Thread: Mac v PC flamefest

I had to stop by the local Apple store today to pick up some software for my Macbook Air and was almost entranced by the 27" iMacs there. For someone who's used laptops for everything from homework to gaming over the past seven years, it's almost overwhelming.

But with that said, buying computer parts and upgrading seems pretty fun. I already have a Razer Tarantula, Destructor, Megalodon, Orochi, and Mamba. I've been plugging all this hardware into my Vaio, and it seems and looks pretty (really) stupid. PC it is, then! I'll probably be buying a MBP for college once the line gets refreshed in a few months (hopefully with an i7 Arrandale processor). From my experiences over the past few weeks, MBAs are good for surfing the web, chatting, listening to music, working on homework... and then the computer starts lagging up with it's pitiful 2GB of RAM. Pretty underpowered, but that's the sacrifice made to fit everything into such a svelte frame. Plugging a 24" Apple Cinema Display into it and calling it a day just won't cut it for anybody other than the Twitter/Facebook/Myspace addicts out there.

Oh, and...

Depends if you are going for an art degree or something real.

I see what you did thar.

You still haven't told us what you'll be using them for. "College" usually has a variety of differing subjects, each with their own demands on a computer.

I'm going into business, possibly computer science as a minor. I'm not going to be doing any heavy gaming on it, but I will be playing some light games like SC2, D3, etc. when they come out. Nothing that'll require a $4000 rig, though.

I listen to a lot of music, watch a moderate amount of movies, do some Photoshop work here and there... I can't say it'll be anything an iMac wouldn't be able to handle.

The iMac will be much nicer to work on in my opinion. You can easily dual-boot or use a VM for games and any Windows computing.

The one major failing is that I think the gaming lifetime of the iMac would be 3 years max. Considering it seems you as yet don't need to spend your own money on such things, that's not a very big issue.

Well since you recently got a Mac, do yourself a favor and build a killer PC.

Originally Posted by Bommando

Considering it seems you as yet don't need to spend your own money on such things, that's not a very big issue.

I work three hours/day on the weekdays and eight hours on Saturdays at a small bedding manufacturer in Dallas. Everything I own, I earn... which is why the price of iMacs are something major to consider as well. You can't deny that for the specs of the machines, you pay a premium for Macs.

And honestly, upgrading system parts sounds really fun for some reason.

So I guess I'm back to square one. Thanks for helping me make a more informed decision, guys! I'll be posting a build either tomorrow or the day afterwards. Maybe I could get some feedback?

Originally Posted by August

I work three hours/day on the weekdays and eight hours on Saturdays at a small bedding manufacturer in Dallas. Everything I own, I earn... which is why the price of iMacs are something major to consider as well.

My bad. I assumed your parents were paying, since you were of college age. It makes it all the more satisfying when you spend what you earn.

Good luck with the build

Originally Posted by Bommando

My bad. I assumed your parents were paying, since you were of college age. It makes it all the more satisfying when you spend what you earn.

Good luck with the build :)

No worries. Just trying to make it clear that I'm not one of those spoiled rich kid is all, and that price is definitely a consideration as well. :)

Thanks again for your help!