NationStates Jolt Archive

the ever popular debate over which is better...
mac
or
p/c?

After many many years as a pc user, I just switched to an iBook about three months ago and I can't imagine going back. One major caveat--I am not a gamer, and I understand that pc is far superior for gaming. What I am is a writer, an internet surfer who hates dealing with viruses, adware, spyware, and popups, and I'm just starting some very basic music and video editing, for which mac is unsurpassed.

It's not so much a matter of superiority--it's a matter of finding the machine that best suits your needs, and for me, that's a Mac.

I am a heavy gamer, and as such my rig is a custom PC.

Well, I write as well. Plus, I do web design and developement. For both of these I agree with Nazz that I couldn't go back to a p/c. However, I am also a gamer (to a point) and find that the Mac is as good if not better in some aspects of my gaming. Macintosh hands down is better then PC, especially for the aforementioned reasons of not having to deal/worry about spyware, adware viruses etc. As for pop-ups, even when I'm on a pc (@work) firefox eliminates these quite effectively.

My vote (and long winded exp) is for Mac.

Personally, I prefer the PC because it's probably the best gaming machine, and because you can customize it at will with whatever you have lying around, and the general fact that it's mostly a freely modifiable platform.

Well, I write as well. Plus, I do web design and developement. For both of these I agree with Nazz that I couldn't go back to a p/c. However, I am also a gamer (to a point) and find that the Mac is as good if not better in some aspects of my gaming. Macintosh hands down is better then PC, especially for the aforementioned reasons of not having to deal/worry about spyware, adware viruses etc. As for pop-ups, even when I'm on a pc (@work) firefox eliminates these quite effectively.

My vote (and long winded exp) is for Mac.Yeah, I run Firefox exclusively now as well. Only drag is that my university library doesn't have a proxy setup for Firefox--they've only got Explorer and a very old Netscape ability--which means I can't access any of the databases they're subscribed to, since I absolutely refuse to run Explorer. They're not even set up for Safari--kind of pisses me off.

PC. I like having a world of hardware at my fingertips, and I hate OSX. I really do. Windows 2000, KDE or XFce.

Between my firewall, denied sites list, Moz/Firefox and the awesomness that is Konqueror, and just not being careless, I don't really have any problems.

I find Mac's cleaner and simpler than PC's, in design and operating systems. I'm pro macs.

Used to have Apple-Mac Performa, and the Modem was a piece of junk, the stupid thing would crash or refuse to connect, and it had a problem recognising RAM modules consistently. Now, I have two Dells, both on WinXP, Though SuSe Linux is better, problem is there is so little to do with it if one is not programming or Cracking or Hacking.PC is better for gaming, and the biggest advantage as I see it is PCs are cheaper, look at software for a Apple-Mac and it Costs $50, GBP 100 the same software for PC can cost as little as $9, GBP 20 don't even start me on printers and other peripherals; not to mention one must find authorised Apple-Mac dealers, which add an extra 10% for themselves. Are they easier to use, no, not in my opinion, ever tried to do Tech Support for an Apple-Mac, it's near impossible. It has been argued that there is no such thing as an Apple-Mac virus or Hack tool, my counter to that is Linux Se (Security Enhanced) Typing is best done with Open Office.org software full stop. So, get your $200 iPoD and d/l Quicktime and shut up

Yeah, I run Firefox exclusively now as well. Only drag is that my university library doesn't have a proxy setup for Firefox--they've only got Explorer and a very old Netscape ability--which means I can't access any of the databases they're subscribed to, since I absolutely refuse to run Explorer. They're not even set up for Safari--kind of pisses me off.
My college does that too, and all we have 'round here are Macs, how ass is that?

I use a Mac-I edit film, if I want to work I need to have a Mac (anyone who insists on AVID has the system already so I don't need my own)

Also, I don't like futzing with my computer. My PC, I had to futz. And I had to forbid computer people from touching it because they'd customize or adjust something and then the computer would be useless. The Mac works no matter what. Love it. I have Playstation for games, and that's about as complex as I want them.

P.C. I run win2kpro on my main machine, mostly for gaming. My other machines use a variety of linux operating systems including mandrake, redhat and debian. The machine I'm typing on right now is a winXP machine that just happens to be the closed computer the to the television and something interesting is on tv.

Also, P.C. and Mac are not exclusive. The Pear operating system promises the ability to make a Mac-P.C. hybrid, a mutant computer.

Also, I don't like futzing with my computer. My PC, I had to futz. And I had to forbid computer people from touching it because they'd customize or adjust something and then the computer would be useless. The Mac works no matter what. Love it. I have Playstation for games, and that's about as complex as I want them.

Absolutely spot-on.

My G4 Cube is still running strong after 5 years at 450MHz and 384M of RAM. I use it to surf, music publishing (Sibelius 2, 'cause Finale 2004 sucks ass), music organization/disc-burning (iTunes, 'nuff said), word processing (MS Office -- yes, I know it's like sucking Satan's cock, but it's what I'm used to and I got it for free) and proofreading via the Web (Adobe Acrobat).

As far as gaming goes, I have a PS2 for games that need a controller for maximum feel (Time Splitters 2 was a lot of fun, and Dynasty Warriors, plus all the sports games that really don't work well on a keyboard). But for games of strategy and conquest (Total Annihilation, Civilization 2/3, Masters of Orion 2, War/Star Craft, Railroad Tycoon series, Diablo II and so forth) and the Unreal 99/2K4 online headshot-your-friends experience, my Mac kicks plenty of ass, thank you.

If you'll pardon the pun, arguing PC v Mac is apples and oranges. If you need what the Mac does best, get a Mac. If you need the myriad software options that a PC gives, by all means get a PC. However, if all you need to do is surf/email/minor gaming and you want a machine that is intuitive and an OS that's easy to figure out (I'm talking to the computer neophytes here, I know all you PC lovers think Windows is perfect or better or whatever you're smoking), then the low-end but plenty powerful eMac or even a Mac Mini (which can use whatever peripherals you already have) are good options.

I've got nothing against PCs. I've had jobs where learning them has been required and I find them to be amazingly adept at the organization, storage and access of massive amounts of information. The software architecture is impressive and remarkably jack-of-all-trades. My only beef is that I don't like having to open the damn thing up to put extra cards in. I think the file tree system (on XP for example) is needlessly Byzantine. And installing/removing programs is a chore.

I prefer elegance over mass functionality when I don't need to be able to run every last bit of software on Earth. I have enough of a life that the thousands more games the PC can run over the Mac mean precisely nothing to me -- I play what I like, and Mac software companies carry what I want to play 95 times out of 100, and it's usually games that have long shelf lives and are good for multitudes of re-plays.

And I don't know what Dominus Gloriae was talking about with peripherals like printers. My outstanding Epson inkjet was $100. You DON'T need to go to an Apple retailer 'cause the Apple website will sell all Apple stuff to you online, and the customer support I've received is beyond excellent.

So it comes down to what you need and want in a system. Simple as that. Neither one is better, they've both got they're strengths and weaknesses.

I use both, and depending on what I am doing it says what I use. But I have three Alienware laptops, two mac laptops, two mac desktops, and three windows based desktops that I use for gaming. I do alot of graphics stuff and web design which is why I have the macs and for gaming I have my windows based PC's and laptops. I have had fewer problems with my Mac's then with my window based computers though.

If Mac was more open, I would get it. However, I don't like the prospect of shelling out more money to get a new system--just to experience Mac.

So, I'm stuck with Windows XP and I also have MandrakeLinux (maybe, one day I'll get Mandriva).

I love my PC, but am admittedly rather unknowledgeable regarding Macs.

Can someone explain to me the lack of worry over viruses, spyware, etc. Is there something about Macs hardware that makes them inpenetrable to these attacks?

I still prefer comodore. They were much better made computers. You could throw one off a cliff plug it back in & it would still work. Unfortunately their security sucked. I hear they still make some mean systems in germany though.

Macs come pre-installed with Norton AntiVirus™ software.

I used to use a PC (non-gamer). My files were huge, viruses were rampant, and it was impossible to find anything. I've used a Mac for 4 years now and recently upgraded to OSX. Macs also have better wireless internet services than PCs. I much prefer them.

As a note, my new PowerBook came with 750 GB HD space, 100 GB of SDRAM, a 128 GHz processor, a built-in SelfRouter, and practically everything else. As you can tell it's quite useful.

~Czardas, Supreme Ruler of the Universe

a mac can do pretty much anything a pc can do and vice versa. what it really comes down to is preference.

lemme make something clear for a second here. I'm talking more about windows vs mac than mac vs pc.

apple and microsoft just tend to approach certain interface problems and end up with different answers. for example, there will be a dozen ways to do a certain command in windows and only one way to do it in OS X. both make sense. I prefer apple's interface because it generally has system-wide consistency. there's only one way to do "it", but it's the same way across most applications.

that said, I'm a mac user. windows pretty much rules in gaming but I've always been a console gamer anyways so gaming simply isn't an issue.

I love my PC, but am admittedly rather unknowledgeable regarding Macs.

Can someone explain to me the lack of worry over viruses, spyware, etc. Is there something about Macs hardware that makes them inpenetrable to these attacks?

This is due to a combination of factors. I believe the two most important are that

1) from OS X on it has been UNIX-based
2) an incredibly small percent of computer users are mac users (2-5% ?? not sure, someone correct me!) so "hackers" are less likely to make a mac-specific virus. it just wouldn't have the same effect.

PC

I prefer gray to white

...For some reason, I read this topic title as "man or p/c"...

i'm on a tight budget, as always, and just can't afford macs - i build my own PCs to save money.
i also like the vastly more expansive range of both software and hardware peripherals available for PC.
if you know what you're doing you shouldn't have any problems with malware, viruses, or any of the other major bugbears of the PC. i can't believe that Macs are wholly invunerable to any of these anyway.

i have a friend with a mac and have used it, as well as having watched artworkers at printing firms use their macs a number of times. i've found the OS childlike and utterly disorganised, not to mention confusing. but then i am used to the Windows/pc interface and have been using it since i was about 3 years old:p

the only problem i have with PCs is my new hatred for Maxtor hard drives - my 200gb one just packed up for no reason and i lost a lot of data. its not specificially a PC architecture problem, just that they're a shitty, cheap manafacturer.


overall i find macs to be more objects of desire than practical - PCs on the whole are cheaper and perform better (or at least just as well... staving off the flames from Macboys there;))
and frankly i don't even think they look that good. too plain... i like my case with loads of cool flames and shit:)
my case:

http://www.thermaltake.com/images/cases/products/xaser3/whiteSeries/v2000a.jpg


edit: plus technology moves faster with PCs, and lets not forget there's more software out there for em