Mac Vs. PC

[HumidDesert]

I have been told hundreds of times about how much better macs are than PC's, yet i see that vast majority of people on this forum are PC lovers like me. Why do we hold onto it? How are Macs specifically better than PC's? Vice-Versa?

 

[Black Rose]

iCandy

people just like to use what is familiar to them I guess. Interface and all.

 

[Anthile]

It's just a tool, nothing I'd ever love or hate. Only the result is important.

 

[HumidDesert]

It's just a tool, nothing I'd ever love or hate. Only the result is important.

Well yeah, sorry, PC lover is generally taken to mean you prefer it over lynnex and Mac, not that you like it overly much. Sorry for the confusion, i shoulda been more clear.

 

[onthewindowstand]

MACs freeze less. There is less lag. There are less viruses (by far). Graphics tend to be sharper and better. Those are just a few of the reasons.

 

[s0nystyle]

MACs freeze less. There is less lag. There are less viruses (by far). Graphics tend to be sharper and better. Those are just a few of the reasons.

Macs tend to be slower simply because they usually aren't compatible with the latest chipsets or processors. The apparent lag on PC's is only there due to all of the useless crap you have running on your computer. Reformat, defragment, or organize your work and it'll run just fine.

The reason PC's have more viruses is due to the fact that there are simply more PC's than there are Macs. It is more convenient to code a virus designed to infiltrate 80% (random statistic) of computers running windows rather than code another virus to infiltrate 15% of computers who run OSX. If the Mac user-base ever grows to the size of the PC user base, i'm quite sure that they'll get an equivalent amount of viruses since both OS's are equally vulnerable to viruses.

Graphics are sharper on Mac's? Since when? When was the last time you've bought a new Nvidia or ATI graphics card that supported Macs straight out of the box? PCs receive the cream of the crop, in terms of graphics cards, months before Macs are supported. If you're referring to Adobe Photoshop CS4 etc. those programs just as efficiently on Macs as they do PCs.

Granted Macs OS's are better for laptops since they're less vulnerable to viruses at the moment, PCs still dominate the market and for good reason. They're cheaper, more customizable (internally), & support a wider array of programs. The final decision is still up to you on whether to get a Mac or a PC, but i recommended getting whichever one better fulfills your needs.

 

[TheHmmmm]

MACs freeze less. There is less lag. There are less viruses (by far). Graphics tend to be sharper and better. Those are just a few of the reasons.

A lot of those things have to do with hardware. You can put a massive processor (in power, not size) and insane ram loaded with a top-of-the-line graphics card easily onto a PC, just ask Alienware. Only difference between Mac and PC is design and OS. Sure, OS is MUCH smoother on Mac's and is less prone to viruses. However, it does lose an edge on compatible freeware and gaming.

All-in-all, it comes down to personal preference. Neither is clearly better than the other.

 

[Ska]

I have never like the interface of Macs...I like my star menu and task bar. Windows 7 is especially nice with the option to pin programs to my task bar. But basically I think I always just hated having to downsize everything anytime I wanted to get to the Mac HDD.

 

[walfin]

iCandy

Compiz/KDE4 is waay nicer than Mac.

Anyway the Mac/PC dichotomy is kind of blurred now that Macs are also Intel machines. The distinguishing factor of a Mac hardware wise was the PowerPC architecture. If I wanted IA32/amd64, I'd just buy a bunch of parts from the local computer hardware store rather than get some overpriced "shiny looking" thing from Apple, run by Mr Steve It's-my-way-or-the-highway Jobs.

Anyway, PowerPCs can run Linux too

 

[Cogwulf]

If you use a PC you trade in stability for versatility. With windows you get a machine that every piece of hardware you can buy has a compatible driver, every new game runs on it straight out of the box, and you get an incomprehensibly vast library of software that installs itself with just a few mouse clicks. The cost of this is a hugely complex and bloated operating system.

 

[Crazythinker1]

Personally I could care less. It is a tool. My nut job computer wonky friend however hates them both and built his own. I guess it's all relative.

 

[Cati]

Windows is my OS of choice. I've had bad experiences with Macs from grade school and I've never warmed up to them. Linux is cool, but I'm starting to get tired of constantly fiddling with second-rate apps to get the functionality I want.

 

[anemian]

They're tools. Though I'll take Windows because I don't need to babysit it.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

If you want a stables OS in regards to windows, stop looking up porn.

 

[aracaris]

I have been told hundreds of times about how much better macs are than PC's, yet i see that vast majority of people on this forum are PC lovers like me. Why do we hold onto it? How are Macs specifically better than PC's? Vice-Versa?

I have both at home but have leaned very strongly towards PC use. Not that Mac's are bad, but PC's are just as good as Macs for the things I need a computer to be able to do, have a lot more to offer as far as video games go. I also like to build my own computers. I haven't had a chance to in a long time, but I hope that I'll have the money to build a new one in the not too distant future.

MACs freeze less. There is less lag. There are less viruses (by far). Graphics tend to be sharper and better. Those are just a few of the reasons.

If you are comparing a Mac that's on the powerful side to a PC which is on the crap side, I could get the opposite result if I were to compare a crappy Mac to a good PC. Get a PC and Mac with similarly powerful hardware and there will certainly not be any more lag, or less sharp graphics on the PC (in fact I'm pretty sure the poster above that was talking about graphics cards is right, and PCs have the advantage there). I haven't noticed my PCs freezing more than Macs either.

Now if you are talking about a PC running a crappy OS like ME, then sure, freeze city. Maybe Vista is the same way? I avoided Vista like the abomination it is, and just use XP and 7, neither freezes often.

The only claim that really rings true is the one about getting viruses, Mac has the advantage as far as that goes. But it's really not hard to avoid getting viruses on the newer versions of Windows.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

There maybe more viruses targeting windows systems but that still doesn't stop a mac from being pretty damn easy to hack.

My primary use for my computer is large matlab programs and the occasional C program (which require a shit load of ram and a fast cpu) ,and gaming (crysis very high settings 65fps). I doubt that there is a mac out there that can hit the same performance benchmarks for the price I paid. Though, in hindsight I should have bought a xeon system instead of a i7. I use Linux for programming (if one calls matlab programming) and windows 7 for gaming.

Why do macs cost so much for so little?

 

[aracaris]

Why do macs cost so much for so little?

It probably comes down brand name mainly. They can get away with it because they've established a very loyal following of people willing to pay more in order to get their products. Many of their customers see their products as significantly better than the alternative, regardless of whether they really are or not (though much of the issue of whether a Mac or a PC is better really does come down to taste and what you need a computer for).

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

It probably comes down brand name mainly. They can get away with it because they've established a very loyal following of people willing to pay more in order to get their products. Many of their customers see their products as significantly better than the alternative, regardless of whether they really are or not (though much of the issue of whether a Mac or a PC is better really does come down to taste and what you need a computer for).

Is it merely a dislike of the windows operating system and hence, a consumer is willing to pay a premium for a computer that does not use windows?

 

[aracaris]

Is it merely a dislike of the windows operating system and hence, a consumer is willing to pay a premium for a computer that does not use windows?

For some definitely that is the case, and there have been some really bad versions of Windows, which I'm sure has been enough to turn some people away from Windows for good.

But I think that for some people it's something that's really no different buying anything else because of brand.

Then there's the whole issue with Windows being more prone to virus attacks, though at this point I think that's an issue that sometimes gets badly exaggerated.