Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Are you considering switching from a Windows PC to a Mac?

Mar 30, 2007 2:25AM PDT

-- Yes. (Why?)
-- Maybe. (Why?)
-- No. (Why not?)
-- Not switching, but using a Mac and using both OSes.
-- I'm already a Mac user! (Are you happy?)
-- I'm thinking about it. (What's the hold up?)
-- I'm not using either. (What are you using?)

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Maybe next time
Mar 30, 2007 8:14AM PDT

I just got a new laptop loaded with Vista...However next time i'm in the market for a new computer...I will consider a Mac.

- Collapse -
HAPPY MAC
Mar 30, 2007 9:37AM PDT

I just got two new PC laptops - one for work and one for the family at home - both either had a system failure or a program failure booting up or within the third or fourth use. My iMac...which I have had for 2 years...has crapped out on me once.

BTW...all the new "features" on Vista - they've been on Macs for years.

I have been converted.

- Collapse -
Exactly
Mar 30, 2007 10:20AM PDT

I completely agree, I have a Mac, and have never had a problem.

- Collapse -
You've got to be kidding!!!
Mar 30, 2007 1:12PM PDT

I've worked on PC and MAC as a certified tech for over 17 years and the PC's beat hands down all the time. Your return on investment goes as far as your warranty these days on any machine but the true test is in business and you don't buy a MAC to do work unless you have a sound studio or do publishing. MAC's have their niche but the PC's are the work horse of the world for right now.

- Collapse -
PC WORKHORSE????
Dec 16, 2007 1:40PM PST

I don't see why you labeled the PC as being a "workhorse." MS Office '04 runs better than '07 with much fewer glitches and bugs. The only thing Windows is good for is games with is why nobody should buy Windows. Everybody should just grow a brain and learn how to get it illegally. Running games on a Mac is horrible, don't even try it. I have been using BOTH Windows XP and Mac OS 9,10, and Leopard for my entire life and let me tell you, Macs are more secure, stable, easier, and MUCH more fun to use. I have a imac and use Boot camp to switch between my operating systems. I only use Windows for games.

- Collapse -
Who's kidding who?
Dec 16, 2007 2:35PM PST

What makes a computer a "workhorse", a machine that can handle the most amount of work with the least amount of maintenance, or how many hours tech support can log in on regular maintenance calls?

ROI for the length of the warranty might be true for PC's, but you forget that Macs have a much higher resell value, let alone longer life span.

I've seen a hundred tech guys like you at various jobs I've had, and they all complain about the inferiority of Mac's, they don't belong in an office environment, can't work on a Windows Network, blah, blah, blah -- which have all been grossly misinformed and/or disproved. The sad fact is that there is an entire industry built around maintaining crappy PC's, running a maintenance-prone OS. The dirty little secret is that tech support guys don't like Macs because a) they have little to no training working with them, and b) do not want machines around that are going to infringe on their livelihood.

- Collapse -
Why not to move to a Mac
Mar 30, 2007 8:18AM PDT

US$ 1000 price differential.

- Collapse -
Price differential?
Mar 30, 2007 8:37AM PDT
- Collapse -
Don't fool me !
Mar 30, 2007 11:38AM PDT

1. Why not compare the newest Core2 Duo or Extreme Spec of Mac and PC ?
2. All games, applications and software supports Windows first. Why bother for a nothing compatible Mac ?

- Collapse -
Add...
Mar 31, 2007 6:51PM PDT

Add to the list: temporarily freezes often due to apparently no reason.

- Collapse -
Monitor?
Nov 21, 2007 10:08PM PST

But the Mac doesn't include a monitor in this comparison. I went to Dell.com and did a build out of the Dell Precision with everything and it came to about $3500.

- Collapse -
Price Differential?????
Nov 22, 2007 6:11AM PST

Somebody has got you snowed. If you are using one of those throwaway $399 PC's then you deserve what you get. they won't even run anything beyond Vista Basic. Dollar for Dollar Macs aren't any more expensive than a Dell! The difference is only Vista to OSX Leopard. Well if you want Vista you can have it. I'll take OSX and my Mac any day. I wouldn't have said that a year ago, but now I'm a convert.

- Collapse -
Not switching.
Mar 30, 2007 8:18AM PDT

Going Mac is being locked into a single optimally-performing operating system. With a PC there are choices. And with attacks on the Mac OS, the safety argument has lost its punch.

- Collapse -
macs are ok, but not for gamers
Mar 30, 2007 8:33AM PDT

lol, they used to use that a long time ago, macs dont get viruses, well, i think it was 4% or 9% of the market uses macs, if thats true, id write mac viruses because people banking on the thought wouldnt really employ any advanced antivirus software to save them, but im sure that someone alredy thought of this before. i like macs, they have a freakin time machene, all we have is windows restore, should be called the flux capacitor. only reason im stuck with windows is direct X, and my gaming hobby, when mac gets some awesome games, ill run out and pick one up, but untill it can play Battlefield 2 and 2142, im out.

- Collapse -
Macs can run windows
Mar 30, 2007 8:42AM PDT

Bob7k, go get yourself a new Mac. They can run Windows and are even Vista ready, which is not true of a lot of the PCs out there. They are not running in emulation either. I'm talking full blown Windows that will let you run all of your games. So, you run the elegance of the Mac OS for every day stuff, including multimedia and virusless Internet, then if you want to frag someone in games, you boot up into Windows and you go to town. The reviewers (not Mac reviewers even) all say that the new Macs are great Windows game machines.

- Collapse -
What about upgrading?
Mar 30, 2007 8:55AM PDT

Perhaps the biggest obstacle for people to switch to Macs is the fact that all PCs can be upgraded in all possible manners, while only mac pros and powermacs are capable of doing this (and they do cost a lot). I don't really believe that all macs are good game machines, especially judging by the lower midrange graphics solutions Apple uses in the iMacs. The real gamer would probably just build his own rig, according to his very specific needs. Some whant an absolutely quiet watercooled system, some crazy folks want quad-SLI along with their quad-cores and many whant a cool case mod. Macs are optimally configured systems, but this also means that you can't modify them in most cases. Apart from that, gamers ar probably not the group macs are targeted at. Maybe the very casual ones, but real gamers probably wouldn't want to switch.

- Collapse -
Agreed!
Dec 16, 2007 1:42PM PST

You're absolutely right. As a matter of fact, macbook pro runs vista better than any other computer out on the market today. Look it up if you don't believe me.

- Collapse -
Macs not for gamers because why?
Mar 30, 2007 12:08PM PDT

Have you considered that lack of games for Mac is the fault of the very narrow minded (PC only) programmers and not Apple?

- Collapse -
So what?
Mar 31, 2007 2:09AM PDT

Big deal. A user really doesnt care "why" something is the way it is. I think this is the biggest problem with these "debates". The passion on the Mac side to defend Apple and Steve Jobs against perceived attack is very very strong. Note how you immediately took to personal attack against game devs when, in reality, its simple economics. Why must Mac users treat their purchase of a tool as a religion? The vast majority of PC users in the real world (ie - outside tech forums and away from 16 year olds) dont see the PC as any different than any other tool. They certainly dont integrate it in with their core ideology. I've used both Macs and PCs personally and professionally as an IT Pro for 20 years and this weird aspect of the Mac community has really always been a turnoff for me.

- Collapse -
the programmers
Nov 21, 2007 10:17PM PST

ooOOOOoooh, its the programmers fault, RIGHT! GOOD CALL.

If people bought more Mac games there would be more Mac programmers building them... because then there would be actual money to pay them.

- Collapse -
Changing to Mac?
Nov 23, 2007 2:35AM PST

No. Very few software availables compared to windows. I knew Mac is good and fast too. Hardwares are problems also, Very few stores are offering Mac. Using Windows are much easier, cheaper and most of the people I know are using Windows esp. technicians. TK

- Collapse -
Attacks?
Mar 30, 2007 8:35AM PDT

Can you provide any info on a successful attack on a Mac? Zero viruses on OS X in 5 years states that they are much more secure than XP or Vista.

I have no problems with being "locked in" to one vendor because all of my stuff works. My computer is on 24x7 and NEVER CRASHES. Years without a crash. That should tell you something.

- Collapse -
wow - no mac viruses
Mar 31, 2007 4:19PM PDT

all I can say is w00t. Chances are the reason you have never had a virus is most people that write viruses don't worry about a pc and a mac version. Same reason that there are so few games for the Mac (with the exception of Blizzard games). Why write a program for 5 percent of the market when you can hit 90 percent? That said, I've used Macs in the past. On average I've been able to crash a Mac in 20 minutes most time I used one. And from what I've seen, Steve Jobs had a great vision but from what I've read he hasn't been the nicest person. If I add an OS (I won't say switch because I doubt I'll ever get rid of Windows), it will be Linux. The open source market is producing some great software. Linux, like Mac already had the features Vista is offering, and it, too, never gets a virus.

- Collapse -
Yeah, Right...
Dec 16, 2007 2:47PM PST

<b>by finkerbell And with attacks on the Mac OS, the safety argument has lost its punch.</b>

Try "attack" on the Mac. A trojan that you get if you surf a lot of porn, with the caveat that you actually have to install it yourself.

Macs are virus free. Period. End of story. When that situation *actually* changes, give us a call.

The only way the security argument has "lost it's punch" is if you completely ignore reality.

- Collapse -
The Truth
Dec 17, 2007 3:03AM PST

Macs are very good machines not doubt but, the truth is most computer users have Windows on their computers because that is what it came with. PC's with Windows are cheaper. Price is a factor for a lot of people. I have run Windows on a Mac and got a virus. If a virus is designed for the Windows OS you are going to get it no matter what kind of hardware you install it on. You have to take other precautions to protect Windows OS from viruses. MOST VIRUSES are designed to screw up the OS not the hardware (there are some that are designed to screw with your firmware). If everybody was using a Mac, programmers would target the Mac OS. The same is true for Linux OS. Me and most other programmers started out with PCs (and DOS which lead to Windows) because they had more programming languages (Cobol, Pascal, Basic and Fortran, I talking 80's and 90's). Now we have cross platform languages (Ruby and Java just to name a few). The popularity of Windows makes Microsoft a target. I have a Suse Linux 10 workstation and I have not gotten a virus ever since I installed it (October of 2006). As for the hardware, look inside both Macs and Pc's and check out the manufactures (memory chip, harddrive and so forth). Let us know what you find.

Peace

- Collapse -
Switching from a WIndows PC to a Linux PC!
Mar 30, 2007 8:30AM PDT

Well, not so much switching as adding a Linux PC. I must use a Windoze PC for work (certain engineering applications only run on Windoze) but for home multimedia I am building up a Linux home theater pc (HTPC) with HDTV and "TiVo" functionality.

There is nothing better about the Mac that cannot be had with Linux, but there is much that can be had with Linux that cannot be had with the Mac.

- Collapse -
Interesting
Mar 30, 2007 8:39AM PDT

Interesting. The Mac (hardware) is the only platform that can run Windows, OS X, Linux, and even stuff like VMS. What exactly was it again that Linux can do that a Mac (running Linux) can't? Meantime, you show me iLife running on Linux and I'll give you a dollar.

- Collapse -
lol
Mar 31, 2007 6:49PM PDT

iLife? That's old. More like "noLife" Silly

Linux comes free. Macs comes with a $2000 price tag (iMac).

- Collapse -
$2000?
Jul 29, 2007 9:15AM PDT

$2000 first, let me doublecheck that
theyre around $1000, but still, litterally, for that much, i could build an awesome high end gaming rig, WITH a complete watercooling system, inclusing a seprate waterblock for the AMD 6000+ dualcore AM2 processor, 2 gigs of RAM, PC8000, some of the best RAM, with a low CAS latency, a nice motherboard with dual PCI-e, and a ATI X1950XTX PCI-e card, i dont rember if this card is cross-fire or not, but still, this rig is well afordable if your thinking about getting a mac, the rig i was going to build was a little over $1100, and it included the case, which had some nice little extras, like having the motherboard plate slide out and pop off for quick fixes. you could go Intel/nVidia, and it would still stay around my 1100 range. any gamer would love to play on this rig, and the dual core is nice as it works on some of my 3d apps, like 3DS MAX and C4D from MAXON does the multicoring even better, allowing up to 16 processors to be used. there isnt much on a mac that id actually use, i dont do movie editing, and my computer is alredy equiped with an X-Fi Platinum soundcard, THX certified, so ive alredy kinda got a media center.
as for crashing, unless your ******** and changing settings and stuff you shouldnt be, windows never crashes. altho this X-Fi card was a bit prone to IRQ errors, just moving it to a new slot fixes that. i havent had a crash or blue screen of death (BSOD) in 3 years, ive only owned the rig for a little over 4. http://www.Bob7k.com/ has all my stats from a long time ago, ive since added the X-Fi card and messed with some settings.

- Collapse -
Mac HTPC
Nov 25, 2007 3:50AM PST

At this point the only way i would even consider going Mac would be if it would do what my MCE2005 HTPC can do. I can watch HD or cable (it can control cable box)on my 42" plasma WHILE doing anything else on my 22" lcd. I built mine as always and wouldnt even mind buying a copy of OSX if I could put it on MY system. Vista is so out of the running for me so I figure i got a few years to get a Linux/Myth box running before M$ drops support for MCE 2005.