Are there any good(HONEST) articles comparing PCs with similar Apple rigs?

[IHateMyJob2004]

I'm basically in mid debate over Apple versus PC (and Dell equivalents) and I was wondering if there was an honest article out there that does a fair comparison of Apples and PCs.

 

[TheStu]

Comparing what?

Build quality?
Specs?
The OS?

There are a few too many differences, even with Apple using PC hardware.

For OS comparisons, maybe checking out XvsXP.com would be useful.

I have seen a couple of price breakdowns, but none about the latest aluminum macbooks.

To be completely honest, I have seen few notebooks that come close to the MacBook/Pro in terms of comfort, style, quality, fit, weight, and any number of other factors. Plus, I really, really like OS X.

The Thinkpads are excellent choices, except their trackpads are trash. I realize not every cares about that, but I do. Their keyboards are top-notch though, as is their build quality generally. My friend's t60 may be a bad egg, or indicative of a larger QC problem, but I am not sure. I would be willing to mark it up as a bad egg just due to the number of raving reviews that Thinkpads get.

Even my other friend's $3000+ monstrosity of a 17" laptop (XPS 1730) looks cheap, and furthermore, feels cheap. It looks and feels like it is made out of cheap plastic, like a big happy meal toy.

So, I am biased.

You might want to check out notebookreview.com, they might have the kind of article you are looking for.

 

[Kmax82]

I don't know of any comparisons.

The problem though, is what do you consider to be fair? Also, what do you want out of the machine? Do you care about OS X at all, or are you fine with using Windows? Do you want access to the OS X software, or again, are you fine with the Windows solutions?

It's not a simple cut and dry decision. Apple computers are more expensive. This is why you should target your buying decision based upon your needs, or wants. If you're going for a desktop, then there aren't too many options. If you're going for a laptop, the build quality is better than most of the lower end Dell laptops. Also, don't overlook a refurb Apple computer. My friend just found a Macbook Pro 17" LED, 2.53 Ghz C2D, 4 GB RAM, 250GB HDD, etc.. for $1800.. so shop around, if you really want a Mac.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
I'm basically in mid debate over Apple versus PC (and Dell equivalents) and I was wondering if there was an honest article out there that does a fair comparison of Apples and PCs.

I'll save you the hassle:

It doesn't matter.

What it really boils down to is the Operating System. Do you like OS X? Do your apps run on it? Can you run those apps in a VM or dual-boot if there are no equivalents? Do you play video games? You can compare hardware until you're blue in the face, but the primary difference between the systems is the OS. If you don't want to have to run Anti-virus, Firewall, Spyware, System Cleanup, or deal with UAC, OS X is pretty nice 🙂

What exactly are you looking for in a computer? Why are you considering switching to a Mac?

 

[VinylxScratches]

I've never found a laptop that felt as nice as a Macbook/Macbook Pro. The Lenovos are pretty nice but they still feel under par compared to a Macbook IMO.

 

[mchammer187]

What you are paying for

OSX

Apple form factor

if those arent worth it to you than you should get a PC because that is what you are paying for

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: VinylxScratches
I've never found a laptop that felt as nice as a Macbook/Macbook Pro. The Lenovos are pretty nice but they still feel under par compared to a Macbook IMO.

Lenovo's give build quality but nothing in their aesthetics, they are pure function over form. Apple gives build quality & aesthetics, and many times form over function.

That being said, as others have noted, it really comes down to OSX vs. Windows. Spec to spec nearly all Windows based PC's will win out nearly all the time, so it really depends on what is most important to you.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: Kaido
If you don't want to have to run Anti-virus, Firewall, Spyware, System Cleanup, or deal with UAC, OS X is pretty nice 🙂

I'll give you spyware and antivirus for now (if apple ever really launches in marketshare, but for now security through obscurity works on these), but no firewall? That is like a staple for every system out there.

On a random note, I've been using Vista more and I don't understand the fuss with UAC. It's a PITA initially when installing, but after that, whatever. It's no different than how I have OS X set up to ask for my password for changes...

 

[accguy9009]

Originally posted by: TheStu
Comparing what?

Build quality?
Specs?
The OS?

There are a few too many differences, even with Apple using PC hardware.

For OS comparisons, maybe checking out XvsXP.com would be useful.

I have seen a couple of price breakdowns, but none about the latest aluminum macbooks.

To be completely honest, I have seen few notebooks that come close to the MacBook/Pro in terms of comfort, style, quality, fit, weight, and any number of other factors. Plus, I really, really like OS X.

The Thinkpads are excellent choices, except their trackpads are trash. I realize not every cares about that, but I do. Their keyboards are top-notch though, as is their build quality generally. My friend's t60 may be a bad egg, or indicative of a larger QC problem, but I am not sure. I would be willing to mark it up as a bad egg just due to the number of raving reviews that Thinkpads get.

Even my other friend's $3000+ monstrosity of a 17" laptop (XPS 1730) looks cheap, and furthermore, feels cheap. It looks and feels like it is made out of cheap plastic, like a big happy meal toy.

So, I am biased.

You might want to check out notebookreview.com, they might have the kind of article you are looking for.

At least you admit you are biased

 

[rdp6]

My experience went like this while in college a few years ago:

These dell laptops checked out from the student union are bulky, heavy, slow, and it feels like the body flexes while you hold it / carry it around (with the lid closed)!

Slashdot mac haters hate macs because they are pricey and don't come with Linux. Slashdot mac lovers love, love, love the macbook pro. No one is on the fence.

Merom-based macbook pros go on sale in Fall of 2006. Bootcamp has been out for a while and I had heard of virtualization software such as Parallels. I ordered my macbook pro thinking that if I didn't like OS X (Tiger at the time) I could run anything else.

Day one with the macbook pro: nice hardware, so thin! feels pretty sturdy, too. Monitor looks different somehow (font rendering, perhaps) than windows XP machines. Nice and fast. All apps run well enough. WTF does the green button on the windows do? Also, it was super easy to connect to my home wireless network. Took a minute of digging to figure out the settings to connect to the university's network. Never a problem since. Sleep functionality works. Desktop effects and window management is pretty neat, and Photobooth is cool 🙂 Why is the mouse so weird?

Day 7: Used to the mouse / trackpad now. Acceleration is different than it is on windows, but feels native to me now. I've assigned hot corners to bring up the dashboard and some expose functionality. Mail.app works well for me. Apps seem to launch really fast. I'm learning that they don't really close unless you really want to close them. I generally do so even though I have 3GB of RAM. Still on the fence about Mac OS X. Like that there are no balloon tips upon startup. Love that I don't need to screw around with an antivirus program. Love that there is a firewall included. Front Row is freakin' sweet! Battery life is awesome compared to my friends' dells. One guy has a tiny thinkpad and a huge battery, claims he gets a full day's work done on a single charge. He also has those @#$@ balloon tips pop up. Man I hate that. They should all say "Windows just got dumber. Reboot now or in 5 minutes I shall ask again."

p.s. Installing apps in OS X is great. I really like the .dmg / application package. I especially like that the apps that can really dig into the system ask for permission before installing. File permissions are a good thing! Hooray for no registry!


Day 14: OS X is starting to feel like a good place to be. I still don't know my way around the unix-style directory structure. In Windows I am in nearly every system directory from the get go. Not at all with OS X. Feels almost weird that I am not fixing or tweaking the OS. I'm even fine with Safari. Expose is awesome!

Day 31: I occasionally boot to windows for some special apps: I have a wealth of work done in office 2003 and am staying with that until I graduate. Also, my student/evaluation copy of MATLAB doesn't have the toolboxes I need for electrical engineering coursework. MPLAB doesn't play well with Darwine. But other than that, I run OS X 95% of the time and like it a lot. Still not spending any time teaking the system. Man that is weird. I still don't know my way around the unix directory but it doesn't matter. Everything is in my home directory, and if I can't find it, Spotlight can.

...

Day ~400: Leopard is out. I use Spotlight like others use quicksilver (I think). I open everything with it. I don't bother with the dock, it isn't as fast as command+space. It was good with Tiger, is damn near instantaneous with Leopard. It finds EVERYTHING. I now have a 52" LCD HDTV in the living room and have connected the macbook pro to it. Front Row still rocks. I can't live without Expose. Spaces is great, why does the windows XP powertoy virtual desktop manager suck so bad?!? I saw recently in Digg that someone posted a video of them opening every app on their macbook to demonstrate that it was still perfectly usable. I try it out: it is absolutely true. It takes a few minutes to open 50 or so apps. Expose handles app switching/window management so well that all is good even on one desktop space. Windows could never handle that.

Today: Been working for an awesome defense contractor for a few months. I was issued a nice (for Dell) laptop with a QuadroFX-class graphics device. I can only assume it is an engineering-class bit of kit. The screen is absolute sh!t. Windows always seems to do some thing that gets in the way. Balloon tips! @#$@#! Random hardware device discovery issues. Antivirus consumes 111MB! Office 2007 sometimes works great, then seems to lag for several minutes. So distracting. The taskbar is nearly useless. Certainly useless compared to Spaces and Expose. I am back to tweaking the system and looking for ways to make MS apps work the way they seem like they should. So many important tools are buried in ever-changing context menus (right-click isn't optional, it is mandatory). Don't get ne wrong, I right-click in OS X occasionally, but it seems that you never actually must do so to get something done.

I am learning so, so, much about Office quirks, especially with Visio, just to do the simplest things. I never thought I'd say this, but I really think some training would be helpful to me. I have always been the power user/pc builder/troubleshooter for the family and neighbors.

What do I miss about Windows? Rarely, games. All my media files work with no problems with quicktime, itunes, perian, and vlc. There seems to be more free software for Windows, but much of it is unpolished or unstable. GNU/Linux is definitely winning there. Diablo 2 runs with Rosetta translation, so that is enough for me.

Do I ever boot to Windows at home? Not if I can avoid it. Did you notice that I haven't talked about the hardware, which still looks so nice? It is really all about OS X.

So now I face a dilemma. I am not prepared to pay the $$$$$ for a mac pro, but need something with more grunt for processing 1080p home movies. I'll probably end up building a hackintosh in a few months. Definitely waiting for Snow Leopard. I'll be a day-one upgrader.

So, so happy with the mac. There is no honest comparison because they are simply apples and not apples. Anand posted a review of the 1st Macbook Pro back in 2005 or 2006 which gave me the confidence to take the plunge. Well worth the read.

Too bad they are pricey. Pricey, but worth it. Money comes and goes. I use computers every day at work and at home. I believe that it is best to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. If you don't care for tweaking your computer but would rather get stuff done with it, then the Mac is for you.

p.s. It has been 2.5 years now. I still haven't been bothered to learn about the unix directory system: /etc, /bin, and the like. There is no reason to mess around anywhere but my home directory.

p.p.s. iLife is awesome!


Cliffs: at first, hardware was the most awesome part. OS X was not bad, just different. Later, I preferred OS X, and the hardware was still awesome. Now, I feel like Windows XP is unwieldy and generally useless compared to OS X. The hardware is still awesome (I lust for a new unibody macbook pro) but it is all about the operating system and the apps.