VOTE: Mac or PC Buying Decision
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- Philip Smith
- Sr. Rocketeer
- Posts: 102
- Thanks: 0
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Hi everyone, I am just taking my first question to the next step. Below is a current comparison between the 20" iMac and a Dell Dimension 9200 desktop. I configured them as closely as I could on their respective websites, and you see the totals at the bottom.
If it's just a pricing decision, Dell wins. But is the iMac worth the extra cash? Let me know... Thanks!
20" iMac Duo Core 2
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 4MB shared L2 cache
20" Widescreen Display (Built in)
2GB of Memory
250GB Serial ATA, 7200 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon X1600 with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM
$2059.00
Dell Dimension 9200
Intel ® Core™2 Duo Processor E6600 (2.4GHz, 1066 FSB)
20 inch UltraSharp™ 2007FPW Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
2GB Memory at 533MHz
250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
256MB ATI Radeon X1300 Pro
$1749 - -- ChurchWiz - Easy & Affordable Church Websites
-- www.churchwiz.com
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- Stew Thompson
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 573
- Thanks: 0
- School Teacher
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Without a doubt the Mac....once you go Mac, you can't go back!
Seriously, I have had a Mac for about a year and 1/2 and every day is a better day with a mac. I would love to have the Duo Core and I definitely think it is worth the extra 200 bucks. - www.bentonhighschool.com/
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- Bob Ateah
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 4521
- Thanks: 0
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If you are a gamer - go with the Windows based machine (IMHO). If not, the choice is yours.
I just built a new computer using the Core 2 Duo and it is wicked, wicked fast. Not a top of the line system as I had a budget of about $1,400 (Canadian), but this machine plays all the latest games perfect (and beautiful, you should see Oblivion
) and is awesome at multi-tasking.
I'm not a big fan of Dell computers any more, I just don't like all the proprietary components that they use.
For example, my old Dell 8200 power supply fan died. I thought that I could just buy an off the shelf PSU and install it. Nope. Dell makes sure that you cannot do that without taking a Dremel to the case. (grrr)
On top of that, to replace the Dell 8200 350 watt PSU with a factory original would cost $150 (CDN) - cripes, I bought an Antec Trio 550 watt PSU for less than that for my new system!
If you are going with a Windows machine, I would recommend a custom built unit. Better bang for the buck and no proprietary components.
Just my $0.02 (CDN
).
Cheers and good luck! - The member formerly known as Roland Deschain
After your question is solved, please Edit your original post and choose the Solved message icon, thank you!
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Philip: It really is a personal choice. One isn't necessarily "better" than the other because both Mac and PC are tools. With that said, I am a bit biased here since I'm a Mac user. Have been so for over 4 years. For me, the transition to the OS X platform and Mac computers was the best choice for me. My wife was also a PC user and didn't "like" the Mac at first because she wasn't used to it.
The great thing about using OS X is that there are less viruses, spywares, and trojans. The operating system is solid and I'm able to easily multi-task on it, word processing, listen to music, use dashboard, etc. And while you could also do many of these things on Windows, what I find is the ease-of-use of the Mac OS X platform and computers (with the exception of the ONE button mouse and keypad).
Now, as a Mac user and with BootCamp or Parallel, you can also run Windows softwares on your Mac. With the advent of Leopard later this spring and Keynote presentation by Steve Jobs on Jan. 9th, Apple is on the cusp of again reigniting the world of computers. Innovation, for me, is what being a Mac user is all about.
Again, make sure that the tool you've chosen (Mac or PC) will be able to seamlessly do what you want in terms of productivity, creativity, and mix work and play. Good luck. Sorry if I sounded like an Apple commercial. ;D
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- Dave Goodwin
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 1472
- Thanks: 4
- Howdy!!
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Dell makes a good standard office machine, but I'd have to go with the Mac, if I had to choose between those two you listed. I'm fortunate because I have a fast Mac and a fast PC. I use both platforms to develop by.
However, with the new Macs, you can run Windows and the Mac OS on the one Mac machine. If you have PC software, you can use most of it on the Mac - if you install Windows too.
Like Roland, I'm building my own PC. What would cost me about $4,500 or more from Alienware, I can build my wn for around $1,800. Granted, the boxes are way cool if you by Alienware, but the guts will be the same - or better!
I'll have to agree with Roland too, if you are a serious gamer, you ought to go with a Windows machine. I'm guessing, just by the PM conversations that we've had that you are not - just a guess.
I love the PC, I've had 7 so far, but I'm on my 14th Mac from since they were released in 1984. I used to be a Mac Evangelist - treating it more as a philosophy. But now I treat it as a tool. For now, some tools are better in the PC world (3D rendering, scientific apps, business apps, better games) and some are best on the Mac (video editing, etc.). If you get a Mac, you'll be able to work in both worlds, but you may not be able to enter all PC environments.
But if you are primarily interested in developing for Joomla, either platform will help you excel very nicely. Yes, those systems are pretty similar.
dave
p.s. - Good considerations from Steve N., above! - Last Edit: 18 years 3 months ago by .
- "I'm an individual, just like everyone else."
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- Philip Smith
- Sr. Rocketeer
- Posts: 102
- Thanks: 0
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Great comments everyone. It's true Dave that I am not buying or building a new machine for gaming purposes at all. However, I have to admit seeing the Battlefield mod to Sporticus conjured up some feelings of wanting a PC so I could game, if I ever had the time.
But the reality is that I've gamed very little over the past 2 or 3 years.
Price is still somewhat of an issue for me. Andy mentioned considering a used Mac Pro; can anyone comment on the difference between a new iMac with 2gb of ram and a fairly new, used Mac Pro? Would the difference be night & day? - -- ChurchWiz - Easy & Affordable Church Websites
-- www.churchwiz.com
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- Dave Goodwin
- Elite Rocketeer
- Posts: 1472
- Thanks: 4
- Howdy!!
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Someone else will need to speak on the differences you asked about. I just haven't kept up with them lately. Sorry, Philip.
I've had to limit the games on my machine too. They can be productivity robbers - at least for me. I get into the competition of it all and loose track of time, when I should be working. I just took it off my machine so I wouldn't be tempted.
dave - "I'm an individual, just like everyone else."
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- Andy Miller
- Preeminent Rocketeer
- Posts: 9919
- Thanks: 96
- Web Kahuna
- It would not be night and day between the imac and a mac pro. The mac pro is a fair bit faster but in general day to day use you probably won't see it. The big diff with the mac pro is you can upgrade stuff easier, plus it's a quad processor as opposed to dual, so if you do video, or encoding, or anything like that you'll see a big improvement.
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- Yves
- Preeminent Rocketeer
- Posts: 9214
- Thanks: 5
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There is a third solution to install Windows applications and games on Mac OS X:
CrossOver Mac
(commercialized version of Wine).
You don't need a Microsoft operating system license for that and you can run your application directly from the OS X Finder. - Yves
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- Yves
- Preeminent Rocketeer
- Posts: 9214
- Thanks: 5
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Before making up your mind, watch
Better Results
, with Gisele Bündchen.
French version: Meilleur rendu - Yves
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