Posted on 01/30/2008 8:29:57 AM PST by Scoutmaster
Please excuse the vanity, but I know many of you have very definite (and often informed) opinions about PC v. MAC.
I have an opportunity to upgrade my home desktop and laptop with designated funds from work. In other words, somebody else’s money, enough to seriously soup up a Mac Pro desktop and a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. If I choose PC, then I'll upgrade only my laptop. No need to upgrade my PC desktop - the drudgery of re-installing software far outweighs the little jump I'd make in PC desktop technology.
If knowing about my PC use is helpful, read on. If not, then just skip to the asterisks below.
Me? PC user since I bought my first desktop in 1991 but have since built about a dozen PCs for my family, the last couple with fairly high-end Core 2 Duo-type specs. I have a better working knowledge of the Windows XP Pro OS and PC hardware than most computer users, but in a room of IT people I’m a lightweight. My kids can call from college with a Windows OS or software problem and I can usually talk them through the fix or the installation of new or replacement hardware. No real Windows OS problems, perhaps because I’m finicky about regular maintenance of the OS, cleaning unnecessary files, fixing minor registry errors, defragging, optimizing the start-up processes, removing all remnants of programs I no longer use, etc. Feel as though I would be starting from knowledge point zero if I switch to a Mac.
Job involves lots of writing, so for work purposes my PC is a basically a word processor/research tool which I use for hours each day.
At play, I’m a heavy Internet user, a moderately heavy web design/video/graphics/Flash animation user, with a developing knowledge of 3d graphics/3d animation.
Often use my laptop for graphics, video, and animation play when on the road.
When I start to think Mac, my practical side reminds me that I have a metric Peruvian buttload of Windows software to support my graphics/animation addiction (software acquired at educational prices, a minor blessing) – such as most of Adobe’s current web design, graphics, photo, and video/DVD production software; and Maxon, Maya, SoftImage, and Z-Brush 3d graphics/3d animation software. I’m a sucker for 'superior' after-market (Open Source, if possible) administrative/maintenance software alternatives to the standard Windows programs - Diskeeper Pro, Firefox, Opera, GetRight downloader, etc.
Our family operates on a pass-down hierarchy of computer technology, so my switching to Mac would eventually result in Macs for three PC-savvy kids and for a please-just-do-it-and-don’t-make-me-learn-that-computer-stuff spousal unit whose computer use is frequent but involves little more than Office Word, Quicken, and the Internet.
* * * * *
I’ve read what I can find from technical pros and everyday geeks who tried and documented a test-run switch to Mac – some of whom drank the Mac Kool-Aid and some of whom stayed with a PC.
Spoke with several of our IT people. Mac would be compatible to network with work, but they warn that they are notably unsuited to assist with any Mac-related compatibility issues.
* * * *
I realize I could acquire the Mac versions of the video production, animation, and graphics software I use most often. I realize a Mac would run Final Cut Pro and other respected Mac-specific software titles. I also realize that in a pinch I can set up the Mac for dual OS and keep running the Windows version of that software.
What practical advice would you give to help me make an informed PC v. Mac decision?
Sorry to hear about your troubles. What was the specific problem and the "real issue"?
I’ll buy a Mac when I can play COD 4 MW on it.
You are absolutely right... the Mac has no confusing two button mouse. Instead, the Mac ships with a five button scroll ball mouse. Plus you can simply plug in almost any input device of your choice and it simply is recognized and works... including trackballs, multibutton mouses, drawing pads, and touchpads.
The laptops come with multitouch trackpads that are a joy to use. Single button but depending on the number of fingers you use and how you use them, does everything a multibutton scroll wheel mouse does. The new Macbook Air does even more with its oversized gesture enabled trackpad.
I'd take the money I'd waste on a Mac, and spend it instead on a computer with a least three free slots [either PCI or PCIe], three identical video cards [nVidia, ATi, or Matrox], and three rotatable [swiveling] VA-panel [MVA or PVA] flat screens, which can [physically] rotate [swivel] between portrait and landscape mode.
I wouldn't waste any other money on the "chassis" or any time or effort worrying about the operating system.
Once you've experienced "large" real estate on the desktop [and the enhanced productivity which results], you can never go back to that claustrophic feeling of one tiny little monitor.
For more on researching LCD panels, I'd visit these sites at a minimum [the key words you need to learn about are "panel lottery", "ghosting", and "viewing angles"]:
Anandtech Forums, The LCD Thread
A List of LCD-Units in Monitors
DigitalVersus.com, Product Face-Offs
Finally, before I purchased my monitors, I'd find it at NewEgg, click on "read all XYZ Reviews", choose "100 per page", and "Sort by lowest rating", so that I could learn all of the worst things about the monitor before I purchased it.
It's ok, the Chinese are paying him to switch.
My father just went thru this - same type person as you. Heavy PC user, excellent knowledge of hardware (longtime ham) and good ability to to minor hardware/OS fix.
He was in pain for a while, but found that all was good except for 2 things - Quicken and charting(boat navigation) software.
He solved his problem by running parallel so he could run the few programs not available for the Mac. Do NOT buy Mac quicken - it’s a total waste. Do not use bootcamp - you need to reboot the machine every time you want to use a windows or mac program.
Other than that - he’s ecstatic with his switch.
If you want to make your procurement department happy with you, get the RAM expansion from someone other than Apple post purchase... just make sure you get quality memory from one of the reputable firms. You can save a lot of $$ that way. Apple does charge a high premium for expansion RAM.
In one sense you do get less, since the slimmer low-power version of the 14" ThinkPad is about the same size and weight as a fully loaded 15" MacBook Pro. The bulkier, full-powered one is bigger than a fully loaded 17" MacBook Pro, although it does weigh less since the MBP has 50% more screen.
Having been in the same boat, I found the switching learning curve to be vastly overestimated.
I just got a Mac Mini a month ago. My experience with PC’s goes back to before there was a PC, back to the S100 buss CPM computers. I like it.
That said, I run VMware and gave a Windows XP-Pro window on the same computer. With the click of a mouse I can be running the Mac Leopard OS or Microsoft.
XP runs faster than it did on my Windows box, plus I get to play with the MAC stuff which is pretty cool.
I did have some problems getting it all set up though. I’m running a 47 inch VIZIO Gallevia display (1080P), and it has HDMI inputs as well as a VGA input. The VGA input doesn’t get the highest resolution, so I us the HDMi input. I had to fiddle with the sync rate to get it perfect.
Also, the MAC driver I downloaded for my Panasonic color laser didn’t work, and I ended up using an HP color laser driver.
So I guess you can say I get the best of both worlds with the Mac.
Or, the system should be able to boot Boot Camp off an external Firewire drive. Get Firewire 800 and you won't notice the difference between an internal or external drive since it is faster than what almost all single SATA hard drives can do anyway.
After 12 years on a pc, I switched to a Mac and couldn’t believe how much I had missed all those years! If you switch to Mac, you will never switch back!
matter of opinion ... and higher cost with lower specs.
Gateway One, 19" monitor, 1.5GH Core2Duo,Only the top of the line One at $1799 has the 2.0GHz processor... for that price Apple sells you a 24" monitor and a 2.4GHz processor.
2MB level 2 cache - $1299Apple iMac, 20" monitor, 2.0GHz Core2Duo,
4MB level 2 cache - $1199
Wow! Who'd a thunk it... the Mac is less expensive than the PC.
A very sad, and overly expensive, attempt at an iMac copy.
PCs and Macs are pretty much all the same nowadays, inside and out.
There's less difference between a Mac and a PC than there is between the Republican and Democrat candidates left in the 2008 Election race, to tell the truth.
Good point. I buy from Lifetime Memory. Good prices, lifetime warranty, and they use the exact same heat sink that Apple uses, from the same supplier.
But don’t fall for the hype some RAM companies use about Certified Apple RAM or Certified Apple Heatsinks.
There is no such thing. Apple merely provides the specs, but does not certify any 3rd party RAM.
My 11 y.o. G3 runs 10.4 (it can be done) but relatively slowly compared to my MBPro. IOW, it ain't gonna die - just creak along.
I used to be an Avid editor, but went over to FCP about 5 or 6 years ago.
Bootcamp is what has sold me on getting a Mac.
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