Brother keeps trying to put me off.....

I'm not really sure why, but for some reason my brother keeps trying to put me off buying a Mac. Hes the only person i know that owns a Mac so his opinion is important but when ever we talk about it he just keeps telling me it wont be the machine i'll expect and that i could get a Windows PC for the same price with better specs,

Here's one he linked me this morning:

Display: 15.4 INCH WIDESCREEN DISPLAY (1280 X 800) + ANTI-GLARE
Processor (CPU): INTEL® Core 2 Duo T7700 (2 X 2.40GHz) 800MHz FSB/4MB L2 Cache
Memory (RAM): 2048 MB CORSAIR DDR2 667MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x1GB)
Operating System: WINDOWS® XP Home (inc. Genuine CD & License) (£59)
USB Options: 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS
Memory - Hard Disk: 160GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5400rpm)
CD/DVD Drive: 8x DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Graphics Card: 256MB GEFORCE 8600GT + D-SUB + TV-OUT
Sound Card: Realtek ALC268 2 Channel High Definition Audio + SPIDIF OUT
Modem: INTEGRATED 56KBPS V92 MODEM
Network Facilities: Onboard LAN & WIRELESS 802.11G NETWORK CARD (£13)
Memory Card Reader: INTERNAL 3 IN 1 MEMORY CARD READER (SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO)
Firewire & Video Editing: 1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
Keyboard: INTEGRATED 87 KEY KEYBOARD + 2 HOTKEYS
Mouse: INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Speakers: INTEGRATED 1.5W STEREO SPEAKERS
Webcam & VoIP: INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Battery: 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery - up to 4 Hours Battery Life
Power Lead & Adaptor: 1 x UK Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor
Dimensions & Weight: W x D x H: 355mm x 257mm x 35.2mm | Weight: 2.7KG
Additional Features: 1 x Express Card Slot
Warranty: 1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return
Delivery: Standard Insured Delivery to UK Mainland (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm) (Free)

£959 inc VAT and Delivery

Available at pcspecialist.co.uk

He tells me it will give me more bang for my buck, perform faster while useing PS, has dedicated GFX so i will be able to play most new games on it and has the bigger screen i had wanted......

And the worst part is i think hes right, after looking over its spec compared to the Black Macbook its got me having second thoughts,

I hate this because i had just got my sight set on the macbook and now im unsure again

What would you guys do? And i know this is a mac forum but if you take your love for mac away what would you do?

Specs are one thing, Operating system is another thing entirely, and this is also the main thing that sets apple computers above windows based machines.

sure you can get that PC cheaper, but you're gonna get windows on it.

AK47 said:

Specs are one thing, Operating system is another thing entirely, and this is also the main thing that sets apple computers above windows based machines.

sure you can get that PC cheaper, but you're gonna get windows on it.

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Unfortunately that means nothing to me because i've used windows all my life and i don't find it all that bad

OSX is an incredible operating system, and really is what makes apple computers so enjoyable to use. Perhaps you should give it a go, read these forums for a few months, learn about OSX and you will see how and why it is a better operating system.

I believe the prominent reason people do not give apples a chance is because they are so used to windows they believe there is no other alternative, and they really miss out on what makes OSX so good.

I think the question you need to ask yourself is this:

WHY are you thinking of getting a Mac?

I can't grasp your intentions behind this question of yours. You say you are quite content with Windoze and yet you want to get a Mac? Why?

Also, people are quick to dismiss OSX because they try to use it like they use their windows computer, which will get you no where.
Try to give OSX a decent go, and learn how it works before deciding if you like it or not.

Besides, if you buy the Mac, you can always install windows on it anyway.

Stetwin said:

Unfortunately that means nothing to me because i've used windows all my life and i don't find it all that bad

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Windows isn't that bad... but do you want a computer that's "not bad" or one that's great?

I was really sceptical at first too... I think lots of people here were.

Haha, thats exactly what I was trying to get across, but you did it much better.

well said.

MacHeadCase said:

I think the question you need to ask yourself is this:

WHY are you thinking of getting a Mac?

I can't grasp your intentions behind this question of yours. You say you are quite content with Windoze and yet you want to get a Mac? Why?

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Well i hear good things and thought it might be nice to see what things are like on the other side of the fence (if we dont try how will we ever know?), but since my brother owns a Mac and is trying to put me of then the only thing i can think is either they suck..... or hes acting like a 10 y/o kid and cant have anyone else be apart of his wonderful Mac world.....

You just answered your own question, man! How much credence/importance you can give your bro's opinion! He doesn't want to share!

How long has he been a mac user?
What kind of mac does he own?

Aptmunich said:

Windows isn't that bad... but do you want a computer that's "not bad" or one that's great?

I was really sceptical at first too... I think lots of people here were.

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soooo true!! ;D

AK47 said:

How long has he been a mac user?
What kind of mac does he own?

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He's been Mac since last year when he started Uni, and he owns a MBP 17"

I guess it all comes down to which os you want. I've been using Windows for the last 8 years and osx for the last four. I dont see anything wrong with Windows. The only reason i have a mbp is because i already own a Windows machine and thought it would be nice to "bat for both sides".

It seems like you would generally play games on your laptop so maybe a Windows laptop would be a lot better and cheaper.

Looks like the specs of a Macbook Pro to me... 2.4ghz, 2gb, 256mb 8600GT...

You pay extra though, but then you have a very well designed laptop and it includes the easiest-to-use OS ever, and of course the Apple logo ensures that the hardware works perfectly together without problems

Stetwin said:

I'm not really sure why, but for some reason my brother keeps trying to put me off buying a Mac. Hes the only person i know that owns a Mac so his opinion is important but when ever we talk about it he just keeps telling me it wont be the machine i'll expect and that i could get a Windows PC for the same price with better specs,

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He tells me it will give me more bang for my buck, perform faster while useing PS, has dedicated GFX so i will be able to play most new games on it and has the bigger screen i had wanted......

And the worst part is i think hes right, after looking over its spec compared to the Black Macbook its got me having second thoughts,

I hate this because i had just got my sight set on the macbook and now im unsure again

What would you guys do? And i know this is a mac forum but if you take your love for mac away what would you do?

Click to expand...

He is right; especially when you factor in having to buy PS:CS3 for fast performance on a Mac. Plus, the MacBook certainly wasn't made to play the kind of games you could run on that PC.

What would I do? Factoring in the facts that:

1. Not only do you not need a Mac; the Mac you're wanting doesn't fulfill your needs.

2. Buying a Mac with those specs would cost £1600 (less with education discounts), plus the cost of PS:CS3, and Windows if you're wanting to play games. You sound pretty young, so I'm guessing you don't have £1600+ to spend on a computer that you could get for £950 that would do everything you require (minus OS X... is it really worth £650+ to you?).

I say your best option is Windows.

Ge64 said:

Looks like the specs of a Macbook Pro to me... 2.4ghz, 2gb, 256mb 8600GT...

You pay extra though, but then you have a very well designed laptop and it includes the easiest-to-use OS ever,

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Yeah the design is excellent.
An OS is an OS, there is no difference between the usability of it.
I'm sure your not just saying that because your not bias in anyway between the two OS and that you are an expert in both to have an opinion like that. am i right?

Ge64 said:

and of course the Apple logo ensures that the hardware works perfectly together without problems

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Mate! when you buy any product they go through a process called quality check. having an apple logo doesnt mean it is perfect. My gf's MB stopped charging 2 days after she got it(this is probably Windows fault right? because Apple can't do anything wrong). I see a problem there.

I sense a bit of Bias....

vxd said:

Mate! when you buy any product they go through a process called quality check. having an apple logo doesnt mean it is perfect. My gf's MB stopped charging 2 days after she got it(this is probably Windows fault right? because Apple can't do anything wrong). I see a problem there.

I sense a bit of Bias....

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I think he was kidding.

why dont you see if you can play around on his Mac. Don't listen to what someone else says, that's why people never find out how great Macs are. Try it for yourself!

vxd said:

An OS is an OS, there is no difference between the usability of it.

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That's a rather silly thing to say. Not ALL OS's are created equal, look at Linux for example, so please don't act like they are. In this case, OSX and Windows are very similar, but each has it's strengths and weaknesses. Saying there is no difference in usability is disingenuous at best.

Stetwin, don't bother with a Mac, buy a nice safe Windows box and be happy.