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- Thread starter unimaginative2
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lordmandeep
Banned
who the hell buys a Desktop anyways...
MetroMan
Senior Member
Updating drivers????
Mac guy's response
That's so true Ed. Another beauty about OS X along with not having to worry about viruses nor spyware. I can't recall every installing a driver on my Mac nor having to run the install CDs that come with hardware.
afransen
Senior Member
Desktops are cheaper, more reliable and more ergonomic.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
It's quite true that Mac has superior industrial design and a much more stable OS (vis-a-vis Vista), but unless you get the uber high-end Mac Pro, your options of tinkering with the innards of the system is rather limited. And gawd forbid you should take a crack at overclocking...
In addition, there is also the "bang for the buck factor" to consider. I can get a lot more hardware for the same price with a PC - especially if you don't mind getting your hands dirty and actually do some research/hands on work with your computer.
I do think that for the majority of consumers, Mac is actually a better choice than PC because it demands less technical savvy on the part of the user (and that's not a bad thing at all - especially when say your mom calls and ask you about the BSoD)
re: XPS
I've just ordered a XPS 630 from Dell (waited till they are going to ship it with SP1 pre-installed - headaches that I am trying to avoid) - it's pretty reasonably priced for what it is and I'm thankful they went with standard ATX and left room for aftermarket upgrades. As nice as the exterior design of the 720/720H2C is, I can't stand the idea of having to go back to Dell for components, which they charge an arm and a leg for.
4K for Dell? That amount of money can get you some serious hardware (top of the line CPU, 2x SLI with top of the line GPUs, overclocked RAM, watercooling, 27" widescreen, etc). Yikes!
Now, when are we going to get official OSX on PCs?
re: Desktop
Whether you go with a laptop or a desktop depends a lot on what you wanted out of your system. If all you need is basic computing (web, MS Office, etc) that doesn't require high performance and you don't need much, if any upgradability, laptop can be a very good choice - it's fairly cheap, with the added bonus of portability and not having to worry much about wiring, etc. Anything more and you might want a desktop instead for all the heavier needs (media, gaming, etc) and settle for a Eee PC for basic, portable functions.
re: Vista
It's not THAT bad from my experience - I am using it on my work laptop (Q2 2007 Centrino Duo w/ 2GB) and it's been fine for the usual, undemanding stuff. Fairly crash-free like XP. Speaking of SP1 - reviews suggests that it's a big yawn - though network file transfers speeds seems to have improved.
AoD
In addition, there is also the "bang for the buck factor" to consider. I can get a lot more hardware for the same price with a PC - especially if you don't mind getting your hands dirty and actually do some research/hands on work with your computer.
I do think that for the majority of consumers, Mac is actually a better choice than PC because it demands less technical savvy on the part of the user (and that's not a bad thing at all - especially when say your mom calls and ask you about the BSoD)
re: XPS
I've just ordered a XPS 630 from Dell (waited till they are going to ship it with SP1 pre-installed - headaches that I am trying to avoid) - it's pretty reasonably priced for what it is and I'm thankful they went with standard ATX and left room for aftermarket upgrades. As nice as the exterior design of the 720/720H2C is, I can't stand the idea of having to go back to Dell for components, which they charge an arm and a leg for.
4K for Dell? That amount of money can get you some serious hardware (top of the line CPU, 2x SLI with top of the line GPUs, overclocked RAM, watercooling, 27" widescreen, etc). Yikes!
Now, when are we going to get official OSX on PCs?
re: Desktop
Whether you go with a laptop or a desktop depends a lot on what you wanted out of your system. If all you need is basic computing (web, MS Office, etc) that doesn't require high performance and you don't need much, if any upgradability, laptop can be a very good choice - it's fairly cheap, with the added bonus of portability and not having to worry much about wiring, etc. Anything more and you might want a desktop instead for all the heavier needs (media, gaming, etc) and settle for a Eee PC for basic, portable functions.
re: Vista
It's not THAT bad from my experience - I am using it on my work laptop (Q2 2007 Centrino Duo w/ 2GB) and it's been fine for the usual, undemanding stuff. Fairly crash-free like XP. Speaking of SP1 - reviews suggests that it's a big yawn - though network file transfers speeds seems to have improved.
AoD
Brandon716
Senior Member
Drivers have nothing to do with viruses, they are simply hardware control interfaces.
If you've never updated your sound or video drivers, you owe it to yourself to do so. The increased performance and bug fixes are well worth it, even on MacOS X.
Steve_D
New Member
Anyone who wants to do more then surf porn and email.
Dilla
Senior Member
...computers can do more than that?
MetroMan
Senior Member
I know what drivers are. What I mean is not having to worry about drivers is another benefit to working on OS X. It's up on the list, along with -- but unrelated to -- viruses and spyware.
I'm sure my Mac has received driver updates in the auto updates that are installed. The beauty about it, and the heart of the Mac philosophy is that you don't have to deal with it. It works behind the scenes and unless you want to know about it, you simply switch your Mac on like a TV and do the productive (or unproductive) stuff you want to do.
That leads me to the question: would you want to upgrade your TV? Would you want to upgrade your cell phone? Your mp3 player? Your microwave? Most people would rather not have to think about the innards of their consumer electronic devices. That's what the iMac and the Mac Mini are for, as are laptops (the most popular form of Mac systems now). Upgrades are limited mostly to memory and software.
You'd be surprised however, how much a performance increase you'll get with each iteration of OS X.
It works in the opposite direction as Windows. Newer Windows versions add more bulk and requirements. Newer OS X versions become more efficient. A good example is how my friend's 4 year old iBook runs better with Leopard (OS X 10.5) than it did with Panther (OS X 10.3) when she bought it.
EnviroTO
Senior Member
Not much more. You can go on UrbanToronto.ca and three other things I can't remember since they were less important.
Steve_D
New Member
Steve_D
New Member
Just like windows automatic updates.
Yes, yes, yes....to what?
and the 'other most' do.
wow...what a fanboy.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
MetroMan:
That's exactly my point - if you are in the know and wanted to really upgrade or otherwise play with the various components of your system, PC is a far superior option. If, as you say, you wanted a system to just run like a consumer electronic product, go for a Mac.
Except of course Apple charges a premium for it. There are also some grumbling among Mac fans that the company basically pushes you to get a completely new system if you managed to outgrow a certain component (esp. GPUs). Like for example - if you have an older version of Mac Pro, you wouldn't be able to take advantage of Nvidia 8800 GT (the current sweet spot) - you wouldn't even have the option of upgrading your motherboard for it as it stand right now. Not to mention, the card carries an almost 50% price premium.
I don't think one platform is inheritly superior to another - it all depends on what your priorities are.
AoD
That's exactly my point - if you are in the know and wanted to really upgrade or otherwise play with the various components of your system, PC is a far superior option. If, as you say, you wanted a system to just run like a consumer electronic product, go for a Mac.
Except of course Apple charges a premium for it. There are also some grumbling among Mac fans that the company basically pushes you to get a completely new system if you managed to outgrow a certain component (esp. GPUs). Like for example - if you have an older version of Mac Pro, you wouldn't be able to take advantage of Nvidia 8800 GT (the current sweet spot) - you wouldn't even have the option of upgrading your motherboard for it as it stand right now. Not to mention, the card carries an almost 50% price premium.
I don't think one platform is inheritly superior to another - it all depends on what your priorities are.
AoD
afransen
Senior Member
Mac OS is saved by its unpopularity. If it challenged Windows in use, there would surely be just as much spyware, viruses, etc. targetting it.
junctionist
Senior Member
On XP, I've never gotten spyware or viruses. I save system resources by not having anti-virus software installed. Fortunately this hacked version of XP lets me do that without that security balloon popping up. It's great as there's no registration, it still does all the upgrades, and comes with utorrent as default software.
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