Mac vs PC

[bwana]

Maybe he is thinking like cheapskate me about cheap dualcore PC's with cheap 3800+'s lol

Thats fine but I'm more concerned about similarly spec'ed brand name computers.

If my folks in the states were in the market for a new pc I wouldn't suggest they try and build it themselves I'd suggest they buy brand x,y or z because it comes from a reputable manufacturer and there is a massive support network behind it for when (not if) something goes wrong.

 

[supersunbird]

What? Dell doesnt have cheap computers?

Especially in the US, never mind the rebates and black fridays and all that...

 

[bwana]

What? Dell doesnt have cheap computers?

Especially in the US, never mind the rebates and black fridays and all that...

Should I have emboldened or underlined "similarly spec'ed" - do they have a similarly spec'ed machine to the 8 core MacPro? Is it much cheaper? How about the 17" MacBook Pro?

Mac prices are also much lower in the states - that where I get the majority of my machines.

 

[Skeptik]

Should I have emboldened or underlined "similarly spec'ed" - do they have a similarly spec'ed machine to the 8 core MacPro? Is it much cheaper? How about the 17" MacBook Pro?

Mac prices are also much lower in the states - that where I get the majority of my machines.

According to some Apple shops here, they don't like overseas bought machines and will give you some stick when it comes time to service them.

 

[koffiejunkie]

What? Dell doesnt have cheap computers?

They do, they just don't sell them cheaply

No seriously. When I bought my notebook, I ended up choosing between an top of the range and a similarly priced/specced Dell. I went with the HP because I could get it immediately (I needed it pretty bad) and the Dell was BTO and would take 30 working days (this early December, so you can imagine how long that would take).

Well, my HP's motherboard had been replaced twice. The Dell is still riddled with ACPI bugs (a friend of mine bought this one), a year and a half later, and just doesn't perform as well as the specs suggest. Another friend just bought a new Dell notebook about a month ago. It's a dual core with 1GB mem and it's slow as a dog. The symptoms are very much like an IDE disc with DMA switched off, except this notebook has SATA. Dell's response? "Sorry, you'll have to wait from a driver update."

I could have had a similar spec PowerBook for the same money.

 

[bwana]

According to some Apple shops here, they don't like overseas bought machines and will give you some stick when it comes time to service them.

I deal with Core who handles the vast majority of repairs in SA and they dont give me any problems. If the item is covered by the warranty its covered.

 

[PearlJam]

That is difficult or even IMPOSSIBLE.

For example, no one can deny the wide range of games PCs enjoy.
Macs have a small selection or need to run in Bootcamp mode.
If you're a gamer and not much else, rather buy a PC.

If you use PhotoShop or Final Cut you're better of with a Mac.

If you're a casual user who wants an easier to use machine
a Mac is for you. If you're into numerous Open source or shareware
software that exists for the PC (while much less exists for the Mac)
well then the PC is for you.

I suggest you decide WHAT you want to use your machine for,
look up what tools you'll need and see what the consensus
is among those who use these tools successfully to make money.
Then go and evaluate a Mac in a shop and see if you like the interface,
it does take a while to get used to.

Does apple stores let you sit down and play a bit with their machines?

I don't care too much about gaming (although i do play games a little) main uses would be dreamweaver, photoshop and (premiere just teasing, hehe)

I am not in the market right now for myself, but want to do this homework now before i get there which might only be in a years time

 

[Skeptik]

Does apple stores let you sit down and play a bit with their machines?

I don't care too much about gaming (although i do play games a little) main uses would be dreamweaver, photoshop and (premiere just teasing, hehe)

I am not in the market right now for myself, but want to do this homework now before i get there which might only be in a years time

Apple stores are quite good at letting you play. (Some PC shops even lock away their laptops and you can only see them through a glass case.)

Around Cape Town, they even have their own hotspots for downloading OS updates etc.

Just don't ask them to load any games, 'coz they won't!

 

[icyrus]

No, this post was about the merits of buying a Mac vs a PC.
It's still overpriced hardware no matter which way you look at it.
If Apple dropped the price of their hardware down to PC type prices I'd probably have bought one long ago.

Do people not even bother to read the thread they are posting in before they say something stupid?

We have have covered this before countless times and yet again in this thread so I would love for you to provide some info to backup your point or just do us all a favor and stay out of discussions if you can't read.

According to some Apple shops here, they don't like overseas bought machines and will give you some stick when it comes time to service them.

As far as I know Apple provides and international warranty so any apple care centre better honor it,.

 

[hj2k_x]

Do people not even bother to read the thread they are posting in before they say something stupid?

We have have covered this before countless times and yet again in this thread so I would love for you to provide some info to backup your point or just do us all a favor and stay out of discussions if you can't read.


.

The guy is allowed to express his opinion, especially if it is, as in this case, valid.

You never got back to me about the terrible pricing of the iMacs...

 

[bwana]

The guy is allowed to express his opinion, especially if it is, as in this case, valid.

In fact this thread was a call for opinions from people with personal experiences with a mac.

I would like to know from all you mac owners / lovers, etc. Why would i buy a mac instead of a pc, what benefits will i get?

 

[hj2k_x]

In fact this thread was a call for opinions from people with personal experiences with a mac.

I can't even remember the 1st post anymore.

I guess the guy asked for a biased view so that is what we shall give him then.

*removes non-MAC-loving self from thread....

 

[bwana]

I can't even remember the 1st post anymore.

I guess the guy asked for a biased view so that is what we shall give him then.

*removes non-MAC-loving self from thread....

I'd hardly call a (former) user like Skeptik biased - at least not positively - and his is clearly an opinion based on experience which is just what PearlJam requested.

 

[hj2k_x]

I'd hardly call a (former) user like Skeptik biased - at least not positively - and his is clearly an opinion based on experience which is just what PearlJam requested.

It is clearly not Skeptik that I am referring to.

But, as I said, the guy asked for what will turn out to be a one-sided view, so give him what he wants.

If he wanted people to knock MACs I am sure he could start a new thread and find plenty of people willing to do just that.

 

[Skeptik]

I deal with Core who handles the vast majority of repairs in SA and they dont give me any problems. If the item is covered by the warranty its covered.

According to this, only portable items are covered. Otherwise you could ship it back at great expense. So no lugging through customs of an iMac then..

If the product is portable, meaning that it can operate independently without a power cord, you may obtain warranty service worldwide. However, service will be limited to the options available in the country where service is requested. If the product is not portable, warranty service may be restricted to the country where the product is purchased.

http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/hardware.html

 

[icyrus]

The guy is allowed to express his opinion, especially if it is, as in this case, valid.

You never got back to me about the terrible pricing of the iMacs...

Ok:

Intel T5600 Core2-Duo 1.83ghz box dual core cpu , with VT R2432.85
http://www.prophecy.co.za/intel-t5600-core2duo-183ghz-dual-core-with-virt-p-2320.html

Kingston ValueRam KVR667D2N5/512 512mb R423.67
http://www.prophecy.co.za/kingston-valueram-kvr667d2n5512-512mb-ddr2667-pc25300-p-728.html

LG GCC-4522 52/32/52 cd-rw + 16x dvd combo drive R275.52
http://www.prophecy.co.za/gcc4522-523252-cdrw-combo-drive-beige-p-19487.html

54Mbps Wireless PCI Adapter. R311.90
http://www.prophecy.co.za/54mbps-wireless-adapter-brhighspeed-80211g-p-1332.html

Hitachi deskstar T7K250 0A31637 , 160gb, S-ATA2 3GB/S , 7200rpm R648.50
http://www.prophecy.co.za/hitachi-deskstar-t7k250-0a31637-160gb-sata2-3gbs-7200rpm-p-1739.html

Asus N4L-VM DH , S479 MoDT R1443.86
http://www.prophecy.co.za/asus-n4lvm-s479-modt-mobile-desktop-viiv-ready-p-19173.html

Antec Minuet 300 - Slimline Micro ATX, with 300w PSU R994.19
http://www.prophecy.co.za/antec-minuet-slimline-micro-with-300w-p-19560.html

LG 1719S Black , 17 R1803.84
http://www.prophecy.co.za/1719s-black-with-enginelight-view-26mm-1280x1-p-19301.html

So whats that... R8334.33 so far? And that is minus they keyboard & mouse (negligable), iSight camera, speakers, mic, remote and software. And the entry level iMac: R9,292.00
http://www.zastore.co.za/imaccore2duo.php

Also the 17inch monitor from prophecy isn't widescreen and the case is huge by comparrison. If we included a shuttle case.... well see for yourself:

Shuttle X100 , ultra slim SFF pc , built-in WiFi ; for socket479 R 6431.72
http://www.prophecy.co.za/shuttle-x100-ultra-slim-builtin-wifi-socket479-p-19152.html

 

[bwana]

According to this, only portable items are covered. Otherwise you could ship it back at great expense. So no lugging through customs of an iMac then..

http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/hardware.html

I made sure my mini was covered when I bought it fortunately I never had the need to test local compliance - apart from that all my other mac's are, at the moment, portables so a iMac may very well not be covered here had you purchased it abroad.

 

[hj2k_x]

Ok:

Intel T5600 Core2-Duo 1.83ghz box dual core cpu , with VT R2432.85
http://www.prophecy.co.za/intel-t5600-core2duo-183ghz-dual-core-with-virt-p-2320.html

Kingston ValueRam KVR667D2N5/512 512mb R423.67
http://www.prophecy.co.za/kingston-valueram-kvr667d2n5512-512mb-ddr2667-pc25300-p-728.html

LG GCC-4522 52/32/52 cd-rw + 16x dvd combo drive R275.52
http://www.prophecy.co.za/gcc4522-523252-cdrw-combo-drive-beige-p-19487.html

54Mbps Wireless PCI Adapter. R311.90
http://www.prophecy.co.za/54mbps-wireless-adapter-brhighspeed-80211g-p-1332.html

Hitachi deskstar T7K250 0A31637 , 160gb, S-ATA2 3GB/S , 7200rpm R648.50
http://www.prophecy.co.za/hitachi-deskstar-t7k250-0a31637-160gb-sata2-3gbs-7200rpm-p-1739.html

Asus N4L-VM DH , S479 MoDT R1443.86
http://www.prophecy.co.za/asus-n4lvm-s479-modt-mobile-desktop-viiv-ready-p-19173.html

Antec Minuet 300 - Slimline Micro ATX, with 300w PSU R994.19
http://www.prophecy.co.za/antec-minuet-slimline-micro-with-300w-p-19560.html

LG 1719S Black , 17 R1803.84
http://www.prophecy.co.za/1719s-black-with-enginelight-view-26mm-1280x1-p-19301.html

So whats that... R8334.33 so far? And that is minus they keyboard & mouse (negligable), iSight camera, speakers, mic, remote and software. And the entry level iMac: R9,292.00
http://www.zastore.co.za/imaccore2duo.php

Also the 17inch monitor from prophecy isn't widescreen and the case is huge by comparrison. If we included a shuttle case.... well see for yourself:

Shuttle X100 , ultra slim SFF pc , built-in WiFi ; for socket479 R 6431.72
http://www.prophecy.co.za/shuttle-x100-ultra-slim-builtin-wifi-socket479-p-19152.html

Cool, thanks for the groundwork.

I did say I would stay out of this, but if you have gone to all this trouble...

You can pick up a widescreen 17" at many places for that price. You can nearly get 19" for that actually.

Let me check the other stuff quickly...Why the mobile processor for starters?

 

[Paul_S]

Do people not even bother to read the thread they are posting in before they say something stupid?

We have have covered this before countless times and yet again in this thread so I would love for you to provide some info to backup your point or just do us all a favor and stay out of discussions if you can't read.

Sure if you compare the entry level Mac vs a PC using an expensive micro ATX form factor then the difference isn't that big but if you drop the micro ATX you can come in a fair bit cheaper.

ZA Store :
20-inch widescreen LCD 1680x1050 resolution
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor1
2GB memory
250GB Serial ATA hard drive2
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL, DVD±RW, CD-RW)
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Apple Remote
R19349.00

PC Palace :
204Bt 20" WIDE TFT, 1600 x 1050, 5 Millisecond R2,382
Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHZ, 4MB L2 Cache, 1066Mhz Frontside Bus from prophecy.co.za R2673.93
Intel 'Westchester' G965 mobo R1,053
Gigabyte X1 Chassis - Black 400W PSU R423
2GB DDR800 memory R2,083
250GB Serial ATA hard drive R649
LG Super Multi DVD Writer GSA-H42L Internal IDE (Dual Layer) Light Scribe
(DVD+ R 18x, DVD-R 8x, DVD+RW 4x, DVD-RW 4x) R316
RADEON X1650PRO 256MB GDDR3, Dual DVI ( Dual link ) R997.5 from prophecy.co.za
R 11454.43 excl
R 13058.00 incl

There you have a R6300 price difference excluding the Apple Remote and Airport stuff and it has a better CPU, better gfx card and a more powerful PSU.
Even if you switch to micro ATX with a fancy case it'll still be a fair bit cheaper.

But alas I don't read and I say stupid stuff.

 

[hj2k_x]

Sure if you compare the entry level Mac vs a PC using an expensive micro ATX form factor then the difference isn't that big but if you drop the micro ATX you can come in a fair bit cheaper.

ZA Store :
20-inch widescreen LCD 1680x1050 resolution
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor1
2GB memory
250GB Serial ATA hard drive2
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL, DVD±RW, CD-RW)
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Apple Remote
R19349.00

PC Palace :
204Bt 20" WIDE TFT, 1600 x 1050, 5 Millisecond R2,382
Intel Boxed Core2 Duo E6400 Processor - 2.13GHz Dual Core R1,930
Intel 'Westchester' G965 mobo R1,053
Gigabyte X1 Chassis - Black 400W PSU R423
2GB DDR800 memory R2,083
250GB Serial ATA hard drive R649
LG Super Multi DVD Writer GSA-H42L Internal IDE (Dual Layer) Light Scribe
(DVD+ R 18x, DVD-R 8x, DVD+RW 4x, DVD-RW 4x) R316
RADEON X1650PRO 256MB GDDR3, Dual DVI ( Dual link ) R997.5 from prophecy.co.za
R 9833.5 excl
R 11210.19 incl

There you have a R8100 price difference excluding the Apple Remote and Airport stuff.
Even if you switch to micro ATX with a fancy case it'll still be a fair bit cheaper.

But alas I don't read and I say stupid stuff.

The price on that 20" iMac is R14 673. But I do agree with your general argument.