I know it's a bit like the HT vs Full sus question but...
Looking to replace my family PC with an i5 equipped Windows 7 PC.
A Mac has been suggested and is in price range, but have only had a play in the shop.
Would apprecaite people's thoughts and experiences on Pros and Cons.
Anyone use both? 1 for work and 1 home perhaps and maybe have a better comparison?
Open the flood gates...
What do you actually want to do with it, how much do you want to spend and how important is the look and brand to you?
unless you need it for graphics rendering or music production then a mac is way more than you need and it isn't worth all the format compatibility issues that always exist.
you can get around this by turning your mac into a pc but then you can turn your pc into a pc for half the cost.
if it's just for family use then buy a pc and if the cash is burning a hole in your pocket, buy 2 pc's.
and yes, i do own a mac.
and a pc.
If you are used to Pcs I would stick with it.
(I am a lifelong Mac user (as in life of Macs, not me) but recently bought a PC laptop for home as it simply made more sense.
I use both. A windows 7 PC and an older macbook. Both do the job fine. The macbook is used to do work on (I'm a computer science student) and the PC is used for games, films etc.
The mac took a little while to get used to but its fine once you get used to the little differences, wouldn't rave about how good or it is or tell you to stay away.
If you have kids who play games then I'd be careful of getting the mac just because the stuff they have wont work and anything new would have to be the mac version which doesnt always exist.
I used to use Macs for work about 15 years ago but had to change to PC due to software availability. Stayed that way until last year and we now have a couple of Hackintosh (snow leopard) netbooks in the house just for web/email use and they're great - I feel much happier letting my 3 young girls cruise around the interenet looking for games to play on OSX than Windows.
Overall Macs are simply nicer/easier to own in my experience.
Another Mac user here. Horses for courses, innit? If you're doing (or want to do) any kind of media editing then its a Mac every time. If you're just using it for Word, internet etc, then you don't need one.
They are very nice though. Much more usable an intuitive. I occasionally have to use a PC at work, to get around the afore-mentioned compatibility issues with certain pre-historic software. Frankly, its like climbing out of a Ferrari and getting behind the wheel of a tractor
I am a lifelong Mac user (as in life of Macs, not me) but recently bought a PC laptop for home as it simply made more sense
MF that is far too reasonable and logical - wtf is wrong with you?!
Err... I am broke 
Seriously I just couldn't justify the money as all I wanted was something to put all our music and pictures on - any 'work' is done at work (which is just 10 minutes from home) and I have access to powerful Macs and PCs should I need them.
After 16yrs of PC use I got my first mac (macbook pro) a few months ago. I like it but not as wowed as I thought I'd be. I think coming from windows 7 to mac os is not the massive step change it might have been in Win 95 or 3.11 days.
I have in my hand a copy of parallels which I'll be using later to put windows on too so I can run Solidworks for a bit of work and memory map for a bit of play which is maybe a sign that I'm not a wholesale convert.
I do find my work PC laptop a pain after the macbook though - more to do with the amazing multifunctional touch pad on the mac than the operating systems.
I'm not going to wade in here with an opinion either way as there is no *right* answer and its very specific to your requirements and taste but I will say do not listen to things like this:
unless you need it for graphics rendering or music production then a mac is way more than you need and it isn't worth all the format compatibility issues that always exist.
It might have been true 15 years ago but it's just not the case now. Macs are no better for Audio or Graphics work than a similarly specced PC. Format issues also are pretty much a non-issue too. Any format worthy of being used mainstream is supported by both.
(yes, I own and use both daily, and plenty of other obscure OS's too, you'll get by fine with either, it's more about what you're familiar with than anything else)
FFS get real you guys, are you all trolling?
No mention of windows being **** cause it get virus's,and no anti-mac baying for the blood of the Job's disciples... WTF is happening to this site?
BUT for the record, the very reasonable comments above are worth reading...
I was thinking that. Must be the heat. Well done everyone, I think we've grown as a forum.
there is no *right* answer and its very specific to your requirements and taste
This.
I have a mac laptop along with windows pc/laptop.
I'm a long term windows user and (or so) I find the mac interface fairly nasty. Reminds me of gem from the 1980s. I do like the hardware enough to prefer the mac over my huge windows laptop though (only because it's small and light though).
Reminds me of gem from the 1980s.
YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!
I miss my little green desktop.
Macs are no better for Audio or Graphics work than a similarly specced PC
Oh my aching sides! Have you ever tried to produce a large format, Hi-res Photoshop illustration on a PC? I once did. Once. Not something I'd ever be attempting again, thank you very much. Brand new 'state of the art' PC too. Not some cheap PC World laptop.
It fell over more times per hour than Frank Gallagher at a free bar!
my 2 cents...
Mac better build quality
Win7 better OS
I run windows on my Macs (but will try Lion)
I once did. Once.
When?
My W7 laptop has never fallen over, I don't think. The one that cost probably half an equivalent Mac.
couple of years back. So there!
Macs is just, like, well betterer! innit! 
You are probably more likely to have some kind of driver issue or something causing instability on a PC.
However they are half the price so it's a risk worth taking, for me 
OTOH, no-one makes PC Airs.
Oh my aching sides! Have you ever tried to produce a large format, Hi-res Photoshop illustration on a PC? I once did. Once. Not something I'd ever be attempting again, thank you very much. Brand new 'state of the art' PC too. Not some cheap PC World laptop.
Funny....my better half is a graphic designer and is currently sitting at home on my i7 Laptop with photoshop and is surprised how much quicker it is than her macbook pro. She is hating windows though, I have to admit that!
In the old days, yes OSX was a slicker, quicker OS than than Windows, but these days - sorry the tables have turned. I have benchmarked lightroom and DXO running batch jobs on the same macbook pro and a mac mini both running osx and win7 and in both cases windows was a lot faster. for example.
converting 5 identical raw files on each.
Macbook pro i5 4gb 2.4ghz:
Win 7 - 1.31min
osx - 2.52min
Minimac 2.4 core 2 duo 2gb (current model):
win 7 - 2.18min
osx - 5.04min
OTOH, no-one makes PC Airs.
Apple does
I love OSX, I think like many people, it is a better OS than Windows ever has been, far more intuitive and easy to use. That said, Windows 7 is also a significant step on from anything that has gone before, and it is more stable than any previous version of Windows, even if it's still not quite as nice to use as OSX.
But Apple have started to take the piss again price wise with their hardware. 3 years ago, it seemed they were really keen to take the challenge to Windows based PC's, and like for like the price difference came down to only say a 20-30% premium for a Mac with OSX compared to a similar spec PC with Windows, which made it much easier to stomach. These days, they've gone back to the bad old days of pricing everything to be 50-100% more expensive than its Windows powered equivalent, and I find that quite insulting.
So my solution... PC hardware, hacked to run OSX natively. My machine cost a little over £300, but is as powerful as a Mac Pro from a couple of years ago, or a current Gen i5 iMac (though obviously my screen was about £200 extra). It is quite a lot to learn for the average user to make it happen successfully, so I'd not recommend it unless you're pretty familiar with computers, that said it was easier than I was expecting.
I recently got a mac book pro for personal use after having only pc's at home for the last 11 years. I use both Macs and pc's in work and have to say I prefer my new mac laptop to the pc laptop its replaced. It feels well put together, the scanner just worked when I plugged it in instantly, no drivers to install or anything. The SSD hard drive means it boots up in about 8 seconds maybe less. All the i-stuff programs fulfill your needs for home use too.
Yes pc would be cheaper but for enjoyment of use the Mac wins for me.
So my solution... PC hardware, hacked to run OSX natively. My machine cost a little over £300, but is as powerful as a Mac Pro from a couple of years ago, or a current Gen i5 iMac (though obviously my screen was about £200 extra). It is quite a lot to learn for the average user to make it happen successfully, so I'd not recommend it unless you're pretty familiar with computers, that said it was easier than I was expecting
Likewise, though I have a real Macbook Pro in case I get in shtuck with OS updates. I do like OSX (and iLife particularly) a lot.
Whilst it is pretty straightforward in the main, I couldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't know they'll backup regularly and be prepared to rebuild from scratch if a new kernel borks it.
IF you like Windows 7 (and it really is quite nice) buy a PC.
If you like OS X buy a Mac. It will cost you more.
If you aren't fussed either way, on balance I'd get a PC now.
"Compatibility issues" are pretty much a thing of the past now - almost nothing didn't work out of the box when we migrated to macs at home.
Software wise there are a very few things I still boot into windows for - Tracklogs mapping, the control software for a remote control and for a while an accounting package (but we soon switched to a native mac app - MYOB- for accounting). Things like SatNavs, phones and cameras that were a problem on Mac years back are no longer as most things are web based now.
Hardware is better built than almost any windows PCs (built to a quality not a price) and is genuinely a pleasure to use. I still use both Mac and PC regularly but much prefer mac
As to the kit, generally a Mac will outlast a PC two or three times over
Seems improbable for a home user. I've got pretty old laptops that have not failed.
As to the kit, generally a Mac will outlast a PC two or three times over
Apple computers are superficially very very good. Lots of nice touches like the backlit keyboard, magsafe and so on but the actual quality and durability are not so great.
I have 5 macbooks in my family of various ages, and all have had multiple broken palmrests and on mine the hinge has broken. My wife has been through 3 chargers, because they don't have a good strain relief thingy on the cord it keeps fraying and going wrong. The charging/draining lights on mine stopped working the other day.
I personally will keep using them because I prefer OSX, but don't buy on the basis that the hardware is better quality.
OP, it doesn't seem like you've answered what you want the machine for ...
IME a PC for everyday use is better VFM than its Apple equivalent. Plus with improvements to W7 it's become more stable and generally better.
I don't buy into the 'Wow, isn't OSX great because ...' bollocks. OSX (I run 10.6 on MBP and Mini) is okay but just not as friendly and contextually feature-rich as W7. Hence I don't like it as much. Pretty, yes. Functional, not wholly.
Lion looks to add a few more things but it could be style over substance, which is IMO what OSX is anyway.
More s/w for W7 too, but that's subjective anyway because you need to figure out what you want.
Browsing pretty much the same on both. Safari is IMO shit. Chrome defo the way for moi.
....which is IMO what OSX is anyway.
Heh.
I switched to Mac because they were quiet and looked nice - at the time of the football imac.
Currently using a 27" imac for the same reasons + amazing screen + never ever having had any virus/malware problems (that I know about) + whenever I have to use a PC (my wife has a laptop for work that I occasionally have to help her with) I hate its clunkyness.
Safari is IMO shit. Chrome defo the way for moi.
I've not used Safari in millennia, but they both use the Webkit engine so theoretically there should be little or no difference in how they render pages, I'd have thought?
Sure, there's still going to be interface differences and suchlike, but I'm surprised that you've got such polar opposite opinions of what are ostensibly the same products in different pants.
I know next to nothing about macs only that theyre used for the most part by professionals and wannabes[Think-The fixie crowd ]
Macs are expensive then rise in expense
PC's are not[though it depends what you wish to spend.
Macs arent really that good for modern gaming[if thats your thing of an eve' ]the do make gaming versions but they tend to be overly expensive
PC's are very good for gaming and even basic machines will run modern graphics at a playable frame rate.
Macs are fantastic for music applications
So are PC's
Macs and PC's have security flaws[though many mac users claim otherwise[sour grapes 
]
Oops..Just realized this list is going to be endless,best not continue.
Don’t believe the 'macs just work' brigade.
I support both and have had more problems with Mac hard drive crashes over the last 12 months than PC's.
Some good sensible advice above and not the usual fan boy rubbish.
I'm currently working out the pro's and con's of going to a mac for myself.
Most of the software I currently use has a mac variant.
I'm looking at laptops and the size and weight is pointing towards a mac, but the comfort of knowing my way around is a draw for windows.
There's really no point in a mac unless you need mac-only software such as Logic or FCP. The entire Adobe suite is exactly the same on both operating systems and the myths about a mac running better than a pc on the same hardware are rubbish. Unfortunately the industry I'm getting into is all about the mac so I'm just having to grit my teeth and bear it and get on with using them!
To me it's just an extra expense for similar performance as a windows machine half the price. Of course if you have the money to burn then you might as well because they do look nicer and are arguably better if you can't use the internet properly and thus are susceptible to viruses.
edit - laptop wise I think Apple have the slight advantage of way nicer construction with the aluminium case and the multi-touch pad. Laptops aren't built for proper performance though, everyone knows that
You must log in to post.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
