MAC or Normal PC

Discussion in 'Chit-Chat' started by ants, Nov 8, 2004.

  1. ants

    ants Regular Member

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    Well i'm sure alot of people are using normal desktop and Pcs. I'm thinking of changing all my pcs to MACs. Maybe you guys can help me by stating the pros and cons of using MACs and PCs

    Or for those who are currently using macs.. you can also contribute some inputs here.

    Give me your opinions guys.
     
  2. ynexfan2003

    ynexfan2003 Regular Member

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    I'd discourage you from using a MAC, as I think they're overpriced and more limited in respect of available software than PC's; moreover, if you want the look and feel of the MAC OS X gui on an x86/amd64 architecture (with much more robust security features and better networking tools) you could try VidaLinux.
    Essentially it takes Linux Gentoo, which normally takes up to 5 hours to install via a command prompt, and adds a gui installer called Anaconda, which, though it doesn't allow you to compile a kernel manually, allows you to install the base system in about 45mins via lazy windows style point-and-click menus.
    It's an interesting idea (no, really, it is ;) ), and it should be fairly easy to use for those new to Linux, but it's rather limited in comparison to other distros like Gentoo and Debian. It's still in the early stages of development, so documentation is limited, and there are certainly features that need to improved on (for example, portage tree).

    Here are a few screenshots taken from the VLOS site at http://desktop.vidalinux.com/index.php?option=content&task=blogcategory&id=8&Itemid=27 (I'm too lazy to boot into VLOS to take pics of my own desktop) and a couple of Gentoo:
     

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    #2 ynexfan2003, Nov 9, 2004
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2004
  3. FEND.

    FEND. Regular Member

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    Ants, what are your needs for a computer in the first place? I think it's best if you tell us what you use the comp for.

    Personally though, I'd go for a PC. More custamisable. Hardware and stuff. I mean if you don't like the graphics card? Chuck it get a new one. How does ATI X800 Platinum with 256 MB onboard video RAM sound? You want 64 bit processing? Get the Athlon 64FXs. Dual channel DDR2 RAM?? 2 terrabytes of storage??? + 2x Western Digital Raptors 74GD (74 GB each) 10,000 RPM hard disk drives in raid array for optimal performance?

    mmm.

    How bout home theatre sound?
    Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro?? With Creative Gigaworks 7.1 Sound. Pumping About oh 700 watts in pure sound?

    Lol. Getting carried away out here.

    My opinion is if it's a desktop, go for the PC. It's cheaper more custamisable and lots of software are made for it. Plus you can install linux on it too. And games? More games on PC than on Mac. :D.

    ..

    In short. PC!!!
     
  4. Lobber

    Lobber Regular Member

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    im still using Window and might consider changing to the Mac side due to the fact that certain program work better on it.But another con of Mac is that is kinda expensive S$3000+ i suppose.
    Another reason is that,although certain program might work well with mac,alot of program in the market are still incompetible to it.
    I believe that Mac might be a better choice in the future but not at the moment.
    I think i shall stick to Window .
    But blame Microsoft(they like poping "hole")
     
  5. timeless

    timeless Regular Member

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    PC all the way for me! :D

    However, I won't deny that for multimedia and graphic design capabilities, nothing beats a Mac. But beyond that, a PC is overall more practical and versatile because of it's huge user base, and available software, support, price etc.
     
  6. Pecheur

    Pecheur Regular Member

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    Never used a real workstation have you? Try an SGI O2 workstation and you'll find it craps all over a mac. Of course it costs a hell of a lot more too ...
     
  7. Wizbit

    Wizbit Regular Member

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    Before I put my hand up for for the mac, it would help if you can answer the following..

    1. Laptop/Desktop
    2. Intended use, and list of compulsory programs e.g. Word, Messenger, etc.
    3. Number of machines
    4. What languages (English, Japanese, Chinese etc)

    To be honest, apart from the bare bones basic no frills bargain PCs, there is not much price discrepancy between the two.
     
  8. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

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    Didn't Apple get sued for false advertising when they aired ads claiming to be faster than comparable PCs? Note that they don't make those claims anymore? :p


    Apple is nice, and their 12" laptop is very nicely priced. Other than that, i think most people would be better off with a PC.
     
  9. timeless

    timeless Regular Member

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    Every graphic artist I know uses a Mac. They don't use silicon graphics workstations. SGI is more geared towards 3D/engineering design isn't it? Complete overkill for the average user, power user, and geek.

     
  10. bluejeff

    bluejeff Regular Member

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    :D :D

    int BlueJeffs_Pocket = 100;
    int PC = 1000;
    int MAC= 1500;

    if(BlueJeffs_Pocket > PC)
    {
    cout<<"GREAT!!\n";
    }
    else if(BlueJeffs_Pocket > MAC)
    {
    cout<<"Cool!!\n";
    }
    else
    {
    cout<<"BlueJeff is a poor man :crying: .....\n";
    }
     
  11. CanuckBur

    CanuckBur Regular Member

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    I am a long time PC user. PC is getting cheaper everyday. It is cheaper than Mac for sure. But, I am a long time Mac fan. So, here is some websites that you may want to check out: www.macrumors.com (good website, has links to other sites too) and www.pcworld.com (very good PC website). And the official website, www.apple.com -> supports -> discussion forum.

    (assume that you are a student)
    If your school uses PC then go for PC. If your school uses Mac, great, go for Mac. This is important because sometimes you have a last minute assignment to hand in, your diskette needs to work with the school's computers. It happens to me too many times over 4 years. I am lucky because our university has both Mac and PC (50% for each, PC used to be the majority).

    If you are a gamer, buy a game console. If you already have a game console (ie. ps2) and still want a computer for gaming, get a PC.

    If you are short on budget, definitely get a PC. It depends on your current circumstances. Since I have access to both PC and Mac at school, I would definitely go for Mac if I save enough money for one.

    :) Bluejeff, how about this?

    cin >> Bluejeff_pocket; instead of the constant Bluejeff_pocket = 100;
     
    #11 CanuckBur, Nov 10, 2004
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2004
  12. Pecheur

    Pecheur Regular Member

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    Depends what you're talking about, you said multimedia and graphic design. Definately overkill for graphic design, however high end animation (multimedia) was done almost exclusively on SGI workstations up to about two years ago.

    I used to have a PC and an Octane on my desk, sigh, back when I was a real engineer.
     
  13. CanuckBur

    CanuckBur Regular Member

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    Ants, I see you are a business person. Can't help you much about issues of multiple PCs. If you know a friend who can help you setup PCs for a low cost then it would be great. My friend setup his dad's office for free (he also paid other costs too). Labour cost in South-East Asia may be lower so it may not be too bad.

    Some members from Apple.com's discussion forum are business people too. You can ask them how they setup their Macs for their offices.
     
  14. ynexfan2003

    ynexfan2003 Regular Member

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    Notice how Ants hasn't responded to any of the messages; I think he just wanted to stir some trouble. :D Ants, why don't you try an emulator like CherryOS on one of your faster pc's so that you can see what it would be like use a G4 Mac?
     
  15. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

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    given that int MAC > PC, elseif cannot be run
    so... you're saying mac is better than pc, but you'll still take a pc anyway? :p
     
  16. timeless

    timeless Regular Member

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    Ah I was referring to home or enthusiast use of multimedia, like for home video editing etc. I didn't think he wanted it for industry standard multimedia since he would surely have known what to buy then. You must have worked on and created some really neat stuff! Movies, television animation, and commercials maybe?

     
  17. BoboTheBadder

    BoboTheBadder Regular Member

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    I like the screenshot with the Jeon Ji-Hyun background. Well... actually, I just like Jeon Ji-Hyun. :D
     
  18. wilfredlgf

    wilfredlgf Regular Member

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    Bobo, I kinda think the same. She is the only thing that made me look more than 1 second here! :)
     
  19. wilfredlgf

    wilfredlgf Regular Member

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    Sorry for a second post. I actually went back to read what the BC'ers had to say, only after staring some 10 seconds at Jeon Ji Hyun. Hmm... ;)

    A Mac, I believe, is the prefered choice for sound and graphics artists. If you plan to play games with it, perhaps a Mac is a wrong choice as all are mostly programmed for the x86 platform. But if you are using it for multimedia work most of the time, I think it should be most suitable.

    But Macs are expensive.
     
  20. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

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    Correct me if i'm wrong, but thanks to AMD, I believe that dollar for dollar, you now get more performance with PCs even in graphics and video editing.
     

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