Support Apple vs. PC

Hiya guys!

So I got a computer about a year and a half ago. It's already starting to poop out so I'm thinking about saving up four months worth of paychecks and buying something that will last longer than my computer which likes to, pardon my language, be a poop.

I have an older MacBook Pro so I'm thinking about buying apple again. However, I thought, what would be a better way to get enough votes so that I can have people who have more experience dealing with this? I turn to the public, the KH-VIDS.net forum.

So should I keep up with the apple brand for a computer or should I make the switch and buy a PC? (I'm thinking Microsoft Surface Tablet 3, if not then something similar. I would love to not buy something every two years!)

Let me know and vote please! Thank you!

 

Go with Windows. Much more reliable.

 

What I' m about to tell you was true ten years ago, I didn' t really keep up with the industry but I don' t expect things to have changed that much. Anyone can feel free to correct me though.

Depends what you intend to do with it. Macs are more stable/professional, but tend to be pricey for no real reason. You' re essentially buying a pretty box. They' re usually favored by professional graphic designers (though I personally still hated them for their single-button mouses).

If you need more versatility you' d be better off with a PC. They' re cheaper, and although Windows isn' t exactly stable (far from it) good luck finding a program that isn' t Windows compatible. Besides, if you need to be able to switch between versatility and stability nothing stops you from installing both Windows and Linux.

 

These are the things that I can say without a doubt about a modern model of a Mac computer:
-it has OS X
-high build quality
-great displays
-usually solid internal components for non-intensive programs (intense being like high end games or editing programs)

These are the things that I can say without a doubt about a modern model of a Windows computer:
-it has Windows

You really shouldn't be paying attention to brands as much as you should be scrutinizing what you want and need in terms of what each individual computer has, hence why building a PC is such a great option for many people: you choose what you're spending your money on.

Also, food for thought: my Asus laptop (G550JK), which uses WIndows 8.1, has comparable specs to a Macbook Pro except for my laptop having a stronger GPU (Nvidia GeForce GTX850M vs. Nvidia GeForce GT750M) while costing around $800 less than that model of Macbook Pro.

 

I can't troubleshoot "being poop" but you could probably get some more use out of your current PC with some TLC. (I have one that is about 20 years old and hasn't had any hardware upgrades in at least 10)

That being said if you are not very good about keeping a PC going a Mac is more stable. The only issue I've seen with longevity on Apple hardware is that smaller developers may just ignore your build once a new one comes out (notably more of an issue on the mobile devices than full computers, but still a problem). And when it finally dies and Apple support can no longer help you (or just becomes obsolete) your only course of action is to replace the whole thing. PCs you can replace one part at a time (though based on this threads existence that might be something you don't want to try)

Honestly though, I still vote PC. It's cheaper and it is what programs are most developed for. Just don't be afraid to ask for help on finding/building one and maintaining it.

 

Well an important factor to consider is whether you'd like to go desktop or laptop. I'm going to assume laptop, but on the off chance you're buying a desktop, don't waste your money on a Mac.

Moving on, it does matter what you intend to use the computer for. If you're just going to be browsing the web and chatting on Skype, there's no need to spend $1k+ on an Apple laptop. Windows laptops are pretty stylish these days and getting a decent one for $500 and upgrading a few years down the line is a solid plan, laptops in general just don't have very much longevity to them. Some of it is because they're portable, so they're more prone to damage (though replacing screens is generally pretty easy), other times it's because people just don't take care of them (which is true of desktops too), and sometimes it's just because you want the prettiest or the newest model. And that's okay, it just means that there's no need to drop a ton on one now if you see yourself replacing it soon.

If you're looking to game on it, I'd still recommend a Windows laptop. OSX isn't great for game compatibility and while you could always install Windows on it (which would be an additional $100 to buy the OS), you find more laptops with a dedicated GPU (which is what you want) in Windows laptops. Asus, Alienware, and Razer are your friends there.

If you're big into art or web design then a Mac is a good choice because they use really really nice displays, Windows are good but it varies.

Video editing gets a bit muddy and I think both a Windows laptop or an Apple MacBook would serve you well there. You'd need a higher end Windows laptop for it (see the gaming ones) because the more budget conscious ones use slower CPUs and tend to have heat issues. Windows laptops that use AMD processors here are good to look into because multi-core processing is better for video editing (Apple uses only Intel, which is fine for video editing and has an edge in most everything else, but if you're a really dedicated editor then go AMD).

If you want this to be the last laptop you buy for a while (I'm talking 7 to 10 years) then yeah, maybe consider going Apple. The thing is, a lot of people's issues with Windows laptops tend to be user error, whether it's that they don't know how to clean up their system after it's been going for a few years or they don't know how to take care of it in general. Apple laptops are perhaps easier to maintain but you're being hit with a pretty big sticker price that's based mostly on brand name. I like to tinker and play around so I like the flexibility Windows offers (but of course, you can install any OS you want on an Apple laptop). Buying laptops at the end of the day really just comes down to budget, if you're not looking to spend $1000 then Apple is out of the question, and when there's so many great Windows offerings below $1000 I have so much trouble recommending them. One of the big selling points for years with Apple is the form factor (they're really pretty) but imo PC manufacturers have caught up in that respect.