Ok so I seriously need a new desktop computer, my laptop is 4-5 years old and runs the dreaded windows vista. First I was set on getting a mac after dealing year after year with windows terrible lock-ups, crashes, hardware problems,slowness, and above all internet problems.
But after I did some research, people who worked with both Mac OS lion and Windows 7 claimed that windows 7 and Mac Lion are basically the same but the difference is that you can get an extremely powerful PC with 2 terabyte hard drive, 8 GB of Ram and a quadcore very powerful processor plus nice huge monitor for around 800-900 bucks while a Mac is 2000 something for a computer that is no where near as powerful. I've NEVER used a mac, but everyone always has one so I believed that they were somehow magic like they were extremely fast and things like that. Then they said it's only cosmetic novelty that will fade away within the first month. Do you mean to tell me all these people on youtube have bought macs before 7 came out? DON'T REPLY IF YOUR A MAC FANATIC, I only want opinion from people who work with both doing things like Photoshop, Write scores on the Computer, Corel painter and heavy software like After effects. I also heard that Vista was a 10000 pound brick on your processor and Windows 7 is light as a feather.

Do you want an overpriced, but pretty piece of junk that won't run 90% of the programs you want to use? Get a Mac.
If you want an actual computer you can use for things, get a PC.

I can't believe people are still even asking this question. Apple has a ridiculously strong advertising department, apparently. XP

Lions smash windows.

Ok before this devolves into a fanboy thread.
I HAVE BULLETPROOF WINDOWS!!!one!!11
I'm gonna come right out and say it, I've been called a fanboy for both camps...and oddly enough linux too. (M will enjoy that.)

I've used lion...for all of 20min, I have some experience with leopard and snow leopard. Generally there are some interesting features, (namely preview) that I miss... otherwise not really.
The most important point I can think of...is if you're gonna be playing ANY kind of games....go windows. 99% of the time its that simple.


the difference is that you can get an extremely powerful PC with 2 terabyte hard drive, 8 GB of Ram and a quadcore very powerful processor plus nice huge monitor for around 800-900 bucks while a Mac is 2000 something for a computer that is no where near as powerful.

Basically what you're describing is what I've come to know as "Apple tax" simply put... many times apple hardware is more expensive than their non-apple counterparts.


Then they said it's only cosmetic novelty that will fade away within the first month. Do you mean to tell me all these people on youtube have bought macs before 7 came out?
Not necesarily, some people just prefer them, some people don't know better. If we ignore the "cool factor" the major selling points for macs (in my experience) stability, lack of viruses, ease of use.

We'll tackle these in turn:
1. Stability: I didn't use Vista for long, I jumped almost directly from XP to 7. I didn't see any stability difference assuming you weren't a complete tard or had hardware issues.
2. Lack of Viruses: Watch what you download...don't be a retard and most of the time you'll be ok.
3. Ease of use: Again...no real difference just different ways to do things... I really liked the modifier keyboard layout but that was just me... little things I sometimes miss but no big deal.


I only want opinion from people who work with both doing things like Photoshop, Write scores on the Computer, Corel painter and heavy software like After effects.
I can only speak for Photoshop... and even then I don't use it myself but my brother does. Put bluntly its the same all around, its the same hardware the software is similar... PC gets you more "horsepower" for the same or less money. The only big thing I can think of that you might want to keep an eye on is the Mac Pro. Since it'll differ from consumer/enthusiast set ups in that it has ECC RAM...so you'd have to compare it to the xeon line coupled with the same RAM.


I also heard that Vista was a 10000 pound brick on your processor and Windows 7 is light as a feather.

From what I know Vista was bad... but it also had a terrible reputation. Since SP1 its not really that bad just still suffers from residual bad rep.

Basically...state your budget, your needs/uses as far as hardware and peripherals and we can make a more direct comparison. Also your technical ability be it software/hardware would help us give you a better picture.

Windows 7 is far better than Vista ever was. It's more stable, less crashes, and the security features are top notch compared to aftermarket virus protectors. 99% of the time, you don't even need to install one. I haven't installed a virus-protector in my Windows for a long time and so far, I didn't need to. Just don't be ignorant and start surfing some websites that you don't know or looks obviously suspicious.

As per 90% of Mac owners are mostly people who joined the Apple bandwagon or are not tech savvy. 90% of Mac users are not tech savvy and end up getting a Mac because they claim it's "user friendly," when in all, it just takes away the secondary button on your mouse and only takes you one click to open a file and carry on a command. Plus, most of the 90% are college students who wants it for looks and swallow up all the adverts from Apple that it's the "Popular" choice. Take away all that silver contemporary modern design, sleek ergonomics, and "virus-free" OS, and you're stuck with a mediocre $2000+ computer that is probably equivalent to a $800 PC laptop.

Plus,Macs are not really virus-free. There are viruses out there for Macs. The only problem is that there aren't that much impact compared to PC users, since most government database computers are PC-based as are 70% of the world population. Compared to PC and Mac users is a close ratio of 10:1. For every 10 PC owners, there's that one Mac user in that circle. Maybe even less.

In the end this my personal opinion.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a48/xspeed/iHate.jpg

Mac Lion = Primarily Mac Software with some third party, Mac hardware, smaller userbase -> Proprietary system (very strong program integration and software quality, but little to no variety and limited choices; usually 40%-60% more expensive due to soul sourcing)

Macs are weird. Now that I got that out of the way, here's why: They built their system around the concept of keeping things proprietary to guarantee functioning systems. This is why every Mac compatible product is almost always produced by apple (hence the apple tax). Now the odd part about Macs is that they tried to make their hardware plan simple, but the resulting OS has a learning curve like a Bell Curve: easy at first, really hard once you start to get into poweruser activities, and then gradually getting easier. It's really up to the user, but I find that for the not tech savvy, Apple limits the user's ability to customize their machine to what they want it to be. Also, don't be fooled, Macs still get viruses and Green Screens of Death all the time; the system just doesn't have enough people that understand these things to truly socialize it out.

Windows 7 = Third Party Software, Third Party hardware, very large userbase -> Closed System (very easy customization and large variety of software with many choices of programs that do the same thing. Third Party support is spotty, and could result in crashes)

Very few times is Windows actually the result of a crash, but it's more of the third party drivers that cause it. Most people out to best buy and bought a bunch of components and threw it in a previously existing system and expected it to work out of the box. It's a bit more complex than that, as you have to check if any of the hardware has conflicts with what you presently have (for example, using an ATI processor and an NVIDIA graphics card results in a performance drop of about 10% of said components, and adds an additional 20% chance of a system crashing due to driver conflict). In the same vein, I'm seen some absolutely fantastic setups on windows that is cost effective and also secure and stable.




All in all, it's about how you plan how to use your computer. Both OSes have pros and cons to them. Personally, I don't like either of them (linux geek here), but I'm not a fan of the 100% proprietary nature of Apple, since, if you don't like it, you're stuck with Apple software. I would choose... Windows XP or Windows 7.

^ The man speaks the truth.

Here's a tech geek fact on the blue screen of death in Windows OS systems. The blue screen signifies that either the memory has gone bad or the video card is going loopy. That's what the blue screen means. It doesn't mean Windows itself is bad, it's the third party drivers and components that isn't working properly. How would you know which one is bad? Most of the time, it's mostly the memory. If it's the video card, your display screen will not be working properly. Actually, you won't even be able to use your computer for a long time if that was the case, same goes with memory. If the memory is bad, you will be lucky to even get to the loading page of Windows.

Now there's also the Black Hole of Death. AKA Black screen. The black screen signifies that your processor has gone bad or your hard drive, but that's easily diagnosed. If it's your hard drive, your motherboard will be able to load up until it starts reading your drivers and it'll say that it failed to read your hard drives. That's how you know it's your hard drive. Now if it's your processor, all you're going to see is a black screen. No load up pages, no BIOS page, nothing. Your screen will just be a black void once you've pressed that "ON" button.

Hope that clarifies the meaning behind those pesky screens.

Never heard of a green screen of death... thought they were grey O_o then again my experience is post OSX.

Never heard of a green screen of death... thought they were grey O_o then again my experience is post OSX.

There's also a Grey, but the Green Screen of Death is a result of a borked Apple Graphics Card. It's almost identical to a Blue Screen of Death on windows as they're both essentially a hardware/driver issue. The Grey screen is the same thing as a frozen or hung application in windows.

So in short, Apple is potentially more stable because it's a closed system, Windows is less stable but offers better support for third party software.

^ Hence why a lot of college students/art students buy them. Plus, you can totally tell the difference between a hipster/trendster and a geek. Hipsters/trendsters = Apple lovers. Geeks = PC. Guess that makes me a geek. '___'

True that. I personally find the majority of Apple users pretentious.