PC vs. MAC

[Tote]

I am in the market for a new computer.
Can I please get some input/guidance as to which way to go?
I have never used a Mac and I am really tired of the whole virus thing with my PC.
The more input the better.
Thanks, Tote

[Mooch]

I'm no "geek squad" but having worked with PC's (back when I was a desk jockey), I was introduced to MAC and never looked back!!!

[porky]

Im a mac guy, ask a mac guy hell tell ya mac, so go MAC!! Youll be stoked, never any virus issues here man. Use them all day at work too...

PC if your a biz guy.. Mac if ya want to have a little fun.

[Hojoman]

Macs do encounter viruses once in a while but not anywhere as often as on PCs. I plan to get two new computers: a PC for primarily gaming and using all the apps I already have and a Mac laptop for surfing the Internet and viewing videos as well as for use while on the go.

[piski]

Mac. I'm not a Mac "freak" but I got a MacBook a few years ago & love it. Once you go Mac . . .

There are a few viruses targeted at Macs but they're still rare - no point in developing malware for machines with such a comparatively small % of the market share. Here's a blogpost about Mac viruses:  http://computersashumans.blogspot.com/2010/04/myth-of-macintosh-invulnerability.html

One thing is that Macs are generally more expensive up front, but they're also very plug-n-play. They have everything pretty much built in. On the other hand, you might have to add a few Microsoft programs to be compatible with some documents you already have or to send to PC's (mainly Word and maybe Excel if you use it) - Mac has programs that you can use, but the formatting will often get messed up when sending a file between the Mac & a PC.

One more thing about the cost: Apple is notorious for being very expensive when it comes to non-warranty repairs. Be aware of that and absolutely positively put out the extra bills for the extended warranty if you go with Mac - I think it's called Apple Care.

[Squidder K]

I have worked with Redtop's, Mac's and PC.  All three crash, all three get viruses.  PC are everywhere.  If it breaks in po-dunk Nebraska you can find a PC tech.  Can't say that for the other two.  If you live in the Bay area and never plan on going anywhere, Mac is your ticket, if you travel and need to drag it with you I would go PC myself.

[jaywo]

Have always used PC's for work, but my wife and I got a macbook for personal use about a year ago. We love it. 1) its nice to learn a different OS and machine.
2) there is a certain "cool" factor about it. its fun to use.
3) once we got the basic hang of it, its very easy to use.
4) a little more expensive, but I think you get what you pay for.

Check out some of the online tutorials on the mac website. It will give you an idea of what you're getting yourself into.

[scallen]

Mac guy, me.

At work I buy the computers for a couple colleges.  I've bought maybe 30-40 Macs over the last couple years.

I used to get the warranty extension, but have neveer had to use it.  If they break, they will do so immediately, or way ddown the line when they are obsolete anyway (just my experience)

I don't buy the warranty anymore.

Saves 120-220 $ each computer.

Allen

[Hojoman]

Mike, if you go for a PC again, make sure to get a twin-core or quad-core processor if you expect to be playing high definition videos.

[DaBlazer]

I'm a PC...but once you go 'Mac' you never go back. There I said it!!

[SteveS]

as long as you don't mind living in a walled garden that is Apple, mac is fine. Win7 has made some grreat strides in terms of UI, and performance- almost Mac-like.

with the slow increase in market share on Mac you'll see more viruses, etc-its not like the protection is better on that side.
I both, but Win7 (on my work PC) has actually brought me back from teh brink...

[porky]

mac has less virus issues by far. No greater protection, just less of a target, most corporations run pc, and run Microsoft software, Most viruses attack both of those for greater damage. 13 years on a mac, no virus issues at home or at work connected to a network.   

Yup, all computers crash.

But with, all that said, both work great.

[agarcia]

Tote, I was in the same boat a while back, actually me and my buddy were both looking for new laptops. I only needed something to browse the net, do a little photo and video editing and manage my music. I spent about double the price of my friends HP but after virus protection and waranty the price difference was reduced significantly.  Been about a year and a half now, I had an issue with my dvd drive early on but other than that my macbook has been nails.  My buddy's laptop is pretty much garbage now, slow, OS crashed, problems with his hard drive and had to pay a couple hundred bucks to get his files restored.  I won't ever drop another dime on a PC.   

[FishFarmer]

90% or more of my work is code oriented, but I do onsite support for one manufacturer. At first they had all sorts of virus/malware problems. After installing BitDefender throughout that pretty much ended. Not that BitDefender is the end-all (In fact, I don't think we'll be renewing their BitDefender licenses next time), they just had this hodgepodge of anti-virus stuff -- some activated, some not, some expired, etc... The point is to have a decent, up-to-date antivirus program on your system.

I personally use the free version of Avast and haven't had a problem for several years, but I think that may be partly do to my boring internet habits.

If money isn't an issue, and if you are not running business apps, I hear all kinds of good things about Mac. If you want to save a few bucks, get a PC, have a friend (or the store) clean off all the non-essential/"free" crap that's installed and install something like Avast or maybe AVG (I haven't used it).

Even Mac hard drives can fail. Get an external drive. Some come with backup software, or get Symantec's Ghost. Regardless, the idea is to have recovery points you can fall back to if you pick up something nasty or your HD fails.

Finally, there is this. At least through XP (I don't know about Win7) I've found it necessary to re-image the hard drive every 2-3 years, or so. Meaning, reformat the drive and reinstall the OS and software. My setup is pretty complicated, so when I do it for myself it's an all day job. Generally, though, it's less than 3-4 hours. Not doing this is typically why you hear about computers that essentially become paper weights over time.

Ben

[HDRich]

Ben,

I have been using  AVAST for quite some time and I like it more than AVG.AVG 9.0 is great but so much stuff running in the background takes up too much cpu..

Between AVAST, Malware Bytes and CCleaner, I keep 5 desktops and laptops running fine.

Thats unless you get hit by XP Defender Pro 10..... Thats a really bad malware...

Rich