Mac v. PC?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>Harvard students - which type of laptop do you recommend for incoming freshmen? Is there equal tech support on campus for both? Thanks.</p>

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<p>Students who use a PC tend to get admitted into Harvard at higher rates than students who use a MAC.</p>

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<p>^^^ hahah! </p>

<p>JMMom32: There is equal support (and access) for both. My daughter has a Mac, one of her two roommates also has a Mac, the another has a PC.</p>

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<p>D has a Mac. She has friends with both. There is even a Mac store right on campus in the basement level of the science center.</p>

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<p>^</p>

<p>It’s not a Mac store. The store sells both Lenovo Thinkpads and Macs.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the correction.</p>

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<p>Pick either one you want. I use a PC personally.</p>

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<p>Not sure about the Harvard part, but in term of economics and utility PC is better. I will quote what I recently explained to my friend over facebook, who was contemplating the same question.</p>

<p>"1)windows is more secure than mac os. At all international hacking contests, the mac is hacked within 30 minutes, the pc takes several hours/days. However, because the mac has a lower user base, hackers do not bother - why steal the money of 9% of computers users when you can target 91%? What annoys me is Apple claiming that this is due to their genius programming skills - no! WIndows 2000 is roughly as secure as Mac OS.</p>

<p>2) Macs are overpriced and inversatile. You can purchase the parts for and build a high quality gaming machine for 1000-1500 usd. A Mac with features 1/2 of that will cost you 2000-3000 usd. Go to cyperpower pc .com and configure a pc in that range, and then do that with on Apple. The Mac will cost significantly more, have fewer features, and run on outdated hardware. Likewise, whereas I can upgrade my pc/build my own whenever i want, you can only run mac os on apple products, purchase only apple RAM, and never upgrade any other internal parts. Monopoly much? Apple makes overpriced, outdated junk. I will concede that they look nice.</p>

<p>Windows PC: $1373
case) NZXT Tempest EVO
cpu) core i7 930
cooling) 120 mm liquid cooling + radiator
mem) 6 gb Corsair DDR3 1600 9 9 9 24 @ 1.65v
gpu) EVGA gtx 260 216c 896mb gddr3
mobo) ASUS p6t
psu) silverstone 700 watt
hdd) 500 GB
OS) Windows 7 Premium
22" Screen</p>

<p>Apple PC: $1599</p>

<p>Standard Apple Case
3.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Standard Air Cooling
8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x2GB
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Micro ITX mobo
500GB Serial ATA Drive
Apple Propietary OS
21.5" Screen</p>

<p>Unless you are highly proficient with computers, this most likely seems like gibberish. Thus, i will provide a detailed breakdown.</p>

<p>case: toss up, some like mac, some like the pc</p>

<p>cpu: this is equivalent to comparing a porche 911 gt3 or a ferrari 599 to a ford mustang. Hands down pc</p>

<p>cooling; liquid cooling is extremely expensive but extremely high performance. Think Ferrari 360 modena vs honda civic si</p>

<p>memory: the mac has 25% more but it is 1066 mhz vs 1600 mhz, much slower and poor latencies. PC wins by a landslide.</p>

<p>gpu) the most ridiculous matchup of all. Think Ferrari f50 competizione/Maserati MC12 vs 1970 ford pinto. The pc gpu (gtx 260) scores a 15000 on 3dmark06. The mac gpu scored around 300. No, i am NOT missing a 0 - MASSIVE disparity.</p>

<p>mobo) with the pc, you get the most versatile mobo on the planet. with the mac, a lackluster, cheap, stripped down one. Hands down PC; compare messi with ali dia, exponential difference.</p>

<p>hdd) tie</p>

<p>os) tie, down to personal preference</p>

<p>screen) pc has the edge, higher quality, more dynamic color gamut. Although the mac isn’t bad either</p>

<p>Ridiculous win for PC, which is MUCH cheaper "</p>

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<p>“you can only run mac os on apple products”</p>

<p>you can run whatever os you want. i occasionally boot into windows to play games.</p>

<p>also i don’t think you are comparing laptops there, like JMMom asked for.</p>

<p>anyway the bottom line:</p>

<p>Both get the job done. PCs are cheaper. Macs are sexier.</p>

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<p>Hey “thecount”</p>

<p>Sorry about that, that was typed on facebook and thus i did not spend any time editing. That was a poorly phrased sentence, and can be interpreted differently than i intended. I meant that an apple computer is the only legal platform to run the Mac OS, not that apple computers can only run Mac OS. Or, that you are (legally) not allowed to run Mac OS on anything other than an Apple system. Of course, you can download a Leopard .iso boot image and flash it into a usb and use that to install it on a windows computer, but that is strictly illegal, and since i didnt want to get sued by apple’s crack legal team i didnt mention it (whoops :wink: ).</p>

<p>On the 2nd count, i didnt choose laptops because the differences are more clearly outlined on the desktop, as laptops often do not list their chipset/mobo and also feature integrated graphics, leading to consumer misrepresentation. A windows laptop will easily outgun a mac laptop at a substantially lower price, but for the sake of simplicity i chose desktops as most people understand desktop components only.</p>

<p>A few things more (sorry, cant resist a tech discussion); “Both get the job done” should be retooled to “PC gets the job done better, faster, and safer (dont believe the misleading ads!), but Mac will get it done too…eventually”:</p>

<p>Also, personally i find pcs to be more aesthetically pleasing, but that may be because i’m a gamer. Take a look at these <a href=“http://computershopper.com/shoptalk/Voodoo_PC_Envy_Front.jpg[/url]”>http://computershopper.com/shoptalk/Voodoo_PC_Envy_Front.jpg&lt;/a&gt; & <a href=“http://whatlaptop.techradar.com/files/whatlaptop/Packard_Bell_Gaming_laptop.jpg[/url]”>http://whatlaptop.techradar.com/files/whatlaptop/Packard_Bell_Gaming_laptop.jpg&lt;/a&gt; & (although i personally find alienware garish) <a href=“http://www.itechnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Dell-Alienware-M15x-gets-Core-i7-920XM.jpg[/url]”>http://www.itechnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Dell-Alienware-M15x-gets-Core-i7-920XM.jpg&lt;/a&gt; . You can say that you are comparing a maybach zeppelin (mac) with a ferrari fxx (pc). The Mac looks more svelte and elegant while pc’s usually look more “athletic,” although you get many svelte pc’s too.</p>

<p>Dont worry, i’m not being paid my Microsoft, just a comp hardware enthusiast stating his view</p>

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<p>

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<p>Seconded for truth. </p>

<p>I have a beast of a laptop that can blow through every game in existence today, and I’ve got that for nearly half the price of a decently spec MacBook Pro.</p>

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<p>I’m still a high school student, but I guess I can comment because I have both. PC are cheaper, but when it comes to viruses, spammers, etc it is not so good. Even with an antivirus program and scanning it every 3 days won’t secure you anything. On the other hand I have never had a problem with the Mac one, I think is faster than the PC and certainly more reliable. I rather pay a little more for a computer that is going to have more use to me.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>But this doesn’t reflect real-world security issues. Sure, maybe the Mac OSX platform can be hacked in less time than the Windows platform, but this is only if YOU are specifically targeted by an experienced hacker (a la security competitions). As a self-proclaimed computer enthusiast, you should be able to us exactly how often this happens in real life. My guess is that you won’t be specifically targeted unless you work for a government agency or an organization of similar caliber. Instead, as you said so yourself, almost all blackhat individuals will target the 91% of Windows users. Bottom line: you’re at a greater risk if you use a Windows computer.</p>

<p>

Not exactly; the iMac you referenced in your post has an IPS display. Most monitors sold on the current market are TN panels. </p>

<p>Also, make sure you compare laptops instead of desktops. Contrary to what you may think, “svelte” laptops are critical on a college campus - you’re lugging this thing around for the whole day! Battery life is also crucial as well. Find a 13" non-Mac notebook that has a) 10 hour battery life (without a extended battery sticking out from the back), b) is less than 1" thick, c) weighs less than 4.5 pounds, d) has a Core 2 Duo or more powerful processor, and e)costs less than $1200 like the 13" MBP, and you can color me impressed.
**
This is coming from a PC user, by the way.** I just thought I had to clarify some things since your logic made me throw up a little in my mouth. It’s okay to support the products you love - but sometimes you need to acknowledge the competition instead of writing them off. Embracing change is the first step to push things forward and to innovate.</p>

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<p>Get a new computer and then install GNU/Linux Ubuntu or gNewSense!
Have fun!</p>

<p>Free Software is the way.
Note: Free as in freedom.</p>

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<p>Yeah, but what about the windows programs they might have to use. Although you can use WINE, it doesn’t always work as expected. Let’s stick with Window’s on this one. Mac is too casual, you can’t run demanding programs (without spending extra $$$ for upgrades. It’s good for casual use. Coffee shop, etc.</p>

<p>(btw, I used Ubuntu 10.04, Mac OS X Leopard and Windows 7)</p>

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<p>Hi,
I’m deliberating between getting a 15" MacBook Pro (i5) and a PC, and although I love the Mac’s user interface and size, I’m concerned with its ability to run highly-demanding programs, as well as the whole bang-for-your-buck. I’ve been using an HP for three troublesome years (slowdowns, hacks) and I’m hoping to find a more efficient and lightweight/compact machine for schoolwork (not much of a gamer)… any advice on experiences with Macs or any PCs you’d recommend?
Thanks!</p>

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<p>See: [Online</a> Extra: Buying a Computer for College](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)</p>

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<p>Thanks spongegar! I think the technolgy has changed since 2006!</p>

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<p>You might not consider it the best bang for your buck, but an Intel i5 will be more than adequate for schoolwork.</p>

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<p>That depends upon what you mean by “highly-demanding programs.” If you’re talking intense graphic editing and the newest games on the highest settings, go with the PC. Otherwise, you’ll be safe with either.</p>