Should I buy a MAC or PC laptop…
So PC or Mac... Such a hot and debated topic hahaha. Maybe even controversial on BW 
It’s about time for an upgrade. I want something fairly powerful that will last for quite awhile before upgrading. Currently I have a little Dell laptop which I’ve been happy with. For PC I would probably go another Dell, unless anyone has other solid suggestions.
I will say, I am strongly in favour of a PC, unless I can be convinced otherwise. I have always owned one. So many people I know swear by Mac’s and they do look pretty cool. But i still don’t really get it.
Here’s my quick comparison of the positives of the two…
Mac - More stable/safe (supposedly). Looks schmick. Is full of cool gimmicky stuff and compatible with other Apple products.
PC - Price and power unmatched. There are other positives but I don’t think I need to go there.
I’ve been checking the Mac and Dell stores, and just to emphasise the price gap (it’s massive), here’s a quck run down on the key specs of two similar machines.
Macbook Pro 15 inch $2,499
Intel Core i7 - 2.4GHz quad-core
4GB 1333MHz
750GB 5400-rpm1
AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB GDDR5
Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition 15.6inch $899
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM Processor (6MB cache, up to 3.1 GHz)
6GB 2 DIMM (1 x 2GB + 1 x 4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz
1.0TB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
AMD Radeon™ HD 7730M 2GB
My knowledge of compter stuff isn’t fantastic but that seriously looks to me as though the PC is faster in every respect… but the PRICE difference OMG!!! How is this possible???
Only question mark I have (maybe TJ will know this), is the Mac has a quad core supposedly, is the Dell the same? The Dell processor appears to be newer and faster.
Also, Dell have slightly better and more expensive ($1099 and $1299) versions of the above model with a Blu ray player, better screen and 8gb ram.
Oh and Dell have a slim version of a laptop like Mac do. But like the Mac Air, looks and weight compromise power and price.
As far as I can see, any positives the Mac may have over the PC are completely wiped out by the ridiculous price difference.
Thoughts??? Suggestions? Is there something fundamental that I have missed?
Here’s the Dell laptop deals
http://www.dell.com/au/p/configuration-compare.aspx?ocs=v510664au,v510663au,v510662au&returnURL=http://www.dell.com/au/p/inspiron-laptops.aspx?c=au&cs=audhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn#!facets=55291~0~289346&p=1
And the Mac
http://store.apple.com/au/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro
All I can say is if you go with a PC is don’t go with Dell heard nothing but bad things about them.
I really have loved my current and previous HP’s and Grey’s Online have some great deals
http://www.graysonline.com/search.aspx?q=HP
the other thing is you are right about the money thing! And in my mind I argue that even if Mac’s last longer that the way technology is moving that you will want a new computer before you next one dies.
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM Processor (6MB cache, up to 3.1 GHz)
Only question mark I have (maybe TJ will know this), is the Mac has a quad core supposedly, is the Dell the same? The Dell processor appears to be newer and faster.
Oh just what the passionate geeks on this forum needed! 
That CPU above is quad core. The Q in the model name is a dead giveaway.
I work with both Macs and PC’s daily and personally unless you are doing some serious multimedia work and you’re not a complete technology retard I’d go PC.
Don’t get caught up on brands of PC’s these days. They all pretty much share the same parts inside you’re mainly paying for different external quality (keyboard/screen etc) and future tech/warranty support. I personally have an HP (I7, radeon, SSD, 1080p screen blah blah) but dell isn’t that bad these days especially if you step up to the xps level.
That dell has an i7. Unless you’re doing some serious image processing or video editing you won’t even need that (so obviously get it!). Most top of the line games out right now can’t max out the best i5 and it is usually sufficient. 4gb RAM goes by the same rule, most games don’t need more than 4gb.
Mac’s are overpriced. As you’ve already noticed. The dell is superior in every way except maybe aesthetics.
Mac’s aren’t safer at all. The reason there is few attacks/virus infections on Mac’s is because less people use them, therefore virus writers don’t go after them. However that’s changing and not long ago over 500,000 Mac’s were infected and antivirus company’s went rushing to fix it. Despite popular belief Mac’s are no safer than PC’s and suffer from the same sort of holes that allow people to attack Windows users.
Pc’s are virtually just as compatible with all Apple products as a Mac, with the exception being MacAir/Tv etc. But I’ve never actually known anyone who uses that.
Some brands are less desirable than others. I’m talking Acer, Compaq and other low end Hp’s. Dell aren’t bad but as always you should look into the reviews and always read the comments by the public for a better idea. Even if they share the same parts, some manufacturers are just don’t have the same support for updates and some models are flops all together.
I for one support Samsung. They have really made a good impression in the laptop market since starting. I got my Samsung at the start of this year and I’ll be looking at them when I upgrade too. Toshiba are also a good brand I support.
Mac’s are overpriced.
Wrong. Macs are appropriately priced for the position in the marketplace.
The Mac OS is a far superior operating system.
Apple computers natively run the Mac OS, Windows computers do not.
/Thread
Dan, if you have to ask the question, you are not ready for a Mac yet.
Enjoy your PC, we’ll talk Mac when the PC carks it and you start a new thread 
Oh, I have a dell PC, purchased in 2006, the video card died in ‘07, fixed within 48 hours, a guy came to my place and did it.
The Vid card died last week. Never had any great dramas with it other than the usual windows stuff.
Get a Mac!!..... End of story!
Mac’s are overpriced.
Wrong. Macs are appropriately priced for the position in the marketplace.
Yea, they are perfectly priced for pretentious douches.
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM Processor (6MB cache, up to 3.1 GHz)
Only question mark I have (maybe TJ will know this), is the Mac has a quad core supposedly, is the Dell the same? The Dell processor appears to be newer and faster.
Oh just what the passionate geeks on this forum needed!
That CPU above is quad core. The Q in the model name is a dead giveaway.
I work with both Macs and PC’s daily and personally unless you are doing some serious multimedia work and you’re not a complete technology retard I’d go PC.
Don’t get caught up on brands of PC’s these days. They all pretty much share the same parts inside you’re mainly paying for different external quality (keyboard/screen etc) and future tech/warranty support. I personally have an HP (I7, radeon, SSD, 1080p screen blah blah) but dell isn’t that bad these days especially if you step up to the xps level.
Exactly what I would have said. Quad core. And upgrading to 8gb ram is only $50 these days…
Dell is fine, (they weren’t 5-10 years ago).
Just go to whirlpool.net.au and search the forum for the computer model and you’ll find out if there are any major issues with that model.
About 20% of macs these days have spyware on them, the oblivious owners just don’t know it…
Run Linux if you want something quick and safe from viruses. But don’t expect anything to work easily if you do, and google is your friend for it lol.
Wrong. Macs are appropriately priced for the position in the marketplace.
The Mac OS is a far superior operating system.
Apple computers natively run the Mac OS, Windows computers do not.
/Thread
The arrogance in your statement is hilarious. Linux is superior. OS X is for children.
Can you not see the specs? It’s more than double the price for a laptop that doesn’t even match the specs of the Dell. How is that appropriately priced?
Large image so won’t embed it. This shows how Mac’s are overpriced. A bit outdated but it still stands and a good representative.
Neither a “Geek” nor a “Technology Retard”, I will give an unbiased opinion as I have actually owned both MS based OS as well as Mac!!!!!
I tend to buy things that actually do the job that I originally purchased the product to do!!!!!
For the same reasons that I will never buy another Holden, yet have full confidence in buyin a Subaru, I have found that when somethin works then stick to it!!!!!
Have ya ever found yaself swearin at ya PC?????
Have ya ever felt the urge to smash ya PC either by fist, or via propulsion into the next door neighbours front yard?????
Have ya ever spent hours uploading/installin patches/updates etc etc and found yaself wonderin why ya really have to go through these processes in the first place in order to do basic tasks that should take minutes?????
I will gladly pay the extra $$$ for somethin that works the way I wanted it to in the first place!!!!!
Just as I will pay $2 for a hamburger if it is what I like, on the same hand I will also happily pay $20 for a hamburger if it is also what I like!!!!!
I will refuse to pay 20c for a hamburger that I do not enjoy!!!!!
And I wont even have to “upsell” the fries and Coke with a Mac cause they already come with them!!!!!
Had no troubles with the embed on my Mac????? 
I can’t believe I actually went ahead and attempted to read that crap anyway!!!!!
Was that article compiled by ACA or Today Tonight?????
Do understand that you’re talking about Windows Vs. OS X and not PC now.
I’d have to agree though, if you’re that technologically challenged that you can’t keep windows running at a basic level then you should probably go for the Mac.
Simple computer maintenance prevents any faults. “Oh but I shouldn’t have to do any maintenance” you say? Yes. You should. Just like a car, it requires attention. And if you look after it right, it will run for years. My Compaq Nx-5000 lasted me 5 years until 2010 as a second hand computer which was made in 2003. And the only time I started having problems was when it collected too much dust and overheated which couldn’t be removed. My Asus? Only problem was when the screen broke. The windows side of both? No worries. Simple maintenance.
Really. OS X is more stable yes. But the functionality of it isn’t nearly as good as Linux or Windows, without requiring virtualbox’s.
And as for people who think it is a “safer” OS are delusional. I don’t use a firewall or run a realtime antivirus on my PC and I have never had a virus.
Mizu, I had no problems embedding it. I decided not to because it was a large image. As I stated if you had read. It was also created by users of a technology forum - people who basically do nothing but computers in their life.