Mac V Desktop????

quidsinquentin

Edited..........

wearside_2

My son in law swears by Macs. His favourite phrase is "Macs never get viruses". Having said that I have heard that you should have some form of virus protection if you get one. Other than that I find the mouse difficult to say the least to use.

superscaper

wearside wrote: »

My son in law swears by Macs. His favourite phrase is "Macs never get viruses".

Except for the 40 mac specific viruses already known about. :rolleyes:

superscaper

Which graphics packages do you plan to use? As for general PC vs Mac it all depends on your very specific requirements. For me personally I need general office software, CAD, and research work. Also I like to play games. Expense wise I couldn't afford to buy an entire computer as an upgrade in the future, it's cheaper for me to buy components to upgrade in perpetuity. For each of those points a mac would have no advantage and in some cases be a major disadvantage. So it all depends on your individual circumstances.

chaddy7604

quidsinquentin wrote: »

I need to get myself a new PC. I do a lot of small end graphics, files sizes up to about 2MB.

It's been suggested to me that I should invest in a Mac, as I've only ever used desktop PC's.

I know nothing about Macs, except that they're supposed to be good, but V. expensive. The ones I've looked at cost around £1300.

Can anyone tell me what the diefference is, in their opinion?

I'm currently using a Dell 5100, 1024 RAM, 160GB hard drive, 17 inch monitor, pentium 4.

What Mac you looking at getting?

ollyshaw

Mac fans are very over zealous about Macs. So make sure you have a few different lines of evidence!

From my point of view

Mac pros

You will have less security problems (however this is true for linux systems too, linux costs you nothing and will run on "cheap" pc hardware)
Very good at graphic/multimedia work

Mac cons

Price, eye-wateringly high in my opinion.
No games,
No right mouse button (a big gripe from me).

At the end of the day it depends on the software you want to run.

Olly

Tils

If you want an all round computer get a PC (games on top etc.)...if you specifically need it for graphics then a mac is the way to go.

Don't listen to anyone who says Mac's are more secure too they bring just as many patches out for OS X than do Microsoft for Windows.

superscaper

I think macs are generally better if you want graphic design. Less likely to crash as well as it is all standardised hardware. If you are looking at any kind of engineering design type drawings then pc is the way to go.

justpaper

i got a mac my self and a pc i use my pc more cuzs, i aint going to pay X amount for a Super driver for a mac (mac burner) i just use my pc,. anyways if ur only doing 2mb GFX dont bother with a mac it will be a big change and pointless waste of money,. hardware on a mac costs to much,.

Nickygoat

superscaper wrote: »

Except for the 40 mac specific viruses already known about. :rolleyes:

Link please?

And could that link include ones for OSX. There are viruses for OS8/9 but none for OSX.

Yes I know about the bluetooth worm and Oompa Loompa and Leap A. None of which were viruses - you had to download and install them.

It is true that Mac users can be a wee bit smug when it comes to viruses but it is still true that you cannot get a virus on Mac OSX without looking (very hard) for one.

Yes Apple updates it's software regularly - how is that a negative? It shows that Apple are at least aware of any exploits and do something about it.

For those who complain that Macs are too expensive could you build a comparable system at Dell for the same money? Yes you can buy PCs a lot cheaper but they tend to have fewer features. Again, could you provide a link to back up that Macs are more expensive. You also have to factor in TCO.

All Macs ship with the Mighty Mouse - a 2 button mouse. Some hate it,some love it but it's still a 2 button mouse. 3rd party mice also work well with OSX.

I can never understand the amount of bile, from both sides, that this topic usually brings up.

At the very least you can use Boot Camp to run Windows if you really don't like OSX.

FWIW I love all of my Macs. The ease of use and freedom from the hassles that come with PCs make it more than worthwhile.

superscaper

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/10/06/linux_vs_windows_viruses/
I was only disputing "Macs never get viruses".