Justin A. Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 I know that this has been done to death, but I can't find the threads. Im just looking for some pros and cons of each. Right now Im HEAVILY favoring getting a new Mac instead of another PC. Any thoughts? Thanks Guys! ________ CALIFORNIA DISPENSARIES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirror70 Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Can't go wrong with an Intel Mac. Competitively priced, fantastic laptops, serious horsepower desktops, and you can run Windows natively when you need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 i like mac, tho i possess windoze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Nobody makes a sexier laptop, although I can't think of a reason other than the drool factor to get one over a PC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirror70 Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Nobody makes a sexier laptop, although I can't think of a reason other than the drool factor to get one over a PC. How about form factor and price? Can't get PC laptops that thin, and you can't get equivalent ones for much less $. You can get cheaper ones, but they won't be as thin or feature-equivalent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Aren't the Sony Vaios pretty close? I guess OS-X is pretty cool but I don't know much about it, like how close they let you get to the Linux underpinnings. I still say your sig is bad code :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirror70 Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 I don't know much about it, like how close they let you get to the Linux underpinnings. They allow hot, raw, uncensored, and barely legal access to the Linux undergarments. Sorry, making Linux sound sexy isn't easy :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 I've never owned a mac so this could be wrong, but the impression I always get from them whenever I have to use one is that they are "computers for dummies". This was reinforced when I bought an Apple AirPort to send my music from my computer to my stereo over wifi. The installation manual basically said "just plug it in and it will work". Well, it didn't, and I had to call support to get it going. Now, if the new OS is really Linux and it allows you access to all the Linux goodies then it would seem the pendulum has swung the other way, in which case they are now computers for the really savvy. That would really suit me, but where does that leave the average user who doesn't care about Linux but who isn't a computer dummy either? Get a Shuttle. http://us.shuttle.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 OS-X as I understand it uses Linux as the engine but keeps the simplified interface that Mac users love. It's not only computers for dummies - I have some very smart friends who love their Macs. Many features we enjoy on PCs today including the windowed GUI model and plugnplay hardware (which usually works very well on Macs, not so much PCs) were invented at Apple or the predecessor Xerox labs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinecure Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 OS-X is Unix, not Linux (I could be wrong). What matters is its basically bulletproof. My only downside is that I can't run a particular program on my mac and I miss it. The program is ACT. There's no way I'd buy a PC over a mac for anything except if I had to run certain apps that aren't on mac. My current powerbook G4 is 2.5 years old and still runs great. I've never had a pc laptop that's still running well after more than 18months. PCs take forever to boot, have to be rebooted at least daily (don't try closing/opening/closing/opening the lid multiple times or it will lock up). With my mac I just close the lid and reopen at home. It recognizes the new wireless network immediately and if I reboot it once a week that's a lot. And my airport express has worked flawlessly since the day I took it out of the box and I've never read the manual. We use one in the office to share a printer and it allows us to share eachothers iTunes libraries. iTunes/iPod stuff is great on the mac. Oh, and mine even survived a crash on my motorcycle. The case is a little dented and bent, but it still works fine a year and a half after the crash. Buy the mac, you won't be sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 My bad, a little googling reveals that OS-X is based on BSD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derf Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Which is best depends on your use of it. For engineering, Windows is better because all engineering software runs on it. For graphics, Mac is usually preferred. For everyday use, it varies, but I would lean towards Mac. For the hardware, Mac has better hardware (quality and integration), but PC has more hardware choice. As for laptop or desktop, get a desktop unless you REALLY need a laptop. If you want a PC, build your own, it is usually better than a brand name computer (when done correctly). And if you build your own, get an Antec case. About the BSD core of Mac OS X, you have access to everything through the shell. You can run any BSD compatible software. The only backdraw is that BSD software usually uses the X Windows rendering system (instead of the native Mac display system), which make apps look out of place and you can't have them interact together. The BSD core is definately a big plus over Windows. It is what makes OS X way better than OS 9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 I've only had a few months on a Mac compared to years on windows...BUT given the now lower cost of Mac's my next computer I can afford to make the change and afford the software. Macs do what I need (graphics imaging etc) better than PC's and the added plus to the new Mac Book being soooo small fast and cheap has sold me completely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDY_2_Carve Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 My works buys all kinds of new PC hardware and we recently got a Dell Latitude 420-It was extremely small and portable. I'd recommend it if you decide to go the PC route and don't need high end video for say gaming. We also have some new XPS laptops that kick a$$ if you got the $$. Never used a Mac, but I'm not really opposed to them. 100% of what I support as a Network Engineer is a PC, at least for the past 8 years working for the government as a contractor. I've networked a handful of Mac's and it was very easy to use the OS and setup IP settings and such. Amazing how easy it is to use considering somebody can network those things that has never used a Mac at all... Home use? Get whatever works for you. Personally I use PC's at home because I can build them from the ground up. But with Windows running on Mac's and using Intel chips and such it changes everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinecure Posted September 16, 2006 Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 My works buys all kinds of new PC hardware and we recently got a Dell Latitude 420-It was extremely small and portable. They really have a model with that number? They need to bring back that "dude you're getting a Dell" guy. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin A. Posted September 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 My girlfriend and father both have Dells...and their experiences have convinced me that Dell makes THE WORST laptop on the market. Besides, Im talking about desktops anyway. Thanks alot everyone, you have sold me on a Mac. Anyone know if the Mac Mini can accept an aftermarket graphics card? Either way, if anyone has experience with games on the Mini I would greatly appreciate some feedback before I go out and drop $800 . ________ Ford hsc engine picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedzilla Posted September 16, 2006 Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 ...Macs do what I need (graphics imaging etc) better than PC's ... I call BS. I'm an art director, and my department uses nothing but PCs. Tell me one thing a Mac can do (graphic design related) that a PC can't do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ghostrider Posted September 16, 2006 Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 From my CS learnin, a major difference i have found between the two is memory management. In normal person language, the ram in a system is not enough to run on no matter how much you have. It has to use the hard drive simulated as ram. But the hard drive is slower. So dating back to the days when there werent many memory intensive applications out there, windows does not swap the memory from ram to hard drive automatically. Resulting in the "usual" windows crash and application freezing when it has sucked all the resources dry. Macs do this swap automatically and frequently. Making them seem to run smoother for large memory needs like video and graphics. solution: lots of RAM on a PC or a little trick few know about is that if you are using a memory intensive application like photoshop or video editing, minimize it every once in a while. Whenever windows minimizes a program, it flushes the ram to the hard drive (page file if you want to be technical) and releases the resources. When you maximize it again, youll see it will come back with a fraction of the memory it was using before. Keeping RAM happy is the key to a smooth OS. My XP machine has 2GB of ram on a 2.8GHz single core processor running as a google map/web/mysql server and also doing graphics, web design AND video editing and by using the Ctrl+Alt+Del Performance and Processes tab to check up on things every once in a while, I average a 28 day uptime usually crashing because of some program I wrote that freaks out a graphics card or something...sounds very Mac-esque eh? Word on the street is that windows has changed this memory issue to be more memory friendly in the new Vista operating system. From what i've played with, it does in fact seem to be smarter with resources utilizing more hardware for graphics and leaving the RAM to do its original job to just run the system. So what do I say? Get a PC. You don't need to pay lots extra for fancy packaging and a pretty looking box that will sit on or under your desk. There's no middle ground to Mac and PC. Youll be a user of one or the other. I always say if youre comfortable on a PC, why switch? It may not be "groovy" and "hip" but theres a lot to be said that its a "standard" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted September 16, 2006 Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 have integrated graphics, intel graphics so make sure you put in 1gb because the graphics system runs off of the system RAM the PPC minis had a brand name graphics with dedicated ram but were still soldered on the thing about minis are that they are built with laptop parts that said, the mini I am using is one of my favorite computer that I have ever had, what I am typing this with actually. OS X is the best OS going at the moment, been using windows Vista allot recently and it is better than XP by a long shot but still is not really competitive, and apple is releasing a new OS in Q1 07 so again MS is gonna be riding the short bus funny stuff OS X is sort of BSD but not really, it has a BSD subsystem running atop mach, what OS X is in reality is a prettied up nextstep see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XNU Most BSD software does not run out of the box in OS X, you need to recompile it and usually make some tweaks, this is the most popular solution http://fink.sourceforge.net/about.php?phpLang=en and the other one is this http://darwinports.opendarwin.org/ and for background on NeXT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdPxKDJzt7Q overall unless you're a architect, engineer or hardcore gamer Macs more reliable, easier to use and more full featured than windows boxes also, for internet machines they are great because most of the attacks out there attack windows speaking of insecurities, here's how to get the root equivilant in XP on a local machine http://www.projectstreamer.com/users/r0t0r00t3r/xp_priv_esc-1/xp_priv_esc.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted September 16, 2006 Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 you get decent performance not great by any means, between the OS not really being the best OS for games and the cheesy graphics system they are just alright, a friend of mine has a intel imac and claims that when he is running XP on the Mac that Halo runs faster in XP than OS X, either way most games are for windows anyway so just install bootcamp and give windows a partition if you want to play games. one nice thing about the minis are that the CPUs are really easy to swap out if you want a gaming machine that's a mac I would go with one of the Xeon based machines, though I am not sure all versions of XP will recognize four CPUs (two dual core xeons), I know that win 2000 would not, you needed a totally different peice of software Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin A. Posted September 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 Im not talking about uber-games here like Halo, Im talking about kinda old games like Empire Earth, maybe some Rainbow Six for me. My girlfriend likes to play the Sims 2 though, so maybe that might need some more oomph. ________ Yamaha Sy77 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin A. Posted September 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 I just had an ephiphany...I think. If I could run a Mini Mac side-by-side with my current desktop, I think I would be golden. Use the PC for games and the Mac for...everything else. No need for a new graphics card in the Mac. Is there a way to have a monitor feed off of two different computers (not at the same time, but like 2 channels into it)? ________ Easy Vape Vaporizer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ghostrider Posted September 16, 2006 Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 Is there a way to have a monitor feed off of two different computers Yup, you'll want a KVM switch (Keyboard Video Mouse). Some of these switch audio too. Best Buy/Circuit City has these on the shelves. If you want it cheaper and more options, check out www.newegg.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derf Posted September 16, 2006 Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 My girlfriend and father both have Dells...and their experiences have convinced me that Dell makes THE WORST laptop on the market. Besides, Im talking about desktops anyway. Thanks alot everyone, you have sold me on a Mac. Anyone know if the Mac Mini can accept an aftermarket graphics card? Either way, if anyone has experience with games on the Mini I would greatly appreciate some feedback before I go out and drop $800 . The Mac mini and the iMac are basically laptop hardware (to some extent) in desktop format. Everything is integrated. The Mac mini is approximately 6x6x2, the size of an aftermarket graphic card, so I don't think its gonig to fit! If you want expandability or be able to swap the graphics card, you have to get a Mac Pro, but it's 2500$! Or a used PowerMac, but it's not going to be an Intel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted September 18, 2006 Report Share Posted September 18, 2006 Aren't the Sony Vaios pretty close?I guess OS-X is pretty cool but I don't know much about it, like how close they let you get to the Linux underpinnings. I still say your sig is bad code :) I had a Sony Vaio for a couple of weeks earlier this summer. It was one of their business class machines - BX something. It ran brutally hot and battery life was literally 45 minutes. I sent it back. Bought a MacBook Pro. Haven't looked back. I was immediately productive with the thing without loading a bit of new software, without installing virus protection, anti-spyware, disk defragmenter, TCP/IP optimizer, Bluetooth drivers, etc... Oh, I forgot the best part, I can't run my favourite games on it so I'm way more productive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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