Mac or PC?
 

Hey everyone, I'm getting a new computer soon, but I was wondering what everyone else uses around the industry, and which is better?

Mostly Macs, but I do also occasionally use Windows 7, but it's also installed on a Mac. PCs are trouble. If you like trouble & problems, go for a PC. If you like your system to work properly and like getting shit done, go for a Mac. (whether you run OS X or Windows) :2 cents:

Yea I have an old PC and its a piece of shit, but I am liking the new OS for windows, it runs alot faster, and I think it'll be a hard transition for me to go to macs, everything is completely different, it would take some time to get used to

Bah... if you can operate a computer, you can operate OS X. The differences are insignificant. File formats... location of the window controls.... not anything a regular user can't figure out in about 1 second. Seriously, the learning curve for the switch took me one day.

sweet I gotta check it out then

I like my PC, but the whole running all these anti malware/virus things drives me nuts!

That was the exact thing that finally forced me to make the switch. Had a brand new top-of-the-line Dell laptop, 6 months old... keyboard died, had to use an external.... monitor died so had to use an external.... then it stopped booting altogether.... reinstall from scratch, no better.... finally got it running again, (still using external monitor & keyboard) but had to run like 6 different virus/malware scanners, registry "fixers" defraggers & optimizers and on and on and on.... was spending 6 hours of every work day "fixing" my pc. (and not just this Dell lemon, but every PC I ever had was the same way.... endlessly running scanners & "fixers".

One day I snapped and shitcanned the whole fucking works. Bought Macs and never looked at a fucking PC again.

I've always been a pc guy

If macs werent so overpriced I would buy one in a heartbeat

this is bizarre to me... been on line since the 90's never had a virus, never had malware... and yet you blame your issues on PC rather than on yourself? what is going to happen when all 'you' types switch to mac and suddenly it becomes worth it to write viruses and malware for macs? who will you blame then and what will you switch too?

This angle is really tired. Don't you think if someone were going to write some massive doomsday virus that takes out all the macs (like you PC guys dream about), it would have been done by now? And if it happens to happen in the future, don't you think it will be dealt with?

I hear this angle all the time, yet it doesn't bother you that PCs get nailed 24/7 with that crap. You are obviously the exception if you've never had any malware, spyware, trojans, virii, etc.... and I'm willing to bet that you've probably got some malware/spyware on your shit right now that you don't even know about. :)

technical folks like PCs, non technical enjoy Macs.
if you have to ask which platform to go with, go with Macs.

i'm also an exception.. very rarely have troubles with my hard/soft-wares. gave up on anti-viruses long time ago (10+ years) and got seriously screwed (loosing some data) only once since than. cannot complain about my pc/win setup - it runs smooth like brand new every single day

Interestingly, both platforms now have 3rd party software that can "reset" your system every day if you want, back to a baseline install, or whatever level of install you choose. Meaning, anything that was done to it during the day, gets nuked and the system is put back to a clean state. You have to log in to the admin to make changes that "stick". Great for Internet cafes or businesses looking to protect their systems from their employees. So technically speaking, you really don't need any anti-virus type programs. Just "reset" your systems every day.

I've tried these apps and they work like a dream. But alas, I have no real need for it, but I also don't run any anti-virus. Fuck that shit. :2 cents:

PC and Mac is the SAME PLATFORM. These computers are both built on Intel-based components (same chipset, same CPU, same video card, same HDD, same RAM etc). Only an idiot can set off Mac against PC, because Mac is just one another PC brand like Lenovo, Dell, ASUS etc.

So the correct poll question is: "MAC OS X or Windows". So don't be a layman, educate yourself :2 cents:

As about the operating systems. Of course Windows only. Because there are no Mac OS X alternatives for the software I'm using daily to do my work.

if everyone is worried about viruses then switch to linux, its fast as hell, and works great on a laptop because it uses less battery power, yet runs alot faster, and is also FREE, and all programs you get for it is free too, plus it has the best security you can get.

AMP, i have never used those features not 3rd party not win system restore.. most of time did disable it.. lately i don't even bother disabling it as it doesn't hug on my sys resources. since vista came out I never did a reinstall either :) just enjoy computers like some people enjoy cars and bikes and know all its parts inside out. i don't claim to know windows 100% inside out but enough to keep it running smooth all the time. been with windows since windows 3.1, win7 is awesome no need to learn something new to get my work done and enjoy after-work time with it. although i will get mac at some point just to play with it

The OS is a matter of preference. I can understand people switch because they like OS X better than Windows/Linux.

Don't listen to the nonsense that Mac's are built on better hardware than you can get for a PC though. If you know what you are doing you can actually build a better and faster PC solution for less than a Mac would cost you.

I have custom built my PC's for over 10 years now upgrading almost every summer, and since the Windows 95/98 days with blue screens I have yet to experience any serious problem. If hardware interests you and you read up on things before buying, chances are minimal that you will be disappointed.

It doesn't. Actually Linux is not that popular as desktop OS, so there are not as many malware as for Windows and Mac OS X.

I am a mac fanboy. but almost everything i do these days is web based so chrome is all i use and i could easilly hop to any computer.

Exactly. All computers (except notebooks) I had/have were build by myself. If you have at least a few convolutions in the brain, you will assemble much better computer than any existing brand has for sale, and it will cost much cheaper. So all these brands (Macs, Dells, Acers etc) are for blonds and losers that unable to do anything by their own hands :2 cents:

P.S. There is no problem to run any OS on a custom made computer, e.g. Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Free BSD etc.

Who the hell uses desktop comps any more? It's 2010. The whole world is using notebooks. :2 cents:

Why does it have to be one or the other? I use Windows 7, OS X 10.6, and Debian Etch every day...

They all have their strengths and weaknesses...

Running Windows and Linux here at the office. I'll probably move over to Linux on all three machines by the end of the year and just VM a windows install for testing.

At home I quad-boot XP, windows 7, Linux and Hackint0sh.
I also VM'd OSX on my W7 install for when I need to check my thumb drives that are mac formated. And yes, I own (purchased) a legal copy of OSX.

Since you're buying a new computer, I'd suggest going with a i7 PC. You can easily pick out the same parts they put in the Macs and run OSX on it trouble free for the fraction of the price. Laptops you'll have to research which ones have less headaches loading OSX on :1orglaugh

I'm using it because of many factors (large display, 2 internal and 2 external HDD's, powerful video card etc). Of course I have notebooks as well, but they are mostly for traveling, internet reading/playing in the bed etc.

One more thing about laptops. The latest one I bought is Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15 with Intel Core i3 CPU. It's a rather good PC, but it's still much weaker than my desktop one.

Thanks, I wasnt sure if an i7 processor was out yet

cyberxxx,

I have a 40 terabyte data server connected to my laptop (w/SSD) and a Wacom Cintiq screen. Plenty o' power to spare for running things like, the entire Adobe Suite, 3 browsers w/40 tabs each open, iTunes playing, Final Cut, Quickbooks, Mail, etc... simultaneously with no noticeable slowdown whatsoever. :)

Specs:

Model Name: MacBook Pro (17" matte screen)
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 3.06 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 8 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz

I also have an iMac desktop, but it's for Win7 because it's slower.

Studio (2009):

http://brokenzombie.com/junk_bin/gfy/bzm_studio.JPG

Mac for video/audio/fun/less headaches

PC for black hat white hat, mail, webmastering

good answer :-)

I bought a Mac laptop once and i wasn't impressed.

Annoying layout, Harddrive crashed twice, battery died and needed replacing, got it fixed at Apple store but the morons forgot to tell me the new admin password, so I couldn't install any programs when I got back to my office, it sat in my desk drawer for months before it was finally stolen. Good riddance.

I am back to a PC and I am a happy camper.

I build my own PCs so I'll stick with that.

I got the exact same story as Amp. Issues, switched and never looked back. Actually i think all Mac people and Mac fanboys have Amps exact same story.


I never have to configure anything, scan anything, or pray that my Mac Book works. I just wake it up from sleep and get to work. This is everyday for the past 8 years with out waiting for shit to work or issues.

It's nice to get up in the morning and not utter this sentence: "*sigh*... Now what the fuck?"

So this is a desktop, or not?

The iMac (by the DVD stacks) is a desktop. Win7 installed on it, but it only gets turned on once a month to check for updates. The rest of the studio is being powered by a single Macbook Pro. (including that data rack). There's another MBP in the kitchen, (for looking up recipes and whatnot), and I have a top-of-the-line HP laptop (with Vista) that I keep right next to the front door as a "dummy", for any potential burglars. Something easy for them to grab, while the real gear is locked down hard, physically.

I don't know why people automatically associate video, audio, and adobe with mac..

It's a FACT that adobe runs like shit on OS X compared to Windows. (Totally not Apple's fault it's all Adobe)...

It's a FACT that there is more and better hardware available for both audio and video on PC. (Totally Apple's fault for being such dicks about closing their hardware)...

I completely disagree. Maybe its regional since i have always been in california but 99% of all the programmers i know prefer macs. and sysadmins usually like linux but choose mac over a PC.

but i guess the definition needs to be clearer, since you can install anything on an intel machine (PC) including os x. so i assumed PC meant windows.

Intel Core 2 Duo is slow for me (mine is i7). 17" is too small for me (mine is 26"). Also I don't like notebook keyboards etc. That's exactly why I prefer to use a custom made and FULLY expendable/upgradable computer.

BTW, What's your video card? Is it powerful enough?

That's a fact huh... that's weird because Adobe has never run better than on my Mac. In windows it crashed daily, multiple times. And if there's something out there better than the Adobe Suite, please share.

Got to love boot camp for the times that you really need to use a Pc.:thumbsup




And still no issues when using Win 7 on a Mac. How cool is that??

I agree, I think adobe programs run better on Mac because their usually alot more powerful computers, adobe programs are huge programs and take alot of RAM to run them, which is why i hate using them on windows, unless i have a really good pc with 4 gigs of Ram and a good processor

I have two nearly identical machines (hardware wise)... Very similar clock speed, both quad cores, both with 8GB RAM, both using SSD for PS cache and os, my Windows machine has a better graphics card but that's about it...

I can open the same file on both machines in the same version of Photoshop and perform the same large operation on both machines. Windows will finish MUCH faster.

Adobe does NOT write the best of code for OS X... even Apple will tell you that.

I'm not sure why you had all the crashes but something was definitely wrong with your machine...

One day when I'm not so pressed for time I'd love to benchmark all the main operations in PS and post comparisons :)

I don't use the laptop keyboard or the laptop screen. I use an Apple standalone keyboard and the Wacom Cintiq (attached to the articulating arm) as a monitor as well as the interactive part of it for dev. My laptop stays in the closed position all the time off to the side out of the way. If I wanna go out, I pull out the cables on one side (USBs, FW, ethernet, sound, etc... ) toss it in a backpack and go. Secure as it gets.

Graphics:

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (laptop screen)
Type: GPU
Bus: PCI
VRAM (Total): 256 MB

NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (Cintiq)
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB

Displays:
Display Connector:
Status: No Display Connected (laptop cover closed, 1920x1200 native res.)
Cintiq21UX:
Resolution: 1600 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Rotation: Supported

I believe it's not a problem of Adobe or Windows it's a problem of person who runs it. For example, I have no problems with Adobe products on both operating systems: Windows (2000, XP, 7) and Mac OS X.

However I remember one issue with Mac OS X version of Adobe Photoshop. It was constantly crashing because of some improper TTF font. It (the font) was ok with Windows version of Adobe Photoshop, but Mac OS X version wasn't able to work with it so I had to remove that font.

Oops. What do you mean???

Yeah, I had to shitcan a bunch of windows TTF fonts when I switched. But that's not a Mac "problem" as much as it's working the way it's supposed to. TTF is a shit windows font format, and there are very little, if any "rules" about creating them. Most of the fonts you can download for free at the font sites are corrupt, poorly made, and useless. Getting rid of them is a good thing.

So your notebook is not portable anymore when all those devices are connected. Why don't you use a normal desktop computer then?

Graphics:

These are also outdated already. Also, even if they were new, you have to know that XXXXM is much slower than XXXX. I mean that 9600M GT is far not the same as the old good 9600 GT. Notebook components are usually weaker than desktop ones (you sacrifice productivity to save power, decrease heating and reduce size). This is one more point for using desktops for regular work at the regular workplace (course not in the bed or while you traveling). :2 cents:

You are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo right on this one and the arrogance of MAC users is incredible!

MAC users think they are safe. The bad guys have already done test runs and The Big Mac Attack will hapen soon.

Sally.

i have a brand new macbook pro <3

:thumbsup

Those 'I'm a Mac, I'm a PC' commercials made people think that Macs are somehow not 'personal computers'. heheh