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alho
01-29-2011, 06:14 PM
Hi,

MY laptop died on me a day ago, so I am looking for another one. I am thinking of giving Mac's a try. Is it worth it?

What do members recommend?

philipfreire
01-29-2011, 06:16 PM
Depends.. give Mac a try. It's not for everyone. Also a lot of people argue that the price of one is not worth it.

I personally love the OS much better than a PC. much smoother, simplier, better looking GUI, easy to use and just simply works.

A PC is much more customizable, you can play games.

Depends what your using it for....

Hyperion
01-29-2011, 06:30 PM
I shall answer this question with a few pictures.

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/1254/1295893634480.jpg
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/2268/1295893063685.jpg
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1435/1295893608893.jpg
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/888/1295893452822.png
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/16/1295892345390.jpg

PearlM3
01-29-2011, 06:30 PM
Easy.... Get a Mac!!

M3-ZOOM
01-29-2011, 06:33 PM
and the debate begins..

laksman91
01-29-2011, 06:34 PM
Love my mac, definitely will get another. I'd recommend it!

I'm considering getting my younger sister the new macbook air, it looks so cool!

W_L89
01-29-2011, 06:36 PM
im not a mac fan, nor a pc lover..

imo if u gonna use the features of the mac (whatever they are) get one, if not save the money and get a pc

just dont get a mac to join the hype train and be cool with ur mac

laksman91
01-29-2011, 06:59 PM
I tend to like the warranty support from Apple. Imagine buying a HP or Toshiba laptop. you're going to need to call them up end up shipping out your laptop etc. I rather just drop by the apple store and get it dealth with right away

SilentJay
01-29-2011, 09:58 PM
=/ Huge can of worms being open. The starbucks-drinking-students/graphics designers/photographers live and breathe anything Mac. Apple can release the iToilet, which is nothing more than a toilet with an apple sticker on it, and those people will flock to it. Pretty well the rest of the world uses PC.


Mac simply works though... If rigid simplicity is your thing.

optiklenz13
01-29-2011, 10:01 PM
=/ Huge can of worms being open. The starbucks-drinking-students/graphics designers/photographers live and breathe anything Mac. Apple can release the iToilet, which is nothing more than a toilet with an apple sticker on it, and those people will flock to it. Pretty well the rest of the world uses PC.


Mac simply works though... If rigid simplicity is your thing.

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfswkonNtS1qaeihyo1_500.jpg

:gone

Sales 101
01-29-2011, 11:20 PM
Apple has done an excellent job of gathering the SHEEP just like Toyota........

zmz3
01-29-2011, 11:32 PM
While you are tempted to purchase the latest and greatest, you have to ask yourself two things:

1) budget
2) what will it be used for

Those two factors aside, the hardware is pretty similar going either way (within same budgets) and reliability is the same. Yep, thats right, a $1000 Mac is not better than a $500 notebook. Sure screen has better resolution on a mac, but the motherboard and hard drive, have the same chance of failing.

Usually, at the same price of a MacBook, you can get a faster notebook with better graphics, more ports etc.

TokyoKiller
01-29-2011, 11:39 PM
If you are considering a Mac, you better hold off if there is no urgent need.

Apple is expected to refresh its current systems with the Sandy Bridge architecture in the next month or two, which is supposed to bring a much needed boost in performance on the Mac OSX platform (compared to PC's).

In terms of quality, you get what you pay for. Look at HP's "Envy" laptops which aim to copy Apple's design and quality, but still fail to deliver, even though they are priced the same or higher.

I had a Windows notebook, it was replaced 3 times and I had my patience run out with it. Sold it for $300 and got a MacBook Pro 13", 9 months later my battery is still delivering 8 hours of battery life.

Dave_The_BMXER
01-29-2011, 11:45 PM
Mac's have a very expensive buy in.

hit26k
01-29-2011, 11:49 PM
While you are tempted to purchase the latest and greatest, you have to ask yourself two things:

1) budget
2) what will it be used for


Exactly!


The starbucks-drinking-students/graphics designers/photographers live and breathe anything Mac.

I'm a graphic designer and I actualy preffer to work on a PC. I also drink McDonalds coffee :)

gotak
01-30-2011, 12:41 AM
I think there are great reason to get macs. I use them at home and at work and while the truth is that windows now a days is really not that unstable and OS X isn't Solaris stable, there are real benefits to using a mac that you just don't get with a PC.

I think the easiest way to put it is that little things are taken care of for you. I mean you have to look no further then the iLife package. It's all about getting those little things you want to get done on your computer done, and in a painless and intuitive way. Also, when's the last PC you got which when you first power up asked if you want to transfer your stuff from a previous computer (as in copy over your profiles so that it's very close to the same environment as your old Mac)? With a Mac all you need is either a network connection or better yet a firewire cable and the whole thing is relatively painless. I used this a couple times at work already and I have to say it's very nice. One of my pet issue with PC laptops is the track pads. Maybe it's cause Apple has various patents but multi touch so far only feels right on my MacBook Pro. There might be PC where this is down right but I haven't had the pleasure of using one yet. And there right there is a major reason why some people love Apple so much. With a PC you have to deal with this, deal with that, in order to get things the way you like it. With Apple well the use experience is very similar across any of the Macs you can buy now. Of course that can be viewed a being controlled and some people don't like that. Still if someone was to reinstall their PC they'll be spending a lot of time after the OS is up finding and updating drivers alone. On a Mac, it's all sorted for you aside from the more esoteric stuff. Otherwise anything from a major hardware vendor is typically covered by Apple's update agent. On my iMac at home the one thing not auto updated is my spyder color calibrator.

The other advantage to owning and using Macs is the built quality. Ok so the base Macbook is still plastic but it's still quite well built and the cost to upgrade to the next nearest MacBook Pro isn't that much. As for the MacPro, yes, it's very expensive compared to similar PC towers. However, once you have actually physically interact with one you realize part of the extra money you pay went into a very well thought out design. The case, you can't find anything like that in the PC world without similar premium cost. And I'd argue that some of the enthusiast PC towers are just slightly better built plasticky cases. The MacPro aluminum case is like a M1 tank compared to a Toyota Yaris of a typical PC case.

Now what are the disadvantage? Well first of all yeah it cost more. And the reality is the PC is a better value for the time being. The one exception was the 27 inch iMac. That was cracking value. The other point is obsolescent. The iMac is more or less not upgradable save for RAM. You can put in a bigger harddisk but even that is a tricky and risky operation. However, that being said because of the more practical ways things are done on OS X you will find that it doesn't need to be upgraded as often as with PCs. First of all there's just no monstrosity call the registry. Secondly there doesn't seem to be the same opportunities for people to add so much crap to their Mac that it slows down way too much. Unlike how it feels with windows. With a Mac you are also facing more control from your computer vendor unlike windows. A great example of this is hardware video decode acceleration. All the modern macs have GPUs capable of being used to accelerate decode of things like h.264 streams. Whether that is being used is not up to you the user to decide. Unlike in the PC world where if you want to have hardware decode you just have to find a player that supports your GPU.

So the take a way in a nutshell is if you want a computer that gives you a cohesive experience of bespoke hardware and bespoke OS and price isn't the biggest concern for you, the mac is a good choice. However, if you want fastest for the money and more importantly want to play all the newest games, want control over your system. A PC might be a better choice.

mcordy
01-30-2011, 12:51 AM
As an apple certified Macintosh technician I'd say buy whatever you want. A pc can do what a mac does, a mac can do what a pc does, both can be fixed both can be upgraded. Are you happy with pc? Is cost a factor? go to a mac store and play with one.

alho
01-30-2011, 12:51 AM
Yes a Mac is a lot more expensive, but it also seems to be really reliable. I have never heard anyone say on bad thing about it. My old laptop had it's wireless replaced 3 times...

I do programming normally. Usually it's on a Linux platform, and since Mac OS is build on top of Linux, I thought it might be a better choice than Windows and running Cygwin or a VM. And I have considered running a PC with Linux, but it doesn't have Word or Excel etc (and OpenOffice is just bad)...

gotak
01-30-2011, 12:58 AM
Yes a Mac is a lot more expensive, but it also seems to be really reliable. I have never heard anyone say on bad thing about it. My old laptop had it's wireless replaced 3 times...

I do programming normally. Usually it's on a Linux platform, and since Mac OS is build on top of Linux, I thought it might be a better choice than Windows and running Cygwin or a VM. And I have considered running a PC with Linux, but it doesn't have Word or Excel etc (and OpenOffice is just bad)...

I did my grad school stuff on a Dell D620 running linux. After I got a job and got myself a Mac I had the need to show off the program I worked on. It compiled perfectly on the Mac, ran perfectly in the X11 environment. And I was thinking, why the F didn't I buy a Mac in the first place? The D620 costed as much as a Mac did back in the day :P

So if programming under unix is your thing this might be a great choice for you. I was never perfectly happy with linux. Yes it's powerful and you can control every darn little thing. However, booting into windows to get power point for presentation etc was pretty annoying. And of course a lot of other things you wish just works didn't in Linux. I have been using linux for like 10 years by then and I was pretty burnt out with the effort needed to maintain my systems.

alho
01-30-2011, 01:20 AM
If you are considering a Mac, you better hold off if there is no urgent need.

Apple is expected to refresh its current systems with the Sandy Bridge architecture in the next month or two, which is supposed to bring a much needed boost in performance on the Mac OSX platform (compared to PC's).

In terms of quality, you get what you pay for. Look at HP's "Envy" laptops which aim to copy Apple's design and quality, but still fail to deliver, even though they are priced the same or higher.

I had a Windows notebook, it was replaced 3 times and I had my patience run out with it. Sold it for $300 and got a MacBook Pro 13", 9 months later my battery is still delivering 8 hours of battery life.

Is the Sandy Bridge only for Mac Air?

-cj-
01-30-2011, 01:52 AM
Mac all the way.

Those pictures were funny, but also inaccurate. I won't pick away at every pic, but here's two things that stood out:

"PCs vs Mac" where they show the control room for the Hadron collider. I'll bet you any money that the entire system is being run on UNIX. At the heart of every Mac, including every iphone/ipod/ipad? BSD, a Unix OS...

Also, a Mac IS a PC. Windows is just an OS that runs on a PC, just like MacOS.

Lastly, that cost comparison between a pimped out "PC" and a pimped out Mac... The Mac is using Xeon processors. The CPUs themselves are like $1000+. Also, my Mac Pro dual quad cores (8 cores), 6 GB ram with an Nvidia graphics card cost less than $3000 when I bought it 2 years ago. I bought the 1 TB harddrives at Canada Computers afterwards.

I'm not saying Apple computers are the cheapest out there, but they aren't as expensive as they used to be. Plus there's a slight cost premium for running the coolest OS out there ;)

laksman91
01-30-2011, 02:00 AM
On topic with the pictures... why the hell was the iPad compared to a netbook?!

zmz3
01-30-2011, 02:33 AM
Yes a Mac is a lot more expensive, but it also seems to be really reliable. I have never heard anyone say on bad thing about it. My old laptop had it's wireless replaced 3 times...

I do programming normally. Usually it's on a Linux platform, and since Mac OS is build on top of Linux, I thought it might be a better choice than Windows and running Cygwin or a VM. And I have considered running a PC with Linux, but it doesn't have Word or Excel etc (and OpenOffice is just bad)...

As much as I'd like to agree with you, it's not possible. Unfortunately, the Mac, speaking about a Macbook here, is not more reliable than a comparably priced notebook from any other manufacturer (Asus, Lenovo ThinkPads etc). The same hardware is put into both PCs and I work at a computer place as part-time and I get almost 2X the amount of MacBooks to be repaired for faulty AC chargers, bad hard drives, screens that give up to work.

Despite us selling a lot more MacBook/Pro/iMac, per PC where I work, it's still surprising to see the amount of Mac PC that are in repair. And they seem to be common problems, so reliability can be somewhat predicted.

Speaking of repairs, I rarely see an older generation Powerbook in repair, and a lot of customers do own them.

The store is Apple certified, so we get a good amount of Mac PC volume for warranty claims and whatnot.

In my opinion, if you really need the MAC OS X, and you don't mind some time invesment, build a decent desktop and run hackintosh. Or

1)Purchase a Mac Mini and run Windows << Most users will need it for a reason or another.
2)Purchase the Macbook Pro and run Windows and you will get the best of both worlds with sleek design and better than average battery life.

For every other Mac PC we sell, Windows 7 is purchased along with it, not to mention office.

Unoriginalusername
01-30-2011, 11:14 AM
On topic with the pictures... why the hell was the iPad compared to a netbook?!

X2 thats some pretty serious PC kool-aide. AppleCare has been voted the best in the industry, and the stories I've heard on customer service are pretty amazing.

alho
01-30-2011, 12:30 PM
As much as I'd like to agree with you, it's not possible. Unfortunately, the Mac, speaking about a Macbook here, is not more reliable than a comparably priced notebook from any other manufacturer (Asus, Lenovo ThinkPads etc). The same hardware is put into both PCs and I work at a computer place as part-time and I get almost 2X the amount of MacBooks to be repaired for faulty AC chargers, bad hard drives, screens that give up to work.

Despite us selling a lot more MacBook/Pro/iMac, per PC where I work, it's still surprising to see the amount of Mac PC that are in repair. And they seem to be common problems, so reliability can be somewhat predicted.

Speaking of repairs, I rarely see an older generation Powerbook in repair, and a lot of customers do own them.

The store is Apple certified, so we get a good amount of Mac PC volume for warranty claims and whatnot.

In my opinion, if you really need the MAC OS X, and you don't mind some time invesment, build a decent desktop and run hackintosh. Or

1)Purchase a Mac Mini and run Windows << Most users will need it for a reason or another.
2)Purchase the Macbook Pro and run Windows and you will get the best of both worlds with sleek design and better than average battery life.

For every other Mac PC we sell, Windows 7 is purchased along with it, not to mention office.

Haha. Isn't the reason for Mac is it get away from Windows?!

-cj-
01-30-2011, 01:35 PM
X2 thats some pretty serious PC kool-aide. AppleCare has been voted the best in the industry, and the stories I've heard on customer service are pretty amazing.


AppleCare rocks. I never get it for my personal macs because I'm a cheap ass, but I get it for work Macs. Here's a warranty story:

I fried my last Macbook Pro in Ireland because of some weirdness between the cheap power plug converter and plugging into Cisco hardware via serial cable... Never seen that before in my life, but it fried my laptop AND damaged some expensive Cisco equipment! (In case anyone is wondering, I managed to fix the Macbook Pro using some cheap parts available on eBay, my boss currently uses it)

So I bought a new Macbook Pro 15" and got the 3 year Apple care because work wasn't happy with the last one blowing up. Fast forward about 1.5-2 years, I have a bad battery that doesn't hold it's charge. Here's how I replaced it:

Wednesday 12noon after one of our meetings, I get pissed off and decide I'm gonna swap it under Apple care
Wedneday 12:30pm: I go to Apple's support web site and ask for a CALL BACK from Apple to deal with this issue.
Wednesday 2:45pm: I get a call from Apple. Within 20 minutes they determine I need a new Battery. They ask me if I want to go to the Apple Store and have a Genius replace my battery or if I want them to mail it to me... I decide I don't need it ASAP and they can mail it. They warn me it could take up to a week. I say no problem.
Thursday 9:30 the following day: Battery arrives :P

Time spent waiting on hold: 0 minutes. Time to replacement: 18 hours-ish?

Don't even get me started on my Dell experience. One of my issues took 6 months to resolve and 14+ calls, just to replace a simple hard drive!

zzz3
01-30-2011, 01:51 PM
The question is wrong, mac is "pc" besides differences in aesthetics and packaging (aint no stang vs. lambo etc. like someone else posted). Consideration should be given to the afore mentioned qualities, but the significantly more appropriate question would be "windows7 or OS X?". And is it worth the premium over a similarly or better "equipped" Asus/Lenovo Thinkpad? Like the MB/MBP, both also have great warranties (i.e. asus even includes 1 year accidental damage) and excellent build quality (my T400 will make a MBP look as fragile as steve jobs ongoing health issues :tomato j/k btw).

sauga_kid
01-30-2011, 08:39 PM
On topic with the pictures... why the hell was the iPad compared to a netbook?!


X2 thats some pretty serious PC kool-aide. AppleCare has been voted the best in the industry, and the stories I've heard on customer service are pretty amazing.

x3, iPad was never meant to be a replacement to a netbook, but rather a tablet. Quite an inaccurate and skewed comparison.

SilentJay
01-30-2011, 10:25 PM
On topic with the pictures... why the hell was the iPad compared to a netbook?!


X2 thats some pretty serious PC kool-aide. AppleCare has been voted the best in the industry, and the stories I've heard on customer service are pretty amazing.


x3, iPad was never meant to be a replacement to a netbook, but rather a tablet. Quite an inaccurate and skewed comparison.

The illustration was made to give a visual run-down between products that Steve Jobs staunchly pitted against each other, throwing a realistic comparison back into his face. I'm trying to tread carefully, as he's already been made fun of at length all over the internet, but the thing that irks me about that guy is his overbearingly smug technology commentary. Yeah, your company makes nice stuff but that doesn't mean you can decree standards and form-factors dead because you feel like it?

I openly admit that the Apple warranty is pretty well on top of the game. But you need to wonder how the cheery Apple guy on the other side of the counter can afford to be dishing out replacements for the most ridiculous imperfections and not get fired within the first hour. Because of the $$$ premium Apple places on their products - they have a horde of eggheads calculating the average cost of a repair per product, and the likelihood that the owner would come in and get it repaired/replaced. Not to say that other MFGs don't take this into account when they price their products w/ a 1-year warranty, but they are also not as likely to be as aggressively proactive. Simple trade-off: $$$ Apple product that you'll get sycophant customer service with, or a PC with it's non-english speaking support guys for significant cost savings.

As stated before, both are PCs. They run different operating systems, and one elects to make things shiny and simplistic while the other gives the end-user the option of making it simplistic and shiny or intricate and like a 777 cockpit. You wanna run a hackintosh on your Windows box? Go for it. You wanna run Parallel on your Apple? Go for it... Though i've heard my fair share of horror stories with that. Who knows, it might be outdated experience.

Egierda
01-31-2011, 12:45 AM
My old Powerbook lasted me 6 years and my iMac G4 (also 6 years old) is still running STRONG. The only reason I replaced the Powerbook was because it got plagued by a stupid Chinese-made screen that decided to take a dump on me and it wasn't worth fixing (all other hardware is still perfect).

All of these PC fan-boys just like to feel like they are "in-control". For 90% of us, a Mac provides all of the versatility you need in a simple, ease-to-use, trouble-free package with a great GUI and a more stable OS.


Let's do the math:
PC >> $500 buy-in + $500 every two years to replace it with a new one + $$$ every time the thing crashes and you need to take it to a computer store to be fixed

MAC >> ~$1000-1250 buy-in + no additional costs and a 6+ year hassle-free life (this last point alone is worth all of money in the world to me)

Dave_The_BMXER
01-31-2011, 07:39 AM
PC >> $500 buy-in + $500 every two years to replace it with a new one + $$$ every time the thing crashes and you need to take it to a computer store to be fixed


Really? I built my current PC in 2006, still runs great.

Unoriginalusername
01-31-2011, 08:36 AM
Really? I built my current PC in 2006, still runs great.

brings up a good point on the value though. A 3 year old PC isn't worth anything, a three year old iMac which we just sold for $900 on kijiji is. the difference to upgrade was only a few hundred bucks vs. starting from scratch

SilentJay
01-31-2011, 08:38 AM
All of these PC fan-boys just like to feel like they are "in-control". For 90% of us, a Mac provides all of the versatility you need in a simple, ease-to-use, trouble-free package with a great GUI and a more stable OS.

Let's do the math:
PC >> $500 buy-in + $500 every two years to replace it with a new one + $$$ every time the thing crashes and you need to take it to a computer store to be fixed
MAC >> ~$1000-1250 buy-in + no additional costs and a 6+ year hassle-free life (this last point alone is worth all of money in the world to me)

Fanboys? I think it comes down to economics -at least that's the case in my situation. If Apple sells a similarly equipped machine for less, I could care less what it's called or who makes it, i'll use it. I'll also avoid using randomly generated/biased statistics like "90% of us", to note that the vast majority of the world still uses Windows - admittedly, the Mac OS has garnered a bit of popularity over the past 5-10 years.

Oh, and the other math stated in the post... Gotta compare apples to apples... No pun intended. A $500 box isn't really going to break down on you as quickly because it's not equipped similarly to the $1200 Apple box. What that means, is that the $500 machine is going to be a bare-bones celeron that uses on-board video and a single stick of RAM. Super-simplistic, and doesn't generate enough heat to cause premature failure. Heck, I have machines running since 1993 that are still running. So lets alter the "math" a bit to reflect reality in hard math vs. opinion:


Bam! Your Mac Pro. $2600 for an untouched setup.
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/8273/57999235.jpg


Kablam! I hate using Dell, but for simplicity's sake... Every spec matches or blows the Mac Pro out of the water. $500 Less. And that's on Dell's super-inflated pricing... Imagine if you self-built? $700 less?
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/3309/81773867.jpg


"But wait! I know the Mac Pro has a Xenon processor?!" Aye, it does... But it's an old generation Xenon. Totally outmatched on every field by the i7 Extreme.
http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/844/62546969.jpg

SilentJay
01-31-2011, 08:45 AM
brings up a good point on the value though. A 3 year old PC isn't worth anything, a three year old iMac which we just sold for $900 on kijiji is. the difference to upgrade was only a few hundred bucks vs. starting from scratch

I feel there's a few factors here. Like anything else in the world, if there's loads of it floating around the market or if newer/faster/stronger stuff is available cheaply, why buy old? But that alone doesn't drive demand. Educational institutes (and some businesses) require the use of the Mac OS to use standardized software. Not every student can afford a $2600+ Mac, so they buy used. Since there's not a heck of a lot of Mac floating around, there's a premium.

Rob23
01-31-2011, 08:51 AM
Mac is as professional as it gets. if you looking for something to do any sort of work on, then get a mac.

Dave_The_BMXER
01-31-2011, 09:28 AM
brings up a good point on the value though. A 3 year old PC isn't worth anything, a three year old iMac which we just sold for $900 on kijiji is. the difference to upgrade was only a few hundred bucks vs. starting from scratch

Sure, because as SilentJay stated the market for used PC's is pretty small. Buying a used PC is silly when the buy in is so cheap.


Mac is as professional as it gets. if you looking for something to do any sort of work on, then get a mac.

One of the dumbest things I have ever read on this forum, no offense.

-Written from my WORK computer which is a PC and I WORK in the web industry.

Islandless
01-31-2011, 09:30 AM
Mac is as professional as it gets. if you looking for something to do any sort of work on, then get a mac.

lmao!

In my personal experience, I had a macbook pro for almost a year then sold it. Didn't like it...

It's all just a matter of personal preference. Don't listen to people who say one or the other is better for certain things.

Rob23
01-31-2011, 09:33 AM
One of the dumbest things I have ever read on this forum, no offense.

-Written from my WORK computer which is a PC and I WORK in the web industry.

lol ok how is that dumb? my dad is a graphic designer (hes been one since long before computers ever took over) and as only used macs for over 15 years. i never said a pc cant compete, i just said if your looking for something professional get a mac. its an opinion.. and macs are professional.

Dave_The_BMXER
01-31-2011, 09:45 AM
Your Dad prefers a mac, that's cool but it doesn't make them more professional.

Rob23
01-31-2011, 09:46 AM
this was our first computer: centris 650
http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz321/murrman23/7b6d87d8083490de072e620b3e7f0a1f_600x504.jpg

Rob23
01-31-2011, 09:57 AM
Your Dad prefers a mac, that's cool but it doesn't make them more professional.

man im not getting in between this argument. im not saying PCs aren't as professional, or didn't mean to imply that. im just saying ive always used macs, since i was a little kid.

alho
01-31-2011, 09:59 AM
One thing about Apple is that they sort of rip you off in terms if updates. I mean, the iPad or iPhone4 was released last year. But this year they are coming with an update on it, making the ones released last year "old".


I might pick up a Lenovo or Dell...

If I get a Mac, I will probably wait for the Sandy Bridge processors to be equipped first.

SilentJay
01-31-2011, 10:11 AM
^^^ The thing is, what Apple is doing isn't exclusive to them. Windows-based computers are being replaced with components on an almost monthly basis. Part and parcel of technology :)

If I had a gun to my head and was asked to choose between Lenovo or Dell, i'd say Lenovo. I've had hundreds if not thousands of them go through my hands over the years, and find that Lenovos, despite the drop in quality from IBM days, are much better built than Dells. Toshiba remains my #1.

Islandless
01-31-2011, 10:30 AM
Mac is as professional as it gets. if you looking for something to do any sort of work on, then get a mac.

--


man im not getting in between this argument. im not saying PCs aren't as professional, or didn't mean to imply that. im just saying ive always used macs, since i was a little kid.

You weren't saying that PC aren't as professional? lols... I honestly thought your original post was a joke. Anyway, your revised opinion makes more sense. I can understand that people who have been using macs their whole life (who actually liked pre OSX) wouldn't want anything other than a mac.

Like I said it's all a matter of preference.. but just for the record, every "professional" video game company I've worked at and know about use Windows.

Rob23
01-31-2011, 10:40 AM
--



You weren't saying that PC aren't as professional? lols... I honestly thought your original post was a joke. Anyway, your revised opinion makes more sense. I can understand that people who have been using macs their whole life (who actually liked pre OSX) wouldn't want anything other than a mac.

Like I said it's all a matter of preference.. but just for the record, every "professional" video game company I've worked at and know about use Windows.

all my original post says is that macs are professional computers. which they are. i was specifically trying not to say anything negative towards PCs because i know this is a touchy issue and i am in no position to say which is better because i wouldn't know. all im saying is macs are great professional computers and great to work on.

Kwokalobster
01-31-2011, 10:55 AM
MAC all the way! im using a MacbookPro 15inch and it does wonders. Think about your budget first because they are quite expensive....

-cj-
01-31-2011, 12:45 PM
Fanboys? I think it comes down to economics -at least that's the case in my situation. If Apple sells a similarly equipped machine for less, I could care less what it's called or who makes it, i'll use it. I'll also avoid using randomly generated/biased statistics like "90% of us", to note that the vast majority of the world still uses Windows - admittedly, the Mac OS has garnered a bit of popularity over the past 5-10 years.

Oh, and the other math stated in the post... Gotta compare apples to apples... No pun intended. A $500 box isn't really going to break down on you as quickly because it's not equipped similarly to the $1200 Apple box. What that means, is that the $500 machine is going to be a bare-bones celeron that uses on-board video and a single stick of RAM. Super-simplistic, and doesn't generate enough heat to cause premature failure. Heck, I have machines running since 1993 that are still running. So lets alter the "math" a bit to reflect reality in hard math vs. opinion:


Bam! Your Mac Pro. $2600 for an untouched setup.


Kablam! I hate using Dell, but for simplicity's sake... Every spec matches or blows the Mac Pro out of the water. $500 Less. And that's on Dell's super-inflated pricing... Imagine if you self-built? $700 less?

"But wait! I know the Mac Pro has a Xenon processor?!" Aye, it does... But it's an old generation Xenon. Totally outmatched on every field by the i7 Extreme.



The PC fanboys are out in force. I thought Steve Jobs was good at distorting truth :P

Did you REALLY just compare a Xeon processor, which is a professional grade CPU, AKA Workstation and server class CPU, to a consumer grade i7?? Judging by your very convincing argument, it's a wonder why Intel still sells Xeon CPUs! OH wait, that's right, you can scale up Xeon CPUs (not just cores, actual sockets) to 4, 8, 16+ etc configurations, where as you can only throw 1x i7 in a computer! Not the same thing!

If your argument to that is, WHY would you?? Then you clearly don't know why people by a Mac Pro, or better yet, a Xeon-powered WORKSTATION for...

And as for the nail in the coffin, and probably why you decided to compare a consumer grade to a professional grade workstation, let me use your own example against you.

- Go to DELL.CA
- click on "For small and medium business"
- click "Desktops and workstations"
- Select "Quad Core Intel Xeon (Please note, there is no Xeon option under "For Home section. I wonder why...)
- Scroll down to "Dell Precision T5500", which is the only Dell Xeon-powered workstation for small/medium business. (Again, please note, there is no Xeon processor under "For Home")
- Stare at the fact the T5500 is "featured at $4826.00"

What do you get for $4826 CDN?

Dell $4826: Dual Quad Core Westmere Xeons, 6 GB RAM, 2 x 500 GB HDs, 1 x 1TB HD, 16x DVD, Nvidia Quadro 2000 1GB

Apple $3599: Dual Quad-Core Westmere Xeons, 6 GB RAM, 1 TB HD, 18 x DVD, ATI HD5770 1GB

$773 savings. You can replace those missing 500 GB drives with that money. Or better yet, let's just customize the Mac for 2 x 1TB drives so it's more even:

Apple Mac Pro with same configuration above except 2x 1TB Drives: $3759

Hell, let's just load it up with 4x 2TB hard drives: $4719, STILL cheaper then the Dell by $107, with 4x the storage capacity...

Finally, here's a tip: Find someone who's a student who is willing to buy you that Mac and it'll save you like 10%!

Also, I didn't even mention the fact the Mac comes with 4 firewire 800 ports, 7 usb ports, optical digital inputs AND outputs, multichannel audio via displayports (In case you don't want to use SPDIF). Plus built in bluetooth and 802.11n and two onboard gigabit ports.

BAM! =)

Egierda
01-31-2011, 01:00 PM
****in' pwned.

Islandless
01-31-2011, 01:40 PM
While I wouldn't consider myself for or against either side... I priced out a similar configuration on Dell and it came out to significantly cheaper than what you use in your example. Maybe I missed something. Also if you want to get technical as far as 'workstation' configurations... Since the Nvidia Quadro is a workstation video card, it would be better compared to an ATI within the FirePro series. I don't think Apple offers those though. In my line of work, that would make a huge difference.

Pros and cons of each, like anything.... I still stand by my personal preference way of looking at the argument. It seems to be the simplest way of looking at it. It's like what I tell people when they ask my advice on what TV to get. Just go look at em and whatever you think looks prettiest to you, get that one - you'll never be disappointed that way.


The PC fanboys are out in force. I thought Steve Jobs was good at distorting truth :P

Did you REALLY just compare a Xeon processor, which is a professional grade CPU, AKA Workstation and server class CPU, to a consumer grade i7?? Judging by your very convincing argument, it's a wonder why Intel still sells Xeon CPUs! OH wait, that's right, you can scale up Xeon CPUs (not just cores, actual sockets) to 4, 8, 16+ etc configurations, where as you can only throw 1x i7 in a computer! Not the same thing!

If your argument to that is, WHY would you?? Then you clearly don't know why people by a Mac Pro, or better yet, a Xeon-powered WORKSTATION for...

And as for the nail in the coffin, and probably why you decided to compare a consumer grade to a professional grade workstation, let me use your own example against you.

- Go to DELL.CA
- click on "For small and medium business"
- click "Desktops and workstations"
- Select "Quad Core Intel Xeon (Please note, there is no Xeon option under "For Home section. I wonder why...)
- Scroll down to "Dell Precision T5500", which is the only Dell Xeon-powered workstation for small/medium business. (Again, please note, there is no Xeon processor under "For Home")
- Stare at the fact the T5500 is "featured at $4826.00"

What do you get for $4826 CDN?

Dell $4826: Dual Quad Core Westmere Xeons, 6 GB RAM, 2 x 500 GB HDs, 1 x 1TB HD, 16x DVD, Nvidia Quadro 2000 1GB

Apple $3599: Dual Quad-Core Westmere Xeons, 6 GB RAM, 1 TB HD, 18 x DVD, ATI HD5770 1GB

$773 savings. You can replace those missing 500 GB drives with that money. Or better yet, let's just customize the Mac for 2 x 1TB drives so it's more even:

Apple Mac Pro with same configuration above except 2x 1TB Drives: $3759

Hell, let's just load it up with 4x 2TB hard drives: $4719, STILL cheaper then the Dell by $107, with 4x the storage capacity...

Finally, here's a tip: Find someone who's a student who is willing to buy you that Mac and it'll save you like 10%!

Also, I didn't even mention the fact the Mac comes with 4 firewire 800 ports, 7 usb ports, optical digital inputs AND outputs, multichannel audio via displayports (In case you don't want to use SPDIF). Plus built in bluetooth and 802.11n and two onboard gigabit ports.

BAM! =)

Iceman_F1
01-31-2011, 01:44 PM
:pop

This thread is amusing.

Having used both, I agree it's a personal preference. In places I've worked, there have been some with mixed and I'll say there is none that is "more professional" than the other. It all boils down to the software you are comfortable using. Doesn't matter the industry. They pick what they are used to or what's "popular" and use that and adjust based on that.

As a personal preference, I prefer windows. I've grown up on it and am most comfortable with it. I did own a macbook for a couple years and while I could do most of what I needed to from that, I still preferred windows.

To me, the main things I didn't like was finder vs windows explorer. As well as how the apple os did the windows maximize. There was also the folder sharing between the 2 that annoyed me.

Best advice for OP. If you have a friend with an apple, ask to try it out for a bit. Otherwise go to an apple store and play around to see what it's like to use. See if you could use it on a daily basis.

cwp_sedan
01-31-2011, 01:59 PM
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb106/cwp_sedan/smilies/apple_ftw.gif

aZuMi
01-31-2011, 02:06 PM
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~jshersh/MacPC.jpg

I vote for PC - mostly since my job requires PC ( SAP, Hyperion, Business Objects, JDE)

STeeLy
01-31-2011, 02:09 PM
I vote PC cuz I'm from the west.

laksman91
01-31-2011, 02:23 PM
For the student discount, just go to the apple website and just say you're a student they don't check any further ;)
note: I am a student and I didn't need confirmation lol

SilentJay
01-31-2011, 02:54 PM
I had a reply all typed out but thought better of it - You win, Apple makes the cheapest products. Anyhoo, so now that it's been so wonderfully established that the OP can buy an Apple workstation for $3600+, how about helping him figure out the savings between identically equipped "Apple vs ?" consumer-grade products?

iGOzoom
01-31-2011, 09:53 PM
My name is Daniel, and I'm a MAC!!! MAC > PC