Mac Lag Like PC?

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Hi.

Quicky question... do Macs lag (and freeze, and hang, and crash, and etc.) as much as PCs tend to? I'm asking 'cause I have a laptop (PC, obviously) and though it's only a few moths old, it's already having lagging problems. I know this question may be too generalized, but I'd like to know. Since Macs cost much more than PCs, I want to make a good investment. (When I can save up enough.)

Let's say we're judging PCs and Macs between 2006 and 2013 for better comparison. If you have experience that way.
 
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If you are under-specced for the tasks at hand, then yes they can lag. However it is FAR less of a problem as a general rule. A simple rule of thumb is to plan on buying at least twice the amount of the minimum required RAM for the version of OS X you are running. You don't have to get that RAM from Apple either. 3rd party RAM is much cheaper and just as good.
 
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chas_m

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Macs don't have registries or susceptibility to viruses and zombie-ware, so the general answer is no. If you will bump the RAM up as far as you can afford and:

1. Routinely make backups of your stuff (Time Machine and other programs can automate this)
2. Leave let's say 15-20 percent of your hard drive available as free space and
3. Download OnyX or other *forum-recommended* utility and run it every once in a while, then:

Barring actual mechanical failure, you should get YEARS of trouble-free, lag-free performance.
 
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Thank you both for replying! Helps muchly. But lifeisabeach, what would you consider to be "under specced"? On average, for average user things (web browsing, email, some editing pictures, and some videos).

Thanks again! :)
 

Raz0rEdge

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For basic tasks, even the lowest spec'ed Mac is perfectly fine. But if you were doing heavy video editing or large graphics manipulation, then increased RAM, faster processor and better graphics chip can help greatly..

So it all depends on what your intended (apart from what you've posted above) is going to be
 

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Something to remember - a Mac is a computer like any other so what makes a non-Mac lag will make a Mac lag (perhaps to different degrees). What ultimately matters is how you use it, not necessarily what lies underneath in terms of the OS.
 
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Something to remember - a Mac is a computer like any other so what makes a non-Mac lag will make a Mac lag (perhaps to different degrees). What ultimately matters is how you use it, not necessarily what lies underneath in terms of the OS.

Yes, I realize it is not infallible, I was just wondering if it had a tendency to crash as often or as easily as a PC. :)
 
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As a side note, it's quite interesting having Boba Fett and Darth Vader answer my questions! xD
 

Raz0rEdge

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As a side note, it's quite interesting having Boba Fett and Darth Vader answer my questions! xD

Just wait till the Jedi's show up..you'll find the answers are way better on the Dark Side..:p
 

vansmith

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It's generally more stable than Windows but again, this all comes down to how you use a machine. I've seen catastrophic disaster because of some errant kernel module. Granted, it doesn't happen all that often.

One thing to note as well - there's a difference between OS level crashes and application crashes. Application crashes will happen just as they do on Windows - this is unavoidable. I had Handbrake crash on me the other day for example (for some odd reason).

How do you plan to use your Mac?

Just wait till the Jedi's show up..you'll find the answers are way better on the Dark Side..:p
Good. Let the hate flow through you. ;)
 
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For basic tasks, even the lowest spec'ed Mac is perfectly fine. But if you were doing heavy video editing or large graphics manipulation, then increased RAM, faster processor and better graphics chip can help greatly..

So it all depends on what your intended (apart from what you've posted above) is going to be

Yeah, I see your point. Since I do plan to do some "heavy" video editing and large graphics manipulation (and others) I suppose it would be best to get the best I can afford. ;P
 

vansmith

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If you're doing a lot of heavy lifting, you need to purchase by specs because otherwise, you'll have a terrible experience. Second, you need to look at the software available to you. If you're going to use Logic or FCP, you don't have much of a choice. However, if you're going to stick with Adobe tools (which work on both), a Windows machine may be a better option.

Contrary to popular perception, a Mac is not inherently better than Windows for graphics work. While this used to be true, it's not so much the case anymore. I've seen full out graphics departments use Windows and produce just as much good content with similar levels of ease. What it comes down to then is software (as mentioned) and hardware pertinent to design (like a monitor).
 
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So basically there can be problems on either side of the spectrum (when working with graphics), and what it comes down to is personal preference? Hm. Okay. ^^

I do plan to use Adobe tools (like PhotoShop), but I haven't had much luck using it on windows, so I might as well try it on a Mac. ;P
 

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Every computing choice is one of preference. I use what I do because it's what I prefer, not because someone out "there" says that one platform is somehow better. Prefer Windows? Go for it. Prefer OS X? Awesome. Prefer Linux? Great.

Are there problems with any type of computing device? Absolutely. No machine is immune from fault. Might one be better at a task than another? Absolutely but I would suggest that if you're going to use a software platform designed for both Windows and OS X, you remove any advantage that one platform has over the other.

You say you haven't had luck with PS on Windows. Is that a PS issue or a Windows issue? If it's a PS one, you'll see the same thing in OS X. If it's a Windows issue, a Mac may solve the problem.
 
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In my five years of owning my Macbook Pro, I've only had to force a reboot because of freezing maybe once. I remember it being a much more common occurrence on Windows.

Just starting up my old Windows box required me to wait a few minutes before it was responsive enough to start using it. I used to think this was just what happens when a computer gets past a certain age. I've been pleasantly surprised at how quickly my Macs boot up to a useable desktop, even with all my login items.
 
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Just wait till the Jedi's show up..you'll find the answers are way better on the Dark Side..:p

*ahem* Actually you dark siders are the ones late to the party.
 
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In my five years of owning my Macbook Pro, I've only had to force a reboot because of freezing maybe once. I remember it being a much more common occurrence on Windows.

Just starting up my old Windows box required me to wait a few minutes before it was responsive enough to start using it. I used to think this was just what happens when a computer gets past a certain age. I've been pleasantly surprised at how quickly my Macs boot up to a useable desktop, even with all my login items.

Having very little freezing problems would be nice. And still going strong after 5 years! Wow. :)
 

vansmith

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Don't make me use my dark side powers to inject myself earlier in this conversation. ;)
 
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You say you haven't had luck with PS on Windows. Is that a PS issue or a Windows issue? If it's a PS one, you'll see the same thing in OS X. If it's a Windows issue, a Mac may solve the problem.

Hard to say which it is, but I'm thinking it's Windows. It start off fine, no buggies or anything. Then after a while, it starts to hang and freeze at same time the rest of the PC does with other programs. *shrug*
 
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Hard to say which it is, but I'm thinking it's Windows. It start off fine, no buggies or anything. Then after a while, it starts to hang and freeze at same time the rest of the PC does with other programs. *shrug*

Cheap, low specced PCs will do that. If you build a PC right and are reasonably savvy in maintaining Windows and avoiding "junk" software, you can have a perfectly stable experience with Windows. Before I switched to Macs, I built my own PCs and very rarely had problems with Windows 2000/XP crashing, and fewer issues than average with Win 95/98. But I also took great care in picking my components and read up on reviews and in-lab testing to find out who was making the best parts. I never saved money by building versus buying one off-the-shelf, but I sure as heck had a much better experience in using them.
 

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