# iMac vs PC



## Kenbo (Jan 13, 2013)

I'm looking at getting away from the whole PC thing and going with an iMac. Not knowing much about the iMac at this point (although I have been doing some research) I was just wondering if there were many Mac users on the forum and how their experience has been with them. I am constantly hearing PC users complain about their computers, but I don't think I have ever heard a Mac user complain about theirs. Is there a reason for this?


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## NYWoodturner (Jan 13, 2013)

Ken - I used to make fun of the "Mac Guys" and swore I would never go that way. Now I am a total convert. The biggest difference is that you open an Mac, turn it on and it works. There is no constant settings adjustments, crashes, hangs, performance variables from day to day or hour to hour. It just works. 
Its kind of like you have to be an auto mechanic to drive a PC and keep it on the road. With a Mac, you just turn the key and drive. Apps are WAY cheaper on a Mac too. Average being about $5.00 The big ones, like Apple version of Excel and Word got for $19.99. I think your in for a treat.
Scott


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## Mrfish55 (Jan 13, 2013)

I went Mac just over a year ago and will never go back (although I use a PC laptop to run the laser as it is not Mac compatible; yet) I'm not all that computer savvy and I am seriously impatient, my Mac and iPad have been trouble free, user friendly and way faster than any pc I've ever worked with.


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## brown down (Jan 13, 2013)

i switched to a mac 4 years ago and am still using the same computer! where my pc crashed within 1 1/2 years. My computer has zero glitches and haven't had a single issue. you don't have to run antivirus protection on a mac either, which saves $$$
each program on a mac is its own entity so to speak. so in the event that you are one of the rare people that gets one which is unheard of, its very easy for them to fix. 

If you own any other apple devices they sync very easily with each other. 
IMO MAC is the way to go, they are a little more pricey but i feel you pay for what you get. it will def be a little bit of a learning curve but heck if i can do it anyone can. you can also run PC programs on your MAC but that side of the computer would than be unguarded against viruses. MAC has a ton of apps that are very similar to microsoft programs. 

when you upload pictures they go right into your iphoto where on a pc they tend to get scattered all over the computer! same goes for music!
i will never own a PC again! the performance level on a MAC IMO is far more superior. 

hope this helps jeff


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## davebug (Jan 13, 2013)

I do not have a mac, but my desktop is a triple boot and hackentosh is one of them along with android and windows of course. I don't use the hackentosh part it is for my wife but when I try to use it I just get confused. Some things in mac world are different then the pc users are used to. 

As far for never hearing a mac user complain, my thought on that is their are less mac users then pc users so you wont hear it as much, and mac vs pc cost. We all know that most things are you get what you pay for most pc users spend under $750 for a new pc, but many can be had for as cheap as $300. I think macs start at $1000 and go up fast from that point. I think the build quality of a mac is higher but you pay for it. I also think that with a higher end pc say in the same range as a mac price point is faster and just as good of quality if you pick the right one.

But yes software does seem to be cheaper for many programs just look at OS cost, mountain lion is $20 where as windows 8 is $100.

Those are my opinions on it I personally am in the PC camp as I know how to use them well and what they can do. Plus I like being able to upgrade them often and easily. One last thought is you can download and run a mac OS on a virtual box on your pc to make sure you like the way it functions before you take the leap.


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## Kevin (Jan 13, 2013)

Funny you mention this Ken I have been contemplating this also off and on for several years. I've even tried to convert to Ubuntu and then Haiku. I think those weren't as easy as just going Mac. I do believe my next laptop will be a mac book.


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## cabomhn (Jan 13, 2013)

Well, this is my personal opinion. Sophomore year of high school, I saved up and bought myself a pretty nice sony laptop, it was close to the top of the line at the time. All I used this computer for at the time was music, yahoo mail, a forum site, and skype. This computer was pampered. 11 months later, within about 10 days, the wireless card fried out, my hard drive started getting segmentation faults, and pretty much everything went to :censored2: , it was unusable. After that, I tried everything, clear wipe of my hard drive, but the problems were hardware, not the software, and it would have cost me about $400 to fix it up. 

So, I decided to go mac. Right before I came to college I bought myself a macbook pro. Right out of the box, the guys at the MAC store upgraded it to the latest settings ( super easy, any joe could figure this out) and after one restart this thing was rolling along just fine. I've had this computer now for over a year and a half and I have never had a SINGLE issue. Not once have I ever had it crash, suddenly shut down, lock up, not one problem. When I first started using it, I thought it would be dramatically different. But, to be honest, most of the things you are used to in a PC are almost the same, just in a different format than you are used to. Yes, it takes some time to adjust but once you do it's really straightforward. 

Now, I was a little concerned about not having access to windows programs, so I got a program for mac called "Parallels" where I could actually created a virtual partition on my computer and install windows. I am able to run the virtual machine running windows with photoshop, illustrator, lightroom, and AutoCAD without the slightest bogging down. Not to mention that my mac can run windows smoother than my old pc could, it boots windows virtually in about 4 seconds. 


So, my suggestion would be if you are financially comfortable with dishing out the extra cash for the mac, I think it will pay off in the long run, not just from the longevity of the computer, but also for the lack of constant headaches that are common with PCs.


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## EricJS (Jan 14, 2013)

One small thing should be considered when you can't make a choice between the two: most viruses are written/created to attack the masses. In other words almost all viruses are aimed at windows based systems - not Mac.


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## Kenbo (Jan 18, 2013)

Okay, so after careful consideration and a ton of research (including asking the question of mac vs pc on a couple of forums), I decided to bite the bullet and purchase an iMac. I went to the local Apple store and spoke with a staff member to ask a few...........okay a lot, of questions. Very helpful people for sure. It turns out that the configuration that I wanted in an iMac wasn't available as a "store offered" package, so I had to custom order it. I should have it in a couple of weeks and rest assured, if anyone is interested, I will be sure to give my report and possibly a review after I have had a chance to play with it for a while. Thanks to everyone for their input and honesty. This mac cost me a fortune, but I'm worth it.


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## Kevin (Jan 18, 2013)

What did you end up getting?


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## cabomhn (Jan 18, 2013)

Hey Kenbo if you have any questions or need help about anything feel free to PM me! I'd be glad to help if anything comes up


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## EricJS (Jan 18, 2013)

Kenbo said:


> Okay, so after careful consideration and a ton of research (including asking the question of mac vs pc on a couple of forums), I decided to bite the bullet and purchase an iMac. I went to the local Apple store and spoke with a staff member to ask a few...........okay a lot, of questions. Very helpful people for sure. It turns out that the configuration that I wanted in an iMac wasn't available as a "store offered" package, so I had to custom order it. I should have it in a couple of weeks and rest assured, if anyone is interested, I will be sure to give my report and possibly a review after I have had a chance to play with it for a while. Thanks to everyone for their input and honesty. This mac cost me a fortune, but I'm worth it.



Yes. After you've tested all its capabilities, let us know what you think. Congratulations!


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## Kenbo (Jan 18, 2013)

Kevin said:


> What did you end up getting?



I ended up ordering an iMac, with the 27" screen.

•	3.9GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 
•	32GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
•	3TB Fusion Drive (rom)
•	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX 1GB GDDR5 (Graphics processor)
•	Pages (apple's word processor)
•	Numbers (apple's version of excel)


I worked for a little on my cousin's iMac and his was lightning fast running a 3.2GHz i3 with 4GB SDram and 1GB rom so I have high expectations for the unit that I ordered.


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## EricJS (Jan 18, 2013)

Kenbo said:


> Kevin said:
> 
> 
> > What did you end up getting?
> ...



Nice! The only thing you'll have to worry about is the electric bill.


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