Mac or Pc?

emma90

emma90

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i know it is a never ending debate, but i would like peoples opinions, i would like to get a mac, but i have only ever used pc, and the reast of the house/business uses pc aswell.
i use a laptop/computer for media, viewing and i will be editing photos. surfing the web, email, sometimes small word documents like notepad jotting down.
would i be better off with a mac or pc? as iv heard the iphoto software that comes standard with mac is very good photo editing software, although i would like to use photo shop on any laptop i get.
any advice would be great.
 
PC (running Windows): Major player in the market, bigger choice, better availability second hand at reasonable prices, plenty of cheap / free alternative software.
Mac (running OSX) : Minor player in the market, limited range, much smaller second hand market, less cheap accessories, less choice in software.

My pros and cons list reads like "why you should buy Canon or Nikon rather than Sony or Pentax". Hmm. Maybe I should run OSX on my Mac mini rather than Windows then :naughty:.


Basically either will be fine, it comes down to personal preference.
 
No offence, but can we not ban these threads? :shrug:
 
alight sorry didn't mean to cause any offence, i have searched google and it comes up with some old discussions nothing current, and since software changes all the time i thought it was worth asking the question.
thank you for those who came back with a sensible answer to everyone else's comments, if you don't like the posts then don't read them its simple!
some people aren't as good with technology as others and we all need to learn somehow.
 
Another one? Blimey!

Both do the same job, equally as well and with the same software. Just don't try gaming too much on a mac.

Its all up to what you prefer really. If you want a mac try one out for a while and see if you get on with OSX. It does a few things different but in all reality (and this being a photography website and all that! ;)) a photo processed on either will end up looking the same and have been done in very similar time.

Just waiting for the mac hating loonies and the Jobs lovers who quote marketing poop as gospel now!

Edit: The first person who uses the phrase 'it just works' should have their camera taken away and have a dunce hat nailgunned to their head.
 
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although I can see this thread being locked, here's my opinion

having owned a MacBook C2D for the past 5 years, it still boots the same as it did when I first got it, although it's now running Snow Leopard

there isn't much difference now apart from the software, as both PC and Mac share the same architecture x86, the only difference is the price and the fact that Apple make both their hardware and software
 
The advice I always give when asked this question is go to an Apple store and try one or two or all of them.. it's very hands on and you don't get hassled. Staff are around if you need to talk to someone

Don't take you credit card. :)

As far as usage is concerned they both operate in a similar way. Most major programmes look the same on both types of machines .

Only you can decide which is suitable for you , hence the visit to an Apple store, but not during school holidays if you are serious about looking at the machines. Its just too crowded.
 
If your currently happy with that a PC does for you, then why not stick to it? Mac's tend to cost more for the same performance, and nearly every piece of software that you get on a Mac works exactly the same on the PC (there are a few that don't work though, but there will be alternative programs that are very similar). But the only way to be sure which you want, is to go try one, if you do, and you love it, go for it, if your not sure, just get yourself a PC, it'll be cheaper, and you'll be able to do the same stuff with it.
 
I don't see why threads like this should be locked.

I'm currently thinking of replacing my desktop pc with either a pc or an iMac. I've been doing the rounds of pc world/bestbuy/comet stores and having a play with them. I've also looked at HPs and Apples websites.

If I get an iMac with say an i5 processor cost around £1400. Not keen on the keyboard they supply or the mouse but might get use to them.

On the other hand I could get a HP Elite PC with an i7 processor with real top notch spec with such things as 15 in 1 card reader, blue ray dvd player and could keep my existing high spec monitor. Cost of pc around £1100.

On my laptop I've downloaded a copy of Safari, the internet browser which is on Apple machines and I'm not keen on it compared to internet explorer.

While I decide what to do I've been buying MacFormat magazine and interestingly,in a review of Photosop Elements 9, they recently described iPhoto as basic!!

Must admit you watch a video on an iMac and it's very good.

It is however a decision I'm not going to rush.
 
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Maybe a big non-biased sticky thread would be the way to go with Mac or PC?
 
Only thing I will add is that as a rule if you find anyone who has a mac they generally love them and say they would never switch back... what % of windows users say the same?

Regardless of all that, best bets pop along to an Apple store and have a play with one and see what you think? Then you can make a decision based on what you think rather than what others think?
 
Not wanting to fuel either side of the arguement, but if you are thinking of getting one, then you will get one.
You dont have to spend a fortune if you buy second hand to try Mac OSX out, thats what I did. You can get a cheap iBook or desktop to try then when you are convinced, splash out a bit for a decent spec one.
I am not biased but I live in a house with no Windows. The view's great!
Allan
 
I will agree with the comment about once you go Mac you wont switch back! I have a MBP13'' and love it. Use PC at work. Mac is clean, smooth, stylish. Winows is still very clunky for me. Use Win 7 at work. Its ok but plenty of 'not responding' messages and crashes etc that you would come to expect from Windows during an average day!
 
Bradders09 said:
Use Win 7 at work. Its ok but plenty of 'not responding' messages and crashes etc that you would come to expect from Windows during an average day!
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It's not OK then, it's broken and you need to get your IT department to look at it.

I sometimes code exception handlers so can bring Windows down in a heap (it doesn't handle triple faults very gracefully, so if I screw the double fault handler it all goes horribly wrong), normal applications should not be able to crash the OS unless there is a hardware problem.
 
i have posted another thread asking about laptops, because if i dont get a mac then the pc has to be cheapish and last me. i still am more on the mac side, think im going to have to try them out at the apple store next time.
i like the sound of there software to be honest and i dont like windows.
 
King of Groove said:
Not keen on the keyboard they supply or the mouse but might get use to them.
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Worth persisting with the magic mouse for a while - i find it great for photo editing particularly, when zoomed in you can pan in all directions as smoothly and easily as any modern touchscreen, sooo much better than a wheel (and goes sideways too).
 
ding76uk said:
Not true. iMac 27" is better value than any similar specced PC.
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I'd argue that, but it isn't my main point... Whether it is or it isn't, when you come to upgrade, you have to buy a complete new system. You can't keep your very expensive screen (which the iMac has) and just upgrade the processor/memory. You have to do the whole thing in one go which is likely to be £1500+ (instead of £500ish).
 
Mac hands down for me. I got my first iMac back in 2003 and my house is now riddled with the bloody things.

I will never go back to PC and have no need to.

If you are not familiar with Boot Camp, it allows you to run Windows on a Mac, could be the deal clincher if a lot of your current software is Windows only.
 
arad85 said:
I'd argue that, but it isn't my main point... Whether it is or it isn't, when you come to upgrade, you have to buy a complete new system. You can't keep your very expensive screen (which the iMac has) and just upgrade the processor/memory. You have to do the whole thing in one go which is likely to be £1500+ (instead of £500ish).
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Where did you hear this?

There are certain limitations. For example you can not upgrade the RAM in the new MacBook Air, you can choose either 2 or 4 gig from Apple but cannot upgrade further down the line, but as far as I know this only applies to the 2010 MBA.
 
My son who does and has a degree in graphic design says ( he does a lot of work for TV) he prefers using a MAC computer as it has better software for his particular use. As others have said the PC has more software to choose from. So it really boils down to what you are using the computer for and what you are happy with , me ? I prefer using a PC even if it is still the old Windows XP version.

Realspeed
 
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Original Poster said:
Where did you hear this?
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It's quite obvious... If you want to buy tomorrows iMac (i.e. desktop equivalent) you have to buy the whole thing as the monitor/disk etc... is fully integrated. I'm not aware of Apple supplying a logic board (aka motherboard) upgrade to any iMac. You can't upgrade a Core2Duo iMac to a i7 iMac without spending lots and lots... I'm not talking just memory, but processor, chipset and graphics here...

As to the people saying their Mac runs as well as it did when they bought it... so does my PC!! I have no problem with people preferring Macs, just the BS that's touted to justify it that's the problem...

Macs and PCs will get the job done the same - the same software generally runs on both and a Mac is basically a PC so there isn't any inherent performance advantage. The one thing that is a fact though is that the cost of ownership is pretty much guaranteed to be higher with Macs - but that's your money and your choice...
 
arad85 said:
It's quite obvious... If you want to buy tomorrows iMac (i.e. desktop equivalent) you have to buy the whole thing as the monitor/disk etc... is fully integrated. I'm not aware of Apple supplying a logic board (aka motherboard) upgrade to any iMac. You can't upgrade a Core2Duo iMac to a i7 iMac without spending lots and lots... I'm not talking just memory, but processor, chipset and graphics here...

As to the people saying their Mac runs as well as it did when they bought it... so does my PC!! I have no problem with people preferring Macs, just the BS that's touted to justify it that's the problem...

Macs and PCs will get the job done the same - the same software generally runs on both and a Mac is basically a PC so there isn't any inherent performance advantage. The one thing that is a fact though is that the cost of ownership is pretty much guaranteed to be higher with Macs - but that's your money and your choice...
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I also see the same thing with P.C's etc. Ram moves on, new chipsets etc. The only thing you can really keep is the case and monitor.
 
ding76uk said:
I also see the same thing with P.C's etc. Ram moves on, new chipsets etc. The only thing you can really keep is the case and monitor.
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Well, that's a lot of the cost of the Mac... and in my particular instance with my PC, that's over £1000 (2 dell 24" IPS monitors and an Antec 182 case).

Not forgetting the 3x1Tb disk drives (at say £180), decent power supply (£70), fans, cabling, graphics card (another £100) etc... If I wanted a top spec PC now, I could do it for around £500 (i7-950, 12G RAM, motherboard). You can't get an equivalent top spec Mac (they don't have the triple channel i7 as the memory isn't in multiples of 3) but the nearest i7/8GB is £2000.

You may be able to sell your old one for a decent price, but if any part of the mac dies and you don't have applecare, it doesn't appear to be cheap to be fixed (see thread by JoeScrivens - I think - recently where it was beyond economic repair for him, so he bought a new iMac).
 
I recently got a refurb 27" i7 2.93 mac iMac for £1529.

Find that price when setting up a PC from scratch.

I know there are nice cases and stuff out there, but for me the iMac is a perfect solution for my needs. I don't have an office space so my mac goes in the room, where it looks amazing, and works like a dream. It will upgrade to 16GB ram, so I am not expecting to upgrade it for at least 5 years.

I would imagine in 5 years any PC will have better cases, new motherboards, new screen technology etc etc etc. This will mean that if you wanted a top of the range PC in 5 years, same as a Mac it would need everything replacing.

This is where a lot of people say that PC is better, but over a lifetime, a new cutting edge PC will cost as much as a mac. As each time you by a new iMac for example, you will get a new screen with the latest technology.

You could keep your old monitor but when they have been surpassed, will you not want the latest and greatest.

I do agree about apple care though, and everyone I know who has it has generally had great service if they have ever had to use it.
 
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