# comparing Apple to window based coputers



## Suemo (Sep 19, 2002)

What is the main difference between an Apple and a Dell,gateway etc. For the most part in my research Apple has lower GHZ than other computer. Is Apples 2.6 GHz slower than a Sony 3.4GHz ? Because Apple does not have windows but its own OS does this make a difference? I have never owned a non windows computer and would appreciate anyone that has had both to give me some pointers.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Because of the Apple Computers different Operating system you can't go by the chip "speed" when comparing PC to Mac.
That 2.6 GHz of the Apple is just as fast if not faster then the Sony 3.4 GHz one.
I was in an "Apple Store" today and asked a bunch of questions as I am about ready to get an IMAC. And now my friends in Iowa are also switching a a Mini Mac.~! And I got a whole lot of info most of which just backed up my own thoughts between Macs and PCs. Macs are better for lots of reasons one of which is viruses. Hardly any for Macs compared to PCs.


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## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

You really can't go by GHz, to be honest. I have a Mac Mini, with 1 Gb of RAM in it; and as far as most graphics intensive stuff goes (i.e., importing video, audio, etc.) the Mac runs circles around the Windows computer.

The older - PowerPC - chips were RISC (reduced instruction set code) chips that could handle quite a bit of stuff at one time. Not sure about the newer Intel chips, but at any rate, OS X has been from the beginning, and still is, 64 bit.

I'll give you a real world example. My father has a 2.13GHz (I think it is) Dell with 1Gb of memory. I have a 1.83GHz Mac with 1Gb of memory. His hard drives have a larger cache, and spin faster.

Despite this, any computer program that runs on both Macs and PCs will almost ALWAYS run faster on and open up quicker on a Mac. Case in point, if I open iTunes on the Mac, it'll take maybe 3 to 5 seconds. On my Dad's computer, we're looking at 10 to 15 seconds.

There are other reasons. Use the included software for importing videos and audio and I guarantee you that you'll understand why people use Macs for graphics. It's simply very high quality. There's also the fact that (at least as of now) you just don't need antivirus protection.

Last but not least, that myth about software not being available for the Mac is just not true.

AND, if you just miss Windows that much, you can load it on a Mac. I have Vista on mine, and it works just fine.


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## raybait1 (Sep 30, 2006)

I have a vista laptop and a dual boot vista/debian desktop. Id love to switch to a mac or full linux and i would if i could still play everquest with the kids. 
Is it true that the macs dont have cooling fans?


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## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

Uh, no. Every one that I'm aware of has fans; but they ARE quiet as can be.


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

Ghz, gb, Windows, Mac, Linux, 15k rpm.... whatever. If you want good advice regarding a computer purchase, start by describing what you do and what you plan to do with the computer. Do you know of any software which you absolutely must use? Are you a hardcore game player? Does the computer have to be portable? On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your comfort level with a computer? The most informative part of your post was that you've never used a non-Windows computer - so what makes you think you need to change to a non-Windows computer?


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

OntarioMan said:


> so what makes you think you need to change to a non-Windows computer?


 Well Number One On The Hit Parade is Viruses that attack Windows so much and so many many many "patches" that MS has to sent out~! 
And that then is just the tip of the iceberg as why to get a non windows computer. There are many many more reasons as well. Speed is one and windows is a processing chips nightmare as far as having so many programs running at one time, and so many that a person is not even aware of. Want more? I can on for hours.
But after having a H-P for 5 years and now a Dell for 6.
\ But after learning on a Mac those many years ago, and knowing what and how they work, I am just getting fed up windows, period.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

I suppose it's a matter of preference, but I find Macs to be convoluted. I also know where to find things in Windows & Linux, but not in Macs.

I question the wisdom of migrating to a platform with such a small installed base, but if I were going to migrate away from Windows I would be going with Linux. It's more likely that the installed workstation base for Linux will expand than it is for Macs. You want to be using the operating system that most people use, for a variety of reasons.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

arabian knight said:


> Well Number One On The Hit Parade is Viruses that attack Windows so much and so many many many "patches" that MS has to sent out~!


It's true that there a lot more viruses that can attack Windows, but that's because of the huge installed base for Windows. Vandals get to invade more computers when they target Windows, simply because there are so many of them around. That's not to say that Windows is any less secure though.

As for patches, I don't see that as a bad thing. Linux issues a lot of patches too. That just shows that they are really looking out for vulnerabilities. I would be more concerned if they weren't issuing security updates.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

keep in mind patches dont mean security issue, patches are corrections to issues and trust me linux has lots of patches. Also if you can find things in linux then you can find it in the mac OSx with is a unix derived OS.


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

My opinion : I think Macs are great, but I also think Windows boxs (especially ones of decent quality) are great. I honestly don't see any huge advantage of going from Windows to Mac for the majority of computer users. XP is stable, supported, convenient, common, etc. - and the competition among hardware makers in the Windows world brings the price down.

I see computers as tools - and for the majority of people, they really don't do much with the computer. Surf, email, a few office apps - thats about it - and this can be accomplished with any system.

I also don't see virus attacks as a huge threat for any system - since AV software is basically free and much of the threat of virus attack can be avoided with only a bit of computer knowledge.

If you're comfortable with the MAC and you think it can enable you to better accomplish what you need to get done - then go for it - but much of the buzz around the MAC is based on being cool, trendy, hip, unique free-thinker, etc. - and I think lots of folks get sucked into the marketing hype.


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## Suemo (Sep 19, 2002)

I am on dial-up and whether it has anything o do with my server and phone company being two different companies and warring with each other........... But this computer though I am told it is very powerful for what ever reason is not able to produce its power so to speak. Opening 3-4 browsers and it will take forever and a day to open or just stop and not open any of them.
I am not a gamer. I use this computer for business but that has slowed down tremendously because of frequent blue screens, sudden window closures by firefox, microsoft windows or what ever. AVG kills the system ,is not compatible with the server or something, so it was uninstalled.There have been no viruses found here anyway for a very longtime.
This is a Sony AVIO Pentium(R)4 2.40GHz 1GB Ram Desk model.
I have always wanted an Apple , just trying to find out more about them and the differences


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

You can have more then one Huge Program open a huge application, 2 3 4 and still have More Power and speed then a PC with windows running Apple just runs better with their applications. Why do you suppose most Movie Companies Make movie special effects using Apples? Because of their speed while using huge Programs that needs huge, and puts big demands on the processing chip. They NEED plenty of computing power. And Apples Deliver.
And as far as Graphics there is no better computer then a Apple when it comes to huge Graphic programs.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Suemo, sounds more like Malware than a Windows problem. 
Here's a link to the latest and greatest free anti-Malware tool. I do tech support and we use it at our mid-sized company http://www.malwarebytes.org/ along with a good anti-virus program (McAfee)

**Malware = any malicious software like; virus, spyware, adware, etc


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## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

OntarioMan said:


> My opinion : I think Macs are great, but I also think Windows boxs (especially ones of decent quality) are great. I honestly don't see any huge advantage of going from Windows to Mac for the majority of computer users. XP is stable, supported, convenient, common, etc. - and the competition among hardware makers in the Windows world brings the price down.
> 
> I see computers as tools - and for the majority of people, they really don't do much with the computer. Surf, email, a few office apps - thats about it - and this can be accomplished with any system.
> 
> ...


Here's the reasons why I chose a Mac:

1) You need no antivirus/antispyware/antimalware programs.
2) It is generally easier to use (i.e., to uninstall a program, you open the Applications folder and drag the program to the trash)
3) If you need to, you CAN run Windows on it
4) Holds its value MUCH better than any PC I can name.

There are more reasons but those are the main ones.


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## Suemo (Sep 19, 2002)

mnn2501 said:


> Suemo, sounds more like Malware than a Windows problem.
> Here's a link to the latest and greatest free anti-Malware tool. I do tech support and we use it at our mid-sized company http://www.malwarebytes.org/ along with a good anti-virus program (McAfee)
> 
> **Malware = any malicious software like; virus, spyware, adware, etc


Sounds like good advice! I downloaded the program last night and when I tried to run it- said the program was corrupted.........
I will try downloading again.
I really do not know what all the problems are. It is vexing to use the computer at any length. The downloading gets corrupted, ,frequent connection interruptions, and just plain server stop responding. We bought a new modem and it would not acknowledge it. Had it tested and it does fine in other computers.
Hope the Apple laptop I am getting will not respond in this way!


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

One reason I like Windows boxs is because they don't hold their value - they depreciate so fast that a 30 month old top of the line business class desktop with XPP installed and a warranty can be had for under $200 - machines that sold new for $1100+. 




Kung said:


> Here's the reasons why I chose a Mac:
> 
> 1) You need no antivirus/antispyware/antimalware programs.
> 2) It is generally easier to use (i.e., to uninstall a program, you open the Applications folder and drag the program to the trash)
> ...


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

OntarioMan said:


> One reason I like Windows boxs is because they don't hold their value - they depreciate so fast that a 30 month old top of the line business class desktop with XPP installed and a warranty can be had for under $200 - machines that sold new for $1100+.


I'm with you. I always buy my computers way down the price curve. I get plenty of performance for embarrassingly little, then replace or upgrade the machine when I need more.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

And doesn't THAt tell you just how good Windows based computers are? i would hope it does. They Just don't Hold their value worth a dern.
Where you can hardly find a Macintosh used. THAT along says a LOT about Macs in my book.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

arabian knight said:


> And doesn't THAt tell you just how good Windows based computers are? i would hope it does. They Just don't Hold their value worth a dern.


Not really. It illustrates how quickly the technology is evolving.

As I said, it creates an opportunity to take advantage of low prices. You find comfort in spending a lot on a computer that will hold its value, while I prefer to get mine for a song in the first place.

Heck, I just got a Compaq 2.4 GHz P4 laptop for $95 that I could transplant many of the parts from my P3 Compaq laptop from. The ability to upgrade from a 1 GHz P3 to a 2.4 GHz P4 for $95 is unique to PCs. I don't see it as a drawback, I see it as a feature.


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## beorning (Apr 14, 2006)

I guess I don't understand the depreciation argument. With a computer, any kind of computer, I typically buy it and use it until it fails or becomes obsolete. I guess if you're likely to flip a new computer in the first year or two that you have it, resale value matters...

A pc running Linux is comparable to a mac in terms of malware issues. I can easily install and run linux on a ten year old pc and have some actual functionality. Not so much with a ten year old mac. 

I don't have a huge problem with Macs. I just don't want to spend twice as much for the same computing power.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Suemo:

Did you ever get Malwarebytes to work for you? and do you run virus scans on a regular basis? (along with updating them)?


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## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

beorning said:


> I don't have a huge problem with Macs. I just don't want to spend twice as much for the same computing power.


Neither do I. That's why I bought a Mac Mini. It costs me $600.

Plus I can load Windows on it.


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

Low price in the PC world also illustrate that there is far more supply than there is demand, especially for desktops.

A month of so ago I ordered HP DC5100 business class desktops - P4 HT 3.0ghz, 1gb DDR2, 40gb SATA, DVD, XPP clean install with COA, cleaned/checked, kbd & mse and a 1yr warr. = $120 U.S. to my door. Not a latest-n-greatest gaming system - but for a business desktop or for 90% of home users, its certainly enough system.

Off-lease desktops are an especially good deal for anyone who wants/needs XPP (at least legit. XPP).



Nevada said:


> Not really. It illustrates how quickly the technology is evolving.
> 
> As I said, it creates an opportunity to take advantage of low prices. You find comfort in spending a lot on a computer that will hold its value, while I prefer to get mine for a song in the first place.
> 
> Heck, I just got a Compaq 2.4 GHz P4 laptop for $95 that I could transplant many of the parts from my P3 Compaq laptop from. The ability to upgrade from a 1 GHz P3 to a 2.4 GHz P4 for $95 is unique to PCs. I don't see it as a drawback, I see it as a feature.


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## big_dippin (Sep 14, 2006)

The best thing about mac's compared to other computer's are that most virus's released are for windows. So you don't have to worry as much. The mac is much more secure and yes, they cost a little more but the end product is amazing.


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