Thinking of changing from PC to IMAC, advice please.

custardy

totally agree with getting a shot on a Mac if one of your friends have one.
You will know as like E-Vegans,they will have told you

coffeehound

tempus_fugit wrote: »

I switched from Windows 7 back in around 2010 and whilst it took me a bit of time to get used to the different setup, I have found it easier and less stressful that using Windows. I realise that Windows is probably a lot smoother now than it used to be ...

Nope. I bought a high spec windows 10 laptop this year to replace a W7 one and find it nonintuitive and irritating. Its like the product of brainstorming sessions where theyve kept everyones ideas in for the sake of having new ideas. Although it wouldve cost a couple of hundred more i regret not defecting to a macbook.

poppellerant

I haven't used Macs before, so it would be unwise for me to me to personally comment on them. However I do know of people who have bought them on the premise that you can't catch a virus on them and they won't slow down. Neither of those statements are entirely true, because you could argue that it's down to common sense and I would agree.

You could spend a little money in upgrading your current PC. Especially if you are prepared to use eBay to find cheap memory and possibly even a CPU upgrade if it was feasible.

The two most signifiant upgrades you can do to your computer is to replace the hard drive with an SSD drive and increase the memory.

If you buy an SSD and you buy a new computer in the future, you can always transfer the SSD drive across to the new computer - so don't consider SSD drives a waste of money. An SSD drive will almost definitely speed up your computer. But bear in mind it won't give the computer any additional processing power - so high resolution videos might still remain jerky.

Yes, an SSD will improve your computers speed. But they also have a finite life, especially the cheaper models. When a computer has little memory, it uses the pagefile much more often than a computer with plenty of memory. By adding more memory, you can reduce the writes to the pagefile, thereby reducing unnecessary wear on your SSD drive, Admittedly it might not reduce it entirely - but if, for example, you upgraded from 1GB of RAM to 4GB of RAM then the writes would be far less.

This one is entirely optional. But sometimes it's worth upgrading your processor, especially if you have a low-end CPU such as a Celeron. Whether or not it's worth upgrading is entirely down to how you will use the machine. If you just do simple web browsing, checking on emails and such like, then it's probably not going to be worth it. If you perform more demanding tasks, then I would certainly consider it.

I recently upgraded a laptop with all the above - RAM, SSD and CPU upgrades. The SSD I already had spare and the RAM and CPU I managed to get for under £15 in total. Add around £30 for the SSD and around £10 for a battery.

zagubov

If you do switch, these websites may have useful tips to help you get the hang of your new system and find where to get useful software.
Here's some mac sites you might find useful now or more likely later.

http://www.magicpubs.com/mac/macosx.html
http://opensourcemac.org/
http://bestmacsoftware.org/
http://www.co-bw.com/DMS_OS_Mac_software.htm
and
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204216

If you're using MS Access and Publisher, they're not supported by mac OS

onomatopoeia99

benson1980 wrote: »

MAC if you want speed is undoubtedly quicker. Boots up in no time. I've only had my macbook for 7 months but friends/family who've had them for years tell me they don't slow down over time like a PC does, if you don't constantly maintain it/run various programs to declutter etc. This is what did my head in with all PCs I've ever had. Constant maintenance to keep it running well.

Unless the user is the problem, there is no need to "maintain" or "declutter" Windows using various programs, and in all honesty so-called "cleaners" cause more problems than they solve.


I built this PC seven and a half years ago, with Windows 7, took the Windows 10 upgrade when offered and amazingly it hasn't slowed down at all, nor I have run any ccccleaners or defragged (because I'm not living in 1998 any more). Slowdowns with Windows are down to the user, usually due to installing lots of crapware. It's far less reported, but OSX suffers in the same way when faced with user incompetence.

benson1980

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

Unless the user is the problem, there is no need to "maintain" or "declutter" Windows using various programs, and in all honesty so-called "cleaners" cause more problems than they solve.


I built this PC seven and a half years ago, with Windows 7, took the Windows 10 upgrade when offered and amazingly it hasn't slowed down at all, nor I have run any ccccleaners or defragged (because I'm not living in 1998 any more). Slowdowns with Windows are down to the user, usually due to installing lots of crapware. It's far less reported, but OSX suffers in the same way when faced with user incompetence.

I’m not an IT pro but I’m not an incompetent user either. Mac is a lot more protective of the user and perhaps this is one reason. Crap ware that you refer to is more prevalent on windows so again perhaps this is another reason. I can’t remember the last time I defragged a hard drive either so not sure what the point is there.

There’s a reason why people who have switched from windows to Mac and chromebooks tend to never go back and find them much better and more user friendly but never happens the other way around. They’re just better operating systems for 90% of people who aren’t IT/pc builder-type users but who want to use a few basic mainstream programs, browse the internet and want stuff to just work.

custardy

benson1980 wrote: »

I’m not an IT pro but I’m not an incompetent user either. Mac is a lot more protective of the user and perhaps this is one reason. Crap ware that you refer to is more prevalent on windows so again perhaps this is another reason. I can’t remember the last time I defragged a hard drive either so not sure what the point is there.

There’s a reason why people who have switched from windows to Mac and chromebooks tend to never go back and find them much better and more user friendly but never happens the other way around. They’re just better operating systems for 90% of people who aren’t IT/pc builder-type users but who want to use a few basic mainstream programs, browse the internet and want stuff to just work.

Well it was you who raised that very point?

benson1980

custardy wrote: »

Well it was you who raised that very point?

De-fragging? Sorry you've lost me. Where have I raised it?

Where I was referring to decluttering etc, my regular windows activities were around cleaning up programs on start up to try and speed it up, running malware and anti virus software which themselves slowed the thing down. Also I found that windows updates would cause incompatibility issues- I know not desktop based but plugged in not charging issues, touchpad problems etc. I guess because apple make the products, and design the operating system it all seems to just work, as previously said, with zero maintenance. This is just my experience, but through owning all three platforms currently those who aren't IT savvy I suspect are better off with mac os. The downside is the initial outlay is expensive.

EveryWhere

Morbier wrote: »

There you are. The very next post to mine is a negative Apple news item. I suppose there aren't similar reports on Windows devices? Thought not. There never are, that's why so many people buy Apple products.

(Text removed by MSE Forum Team)

The OP asked for the Pros and Cons, not just the Pros. The link features more than one person's opinion. I also stated that it may not be representative.
Any reason as to why you appear to be so sensitive about the subject?
I happen to have both an iPhone and an iPad.
So unlike yourself, I have no bias. Both Apple products were given to me. To be honest I don't really use them.

zagubov

chocolatepennyfarthing wrote: »

Looking at changing our pc and thinking about changing over to IMAC. Just wondering about pros/cons of doing this. As a 50 something with not massive IT experience is it very difficult to get used to? I currently have IPhone and Ipad and have heard it makes sense to go for imac as all work together. I presume I could get word/excel etc installed? Would I be able to remove emails/documents etc from current pc and transfer over to IMAC? Any advice appreciated

The main MSE website has links to free software you may need when you switch. That includes office software or free equivalents.

Plus other useful stuff.

I'm well-known as a luddite as II'm skeptical about many innovations.
Computers are, for most of us, simply tools to connect us to goods and services that meet our needs.
Macs sorted this out over a decade ago. Since then, they've done very little I regard as real improvements. Windows PCs have been doing a half-decent job at playing catch-up with Mac ease of use. Not sure they're there yet.

I'd wholeheartedly recommend a second-hand mac system that runs 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and therefore also Office 2004, Dropbox, Skype, Spotify, FaceTime, the under-appreciated Appleworks.

Or one of the even-numbered later systems, but be wary about trying to be too up-to-date. As I said before, in my experience home computers peaked in the 00's and only with macs. Far too many upgrades/updates are emperor's new clothes. Plus in the windows world you're in a malware arms race which will gradually become frustrating, trust me.

I'd also suggest auction sniper if you're buying with eBay.

Tarambor has pointed out ways of dealing with software that macs can't run.