Mac vs. PC? Better choice for a student?

Question

What is the better choice for a student?
I want to get a laptop for my school work & music, should i try to get a Macbook, or a PC laptop?

(P.S: I don't want Vista.)

Answer 1

I would go with a PC because they are more of what you will need for school. You can do your work and have music and other entertainment on a PC.



Vista is ok by the way. They have fixed the bugs with it and it works just fine now.



hope I help,

-hoot-

Answer 2

After owning both a Mac and PC, I would say that you should definitely choose a Mac. The OSX operating system is much smoother than both XP and Vista. You can also get Microsoft Office for the Mac, or load Windows on your Mac to experience the best of both worlds through either Boot Camp of Virtual OS software (eg. VMWare Fusion or Parallels). If you do not want Vista ( I don't blame you, I will never upgrade my XP PCs), then you should definitely avoid a Windows computer because as of recently Microsoft has discontinued selling the XP operating system. I hope this helps you make a well-informed choice. cheers

Answer 3

In regards to "God of the Trumpet", Vista is NOT more stable than OSX. I swear I was an Apple-Product Hater, until I had to get a laptop for college.



I decided to give the Macbook a try, and I was very well impressed.



The operating system is very stable and is much more fluent, so to speak. OSX is written in UNIX code, that is CONSTANTLY updated, which brings only more possibilities for improvement. Windows operating systems are written mostly using MS-DOS, which, from my research was last updated in 1999.



Another plus in Macs is the fact that you do not need any virus protection or any sort of firewall/protection suite. That's a considerable amount of money saved.



Another plus: All the parts for Apple products are made by Apple (Not directly). There is no other manufacturer, which makes information flow smooth throughout the several parts.



Anyway, final verdict - Giving Mac a try was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Answer 4

For a student I don't believe that you can beat the simplicity of a mac. OS X is both a mixture of productivity, creativity, and pure fun that doesn't really exist on a PC.



A PC is nice as well, I live and sleep by the PC, but if you don't want to use Vista I wouldn't recommend it.



P.S. If you haven't tried Vista yet, give it a try.

Answer 5

Well you can use either one.It all depends of what you want to do with it.I would go for a windows laptop because its easier for people to use and the upgrades and fixes are less complicated than a mac.Amac however is abetter quality as in what you can do with if you know how to use one.Vista wont even come close to osx which Ithink vista is trying to be.lol.The last thing you can think of is cost.Mac cost alot more.

Answer 6

You didn't state a budget.



So maybe you can afford the best, which would be Alienware...



There is nothing wrong with Macs in the sense that they in fact work, but they are just such poor value. Steve Jobs gets your extra money because of good marketing.



If you compare specs you will see there is a huge difference in what you get for the money.



Here is my list of things to look for:



First, brand is not important. Only the components you are getting (or more likely not getting) for the price.



For example, this unit at bestbuy is an excellent find because of its components:



http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8907043&productCategoryId=abcat0502003&type=product&id=1213046783376



It is amazingly hard to find a lower priced laptop with dedicated graphics and a 7200 rpm hard drive. Macbooks can't give you that.



The 7200 rpm drive will make a huge difference to the overall feel of your laptop



So simply stated, here are the basic level requirements for any decent responsive laptop:



1. any dual core CPU



2. 4 gigs RAM becuase it's so cheap now, it is crazy to get less



3. any 7200 rpm hard drive if you want any kind of responsive feeling to your laptop. All laptops with 5400 rpm hard drives feel really sluggish..



4. any dedicated graphics chip if you want any kind of system stability



Start with those basic specs and see what else you might need such as screen resolution of 1920x1200 and other possible extra features.



The brand mostly doesn't matter, only the components inside the laptop and what you have to pay for them. Two notable exceptions at two ends of the value spectrum are Macbooks which give you low end components for a high price and Alienware which gives you really goog components and really good "under the hood" construction.



Run away screaming from any laptop with Intel 3100 integrated chipset graphics in it or other simlilar chips using "shared memory"



This is a good reference to see where you chip compares to others:



http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html



Some lower cost laptops that can meet the above 4 specs are Dell Studio 15 and Dell Studio 17



Some medium cost higher quality models are any Dell XPS.



Highest quality models that can meet the spec are any Alienware.

Answer 7

Get a PC. I know that you don't want Vista but Vista is much more stable than mac's operating system. If you get a mac you will want to kill yourself... I almost did. I just got a brand new computer with Windows Vista and I did not want Vista but kept it anyway. Vista is actually alolt better than many people say.

Answer 8

PC would be a better choice because its much more simple to use



if you think vista is bad because of all the crap you heard from other people its not true



there's nothing wrong with vista but the security issues



if you still dont want vista you can always downgrade it to xp or whatever

Answer 9

chose Mac if you are like a artistic type of person because it got many types of software for dose type of people! If its for school work and music and internet search pc is the best thing for you. Its simple and easy to use and has many types of software for students and to hear music!! For me its PC all day!!!!!

Answer 10

I would go with a macbook,

but that's really my personal choice because they're easier for me to use and they have a lot less problems.

but it's different for everyone, it depends on what you're experiences are with either one and your level of computer knowledge.



I still say a macbook would be good for a student, especially with music and work, as long as you could get microsoft office on it, you would be way better off.

Answer 11

Well I say you should go with macbook. XP is rare now and it costs money to change it to XP. Macbooks are stable and are good for listening to music. It can last a long time.

Answer 12

Mac is better for college because it can handle more video editing or things like that.What are you going to school for or is it high school?



If it is college go far a mac, they are more pricey but totally worth every penny. They are recommended and even mandatory in some college classes , but if its high school go for pc because they are cheaper and run fine for taking notes and things like that.

Answer 13

If you don't want Vista, I would recommend to either get a PC with a form of Linux on it

(Like Ubuntu, Kubuntu, etc..) OR EVEN BETTER get a PC with Vista (I know you are not liking the idea) but then install Linux yourself and make it a Dual Boot PC (Defaults to Linux). If you really don't want Vista you can replace it with a copy of Windows XP.



WHY? - At least you get Vista for a cheap price and there are a lot more selections and deals to choose from if you get a Vista PC, plus you can work with the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. Vista isn't as bad as you think plus you can optimize it easily and remove Aero to reduce Ram usage and greatly increase speed. It is also EASY to install Linux and most Linux Distributions are EASY TO USE.



I Would also install Avira AntiVir on the Vista since there is a FREE version and works well.

I Would also install Comodo FireWall on the Vista since there is a FREE version and works well.



=============================================

LINUX OS



My Recomendation would be either Ubuntu (Most popular and well supported linux), Kubuntu (KDE version of Ubuntu),

Freespire (has all windows codecs for watching videos, dvds out of the box),

PCLINUXOS (very nice Linux, easy to use and polished),

There are so many good versions of linux besides these.



PLEASE NOTE: In linux there are many forms of Windows Environments, the two main ones are KDE (K Desktop) and GNOME. Ubuntu uses GNOME, KUBUNTU is a KDE version of Ubuntu, PCLINUXOS, Freespire use KDE... The differences in the window environments (DESKTOPS) control how you configure, open close the windows, the appearances of the windows... linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting helps with printer support. ScreenCasts.ubuntu.com shows video and non-video help with learning to work with Ubuntu.



There are many good Linux distributions for different reasons, distrowatch.com, polishlinux.org, desktoplinux.com

are good websites for overall understanding linux.



Installing Linux in general is very simple and much more secure than OS X(Macintosh) and FREE.

Also, most Linux distributions have a LiveCD which means you can try without installing...

UBUNTU, KUBUNTU, FREESPIRE, PCLINUXOS, etc.. all have live CDS.

All you have to do is..

A) to download .iso file off the internet from the Linux website

B) burn the .iso file to a CD or DVD (Make sure your burning software can burn an ISO)

C) restart the computer with the CD in the drive

D) As computer is restarting, press on F12 Key a bunch of times to get a boot menu

E) Select the option to boot from CD or DVD.



ANOTHER QUICK NOTE: People have been able to run OS X on a PC since the PC and Mac use the same hardware. THIS IS NOT LEGAL and I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT FOR SECURITY AND LEGAL REASONS.

But, I have included a link to show you, purpose is to show that there is nothing special about the MAC.



*********************************************************************************************************************



The PC is the better Choice, here is why...



========================================...



A)Price...



*****************(LAPTOP)

Dell Inspiron Laptop $849

15" Screen

CPU: (upgrade to) 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100

Memory: 3GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Hard Drive: 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

Optical Drive: Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM) - WRITES DVDS,CDS, READS Blue-Ray Disks



Macbook $1349

13" Screen (SMALLER)

CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (SAME)

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (SAME)

Memory: (upgrade to) 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (LESS RAM)

Hard Drive (upgrade to) 250GBSerial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (SMALLER HARD DRIVE)

Optical Drive: (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) - (Writes CDs, ONLY reads DVDs, cannot read Blue-Ray) (WORSE)



****************(DESKTOP)

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)



PLEASE NOTE: Some responses might be that below is not a FAIR comparison but it is SINCE this is comparing Apple Mac's BEST DEAL vs Dells BEST DEAL. If you decide that you must have 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 upgrade the Imac to try to match. 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. To me it is NOT a good deal.



PS: Apple was smart, they know that they must make Macintosh look different than PC so all Macs except the Mac Pro will not have a Tower Option. This is not good for the consumer since it lacks expandability but it makes the Mac "look different", if Mac had a tower for low-end, more people would realize the simularities between the two and apple would loose people. In other words, in my opinion, it is "Style over Substance"



Dell: (Right Now) Specs Below costs $809

CPU: 2.4 GHZ Dell Inspiron QUAD (4 Processor) CORE

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: 3GB Ram

HARD DRIVE: 500 GB hard Drive

OPTICAL DRIVE: 16x DVD/CD Read/Writer

GRAPHICS: (upgrade to ) ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB



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



IMac ($1400)

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

SCREEN: 20inch Screen

MEMORY: (upgrade to) 2GB Ram (LESS RAM)

HARD DRIVE: (upgrade to ) 500 GB hard Drive

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

GRAPHICS: ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB



************************END OF DESKTOP



========================================...



B) SECURITY:



Mac OS X was hacked in 2006 under 30 minutes, and hacked. Linux and Vista were not able to be hacked until another day when restrictions were lowered.

All macs are standardized with Cameras, if your system gets hacked, the hacker would more likely be able to turn on your camera.

Please Note: All OS's have vulnerabilities.



========================================...

B2) VIRUSES



The argument that OS X has less viruses is true, but that is against XP, BUT Mac OS X has viruses, 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". Linux is also very low in viruses and is free with plenty of free software.



Google/Yahoo Mac Viruses



========================================...



C) Windows License is discounted with PCs..



You do not pay the full price, for instance Dell -> you pay $50 or less for Vista Home Premium If you buy a Mac and want Vista, you pay full price.



========================================...



D) EXPANDABILITY & REPAIR...



With AppleCare you have to put down $300 and there is no guarantee the computer will be fixed, may cost more.. 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.



========================================...



D) BUGS



Macintosh's are far from bug free despite their fan base claiming so. Sample of problems: Overheating Macbooks, OS X- not responding to keyboard, some units with 16bit screens, etc.. True, all computers have their issues but Apple Fans tend to hide their problems which makes it tough to trust any statistics about Apple.

Apple is lowering prices which means you can expect lower quality than in the past. Apple had switched the manufacturers producing parts.



NO MORE THAN 10 Links were allowed... Here are the ones that I could not add..

www.ubuntu.com/

www.kubuntu.org/

www.freespire.org/

www.pclinuxos.com/

distrowatch.com/

polishlinux.org/

www.desktoplinux.com/

xwinman.org/gnome.php

xwinman.org/kde.php

help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsApplicationsEquivalents

help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromMacOSX

www.linuxalt.com/

screencasts.ubuntu.com/

www.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPrinting

www.free-av.com/

www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

Google/Yahoo OS X on PC

Answer 14

MAC !