PC vs. Mac (Which one is better?)?

Question

PC vs. Mac (Which one is better?)?

Answer 1

Well i and i guess many people have used PC's over the years and it could be considered 'the norm'. But im also a graphic designer and i use Mac's all day at work so i guess ive experience in both worlds.



MACS:



Easy to use, dont have to worry about them crashing or getting virus's (but its still possible, just not that common).



I find them faster to use than PC's, specially to boot up and shut down. I can be on the web in under 30seconds form boot up.



and they also look good.





For school work, well you can get Microsoft Office for the Mac, or use Open Office. I guess that any programs you use for a PC you can find a version for the Mac, or a program that will do the same job, and sometimes for FREE!!!!



Music.... Itunes, it Mac based and easy to use. Same for movies and pictures. Mac's have software to allow you to watch movies, and look at your photos. To be honest a Mac can do eveything a PC can do...if not better except........games!



This is the downside for Macs, when it comes to games its very hard,if not impossible to get the latest games for it.



I personally would choose the Mac, and here is a bonus as to why



http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/guide/windows



with the new macs these are intel compatible which means you can boot up windows and mac operating systems on the one computer/laptop.



Aslong as the mac as 'boot camp' and you have a copy of windows to install then you can do it this way. But you cannot do it the other way round..... have a pc and run windows and Mac OS. (well you can but its hard to get the drivers to work)



Hope this helps, if you can afford it then get a Mac unless you intend to play games then get a pc (unless you can find the Mac version of the game)

Answer 2

mac, i know I've been using pc's for over 13 years, the mac is so much better, here are some reasons

1. you can install windows on the mac and keep both mac OS X and windows

2, drivers are easy you don't need to look for them on the internet for days just put the mac os x dvd in and it will install all the drivers for the computer and installed apple update program to keep them up to date

3, it's a mac it last longer then others, look at it as a car Ford as a pc

BMW as a mac, i know it's a stupid reason but it's the best i can think of right now

Answer 3

I got a Mac and I love it. It's so much easier to use than the family PC we had at home. I'm not a technical guy so I can't tell you all the differences in hardware and software and which one is better that way, but what I can tell you is that everything that I've wanted to do on my laptop, I've been able to do easily on my MacBook Pro.

Answer 4

Well in your case, Mac. Macs are good for organization and downloading media such as music.

Answer 5

Have you noticed how many people bash Macs without making an attempt to stand by their assertions? They can't support their statements because they are unfounded.



I really get a kick out of the people who argue that there is so much software that won't run on a Mac. Funny, I have never failed to find software for my Macs to do the tasks that I want to do. It is true that there is a lower number of applications for the Mac, but there is no software shortage at all.



You don't have to take my word that Macs are superior to PCs. Just take Microsoft's word for it. There is little that that can do with Windows that was not copied from the Mac. A company as big as Microsoft knows well enough not to copy an inferior product.

Answer 6

PC hands down!

MAC is horrible, you cannot trust anything about it, and alot of programs are not made for it!

For sure, go with HP, they are such good computers! I have a desktop right now, and getting a HP with a swivel type screen on the laptop. I would certainly go with HP, or Toshiba for a laptop, Toshiba is very reliable, and when a part screws itself, Toshiba makes parts for it all the time, wheris alot of companies discontinue their separate parts after a year or so.

But never, ever go with Apple Mac, my friend got an iPhone and a MacBook air. The iPhone lasted a year and about a month, the Air gavve out a few months in, and is super falty and slow!

Answer 7

A lot of pc users completely ignore what I write and just post something to the effect of "macs sux lol" without ever giving evidence or having used one and have no idea what they are talking about. Heres my generic argument.



Get a mac. You will not need to install antivirus/anti-spyware/drivers there will be no registry errors, missing dlls and daily crashes. Most windows applications require an installer to install the application which puts files all over the system (and bogs it down). Most Mac applications do not need an installer and therefore do not install files all over the place, the entire application is one icon that you can put anywhere.



Mac comes with free powerful movie,soundtrack,web and photo software. The macbook pro laptop have two graphics cards for fast movie rendering times.



As for the "mac is unpopular there for not many viruses are written for it" argument, think of this. With mac OS 9 (based on dos) back when the mac market share was around 5% there were 500+ viruses for the OS. Today with a mac market share of 10% you think there would be double the amount of viruses. There are in fact maybe 10 application specific (not OS) trojans for the modern mac.



No macs are not bullet proof, every OS is going to have problems. Mac just has far fewer problems then windows specifically for the reasons I listed above. For example, I just made a flawless upgrade from 10.5 to 10.6, try doing that from Vista to 7.



As for the "no viruses are written for mac because it is closed source" argument think of this. The mac OS is opensource, you can go download mac's core os and install it on your computer right now. http://developer.apple.com/Darwin/ Apple provides its suite of application development software that they use, with every system. I have made some powerful applications without having to spend a dime on software development programs.



Also, in the windows commercials, notice how they never attack the quality of the mac OS like the the Apple adds attack the windows OS. Instead, the windows adds attack the price of apple products. What does this say about the quality of Mac vs PC? Hint, hint, nudge, nudge.

Answer 8

PC, because 99.99999% of programs are applicable with it.



Mac sucks. personal opinion. But about 90% of programs can be downloaded with it.

Answer 9

I own a pc and its pretty great but for visual quality id say mac but you get what you pay for and considering that and the price of macs id say a mac is probly better

Answer 10

PC, but Asus or http://www.powernotebooks.com would be better for quality.. Avoid the Mac, read below.. (Macs are good with quicktime, but have many issues with wmv, wma)



PC=Variety of specs, options, quality, prices, vendors, support

Mac=One vendor, limited options, still more expensive. Look below for more information..



Today, Macs use a subset of PC hardware. Why spend extra to get the same CPU chips, graphics cards and OS X isn't as secure as you think..



Don't believe the lies that Macs are better than PCs at graphics/animation.. Dreamworks Animation http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/ under studio click on Technology of Animation, an independent film maker I know uses PCs, a graphic artist I used to know uses PCs also.



A number of PCs can also run OS X (Mac OS) http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=os+x+on+pc&btnG=Google+Search&aq=0&oq=os+x+on+ as well just that Apple makes it illegal in order to get Market share.. The reason why Mac can run native Windows is because it is using a subset of PC hardware,



If you decide to buy a Mac for running Windows, you will still have to get the same virus/spyware protection, and run into the same issues as a regular PC.





Now is a Mac worth buying for OS X?



I say: NO... for the following reasons...



QUALITY/PROBLEMS

Contrary to belief, Macs are not better quality. Apple also has been changing suppliers to try to "lower the price" and thus lowering quality. Even with the lower prices, Macs still cost more, they spend a higher percent of budget trying to make it look pretty, and marketing.



Sample of problems: Deleting your Data (Snow Leopard), Overheating Macbooks, OS X- not responding to keyboard, some units with 16bit screens, etc. Apple statistics are misleading since Mac users with problem machines are more likely to go out and buy a new computer than PC users. Apple is lowering prices which means you can expect lower quality than in the past. Apple had switched the manufacturers producing parts. OS X also has problems slowing down.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=5006

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10020263-17.html

http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/01/apples-quality-dwindling-my-macbook-pro-sob-story/

http://www.appledefects.com/

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os-x-operating-system/107748-mac-os-leopard-running-slow.html

http://cybernetnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/reliable-laptops.jpg



Repairs are more expensive than PCs since the IMac, Mac Mini are compact units, and Apple charges a premium for their services. Some repairs can be done by another repair service but the compact design of the computer causes problems.

With an IMac, if the problem is with the monitor, the whole computer would have to be brought in.

IMac and Mac mini lack expansion.



VIRUSES

Mac OS X has viruses (and significantly on the rise), a friend of mine has a virused Mac. As more users use Macs, more viruses will come out for it. Especially when users think "they are safe".

http://infosecurity.us/?p=4005

http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2008/07/malware_authors_take_aim_at_growing_number_of_1.html

http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/poll_have_you_noticed_an_increase_in_malware_viruses_etc_on_your_mac/



SECURITY

Mac OS X was hacked in 2006 less than 30 minutes, and within 2 minutes in a contest in 2008, and within 10 seconds in 2009. In 2008, Linux and Vista were not hacked until another day when restrictions were lowered. Vista was next, and then Linux. In 2009 Windows 7 fell shortly after the Mac but Linux was unscathed.

Macs are standardized with Cameras, if your Mac gets hacked, the hacker can turn on your camera with more ease.

Please Note: All OS's have vulnerabilities.

http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Mac-OS-X-hacked-under-30-minutes/0,130061744,139241748,00.htm

http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/03/27/Gone-in-2-minutes-Mac-gets-hacked-first-in-contest_1.html

http://www.infoworld.com/article/09/03/19/Researcher_cracks_Mac_in_10_seconds_1.html

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Finds-Irony-in-Mac-OS-X-Getting-Hacked-Before-Vista-SP1-82135.shtml



PRICE

A similar equipped PC is much cheaper to purchase than Mac. Lets use Dell (but you can compare with another PC Brand if you like)



**(LAPTOP)

Dell Inspiron Laptop Starting Price: $500

Ending Price: $500

15" Screen

CPU: 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo [5% slower]

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD [Not as good/fine for general use[

Memory: 3GB DDR2 SDRAM [75% of ram)

Hard Drive: 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (same)

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dndozm4&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=laptop-inspiron-1545



Cybperpower Notebook Xplorer X5-2900 Starting Price: $755

Ending Price After upgrades (not including 5% rebate): $860

15" Screen

CPU: (upgrade to) 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (+$100) [FASTER]

Graphics: Nvidia GFORCE 9600-GT 512MB [MUCH FASTER/BETTER CARD]

Memory: 4GB DDR2 SDRAM [MORE MEMORY]

Hard Drive: (upgrade to) 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (+$5) [LARGER HARD DRIVE]

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Xplorer_X5-2900_Notebook/detail



Macbook Starting laptop Price: $1000

Ending Price After Upgrades: $1200

13" Screen (SMALLER)

CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (SLOWER)

Graphics: Nvidia GFORCE 9400 256MB

Memory: (upgrade to) 4GB DDR2 SDRAM (SAME)

Hard Drive (upgrade to) 320B Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (SAME)

http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC240LL/A?mco=NjcxMTQ3Ng





**(DESKTOP)



PLEASE NOTE: I compare Apple Mac's vs Dells best deal. If you really want an all-in one the Dell all-in-one has more ram, wireless keyboard and mouse and equivalent to $400 for free making the Imac still more expensive when you matching specs. Personally I don't think the All-in-Ones are a good choice, and consider them overpriced, lack expandability and repairs both more expensive and require the entire computer.



PS: Apple knows that they need to make Macintosh look different than PC so all Macs except the Mac Pro will not have a tower option. Apple's low end lacks expandability but it makes the Mac "look different", if Mac had a tower for low-end, more people would realize the similarities between the two.



Dell: ($700)

CPU: 2.33 GHZ Dell Inspiron QUAD (4 Processor) CORE

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: 4GB Ram

HARD DRIVE: 500 GB hard Drive

OPTICAL DRIVE: 16x DVD/CD Read/Writer

GRAPHICS: ATI Radeon HD 512MB

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dddwra4&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=desktop-inspiron-537s



The Mac Mini since it has no monitor, keyboard, mouse, very skimpy on options and setup and is not the best deal... The IMac is better price than the Mac Mini.



IMac ($1300)

CPU: 2.4 GHZ DUAL (2 Processor) CORE (SLOWER CPU)

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: (upgrade to) 4GB Ram (SAME)

HARD DRIVE: (upgrade to ) 320 GB hard Drive (LESS HARD DRIVE)

OPTICAL DRIVE: 8x DVD Reader/Writer (1/2 speed)

GRAPHICS: Nvidia Geforce 9400M (APPROX SAME BUT LESS MEMORY GAPHICS)

http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB417LL/A?mco=NDE4Mzg3Ng



ADVANTAGES WINDOWS :

Aprox 90% of the market is Windows and most PCs have windows already pre-installed.

1) Some websites require Internet Explorer, to run IE on Mac you really get ies4osx which is the Windows version of IE running really buggy and illegal if you don't have a legitimate copy of Windows.

2) Supports more devices (printers and other things you hook into the computer).

3) More business software/games

4) Want the dock on OS X (Mac)? google/yahoo rocketdock, objectdoc.

5) Used by businesses.



ADVANTAGES LINUX :

1) FREE (most versions are)

2) Install software by either 1) Synaptic Package Manager, 2) Add/Remove 3) Opening a .deb or .rpm file (depending on distribution)

2) Like the Mac OS X effects? go yahoo/google COMPIZ FUSION which can do any cool effect a Mac can do and many ore....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Fbk52Mk1w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3gkX9HDfEE (there is no flickering when you use it like on the video, not sure why the person has the flicker)

3) Mac OS X Doc? google/yahoo Avant Window Navigator.Cairo Dock, http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3rf5q_cairo-dock-mac-os-x-leopard-dock-on_tech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0hzi22g2DE

4) It is FASTER/MORE SECURE to surf on the internet

5) Some Windows programs work with Wnehq/Crossover (also avail on Mac, but why pay $$$)



Instructions how to download, burn and boot http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/use-ubuntu-live-cd-to-backup-files-from-your-dead-windows-computer/

Dual Boot Instructions http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_windows_xp_and_linux_xp_installed_first.htm



Equivalents to ILife

http://www.jakeludington.com/ask_jake/20070830_ilife_for_windows.html

http://www.xsellize.com/showthread.php?t=20518



FREE Windows Stuff

http://www.comodo.com/products/free_products.html

http://www.iobit.com/

http://www.ccleaner.com/

ANTI-VIRUS

Avira Antivir (FREE) for 2009 personal edition is free (there is a paid version) the free version was rated the best by consumer reports 2009.

http://www.free-av.com/ Avast (Free- Click under Free Software and download Avast Home Edition) http://www.avast.com/



ANTI-MALWARE

Windows Defender (FREE)

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx

Malware Bytes (FREE) Limitation - No Realtime protection on free version.

http://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html?tag=mncol

Super Anti-Spyware (FREE)

http://download.cnet.com/SuperAntiSpyware-Free-Edition/3000-8022_4-10523889.html?tag=mncol



LINUX INFO:

http://distrowatch.com/

http://polishlinux.org/

http://www.desktoplinux.com/

http://polishlinux.org/

http://www.ubuntu.com/

Answer 11

The main difference between macs and pcs is the operating system. If you want windows 7, get a pc. If you want snow leopard, get a mac. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then get the one that you think looks better. As for documents and media, they can both get the job done.

Answer 12

I think you should purchase a refurbished PC which would be much better in compare of MAC



These systems are made for user friendly and plus they are easily to get and you easily install any software for MAC it's heard to learn secondly you cannot install every software on it.



So in my suggestion you should go for a refurbished HP laptop

Answer 13

will if you want to be one of the people who like to say how much you payed for some thing cause it makes you feel good buy a mac if you want somthing that is good buy a PC

Answer 14

I've always been a PC sorta guy cuz I nv liked how a Mac works but thats my opinion. there basically almost the same. same tasks, browsers, both of microsoft office. just see which one is cheaper and is the fastest when you go to shop. there a lot of pc models.

Answer 15

if your used to pc's then stick with a pc laptop, macs are very nice, but can take a little while to get used to.



if on the otherhand your used to using a mac, go for it, they look soooo cool

Answer 16

P.C It is good in downloading music, videos, pictures and even files

Answer 17

PC