I kissed a...

[a legacy reborn]

I kissed a Mac this morning . Actually it is my first Mac and I have to say that it has made quite the impression on me! I am loving the feel of using it on my 50" TV. I bought the Mac Mini yesterday and wow is it amazing! My only complaint right now is that the entry model does not have a lot of RAM but that is an easy $50 fix from new egg. I have been a PC(Windows) user for a very long time and it is refreshing to try something that is enjoyable to use. I am not a fan boy of either platforms and think that they both have their place in the world but for what I need(development, general browsing, and other productive tasks) my Mac will work fine. When I need to do some of the heavier gaming(like BF3 on Ultra) I will switch back to my Windows PC. Sorry if you were misled by the title but I just wanted to document my feelings towards my new computer.

PS. If you are thinking about switching from a PC to a Mac I'd recommend going out and getting one! You shouldn't have to buy one or the other but instead should be able to support both platforms but of course if you don't like one or the other then by all means don't buy one .

 

[John]

Welcome to the dark side

 

[Digital Doctor]

Girl

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[Fred Sherman]

Run Windows in VMware Fusion on SSD and you'll never need a PC again.

 

[EasyTarget]

Run Windows in VMware Fusion on SSD and you'll never need a PC again.

Except to play PC games.

Other way is better, run virtual machine w/ Mac OS

 

[Fred Sherman]

Except to play PC games.

Other way is better, run virtual machine w/ Mac OS

I assume you mean run Mac OS X inside a VM on a Windows server? The problem is that doesn't work. Its true the ESXi 5 hypervisor supports Mac OS x, but with some very specific caveats:

The release of vSphere 5 introduces support for Apple's Mac OS X Server operating system on ESXi 5.0, with the following support considerations:

• To run Mac OS X in a virtual machine, ESXi must be running on Apple branded hardware.
• ESXi 5.0 introduces hardware support for Apple's Xserver 3,1 server.
• Supported versions include Snow Leopard 10.6 through Lion 10.7.3

The net of it is you can run Windows on a Mac using VMware, but you cannot run Mac OS on a Windows PC using VMware.

 

[a legacy reborn]

Shouldn't a Mac technically run games better than Windows though? Macs use OpenGL instead of DirectX which should in theory make the games run better but the only issue is that the games are not made for Mac yet, am I correct?

Girl

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I was hoping someone would post that .

 

[Fred Sherman]

You are indeed. My iMac runs X3: Terran Conflict far better than my PC ever did. This is a game that is so graphically intense, that it used used in IT circles for benchmarking. It will make my otherwise cool running iMac case hot to the touch, but that is what the case is designed to do. A PC would need to be water cooled to have similar thermal dissipation characteristics.

 

[a legacy reborn]

You are indeed. My iMac runs X3: Terran Conflict far better than my PC ever did. This is a game that is so graphically intense, that it used used in IT circles for benchmarking. It will make my otherwise cool running iMac case hot to the touch, but that is what the case is designed to do. A PC would need to be water cooled to have similar thermal dissipation characteristics.

Interesting thought, I never really considered that and thought that is was mostly to be pleasing to look at but I guess that is why it is also Aluminum, yes?

PS. The Wireless Keyboard is amazing as is the Magic Mouse.


Edit:
This is how I felt until I got my Mac.

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[EasyTarget]

I assume you mean run Mac OS X inside a VM on a Windows server? The problem is that doesn't work. .................
The net of it is you can run Windows on a Mac using VMware, but you cannot run Mac OS on a Windows PC using VMware.

Wow! someone should tell my computer about this...
I use VMware Player on Windows 7 (white box) to run snow leopard all the time. Lifehacker has details if anyone's interested. And I am license compliant since I own a Mac Mini.

 

[Edrondol]

Macs and PCs have very different and specific purposes. If you want to play games or run a lot of business software, you probably need a PC. If you are into more creative stuff including (but not limited to) graphic design or movie-making, the Mac is the way to go.

I've never understood the whole PC/Mac war thing. It's like getting into an argument as to whether or not a truck or sports car is better. They do basically the same thing, but they are used for different purposes.

 

[Luke F]

Shouldn't a Mac technically run games better than Windows though? Macs use OpenGL instead of DirectX which should in theory make the games run better but the only issue is that the games are not made for Mac yet, am I correct?

No not a chance, Mac hardware is a joke by comparison, no amount of optimisation or use of opengl (which is not necessarily better) will make up for their top graphics card last time I checked being a 6770

 

[a legacy reborn]

Macs and PCs have very different and specific purposes. If you want to play games or run a lot of business software, you probably need a PC. If you are into more creative stuff including (but not limited to) graphic design or movie-making, the Mac is the way to go.

I've never understood the whole PC/Mac war thing. It's like getting into an argument as to whether or not a truck or sports car is better. They do basically the same thing, but they are used for different purposes.

I feel that Macs are more for web-based businesses while PCs are for businesses that work one-on-one with people. I mean it just seems like that is the case.

 

[Dean]

I've never understood the whole PC/Mac war thing...

I'll go with this, I use both all day long. Slowly transitioning to a MBP I bought last summer, MBP saves a huge amount of time depending on what I am trying to accomplish.

 

[x_Stricken_x]

I've actually been looking into buying an iMac, but the price puts a halt on that :/ I used a mac in media, and LOVED it (after getting use to the small/wireless keyboard and mouse )

 

[a legacy reborn]

I've actually been looking into buying an iMac, but the price puts a halt on that :/ I used a mac in media, and LOVED it (after getting use to the small/wireless keyboard and mouse )

While the price is expensive you also have to realize that Macs hold their price value for years. You could easily sell your iMac in 2 years and only take a $200 loss. Not to mention the total cost of ownership of a Mac is better than a PC. Ultimately it is up to you but let me be the first to say that when you really analyze the price difference between a PC and Mac that there is no discernable difference.

 

[Digital Doctor]

While the price is expensive you also have to realize that Macs hold their price value for years. You could easily sell your iMac in 2 years and only take a $200 loss.

Only a $200 loss ? that seems low. I agree iMac hold their value more than PC laptops.

... been looking into buying an iMac, but the price puts a halt on that

Apple products are expensive.
What is the price for the iMac you want ?

 

[Taylor J]

While the price is expensive you also have to realize that Macs hold their price value for years. You could easily sell your iMac in 2 years and only take a $200 loss. Not to mention the total cost of ownership of a Mac is better than a PC. Ultimately it is up to you but let me be the first to say that when you really analyze the price difference between a PC and Mac that there is no discernable difference.

There is no discernible difference in prices?

I just went to apple.com and "tried" to configure it to get close to the pc I just built.

My pc specs + parts (price was $1,126):
Intel i5 2500k quad core 3.3GHz
Gigabyte motherboard
8gb ram
HD Radeon 6850
2TB HDD
Case
Power supply
keyboard

Apple.com 21.5in screen (I have a 23inch that I already had before new computer) specs + parts (price is $2,049)
i7 2.8GHz quad core
2TB HDD
8 GB ram
keyboard
mouse
iirc it comes with intel processor graphics


So the price is more, specs are lower, and you can't easily upgrade any thing in a mac.

Not trying to start a war or anything, but I see $900 a difference in price.


Edit: also a mac mini costs even more if you don't even have a monitor and want one of apples monitors.

 

[a legacy reborn]

There is no discernible difference in prices?

I just went to apple.com and "tried" to configure it to get close to the pc I just built.

My pc specs + parts (price was $1,126):
Intel i5 2500k quad core 3.3GHz
Gigabyte motherboard
8gb ram
HD Radeon 6850
2TB HDD
Case
Power supply
keyboard

Apple.com 21.5in screen (I have a 23inch that I already had before new computer) specs + parts (price is $2,049)
i7 2.8GHz quad core
2TB HDD
8 GB ram
keyboard
mouse
iirc it comes with intel processor graphics


So the price is more, specs are lower, and you can't easily upgrade any thing in a mac.

Not trying to start a war or anything, but I see $900 a difference in price.


Edit: also a mac mini costs even more if you don't even have a monitor and want one of apples monitors.

Did you read everything I wrote? If you buy a $1000 Mac and a $1000 PC that PC will lose its value at a much quicker pace than the Mac and so your retaining a very nice resale value. Macs are also very high quality products and will require less maintenance thus keeping the Total Cost of Ownership below what a PC will be. When you add it all up there really is little to no price difference between the two.


Also, never buy RAM from Apple or Hard Drives. They charge too much and your better off upgrading it on your own.

Oh and BTW for $1869 you can get

27-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
4GB memory
1TB hard drive
AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics with 1GB memory


Add $50 for the 8GB RAM change and it comes out to $1919. I can guarantee you that in 2-3 years you could turn around and still sell this machine for AT LEAST $1500.

I'm not saying that either system is truly superior, just that you should choose which of them you like based on given features: PCs are for games because more developers have made them and Macs are for business and creative people. They both have their special talents but at the end of the day a computer is a computer and the logo on it does not matter.

 

[John]

I've had 3 (top of the line) PC's die on me in the 5 years I've owned my iMac. All I've had to do to my mac is replace the HDD just recently which cost me $150 for a 1TB 7200 RPM 32mb drive. With my external time machine drive I lost no data and restoring was a breeze. I use a PC at work and the iMac at home. Needless to say, I can't wait to get home and clean the PC off me by turning on the mac.