Mac or Win8?

Started by Garrett, July 14, 2014, 10:05:25 PM

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Garrett

Soon I'm going to be getting a new computer for my web design company, and was wanting everyone's input on what I should get. I've narrowed my options down towards two options between a Macintosh and a Dell. I won't be getting the computer until this fall. The computer will be the one I will be creating websites on for clients, so it also needs to run programs such as Photoshop, etc.

Apple Mac OSX Yosemite
128GB PCIe Flash Storage (bye-bye mechanical hard drives), 4GB RAM, and 9-hour battery. Price = $1,299 ($1,300)

The thing I don't like about this computer (except for it's price) is the lack of storage - 128GB does not sound like a lot based on today's standards. But everyone who owns a MacBook loves them and says they are a really good buy and to "forget" the price as they're well worth it.

I also found a cheaper Apple model ($1,199 I believe) that offered 500 GB Hard Drive and 4GB with OS X Mavericks (but I'm going to wait until they introduce OS X Yosemite.)

Dell 15" 3000 Series Latitude w/ Windows 7 Pro (option to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for no extra charge)
500GB Hard Drive, 4GB RAM, Unlisted battery life. Price = $729.00

This one may seem like a good buy and I like how it comes with Windows 7 Pro, with the option to upgrade to Windows 8. I'm not really in love with Windows 8 so if that is still an option (Windows 7) when I do buy, I'll get that.

The reason this is a hard decision is that I'm afraid that the support may dry up for Windows 7. I'm also wanting to "migrate" over to Mac and start using Macintosh products (thankfully they don't change the OS from something simple to something overly difficult) but am unsure if it is worth it or not. Money is a big factor, but I instead want the best value, even if it costs more.

Also - if I do get the Dell, should I upgrade Windows 8? Am I just thinking it is going to be worse than it actually is? Hopefully someone out there that uses Win8 can tell me how Windows 8 is like. Is it difficult, am I making it harder than what it is?

Thank You and your input is greatly appreciated! ~Garrett
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Jason

If you plan on running programs like Photoshop, you may want to consider more than 4gb of RAM.   

The harddrive space is on the lower end as well but I think they try to get you to use cloud storage for a lot of things these days. 

As for the platform -- Mac or PC -- that's really a personal choice. 

You may want to consider the software you plan on buying and make sure that it's supported on both platforms.  If not, that may sway your decision.

Here's the Windows lifecycle support page:  http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle

If you know you want to switch to Mac at some point for sure, then maybe you've already made your decision?  :)

Garrett

#2
I do want to switch to Mac in the future - I love how Mac offers better support and better products. But hate the prices.

But, I do think I'll be getting the Dell. It offers better specs at a lower price.

However, I'm really thinking about getting Windows 8.1 with the Dell due to the extended service dates and support (support for Win7 expires next year.)

Edit: I'm also going to be trying out Windows 8 on Friday at a meeting - hopefully I can get the hang of it. If not, than that may be a sign to buy Mac.
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akheir

#3
Don't get Windows 8 - terrible OS - nothing but hassles and complaints from all the users I know who have it...Win 7 *** PRO *** has corporate usage, and is still sold, with no end of sale date announced, so it will be supported for quite a while.  All businesses I know will be skipping Win 8/8.1...they still buy Win 7 Pro.

Also, consider the Lenovo ThinkPad T540p 20BE - I7/8/240SSD... :)

Good luck.
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Jason

Quote from: akheir on July 18, 2014, 08:51:59 AM
Also, consider the Lenovo ThinkPad T540p 20BE - I7/8/240SSD... :)

I have a T520.  It's been solid for what I use it for.

Garrett

#5
I'm actually going to buy the Mac 13" display with the 500 GB Hard Drive and 4 GB of RAM (but we'll configure it to 8 GB.) I like the software included with the Apple and have been wanting to switch to Apple software for a while now. I met with a technology person yesterday from a local university and we briefly touched on hardware and he said the Apple is probably is a solid choice. All the programs that I'm going to add on (Dreamweaver and Photoshop Elements CS6) should run flawlessly on the Apple.

However - the Mac does have something I don't like. The MacBook Pro I'm thinking about buying has bad reviews on the MagSafe 2 Power Adapter - has anyone had problems with this power adapter and is there any work around?

I appreciate everyone's input.
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Mark

#6
As someone who's worked on and personally owned all platforms (Windows, Linux, Mac) it really is up to personal choice and the needs of the end user as Jason said. Those who favor one over the other will try and tell you that Mac is better than PC or PC is better than Mac. OS X 10.8 is better than 10.9. Windows 7 is better than 8. Etc. And if you can't take a step back and figure out what's going to work for you without listening to the Mac and PC wars, then you could very well make an expensive mistake.

Honestly, when it comes down to it, they're both just as powerful as the other. On my setup, Photoshop runs just as buttery smooth on my Windows computer as it did on my Mac (before it died). Web development is just as easy using MAMP on OS X as it is with WAMP on Windows. Office documents are just as capable of getting the point across in Office on Windows or iWork on OS X (or Office for Mac). iTunes works just as well on Windows as it does on Mac. And so on.

There is a real problem within the PC world though, and that's manufactures. If you buy a cheap off the shelf desktop or laptop with low end specs and it's loaded up with a bunch of bloatware apps, of course it's going to run like sh*t compared to any off the shelf Mac desktops or laptops. But if you custom build a high end desktop, or even buy a high end desktop and get all the manufacturer's pre-installed software off of it, it'll go head to head with a Mac any day and work just as well. That's where Apple actually shines, they give you one choice in hardware and that's high end. From there, you can only make it faster.

For me, I run 2 high end custom built desktops (work and home) with Windows 8.1 and absolutely love them. I find Windows 8.1 to be snappy, fast, and extremely stable. Not to mention, with 'Ultra Fast Boot' setup and configured properly, a cold boot only takes a whopping 7 seconds.

When the time comes, would I ever buy another Mac, of course! Do I absolutely love Windows and Mac equally, sure do! But I also know how to optimize the crap out of both platforms.

So as you can see, it's a personal choice.


EDIT: I know this topic is a month old, this is just my input for anyone that stumbles on to the topic. ;)

Jason

Quote from: Mark on August 11, 2014, 11:42:25 AM
EDIT: I know this topic is a month old, this is just my input for anyone that stumbles on to the topic. ;)

It's very helpful regardless -- thanks!

Garrett

Thank You. I'm thinking I'm going to go with the MacBook Pro.
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