Mac Vs. PC

  • So, to continue the never-ending debate, which one is better?


    To make sure that this is fare let’s assume two things:
    1. Both computers have exactly the same specs.
    2. Both would be equally used for gaming and work.


    And please don't just post things like "MAAAAAAAC" or "PC rox my sox",
    I want actual reasons. ;)

    Xfire Username: byelogurov
    Xbox 360 Gametag: Ultra Sabreman

  • As the sand devil has already noted, I'm a Mac.


    Hardware, it is better than a PC, even Toshiba. I love the sleep mode and awake, in a couple seconds. I have replaced the PC version software with Mac versions, so performance is the only thing left.


    It preforms better than either XP or Vista, and I have had both, and no issues with it.

    Proud owner of a MacBook: 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
    2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM 120 GB hard drive
    Mac OSX Leopard 10.5.5


    The time has come, Join The Resistance!

  • I have used OSX, Vista, and XP, and have good things to say about all.


    OSX:
    I liked that it was fluent, no loading lag, things like that. As well as it was extremely user friendly. I also liked how it had a built in security and was almost impossible to get the blue screen of death on. No matter what anyone tells you, a Mac can still get the Blue Screen Of Death. I know first hand.


    I didn't like that nothing was compatible with it, and that any advance controls, like making changes to the settings of the OS, were nearly impossible. Yes the airnet was nice, but after hours of fighting with it, I couldn't figure out how to set up a normal wireless network.


    Vista:
    Vista runs smoothly, and I loved how it looks and ran towards office / business work, as well as how when you went to play a game, it completely turns off Vista and runs just the game. Yes this became anoying if you were trying to run a bunch of background apps, but good if you have hi-end games.


    Down side, it sucks for compatibility. Nothing is compatible at first, unless you patch it to hell and back, or manually install it then force it to run (aka Freelancer). I strongly suggest staying the fuck away from Vista. I mean even trying to remove something is a joke with Vista.


    XP:
    XP is my favorite of all, as long as you're not upgrading from Vista. Then you run into driver issues like I have. Otherwise, 97.5% of everything I know is compatible with XP, and honestly, I've yet to have a single game not be compatible. Now joysticks, antennas, things like that, those are 97.5% Mac only, so really, that's how you look at it.


    For the bad, all the updates / upgrades for it bring it down bad, as well as SP3 makes it like mini Vista. As for hardware drivers, there's another issue. Anything new, like state of the arc kind of stuff, not too compatible with XP. As for software, I don't really see any issues except for the upgrades / patches to existing programs. Honostly, I recommend XP.

  • PC with a decent Linux distro on. Does everything that a Windows system does but better (except games cos there ain't any to speak of and there's no DirectX) and doesn't go pear-shaped very five minutes leaving you scratching your head and cursing Bill Gates or shoving more resources in just to make it run.


    Macs are ok for people with little or no interest in the technical aspects of computing (or gaming) who just want a reliable system that's not going to die on them without warning. Which is fair enough although you pay a lot for that privilege. Apple kit is way overpriced.


    I find the pc v. Mac ads really irksome because the assumption is that pc=Windows and of course it doesn't, Windows gives pcs an bad press. And of course they stereotype pc users as sad nerdy middle-aged losers and Mac users as hip cool trendy young dudes. You even see it in a lot of films and tv, the bad guys use pcs, the good guys use Macs! And I don't find Mitchell and Webb very funny anyway.


    if we stick precisely to the terms of the original post, ie all things being equal, same spec, used gaming and work, then it still has to be a pc because a/ you get better value for money, pcs being much cheaper than Macs, b/ you can't game on a Mac, and c/ a properly configured and maintained Windows pc with decent protection and built from quality kit shouldn't fonk out. It's users that are the biggest problem, and their insane downloads of dangerous rubbish and inability to look after their kit properly.


    There used to be this lovely little humorous comparison of computers as airlines that went around the old BBS back before the days the interweb was full of ordinary people..


    DOS AIR:
    All the passengers go out onto the runway, grab hold of the plane, push it until it gets in the air, hop on, jump off when it hits the ground again. Then they grab the plane again, push it back into the air, hop on, et cetera.


    MAC OSX AIRWAYS:
    The cashiers, flight attendants, and pilots all look the same, feel the same, and act the same. When asked questions about the flight, they reply that you don't want to know, don't need to know and would you please return to your seat and watch the film or listen to the piped whalesong music on your i-Pod.


    OEROFLOT SYSTEM/2 SKYWAYS:
    The InTourist brochure says:
    "Airline most powerful. Carry many tractors for you. Also to say our windows better than their windows. Would like export license? Can sell cheap."
    The terminal is almost empty, with only a few prospective passengers wandering about. Airline personnel walk around, apologizing profusely to customers in hushed voices, pointing from time to time to the sleek powerful jets outside the terminal on the field. They tell each passenger how good
    the real flight will be on these new jets and how much safer it will be than Windows Airlines, but they will have to wait a little longer for the technicans to finish the flight systems. To board the plane, you have your ticket stamped
    ten different times by standing in ten different lines. Then you fill out a form showing where you want to sit and whether it should look and feel like an ocean liner, a passenger train, or a bus. If you succeed in getting on board the plane
    and the plane succeeds in getting off the ground, you have a wonderful trip...except for the times when the rudder and flaps get frozen in position, in which case you have time to say your prayers and get yourself prepared before the crash.


    (actually I really like OS/2 and would have loved for it to have become popular but as per usual IBM ruined it with crazy overpricing, preposterous hardware costs and options, and dreadful marketing, now you'll mostly only find it in cashpoint machines, ATMs to you merkins.)


    UNIX EXPRESS:
    Each passenger brings a piece of the aeroplane and a box of tools to the airport. They gather on the tarmac, arguing constantly about what kind of plane they want to build and how to put it together. Eventually, they build several
    different aircraft, but give them all the same name. Some passengers actually reach their destinations. All passengers believe they got there except those who flew on HP-UX, unless they gave up and changed to Solaris.


    WINGS OF OS/400:
    This airline has bought ancient DC-3s, arguably the best and safest plane that ever flew, and painted "747" on their tails to make them look as if they are fast. The flight attendants of course attend to your every need, though
    the drinks are £50 a pop. Stupid questions cost £500 per hour, unless you have Support Line, which requires a first class ticket and membership to the IBM frequent flyer club.


    VAX/VMS AIR LINES:
    The passengers all gather in the hangar, watching hundreds of technicians check the flight systems on this immense, luxury aircraft. This plane has at least 10
    engines and seats over 1,000 passengers. All the passengers scramble aboard, as do the necessary complement of 200 technicians. The pilot takes his
    place up in the glass cockpit. He guns the engines, only to realize that the plane is too big to get through the hangar doors.


    (VMS - what an appalling pile of steaming dogdoo that was. I spent 3yrs desperately trying to keep one of them working for a GDS CAD dept. I didn't have a clue! eventually it got replaced by a dozen Autocad stations on 386-SX20s that did the job far better for a fraction of the cost. And GDS was a joke too, all that horsepower just to draw some straight lines for £1/4 of a million when you could do the same and more on a pc for a grand.)


    WINDOWS AIRLINES:
    The terminal is very neat and clean, the attendants all very attractive, the pilots very capable. The fleet is immense. Your jet takes off without a hitch, pushing above the clouds, and at 20,000 feet it crashes without warning.


    WIN AIR TRANSPORT 95/98/Me:
    You notice the aeroplane Body is an old WINDOWS AIRLINES body, and the engines are refurbished DOS AIR engines although the 2000/XP/Vista planes have a different seating arrangement. The seats are now adjustable, though. Looking in the cockpit, all the dials and buttons strike an uncanny resemblance to those found in MAC AIRLINES cockpits, but it turns out they are just painted on. Don't expect to arrive at your destination though, and if you do you'll have lost all your luggage mid-flight.


    WIN-AIR XP/Vista:
    was launched as a *new-look for a new-age* airline. Indeed the airplane is very pretty, and each passenger gets to choose their own colour and pattern for the paintwork, and their own favourite engine noise. Unfortunately the plane is so heavy and so slow that it is unable to get airborne,and crashes at the end of the runway. When parked in the hanger, unresolved security bugs in the planes doors AND windows AND luggage-bay AND engines AND wings AND body panels allow thieves to break in and steal all the seats. Various corporate re-brandings and snazzy paint jobs later, Windows 7 will provide exactly the same shoddy experience but the seats will really be very comfortable now and the cabin interior looks lovely.


    FLY WINDOWS NT (old, 3.5):
    All the passengers carry their seats out onto the tarmac, placing the chairs in the outline of a plane. They all sit down, flap their arms and make jet swooshing sounds as if they are flying.


    FLY WINDOWS NT (new, 4): Just like Windows Air, but costs more, uses much bigger planes, and takes out all the other aircraft within a 40-mile radius when it explodes.


    BEOS Airline
    There is no airplane. The passengers gather and shout for an airplane, then wait and wait and wait and wait. A bunch of people come, each carrying one piece of the plane with them. These people all go out on the runway and put the plane together piece by piece, arguing constantly about what kind of plane they're building. The plane finally takes off, leaving the passengers on the ground waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. After the plane lands, the pilot telephones the passengers at the departing airport to inform them that they have arrived.


    AMIGA AIR:
    Great airline that could fly you to many different places at the same time, except that the planes couldn't land anywhere. Now bankrupt since they were still using old piston propeller engines while everyone else had supersonic jets.


    CARRIER PLANES MULTINATIONAL (CP/M):
    The passengers walk onto the tarmac, and find Ultralights. Some of the passengers attach rocket engines to their ultralights, while others attach towropes to AmigaAir, DOS AIR, and UNIX EXPRESS planes.


    (After examining the ultralights for a while, passengers begin to
    recognize many of the parts as the same ones being used on DOS AIR
    and Windows Airlines planes. Some of these parts have never worked,
    some have never worked well, and others broke when fitted to the new
    planes - but they all have a new coat of paint and look really pretty.)


    LINUX AIR:
    Disgruntled employees of all the other OS airlines decide to start their own airline. They build the planes, ticket counters, and pave the runways themselves. They charge a small fee to cover the cost of printing the ticket, but you can also download and print the ticket yourself. When you board the plane,
    you are given a seat, four bolts, a wrench and a copy of the seat-HOWTO.html or possibly even a tarball. Once settled, the fully adjustable seat is very comfortable, the plane leaves and arrives on time without a single problem, the in-flight meal is wonderful. You try to tell customers of the other airlines about the great trip, but all they can say is, "You had to do *what* with the seat?"


    NEWTON AIRLINES:
    After buying your ticket 18 months in advance, you finally get to board the plane. Upon boarding the plane you are asked your name. After 46 times, the crew member recognizes your name and then you are allowed to take your seat. As you are getting ready to take your seat, the stewardess announces that you have to repeat the boarding process because they are out of room and need to recount to make sure they can take more passengers.


    METAPHOR FLYING MACHINES:
    The great new planes are sitting on the runway, but the mechanics are all on strike and the ticket agents can't sell any tickets because the planes don't have windows and the airline hasn't figured out where they're flying to.


    (Metaphor finished a major release, but 2/3 of the Engineers quit, and the product only ran on OS/2, not Windows)


    XEROX AIRLINE:
    Well... our planes don't fly, but they make great copies! The aeroplanes are still PARCed in the 1970s. In-joke there for those who are old enough remember who actually invented the GUI and no it wasn't bl**dy Micro$oft.


    TALIGENT AIRWAYS:
    The lawyers and the engineers are still wrangling over how to get the railroad cars to inherit the flying method. In the meantime IBM is building a secret railgun in Santa Teresa to launch them into suborbital flight towards Redmond. Passengers need not apply. Those who decided not to buy a ticket are now laughing at hose who did.


    SCO INTERNATIONAL AIRWAYS:
    used to be a decent branch of Unix Express but got taken over by Redmond and went around suing everyone who ever bought a ticket with any another airline claiming that it was they invented engines, wings and even the seat. Ended up with no passengers and the executives now live in dustbins and eat cardboard, which is more than they deserve.


    BBC Microways:
    utterly flawless flight, perfect take-off and landings, no-frills service, unf strictly short-haul only, limited to only one passenger who also had to be the pilot and navigator and flight engineer and you provided your own entertainment. Closely related to CP/M and everything was served with mossy acorns. Many elite passengers went on to become veteran space combat and trading pilots for later RISC-free airlines.


    Those of you are old enough will no doubt have a few wry chuckles at some of the above! All except you FD because you use a flippin' Etch-a-Sketch.

  • PC FTW, can be upgraded easier, better gpu's and cpu's and to be honest I am a gamer, so what do you expect ; )


    Hi guys btw, it has been 3 years since I played Freelancer since I got it on release day but it is a game I always come back to :P

    System
    Core i7 965 @ 4.0Ghz 1.296Vcore
    6Gb G.Skill 1600Mhz DDR3 @ 1600Mhz 9-9-9-20 2T
    2 x EVGA 8800gts 512mb SSC @ 820/2033/2300
    Gigabyte Extreme X58
    X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty

  • not had fun with a Mac OS yet... had to use them. Maybe it's years of Windows history and ergo "you should have to do this to do this" that made every little detail of a Mac annoying :twisted:


    To be honest, if Linux could play all my games etc - then maybe I'd use it more.
    Oh, and whilst some features are awesome - whenever I want to find out how to do something, I generally find "open console, type )($%(*"£(*$(*(*($(**DKLFJNDFKJSD*(*%U(*" - no, it's not that I'm not trusting what they're saying to be true, just that they tell you what to write. Not what the HELL it is doing! I want to understand my commands, not blindly follow them :P With Windows/Mac's you don't have to type commands, so *knowing* how to do something matters not!
    Yes, you can learn commands - but so far I don't want to sit and start learning every command that I may never need. When I want a command though, I generally don't have time to learn it all inside out :ugeek:


    I agree with Mac's being over-priced, since my Laptop wasn't required to run games I did actually consider a Mac for laptop. However, after seeing the £200 additional cost to simply have the identical laptop in black instead of being a walking advert for Apple (piss off, not having white and being your marketing darling) then perhaps I'd have bought one. Instead, no chance :)


    Give me windows, linux and apple all together and no games to play, and then it'd be a fair test. You may ask me to consider them that way, but it's impossible... because I play games.


    So Windows, although i'd like to think it could be Linux :D