Poll: My Computer is dying on me....

[jklinders]

People who do sound and video editing swear by Macs as being superior for that. I don't really know why. For just about anything else though Windows or Linux will do the same thing as good or better at a much cheaper price point.

Do NOT buy a pre made PC though. Go to a reputable shop, tell them what you are looking for and let them build you one. You'll get a lot more bang for your buck. One of my bigger regrets regarding my current rig was getting a pre made PC and thinking I could swap out my own hardware. Bad move. The Power Supply Unit is locked up tighter than a princesses virginity and looks like it's gonna be a ***** to get it out.

Don't buy into the hype about the supposed security of Macs. Hackers are seeing a major reluctance to give software updates from mac and there have been several high profile virus attacks in the past month on Mac OS. They could not have happened if the shit eaters at Apple had put out an OS patch on the security flaw in their system like 6 months ago when they first found it.

 

[thePyro_13]

If you like paying twice as much for the same hardware and being more vulnerable to viruses, then sure, get an apple.

 

[Amaror]

So I definitely need a new laptop. I've been interested in a MacBook Pro for some time now, more as a curiosity than anything, but since the time has come to seriously start looking for a new computer, I find myself facing the question as to whether I should bite the bullet and buy a MacBook or spend the money on something like a Vaio?

Since the community here seems to be more or less technologically competent, I figure this is the best place to ask.

If you have a MacBook tell me why you bought one and what makes it worth spending the money on. Would you buy another one? How is Apple's customer service if you have a problem with it?

If you don't have one, what do you have? Why did you choose it? Was it a good choice?

About the customer service. If you buy it make sure you have a bunch of other apple products registered. The more apple products the better the customer service.

Ok I am all against macs cause of various reasons...

But this is a flat out lie. I have several friends who work in an apple call center, and all the calls are distributed randomly. You do not get better service if you have 7 apple products or 1.

I didn't meant at the call center. Got a couple of friends, who had broken apple products. One of them owned 10 other apple products and got his problem fixed in a matter of days. The others had to waid a month or so. That was not a one time thing.

 

[TacticalAssassin1]

...and being more vulnerable to viruses, then sure, get an apple.

Wut? I hate apple as much as the next person, but aren't they supposed to be good with viruses, or is that all bullshit too?

 

[evilneko]

What can you do with a Mac that you can't do with Windows?

Not much, it turns out. There isn't much advantage in OSX over Windows for everyday use.

I own an older iBook which, while it was still functional, was a fine computer in its own right, but nothing special. It succumbed to--wait for it--a design flaw. Due to the timing of when it manifested, the best Apple could tell me was "open it up and stick a shim in it up against the GPU."

...and being more vulnerable to viruses, then sure, get an apple.

Wut? I hate apple as much as the next person, but aren't they supposed to be good with viruses, or is that all bullshit too?

It's bullshit. There are viruses, worms, and other malware for OSX too. Mac users are often more vulnerable to infection since they often wrongly believe they're immune to such things.

 

[Slayer_2]

If you like Apple products and that particular interface, and don't like PC Gaming or your money, buy a Macbook Pro.

EDIT: Oooh, the shiny 999!

Pretty much this. Apple products are generally on par or slower than PC's, cost around 1.5-2x as much, and give you as much freedom as a dictatorship. But they are very shiny and uniform in design!

P.S. The poll results made me laugh. 1 troll, 58 computer nerds (not a porno name, BTW).

 

[BreakfastMan]

Don't go Mac. The OS is fine, but the stuff is overpriced as all hell and works just as well as a (good) Windows computer.

Plus, if you get a Windows machine, you can actually play games on it! I mean, come on, who does not want more games, amirite?

 

[thePyro_13]

...and being more vulnerable to viruses, then sure, get an apple.

Wut? I hate apple as much as the next person, but aren't they supposed to be good with viruses, or is that all bullshit too?

Worse than mere marketing bullshit. Their architecture doesn't account for security issues the same way other OS's do. They don't patch security issues as fast as Microsoft and other OS developers.

Add to that marketing campaigns that tell users they don't need anti-virus. The only reason the internet isn't blanketed in MacOS virus's is because servers don't run on Mac and the Mac market share is too small to allow efficient virus spreading(like a zombie outbreak without humans to infect).

The only reason I hate apple is their prices and marketing, I feel sad that their users are more vulnerable to virus's though, as OS developers they owe it to their customers to protect them from these kinds of threats.

 

[jklinders]

...and being more vulnerable to viruses, then sure, get an apple.

Wut? I hate apple as much as the next person, but aren't they supposed to be good with viruses, or is that all bullshit too?

Probably more an issue of quantity rather than quality. Macs are too few to be taken seriously by hackers but that is beginning to change [http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/04/05/why-you-should-install-antivirus-on-your-mac/]

 

[Signa]

A friend just bought this [http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=457&Code=08626JU&category-id=F41BC8E1656C5F85171FBDB172571912] and I'm drooling. You should buy it instead of a mac. I have a great multipurpose laptop like it that I bought 2 years ago for the same price. This almost beats my gaming desktop.

 

[Cry Wolf]

snip

Do you want to pay double the price of the equivilant hardware of a PC? If the answer is yes, I'll always sell you my laptop.

On a more serious note - there is no reason to buy a Mac other than you haven't done any research, or are willing to spend a fuck ton of money on a brand. Both make you a tool. They've got a reasonable operating system, sure, but you really don't have any choice when it comes down to software. They aren't virus free, and with a decent anti-virus (for a free one; see Avast) you wont be any more or less likely to get a virus. Oh, and Macs cost way more to fix.

 

[thom_cat_]

I have a PC that a friend designed and I built.
It's never let me down, and it still beats the competition nowadays. It was the best choice I could have made.
I love windows 7's window management, and that's all that I need from it really. I absolutely detest working with the macs at uni (I do game design, and we mostly work on macs for some reason). The window management is extremely poor, and the things don't even run as smoothly as they do at home. Sometimes programs don't even start for no reason, and crash for even less.

At home everything is wonderful and I can customise anything I want. It's pretty much like the PC vs console debate really. One supposedly has simplicity and ease on their side (although in the macs case it's paid for too) and the other has customisability and freedom.

But seriously, if you want a mac, just go use one somewhere for an extended period of time. use it for what you are going to use it for. If you like it, sure, buy the thing. Try the same for the PC.

 

[Arakasi]

This poll is the best poll I have ever seen.
Gives me hope for humanity.

 

[thahat]

I've heard that Mac computers are superior for video/photo editing, though the artists who told me that never explained why. I guess if you're willing to pay an extra 500-1000 dollars for the same hardware as a PC, but superior video/photo editing, go for it. Otherwise, I don't really know why you'd want a Macbook

let me explain it for him, there are, industry specific mac computers that are better for photo-video stuff. these things cost 20.000~euro´s and you wont ever see them on your life.

other mac stuff= the sum of its parts. and apple sells them too expensive.
for the same money you ca nget better, or you can get the same for less.
( do note, macs usual come with SOFTWARE pre installed for video editing etc. and most 'artsy' people are not that techinicly inclined, might make it seem to be 'better' for them. i call this lazy. ( too lazy to aquire software in disc/downloaded form )

 

[Wintermoot]

no don,t seriously don,t unless you got a huge amount of money.
seriously just get a Windows machine if it,s the GUI either turn it into a hackintosh or run Pear OS (second choice is legal first not completely)
http://pear-os-linux.fr/

 

[James Crook]

The hardware on a Mac is locked up like frickin' North Korea, and it costs several hundred dollars more than a PC. It doesn't hold its ground any better than PCs against viruses and malware, in fact Mac users are more prone to being victims of cyberattacks since they think the fruit-shaped logo on their laptop's lid and its dumbed-down proprietary Unix build makes them immune against them.
I'd seriously advise staying away from HP laptops though, the engineering on them not being top-notch and such, and the amount of bloatware they stuff in their products. I'd rather go for a Toshiba, or have the laptop custom-built by a reputable shop (as someone advised earlier).

Capthca: "om nom nom". That's what Apple does with your money, apparently.

 

[Tharwen]

If you couldn't give a flying shit about messing around with the guts of your computer and just want the damn thing to work flawlessly and with minimal effort, definitely get a Mac.

Yeah I'll be the only pro-Mac person on the poll so far.

Ha!

My macbook has one of the glitchiest interfaces I've ever used.

 

[Snowbell]

I got an Alienware M15 laptop two years ago...it's dying very quickly and was a pretty bad decision it turns out...Yes, I can play all my high-spec games, but the graphics drivers keep crashing, I get the blue screen of death, my CD drive doesn't work, my mousepad doesn't work...fun times.

 

[literallyanythingelse]

Here's a crazy idea - if you like the OS, buy a windows laptop and buy OSX separately - then install it and get rid of windows. Tada, cheapo mac.

 

[Bvenged]

If you find yourself a bit of a graphic designer/software artist or all that shazz, get a Mac - but be prepared to burn a lot of money.

If you just want mobile computing power with good user interface, as much as I hate to say it - get an iPad.


Otherwise get a desktop/laptop (but not a gaming laptop).

If you want a rig for gaming, get a desktop/tower PC with Windows 7.

I got an Alienware M15 laptop two years ago...it's dying very quickly and was a pretty bad decision it turns out...Yes, I can play all my high-spec games, but the graphics drivers keep crashing, I get the blue screen of death, my CD drive doesn't work, my mousepad doesn't work...fun times.

Gaming laptop?
Honestly, buying a gaming laptop is like buying a glider that claims it can fly to space. It might make it if you push for it, but in the end it wont be doing you any favours.

Gaming requires a lot of power; and laptops (being supplied by a battery) really struggle to give what gaming needs. It might have the hardware but it ain't got the power to supply it, on top of that the heat generated and lack of sufficient ventilation turns the insides of the laptop into an environment as hostile to hardware as space is to a gliders plain-clothed occupants.