Apple: A PC is No Bargain!

[danimal_the_animal]

There goes apple

bullshitting people again!

 

[rooseveltdon]

[citation][nom]funkjunky[/nom]I've wasted enough time at work reading 2 pages of these comments.I've heard too many comments saying you can't game on a mac. That is incorrect. You cannot game on mac os x; their operating system. You can game on a mac using windows xp, very well, with even their lowest end models.Someone also said apple should lower their margins. Their margins are very low for all of their entry level computers. It's when you add extra's the margins go way up. Also mac book pros and imacs have a moderate margin on entry, but it's not any more than a sony or dell margin, for good design.The response was a joke. The majority of you were just too dumb to get it.[/citation]

lol no bro nice try due to several limitations on macs you cant really play all the games out there even using boot camp, secondly the hardware they use is not special at all and the premium you pay for it does not match the actual quality of the hardware, you van configure an ho or sony laptop and it will cost you at most $1700 for a pretty high end build with everything, configure a mac with the exact same specs and you are looking at almost $3000...you talk about the mac been competitive at base price? lol you live on mars? why would i want some shitty 13 inch laptop for over a $1000 with one gig of ram when for that price i could get a pretty high end 16/17 laptop with better specs everywhere else?....don't post crap if you dont know what you ae talking about you are the only dumb ass in this discussion right now.

 

[Guest]

Actually bootcamp works just as well to play ANY windows game. There are no limitations. In fact my macbook pro cost less ($3,179) then the exact same spec machine from Lenovo ($3,379) and Dell ($3,510). I will argue though that there may be things on the Apple laptop that you don't need and can't opt out of which you can on Dell or Lenovo, but those things didn't add up to much (~200 depending on what you removed). I have Vista Ultimate on a 80GB partition which I play ALL of my windows games with no problem.

On another note I do build all of my desktop PCs and do not run mac os x on anything besides my laptops.

 

[funkjunky]

macbooks entry level come with 2gb of memory and bootcamp is just windows xp with drivers for the hardware of the macbook. Their are no limitations.

They even provide firmware to use the trackpad to use their more intuitive scroll and to right click, which is better than most laptops.

FYI the macbook I have, which cost me $1,350 CAD plays CoD on max settings at 30-40fps. Better than most laptops.

 

[funkjunky]

yes the fps is average not minimum, so it lags a bit at times.

 

[funkjunky]

also just so you know you always have the option of replacing parts on the mac. My macbook has 4gb of mushkin memory and a 320gb 7200rpm hdd.

The old memory is garbage, but the old hdd is used in a usb powered external.

 

[Guest]

Apple tried opening their hardware platforms to 3rd party companies and almost sunk themselves. Without the overpriced hardware, Apple becomes a free/cheap software company. They can't hide behind Risc / PowerPC CPU differences anymore. The hardware is pound-for-pound now, inch-for-aluminum-inch. Bring down the hardware costs; buy AMD/ATI with your cash. Charge a few bucks for iLife, create a music subscription model, etc.

 

[Guest]

More Free Software:

Avast Antivirus
SpywareBlaster
SpyBot Search and Destroy
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

+1 for ZoneAlarm Firewall

 

[Yoder54]

[citation][nom]AdamB5000[/nom]As a pc user I will say that pc users are probably more techno savvy than Mac users. What I mean is us pc users are more likely to tinker and enjoy tinkering with his/her system.... The Mac Pro (quad core) has lower specs and runs $2,500. A similarly equipped Dell runs $1,800. Both come with no monitor.The pc is ~$700 less, but my custom build saves an extra $800. I can essentially build a pc for $1,500 less than a Mac Pro. Maybe the extra $1,500 can be put toward two mortgage payments. Sounds well enough.[/citation]

You overlooked one important part...the CPU. The Mac Pro Quad uses a Intel Xeon X5550 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 95W Quad-Core Server Processor Model BX80602X5550...Retail at Newegg? Close to a grand. At Dell, you find yourself adding over $1400 to the base price of the computer. I would think that the tech savvy would be aware of this vital detail.

The same can be said regarding the MacBook Pro. Many say the Sony is cheaper...yea, when it doesn't have DDR3, runs a 800MHz FSB, and has a slower CPU it should be.

The point is, so many say they can find cheaper PC's but in doing so they do not use the same components. Use the exact same components and tell me what the prices are...you will find that Apple is very competitive. And to be fair you will need a top of the line case...the Mac Pro case is a functional piece of metallurgic art.

Best way to pay of that mortgage now is to refinance...just got a 4.35% refinance with 1 point.

 

[bfstev]

The way i view this, is how i view realestate. The mac is like a managed property where everything is nice, included, requires no decoration or furniture and costs way more than the others to buy and you have to go to a specific contractor for your development when something is broken and they usually over charge you and screw you in maintenance fees.
A PC is like a house that you buy in a development, you can do what you want with it, decorate how you want, move in the furniture you need, but it will take abit to set it up how you like with the components you want.
Linux is like a plot of land, go build your house.

Bit oversimplified, but you get the picture

 

[rkelly1]

[citation][nom]funkjunky[/nom]I've wasted enough time at work reading 2 pages of these comments.I've heard too many comments saying you can't game on a mac. That is incorrect. You cannot game on mac os x; their operating system. You can game on a mac using windows xp, very well, with even their lowest end models.[/citation]

if mac was so good then it would NOT need windows to be installed on it at all.

 

[starryman]

[citation][nom]jwl3[/nom]Apple users are all hippie, "free spirit" nuts who like to sit at Starbucks sipping lattes and looking cool. Look at me! I'm using an Apple and I'm too cool to work at home. I need others to see how cool I am writing my own screenplay!Like I said before, I bought an Acer Intel Dual Core PC w/ 15.4" screen for $399. Upgrading the ram to 4GB cost me $40. What can I get for $440 at the Apple store? A high end ipod video?[/citation]

DUDE you are so crazy off! I'm a hippie "Free Spirit" who sips lattes at Starbucks and I don't own a Mac. I'm a PC and UNIX user all the way. I just prefer getting screwed one cup of latte at a time rather than getting the big screw "Jobs" by Mac. Another thing... the guy who has the Mac doesn't have the extra spare change for the over-priced scone that goes so well with the over-priced latte. Here's my point... with a PC I can have a very nice computer and have my over-priced latte and scone and also be a free spirited hippie. FYI - I'm at a Starbucks right now and there's 5 PC laptops of various brands and one lonely overweight girl on her Mac. I shamelessly laugh inside.

 

[pile]

[citation][nom]safcmanfr[/nom]Sure, cos everyone can walk into a new career just to be able to afford $3000 for a Mac Pro "Hey I'm janitor and want a new computer, tomorrow I am going to get a job as chief executive so I can afford a Mac."LOLOh, and why did you like it best? Cos it is shiny and cool?[/citation]

You had me at shiny.

 

[pile]

I looked at a lot of laptops. I chose the macbook pro for the look and feel. The track pad is awesome. The feel of OSX is more fluid than vista. It has a great LCD. The keyboard works like no other. Slot loading dvd player. For being as thin and light it still has a decent GPU. I also have Vista loaded through boot camp for my games and windows programs. I have the best of both worlds. It was a bit pricey, but worth it. dont get me wrong i think windows is great too. It is my opinion that for the average user OSX is a better platform. It is true there isnt much that is better than building your own windows based monster gaming machine tho. For laptops its macs for me untill something better comes along.

 

[boonality]

Wow... is all I have to say.

Because stuff like GIMP www.gimp.org and well crap, tons and tons of stuff that's FREE works just fine on windows.

And besides... what is the big computer selling point in today's market? On one end you have MS Office for the corporate world, and on the other you have video games, which last time I checked you needed MS windows for. Well Apple... i guess it doesn't matter what you say does it?

 

[ffakr]

[citation][nom]Nintendork[/nom]Epic fail Apple, that's why I hate you. Cool people don't buy macs they build they're own PC's.iMac & HP crapware killerFor $699 (newegg)AMD Phenom II 940BE 3Ghz $189 (beats the hell out of your core2duos)Gigabyte MA78GM UD2H $80Corsair XMS2 DHX DDR2 800 2x1GB $40Seagate 7200.12 500GB $60OCZ SteathXtream 500w $60Logitech MX 518 $40Logitech Internet 350 Black $16LG GH22NS30 $25CoolerMaster CM-690 $75Hanns·G JW-197DPB Black 19" $110$700That's a powerfull PC, learn that Apple![/citation]

It's freaking hilarious hearing people who've never used or supported a Macintosh talk about how much they suck.

Of course, no Windows license in your super-duper computer so you're relying on pirating or Linux. Sorry to break this to you.. but my mom isn't going to run a Linux box.. neither are just about everyone I know outside of IT.
Good luck with a warranty repair on any of your parts. There are benefits to dealing with a single vendor. I've had Motherboards out for 3 months on warranty replacement.

It's funny, nearly every Unix Admin I know uses a MacBook because they get BSD without having to deal with driver support on laptop hardware.
It's also funny, I rarely run into people.. in person.. who bash Macs since I stopped getting pimples.

P.S. I've got a Phenom upstairs but I do my work on my MacBook Pro

 

[spectrewind]

[citation][nom]psyanara[/nom]@spectrewind:The EULA makes specific mention of one personal license per machine. The OP makes mention that he cares for the machines, which does not indicate that he is installing the software, only that he perhaps overall monitors the machines. If the individual users of said machines are installing AVG Free, they are in no way violating the EULA.[/citation]

Not true. You obviously missed the citation "only granted for home use". Go read the EULA, THEN respond.
I watched an engineering CAD house fail an audit in just this situation after an employee was terminated. They were 'turned in' and forced to pay for licenses.

 

[ffakr]

I support about 1000 non-*nix machines in a Research Institute. Of those, they're split about 50/50 Windows and Macintosh.

I don't recall anyone switching from Macintosh to Windows PCs. I've had a lot of Windows to Mac OS Conversions. I've also had dual platform users standardize with Apple.

I love the characterizations of Mac users as moron hipsters who are too dumb to use a PC.
I've supported two Nobel Laureates and two Presidential Medal of Science recipients.. who were all Mac users.

I've never had all of my staff dedicate a week to reinstalling infected Macintoshes but I can't say the same about Windows PCs. That was the result of systems installed prior to my employment and I will admit that we've fared much better post SP2. Macs have their common problems but the solutions are almost always quicker to diagnose and easier to implement.

I've not been particularly happy with Apple's hardware QC for the past few years.. particularly with the Laptops. Apple hardware was bulletproof for nearly two decades. I recently replaced a dying 5.25" HD in a Mac ][x which has been controlling a custom built electron microscope for the last 20 years. The Mac is back to purring along.
That said, the vast number of machines in our office are broken PCs. Without pulling hard numbers, I'd say we average 1-2 broken Macs per week and 1-2 broken PCs per day.
The only advantage we have with PC repair is our ability to get parts quickly.. CDW ships next day and we're Dell certified.. and the reality that PCs are generally easier [physically] to work on when it comes to major hardware swaps.

 

[Powersworder]

[citation][nom]funkjunky[/nom]I've wasted enough time at work reading 2 pages of these comments.I've heard too many comments saying you can't game on a mac. That is incorrect. You cannot game on mac os x; their operating system. You can game on a mac using windows xp, very well, with even their lowest end models.[/citation]

What a bunch of crap. Mac graphic card support is virtually non-existent. Sure, you can bootcamp XP and maybe run last years games at acceptable framerates, but for someone who is into gaming as a hobby, this is like going to a racing track day in a ford fiesta.

 

[Guest]

Wow! Is there ANY forum online that isn't full of uptight people's self-important drivel?

 

[tonkatuffmofo]

[citation][nom]kgrach[/nom]PC = VirusIt not a question with a PC if you will get a virus but when your antivirus software is capable of detecting the beastie already roaming on your machine.PC's should never ever be connected to the internet they are just not safe.Macs are for people smart enought to know that PC's just suck.Yes linux is safer than windows but anything in Linux becomes a research project. becuase version x.xx is diferent from linux x.x and no two commands use the same syntax. need help type man no that commands needs info but it was not written yet so you need user but that got broken in the latest release so you need to use program y but just so you know distro k uses a diferent command structure than your distro.YOU FAIL!!!!!!Yes you need a hyper fast PC becuase 95% of the machines recources are used for windows.Most windows users are ignorant of what a real OS is like and don't know better. Try something like AOS4.1 and you will cry the next time you start windows.[/citation]

You Sir are an idiot, actually idiot doesnt cut it, I dont think theres a word that does.

I will quite happily bet you a carton of p#$$ and my left testicle that I can navigate the web evryday for the next six months with nothing but a standard windows firewall active and no antivirus and not pick up a virus. Virus's are picked up through bad browsing habits and will get anybody no matter what O/S there running if your silly enough. While yes you are correct that windows has more virus's directed at it. Look at the user base, something like 97.8579% Windows, 2.82364t5172% Mac, if I wrote virus's I know which O/S I would be targeting.

In closing I would like to once again emphasise that you sir are a bloody idiot and deserve your overpriced computer. I will continue to build my own and choose what I want to have on it and run on it.

P.S Idiot!

 

[boonality]

You can build a decent AMD dual core (X2 7750 Kuma) with 4GB of DDR2 800 memory and a 640GB HDD with a good quality power supply, 780G motherboard , and an antec case for $379. Lets see, a video IPOD costs that much?

 

[funkjunky]

[citation][nom]Powersworder[/nom]What a bunch of crap. Mac graphic card support is virtually non-existent. Sure, you can bootcamp XP and maybe run last years games at acceptable framerates, but for someone who is into gaming as a hobby, this is like going to a racing track day in a ford fiesta.[/citation]

you mean a person who is into staring at the shiniest graphics as a hobby. Just wanted to correct you, as you are being insulting ot some of my friends who are more devoted hobbiests of games than I am, but care very little for graphics. One of my friends is damn good at TF2 and play on minimum settings.

It is true thou that some of the newer games will run at unacceptable framerates on max settings on a macbook. But wait... It's a laptop! The way I see it, the macbook does it's job perfectly, because it can play any game at acceptable framerates and it goes above and beyond by being able to play most of them at high settings.

 

[Powersworder]

Sure, there are old games which are fun and dont have amazing graphics, but most of the recently released games have quite taxing hardware requirements. Just off the top of my head, games like Dawn of war 2, Left 4 dead and Mass Effect all require decent hardware to be able to run at acceptable framerates. I would be surprised if you can even run them on a bootcamped mac.

Just because your friends like to play games on minimum settings, that doesnt mean thats how they were meant to be played. I recently upgraded my gaming rig (6 months ago) and went from having to play Mass efffect on minimum settings to maximum settings. The difference between the two was night and day. Anyone who cares about gaming as a hobby wouldnt be happy about playing games on minimum settings just because their computer was so crap it couldnt keep up the pace.

 

[funkjunky]

I'm just saying it's one factor out of a lot of factors. They aren't playing blind so they still get some of the neat graphics, even if it isn't shiny. Then their is gameplay, audio, challenge, replayability. There are too many things to list. So playing games as a hobby isn't only about graphics, and graphics are actually only a small party, especially to them. I on the other hand sometimes just play crysis to stare at the pretty images =P.

As for the first point. I haven't tried DoW2 yet and have no intentions of playing mass effect on pc, but left4dead runs flawlessly with high settings on my macbook.

Besides the macbook air, the macbook is their (second) LOWEST end system. So that's basically saying apple doesn't sell cheaper, lower end products and therefor every mac can run these games well.(which sucks for anyone looking for a cheaper product who wants mac os x.)

[fyi I say second lowest, because it is beaten by the lowest end mac mini, which only has 1gb of memory. That is the only difference. If someone didn't like that they could install 2 or 4gbs... I know I definately would. With the mac mini plus 4gb of memory it would put a person back $600 + $100 = $700]