Swaying from PC to Mac...

[mazzipino]

After using PC's/MS Windows all my life, I find myself wanting a change. So I was thinking of getting a Mac. I already have a 22" Monitor so I'm looking to get a desktop, I would also consider a laptop.

I only use my PC for internet browsing, email, chatting, listening to music, basic pic/vid editing and the occasional movie now and then. However with the upgrade, I intend to play some games too.

An important factor is it's aesthetics. It will be in the living room so it's gotta look good! :D

The new Mac mini has caught my eye:


2.53GHz : 320GB

• 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 4GB memory
• 320GB hard drive
• 8x double-layer SuperDrive
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
• Mac OS X Snow Leopard

• Estimated Ship: 3 business days
• Free Shipping
• P44,990

What PC alternatives are there? (within a similar price range of P44,990)

What are the advantages/disadvantages of porting over to a Mac?

[ghosthunter]

2.53GHz : 320GB

• 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 4GB memory
• 320GB hard drive
• 8x double-layer SuperDrive
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
• Mac OS X Snow Leopard

• Estimated Ship: 3 business days
• Free Shipping
• P44,990

What PC alternatives are there? (within a similar price range of P44,990)

What are the advantages/disadvantages of porting over to a Mac?

The price I think is just for the CPU itself. Everything else is considered options like mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc.

A similar spec Acer system would cost less:



Acer Aspire X1800
Intel® Dual Core E2220 ... 2.4GHz, 1Mb L2, 800MHz FSB
nVidia® Geforce® 7100 graphics solutions + nForce 630i
2Gb DDRII 800MHz
320Gb SATA II 7200RPM
DSM16XSLF
No Floppy
Integrated nVidia® Geforce® 7100 graphics
Embeded High definition Audio with 5.1 Channel Surround Sound support
Integrated Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000
Express® 2.0 x16 slot
Express® 2.0 x1 slot
P205HxBd - 20in. LCD monitor
USB Keyboard / USB Mouse
Windows® Vista™ Home Basic 32bit
USB Speaker
56Kb PCI Modem
Multi Card Reader

PhP 27,500.00 - W/ OS

[ghosthunter]

IF your needs are more basic:



Acer Aspire Revo R3600
Intel® Atom™ N330 Processor 1.6GHz, 1Mb L2, 533MHz FSB
nVidia® Ion
2 X 1Gb DDR2 800MHz
250Gb SATA
no optical drive
No Floppy
nVidia® ION Graphics solution
Audio Embeded High definition Audio support
LAN Integrated Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 / WLAN 802.11 B/G
One Mini PCI express Slot
Front: 2 USB 2.0 ports / 4 in 1 card reader / high definition headphone
and microphone jacks.
Rear: 4 USB 2.0 ports / DC in jacks / RJ-45 port / D-sub VGA port / HDMI port
esata Port
No Monitor
USB Keyboard/USB Mouse
Windows® Vista™ Home Premium 32bit
none
56Kb PCI Modem
4in 1 card reader
1 year on parts and labor / Hornet mounting kit and webcam

PhP 16,700.00 - NO OS
PhP 17,900.00 - W/ OS



BTW, this is capable of 720i and 1080i video playback without lag.

[ssaloon]

Disadvantage ng Mac is relatively lesser options if you are into gaming.

Advantage is walang virus ang Mac, hence, no need for anti-virus programs which means less memory usage.

[artpogi]

if you're a little bit adventurous, why not get the best of both worlds?

Put together a high end PC and dual boot it with Windows 7 and then try the Hackintosh.

[mazzipino]

if you're a little bit adventurous, why not get the best of both worlds?

Put together a high end PC and dual boot it with Windows 7 and then try the Hackintosh.

How do you do that? :D

[mazzipino]

Kinda answered my own question with this beast of a PC for 50,000:

• AMD Phenom II X3 710 (2.6GHz, 2MB Cache)
• Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
• 6GB memory
• 2x 750GB hard drives (1500GB)
• DVD Rewriter
• 1GB ATI Radeon HD4850 graphics
• 6x USB ports
• Media card reader

But there's something about a Mac which is attracting me to it..

[artpogi]

How do you do that? :D

to be honest, I haven't tried it, but I've been reading it when I have free time, I just can't find time to take a shot at doing it.

Search mo OSX86 or Hackintosh

[ssaloon]

You get more bang for your buck when you assemble your own PC rather than buying a branded one out of the box IMHO.

[ghosthunter]

There are people who you can hire to install a dual boot system with Windows and MacOS.

BTW, there are some hardware that doesn't run well with both OS so expect some compromises.

[ghosthunter]

You get more bang for your buck when you assemble your own PC rather than buying a branded one out of the box IMHO.

Unfortunately not everyone is capable of assembling their own PCs.

OT: I need to upgrade my home PC already. Gastos nanaman.

[nurse_corrupted]

Once you go mac you won't go back.

The big difference is the OS. Softwares in mac is seamless. They are all connected so tasks are more convenient.

I have my mac for 2 years now and it hasn't slowed down. I haven't had major repair, and if it is under apple care, claiming warranty is more convenient.

I've been a PC user for for 15 years, pero now that I have bought mac, all my future purchase will be mac products.

[boybi]

The problem with Mac is the limited available softwares, especially the business softwares.

It's more intended for personal/home use or heavy graphics applications.

[tidus1203]

I also got suck in the Mac hype back in 2006. Bought a Macbook. Pero medyo regret ko din kasi ang mahal ng hardware sobra, very limited work software (I am a stock/currency/commodity trader and my charting software don't have Mac versions only works on Windows) so nag virtualization pa ako which defeats the purpose of buying a Mac (OSX). The hardware is ***y but the practical me says the next computer purchase is a PC again this time with Windows 7.

The only people I see benefiting from a Mac are artists. Whether photographers, musicians, or film makers yan ayos ang Mac. For the rest of us though especially the gamers out there PC pa din!

[ssaloon]

I second Tidus' comments. It all boils down to its use as well as the buyer's preference.

Since you'll be using it as a multimedia device, the Mac Mini is a good choice. Be wary though, you can build a decent HTPC with that budget.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Once you go mac you won't go back.

The big difference is the OS. Softwares in mac is seamless.

I'm also one of those who own several Macs and pc's. Quite frankly, I'm not convinced the Mac has a commanding lead (if at all) although OSX still have a slight edge in aesthetics.

But, they are still good computers. We have two Mac Minis at home plus the MacBook my daughter have from school.

[roninblade]

OS:
i'm more partial to *nix based OSs. on PCs I will install Linux first and use it as my primary desktop environment then just virtualize Windows if I need to.

One of the best things about OS X is that it is BSD based. Since BSD is very stable, you get fewer crashes on OS X. Although, I must admit, there are fewer BSODs on Windows these days.

Hardware:
if i have the money i will buy a Mac but i'm quite happy to use any other pc hardware. One good thing about Mac hardware is that because it is now Intel based, so you can now install and use any other OS on it (Windows, Linux, BSD/Unix, BeOS/Haiku) without doing any hacking.

[Jun aka Pekto]

OS:
i'm more partial to *nix based OSs. on PCs I will install Linux first and use it as my primary desktop environment then just virtualize Windows if I need to.

One of the best things about OS X is that it is BSD based. Since BSD is very stable, you get fewer crashes on OS X. Although, I must admit, there are fewer BSODs on Windows these days.

Hardware:
if i have the money i will buy a Mac but i'm quite happy to use any other pc hardware. One good thing about Mac hardware is that because it is now Intel based, so you can now install and use any other OS on it (Windows, Linux, BSD/Unix, BeOS/Haiku) without doing any hacking.

I'm the opposite. I've used Linux starting from 1995. It has progressed a lot since. But commercial support is still relatively low and that's what makes it a hard sell for many. If it really was that good, then adoption rates should have skyrocketed and the piracy of Windows dropping. If commercial support improves I may do the same thing as you are. For now though, I run Windows as host and Linux as guest.

As for running Linux on a Mac, it's relatively pointless since OSX is the most polished (unix-based and otherwise) OS around. Apple's Mac/OSX is probably what's keeping Linux adoption rates low since they steal most of the disgruntled Windows users who would have otherwise moved to Linux.

Also, a Mac Mini with satisfactory performance can be had for $600. Considering the build quality, diminutive size, and the great quality of the software bundle, I guess the price isn't too bad. I still have my Core Duo with Tiger while my daughter has her C2D with Leopard. They're a bit short on the gaming side. But, they handle everything else quite well still.

Add: I remember when Macs really were expensive. I bought a slightly used Mac IIcx (late 80's/early 90's) for almost $4k. A Mac Mini costs $600 nowadays. So the price differential between Macs and pc's isn't really that big anymore. Even a 13" MacBook Pro with 7-hr battery can be had for $1200.

So, yup. Macs have stolen a lot of the Linux' thunder.

[roninblade]

i guess it depend on the scope of use of the person. I'm a developer so it makes more sense to me to have linux as my primary OS. linux is good but I also agree that it is still not ready for the average user.

one of the biggest factor why it has not progressed much in terms of usability is the ego of community. everybody thinks they know what's best so they just keep forking projects; kaya kanya-kanya ang direction. this is also the reason why i only stick to Ubuntu these days.


for me OS X is still the best OS out there because it has a great UI while having a rock solid core.

[frenchtower]

for me OS X is still the best OS out there because it has a great UI while having a rock solid core.

+1. The biggest draw for me is the frustration over Vista, Apple's aesthetic design, build quality, resale value, and the thought that viruses are uncommon.

Apple products are not meant for everyone. It serves and appeals to those who use them for specific purposes. It just so happen that Apple is attracting more converts to their side out of sheer dismay over Windows and other OSs.

Windows 7 looks to be better than Vista and might even get me to have it as an alter OS via bootcamp. Cheers to two great offerings.