Quote:
Originally Posted by **********
Do this:
Buy the Mac Mini with a 1 or 2 TB Hard disk, and purchase the SSD separately. When you get home, make a boot disk out of a USB Key (google it). Install your SSD drive, boot with the USB key and then make your SSD drive the boot drive. Install your most-often used apps to the SSD/Boot drive, and use the HD for your data drive, and voiala! You will have a super, super-fast computer that boots in seconds and loads what you need in fewer seconds, for CHEAP.
Or, they want to sell complete, tested products to make the user experience as easy as possible. This gives them a great reputation and saves them on technical support costs as well.
Some (like me) would argue that sum is, and is worth more, than the parts. You may pay a little more, but you get flawless, fast machines that have none of the headaches that you get from Windows machines.
And I'm not just saying that - I was a Windows/PC Guy forever until I converted a few years ago. Zero problems.
Try this:
- Go to an Apple store and ask them some questions. Look at their machines and play with them a while. Then go to Futureshop and try doing the same thing. BIG difference. Or if you like, go to one of those shitty clone shops at one of those import shops that sell fake everything and see if you really want to buy from them.
So in that case just keep using whatever computer you are using now and be happy with it. If you haven't worked with both, you are unqualified to offer advice on the subject.
I too am blown away.
I've thought about doing this too. It's been a long time since I've built anything. I used to be a real DYI'er.... I may buy a PC in parts and built it myself just for the fun of it too.
 :thum bsup
Finally...!
The only extra I would add is this : I don't feel they are overpriced at all. We have 5 Macs at our company as well as some PC's, and whenever it comes time to buy any Macs or other Apple products, the prices to me always seem dead-on. The price for everything (except maybe certain cables) is always worth it. to me. |
Hate to break it to you but you're talking about software differences, not hardware. I'd have to pull it up, but I did a post a while back covering this very topic.. and at the end of the day, you get the same cheapest bidder hardware that PCs have. The *only* difference are a few bios additions (EFI), and a different firmware on the video cards.
Th mac pro consists of...
Motherboards: manufactured by Foxxconn.. a PC motherboard manufacturer.
CPU - Made by intel. The exact same Xeon processors I use in my home workstation and servers.
Memory - Made by whoever was cheapest at the time... Samsung, Micron, et al. Nothing special
HDD's - the same platter or ssd disks you get in any other PC
video cards - I think they're using AMD cards now. The ONLY difference between a PC GPU and a mac GPU is the firmware
The only thing really "custom" or "proprietary" is the chassis when it comes to hardware.
As far as software goes.. comparing Windows to Linux to OS X (unix) has been an ageless debate.
OS X derives from unix and therefore, by default, has less stability issues and vulnerabilities than Windows.
Not to mention... Apple only manufactures a select amount of hardware that is generally guaranteed to work with their software. There are no drivers to download, install and maintain. Like linux, OS X (unix) beats Windows in this regard.
On the other hand, Windows is NOT developed for a specific limited range of hardware. It is developed for a nearly endless range of hardware, from countless manufacturers, and in countless different configurations. This is where Windows shines the most... because whether your budget only allows for a $300 system or a $3,000+ system, chances are it'll run Windows just fine... The only drawback is installing drivers.
And then there is Linux. Which, in my opinion, has the best of both worlds. It's highly compatible with near countless hardware, manufacturers and configurations; usually requires no driver installs; and basically just works. The problem with Linux comes in the form of rather limited software availability. Sure, you can find open source alternatives for most things.. but let's be real, in most cases, nothing beats the real thing. The 1 true thing in my direct opinion that is holding Linux back though is Direct X. While OpenGL has been around far longer, Direct X remains the "king" when it comes to gaming. The day that changes though is the day Linux really picks up.