Mac vs. PC

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#chaplife
usually, people will do anything to avoid a mac vs. pc discussion on the internet.. in fact i'm fairly sure i have posted "let's not turn this into a mac vs. pc debate" more than once on this very forum, yet here i am, right now, asking:

Mac vs. PC?

i've been ummming and aaaahing over buying a mac for ages now, and every time, just as the optimum buying time rolls round, i convince myself out of it! it happened last year, when i decided to go on holiday instead of buying a mac, and it's in danger of happening again this year..

for those who have used both platforms, what are your thoughts? is there anything your mac doesn't do that you wish it would? and vice versa, i suppose - is there anything your windows pc won't do that your mac will that actually makes your life easier?

as an example, i use my wii as a media player, but try as i might i can't get MPlayer CE to connect to the SMB shares on my current emac.. i can connect to the shares from my downstairs PC, as well as my windows laptop, but for some reason the wii hates it.. now, this may well be a shortcoming of MPlayer CE, and will hopefully be sorted out in a later build, but it's just an example of how having a mac as my main computer could be a hindrance..

also, i just don't seem to be able to get the same level of mouse accuracy on my emac as i do with windows.. apparently this is a known problem, which apple refuses to address.. it's a lot better since i installed the microsoft intellimouse drivers on my mac (irony, MS software making the mac much better to use) but it's still far from perfect.. i wouldn't want to do any precision photoshop work or anything on my current mac! i'm on tiger though (it's only a G4) so i don't know if this has been addressed..

and now windows 7 out, and everyone is spunking all over it, this is making me doubt my mac purchase even further! maybe i would be more sensible just building a decent PC for a few hundred quid and getting my win 7 on, yo?

i've used windows PCs all my working life though, and i troubleshoot them all day for a career, so one of the reasons i wanted to get a mac was to give me a new system to learn and tinker with.. it's hard to justify a grand for a glorified toy though, especially as i already have a G4 emac that i blagged free from work.. however, it's cumbersome, noisy, and won't run anything higher than 10.4 tiger, so it would be nice to have a new shiny one..

HELP ME :gonk:
 
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#chaplife
tek-monkey said:
If Macs now use Intel CPUs, can you install leopard/tiger/platypus on your PC anyway?
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no.. well, you sort of can, but that's not what i'm after.. i want hassle free computing.. i'm getting on a bit these days! :teef:

basically, i want an imac, and am this close to buying one, but i don't want to plonk down a grand only to find i end up using my laptop more because OS X just won't do everything windows will.. the most useful info here would be from people who have used both platforms a fair bit, and find themselves thinking "i wish my [$platform] would do [$function] :angry:"..
 
My Name is URL

My Name is URL

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I have never used a mac (much) so can't really comment....

I would be interested to know anything a Mac can do that a PC can't though....
 
shoes

shoes

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Well having been a lifetime windows user and self confessed windows 7 whore and a short term apple user (since Jan this year) I am shortly putting my PC up for sale.

Frankly I cannot see the purpose of keeping it. It benchmarks the same as my mac hardware, only the mac fits in my bag. I can also run windows 7 on my Mac without problem (I am posting to you now from MacBook Pro running Win 7). I cannot do without windows for work purely because I have to use AutoCAD which AutoDesk refuse to port to the mac. Not a huge issue with that, its hoplessly complicated software and almost all CAD work is now done on PC and they will have a lot of trouble breaking into the mac market. I digress....

My mac literally does everything I want from a computer, including gaming when booted into Windows. Once you have got a good grasp of keyboard shortcuts etc you realise that there is almost nothing betwen win 7 and leopard in terms of easiness to navigate and use. Personally I find leopard a lot more fun to use though.

Performance... well there is against almost nothing in it. Certain things are slightly faster in both OSs but no dealbreakers.

Networking? No problem (not any more anyway lol).

Hardware compatibility? Well nothing plugged into either OS has failed yet

When it comes to installing software though leopard wins hands down, windows isn't even in the same league. However as an overall beneft you have to ask how often you install shizzle.

Frankly I cannot really fault either OS but since getting my MBP i would say the sheer quality of the hardware alone warrants buying a mac.

I don't regret my purchase anyway!!
 
shoes

shoes

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gk141054 said:
I have never used a mac (much) so can't really comment....

I would be interested to know anything a Mac can do that a PC can't though....
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Not a lot in it these days its a pretty level playing field.

One thing a mac will do is allow you, in fact help you install windows on your mac, drivers and all whereas to do it the other way round.... ball ache doesn't even come close.
 
db

db

#chaplife
shoes said:
Well having been a lifetime windows user and self confessed windows 7 whore and a short term apple user (since Jan this year) I am shortly putting my PC up for sale.
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christ.. seriously? if so, this is exactly the sort of thing i wanted to hear.. basically, i'm all for getting a mac, i'm just a bit apprehensive about it being my main workhorse computer.. something in the back of my mind kept telling me there would be some key feature i'd miss, and i'd end up booting it into windows 80% of the time and essentially paying a lot of money for a pretty looking windows box..

how have you solved the mouse curve problem? surely you've noticed it, being a long time windows user?
 
shoes

shoes

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gk141054 said:
shoes said:
When it comes to installing software though leopard wins hands down, windows isn't even in the same league.
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Can you expand please? :)
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You put in your DVD or USB or whatever and whats you have is an image file (no exe or zip etc.) and you open that. The you are shown an icon which represents the software you wish to install and also an icon which represents your application folder. You drag the first icon into the applications folder. It then (within a second or two generally) tells you installation is complete. You can then use the application. No wait 5 minutes then next then install some more and then next and so on. It just works lol. Including MS software interestingly enough.

DB: Yes indeed, my Q6600 machine, 3870 X2 and all are going up for sale soon because I am finding I'm not using it and as much of a beast as it is, my lifestyle just doesn't lend itself to gaming as much as I used to, if at all really. As I said, I am still running windows on my MBP but I only use it at work, for everything else I use leopard. The more I use it, the more I get used to it, and the more I love it.

As said before no real advantages to windows as such (no more stable or faster these days) but its a lot more fun. Some of the expose functions in Snow Leopard are worth the £25 upgrade, although you'll get it as standard now anyway.

I have no experience with the desktop machines but the MBP is superb, the LED screen is leaps and bounds ahead of the one on my 3 year old macbook and i really mean leaps and bounds. The noise my machine makes... well it doesn't. The quality of things such as the webcam show you that you're getting what you paid for.

I'm honestly sad I can't have sex with it :(


EDIT: You're more than welcome to come and get hands on with my MBP if you want a try before you buy where you don't have a sales rep looking o'er your shoulder, can even do it in private so the public don't associate us ;)

EDIT: I have not noticed any mouse problems on the mac either buddy, I do a reasonable amount of 'shoppin and have never had any complaints using either my Mighty Mouse or the trackpad. This is on both machines, although both running leopard so not really a true comparison.
 
gdavies

gdavies

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I have had my mac for a while and terminal takes a bit of getting used to. I use a macbook and the motion sensors that apple put it to help diagnose which way your mac fell before it broke were fun to tap into and made for fun gaming, never had that on windows machines but the one bug i do have is you do website stuff and run a linux server the .htaccess file you create is a hidden file on a mac so you create it and watch it vanish. Also removing programs if you are a novice is a little strange but I agree with gk141054 installing is easy so much so i could get my 2 yr old son to do it. I have used windows for 20 years + and show my age with dos commands but certain terminal commands built in are alot better on the mac, for example a whois function is built and it is an app too making it easier if you need to use it from fresh install. the only downside is if you get the macbooks you will need adapters to use dvi or vga monitors as only apple do the mini dvi and also the magnetic power supply again apple only. However the up point about having a magnetic plug helps when people trip over the lead no harm done.
 
F

Furbal

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Not used Macs much but gotta say was very impressed when I have done. Some time ago I installed one on a mate's home wireless windows network and it couldn't have been easier, even though I had never used one before.

Personally I can't see past the price of them and have noticed one major problem with Macs in general...having one in your house tends to make the rest of your stuff look a bit crap in comparison.

On a side note: Shoes, what's the spec of the PC you're gonna sell and how much you want cos I may be quite interested?
 
shoes

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Well my housemate has dibs on it but he's broke and frankly I need the cash so the spec is as follows:

DELL XPS 420

Q6600 2.4 Core 2 Quad
4GB RAM (will get more details when i get home)
2 x 320GB hard drives with RAID controller, currently RAID 0 Striped (f***ing fast!)
Another hard drive, 250 GB off the top of my head
7.1 Sound + SP/DIFF (is that the right notation?)
Front panel with 2 x USB 2.0 / 1 x Firewire 800 / 19-in-1 card reader
DL-DVD-RW
Radeon 3870 X2 Graphics card (hot stuff!)
Vista Home Premium (Legit) or Windows 7 (RTM Pre Release)
Remote control
Desk Microphone

Will post the windows experience ratings up later too if you like. TBH mate you wanna come over and see it / have a play my door's always welcome. Will be good to see you anyway after you epic fail to show up the last time nic was here :teef:

As for price, not sure yet, although open to offers.

Let me speak to Jay first though if he hath no funds then its to the marketplace!!
 
shoes

shoes

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haha cheers dude!

if they do slap one of those i7 processors into the new iMac then you'll be laughing, from what I understand they're immense.

I won't be replacing my book for a few years now but hopefully when I do there will be something like these inside :D
 
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#chaplife
shoes said:
haha cheers dude!

if they do slap one of those i7 processors into the new iMac then you'll be laughing, from what I understand they're immense.

I won't be replacing my book for a few years now but hopefully when I do there will be something like these inside :D
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shit, sozzard, i forgot you had just got one.. didn't mean to piss on your (incredibly sexy, unibody) bonfire lol.. i thought you were still in the market for one, for some reason..

it's always the way though, innit.. if i do end up buying an imac, i'll doubtless kick myself for not waiting for the new 100gbps light peak interface to be released!

bloody technology :grr:
 
shoes

shoes

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tell me about it, i guess at least with apple once an update is out your get 12 months or so to enjoy your hardware before it gets superceeded. The light peak interface does look good though, i think we're all getting a bit bored with USB. In all earnestness though we don't have data stores capable of serving at 100 gbps yet but once we do and those two are combined.... phw000000000000r!

Am considering installing Win 98 SE on my laptop just to see how blisteringly fast it runs. If at all.
 
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