February 27, 2009

Replacing Your Old PC with a New Mac

Filed under: Main — admin @ 12:01 am

Yes, I make most of my living writing about Windows and PCs, but when it comes to recommending a computer for my friends, I have to go with the Macintosh.

A computer is a computer. It’s hardware. What matters is the software. So the question of computer ownership comes down to what you plan on doing with the computer, plus the issue of support. For the most part, the Mac remains a better deal on both issues.

When people ask me about buying a computer, their number one issue seems to be reliability. The Mac wins on that point hands down. Because Apple makes both the hardware and the software, the end result is a reliable computer. It just works. For most folks, that key issue beats out the notion that the Mac is more expensive than the PC.

Well, let me be honest. Hell yes: The Mac is more expensive! I can qualify that by saying the Mac is more expensive than the low-grade crap PC most people mistakenly buy at a big box store. The Mac is not a crap computer, so it will cost you money. Quality costs money. It’s worth it.

Yet while I recommend the Mac, there are two things it doesn’t do well.

First, the Mac is not a game machine. Sure, there are games for the Mac, but not the variety and potency of games available for the PC. If you want to play games, get a high-end, quality PC game machine. Maybe when the Mac increases its market share you’ll see more games available, but until then, games remain a weak point in the Mac’s software lineup.

Second, specifically for people in business, the Mac has a lousy version of QuickBooks accounting software. If you run a small business, you need QuickBooks. There is a Mac version of QuickBooks, and despite the chairman of Intuit being on Apple’s board of directors, the Mac QuickBooks is a tepid and frustrating program.

Bottom line, if you need a new PC, consider a Mac. You’re not really losing anything over getting a PC, and any notion of “costing more” will vanish the instant you recognize how reliable the system is. Recommended!

Post Script. If you do plan on getting a new Mac, wait a few weeks! Apple will most likely introduce new Macs next month, and at different prices. Next post I’ll discuss the Apple Curse, which is something you’ll need to get used to if you plan on becoming an Apple Freak.

4 Comments

  1. Actually, I think a serious gamer might just as well plunk in the money for a console. It would work out less expensive than a computer, and consoles are more powerful than even a PC in some specialized ways.

    One aspect I’m surprised that you did not mention is upgrading. On my notebook (a PC), all I need to do is remove four screws to get to the RAM. The battery lock is just a push-pop mechanism (zero screws!). Hard drive access is another few screws away. I can upgrade my notebook very easily if something goes wrong, and for cheap.

    With a Mac that isn’t really an option that I can see. Granted the reliability is maintained in part by the hardware-software locks, and most people rarely service their own machines, but upgrading together with software problems (most of the software I use has really poor support on Macs, if it exists at all – number crunching software) is the big reason I can’t go in for a Mac.

    Comment by sriksrid — February 28, 2009 @ 4:11 pm

  2. I didn’t mention upgrading because the people who ask me this question would never think of doing it themselves. They’re very hands off users. I think I owned my Mac SE for about a year before I finally cracked the case on it. I forget why I did. I still have the fancy tool used to jimmy the thing open.

    Comment by admin — February 28, 2009 @ 5:38 pm

  3. > from sriksrid :
    > … and consoles are more powerful than even a PC in some specialized ways.

    Back in 2004 I was eager to play the newly released Doom3. My 166 mhz pentium, with its 64 megs of RAM and 4 megs of video RAM, was clearly not up to the task, and no amount of upgrades was going to fix that.

    I spent some time on gaming discussion forums to find out exactly what kind of hardware I would need. Anytime someone suggested a game console, there were no shortage of naysayers who insisted that the really high-end visuals, such as shadows and other lighting effects, were not accurately reproduced on the ‘console’ versions. (Ultimately I went with a new PC).

    I am in no position to argue with Sriksrid. My only experience with a console is the Atari 2600 from back in 1981, which of course has no relevance now. It would be foolish to rely solely on the “expertise” of strangers on a public forum. However, I would be interested in hearing some other opinions on this matter.

    Comment by sean bernard — March 1, 2009 @ 7:38 pm

  4. One thing the PC will always have over a console is the ability to be upgraded. You can easily add more RAM, another hard drive, better video, plus other features. Also, I prefer to game with the mouse/keyboard combo than a gamepad, which doesn’t seem to be as responsive for me.

    BTW, Doom3 was one of the few games ported to the Mac, but the old OS 9, not OS X.

    Comment by admin — March 1, 2009 @ 8:16 pm

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