Why PC over Mac?

[Stammer]

I'm a PC person myself, but that's primarily because every single person I know says that PC is better than Mac.

But I've never been given reasons why that's true. If anything, I've been given more reasons for why Macs are superior in that they crash less often, they run faster, they have more useful programs to use, and they're a lot more user-friendly. And from what I've been told, they're no less versatile or compatible than PC's anymore.

So to the grand majority of you out there who will defend PC to the grave, what honestly makes PC so much better than Mac?

 

[Royta]

None is better then the other. It's mostly preferance.
Mac has a simpler User Interface and less technobable involved. PC is more rough. Everything can be customized (which can overwhelm a user) and requires you to be more experienced with it to get the full power out of it.

I always liked this analogy:

It's kinda hard. But it gets the idea across. The Mac is safe and ready out of the box. Windows is unsafe, but bigger reward if you build it up beyond what you got from the box.

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

For gamers, most games require Direct X which is a Microsoft thing. There's only a handful of games that work with Mac and in my opinion im glad to see Steam trying to bridge Mac with PC in games.

 

[jackpipsam]

PC you can do more

 

[Simalacrum]

For me, its actually that whole aesthetic thing that all the Mac haters claim Apple put more focus on, rather than looking at performance, etc.

I actually argue that the aesthetic of the Mac OS is very important - sure, it can't do as many things as a PC, and sure, its not customisable, but for me Snow Leopard OS just feels nicer, as does the iPhone, in comparison to its deeper and more complicated competition. And in the end, the most important aspect of a computer, in my opinion, is how it makes you feel. No point in feeling frustrated over Windows crashing again, eh?

edit: oh wait, this is why PC over Mac... doh. Need to read the description more >.<

To be fair, the PC is, as I said, deeper - there are a shit load of options for it, afterall. Although, I guess if you wanted options you'd get Linux instead :S

 

[Hairetos]

The reason is that macs are completely obsolete, don'tcha know?

1. Buy a PC
2. Download Ubuntu (or Lubuntu if you want to build from bottom up)
3. Trick out with packages
4. Make it look and feel like Mac OSX
5. You just saved a ton of money

The only reason for Mac's existence is that video editing software which is apparently necessary.

EDIT: Also, your computer is probably very much more powerful. If you're concerned about windows bulkiness, then use Lubuntu (or Arch Linux or Slackware, if you're a bit braver). Your speed problems will forever be gone.

 

[Aurgelmir]

For me, its actually that whole aesthetic thing that all the Mac haters claim Apple put more focus on, rather than looking at performance, etc.

I actually argue that the aesthetic of the Mac OS is very important - sure, it can't do as many things as a PC, and sure, its not customisable, but for me Snow Leopard OS just feels nicer, as does the iPhone, in comparison to its deeper and more complicated competition. And in the end, the most important aspect of a computer, in my opinion, is how it makes you feel. No point in feeling frustrated over Windows crashing again, eh?

edit: oh wait, this is why PC over Mac... doh. Need to read the description more >.<

To be fair, the PC is, as I said, deeper - there are a shit load of options for it, afterall. Although, I guess if you wanted options you'd get Linux instead :S

I don't know, my HTC Desire with Sense feels a lot nicer than my Iphone 3G did, software wise. I would still say the design of the actual phone goes to the 3G.

And as a long tim Windows user, OSX jsut feels messy to me. And Win7 is very pretty.

So I would say there isn't a clear difference there.

 

[Chatato]

Although they say Macs are better in most aspects their entire selling point is to be Hip/Cool/Edgy and they hope that the Mac users don't figure out that you can get a Pc with the same specs as their macs for half the price however, yes macs do have a slightly better interface, Windows 7 kinda helped... but with Pc you get(good)Games

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

The one MAJOR downfall to MAC desktops is you cant customise its parts because Apple based OS are VERY fickle with drivers. I'm trying to run Snow Leopard on my PC based machine but the problem I'll face when I do so is finding drivers especialyl for my graphics card since its a high end PC-based card. (GTX480)

 

[Tharwen]

The main reason is that most companies produce software for Windows and not Mac (the other reason is that my 3-year experience with a MacBook was fairly unpleasant). Microsoft knows this, so they've made it incredibly easy to produce software on Windows.

Every big game title is released on Windows. The main reason for this (aside from the fact that Windows is more widespread) is DirectX. There simply is no equivalent on Mac, and that's one of its greatest flaws in my opinion.

 

[Tharwen]

Also, your computer is probably very much more powerful. If you're concerned about windows bulkiness, then use Lubuntu (or Arch Linux or Slackware, if you're a bit braver). Your speed problems will forever be gone.

My 8-year-old laptop is running a lightweight distro. Guess how much disk space the OS takes up.

Spoiler

30 MB

When I first saw it I made a

 

[Naetun]

Also, I am told that Macs tend to be quite a bit more expensive for a comparative PC (And if you are a little tech savvy you can build a PC from scratch for even cheaper, which to my knowledge isn't doable with a Mac).

For me the main draw of a PC is the fact that I've grown up with them and know how to use them quiet well. This means that the main draw for most people (its ease of use if you are new to computers) is lost on me.

Other than that, the main issue I have with macs is that the closed script prevented a lot of growth in the industry (especially when it was most needed) and Microsoft's more open OS allowed for much more advancement.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Also, I am told that Macs tend to be quite a bit more expensive for a comparative PC (And if you are a little tech savvy you can build a PC from scratch for even cheaper, which to my knowledge isn't doable with a Mac).

"Quite a bit more expensive" translates into roughly +50% price on laptops and a minimum of +100% for desktops of similar performance.

You can build your own Mac but unlike Windows PCs components are at a premium so you'll actually end up paying more doing it that way if you go with all Apple certified gear (and that's assuming you can actually find a supplier who handles Apple components). OTOH, you can use all WinPC components and make yourself a Hackintosh (WinPC hacked to run Apple OSes) but they're not the most stable platform around.

 

[Hairetos]

Also, I am told that Macs tend to be quite a bit more expensive for a comparative PC (And if you are a little tech savvy you can build a PC from scratch for even cheaper, which to my knowledge isn't doable with a Mac).

"Quite a bit more expensive" translates into roughly +50% price on laptops and a minimum of +100% for desktops of similar performance.

You can build your own Mac but unlike Windows PCs components are at a premium so you'll actually end up paying more doing it that way if you go with all Apple certified gear (and that's assuming you can actually find a supplier who handles Apple components). OTOH, you can use all WinPC components and make yourself a Hackintosh (WinPC hacked to run Apple OSes) but they're not the most stable platform around.

With the new Acer TimelineX series, that laptop markup's even higher. Ever seen the 4820TG-7805? Try finding a Mac with those specs that's not ridiculously overpriced.

 

[Snork Maiden]

You can build your own Mac but unlike Windows PCs components are at a premium so you'll actually end up paying more doing it that way if you go with all Apple certified gear (and that's assuming you can actually find a supplier who handles Apple components). OTOH, you can use all WinPC components and make yourself a Hackintosh (WinPC hacked to run Apple OSes) but they're not the most stable platform around.

Calling a hackintosh "not the most stable platform" is (in the majority of cases) giving it way more credit than it deserves. I found every successful build to be a major victory, and I've never had one stay upright for more than a month or so without some update breaking it - I got a Mac Mini because running a hackintosh was a pain, and the cost/time saved not having problems makes it *almost* seem like a good deal.

The only reason for Mac's existence is that video editing software which is apparently necessary.

If you wanna develop for the iPhone (or your hardcore into OSX dev for some reason) you're pretty much gonna need to get a Mac.

 

[Grimsinger]

I learned on a PC so thats what I've stuck with. Its really yet to do me any serious wrong, 'cept for my laptop biting it with all of my university work on it........hum.

 

[vxicepickxv]

I'm a PC person myself, but that's primarily because every single person I know says that PC is better than Mac.

But I've never been given reasons why that's true. If anything, I've been given more reasons for why Macs are superior in that they crash less often, they run faster, they have more useful programs to use, and they're a lot more user-friendly. And from what I've been told, they're no less versatile or compatible than PC's anymore.

So to the grand majority of you out there who will defend PC to the grave, what honestly makes PC so much better than Mac?

Let's see here.

You're already a PC guy, which means you're familiar with the basics of how Windows operates(until they change it drastically).

I don't know about you, but I've had a PC that lasted a good two years with the only pauses in constant uptime being system updates.

The MacOS is written to run specific programs optimally, which means that those programs run faster. If the program isn't optimized, performance will be based on hardware.

Define useful when it comes to useful programs, it's far too vague a statement.


On to why a PC is better than a Mac. The PC is much more cost efficient for the average user. If you want to do nothing but surf the web and send e-mails, then you can get a PC that will run until the OS after yours isn't being supported by Windows anymore, if the hardware allows.

You stated you used a PC, and it handles one way. A Mac handles differently. A lot of your shortcut commands won't work, some of your features are missing, and for some reason, Apple still won't bother to put a second button on their stock mouses or notepads, despite adding the function years ago. If you're not getting it for a specific function that requires the Mac OS, you can save money with a PC.

The Mac hardware architecture used to be very different from the PC, until Apple switched over to the Intel CPU, which allows it to do so much more now, although it does it in a different way through the OS than Windows does.


My point is this though, if you grew up with a PC, and using Windows, don't get a Mac unless you can't find a program on the PC that does the same thing. Retraining yourself to use another OS for no good reason is a waste of your time.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

So to the grand majority of you out there who will defend PC to the grave, what honestly makes PC so much better than Mac?

I wouldn't bother defending the PC to the grave - not worth the effort. Windows PCs meet my requirements so that's what I use, end of story.

I have an entirely Apple product free life. Got no need for their computers, so I don't own one. Not interested in the iPod because even if I needed a portable music players I'd get one that's cheaper and supports a wider variety of formats and codecs. Hate phones so mine is always the cheapest, minimum feature-set model I can find. Also, I really don't like the '80s B-Grade scifi movie prop' aesthetic to Apple products.

Short version - Apple offers me nothing I'm interested in.

 

[Sneaklemming]

I can only assume that the OP is referring to OSX vs Windows, and not mac hardware vs every other companies hardware (that argument is moot because of bootcamp)

I have a macbook pro, and Ive had it for 4 years almost, and for 3 1/2 of those years Ive been using windows on it. I can boot into osx at any time, but there is literally no reason to do so.

Osx doesn't run faster, it isn't completely stable, and it falls victim to phishing, malware, keyloggers and viruses. It's not as likely, but the chances are that if your on a macbook you wont have any anti-virus and you almost certainly wont have the same high quality free anti-virus/anti-spyware options that windows has.

The perception is that mac's are easier to use, but this is not the case. Macs by design offer little beyond apple apps and other premium programs. To use osx in the same way you might use windows you often need some technical expertise to set thinks up. The reasons for this are twofold - 1) You will find getting help from others is difficult (because guides/peoples experiences are usually with windows in mind) 2) Not everything you'd like to do is always as smooth as on windows (usually because programs have been ported over)

An example is VOIP (voice) programs, quite often if you what to join a voice comm you'll need to have the same client as the other person and connect to the same server, and while the majority will have an easy route to this through windows, via osx you might have to be more technically savvy to get this running.

The easy option is windows, thats where all the help from others is, and thats where most things are supported.

Of course, if you want sheer power and flexibility, like a superman ninja, you should go for linux. Last time I tried Ubuntu I accidently wiped my harddrive 5mins in. So I stay away now.

 

[Nopodop]

PC over Mac: Compatability, hardware, customisabilityetc.
My Mac I had for school kept deleting programs that my parents had to pay for. It also kept crashing, being slow etc.