Mac or PC??

[dsavi]

If you want to be able to play RuneScape in ALL detail levels you have to get a Windows PC; as of Feb. 8th 2010 standard detail is only supported on windows (safe and high detail modes both still run in OS X). There is also a 30-60 second period between when you log in and when you can start to do anything when playing RuneScape on a Mac. (I believe this to be an issue with the OS X Java)

 

That being said iMovie is way better than Windows Live Movie maker although you can probably get a comparable Windows machine+decent video editing software for the price of a Mac. I still say get a Mac, I love mine.

 

Some general advice:

-get at least 4 Gigs of Ram, this is a must for all video editing

-get a computer that has a discrete graphics card

-a bigger screen makes for a nicer editing experience

-if you can afford it, a Solid State Drive (SSD) can really improve editing/rendering time for long video but, you'll be sacrificing storage capacity

-if your thinking of working with full 1080p HD video, STOP, machines that can handle that much video cost thousands of dollars, 540 and 720p still look really good and take a lot less power to work with

Wait, if you want to do any kind of video editing at all why would you get a "discrete" graphics card? Few graphics cards are a lot more than discrete nowadays anyway.

Also, it's not hard at all to get a computer to work with 1080p video. You just have to use the right software and know what you're doing.

 

I don't think he's going to be using Windows movie maker if he wants to make videos. The only reason, video editing wise, for a mac is to use Final Cut Pro. I stand by that Adobe Premire and Sony Vegas will do everything this guy wants though and fairly easily too.

Dude. He's making capture card videos. I think Windows Movie Maker/iMovie would do more than he wants to do anyway.

[Kaphias]

Simply put, if you can pay for it, get a Mac. I'm probably one of the few here who own and actively use both a Mac and a Windows computer. I like my Windows machine because it's faster, cost less, and can run a larger variety of programs. But that's about it. I only use it for my flight sim.

 

As someone else suggested, it would be very worthwhile to take a trip to an Apple store and actually use the OS before you buy. Remember to take a look at the iMovie application as well.

[ultimatballr]

I truly honestly really do appreciate all the replies. Really I was always curious about the MAC's as far as how they compare to PC's. Since you can't really believe commercials and such with Apple trying to make the MAC out as the end all be all computer I just wondered how they really stacked up.

 

Push comes to shove, if I do have enough money I will probably end up going with a MAC.

 

Thank you for all the replies I really appreciate it.

 

Now does anyone have any suggestions on a good MAC laptop to purchase??

 

Maybe a link to what you are suggesting as well?...

 

Consider I will probably not make the purchase until next month or even, hopefully not, the month after, but I am interested in seeing what MAC's are worth it so on and so forth.

 

Also, if you strongly strongly are against MAC's what do you think a good PC laptop would be? Link as well?

 

I am really not asking for unbiased opinions, I just want to know what everyone prefers. Maybe I will see something that makes sense to me because you explained why or why not in such a passionate way with some enthusiasm. Make sense?

 

Thanks again guy and girls.

[Nadril]

Dude. He's making capture card videos. I think Windows Movie Maker/iMovie would do more than he wants to do anyway.

 

*shrug* most people I know who do video game videos (machinima, kill videos, pvp videos, ect.) use sony vegas. That being said I doubt 95% of them bought it.

[stevepole]

Simply put, if you can pay for it, get a Mac. I'm probably one of the few here who own and actively use both a Mac and a Windows computer. I like my Windows machine because it's faster, cost less, and can run a larger variety of programs. But that's about it. I only use it for my flight sim.

 

As someone else suggested, it would be very worthwhile to take a trip to an Apple store and actually use the OS before you buy. Remember to take a look at the iMovie application as well.

 

I actually own both, technically, I built a computer in high school that runs windows, but I rarely use it since I don't live at home.. Ever OS has its ups and downs. Only OS I've really hated was Vista. 7 seems pretty cool but I've yet to use it. I personally just prefer the Mac OS, its a lot more user friendly imo.

 

I truly honestly really do appreciate all the replies. Really I was always curious about the MAC's as far as how they compare to PC's. Since you can't really believe commercials and such with Apple trying to make the MAC out as the end all be all computer I just wondered how they really stacked up.

 

Push comes to shove, if I do have enough money I will probably end up going with a MAC.

 

Thank you for all the replies I really appreciate it.

 

Now does anyone have any suggestions on a good MAC laptop to purchase??

 

Maybe a link to what you are suggesting as well?...

 

Consider I will probably not make the purchase until next month or even, hopefully not, the month after, but I am interested in seeing what MAC's are worth it so on and so forth.

 

Also, if you strongly strongly are against MAC's what do you think a good PC laptop would be? Link as well?

 

I am really not asking for unbiased opinions, I just want to know what everyone prefers. Maybe I will see something that makes sense to me because you explained why or why not in such a passionate way with some enthusiasm. Make sense?

 

Thanks again guy and girls.

 

http://store.apple.com/us

 

Best place to learn about the different Mac models and which every model you get really depends on how much money you have to spend. So if you do go with the Mac just get the best that fits your price range. I would personally get 15 inch 2.8ghz MacBook Pro if I was getting a new laptop or the better 21inch iMac or the quad-core iMac if I wanted to go all out.

[Laura]

You don't have to capitalize Mac, as it's not an acronym. :)

 

Anyway, all of their laptops and desktops will do what you want. Apple is soon to be refreshing their MacBook Pro lineup, if you're looking for a laptop.

[Will H]

Go for a PC, the money you will save means you can get a more powerful machine.

[Nadril]

its a lot more user friendly imo.

 

I know it's your opinion but I still say that it's all based off of just how used to an OS you are. Even though I use OS X a lot in school I'm still really iffy about the OS in general and I just don't like a lot of it. I find windows 7 to be a lot more user friendly (especially if you're used to windows based operating systems).

 

I just have to ask though, what is it about OS X that you guy's all find really user friendly? Windows 7 has a "dock" just like OS X after all and in all honesty I find the mac's way of exploring folders to be god awful compared to windows explorer. I'm just wondering why people find it so user friendly. Does it have something to do with the perceived notion of it not messing up or breaking or something?

 

 

Anyways to the OP this is why I would recommend a windows based machine:

 

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro?mco=MTM3NDc0NDI

 

There are the mac's and pricing for them. In this case lets use:

 

13-inch: 2.53Ghz

Core 2 Duo

4GB RAM

250GB Hard drive

9400M GeForce

 

$1,499.00

 

As the example of a macbook.

 

 

Now a few examples of windows based notebooks:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114803

TOSHIBA Satellite A505-S6035 NoteBook 16"

Intel Core i7 720QM(1.60GHz)

4GB Memory DDR3 1066

500GB HDD

5400rpm DVD Super Multi

NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M

 

$999

 

Already this is better spec'd than the macbook equivilant. It has a stronger video card inside of it and an i7 processor which, even though it's CPU speed is slower the actual i7 chipset runs much faster than a core2duo. Not to mention the screen is 16" vs a 13" macbook.

 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220669

 

ASUS GSeries 17.3"

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000(2.00GHz)

6GB Memory DDR2 800

640GB HDD

7200rpm DVD Super Multi

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M

 

$1,299.00

 

Another one that smokes the macbook, especially when we're looking at video rendering. You have 6GB of ram, a quad core processor and a very solid video card. And it is a couple hundred less than the Macbook posted.

 

 

 

 

Pretty much you need to ask yourself how much the mac branding and OS is really worth to you.

[Laura]

The majority of the comparisons you are doing are in terms of specs. When I buy a house, I don't just look at the area it covers (in this analogy I'll compare it to specs). I want to look at resale value, whether or not it's furnished, how well it is built, etc.

 

From the first laptop, a reviewer wrote out a few cons:

Cons:

No Bluetooth

5400RPM HDD

Bloatware

Battery life < 1.5hrs

numpad takes up a fair amount of room, but doesn't take long to get use to hand positioning

 

MacBook:

All Apple products are equipped with Bluetooth.

No bloatware is included.

Battery life is above five hours on all laptops. I have a previous generation Macbook and consistently get higher than four hours.

 

Here's another:

Hard drive speed could be better along with screen resolution

 

The Toshiba having 98PPI and the Macbook (13") having 116PPI; a better screen.

 

The second laptop you mentioned has heating "issues," as evidenced by the myriad of complaints. Although I use the term "issues" loosely, as you knew that would happen as soon as you shoved all of those components into a laptop (which, it is worth mentioning that the Asus is twice as heavy as the MacBook).

 

So no, it's more than Apple's branding that goes into these laptops. Yes, if you want a powerhouse, go with a PC-it has always been that way. However, having a sub hour battery life defeats the purpose of a laptop and it stretches into the realm of a portable desktop. Macs have a great resale value, more so than PCs. They are made out of aluminium which really goes a long way into solidifying one's confidence in these machines. Multitouch features and an oversized trackpad make using anything else detestable. The list goes on.

Edited March 3, 2010 by laura0077

[Mil]

...The list goes on.

 

You should probably save that entire post so you can post it again when another topic like this crops up, lol.

+1 to everything you said. :thumbup:

[Nadril]

The majority of the comparisons you are doing are in terms of specs. When I buy a house, I don't just look at the area it covers (in this analogy I'll compare it to specs). I want to look at resale value, whether or not it's furnished, how well it is built, etc.

 

The laptops I picked out were the first two I saw. The thing is there are numerous laptops that are the same price, it's just all about finding a manufacturer you trust and a solid build. If you actually want bluetooth in your laptop (I have to question who actually uses it) you can find one with that.

 

Again battery life is the same deal, if you want to find a laptop with a better battery you can. The one I'm using actually has quite a damn good battery for being a 17" laptop. Power saving settings always go a long way too.

 

 

MacBook:

All Apple products are equipped with Bluetooth.

No bloatware is included.

Battery life is above five hours on all laptops. I have a previous generation Macbook and consistently get higher than four hours.

 

I would say that my laptop gets around 3.5 hours worth on "full load" of battery time. Of course the reason I got mine was a desktop replacement, but that's not for this topic.

 

 

Here's another:

Hard drive speed could be better along with screen resolution

 

The Toshiba having 98PPI and the Macbook (13") having 116PPI; a better screen.

 

In all honesty he's not going to notice the difference between 98PPI and 116PPI.

 

 

So no, it's more than Apple's branding that goes into these laptops. Yes, if you want a powerhouse, go with a PC-it has always been that way. However, having a sub hour battery life defeats the purpose of a laptop and it stretches into the realm of a portable desktop. Macs have a great resale value, more so than PCs. They are made out of aluminium which really goes a long way into solidifying one's confidence in these machines. Multitouch features and an oversized trackpad make using anything else detestable. The list goes on.

 

I feel like you're just picking on the two random laptops I put up there. Not all windows based machines have [cabbage]ty hardware and build as you would imply. Again my current laptop is built like a truck, runs cool and quiet, has a great screen (17" 1920x1080 resolution) and is really powerful too.

[Sbrideau]

My friend bought an HP notebook for $699 that has all that toshiba has plus has the bluetooth and all. It really all comes to preference, which I can see here, is "go with a mac, it's the best ever!", when in reality, it's the same thing as a windows based PC, except the few extra hundreds dollars it costs.

 

What I come to see the most in Mac, mostly lately, is their marketing win. Else, how would they sell overpriced computers as much as they do?

[Kaphias]

its a lot more user friendly imo.

 

I know it's your opinion but I still say that it's all based off of just how used to an OS you are. Even though I use OS X a lot in school I'm still really iffy about the OS in general and I just don't like a lot of it. I find windows 7 to be a lot more user friendly (especially if you're used to windows based operating systems).

 

I just have to ask though, what is it about OS X that you guy's all find really user friendly? Windows 7 has a "dock" just like OS X after all and in all honesty I find the mac's way of exploring folders to be god awful compared to windows explorer. I'm just wondering why people find it so user friendly. Does it have something to do with the perceived notion of it not messing up or breaking or something?

I don't know the differences between XP (what I run) and vista/7 very well, but I hate hate hate XPs way of "exploring folders". :rolleyes: Seems like I'm taking twice as long to do something as I would on my Mac. I mean, what's the deal with having to click start>my computer>C drive>program files to get to an applications files? I'll stick with finder>applications, thanks.

I guess it's the little things that do it for me. I've used Macs since I started using computers, and I'm still discovering new things. One my friend showed me the other day was how you can click on a file and hit the spacebar to view it, without ever opening it's application. Way cool.

[Sbrideau]

Then get Windows 7 and setup your libraries like you want to use them, it's going to be very few clicks to get to your applications.

[Nadril]

Yeah. There are a few ways to easily get to windows explorer. In XP you could right click on start and go to explore. Of course you could also just set yourself up a link to the "program files" folder, but I'm not sure why you're looking for programs in that. In windows 7 all you need to do to get to any program you need is hit the start deal > all programs > (list of programs). There then are the most used links when you click the start button and, of course, you have the "dock" taskbar at the bottom and your desktop.

[Kaphias]

My flight sim requires a lot of folder-digging. :P Thanks for the explorer tip, never thought to use that. I'll tinker with it and hopefully get used to it.

[Laura]

I feel like you're just picking on the two random laptops I put up there. Not all windows based machines have [cabbage]ty hardware and build as you would imply.

My post was strictly based on those laptops. Which, as it seems, aren't good for much but staying on a desk.

[Sbrideau]

Even faster, in Vista ans 7 you just have to press the win key and type the program you want to start, that's not even one click.

[Will H]

its a lot more user friendly imo.

 

I know it's your opinion but I still say that it's all based off of just how used to an OS you are. Even though I use OS X a lot in school I'm still really iffy about the OS in general and I just don't like a lot of it. I find windows 7 to be a lot more user friendly (especially if you're used to windows based operating systems).

 

I just have to ask though, what is it about OS X that you guy's all find really user friendly? Windows 7 has a "dock" just like OS X after all and in all honesty I find the mac's way of exploring folders to be god awful compared to windows explorer. I'm just wondering why people find it so user friendly. Does it have something to do with the perceived notion of it not messing up or breaking or something?

I don't know the differences between XP (what I run) and vista/7 very well, but I hate hate hate XPs way of "exploring folders". :rolleyes: Seems like I'm taking twice as long to do something as I would on my Mac. I mean, what's the deal with having to click start>my computer>C drive>program files to get to an applications files? I'll stick with finder>applications, thanks.

I guess it's the little things that do it for me. I've used Macs since I started using computers, and I'm still discovering new things. One my friend showed me the other day was how you can click on a file and hit the spacebar to view it, without ever opening it's application. Way cool.

But XP is 8 years old now. You can't criticise Windows based on an OS from 2001 in an environment of 2010, much like you can't with Macs. The Jump Lists are also very useful in Windows 7.

[Nadril]

I feel like you're just picking on the two random laptops I put up there. Not all windows based machines have [cabbage]ty hardware and build as you would imply.

My post was strictly based on those laptops. Which, as it seems, aren't good for much but staying on a desk.

 

My fault for using them as an example really, I just looked at specs real quick.