PC guy here -- should I convert to MAC?

[esrice]

My home computer is very very old (like 8+ years ) and I'm in need of an upgrade. I've only used PCs in the past (Gateway, IBM, Dell) but I'm not married to the platform or any particular OS.

I use my home system for reasonably simple tasks like photo/video storage, simple photo/video editing, and surfing INGO. I don't use it for games and I don't download movies or music. I prefer the larger screen and interfacing with a desktop unit as opposed to a laptop, but I suppose those could be a contender as they're getting larger screens and I could always "dock" it at home with a full-size mouse and keyboard if I desired.

In a similar thread about backup systems someone mentioned upgrading to a MAC. My question is, why?

What are the pros and cons of such a move?

I have zero experience with the MAC OS, so how is it different?

 

[Shive.Justin]

i converted to a mac when windows rolled out with vista, and still use the same laptop to date. now, i'm no apple genius, but i think they run a whole lot better. it's all going to roll down to, you get what you pay for. a mac will run you more money up front, but i haven't had to install and update any anti-virus since i bought it. i wouldn't dare do that with a windows pc. there is definitely a learning curve when switching from pc to mac with zero experience. some say they hate them, but most love them. if you are just doing simple video and picture storage and editing, either will do the trick. they surf the internet just the same. there seem to be a lot of people who do picture and video editing that love their mac and say they won't switch back to pc.

you can take this in consideration, that none of the above is going to be 100% accurate, but i deal with customers in their houses for my job(install tv/phone/internet) and talk with mac owners about why they switched and what benefits it has for them. these are just some of the things that come to mind. hope it helps, if not, i'm sorry.

 

[Brandon]

id buy a cheap desktop with extra ram and and room for a second hard drive instead of going for a mac. if you were doing movie/photo editing for a living then i may say a mac... for me personally i cant justify spending the money for a mac with as little as i do with a computer.

 

[Rob377]

Pros - Macs are awesome, extremely user friendly, very stable and awesome.

Cons - The Apple tax.

If you're a desktop guy, the iMac is just the ticket. You want a big screen? How about 27" of LED backlit pure awesomeness?
iMac Desktop Computers - Apple Store (U.S.)

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

You can get a VERY good PC for $400-500 these days if you pay attention to store sales...

If you're just an average Joe lunchbox user, why pay more for a computer?

-J-

 

[GBuck]

^^+1. (this was meant for justin.shive)

Mac is a much "sleeker" platform. It is very user friendly. Those are two of the many pluses. Many people see the price of a mac and shutter because you're getting 2gb memory and 500 gb HD when for the same price you can get 8gb memory pc. The thing people don't realize is mac is written much more efficiently, and that mac with 2gb is still going to be way faster than the pc with 8gb. Also, macs on average seem to last about 2.5-3 times longer than pc computers do. I would recommend the mac mini for what you are wanting. It has the 2gb mem and 500 gb HD. It is about 7.5" by 7.5" and about 1.5" tall. It will use your current (assuming it's reasonably new) mouse, keyboard and monitor set up. GREAT computer, I have many friends with them. They are $599.99 at best buy. I use a Macbook Pro, which I think are starting out at $999.99. It still runs like new at 3 years old. Once you go mac, you never go back.

Apple® - Mac mini / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 2GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - MC815LL/A

 

[Expat]

I have the 27 inch iMac for my desktop for personal use. It is a great machine. Everything just works out of the box. I do run a free antivirus on mine (ClamXav). It has found 3 or 4 viruses over the years, but none of them would have done anything to my machine. They were windows viruses that were in downloads or infected emails. (I do visit questionable sites occasionally).

 

[iChokePeople]

There's no doubt that you can get a PC cheaper. "Value" is subjective. If you enjoy tinkering with the OS and hardware to try to keep everything working right, if you're ok with keeping up with all of the antivirus/antimalware/etc, if saving a little money is a key motivator for you, PC is fine. If you place value on ease of use, if you just want it to work, all the time, not get slow every other month from just surfing the web, if you don't want to have to worry about whether your backup ran last night or whether you remembered to update your antivirus, get a Mac. If I were giving a computer to my college kid, I'd ask him what he wants. If I were getting one for my mother, there is absolutely no question that I'd get her a Mac.

 

[Caleb]

I'd get the 27-incher in a heartbeat if I could afford it! Seeing how I love my iPad and iPhone, with photostream, I can take a picture with my iPhone and automatically be sent to all my apple devices...including your 27 inch of awesomeness.

Plus you can do the same when you buy items off the store, automatically download to all your apple devices.... If you ask me, it saves a lot of time in not having to do all those transfers and organizing manually. My one gripe is the apple mouse, but you can go to the store a buy an aftermarket one and more likely than not it will be compatible.

 

[GBuck]

I'd get the 27-incher in a heartbeat if I could afford it! Seeing how I love my iPad and iPhone, with photostream, I can take a picture with my iPhone and automatically be sent to all my apple devices...including your 27 inch of awesomeness.

Plus you can do the same when you buy items off the store, automatically download to all your apple devices.... If you ask me, it saves a lot of time in not having to do all those transfers and organizing manually. My one gripe is the apple mouse, but you can go to the store a buy an aftermarket one and more likely than not it will be compatible.

As stated earlier, GET A MAC MINI!!!!

They really are great. The link is listed above

 

[Rob377]

Mac mini + a nice 3rd party monitor and you've got a poor man's iMac.
Here's a very nice 27" for $350.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-S27A350H-27-Inch-Class-Monitor/dp/B004QNHNWK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1319637835&sr=8-5[/ame]


I think the dual drive mini with the OS and apps on a 60 or 128SSD and media and whatnot on a 2nd cheaper traditional HDD, attached to the monitor above would be really sweet setup for the money.

 

[Caleb]

Mac mini + a nice 3rd party monitor and you've got a poor man's iMac.
Here's a very nice 27" for $350.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-S27A3...HNWK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1319637835&sr=8-5


I think the dual drive mini with the OS and apps on a 60 or 128SSD and media and whatnot on a 2nd cheaper traditional HDD, attached to the monitor above would be really sweet setup for the money.

You are missing part of the point of a Mac....apple's monitors are some of the sharpest in the industry. Why skimp out on it?

 

[pirate]

"user friendly" always makes me laugh when talking about why macs are great.

User friendly is a nice phrase for "easy for ignorant computer users."


This message is brought to you by a person who owns both a mac and a pc. Using them both daily.

 

[GBuck]

You are missing part of the point of a Mac....apple's monitors are some of the sharpest in the industry. Why skimp out on it?

Because you can do it for $950 instead of 2500 or whatever the high price is. lol You started out saying you would get one if you could afford it.

 

[Rob377]

You are missing part of the point of a Mac....apple's monitors are some of the sharpest in the industry. Why skimp out on it?

1700 for a 27" iMac or about 1300ish for the setup above - 400 reasons to skimp a little, hence the "poor man's iMac" tag.

 

[GBuck]

1700 for a 27" iMac or about 1300ish for the setup above - 400 reasons to skimp a little, hence the "poor man's iMac" tag.

Even cheaper if you already have the keyboard and mouse. $599.99 plus the $350.

 

[the only Qualk]

I would choose linux way over mac.. linux is free runs great still would be a learning curve but if you wanted to build a desktop would save you money from buying operating system as well as many programs. You want to edit photos use gimp. Video editing they have that too. I do not like or use anything apple as I prefer linux. Many things linux can do if you feel like venturing down that road. And it's not hard to do all things you did in windows on linux.
Also the best antivirus is yourself. You do not have to have antivirus on windows if you are careful of what websites you visit or links you click.

 

[Rob377]

Even cheaper if you already have the keyboard and mouse. $599.99 plus the $350.

I was thinking the dual drive mini+60GB SSD and a monitor. With the SSD and the quad core 2.0 i7, I'd bet it'd feel just as fast, if not faster, than the iMac with the 2.7ghz i5 and the 7200rpm drive.

 

[GBuck]

I was thinking the dual drive mini+60GB SSD and a monitor. With the SSD and the quad core 2.0 i7, I'd bet it'd feel just as fast, if not faster, than the iMac with the 2.7ghz i5 and the 7200rpm drive.

Oooooh, you just said mac mini. lol I just suggested the base mac to Esrice because of price. Also, for what he seemingly intends on doing, it's more than enough computer.

 

[Rob377]

Oooooh, you just said mac mini. lol I just suggested the base mac to Esrice because of price. Also, for what he seemingly intends on doing, it's more than enough computer.

Agreed. Base Mac mini + a big ol' monitor = great value that'll do extremely well for his intended use.