PC vs. Mac: How to Decide
Personal Computers are sold and marketed as all-purpose machines, but for a lot of people they have a rather limited job description: Web browsing, e-mail, MP3s, gaming, digital photos, or the occasional letter.
Those are roles that any remotely new computer can easily fill. Unfortunately, just because any random computer will suffice doesn’t mean that you should buy any random computer. Instead, find out how the computer will be used once it’s plugged in. If the user isn’t interested in installing new software but would rather use the tools that come with it, you should shop for a Mac. Mac’s come with great software out of the box.
That’s not the cheapest option, though. A Mac Mini, iMac desktop or MacBook laptop — starting at $599, $999 and $1,099, respectively — will often cost more than a PC with about the same storage and processing power. But it is the simplest option.
An Apple machine will be much simpler to set up and maintain, thanks in large part to Mac OS X’s outstanding record of security. It will also include Web, e-mail, photo and music software far superior to the junk on most PCs.
A Mac can read and write almost all PC files, including Microsoft Office documents. Apple’s switch to Intel chips even lets a Mac impersonate a PC, running Windows with the help of such software as Apple’s free Boot Camp.
Why go the Windows route, then? The best selling point for Microsoft’s operating system is the unparalleled variety of software and hardware that runs on it. The diversity is especially deep in games and business-productivity applications. If you intend to take advantage of that selection, or if the programs you use often don’t have Mac equivalents, you’ll do well with Windows.
Windows PCs also come in some sizes and shapes absent from Apple’s lineup, such as cheap, big “desktop replacement” laptops. But most PCs do little to distinguish themselves from one another. (If you’re worried about Windows 7 compatibility, you can’t just look for a “Windows 7 Capable” computer.
Tech support ought to be a tie-breaker among all this fine print, but I’ve yet to see anybody provide it with consistent excellence. Calls probably will be answered quickly or accurately, but not both. There are more Windows tech geeks and Apple geeks.
If the laptop will be carried around a lot, get one lighter than six pounds. If the weight is not an issue, get one with a large monitor.
More is better when it comes to USB ports, the universal way to attach peripherals such as printers and flash drives. Modern PC’s Laptops have 3-6 USB ports.
A DVD-burner drive can be useful– not necessarily for home movie-making, but to back up data. A DVD can hold over 4.2 Gigabytes of data. Todays flash drives however now come in sizes up to 64 Gigabytes…which is more than 15 DVD’s.
If movie-making is likely, the computer should have a FireWire (a.k.a. “1394″ or “i.Link”) port. This is a lighting fast method of transferring digital video and data.
If the PC will be used to play fast-paced computer games, get a machine with a separate graphics card that has 256-512 megabytes of its own memory. This will drastically speed up the graphics of your games.
Notice how this article hasn’t even mentioned the term “processor speed” until now? That’s because you can usually ignore that number. Aside from video editing, it’s difficult to tax the capabilities of any new processor; the chip will be waiting on you, not the other way around.
A Mac or PC…You decide.
