03-01-2007, 02:55 PM

Hello,

I am very close to purchasing my first mac, however like many others I am torn between staying with a PC...I started out on a PC...I do everything from gaming to websites/graphics to standard email web surfing. I have 7 to 10 things running in the background at any given time, winamp, photoshop, dreamweaver, email, 5 web browsers, and a few IMs, i have photoprinter, scanner, ipods, soundcard with guitar hooked up, video camera.

lets take the macbook pro say 2.33 ghz 256 mb graphic and up to 3 gig memory retail 2499 and compare that with a dell 2.33 ghz 512graphic up to 4 gig memory 2299.00

lets take away the interface and how anything other then windows looks great...can anyone say that i would get better performance out of a mac....the pc i can not stand lag in anything whether it be web browsing or moving a graphic around....most designers i know use macs however i have been doing the same stuff on my decked out pc gaming type tower....but this move is for the laptop....i can read all day long...i can control popus and viruses on my pcs....id say there is they occasional crash when i def overload...any advice out there supporting or condemning the move to a mac??? Being this is a mac forum...sell me...!!

or...I just by the lower end macbook and satisfy myself with owning a mac...but id hate to love it and wish i had more power ect ect.....

03-01-2007, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by erenninger

Hello,

I am very close to purchasing my first mac, however like many others I am torn between staying with a PC...I started out on a PC...I do everything from gaming to websites/graphics to standard email web surfing. I have 7 to 10 things running in the background at any given time, winamp, photoshop, dreamweaver, email, 5 web browsers, and a few IMs, i have photoprinter, scanner, ipods, soundcard with guitar hooked up, video camera.

lets take the macbook pro say 2.33 ghz 256 mb graphic and up to 3 gig memory retail 2499 and compare that with a dell 2.33 ghz 512graphic up to 4 gig memory 2299.00

lets take away the interface and how anything other then windows looks great...can anyone say that i would get better performance out of a mac....the pc i can not stand lag in anything whether it be web browsing or moving a graphic around....most designers i know use macs however i have been doing the same stuff on my decked out pc gaming type tower....but this move is for the laptop....i can read all day long...i can control popus and viruses on my pcs....id say there is they occasional crash when i def overload...any advice out there supporting or condemning the move to a mac??? Being this is a mac forum...sell me...!!

or...I just by the lower end macbook and satisfy myself with owning a mac...but id hate to love it and wish i had more power ect ect.....

What I would suggest is go somewhere with a really nice return policy, try out the macbookpro for a weekend, if you don't like it take it back. If you like it but want more ram either buy more ram and put it in yourself, or return it and custom order a MBP with more ram in it from apple.

03-01-2007, 03:08 PM

All computers have resource limits. If you run enough programs at once, you will get lag.

I've never had any complaints about my MBP. I have the 2.33 C2D version with 2G (15") and it runs great. But I'm sure I could get it to choke if I tried.

You won't magically get faster processor speeds, etc., with a Mac compared to a PC. Whether a particular application will take up too much resources is dependent on the app, not the OS. Mac's OS X will deal with the resource juggling better and you'll run a much lower chance of having a system-wide crash if you do "def overload" -- whatever that means. :ninja:

Johnnyfive's advice was spot on. Get one from a place that has a decent return policy, run the machine for a few days, and see if you like it.

03-01-2007, 08:02 PM

Been a hardware PC enthusiast myself for many years. Know my way around a PC, particularly on the hardware side. This is my first Mac, bought just a couple hours before I signed up here.

Think I would ask a couple of questions:
1) Is this gonna be your first laptop?
2) Have you been playin around with Linux?
3) Are ya gettin tired of the MS garbage?
4) Are you expecting to use all your peripherals with your new laptop?
5) Planning on using laptop for backing up your DVD's?
6) Do you like to learn new stuff or like to keep what you already know works?
7) Do you like to spend hours tweaking your windows machine?

1) If yes, you're gonna love not bein tied to your desk with either one of 'em.

2&3) If yes to one of these, you'll like the Mac, if yes to both, you'll love it.

4) If like me, you had no consideration in the past about buying hardware that was compatible with and provided drivers for more than one OS, you may have a problem here going with the Mac. Would suggest checking with manufacturers of your peripherals and see if they have drivers available for OS X.

5) Can tell you that if you have a desktop with anything over a P4 3.0 you will not want to do this on the MacBook Pro (MBP). The Dell, don't know. Maybe if it has a 7200 RPM drive instead of the 5400 in the MBP. But I'm guessing that no laptop can hold a candle to a decent desktop for this. There also is no software for the Mac that can compare to the windows world for this.

6) If yes to this one - you'll love your new Mac. A lot of new stuff.

7) If you like to tweak and get down and dirty with XP, you're gonna miss this with a Mac. Just not much tweaking to be done here. Think I spent a couple of weeks looking around trying to find more settings I could adjust. They're just not there. OS X is set up more to just start using it without all the tweaking to get it running optimally.

Gotta say, I've got a PC sittin in the other room, and in some things will blow this MBP away speed wise and got it connected to a 26" HDTV along with satellite and the XBOX 360. But, can't hardly pry the MBP outta my fingers sitting here in my recliner in the living room.
If you're looking for something new and kinda challenging, you'll love the MBP.
If you're more into stayin with what you know, would probably suggest the Dell.

03-01-2007, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by erenninger

I am torn between staying with a PC...

Usually when people have a doubt and are really on the fence, it is best to stick with what you have IMO.

...can anyone say that i would get better performance out of a mac....

Nope. That is very much a relative thing. It all comes down to what the individual considers the better performance. If what you have now is doing everything you need it to (and it would sound like it is), then there is no need to change that now

i can control popus and viruses on my pcs....

It really does seem that you have a good handle on things with your current setup. Again, no need to mix it up now.

any advice out there supporting or condemning the move to a mac???

Stick with a Windows system. Windows seems like it is doing a very good job for you and contrary to the popular belief here, you aren't going to improve that by getting a Mac. In the end it isn't the computer that makes your performance or productivity. What does matter is your own ability, skill, and prowess with whatever it is you are doing.


If you are simply curious about getting a Mac and/or learning how to work with OS X, then don't get a brand-spanking new Mac. Pick up an older model from a year or two ago, and make sure you get a copy of OS X with it. The older machine will still run everything just fine and it will let you get your feet wet and experience how OS X and the MacOS works... without dropping a bundle of cash. That way, if you don't like it, you aren't out much. If you do, then it was worth every penny you spent.

03-02-2007, 02:43 AM

You have to ask yourself why you want a Mac and do you really need one. It seems to me you're quite happy with PC and Windows.

03-02-2007, 07:15 AM

After purchasing my C2D, I am not 100% satisfied with my Mac. It has its pros and cons, being that the Mac is meant more for designers. The functionality is much more simplified and if your in design, everything is much easier to access and use.

Although I still use my PC (95% of the time), I find if you are a gamer, the PC wins hands down. Mac to me isn't meant to play games, it can but most games won't run as good as it does on a PC because of limited video card options and other hardware choices. PC will for now, will be cheaper then Mac, and depending on what you want to do it is really based on your needs. The only reason I got a Macbook was due to my field (graphic design). Its easier to access fonts and programs like Photoshop that most of the people in my field use. But if you really into games, don't bother playing it in your laptop unless its not graphics intensive.

Well, hope this helps in your choice.

Originally Posted by erenninger

Hello,

I am very close to purchasing my first mac, however like many others I am torn between staying with a PC...I started out on a PC...I do everything from gaming to websites/graphics to standard email web surfing. I have 7 to 10 things running in the background at any given time, winamp, photoshop, dreamweaver, email, 5 web browsers, and a few IMs, i have photoprinter, scanner, ipods, soundcard with guitar hooked up, video camera.

lets take the macbook pro say 2.33 ghz 256 mb graphic and up to 3 gig memory retail 2499 and compare that with a dell 2.33 ghz 512graphic up to 4 gig memory 2299.00

lets take away the interface and how anything other then windows looks great...can anyone say that i would get better performance out of a mac....the pc i can not stand lag in anything whether it be web browsing or moving a graphic around....most designers i know use macs however i have been doing the same stuff on my decked out pc gaming type tower....but this move is for the laptop....i can read all day long...i can control popus and viruses on my pcs....id say there is they occasional crash when i def overload...any advice out there supporting or condemning the move to a mac??? Being this is a mac forum...sell me...!!

or...I just by the lower end macbook and satisfy myself with owning a mac...but id hate to love it and wish i had more power ect ect.....