Windows laptop thats a great machine. But if you like OSX, you've found that computers can be enjoyable again.

 

[johnnywest]

I used to be a longtime Windows geek since we got 3.0 in my house when I was four. I got sick and tired of all the crap and spyware and problems, so I went Mac. My safety net was bootcamp, because as I saw it, if it really didn't work for me, I had a perfectly viable (damn good looking) Windows laptop. Needless to say, I barely even boot into Windows.

Now, the thing to remember is that although OSX is a lot better, it is different and a lot of stuff is just different from Windows, and is not exactly the same. You're going to need help from time to time and this place is great for that. But other than that, its a great challenge and it really expands your knowledge.

Take the plunge, if you don't like OSX you have a Windows laptop thats a great machine. But if you like OSX, you've found that computers can be enjoyable again.

thanks for the quick reply, also, should i wait for leopard? or will i just be able to upgrade? what are your pros and cons (if any)
what are some cool differences?

 

[thugpoet22]

I used both Windows and apple my whole life. The first computers i ever used in school were apple computers, but within high school and college the school computers were windows based pc's.

From personal experience i can honestly say that apple provides a much better computing experience. For some reason i feel more productive when i'm on my mac. And honestly its no so much the hardware that got me to switch, it was the software that was bundled with it. iLife is wonderful. I was amazed that it comes with the computer. Unless you do hard core stuff with images, music or gaming, the mac with be perfect for you right out of the box.

I agree with the last post OSX is better and different. You way of thinking is going to have to change a bit. With windows, the first thing i installed was anti virus, firewall, spyware remover and a registry cleaner. You simply don't have the same worries as you would on a mac. Now i don't to give you a false sense of security. I would find a decent firewall and a a app like Onyx to clean out your mac from time to time.

When you work with a mac you will receive a strong sense of security and stability. Like they alway say " It just works". I dont know why but i feel like mac apps look better and function better. Almost as if mac programmers spend more time on their code.

I think its worth the money that you spend. I mean you can piece together some parts and install windows or linux on it, but with that your also granted with driver issues and sub par parts. I cant convince a person to spend $1600, i decided to get my macbook because i was tired of windows. Not that windows was unstable, i was just tired of the same old thing. I wanted a new interface, i also wanted to know what the big woop was about. And i've come the realize that the woop is there for a reason.

 

[mlochm]

definitely switch but wait for leopard if you can- You will save a bit of cash that way- One piece of early advice i could give you is- take care of your mac and hold onto it for about a year (year and a half)-- sell it within the 2 big upgrades following your orig. purchase- they hold there value and you can just keep buying a new upgraded mac for a couple hundred bucks more each time. A very cool thing indeed. try and do that with a pc...

 

[Killyp]

I'd switch! I used to be a big time gamer (more of a strategy gamer than anything and BIG TIME Roller Coaster Tycoon guy!), but I kind of grew out of that.

Now, I use my Mac for doing what it does best, everything other than games (although it's still very good for games), and the ultimate for gaming - my 360.


Really, you'll love the switch, I did! You kind of feel like you're part of a special select club in a nerdy way...

 

[dannyss]

I've been using Windows since 1.00. Used DOS before that. When Apple decided to go with the Intel processors and there was talk that their computer would be able to run Windows the idea started to cross my mind. I do have to use some Windows program for work.
After spending a weekend rebuilding my Windows desktop for the Nth time I was convinced. The Macbook Pro C2D had just been announced! Time to switch. So I bought mine 2 months ago. NEVER regretted it!
I run Win XP under Parallels. Runs great. But most of my time is in OS X. You've got to get used to a few things, but for me it was natural.

 

[compuwar]

Alright, ive been a windows user since i was 7, ive used a mac probably all of 5 times, but i really like the ui. the main reason why i havent gotten one already is because i used to be a big gamer, but now im over that whole scene. im more into photography and video editing, and obviously a mac would be better for that, so...is it worth it to get a macbook?

or stick with windows....
are macs really as fast/smooth as people say? :/

is it worth laying down 1600$+
?


thanks!

You might want to go to the Video forum and see if any users are editing on the Macbook to see if its got the horsepower for that. Also, you'll probably want to add the cost of something like Final Cut to your purchase. Also, if you're a student, be sure to look at the student discount prices.

 

[nateDEEZY]

You might want to go to the Video forum and see if any users are editing on the Macbook to see if its got the horsepower for that. Also, you'll probably want to add the cost of something like Final Cut to your purchase. Also, if you're a student, be sure to look at the student discount prices.

Heh, I'm glad someone mentioned that! I was about to add, I'm not sure if macbooks have the horsepower to do video editing.

Wait for leopard, and save more money till you can afford the base macbook pro with student discount.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

The MacBooks will run iMovie/iDVD (for starters) and Final Cut Express (intermediate to pro) without any problems, given you get enough RAM. 1GB is ok, 2GB is great! You can even hack Final Cut Studio to run quite all right (though Motion isn't too happy and will not behave as it should), but I think most will be more than happy with FCE.

For photo, if you want something a bit more complex than iPhoto: Aperture will run (with a small hack), but not very smoothly, and I would rather recommend Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for organizing and "development", either with Photoshop Elements or, if you can afford it, Photoshop CS3 when that is released, for touch-up. Both the Lightroom and CS3 betas runs very well on my MacBook 2Ghz CD with 2GB RAM.

The MacBook will be a perfect machine to start off with. Once you outgrow that you can consider the MacBook Pro (or more likely: The high end iMac or even a Mac Pro). Just get enough RAM and a big external firewire disk for media (and Backup) and you should be fine.

 

[johnnywest]

woah, thanks for all the responses, im convinced ^_^ i was thinking of getting the black macbook but getting it w 2gb of ram, what ill probably being doing with it most is photoshop, light video editing, and mainly just surfin the web watchin videos.

 

[superleccy]

I was a hardcore PC user from 1992, and I'd just gotten used to all the things you had to do to keep PCs usable. I "went Mac" in 2004.

However, my girlfriend still has a Dell laptop. I just spent my Sunday upgrading its security software (which cost her £28, after I explained to her that she could get it cheaper than the £60 the McAfee pop-up was demanding) and then fiddling about with the Bluetooth trying to get it to work again (for some reason it had reverted to an older version of the Stack and I had to find the right Dell-flavored Toshiba Drivers). She'd had the machine now for 18 months and it's starting to crawl... probably time for an OS reinstall... but that's a pleasure I can save for another weekend.

It is days like this that I am glad that I switched. I can't remember the last time I had to do any sort of "system maintenance" on it, and I've certainly never needed to re-install the OS. Hell, I've not even rebooted this year yet!

HTH
Superleccy

 

[ruZZ.il]

Hi. I've been a user for 3 months now. I'm proud to have left my old 'lifestyle'. I try stay clean. I shower every day. and my new MBP C2D tackles everything I throw it at with a smile parallels is sufficient for the little windows things I still need, and.. well.. now I just need to convert the rest of the fam so I don't have to be the tech guy when I go home. just a little fussed about the display quality on this.. but the machine is great and the environment.. well.. once you go mac you wont go back

 

[zorba199]

I recently got myself a dell e1405 for 770(incl. tax and shipping), with everything I need(and more). Translate that into an apple laptop and you're looking at 1500$. With the ibook I've had there were only troubles(hd down, logicboard out for good now. It cost more than 1200 and customerservice was nothing to write home about). The only thing that I'm missing other than a little simplicity is iphoto and imovie and I'll find other ways to get what I need there..
You probably should ask your question also in some other forum.
I may be the only dissenter here, but after the experience I've had with my logicboard: apple sucks.

 

[polevault139]

I recently got myself a dell e1405 for 770(incl. tax and shipping), with everything I need(and more). Translate that into an apple laptop and you're looking at 1500$. With the ibook I've had there were only troubles(hd down, logicboard out for good now. It cost more than 1200 and customerservice was nothing to write home about). The only thing that I'm missing other than a little simplicity is iphoto and imovie and I'll find other ways to get what I need there..
You probably should ask your question also in some other forum.
I may be the only dissenter here, but after the experience I've had with my logicboard: apple sucks.

The Macbook with the exact same specs is only 200 dollars more. The Macbook is also .5 inches thinner. The Macbook has iLife and the webcam all of which the E1405 do not. So the whole "Macs are more expensive than PC's" thing is a bunch of crap. And who would want a computer that is as ugly as a e1405, i mean that thing is as ugly as sin.

 

[zorba199]

The Macbook with the exact same specs is only 200 dollars more. The Macbook is also .5 inches thinner. The Macbook has iLife and the webcam all of which the E1405 do not. So the whole "Macs are more expensive than PC's" thing is a bunch of crap. And who would want a computer that is as ugly as a e1405, i mean that thing is as ugly as sin.

You're obviously considerably off in your calculations: if you go to the Apple website(which I'm sure you do a lot anyways since you're doing their bidding), you'll find the following:
Apple macbook 13in with DVD burner, tax(shipping is free) 1393$. That's way more than the 200$ that you claim, and so there goes YOUR myth.
But, who knows, maybe you get lucky and find an Apple computer with a logicboard that last longer than 2 years.

 

[mindsplit]

You're obviously considerably off in your calculations: if you go to the Apple website(which I'm sure you do a lot anyways since you're doing their bidding), you'll find the following:
Apple macbook 13in with DVD burner, tax(shipping is free) 1393$.

I've done this and made the comparible e1405:
e1405 is the c2d 2.0GHZ with burner, bluetooth, 667 1GB ram, and 80GB HD. the total cost before taxes equals 1159.

For the apple macbook 13 inch with dvd burner (the middle compared spec) is 1299 which IS around 200 more before taxes.

As for logic board failure, apple has more of them, but most people that get the macbooks don't experience that. Just b/c you see it listed on here that there is a logic board failure doesn't mean most people have them. In fact, most people that only have a problem post. You're not taking in the consideration of people that aren't posting b/c they don't have a problem . Just because you had a problem doesn't mean others will.

also, your paying more for having a notebook that's a little thinner, a little lighter, has an integrated mic and cam, and the apple tax of OSX and the iLife suite along with a better looking notebook.

and now for a question: Why troll?

 

[johnnywest]

haha, alright, im getting a macbook ^_^
and to everyone saying, "get a dell" and all that, its worth it to spend a lil extra to get a sleek looking laptop that you can put xp on if worse came to worse.