Looking to buy new computer for the family but which one?

Question

I looking to buy a new family computer it will mainly be used for internet, music, homework photos.Should i get a mac and if so what are the PROS & CONS. IF i go PC what proccesor should i get. Please i need help on this

Answer 1

I'm partial to iMac as the family computer. They're the best for video, graphics, and music, and they do a great job with work oriented tasks. The interface is more intuitive than Windows, but the new Intel iMacs will run Windows if needed. And starting at around $1200, the price is competitive.

Answer 2

The key to a good family computer is how easy it is to do what you want to do.

For all the hype of the joys of a mac, you still won't be able to run a vast amount of the software that's out there. When you kids want to play the latest games or be able to run that CD they got from school, it's almost certain that they'll be able to use a Windows PC. Apple claims 15 million OS 10 users worldwide compared to more than 700 million Microsoft users. It just makes sense for businesses to make sure things work for the large market at the expense of the niche markets like Linux or Macs.

Now, once you've decided on PC then you just need to pick a good company to buy from. I work with computers all day, and at this point I don't recommend anything but Dell. Not because their that much better, it's because (like the reason for picking a PC in the first place), it's very likely that everything you want to use will work without an issue.

Grab whatever the current 3-400$ model is for Dell. You'll be quite happy with the performance. It's hard to notice a real difference between the 'top of line' 2000.00 systems and the nice 400.00 one, and you'll certainly like the extra money in your pocket. In another 6 months the same system that was 2K will be the 400.00 PC.

Answer 3

With a Macintosh, there are no cons. Macs can now run Mac OS X and Windows, which means you'll never have to worry about compatibility. Macs already use Intel's latest and greatest processors, like the Intel Core 2 Duo. Mac OS X is perfect for internet, music and photos. PC fans will tell you that Mac's lack of viruses are due to it's low market share. This is not true. Here's a link with more information.

http://weblog.infoworld.com/enterprisemac/archives/2006/08/is_windows_inhe.html

A Mac comes with everything you should ever need, right out of the box. Windows XP doesn't even come with a DVD player, you would have to buy that from a third party. Over all, you would spend less money on a Mac, as there's less need for upgrading or servicing. Macs use great hardware, such as hybrid analog/digital/optical audio input/output and built in Wireless G (AirPort Extreme) and Bluetooth. You can't deny the fact that Macs are beautiful. They're also quiet. When my Mac is running, I don't hear it at all, unless it's accessing a CD/DVD. The real beauty of the Macintosh is in it's operating system, Mac OS X. It's a decade ahead of Windows. You'll find tons of various little features that make Mac easier to use. I enjoy the fact that I don't have to tinker around with anti-virus or anti-spyware software. Without all of that extra hassle, you'll actually be able to use the computer, not care for it. PC users will also tell you that there's a lack of software for Mac. There may be thousands of photo editing titles for the PC, but how many of them are any good? Two or three? Simply put, crap doesn't survive in the Mac market. Most of the software made for the Macintosh is of a much higher quality than anything you'll find for the PC. If you have any specific questions about the Mac, feel free to send me a message.

Answer 4

>because my brother clicked something he shouldn't have by accident, so, long story short, we don't have that computer anymore. A virus infection is easily fixable. All you have to do is format the hard drive and reinstall Windows, that's it. You don't have to throw the entire computer out! >I've basically been throwing out pros and cons of each, but even still, which one would you guys recommend? A laptop or a desktop? A PC or a mac? A desktop is easier to maintain, gives you more performance per dollar, and is generally more upgreadable. Need more disk storage? Just add another hard drive... simple. From my point of view, I think you are better off with a Mac because they generally require less maintainance, and is less likely to get infections. In other words, Macs are good for computer-unsavvy people or those who prefer something that "just works" out of the box with little tweaking. You can also consider Linux, but it will require some knowledge to get things up and running. You can run Linux on any desktop (Windows-based desktop).

Answer 5

For a pc a Athlon 64 3500+ should be good enough for Xp and vista but also get at least 1Gb of memory, 2Gb if you plan on going for vista.(my pc idles at 500mb on vista)

Macs are nice but the imacs and mac mini's are lacking in graphical power. fewer apps and games. but there are solid hardware wise.

My sister has an iBook thats 3years old its slow but for the most part stable. it does freeze, don't be fooled by those mac fanboys.
I can get a mac to freeze up any day, its kinda fun to go into the mac store and freeze one then ask a rep.

From a security standpoint a mac still has a slight lead over vista, but they are getting their share of viruses now.
I would go with a virus protected pc over a regular mac any day.
However I build pc's and know how to properly secure them.

If you want to stay well under a $1000 go for an athlon good power/price.
if you are in the $1000-$2000 go for a core 2 duo E6300 or E6400

If money is no object get a mac and have fun trying to learn a new OS. btw if you do get a mac get antivirus.

Answer 6

Firstly don't buy a branded one it will just clean your pocket. Assemble it by yourself or consult one who knows.I won't recomment Mac, Lenovo or anything like that but for your use I
should prefer this :
Pentium 4 processor, Well I use this and is perfect and there's an advanced version of this by intel ,DuoCore(good I think)

Intel 915GL Original motherboard (There are a lot of duplicate boards which are less expensive, but if you use the original ones you can upgrade your system to the max.).

A good network adaptor (Realtek does)

A DVD writer combo ,it only costs a lil more than a normal CD writer.

If you're ino music you can buy a 5.1 speaker system(Creative) but lil expensive

And other basic things a computer want.

Answer 7

if u are using it only for all the above activities and not gaming then you should buy a pentium 4 duo core or an AMD 64 bit technology. a RAM of 512 will be sufficient. The above technologies come cheap at price or Rs 30,000. it would be preferable to buy Duo core rather than mac because its the latest. Dell gives AMD 64 bit technology @ 27000 with a 15 inch LCD screen, 80 GB Hard disk, 512 ram, also it gives p4 duo core @ 1.86 ghz for 33,000 with a 160 GB hard disk, 512 ram. You can also consider buying a pc of IBM or hp compaq

Answer 8

When you are ready to buy a new system, go to www.stupidcheapcomputers.net. I buy all of my stuff from them, and everything is Vista ready.

Microsoft is about to release its latest operating system, Vista, in January. It’s going to make all of these “bargain” computers nothing but JUNK as soon as it’s released. The reason that you are seeing so many cheap systems on the market right now is because a lot of them CAN’T RUN Vista and the merchants are trying to dump them as hard and fast as they can before Vista shows up and everyone learns what a piece of crap they were sold for $500 (or whatever).

Anyway, I bought a complete, new system from stupidcheapcomputers.net with a warranty for LESS than it would cost me to build it myself or order a custom one from the manufacturer. You can use my frequent buyer code: ATX926. That will get an additional 10% discount at checkout.

I have NEVER had any problems with anything that they have sold me and their customer service is outstanding. Those guys blow my mind.

Good luck!

Answer 9

The new Macs have everything you want and also come with some great programs for your photos, and if you buy the one with the intel chip you'll be able to load Windows OS in the future if you want to. That will be my next system....the best of both worlds.

Answer 10

If you're going for the extreme ( who doesn't? ) I suggest you go for the following.

1. Get the chasis from maybe Dell or HP.
2. Core Duo 2 or Core Duo Extreme ( latest chip with quad-core)
3. DDR2 Corsair maybe 2GB RAM
3. Imation or LG DVD Rewriter combo
4. 180GB SATA HDD ( I dunno which brand )
5. ATI Crossfire Graphics card.
6. Creative Sound cards

Yeah........actually I have another better one in mind, could be the best but I don't think it's useful here.