Which should I get? MAC vs. PC!?

Question

I have a laptop that I bought about 2-3 years ago and Its getting really old, virus infected and really heavy. I wanted to buy a new laptop but there are so many on the market these days!
The ultimate question is Mac or PC but I also want to know any good models or brands that you would recommend. As you can tell, I'm no good at laptop or computer shopping so any suggestions or comments are great, please justify though! =)
Also FYI, I am a student in senior high and I just wanted a light, non-virus, reliable, not too expensive around $800-$130ish, easy to use, long lasting and has lots of good features like camera etc. laptop. I'm not going to really play games with it but maybe the occasional webcamming chat or movie/video etc.
Thanks heaps!~

Answer 1

MAC - A Personal Computer with Highly proprietary parts that are really expensive to get fixed



PC - A Personal Computer Also somewhat proprietary, not nearly as much as a MAC branded Personal Computer



The Difference is SOFTWARE. Can you justify paying the difference in cost for software and a name.



MAC...Supposedly uncrashable...YEAH RIGHT...give me 15 mins with a mac and i will show you how to make it crash.



PC - Very versatile when it comes to software. Yeah sure it can crash...but so can a MAC.



Viruses...



Ok...here's the thing...it is called supply and demand. The computer virus was created for money. Virus creators target windows machines because they have a much larger user base than Mac OS does. McAfee, Symantec, Trend...none of them would have a job if it wasn't for viruses. MAC OS can get a virus that will do the same damage as it would on Windows if the code was ever written for it.



Long Lasting...



I have had quite a few computer last me for a few good years. My current laptop is 2 years old now....the one before it was 5 years old...quality of parts varies from company to company.



Easy to use....



Well...define easy. Personally I find Windows very easy to use. To me MAC doesn't allow me as much free reign as i would like.







Now...that 2-3 year old laptop can be recovered which will save you lots of money. Back up your documents, and reinstall Windows. You will see a BIG difference in the performance. Also a RAM upgrade would probably help. It won't make it any lighter...but hey...it has lasted this long without breaking...there is no telling how much more life is left in it.



And to Add on one that "Joe" Missed...



Toshiba - I have personally had dealings with Toshiba and I am happy. I have one now that I have overclocked 36% and it is still stable...

Answer 2

I have had an Apple iBook for 10 years now and it still runs better and much quicker than my sisters 1 year old dell running windows XP. I have recently bought a MacBook and its the best computer I have ever bought, it doesn't get viruses, its quick, it never crashes and no matter how many programs you are running it doesn't lag. It also came loaded with useful editing software like iMovie and Garage band. I use the webcam frequently and the quality and speed is unbelievable I highly suggest buying a Mac over any PC. But if your going to buy a PC I suggest a Samsung or Sony.

Answer 3

Macs have ollot of security holes, this makes it worse then a well maintained PC, (cant realy maintain mac)

Defcom (hacker convention) the first computers and software to break first is almost always made by Apple (mac)



But in the end the mac is a better choice for a newbie user because, its might not be the safest and most secure, its maintained by Apple and it always seems to just work, its a premium you might consider paying for this brand name.



Windows laptops (PC) are right on Apples heals but have this nack of pissing off professionals (yearly on the clock) like for example the last round of updates from Microsoft infected EVERY mozilla firefox browser with the same garbage that makes IE 8 week on the security side and it cant be undone unless you move to 3.5.2 version or higher (3.5.2 was still beta at that time)



But if you Keep the firewall up and use something solid from AVG, use a solid browser (mozilla) In ALPHA or BETTA testing +Noscript+WOT plugins you will be more protected then any mac in existence.



Long story short, PC is really better on every single front except its ease of use, apple just takes care of everything!



so yhe, if you are a newbie by all means... mac

if you are computer literate then PC is worth it.



P.S if your gona go with PC, stay away from dell, iv bin here long enough to say people are Sketchy about their dells.

HP seems to be making a really good name for itself

Sony seems surprisingly, to have few problems (or no one buys them)

Compaq sucks but sometimes is ok for very small budgets.

Acer is great for anything made after 2008, so it seems.

ASUS and MSI are for professionals of a sort

IBM and LENOVO is for buisnessmen and rich students.

Answer 4

okay. with macs you dont get viruses or bugs or any of that crap.



i have had a macbook pro for a little over 5 years, and luckily it still works like a charm, and i use it hours everyday. i once sat on it by mistake. things fall on it all the time. but its still great.



you might pay a little more, but it's well worth it. never had to pay for anti virus software which is always about 100$ a year. i've saved 500$ so far.



the programs it comes with are 5stars and you couldnt ask for better.



i was stuck using a windows computer for about 3 weeks and i pray to God that never has to happen again. the windows sucked, and it had a virus that would turn off every 15 -30 minutes spontaneously. i'm quite glad it didnt catch on fire though.



so my answer would have to be a mac, fo sho

Answer 5

I'm in the exact scenario as you are. I'll be doing my masters in UK and I need a new laptop( was using an old Compaq desktop at university). Visit an Apple Retailer or Store and test drive a Mac for yourself. ask all your questions there. better yet, if a buddy owns a mac, borrow it and live on it for two weeks. If you still feel crippled, get a PC and don't look back.

The way I see it:

MAC

Pros: very sturdy and stable OS, no constant patching of security holes, fewer virus and spyware threats,in built iLife(movies,photo applications).my friend, who owns a macbook swears that it is as fast as the day he first bought it, no sluggishness. can dual boot windows if you want, runs Office 2007, no trial software crap bundled.

Cons: Takes a long while for us to get used to the interface, windows-only applications require you to run them in windows using Boot-camp or Parallels.

Answer 6

It doesnt depend on the operating system to virus protect it. It depends on the antivirus software! I cant believe you dont clear the viruses up after they have entered your system.



I recommend a PC with windows 7 or windows XP. Vista is too slow.



Also a good anti-virus software is-



Mcafee

or

AVG (this one is free)

Answer 7

I stopped at long lasting.



Buy a Mac.

Answer 8

mac is the crap



win is the win

Answer 9

I think the macbook would be your perfect choice.

Answer 10

Asus laptop.



comfortable and professional.

Answer 11

PC and I would dual boot with Linux.. Here are reasons why...



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: 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://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/