PC or Mac Laptop?

[SmokeProper]

PC or Mac Laptop?
Been saving up to replace an old Dell laptop so I'd appreciate your input on the age old debate.
One of the main questions I have is, will a Mac laptop last longer? ...My beef with computers is after a few years they slow down so much and require so much work to keep them running quickly. Will a Mac slow and lag like a PC after a few years?

No need for blind fanboy responses, just looking to get real experiences...

Thanks guys!


BTW, the MacBook Pro 13-inch seems to have what I need...

# 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
# 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
# 250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm, maybe 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm [Add $50.00]
# SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)


How about AppleCare Protection Plan? $250 seems like a lot.

 

[TravelingJ]

As far as the slowing down goes, a reformat can usually fix things. My sister bought a new laptop and then brought me hers to look at. I deleted all her extra unused programs, cleaned cookies and such, and it was running faster than my laptop that is 2 years newer!

I'll leave the mac vs pc debate to others-but any machine my company doesn't buy for me, will be apple.

 

[Burning Man]

It's a question of preference. Many get the PC because it transitions well with their office software and is a lot cheaper(unless you buy Sony which is just a few bucks cheaper than Mac). Having said this I have an IMac that is at least five years old but probably closer to six and while it does not work as fast as the year old e-machine I purchased, it works twice as well as any PC it's age.If you do find a PC that old I guarantee it's dragging ass unless the owner is a real tech-head. I can't remember the last time I got a pop-up ad, and I have never known a mac user that has said their Mac had a virus. I use my Mac a lot more than the PC. I get annoyed whenever I have to surf on the PC with the ads and the pitch to "protect" my computer. If you do not have office issues go with the Mac. The I book you are looking at is one cherry machine! My two cents.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

I'm biased... but I've used both.

1. What are you doing? If the answer is surfing the internet, word processing, etc... a Mac is probably better. If you are trying to game, it's not an option.
2. Are there any specific things you must do or specific applications you must have? For example, it would be hard for me to live without a few of the apps on the Mac, with Boot Camp and other virtualization you obviously have the option to run certain Windows apps, but if you are going to have to use them all the time, you might want to go with the OS that has those apps.
3. While there are ways to keep PCs from "slowing down", they definitely seem more prone to it than Macs. This comes from a Mac and PC user in a flood of PC notebooks. Mac's are without a doubt less prone to it, but there are ways around it.

 

[njstone]

I switched to Mac about 3 years ago and have been happy. Hardware-wise, they use more or less the same stuff now, so failure rate are very similar. But the AppleCare warranty is fantastic (I got a brand new computer last year), and customer service is easy (this is compare to Dell or Acer, my previous laptops).

But SOFTWARE-wise, Mac OS is so far above Windows as to be almost a joke. That's not really fanboy-ism, either. Macs get very few viruses and spyware relative to PCs, and those make your machine run much more slowly, and are a huge security risk. I personally find Mac OS to be easier, more user-friendly, and just plan better ... but that's me.

Compatibility is an issue for the office, but remember you can always load a copy of Windows onto your Mac if you have specific Windows-only programs you need to run. I've done this, and it works fine. (though I'm careful not to connect to the internet while in Windows, or else I'll be as vulnerable to viruses and spyware as a PC would be).

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Mac's have no true viruses to date, not that it isn't possible, but it's a bit difficult.

 

[theribdoctor]

I switched to Mac about 3 years ago and have been happy. Hardware-wise, they use more or less the same stuff now, so failure rate are very similar. But the AppleCare warranty is fantastic (I got a brand new computer last year), and customer service is easy (this is compare to Dell or Acer, my previous laptops).

But SOFTWARE-wise, Mac OS is so far above Windows as to be almost a joke. That's not really fanboy-ism, either. Macs get very few viruses and spyware relative to PCs, and those make your machine run much more slowly, and are a huge security risk. I personally find Mac OS to be easier, more user-friendly, and just plan better ... but that's me.

Compatibility is an issue for the office, but remember you can always load a copy of Windows onto your Mac if you have specific Windows-only programs you need to run. I've done this, and it works fine. (though I'm careful not to connect to the internet while in Windows, or else I'll be as vulnerable to viruses and spyware as a PC would be).

Glad you said very little, as Macs can and do get virii. I've used all of the os's and personally I like windows 7 better than mac osx. The reason macs don't get too many virii has nothing to do with a superior os. It has to do with marketshare. If the mac had the majority of the market, it would have virii or spyware.

Either way, or you could get 2-3 pc laptops for the price of that macbook.

or you could run osx on a pc.

 

[Burning Man]

Mac's have no true viruses to date, not that it isn't possible, but it's a bit difficult.

Agreed. Not only is it more difficult but also impractical. If I'm a bad guy I would rather have a program that will allow me to hack into the info of millions upon millions of PCs out there. Writing the same program for a Mac info heist is not as productive. :computer:

 

[theribdoctor]

Mac's have no true viruses to date, not that it isn't possible, but it's a bit difficult.

its not difficult. Think of it like house thieves. Thieves will go for the easiest point of entry, you have a dog, the neighbor doesn't...who gets robbed?

Think of the mac like someone who you aren't sure of what protection they have...

 

[andy]

Ex-PC admin and user. MBP owner.

Your needs should dictate your purchase. For instance, the average user shouldn't spend $1000 + for a laptop they'll use for simple net browsing, media playback, and desktop publishing. Its just a waste of money. Dells do well for these needs. Gamers shouldn't game on MBP's. More games are published for Windows and run better on towers (generally beefier hardware profiles and better cooling). The argument that Macs are better for media artists is too old to hold up any longer. PC part and monitor manufacturers as well as software producers have had enough time to catch up. You can build a tower with quite a hardware profile for the same cost if not cheaper than a MBP.

Personally, I strongly prefer Macs to PC's. Arguing hardware is useless. The same manufacturers make parts for both systems. Both are Intel based. Macs use NVidia cards, etc. The difference is in the operating system. OS X is greater than Windows. OS X is a more stable, a more secure, and a more robust operating system. OS X is highly intuitive, easy to use, and offers efficient and elegant computing solutions for all users from the average net-surfer to IT engineer. OS X also offers a native application, Boot Camp, that allows installation of Windows to separate partitions.

Slowness and performance issues can be problems for any computing system. Usually its a user issue. But proper use, care, management, and maintenance habits will prevent these types of problems. OS X has built in routines that run real-time to combat data fragmentation and other low priority performance issues. Not sure if Windows 7 has anything similar.

Apple Care...if you believe in insurance, go for it. I'm not a big fan of insurance. You're basically betting against yourself the whole time.

 

[krulos]

I'll second the no pop-ups or viruses. I have a G4 iMac from 2001 (I don't use it anymore, but it still works fine), and a Macbook from 2008 that runs as fast as the day I got it. As others have said, PCs have the advantage if you're into gaming.

I just use mine for internet surfing, music, and photos, and the Macbook suits all my needs fine. If you're into web design or video/audio production, I'd go with the Macbook Pro.

 

[theribdoctor]

Mac's have no true viruses to date, not that it isn't possible, but it's a bit difficult.

check out #3, its an interesting read.

http://antivirus.about.com/od/macintoshresource/tp/macvirusfaqs.htm

 

[danthebugman]

I've never been a Mac fan. Have friends that are :dunno:. Personally I will always buy PC, but a few years ago I started using Linux and after the initial period of "how the hell do I do this" wore off I love Linux. So there you have it...for what it's worth.

Dan

 

[ndn384]

If you are looking for a New Macbook Pro.....I would say try to wait it would a little longer, because the new ones should be coming out any time. This is the longest wait between updates since I can remember. I just bought my wife a new Macbook Air 13" and it is awesome, but at the same time it's just for her to use around the house and in bed. It isn't as powerful as our iMac, but it gets the job done for just about everything she needs it for.

 

[theribdoctor]

I've never been a Mac fan. Have friends that are :dunno:. Personally I will always buy PC, but a few years ago I started using Linux and after the initial period of "how the hell do I do this" wore off I love Linux. So there you have it...for what it's worth.

Dan

I just installed ubuntu on an old laptop(talkin p3) and amaziingly the new ubuntu is outstanding...got everything including the pcmcia wifi card installed.

 

[wolfman]

There's a lot of good info here. Not to repeat whats been said, but I have both, I use my Windows for work and my Mac for personal use. It really does depend on what your primary use is going to be and then you can make a good decision.

 

[keinreis]

My personal laptop is the same one you are looking at. I upgraded to 8gb, but not form apple. You can get good memory from crucial.com I would almost bet anyone here that knows computers will attest that crucial is the go to place to get memory.

 

[theribdoctor]

My personal laptop is the same one you are looking at. I upgraded to 8gb, but not form apple. You can get good memory from crucial.com I would almost bet anyone here that knows computers will attest that crucial is the go to place to get memory.

Yup, lifetime warranty, great customer service, good prices and free shipping...I buy all of my memory from crucial. And I'm a computer tech.

 

[SmokeProper]

I really appreciate all the responses. They did help me.

Although I really want a Mac, I can't justify the price jump. Im not in school, or in design, or using it for work. Its just for leisure. The equivalent mac to what I got was in the $2000+ range after tax, warranty, etc.

I got this PC for $590 total, shipped 2day air. It's got everything I wanted and then some. Feeling really good about it.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7129566&CatId=4938


I'm sure I'll end up with a mac, this just wasn't the time.

Excited to get my computer...


Specifications


Gateway NV59C70u 15.6" Brown Notebook PC
* Memory Type:* DDR3


* Memory Speed:* PC3-8500


* Memory Speed MHz:* 1066MHz


* Memory Slots (Total):* 2


* Total Memory Size:* 4GB


* Memory Slots (Available):* 0


* Maximum Memory Supported:* 8GB


* Memory Configuration:* 2GB + 2GB


* Display Type:* HD Widescreen Ultrabright LED-backlit Display


* Screen Size:* 15.6"


* Maximum Resolution:* 1366 x 768


* Capacity:* 640GB


* Drive Types:* Hard Drive


* Hard Drive Speed:* 5400 RPM


* Processor Brand:* Intel


* Processor Class:* Core i5


* Processor Type:* Dual-Core


* Processor Speed:* 2.66GHz


* Processor Number:* i5-480M


* Graphics Description:* Integrated Graphics


* GPU/VPU:* Intel HD Graphics


* Video Memory:* 128MB of dedicated system memory


* Lifestyle:* Home & Student


* Condition:* New


* Operating Systems:* Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit


* Platform:* Laptop


* Optical Drive:* DVD Super Multi Dual Layer Burner


* Capacity:* Multi-In-1


* Supplemental Drive Type:* Media Reader


* Media Types:* Memory Stick
* Memory Stick PRO
* Multi Media Card
* Secure Digital
* xD-Picture Card


* Audio Description:* Integrated Audio


* Audio Chipset:* Hi-Definition (HD) Audio Support


* Audio Channels:* Built-in Stereo Speakers


* Integrated Microphone:* Yes


* USB Ports (Total):* 3 - USB 2.0


* LAN Ports:* 1


* Audio Out Jacks:* 1


* Microphone Jacks:* 1


* VGA Ports:* 1


* HDMI Ports:* 1


* Communications Description:* Integrated LAN
* Integrated Wireless LAN


* Interface Type:* RJ-45 Ethernet Connector
* 802.11b/g/n Wireless Networking


* Data Transfer Rate:* Up to 300 Mbps
* 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN


* Protocols:* 802.11b
* 802.11g
* 802.11n


* Width:* 15"


* Height:* 1.22" - 1.34"


* Depth:* 9.96"


* Weight:* 5.72 lbs


* Mouse Type:* Multi-Gesture Touchpad


* Scrolling Capability:* Two-finger scroll, pinch, rotate and flip


* Keyboard Type:* Full-Size Keyboard with Dedicated Numeric Keypad


* Battery Type:* 6-Cell Lithium-ion


* Battery Life:* Up to 4.0 hours


* Biometrics:* Kensington Security Lock Slot


* Color:* Brown


* Specification Notes:* [4] To provide the most accurate specifications, the specifications listed are based upon the manufacturer's exact model specification as published in the manufacturer's product documentation.


* Integrated Webcam:* Yes


* Webcam Resolution:* 1.3MP


* Software Included:* Office 2010 preloaded; purchase a product key to activate.

 

[vivalanation734]

When that dies, let me know what Mac you want lol