Desktop ??????????

[Racerbvd]

Well, my desktop crashed, non repairable, so looks like I'm going to have to replace .it. Should I make the change to a Mac, or stick with a PC?
I don't play games, but because of my work, lots of pictures, videos, documents. I'm not a tech savy guy when it comes to this subject, I'm lost.
TIA,

[widgeon13]

Get a Mac. you can go to the store and get lessons on catching up on the Mac for those applications. You won't be sorry. At least that's my opinion. I will never go back to a PC. They will also transfer all your files over when you buy a Mac.

[RWebb]

Byron, I just switched from Win 7 to a mac mini (OSX) and would advise you not do it.

The hardware on the mini is a marvel of design & engineering but has numerous usability flaws:

- reading an SD card (camera) requires you to get up and hunt around on the back of the machine for the slot; Win box lets you stay seated

- inadequate number of USB ports; no ability to use fast USB - so, I have all these hubs lying around now

- mac superdrive requires a direct plugin - cannot use a USB hub

- keyboard with old style (solid keypress) requires a special adapter and takes up a USB slot

- mac keyboards are medium good re keypresses, but not good enuff for me

Good:
- mac magic mouse is very nice and use of gestures is great

- The mac is VERY quiet - very low fan or HDD noise!


Software:

Maybe the mac is OS is better somehow but I don't see any advantages. It also seems slow to me compared with what I did have.

Conversion of your mind to using different key combinations is a lot of trouble.

Migration of Wind MS Office to the Mac is poor - you will need to manually re-enter all your Autotext entries, sigs for Email & etc.

I miss having Irfanview also...

Those are just some of the problems...

Overall, the mac seems designed very prettily for graphic artists -- young ones with 12/20 vision, not for anyone else (who often have 20/30 or 20/40 vision).

maybe the mac IS better if you are not tech-savy & do a lot of work with pics or music (?) files; the cost over a PC is about $100-$200 for a comparably outfitted mini (I have extra RAM (4 Gbyte) and a 750 Gbyte HDD)

you can plug your old HDD into a new Win computer most likely - or into a drive sled and Xfer your files that way

Good Luck!

[Neilk]

The best thing about having migrated our entire family to Macs is that "support" issues have dwindled to nearly zero. We haven't had any virus nor have we had to worry about upgrading anti-virus software on a yearly basis.

That alone was worth the higher entry price.

[dad911]

I haven't bought a desktop in years. Laptop with an external, additional monitor. Don't need to worry about a crash if the power dips, 2 screens is very productive, and you can take it with you if the need arises.

[Icemaster]

Originally Posted by dad911

I haven't bought a desktop in years. Laptop with an external, additional monitor. Don't need to worry about a crash if the power dips, 2 screens is very productive, and you can take it with you if the need arises.

Yes. Apple is overpriced cult crap. Don't waste the money.

[Gogar]

Randy, I think you may have just been served better with a Mac Desktop.

A Mac Mini is a great-looking two-seater with no trunk; and the Mac Desktops are a 4x4 pickup. A two-year-old Mac Desktop would eliminate all of your hardware "minus" column.

So IMO don't be upset just because you bought the wrong model, you're just asking it to do something it wasn't supposed to do. Mac Mini is for looks, email, and watching videos.

[RWebb]

gogar, you must have missed the entire section above labelled software

Mac Desktops are very expensive BTW; and do not address the keyboard issue

[dad911]

Originally Posted by Icemaster

Yes. Apple is overpriced cult crap. Don't waste the money.

I didn't mention Mac vs PC...... Frankly I've been buying apple products since the Apple II, own an iphone and an ipad, but my current goto computer is a dell inspiron, because I need to run windows/Solidworks. Got a great deal on a new i7 on the Dell factory outlet.

My point was laptops are currently priced very competitively vs desktops, and if you think about have a built in battery backup, which has saved my butt a few times. I add an external monitor when at my desk.

[foxpaws]

Don't tell me anyone still uses they keyboards shipped with these things ---

Plugs into all my macs -

[imcarthur]

Stick with what you know unless you are willing to deal with the learning curve.

Ian

[MauleM5-235]

I have run my law firm on PC since 1995. At one point we had 20 PCs in 5 different locations and a network w/ remote access. I was paying ~$500/month in tech support. The continual tech issues were very irritating.

I am now using exclusively Macs and have zero tech support issues. The additional cost of a Mac may be offset by reduced tech support costs.

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by RWebb

gogar, you must have missed the entire section above labelled software

Mac Desktops are very expensive BTW; and do not address the keyboard issue

Oh. So the Mac you bought didn't have all your PC software you like on it? Stupid Apple.

[jyl]

Going from PC to Mac has a learning curve. If you are a techie at the OS level and like getting down into the weeds on your PC, manually editing Registry and processes etc, then you'll feel limited until you become equally techie at Mac. If you are a techie with particular applications, then it will depend on how the PC vs Mac versions of the application are. Usually for videos, music etc the Mac applications are just as powerful as the PC versions. If you are a regular user, then learning curve is pretty short - a week or two.

Hardware pros and cons depends on what you get - Mac mini vs MacPro, etc. Hard to think that an inexpensive powered 8 port USB hub wouldn't solve all of RWebb's problems. On the PC side, I think some of the OEMs are making real junk today. The HP notebooks we got at work all failed in 3 years (I mean out of a couple hundred, 90% died - I went through three). The Dell notebooks that replaced them have battery life of maybe 3 hours, its like going back to 2000. On the other hand, the IBM desktops are great, and the Lenovo laptops were also fantastic machines.

I use Macs at home and PCs at work. I have a lot more problems at work, need tech support's intervention about 3X year, at home things run pretty smoothly.

The one area where I find Macs not so smooth is with printer support. It isn't worse than PC, but after you are used to Macs, it is weird that you plug into something and then have to "install drivers" for it to work. I tend to throw a hissy fit.

[Racerbvd]

Thanks guys (& Gal) I'm lucky that I do have a few lap tops, to work off of, only problem, I don't know the pass word to my wi-fi so I had to go to a local pub to get my info loaded & going. So my office will be here until I figure out the wi-fi issue..

[widgeon13]

Call your provider and they will do a reset for you on the password, unless you are happy working from the pub.

[stomachmonkey]

Your WIFi pass is most likely on a sticker on the back off the cable company supplied router.

Or you can plug in via ethernet and go to 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, those are default admin control panel access for a lot of home broadband routers.

If you need a user/pass just google the default for your router.

If the default user/pass has been changed then hold the reset on the back of the router for 20-30 seconds to go back to defaults.

Once in you should be able to assign your own unique password for the wifi.

[pwd72s]

The way I understand the difference is that with a Mac you can feel so cool, superior and smug...whether you are or not.

Kind of like driving a 944 so you can say you drive a Porsche.

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

The way I understand the difference is that with a Mac you can feel so cool, superior and smug...whether you are or not.

"When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser."

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Gogar

"When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser."

If it works for Obama...