The eternal question-PC or Mac?

[Jerome from California]

I'd like to get an opinion regrading my next desk top computer.
My PC is over 6 yrs old and is just too slow. It's affecting the recording of my podcast submission. I get skips after I record and at times I have to re-record some portions where my speech has been clipped. Don't really plan to do any gaming just recording on Audacity, basic office software, and maybe Skype calls when I learn how.
I have always been a PC guy since the 8086XT's (that's probably before Tyler or Tom was born). I have never used a Mac but I can learn. I did notice though that Macs are more expensive than PCs in general.

[SirBrass]

Mac.

It's expensive b/c it works and they know that everyone else knows it .  So, they charge more b/c they can .

Viva la Capitalism!

[Charlie Foxtrot]

.
Just got a desktop HP box with Win 7 for $900.

Wow.  Just. Freakin'. Wow.

Windows 7 has most of the features and glitz of Apple.  All for half the price of a comparable Mac.  Coming from a dinoputer limping along with XP, the change was dramatic and pleasant.  

Liked it so much, I bought a Samsung netbook for 280 bucks.  Setting it up, configuring the wireless and the home network, and getting the capability to print from the main 'puter, were all done with just a couple of mouse clicks.   Amazing.  

Window 7 and Apple Snow Leopard are now functionally equivalent.  Even the Dear Leader himself, Steve Jobs, admits that.  As a plus, you don't have to drink the Apple kool-aid.  Or at least, limit your  sipping.  

Only place Apple has a distinct advantage over a Wintel box is security.  And that only because Apple is only 5% of the installed base - all the blackhats are writing malware for Windows.  

YMMV.    

[SirBrass]

I've worked with Win7 and with Mac.  I'm also a well-practiced pro in WinXP wrangling.  I know PCs well and work well with them.

That said, I simply like OSX far more.  Out of all the computers I've worked extensively with (including a home-built PC that I am very proud of for its time), my 2008 iMac now running OSX 10.6.3 has given me the least hassle and has done everything I've wanted from it.

Win7 is indeed impressive, but it is not OSX.  It has some MADDENING user-lockouts that drive me NUTS, and sometimes the drivers will go wonky on me and "run home to mamma" if you will in the custom application I and another person designed the box for (running and broadcasting a webcast.... with external professional audio equipment handling the processing between the computer's output and it being broadcast to the 'net from that computer), which requires us to use 3 sound cards.  It works, but it doesn't always like it.  Not sure I could do the same in a Mac, but that's not what my Mac is for.  That PC build is more like a HIGHLY tuned, purpose built 1911, not made for daily carry, but for a specific type of operation or competition.  The Mac is more like an XDm:  you wonder why it costs so much, but good grief does it work, and it's a great daily carry!

[Charlie Foxtrot]

.
Yeah, and I bet you shoot a 9.   

Make mine Mary-Ann, imported beer, domestic trucks, black coffee, baseball, bratwurst, apple pie, non-fiction, hard bounds, tighty whities, Mom and Pop joints, JMB and Glocks, Hoppe's 9, blondes and brunettes, real and mamorex, Windblows, and 40s!       To each his own.    Gotta luv it!

[Aaron L]

Okay, I could have done without the tighty whities.

[Eric R Shelton]

Depends on what you want it for.

Macs cost more initially, but that cost is really amortized over the life of the computer.  Windows guys will say you can't upgrade a Mac, but the truth is you don't need to.  I also don't have to pay extra for Carbonite, virus protection, etc.  So the "Windows costs half as much" is true, but only for half the time.  Multiple articles in PC magazines freely admit that Apples have a longer usable life and over the course of ownership are actually more affordable- you just have to pay up front.

CF is right though- Mac is not invulnerable to malware.  Just a small enough target to not be bothered with most times.

Having to work on Windows machines (IT and networking) at work, I can tell you flat out that I have no desire to EVER own a Windows machine again.  My Mac just plain works better.  But if you want to venture out with cool software that will tweak your car's fuel injection or ignition?  Or mess around with game ROMS and burn them to a disc that will run in an old Dreamcast?  For really cool, outside-the-box projects or even conventional gaming, you need Windows.

(Of course, you could just run Windows on a Mac, I suppose.)

But make no mistake- it's still just a computer.  The OS doesn't crash, but programs do every now and then.  (OS 10.6 has been super, and I've yet to crash on it.)  If you don't save your data...  If you try to get clever like me and drop in "better" aftermarket hard drives (both of which died within 6 months)... 

In the end, it's just a computer.  I feel that the full version of included software (as opposed to crapware and trial software on a Windows machine) makes the asking price of an Apple product worth the cost of admission.  BUT!  I actually USE two versions of iMovie (far superior to Windows Movie Maker), and have done pro-level DVD authoring of vacations, etc.  For people who won't use the media creation aspects of a Mac, I can't recommend it.

It's just like asking Glock vs. 1911.  They're both awesome.  It's a just a matter of application, y'know?

[SirBrass]

I ventured into the world of Mac when my PC gaming died out thanks to the purchase of a PS3.

Now my Mac is mainly my media machine.  I surf the net, chat online, and listen to music through it.  It also holds my massive fansubbed anime collection, BUT, because of a great free piece of software, my mac is also a transcoding media server to my PS3, so I get to watch all my anime on my PS3 with my 52" LCDHDTV and 5.1 HD Surround system, yet the media is actually residing on my mac in a non-PS3-friendly format.

I love this computer.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

Eric and SirBrass;

Backing up Apples to the Cloud?  For free???  I'm interested.  But, I need a hint.

The wifey has a MacBook Pro.  (I really admire and use both platforms, I just have a weakness for these good-natured "Less Filling / Tastes Great" sh@t-fights.)  We know about Apple's TimeMachine, but were unaware of a backup to the web option.  And my Google-fu is weak today.  Do you have a name or link? 

BTW: MS has a similar option in their Windows Live service.  I now have a 25gb drive mounted full time in the Cloud.  Unfortunately, it's limited to the 25 gigs, not enough for all my photos, but still pretty cool -- and free.

[SirBrass]

I honestly would not back up to a cloud unless it was HIGHLY rated as secure and had multiple redundancies.

I've worked with technology too much to put sacred trust in a cloud backing up THAT much data.

I'd use a cloud as a secondary backup point for when having to move site to site, and use a Firewire 800 connected highspeed Sata2 HDD as the primary time machine backup.

So, can't help you on backing up to a cloud as I don't do it.  I WAS backing up to an HDD until it got full.  I need a 1 TB external to backup with, as my single external HDD connected to the iMac is my storage for my fansubbed anime.  and my other external HDD is an IDE-interface USB2.0 256GB HDD I use for backing up my PS3 (it is formatted in FAT32).

[Eric R Shelton]

I'm with SirBrass 100%. Cloud computing is a foolish idea I just can't talk my Dad out of.  Last time he had a crash and was re-loading he was perfectly content to let Carbonite do it's thing and take a day and a half.

Or you can run to external, which is local and more secure.  Still takes too long, though.

Run a RAID1 setup.  Drive fails?  Ha!  Instant recovery by swapping to the other one!  Bit-for-bit, right down to the OS.  That's the way to go for a home user, imho, no matter which OS you're running.

[SirBrass]

Or, a 4-drive setup and have RAID 0+1

[Charlie Foxtrot]

.
Good thoughts guys.  Man, have we taken this thread far afield. 

I found this http://dpbestflow.org/links/39 backup guide on a digital photog site. Pretty good. The author recommends using a 3-2-1 backup (3 copies, 2 different media, 1 stored offsite) methodology whenever possible. The RAIDs sound great, but your data is still in your house, susceptible to fire, flood, earthquake, burglary, Janet Napolitano (what the heck were you 'zonians thinking), etc. 

Several offsite backup systems encrypt the data. How strong?, I have no way of knowing. Grrrrr. 

Frustrating.  Backups are a big hole in my computer systems and daily survival plans...

[Jerome from California]

Thanks for the response but I wish someone would speak English. You guys should take it easy on the tech challenged. 

Ok, I gather that the Mac has great software features. How about the hardware? Is it a reliable and durable system? It seems like every time a podcaster has problem posting an episode, it stems from some sort of hardware problem.
Eric, I recall you had a hard drive crash on your Mac. I think GunDude Carl had the same problem. Is this a frequent problem? Also can I just plug in the external HDD from my old PC to a Mac?

[Dale]

Go with a Mac and never look back. Go with a DROBO for back up.  I have never had the blue screen of death on my mac and I have never had a hard drive failure.  Doesn't mean it wont happen, just hasn't to me so far.  Nice think about Mac...when trying to install software you will be prompted for your software..so if a virus or etc try's to install you will be prompted for your password.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

.
Jerome, looking at the above discussion, you probably can't go wrong with either choice. 

I just know that coming from WinXP, you're going to think you've died and gone to geek heaven. 

P.S.: Buy Win7.   

[Eric R Shelton]

...Janet Napolitano (what the heck were you 'zonians thinking)...

She was manlier than the other dude running, hence she won.  We're all about masculinity in this state.

Jerome, as for my hard drive crash?  Both of them were aftermarket swap-ins by Hitachi.  I will never recommend their drives, and the TravelStar 7k320 has special place in hell as far as I'm concerned.  The factory setup in my MacBook is 4 years old and running flawlessly, even with the current OS and software suite upgrades.  I haven't noticed a memory hog nature like people complained about with Vista.

[Aaron L]

...Janet Napolitano (what the heck were you 'zonians thinking)...

She was manlier than the other dude running, hence she won.  We're all about masculinity in this state.

Does that mean we should expect Janet Reno to be relocating to AZ?

[SirBrass]

Does that mean we should expect Janet Reno to be relocating to AZ?

For the nightmares alone that will cause, I should kill you 

[Aaron L]

Does that mean we should expect Janet Reno to be relocating to AZ?

For the nightmares alone that will cause, I should kill you 

She is pretty scary isn't she. Sorry, I didn't mean to traumatize anyone. I hope you don't need therapy because of it.

Aaron