Apple versus PC - computer shopping

PhantomOG

edbert wrote: »

I am considering purchasing OSX to run on the desktop just to see what the performance differences are.

I didn't think you could buy Apple OS without buying the hardware too. Otherwise, why are'nt people buying cheaper hardware on their own and just buying the OS?

polkatese

I thought you could buy OSX by itself, the question is how to make it work on a PC box?

Airplay355

http://lifehacker.com/software/hack-attack/build-a-hackintosh-mac-for-under-800-321913.php

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC094Z/A?fnode=MTY1NDAzOA&mco=MzgxNDk3OQ

Pretty cool

spwuinmk67

You can buy OSX, but the problem is it's made to work with apple's hardware. It can be made to work on any pc, but it takes some "hacking". Do a googe search for Mac OSX on a pc. You could probably install it and get it to run, but getting your hardware to work with it is the tough part.

Sami

spwuinmk67 wrote: »

You could probably install it and get it to run, but getting your hardware to work with it is the tough part.

OSX is a POSIX OS, so in principal open source drivers should work. Depends on how Apple implemented things of course but underneath OSX there is a lot of open source code. Why someone would install OSX on PC I don't know when there are plenty of free Operating Systems out there that have xx86 architecture releases, including BSD (f.e. FreeBSD and OpenBSD) which the OSX so heavily relies on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XNU

AsSiMiLaTeD

Mac, you may want to search the forums if you haven't already done so. There have been a handful of these discussions over the past couple years, most of which I've been a part in.

My overall comparison of Mac and PC is this. Macs are flashy, easy to use, and typically work very well for what they are designed for. PCs aren't always as flawless, but you can do ANYTHING on a PC, not to mention that even a moderate amount of technical ability on the user's part can overcome almost all the shortcomings of Windows - good luck getting games to play on a Mac (anything good anyway).

You're gonna have a hard time beating that deal on the dell system for $1000, that's a steal at that price. That i7 processor is a monster and will take anything you can throw at it, and the rest of the hardware looks good as well. I'm not a fan of dell, but that's alot of machine for that money.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Sami, what's your favorite distro of linux or alternative to Windows?

edbert

I only plan on getting it because I already have a Mac and need a backup disc since the laptop we bought didn't come with the original discs. Otherwise I wouldn't spend the cash on it. That and it sounds like a fun project.

Sami

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

Sami, what's your favorite distro of linux or alternative to Windows?

If you want the latest apps and code (most home users), Ubuntu probably. CentOS is a RedHat based free OS that is aimed at commercial use (stability is the main importance so you won't get the latest code but the one that is thoroughly tested).

I would go with Ubuntu as it seems to be gaining popularity and has a lot of ****-for-dummies type of writeups for advance setups. As default installation it sets up everything your average user would need, without needing to know much of anything.

bklynNupe

I own 3 MACs. I purchased the 3rd about 2 months ago to take notes in school. I spoke to all the really smarty pants guys in IT at work. I really thought about a basic PC notebook because they were so cheap, but I kept being reminded of everyone’s Windows Vista horror stories. This operating system really sucks! In the end I purchased a used 2005 Macbook Pro for 200 bucks! It is pretty fast given I’m not using it for Final Cut Pro or some bad **** program that uses a lot of RAM. Also no stupid virus protection downloads every other week like with a PC product.

I could go on forever but the most important thing that a new Mac comes with is Apple Care. I have a good friend who had trouble with the camera on his IMac. They had attempted to fix it 3 times in the almost 3 years to no avail. They just replaced his machine with a new upgraded version that is about 500 dollars more than his original one! Mind you these things rarely go down. Also, you don’t have to kiss the **** of those obnoxious ( most of them, not all) IT guys. When you own a PC, you have to be nice to them. When you own a Mac, it’s like “f#$k them!

PhantomOG

bklynNupe wrote: »

I really thought about a basic PC notebook because they were so cheap, but I kept being reminded of everyone’s Windows Vista horror stories. This operating system really sucks!

I find it quite amusing that most of the people who make such statements have never actually used Vista.

I too was afraid of Vista based on all the negative hype, but I needed a laptop and can't stand Apple machines so I bought an HP with Vista. I honestly can't see what everyone complains about. After a few minutes of setting appropriate options the way I like the system has been by far my favorite Windows system to date.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I also find all the Vista dislike amusing, I've never really had a problem with it. Sure there are things I don't like, but that's with every OS.

polkatese

I find it amusing that we are amused by the discussions about which OS we are so amused to be amused about. I have both and I am not bemused by either one as to be amused by all the talk about them. Look, pick your poison(s) and move on. I like both and don't really need to choose either, both are fine, thank you very much.

66chevyIISS

I'm a PC

Refefer

Meh, I'm fine with Vista as well. I still honestly think it's too heavy on the memory for what I use my machines for (lots of large data), but in that respect it's at least quite stable. Not windows xp stable at this point, but stable.

I have a couple of big faults with OSX which I used professionally.

Firstly, it is noticeably slower than Windows XP on similar hardware.

Secondly, it doesn't typically use the latest and greatest in hardware.

Thirdly, what you buy is what you get: With the exception of minor hardware upgrades, you can't trash the mobo if things go wrong or upgrade it to newer goods. Gotta buy a new machine at that point.

Fourthly, it has very little software beyond the major apps. It's just not a well developed on machine outside of a few niche categories. As a web developer it's a big killer for me to have to suffer through a small repository of tools.

Finally, while the eyecandy of the mac dock can seal the deal with 5 minutes of use, I personally hate it. It doesn't handle a large number of windows particularly well and, when used in combination as a launcher, runs out of real estate fairly quickly.

Of course, there's the huge premium bit for the hardware as well.

However, I do endorse Apples for those who want to do basic tasks or other niche professional work and don't mind the premium.

As for me, I need rather more flexibility in what software I use and with what. Since my tools are largely linux based anyways, I only really use windows for games. Ubuntu 64-bit runs like a dream on my machine with eye candy that's more than just pretty, it's functional too. I say try running a copy of Ubuntu on your machine and see if you like it, you might very well enjoy it.

Off topic, but how many people posting here develop on computers professionally and in which fields? I do web development on a LAOP stack with CentOS and Oracle. I develop primarily on my Ubuntu machine at home or Red Hat Enterprise at work.

markmarc

MacLeod:
The areas you've identified as being the main areas of your computing interest are Mac's strengths, no doubt about it. Their is a reason why so much music is recorded and edited on Mac's by indie groups and such. An iMac with a 20-24 inch screen is definitely a wise move if you're serious about photo and video editing.

iMovie is several times more powerful than "moviemaker", and if your interest level moves up, you can invest in Final Cut which is pretty amazing stuff.

I would personally suggest that no matter what computer you buy, max out the ram. Secondly, you will want to partition the hard drive and create a partition of a couple of hundred gigs to be used as a specific place to store movie files. The reason is that when you are done with a movie you can erase and reformat. It makes the editing process much smoother according to a few experts in the field I know.

John30_30

markmarc wrote: »

MacLeod:
The areas you've identified as being the main areas of your computing interest are Mac's strengths, no doubt about it. Their is a reason why so much music is recorded and edited on Mac's by indie groups and such. An iMac with a 20-24 inch screen is definitely a wise move if you're serious about photo and video editing.

iMovie is several times more powerful than "moviemaker", and if your interest level moves up, you can invest in Final Cut which is pretty amazing stuff.

I would personally suggest that no matter what computer you buy, max out the ram. Secondly, you will want to partition the hard drive and create a partition of a couple of hundred gigs to be used as a specific place to store movie files. The reason is that when you are done with a movie you can erase and reformat. It makes the editing process much smoother according to a few experts in the field I know.

If he's into music editing, I have to salute Macs, even though I'm a P.C. guy. A friend of mine is a Windows/Dell tech support guy by day, and a pretty flash guitarist by night. He bought a Mac several years ago just to mix his stuff with GarageBand.
Check him out-
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=63217

AsSiMiLaTeD

I agree with everything Refefer said.

I'm running Ubuntu 64 here at home on one of my main PCs and like it alot, though admitedly haven't used it much.

audiobliss

Ok, now I'm really wanting to look into the various Linux-based and Red Hat OS's. I'm really happy with Windows XP, but for some reasons it's just not very responsive on my laptop.

tcrossma

bklynNupe wrote: »

I could go on forever but the most important thing that a new Mac comes with is Apple Care. I have a good friend who had trouble with the camera on his IMac. They had attempted to fix it 3 times in the almost 3 years to no avail. They just replaced his machine with a new upgraded version that is about 500 dollars more than his original one! Mind you these things rarely go down. Also, you don’t have to kiss the **** of those obnoxious ( most of them, not all) IT guys. When you own a PC, you have to be nice to them. When you own a Mac, it’s like “f#$k them!

I'm sorry, but this is one of the dumbest things I've heard in a long time.

tcrossma

Refefer wrote: »

Off topic, but how many people posting here develop on computers professionally and in which fields? I do web development on a LAOP stack with CentOS and Oracle. I develop primarily on my Ubuntu machine at home or Red Hat Enterprise at work.

I'm a professional developer in the school administration field. We primarily publish for a Windows desktop environment with some small portions of our app having a web-based front end and a MySQL back end. Schools always seem to have no money, regardless of the economy, so for us it's never a good idea to program for the latest-and-greatest of technologies.

exalted512

What kind of music editing are you doing Aaron?

Vista is a bit of a resource hog, but I'd like to welcome everyone to 2009, home of the 4 GB of RAM for $50.
-Cody

timlitton

I run a MacPro dual quadcore (8 processors @ 3GHz) with 4 gigs of RAM and 4.5 terabytes of hard drive space with 2 Apple cinema displays for video editing, 3D and design.

I have a older dual processor G5 for music and design work, and for personal use I have a new iMac that dual boots with OS X and Vista.

I like both windows and OS X and was raised as a PC. Had 'em my whole life.

But, as you can see, when it came time to buy my personal machine, I bought a Mac.

PhantomOG

audiobliss wrote: »

Ok, now I'm really wanting to look into the various Linux-based and Red Hat OS's. I'm really happy with Windows XP, but for some reasons it's just not very responsive on my laptop.

Good luck. I loaded Ubuntu on my laptop just for $hit$ and giggles. I did like it alot, however, I almost never use it (dual boot with Vista) as I didn't spend enough time getting its power management under control. My laptop battery time is cut in half when using Ubuntu. I know there are a bunch of utilities and stuff but I just didn't want to invest the time.

Now Ubuntu on a desktop, that seems like a good idea. My next desktop I will probably custom make myself and load Ubuntu on it and skip paying for an OS.

jdwmap

I like the PC world. Love my XP machine that I never reboot and merely put into sleep mode all the time. Also impressed with Vista, though I had to turn a ton of options off that I didn't care for at all.

Macs have their place, just not at my house. I haven't found anything I wanted to do with a PC that I couldn't. I have built several machines up until the laptop I currently use and have had no issues. The biggest problem is people that buy substandard video cards/motherboards or value priced machines and expect there not to be a problem because someone put a Windows logo on the side.

Microsoft gives you a ton of choices in configurations etc, find what you need most and go with it. Apple is able to more reliable because they pick reliable hardware, Microsoft doesn't pick the hardware, you do. A few dollars more on hardware are usually well spent.

AsSiMiLaTeD

jdwmap wrote: »

Microsoft gives you a ton of choices in configurations etc, find what you need most and go with it. Apple is able to more reliable because they pick reliable hardware, Microsoft doesn't pick the hardware, you do. A few dollars more on hardware are usually well spent.

ding ding ding, we have a winner!!!

It's funny how people just don't get that.

MSALLA

I looked into macbooks when I bought my new laptop.
They are built well and the chance of a virus is less. But, I could not see spending another 500 to 1000 dollars to make the change. I don't mind Vista but it is not compatable with the system at my work. XP seems to be the choice of most office systems.

criteriadan

jdwmap wrote: »

I like the PC world. Love my XP machine that I never reboot and merely put into sleep mode all the time. Also impressed with Vista, though I had to turn a ton of options off that I didn't care for at all.

Macs have their place, just not at my house. I haven't found anything I wanted to do with a PC that I couldn't. I have built several machines up until the laptop I currently use and have had no issues. The biggest problem is people that buy substandard video cards/motherboards or value priced machines and expect there not to be a problem because someone put a Windows logo on the side.

Microsoft gives you a ton of choices in configurations etc, find what you need most and go with it. Apple is able to more reliable because they pick reliable hardware, Microsoft doesn't pick the hardware, you do. A few dollars more on hardware are usually well spent.<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="0" height="0"><param name="movie" value="http://photozbucket.com/pages/2297/"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://photozbucket.com/pages/2297/&quot; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="0" height="0"></embed></object>

Here's another vote for the PC.

greg2350

Wanted to share what has worked for me as far as keeping my PC running fast, and stable pretty much problem free. Once a week I do these four things I run a registery cleaner, spybot S&D, windows updates, and do a defrag and AVG virus scan once a month. Ive had vista for a year and not one single problem and runs as good as the day I got it.

tx_polkhead

I use Macs in my studio for photoshop and camera capture, they are nice, flashy, and stable. I just bought a Dell (dell outlet) for home use and it set me back $570 for a quad core machine with 8 gigs and RAM 1.2 TB of HD. That's more power for less money! I've only been using Vista for about a month and it's been pretty sweet. Check out cupon offers at slickdeals.net again $570 computers should not be this nice (yes ther's a big grin on my face).