yeah should i buy a mac or windows? I know windows is good and cheaper... i mean i have used windows before.... but what about mac? Should i give it a try? Should i buy a mac mini to test it out or just straight go for the mac pro?
2007-01-20 05:00:12 · 12 answers · asked by THE BEAST 3 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
I am telling you this as a person that has used Apple Products, Windows, Red Hat Linux, SuSe Linux, Xandros Linux, Unix, and Amiga.
The decision to go Mac is much bigger than just using a different Operating System. Macs use alot more proprietary hardware than even the major PC manufacturers. When choosing to go Mac you are giving up a large number of hardware options, for example up until recently you only had one processor brand available. Now you have a choice between the Mac G series processors and Intel processors. With a PC you have a choice between not only the major two competitors AMD and Intel, but also Cyrix, SPARC, and some others more OS specific.
As far as gaming there currently is no real option to a Windows PC. Most games are written for Windows because it is the most used OS. Other Operating Systems have been trying to create Windows emulators so OS is no longer a factor for gaming, however the biggest challenge to this effort is Direct X. Direct X allows game programmers to directly access your hardware, this is so integrated into Windows that it is extremely difficult to simulate.
PCs have alot of benefits over Mac, the biggest one being many more options, both in hardware and software.
When you are talking about security, stability, and viruses there are some things you should be aware of.
Stability. All Operating Systems are capable of crashes. This occurs mainly when installed hardware or software conflict with the OS. You can reduce the possibility of crashes by either writing more fault tolerant code into the OS, or limiting supported hardware and the capabilities of applications.
Viruses. All Operating Systems can get, and do get viruses. There is no such thing as a Virus free OS. There are several factors which reduce the number of virus threats for a particular OS. Such as how popular an OS is. The more users an OS has the more people there are that know how to write programs (both malicious and otherwise) for that OS. Linux still gets viruses, the only thing that makes Linux safer is due to the fact it limits access to system files. User files are still at risk, the same goes for Mac.
It is your choice, but I would say rather than wasting the money on a Mac, buy a Windows PC. If you are truly curious about using a different OS, install Linux on the same computer. It is very easy to set up a PC to dual boot both Windows and Linux. The Linux distributions that are said to be best for a beginner are Xandros, Ubuntu, and Linspire. SuSe, Red Hat, Debian, and Slackware are also popular distros that have more options, but are designed for more knowledgeable users. All Linux distros have free versions, however if you are new to Linux or you are not very tech savvy I recommend paying about $70 for a good commercial version.
2007-01-20 07:03:20 · answer #1 · answered by Onikazi 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Mac All The Way...
Would You Rather Get A Cheap @SS Windows That Get's Scwered Up All The Time (Virus, Adware, Spyware, Malware) Or Spend Some More Cash And Get A Mac.
1. Works Directly Out Of The Package
2. Simple And Easy To Use
3. Not Affected By PC Viruses
4 Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" Has The Features Of Vista
5. Elegance
6. You Can Install Windows On It.
I Advice That You Read A Couple Of Online Tutorials About Mac.
I Know That Some People Complain About The Price Macs, But You See You Get What You Pay For, To Me Not Worrying About Viruses Is Worth A Thousand Bucks. No More Worries, I Don't Have To Pay 60$ Every Year To Renew My Anti-Virus Software.
For Us Mac Users Vista Is The Past To You PC Users It's The Future.
http://www.mac.com/getamac
Mac Pro Is Too Much Power (Depending On Your Needs) I Suggest You Get A 20 Inch iMac Or A MacBook Pro
2007-01-20 05:15:56 · answer #2 · answered by AE Trono 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you compare harder (speed, disk and memory, plus other features) I think you will find that many times a Mac is the same as a major brand name PC. Dell to Apple and there is no real difference.
What you should buy will come down to what you want to do and how you feel about the alternatives.
Note with a Mac you can purchase a copy of Windows so you can run either OS on the same machine. One view is that by going with Apple you can choose which OS you want to run each time you start an application. Hence the Apple choice hedges your bet while picking a PC manufacturer locks you in.
I suggest you consider what you want to do and what software you want to run. The Mac comes with a number of applications for media so you could end up with lower software costs with a Mac.
If there is specialized hardware then you might be forced in a specific direction.
If there is some software that runs only on a Mac you need a Mac. If some software runs only on Windows then you can buy a Mac and buy Windows and you will be fine. Or just buy the PC.
If you mostly focus on using the web, email, listening to music, etc. then almost any computer will do. With OS X on a Mac (the Mac operating system) you will have few issues with spy ware or viruses as the OS X is not much of a target for hackers.
2007-01-20 06:55:17 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Vista is not necessarily faster it depends on the specs on your computer. If you get Vista, customize your computer and make sure your processor is AT LEAST the Dual or D 2.13GHz, 2 GIG of memory and video card needs to be at least a 256MB card. If you have a 512MB option I would say get it if you play games. With those specs then the computer will run efficiently. Vista has some problems but not that many. Every version of Windows and Vista does have more than XP because it just came out and that's normal. Microsoft should be coming out with a Service Pack soon (a group of updates) that should be fixing some problems, although it'll break other stuff :-( .. but don't worry about the problems with Vista. If you are comfortable with learning Windows all over again then go ahead with Vista because it is nothing like XP- the interface is completely different. If not, I recommend getting XP for now. I'm pretty Microsoft will be supporting this OS for at least another year or two.
2016-03-29 06:16:18 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Windows, because it has a helluva lot more programs. Better compatibility. Best for gaming. Better pricing.
Funny thing is, Macs seem to crash just as much as PC's, yet they have a lot less viruses. Seriously, I've used Macs before, and some of the programs kept on randomly exiting.
This part isn't really that important, but the folks at Apple don't even apologize when a program crashes. At least Microsoft is decent enough to say something like "We are sorry for any inconveniences..."
You can't even upgrade anything on the cheapest Macs.
I don't see what's the point of spending the extra money on getting the inferior system; the Mac.
2007-01-20 05:10:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
mac
i have one, and i love it.
windows are more compatible with programs and files that people send to you, but also prone to many viruses, and cheaper of course. windows are easier to screw with the system and are best for programmers.
macs are simple to work with, once you adjust to using it, and are very visual, no one makes viruses for them, so you don't have to worry about that (a great plus!!!) and they're so pretty ;) Macs are better for pictures, graphic design, they are made for users.
I guess it depends what you're gonna be using it for, but I'd skip the mini, it overheats.
Don't go with the popular demand, people just suggest windows cuz it's what they're using and they don't know anything about macs.
I've used both for many years and I've had little if any trouble with macs, whereas my pc days were a disaster and I'm glad to have a MAC ;)
2007-01-20 05:02:40 · answer #6 · answered by Gist 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
mac= mutimedia excluding games, safer protection
windows= gaming, not as much protection
its a hard choice, but i all comes down to gaming, make your own choice, i believe this will help
and I can not stress the gaming enough, mac is horrible for games, but mac is better for everything else so its down to what you do with it
2007-01-20 05:03:38 · answer #7 · answered by Flaming Pope 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just got done troubleshooting a mac. The video monitor went out on it. These things are junk. Get a dell. Solid.
2007-01-20 05:03:48 · answer #8 · answered by rmacneil7 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
windows is a lot easier to use than mac. Mac is very user unfriendly and hard to understand.
2007-01-20 05:06:13 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
only windows
2007-01-20 05:06:03 · answer #10 · answered by spike j 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋