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Computer grief

2K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  Redoak49 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Evening all. My 6 yr old pooter is getting ready to bail. I'm looking at the Mac's, but damn they're expensive. Any users out there, if you could give me your opinion. I'm looking at the 27" or the Mac mini (I would a large screen to it.)
I dunno. I can get a real nice PC for half the price. I assume the Mac will last longer than the PC???
Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.
 
#4 ·
Bought a mac in 2008,24 inch no problems yet. Just bought a 22 inch Mac for my wife had a few problems we could not figure out,call Apple had it fixed in 20 min.,Terrific service,comes with 90 days free help. Wife was a PC person, now she won't go back. Apple sends updates no charge and will update your operating system when they come out with a new one for $20.00 bucks. If you have a problem they can't fix online you can just throw it in the car and take it to a Apple store. A happy convert.
 
#5 ·
Been a PC guy since 1984.
Had to learn MAC last September along with new job.
At work I run a 27" MAC.
Mac does some things very nicely.
Most things related to graphics and music.

I personally don't like the Mac interface.
My PC mouse has a wheel and buttons. The wheel is clicky and each click moves the cursor a specific distance.
On the MAC the mouse magically detects where your fingers are. The whole mouse top is the button. Moving your finger forward or back on the magic mouse top moves the screen while the cursor stays put.
But the screen also tends to be very touchy and moves and floats around all the time.
I spend more time trying to get the screen to show me what I want to see than I do getting anything done.
PCs are for right brain people and Macs are for left brain people; IMHO.

Just be aware that I make this comparison with way more experience on the PC platform.
The MAC is a beautiful design itself. Fit and finish are absolutely the best in the world.
With a PC you have to count on planned obsolescence every 4 or 5 years.
Microsoft will keep changing the OS and doing ******************** to cripple the old platform till you are forced to upgrade.
I loved Windows XP for instance, but it's no longer supported and has been hobbled by thousands of "updates" for the last few years to the point where it is useless.

Given the choice between the new Windows 8.1 and the MAC it's bard to say which one I dislike more. So, if money talks I guess I'd still go with PC.
 
#6 ·
I can get a real nice PC for half the price. I assume the Mac will last longer than the PC???

- Mark
I've always been a PC guy, preferring Linux for the past 15+ years. That said, on the occasion I compare the cost of a Mac to truly comparable PC hardware, they come out similar. Historically, at least, Apple has just not offered the cheap stuff like 24" monitors for $100. They stick to the higher end displays, etc. So, hardware wise, if you need the good stuff then both are options. If you don't need the good hardware then PC is the only reasonable choice.

But, of course, hardware isn't the only important part. My general perspective is that if you are willing to use the Apple system (their phone, their computer, their OS, their email, their photo management, their… you get the idea) then you will have a much better experience because they were all developed to work with each other. Making things work together is much easier when each feature only really has one option. I am personally not willing to become so dependent on a single company nor am I willing to give up the flexibility that I have because I understand how the majority of my applications work, how they store their data, etc. But that has taken a lot of my time that others have instead spent making the numerous beautiful items on this site.

That s a good thought Lepelerin…But the damned machine is gonna croak on me.

- Mark
Care to elaborate? A computer that is slow and crashes is most often just clogged up and doesn't have enough RAM to handle all the pictures that bloat the web. Oh, and all the Flash items that I completely block by default. Or perhaps some malware.
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
Honestly, if you don't care about the form factor about the computer being encased in the monitor, or if you don't care about having an IPS display and can just use a cheaper one, then go with the PC. You'll save money that way.

However, the hardware costs are not that much different when you do direct comparisons.

I have a machine I built myself 4 years ago and it's still going strong. I got a ~$1700 machine for $700 that way, including monitor.

That being said, my next computer purchase may very well be a 27" iMac. I really love that screen, and I love not having a computer tower. Plus I like the OS as well.

Playing with them in the store, I've found that I like the touchpad better than the mouse that comes with it. That's an option as well if you don't like the single click.
 
#8 ·
I've been using Windows since before it was Windows [mid 80s]. Stayed with Windows at home since I had to be able to connect with my office and a European system. When we retired a couple of years ago, went completely Mac at home, and wouldn't go back. Started with the Mini and used an old monitor from the Windows setup. Still have the mini. Added a laptop, two iPhones and an iPad. How much connectivity do two old retired farts need ?? As mentioned above, the integration of all these devices is beautiful. They all play well together. BTW, I bought a magic mouse when I first bought the Mini, but eventually got the desktop top trackpad, and never use the mouse any more.
 
#9 ·
Wow. Thank you for all your input gents. I'm leaning hard towards the Mac…Just gotta talk the CFO into it.

Altendky.. I believe the power supply is just about done, from the symptoms it's showing and what I've read.
I run Malwarebytes to handle malware and Microsoft Essentials for the rest. Couple of yrs ago a computer teck said the MS Essentials was hot stuff but now i have to question that. I D/L a trial version of Bitdefender and ran a scan and it came up clean. Seems any non MS program loads and runs slow. The Mrs. uses internet Explore with no problems, I use Firefox ( which I heard was one of the best) and it hangs up or crashes 1or 2 times a day.
I'm just tired of all the B.S.
Thanks again all.
 
#10 ·
I think any and all electronics have a life about 5-7 years. When it nears 5, I think it's a good idea to "wipe it out". By wipe it out, I mean to do a system recovery the way it was when you plugged it in for the very first time. It takes a few days to get all the updates done when you do this, but, your puter will run like it's a new one. Just my .02. Good luck with what you wind up with. Let me add this last thought. With all the hype about tablets and big money cell phones, laptops have become a gr8 bargain.
 
#11 ·
Crank,

"My PC mouse has a wheel and buttons. The wheel is clicky and each click moves the cursor a specific distance."

If your PC mouse is a USB mouse, just plug it into the Mac and use it. It will probably work just like you would expect.

In "System Preferences->Mouse" you can mess with button assignments and such if you like.

One thing with scrolling is that some genius decided that the whole world viewed scrolling backwards and the default on the Mac (scroll wheel down, window content moves down) is call "natural". You can change it to unnatural and be happier. System Prefernces->Mouse (or TrackPad)->Scrolling->Scroll Direction (uncheck "natural").

I use both Macs and Windows machines 100% of the time all day all the time (that's right, I work 200% of the time). 3 Mac's, 2 Windows machines and several Windows VM's running on one of the Macs.

Oh, and I spend 100% of the time looking at one screen and typing on the wrong keyboard. So that's 300%.
 
#12 ·
When I retired in 2010, my wife and I bought a 27" iMac as my retirement present-our first step into the Mac world other than iPhones. I was worried that we would both have transition issues, and we did, but they were pretty minor and easily overcome. We use the 27" iMac as our bedroom television (with Apple TV) and all is well.

I still use a PC and a MacBook regularly and I have to remember which one I'm on, especially when I drive my mouse to close an application, since they are on different top corners. I did have to have a repair done due to a hard drive crash (with a full backup) at around the 5-year mark, so Macs certainly do break down but we've been satisfied with the uptime and the quality of service at the Apple store.

Good luck with your decision.
 
#13 ·
I guess the real question first is what are you going to do with the computer. I understand the big screen requirement. But, what applications are you going to run.

Are you going to do spreadsheets, word processing, photo editing, etc. I would agree that it appears that the Mac is better with photo editing. Do you have older files that you need or want and will they be compatible.

OK, you buy a new computer, now you need some new software. When I got a new computer, I also included the cost of new software when presenting the project to the CFO. I have been using a PC for a long time and had too many files and such that would have been difficult to switch over to the Mac so I stayed with the PC.

Just like buying a new tool, I would find some place to drive the new computers so that you have a good feel for both a Mac and a PC.

Good Luck
 
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