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MAC or PC

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I' m sure I remember a thread similar to this in the past but I decided to resurrect it because over at np2k.com, this mac hater is fussing about how much macs suck and how all the pluses for macs are lies. personally, I don't believe the guy cause I've used a mac for a year and a half now and don't use a PC for anything but gaming. So give it to me straight what are the pros and cons of both?
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
"I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself." -sybeman
"You know, putting animals in the microwave is not a good idea. I had to learn that one the hard way." -seanwookie
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I use a pc but if I didn't play games, I would get a MAC.
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Mac Pros:

Notoriously better at image and video processing. While PC's have caught up and, in some cases, surpassed Macs, Macs have history on their side and the fact that you can do all this "out of the box" whereas you need to upgrade your PC after market to do it well.

Ready to go out of the box. Needs very little, if any, after market upgrading.

Less likely to be attacked by viruses. It's not as though they're more immune, per se, they just have less chance of being targetted because of the lower usership.

You can pretty much guarantee that anything that says it works with your Mac is going to. Since there is only one maker of Macs, there is only one system to which hardware and software must adhere.

MUCH prettier.

PC Pros:

Much cheaper.

Easier to support.

Can be bought anywhere.

Software is easy to obtain.

While some argue it's easier to upgrade the hardware, Macs have become just as easy anymore.

Better for gaming.

Notoriously easier for networking. Has become better for Macs as major Windows based network systems are becoming more friendly.


I am a former PC user. Check that, I'm a former PC ownder. I still do use a PC at work and have no qualms about recommending them based on the purpose. But I far prefer Macs. I find them to be much more user friendly and straight forward. And it's so much fun to get into debates with people about the merits of Macs vs PCs. Usually, the fun is derived from the fact that most PC users are arguing from ignorance as 90% of them have never so much as laid a finger on a Mac. They may have read about them and their "problems" but most are reading from pro-PC sites. Mac users are arguing from both perspectives because most of us are former PC devotees. The number is dwindling as Macs integrate themselves into more households and the user base is getting younger and younger (to the point where many may really never have used a PC); but for the most part, this is the case.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
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Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
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I use a PC but I'd love to have a Mac.
"I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like them myself. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings."
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ma this debate is getting very old now. I use both, i have used both extensively, its funny cause if you look at my PC laptop i have costomized to set up so that it similar to OSX i.e. i have the dock, and very few icons on my desktop.
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this thread wasn't set up with debating in mind per se. I was just curious as to why there still are people out there who just outright hate macs and have never used them... It's almost like they've been brain-washed or something. I've got nothing against PC's either. I use my home PC exclusively for gaming and some net stuff. The majority of my computer time is spent on my ibook or the G5 at work. I want one of those puppies. After seeing that G5 author a professional DVD, I want one soooo bad. Also, I'm not stupid, I know that PC's are said to be better at hardware encoding to MPeg2 and DVD9 than a mac. So, I think I'll go for the best of both worlds when I've got the bucks.
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
"I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself." -sybeman
"You know, putting animals in the microwave is not a good idea. I had to learn that one the hard way." -seanwookie
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I use a Mac. A dilapidated one at that, but it stills handles most of what I throw at it (even on Panther).

Gotta love it!

I'll use a PC if I have to, but that's just it. Only if I have to (games, programs, etc)

What’s the internal temperature of a TaunTaun? Luke warm.

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Originally posted by: Switch Radic
So, I think I'll go for the best of both worlds when I've got the bucks.


Or just wait a year or two and then get a Mac and experience the best of both worlds on the one machine (in case you didn't know, Apple is switching from IBM PowerPCs to Intel x86 CPUs so in a year you'll be able to buy a Mac and either dual-boot Windows or run Windows apps from within OS X).

http://www.kineticpast.com/starwars/thecheatlaserdisc.gif
Ooh, a laserdisc. The Cheat's playin' something on a laserdisc.
Everything is better on a laserdisc. Whatever happened to the laserdisc? Laserdisc!

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It's kinda funny because I was at the dentist's office yesterday and I had my copy of "iCon: Steve Jobs" book with me because I was reading it in the waiting room. The dentist asked me if I was a Mac fan because her husband is a computer consultant and can't stand them. Yet her brother is a graphic designer and swears by them and even her dentist office has two iMac all in ones as admin computers. I so desperately wanted to ask if her husband had ever even used a Mac just to test my long-running idea. But she had a drill in her hand and I didn't want to upset her.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
-------------------------
Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
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yeah it's a smart idea not to upset someone who is about to place a drill in your mouth! lol But seriously, what's the big deal? It's not like Apple is the spawn of satan or something. Heck, I think the idea for windows came from Bill Gates stealing the idea from Jobs. I could very well be wrong because that thing comes from a made for tv movie.
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
"I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself." -sybeman
"You know, putting animals in the microwave is not a good idea. I had to learn that one the hard way." -seanwookie
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Gillian, just one question, will you be able to run PC hardware with those Intel PowerPC's? Cause hardware encoding means that you have a dedicated board put into a PCI slot on you comp that does nothing but encode to DVD9 or Mpeg2.
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
"I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself." -sybeman
"You know, putting animals in the microwave is not a good idea. I had to learn that one the hard way." -seanwookie
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They haven't ironed out all the details on the new MacTels (as they're being called on the Web and in tech circles). Nobody knows exactly how it's going to work and Mac is being its notoriously mum self about it all. Anything you hear now is just conjecture because little to nothing has been officially confirmed. Some can be logically speculated, but who knows how things will change between now and next year when the MacTel is launched.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
-------------------------
Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
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who even uses floppy drives anymore?
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
"I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself." -sybeman
"You know, putting animals in the microwave is not a good idea. I had to learn that one the hard way." -seanwookie
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Originally posted by: Switch Radic
who even uses floppy drives anymore?

INFIDEL!!!



I saw the original theatrical release of the Old Trilogy on the big screen and I'm proud of it...
How did I accomplish that (considering my age) is my secret...
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err me.
"A Jedi can feel the force flow through him".
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Originally posted by: Switch Radic
who even uses floppy drives anymore?


Hell, I don't even use a ZIP Drive anymore let alone a floppy drive.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
-------------------------
Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
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Originally posted by: Switch Radic
who even uses floppy drives anymore?
Well, when the comic was originally drawn, it was a big deal.

I kind of wish Jason had also mentioned how adding more than 96MB of memory to one of those original iMacs would void its warranty, even if you have an Apple authorized installer put it in for you.

I had a coworker (it was a part-time summer job and I rarely saw the guy) once try to convince me that Mac was better by showing me how fast his mac laptop could boot into Windows 95 through emulation.

I just sat and said, "Ok" politely, not wanting to point out that he should have factored in the Mac's power up time as well, which would have shown it not to be as fast.

Honestly, I can use Macs (meaning I can get around one if I need to), but they would not be my first choice if I needed to work on something.
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wouldn't it depend on what that something was though starkiller?
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
"I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself." -sybeman
"You know, putting animals in the microwave is not a good idea. I had to learn that one the hard way." -seanwookie
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Originally posted by: Switch Radic
wouldn't it depend on what that something was though starkiller?
Not really. Let me see...

3D modeling- Truespace 3.2
Video editting- I rarely do ANY video editting, but for the small things I do, Microsoft Movie Maker built in to WinXP does the job just fine for me.
Sound editting- Again, like with video, I rarely do it, but when I do, Cool Edit is all I need.
Graphics- I use Paint Shop Pro 6 and it works just great for my needs.
Programming- I own Visual Studio 6. All the programming I need for both standalong apps and web.
Desktop Publishing- I do this less than video editting, but when I do, I use Publisher on a PC at work.
Gaming- My PC will run practically any game I throw at it (except Command and Conquer...for some reason). A substitute teacher I had once told a story that he had to get a Mac emulator FOR HIS MAC to run a kids game for his granddaughter.

I've never found a situation where I EVER said to myself Boy, I wish I had a Mac here to do this better. or A Mac would have been easier to learn to do this on.
No Mac I've ever been on performed any task better than a PC.
A high school Online Journalism class was my last long-term contact with anything Mac. I've never used a more tempermental computer. It would crash doing any number of things (including as my cursor was on the shut down menu choice) and it was not very fast doing anything.
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well, at least your reasons for not liking it are legitamate and have to do with past experience. I guess it just amounts to personal taste. I like macs because they are great tools for video/sound editing. It's what I do so I like macs alot. i also like the design and boldness of the color on macs. That mainly has to do with my art background. As far as experiences go, i've never had to adjust the firewire or do any sort of upgrade to my mac or any mac in order to do video editing. But every time I used a PC for video editing, I had to screw around with the firewire card and upgrade certain components. I remember the first time myst came out and a guy I knew had it on his mac. the thing took forever to boot up and was very tempermental. the game never played, but flash forward all these years and here I am working on a mac that is supposedly the lowest you can get at this point in time, and it hasn't crashed on me at all. I've thrown everything at this laptop and it's taken everything with gusto. Now that doesn't mean that it did everything right, like for instance it didn't burn to DVD very well, but that has to do with my 933MHz processor and 340 Megs of RAM. What works for me works for me and what works for you works for you.
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
"I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself." -sybeman
"You know, putting animals in the microwave is not a good idea. I had to learn that one the hard way." -seanwookie
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Originally posted by: starkiller



LOL thats priceless
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Originally posted by: Switch Radic
Gillian, just one question, will you be able to run PC hardware with those Intel PowerPC's? Cause hardware encoding means that you have a dedicated board put into a PCI slot on you comp that does nothing but encode to DVD9 or Mpeg2.


Just to clarify, Intel wont be making PowerPC chips, they will continue making the Pentiums, etc, and they will be used in the Macs. As far as I know, there really wont be anything too special about the new Macintels (by the way I've seen the term Macintel used a lot more than Mactel), just high end parts with special firmware on the motherboard to allow the installation of Mac OS X (regular PCs wont be able to, since Apple is still mainly a hardware company and not a software company). So I'd guess you could upgrade in any way like a current PC.

Probably wouldn't be too long 'til someone hacked Mac OS X onto a Dell though!

http://www.kineticpast.com/starwars/thecheatlaserdisc.gif
Ooh, a laserdisc. The Cheat's playin' something on a laserdisc.
Everything is better on a laserdisc. Whatever happened to the laserdisc? Laserdisc!

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iNTEL INSIDE

....

it begs to be said.

if anybody can find the "mac gamer" movie please link it, it is hilarious.

I notice nobody has mentioned "widgets" yet. Its a new thing for OSX that has some pretty nifty features. Its a blank space that you attach different "widgets" to. My widgets are a weather widget (gives me temp, weather, highs,lows, and forecast for my area.), a dilbert widget (gives me the current dilbert) a Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy infocom widget (its damn hard) a 1or 2p Othello widget (theres also tetris, space invaders, pac man etc) a unit conversion widget that allows me to convert between imperial and metric in area, volume etc. Plus 2 really cool widgets for itunes. One allows me to play, stop, skip, alter volume, etc. The other is a cool new widget that allows me to type in the name of a song and its author and it will search my library and play it.

in point.

widgets are cool if you spend the time to customize them.
gtfo
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i have never heard of a widget skip. you decribed what they do but what are they