Mac or Vista [Archive] - PMS | H2O Clan Website

PMS Saphira

04-19-2007, 09:45 PM

If you want to play the latest PC games, go for Windows. Period. Games come out for Windows first, and some games are never released for Mac or Linux. Even if I mess around with a different OS, I still keep a Windows partition specifically to run games.

Vista's not a bad OS, but you will need a more powerful PC than if you were going to run Windows XP.

I don't know much about Mac systems, it's been way too long since I used one. Some of the little things threw me off. 1-button mice for one. The Mac equivalent of the start menu was on the top of the screen instead of the bottom. Stuff like that.

edit: You do pay more for a Mac than a PC. The most cost-efficient way of doing things is to build your own PC if you have the skill to do it.

PaC isthe MaYNE

04-19-2007, 09:47 PM

i have a mac g4 ibook and it runs every game you could possibly want, plus you can edit your own drivers, i have a radeon 9600 for windows i figured out how to dual boot and now it runs it. also the virtual ram on a mac is equal to double that of a windows i have 1 gig ram in my ibook and it has never once froze.

MAC OS X Tiger(soon to be leoPard)FTW

H2O.pry0r

04-19-2007, 10:02 PM

Don't go for Vista. It's still too new. Go with a PC and Windows XP (I'm assuming you're wanting this for gaming). Now if you plan on doing video related editing then go with the MAC.

Murd0ck

04-19-2007, 10:17 PM

But how would I learn how to use a mac?

It's not hard at all.

Ender2492

04-20-2007, 05:24 PM

I heard its real different than a Windows. You think if I just messed around with it for a little bit I could figure it out by myself?

04-21-2007, 12:44 PM

But how would I learn how to use a mac?
Mac is straightforward, and it you need, it comes with a short guide book.You do pay more for a Mac than a PC.
Of course, cause you get more than what you pay for, thats why windows is so cheap.
1--button mice for one.They have 2 button ones now
The Mac equivalent of the start menu was on the top of the screen instead of the bottom. Stuff like that.They have a dock, which you can place all files/apps and open them with a click of a button...instead of having to go through the start -> program -> etc.
I heard its real different than a Windows. You think if I just messed around with it for a little bit I could figure it out by myself?It is different, but thus easier to understand. Also, you can run Windows on a Mac. Last i heard, Windows cant run Mac, well last I heard windows cant do **** but, you get the point

www.apple.com/bootcamp

If you need, Ill show you parallels, which lets you run windows WHILE running a Mac.

Ender2492

04-22-2007, 11:03 AM

Hm, Ill probably get an Apple then sounds pretty good. Just one more thing, does anybody know when Apple is planning on coming out with a new version of the mac? I dont want to buy an out of date computer you know? Also thanks for all your help, Krafty thanks for your long post you made.

You live in NY? I just went to NYC for spring break and saw the apple store over by fao swartz, pretty cool eh?

H2O rka

04-22-2007, 03:37 PM

i think vista looses to 2000pro...

XP= GOOD

mac = good for professional use.

like TR said mac can do windows too...but what the hell is the point of having a mac pc with windows in it?

the software still TRASH.

MAC is no DIF when it comes to hardware. Besides supporting 16 gigs

I believe windows XP will only do 3 gigs and vista 32 bit will only do 4 or 8 gigs.

64 bit will do all.

Mac processor is made by intel 0.o
video card is dif i think....

so why wud still get a mac for 4K when the pc will cost 1.5K for the same ammount of hardware

*********thats my opnion

***********info i posted may vary cuz im not sure in some info.

MechAngel

04-22-2007, 04:36 PM

I need to use both Mac and WIndows so I got a MacBook Pro, and you can download bootcamp, buy a copy of XP, and then you choose whether you want to boot in Windows or OS X when you turn it on. Dont get Vista until they have released at least one service pack for it.

"like TR said mac can do windows too...but what the hell is the point of having a mac pc with windows in it?"

So you can run Windows apps without having to use a second laptop...
Being able to switch between windows and MAc OSX at the push of a button is the best thing ever.

"so why wud still get a mac for 4K when the pc will cost 1.5K for the same amount of hardware"

My macbook pro cost under 2K, and it blows my PC laptop that cost just as much out of the water when it comes to speed and power. The graphics card is wonderful.

04-22-2007, 05:09 PM

Apple is planning on coming out with a new version of the mac? I dont want to buy an out of date computer you know? Also thanks for all your help, Krafty thanks for your long post you made.
Thats where you are out of luck. They already released the new Core 2 Duo Intel-based Macs, while I got stuck with the Core Duo's. Even if you buy this one, later on they will come out with a better one, the only thing I dont like about them. But either way, your Mac will still hold up software-wise for a long time, and you can always take it in for upgrade.

You live in NY? I just went to NYC for spring break and saw the apple store over by fao swartz, pretty cool eh?
Yes, this is until school ends, then im going to college in Atlanta, Georgia. And there is an Apple store in the mall near me also.

H2O rka

04-22-2007, 07:53 PM

My macbook pro cost under 2K, and it blows my PC laptop that cost just as much out of the water when it comes to speed and power. The graphics card is wonderful.

i meant PC not laptop....laptops u can just comapre out of the blue..there are version to compare face to face.

OneLess PMS

04-25-2007, 02:41 AM

Mac!!

PMS Chocolate

04-26-2007, 12:39 PM

Mac. :)

Viper897

04-26-2007, 01:27 PM

In my opinion Macs seem to be great for photo and video editing but not the best for gaming, I'm also an engineer so ill generally always have a PC as they don't make much in the line of engineering programs that interface well with Mac's. My next machine will have vista on it only cause I want to take advantege of DX10, and it wont get built until next year most likely. as for learning how to use a mac I've played around with some my friends macs and they aren't to hard to pick up on the ins and outs. Again this is just my opinion.

04-26-2007, 08:08 PM

i meant PC not laptop....laptops u can just comapre out of the blue..there are version to compare face to face.
Even so, still blows PC's away.

PMS Chocolate

04-26-2007, 09:00 PM

Even so, still blows PC's away.

Yeah...Macs honestly do beat out PCs in basically everything except perhaps these things...affordability, universality (but it's becoming a lot more common to see places welcome both types of computers for example), and selection/availability of games (Mac does get the good games eventually usually...it just takes more work to wait, find, and get them).

But I will always be a Mac lover no matter what. They can do everything a PC does, only better :)...and yes, they may be more expensive...but I definitely believe that "you get what you pay for." :) Go with a Mac!

PMS Unique

04-27-2007, 05:53 PM

l F0CUS l

04-27-2007, 09:40 PM

I wish Mac and PC would cooperate in creating an amazing operating system...

Something with very few security flaws, that people across the world would be able to utilize.... and I realize that it isn't possible at all... :(

Viper897

04-28-2007, 10:53 AM

I don't know that you could really get rid of the security issues, the reason Macs and people who use Linux don't have security issues is its not worth the time for someone to make a virus for them cause there are so few people using those OS, so getting everyone to run the same operating system although in theory would make computing easier , we would still have security issues, maybe not as many but we would still have them.

05-05-2007, 08:21 AM

mac is way behind the curve when it comes to using your computer as a DVRAre you sure? Or is it that barely anyone using a computer for DVR? Thought so..
I wish Mac and PC would cooperate in creating an amazing operating system...One of my teachers said both creators we're roomates in college.

the reason Macs and people who use Linux don't have security issues is its not worth the time for someone to make a virus for them cause there are so few people using those OS
So you would perfer to get a system that does contain viruses?

PMS Unique

05-05-2007, 11:24 AM

Are you sure? Or is it that barely anyone using a computer for DVR? Thought so..

You kind of clipped that a bit didn't you? You left out the part about extender funtion. The Xbox 360 is a Media Center extender out of the box, and there are several other inexpensive extender devices available. I have my Media Center PC in my living room hooked up to my 42" LCD. I have a 360 in my bedroom hooked up to a 37" LCD. I have a 360 in my game room hooked up to an old CRT. Now I am able to access the Media Center DVR function on all of my TV's. Please correct me if I am wrong, but even if you have a TV tuner / PVR card on your mac, there is no way to extend that funtion to other devices in your home. I would have the PC and the 360's anyway, so basically; I have Tivo with no subscription fee, on all of my TV's for the small expense of just one TV tuner / PVR card. And yeah, there are millions of PC users who use Media Center, that's why Media Center was included as part of the Vista OS. In fact, there are probably more PC users who use Media Center, than there are total Mac users.

And you can bet that if 90 percent of computer users used a mac instead of a windows pc; mac would have the same security issues as windows, and windows would be the system that hackers basically ignored. When it comes to computer security, there is safety in being part of the small minority. That may well change as more windows users adopt Vista, as I have read that Vista is more secure than OS X. Of course with good anti-virus, a firewall, and a little common sense; viruses aren't an issue on either system.

Viper897

05-05-2007, 10:09 PM

TR i wasn't trying to say that i would prefer to get an OS that has viruses in it, i was just stating the fact that the reason Linux and Mac OS users don't see viruses is cause there are so few of them. And i have to agree with PMS Unique in what she said that if there were as many mac users as windows they would have the same issues.

Pabz

05-06-2007, 09:08 PM

dont go with mac
mac= no gaming

id just go for vista.

Nakashige H2O

05-07-2007, 06:04 PM

ya vista is very demanding with all of vistas setting enabled it takes about a gig of memory.
and it kills laptop battery life if you can even run the areo glass.

asphix

06-14-2007, 09:01 AM

Yeah can somebody tell me really which one would be better for me... Im thinking about upgrading and want to know if I should get vista or buy a mac. The only bad thing is that I dont know how to use an apple :mad: so Im probably leaning towards windows vista. Anybody have some pros and cons for me?

Thanks

With the recent announcements at WWDC regarding gaming support on the mac (http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/06/11/gaming-to-come-back-in-a-big-way-to-os-x)along with a nice presentation by John Carmak of his new 3D gaming engine that decision may become a bit more difficult.

Before that, if the choice was between Vista and Mac I'd have recommended Vista. If you are computer literate enough I'd recommend trying to purchase a PC without an OS and then pick up a retail version of Vista - the lisence is backwards compatible so you can install XP using your Vista lisence and upgrade once vendors release more stable drivers (i may be mistaken and that may only be applicable to the enterprise/business versions.. I'm pretty sure retail versions - not OEM - would allow it though).

As for pros & cons.. this is quckly how I see it

Vista Pros
------
Theoretically more game support
Direct X 10
Windows Live! (if you have an x360 since the account is transferable.. no point paying for it if you are only a PC gamer and cant use the x360 functionality)
Larger user base - more software

Mac Pros
------
Arguably more stable
Sleek and cool
Great support from the open source community
Very intuitive and user friendly

Vista Cons
------
Software/Hardware vendors are still playing catchup with support
Has other issues along with major changes to get used to

Mac Cons
------
Lack of game support and mainstream vendor support
Lack of upgrade capabilities
Expensive in regards to its feature set if you arent going to use what is provided standard (firewire 800, etc)

Personally, as for learning curve.. you'll spend just as much time figuring out how to use Vista as you would using OSX. personally If i were in the market for a laptop I'd definitely pick up a macbook pro.. however in the desktop space I'll stick with something running windows (or windows through linux).

SuperSaiyan4

06-20-2007, 04:24 AM

Windows XP.

Gamer + (Vista | | Mac) = Bad
Gamer + Windows XP = Good

:)

Video card drivers for Vista. Believe me. I have had vista for over two years now. And got Vista business two weeks early. And i still despise it for gaming. = teh suck

You have had Windows Vista for over 2yrs now? I didn't know they made time machines...

Anyways I say stay away from Mac's.

Windows Vista is very power hungry but its great interface and very user friendly I say Vista all the way!

H2O Galang

06-20-2007, 05:10 AM

I'm into Windows Media Center. AFAIK, mac is way behind the curve when it comes to using your computer as a DVR and being able to extend that function to other computers's and extender devices on your home network, such as your 360. After I get my 360 Elite on Sunday, it will be like having a Tivo with an 800 gig HD on each of my TV's.

Vista still has a few bugs with setting up extenders, but once you get them set up it runs beautifully.

http://www.nullriver.com/index/products/connect360

BOOM, there yah go! Connect your 360 with your Mac! Ohh snap didnt see that coming :D
----Double Post Merged----

And you can bet that if 90 percent of computer users used a mac instead of a windows pc; mac would have the same security issues as windows, and windows would be the system that hackers basically ignored. When it comes to computer security, there is safety in being part of the small minority. That may well change as more windows users adopt Vista, as I have read that Vista is more secure than OS X. Of course with good anti-virus, a firewall, and a little common sense; viruses aren't an issue on either system.

There are no viruses on Mac! And you know a big reason why? Because OSX is basically a souped up version of UNIX, one of the most secure OS's for ages.

PMS Unique

07-18-2007, 02:28 PM

http://www.nullriver.com/index/products/connect360

BOOM, there yah go! Connect your 360 with your Mac! Ohh snap didnt see that coming :D
<hr>-Double Post Merged<hr>-

.

Actually Connect 360 just allows you to share music and photos with your 360. It does not give you the myriad of other fucntions that you can have on your 360 if you have a Vista or Media Center PC on the same network, such as; web browsing, video playback including DivX, watching and recording live TV, watching and scheduling recorded TV and access to other programs and services accessible through Media Center.

H2O Galang

07-18-2007, 09:26 PM

Connect360 now supports WMV+WMA, H.264 and MPEG4 video sharing, allowing you to stream HD quality video right to your living room

BABYSPICE101

07-18-2007, 09:41 PM

i want a apple i had vista btu it didint work and i dont have my old recorvy disk so like it messed up my log in

AnD Alex

07-18-2007, 10:50 PM

As someone said before. Macintosh computers in my opinion are better for photo video editing and other "work" software. Windows would be more suitable for a person who uses computers, but in your first post you didnt specify what you were going to do with the computer, if you gave us more info on that we can help you a lot more on making your decision.

Edit: I use a Macintosh computer, I dont use it for games but i use it for things like Photoshop, Gimp, and the whole adobe suite.
Macintosh computer are very easy to use. I find that Windows are harder and more complex

2nd Edit: www.mac.com for info on macs ;)

H2O.pry0r

07-18-2007, 10:50 PM

PC + Windows XP + Fedora Core 6 Linux in dual boot = win

Depending on what you plan on doing with your computer should be what determines if you get a MAC or PC.

H2O Galang

07-19-2007, 12:10 AM

PC + Windows XP + Fedora Core 6 Linux in dual boot = win

Depending on what you plan on doing with your computer should be what determines if you get a MAC or PC.

haha i have kinda the same kinda setup, Win-Xp, OSX and Ubuntu

H2O.pry0r

07-19-2007, 02:55 PM

haha i have kinda the same kinda setup, Win-Xp, OSX and Ubuntu

I prefer Fedora over Ubuntu. I guess I feel more at home with Fedora. Maybe I'm just too used to it and can't break away from it. Oh well, Linux is Linux I guess :p

Maverick

07-21-2007, 11:11 AM

I've done both, iBook G5 and Vista. I can't say I really prefer one over the other completely though. They're just better at different things. So I think it really depends on what you feel like using it for.

Macs are definitely better creative-wise. Their functionality tops Vista by far. {Macs = user-friendly + creativeness + awesome}

Vista is compatible with basically everything. If you want to play games, go with Vista. {Vista = compatible + gaming + awesome}

{Also, the switch from Mac to Windows and back really isn't that big of a deal. You just have to get used to keyboard shortcuts and stuff being different.}

Hope I helped! :mvreallyhappy:

Look Its a Panda

08-02-2007, 06:46 PM

"A Mac is not bad. A Mac is a computer. The problem comes in when people who use Macs treat them like a licence to behave like an a-hole."

Kestral H2O

08-02-2007, 11:03 PM

Neither is good for gaming

head for XP :D

Nakashige H2O

08-03-2007, 02:40 PM

2000 pro

PMS Tonina311

08-03-2007, 03:30 PM

i use mac. i've had the same one this 2 past years (but i'm changing it now :P) and in this time it has never given me, NOT EVEN ONE problem. it's fantastic... pc's are more vulnerable. if you're looking for graphic perfomance mac is the choice

Tripletwenty

08-04-2007, 08:05 PM

uhm xp lol

H2O Zax

08-06-2007, 05:20 AM

I've recently got a Vista PC and rather then spend twice as much for a gaming one i just got an entertainment one, 500GB Hard Drive an internet connection, glassy menus and a media player are enough for me.

Never tried a Mac, all i know about them is that they're not quite as common as PCs but most people who've tried them seem to really like them. How good of a Mac could i have got for about $1600-$2000.

H2O Galang

08-06-2007, 08:09 AM

ItsRipley

08-13-2007, 12:13 AM

Mac if you're doing anything graphics related.

PC for gaming. Although, I play the Sims on my Mac and it's pretty decent, it's still kind of difficult to not only find games (that's changing) for Mac OS but they just run smoother on a PC.

miss chanel

10-04-2007, 09:11 PM

i heard that vista shuts cs down randomly because it thinks that CS is a trojan virus

Stasis

10-04-2007, 09:15 PM

meh, vista sucks, I'm sticking with xp until theres a service pack for vista, or I get a new comp

Nakashige H2O

10-04-2007, 09:22 PM

vixta linux it looks very close to vista

Celestial Wurm

10-04-2007, 09:31 PM

Mac, I'm a graphic designer and makes are industry standard, **** Vista and PC in general.

Viper897

10-05-2007, 01:27 AM

i heard that vista shuts cs down randomly because it thinks that CS is a trojan virus

Havent heard of that one since the beta, I know a number of friends who have vista and havent had that issue as of yet and they are running vista ultimate.

Gun Monkey

10-05-2007, 02:58 AM

Your real answers should be "windows XP or Linux?"

DO NOT GO FOR A MAC OR VISTA. I used Vista for one hour. It crashed twice and failed to function 4 times. Any tech you talk to you will tell you it is abysmal. Wait until XP is no longer supported, and then wait another year. Then ask again before upgrading. I was given a FREE copy of it, and I still haven't installed (through my college's tech program, no its not illegal).

Macs are really just a form of linux that you pay a fortune for.

Celestial Wurm

10-05-2007, 03:52 AM

Well, it seems to me like Mac is winning, that's if we're keeping score I mean :P.

CrazyLSU

10-05-2007, 06:09 AM

I am running Vista. I love it. It took some getting used to after switching from xp. I have not had any problems that I didnt have already when I was on Xp.

Spudnut

10-05-2007, 02:19 PM

im a computer tech and I think Vista is BLEH i dont use mac but i know its faster but personally i like xp

Celestial Wurm

10-05-2007, 03:01 PM

Crazy, are you kidding me? Doesn't Vista have like a billion compatibility errors and what not?

"The only good thing about Vista is that even the viruses have compatibility issues." :P.

s0urz

10-06-2007, 11:51 AM

It's all what you prefer but all in all don't get vista, too many vulnerabilities too many glitchy things the plugins don't work, it's a bad operating system until it's regulated in another 2 years, I wouldn't use it. For a Graphic Designer and graphical user I suggest a Mac, But for a gamer I suggest Windows XP. Much easier to run a more stable filesystem, and you don't have to worry about backward compatibility with XP, for your major "teenage necessities". Or if you're into researching and learning things I'd think a free version of linux, it's not simple but you'd go basically spyware and virus free it's nothing to be against, it's open source, so it's free, I dual boot it with windows xp when i'm on the forums n'such =]

NeoValkyrion

10-07-2007, 06:17 PM

"The only good thing about Vista is that even the viruses have compatibility issues."

Okay, that made me laugh.

Now time to bring in my technical expertise and love of argument.

So, first thing first...DO NOT BUY A MAC. Here's why.

1. Gaming - There's no situation where you should ever use a Mac for gaming. First off, the number of games on Macintosh is laughable. So unless you really like playing Starcraft without a right-click, you're not going to be playing any games on a Mac.

2. Upgrading - Here's how you upgrade a Mac. You take a sledgehammer. You bring the heavy end down on your computer. You go out and buy a new one.

3. User-base - Despite the growing popularity of Macintosh computers, they still make up a very small percentage of the market. And because of this, the majority of software is still made for Windows operating systems. Meaning that you will always be able to do infinitely more on a Windows machine than you will on a Mac.

Those are three of the biggest reasons, if you want I can bring in a whole armada of anti-Mac facts.

So, assuming you take the wise path and stay away from Macintosh with a ten-foot pole, you have a choice between Windows XP and Windows Vista. There are a few points that were raised about Vista which have been remedied in the past month that may help in your decision.

1. Game Compatability - Yes, yes, this was a problem. I had it not too long ago, but then, lo and behold, I used the internet to find a solution. There was a problem that high-end games, especially if they were running at high settings, would crash mid-game to desktop. The reason for this was the amount of video memory that Vista assigned per these games was not great enough to meet the requirements of the software, and Windows released a hotfix that resolved this problem. There are some other compatability issues, but the majority can be resolved.

2. Vulnerabilities - No. Windows Defender, combined with the UAC, is more than enough to repel anything on your system. If you're still feeling unsafe, you can go and download most of the great anti-virus programs you used on XP. (AVG Free)

I've been using Vista for a month for homework, gaming, and everything else a 17-year old nerd needs with no major problems whatsoever. A lot of people ridicule Windows OS's for their problems, but that's only because the majority of computer users are still using Windows. Windows Vista is sleek, sexy, and very easy to use (provided you haven't limited yourself to a Macintosh and have trouble with intuitivity), with a load of improvements over XP that made the jump over worth it. Yes, there are problems. If you want to optimize how your computer runs, Windows XP will be far better. You may cross a compatability issue, or a driver problem, but a simple search of the internet will present you with solutions other people have come up with to use until Service Pack 1 comes out. Almost every PC user will eventually be using Vista sooner or later (Provided Vienna doesn't come out too soon), so you might as well get yourself accustomed. DirectX 10, a host of new useful software (Windows Movie Maker >>>> iMovie), and a similarity to prior Windows OS was more than enough to justify my own upgrade.

However, if you want to play it safe, or don't want to spend a lot of money on meeting the technical reqs for Vista, then go ahead and grab Windows XP.

Just don't buy a Mac.

PMS Unique

10-12-2007, 03:27 PM

I'm wondering how many of the people that are bashing vista have actually USED Vista. The final version, not the beta; the beta was not nearly as polished as the final version.

I think most of the people that are bashing vista are just parroting the things they have heard and read and have never actually used it for themselves, which would make their opinions on vista virtually worthless.

I can't tell you anything about vista for gaming. I'm not a pc gamer, but if you are in to multi-media; vista is all that, a bag of chips AND a soda.

Upgrading to vista... $199
Upgrading my RAM and vid card.... $300
The ability to use each of my XBox 360's as an 860 gig Tivo.... Priceless

Hellfish

10-16-2007, 02:14 PM

I have used vista for the last month. Before that I was using osX for 6 months. I am surprised to tell you that I prefer vista.

I prefer the graphic interface. I love using alot of programs simply not avaliable for the mac. It's nice to have the flexibility to game freely. It actually is running more stable than osx (go fig). If problems do arise it self diagnoses and patches itself. I find it easier to diagnose problems. I find it has more usefull features (widgets etc.).

Cooky

10-16-2007, 02:59 PM

Using Vista, right now, only because I code and program, windows is friendlier. However I prefer neither, linux is the way to go.

m1ke

10-17-2007, 05:34 PM

LOL, learning to use a mac is an oxymoron. all you have to do is spend an hour with a mac and you can use the majority of the machine. They aren't complicated machines. Vista on the other hand asks you if you want to do anything 5 times before you can actually do it. I will eventually get Vista but not yet. I would stick with Xp for now.

s0urz

10-23-2007, 08:45 AM

Okay, that made me laugh.

Now time to bring in my technical expertise and love of argument.

So, first thing first...DO NOT BUY A MAC. Here's why.

1. Gaming - There's no situation where you should ever use a Mac for gaming. First off, the number of games on Macintosh is laughable. So unless you really like playing Starcraft without a right-click, you're not going to be playing any games on a Mac.

2. Upgrading - Here's how you upgrade a Mac. You take a sledgehammer. You bring the heavy end down on your computer. You go out and buy a new one.

3. User-base - Despite the growing popularity of Macintosh computers, they still make up a very small percentage of the market. And because of this, the majority of software is still made for Windows operating systems. Meaning that you will always be able to do infinitely more on a Windows machine than you will on a Mac.

Those are three of the biggest reasons, if you want I can bring in a whole armada of anti-Mac facts.

So, assuming you take the wise path and stay away from Macintosh with a ten-foot pole, you have a choice between Windows XP and Windows Vista. There are a few points that were raised about Vista which have been remedied in the past month that may help in your decision.

1. Game Compatability - Yes, yes, this was a problem. I had it not too long ago, but then, lo and behold, I used the internet to find a solution. There was a problem that high-end games, especially if they were running at high settings, would crash mid-game to desktop. The reason for this was the amount of video memory that Vista assigned per these games was not great enough to meet the requirements of the software, and Windows released a hotfix that resolved this problem. There are some other compatability issues, but the majority can be resolved.

2. Vulnerabilities - No. Windows Defender, combined with the UAC, is more than enough to repel anything on your system. If you're still feeling unsafe, you can go and download most of the great anti-virus programs you used on XP. (AVG Free)

I've been using Vista for a month for homework, gaming, and everything else a 17-year old nerd needs with no major problems whatsoever. A lot of people ridicule Windows OS's for their problems, but that's only because the majority of computer users are still using Windows. Windows Vista is sleek, sexy, and very easy to use (provided you haven't limited yourself to a Macintosh and have trouble with intuitivity), with a load of improvements over XP that made the jump over worth it. Yes, there are problems. If you want to optimize how your computer runs, Windows XP will be far better. You may cross a compatability issue, or a driver problem, but a simple search of the internet will present you with solutions other people have come up with to use until Service Pack 1 comes out. Almost every PC user will eventually be using Vista sooner or later (Provided Vienna doesn't come out too soon), so you might as well get yourself accustomed. DirectX 10, a host of new useful software (Windows Movie Maker >>>> iMovie), and a similarity to prior Windows OS was more than enough to justify my own upgrade.

However, if you want to play it safe, or don't want to spend a lot of money on meeting the technical reqs for Vista, then go ahead and grab Windows XP.

Just don't buy a Mac.

Vulnerabilities thats a lie..There still are thousands of vulnerabilities out there that Microsoft hasn't found, if you look in the big world wide interwebs, you can find some of them. Most common vulnerabilities having to do with the Kernel, etc etc, many core components. So many flaws with Vista so far, wait until the second service pack or something. Until then use XP, theres no reason at all to upgrade yet... Oh and AVG,etc etc, isn't going to stop a good hacker to stop from breaking in..Take it from a WhiteHat.

H2O Galang

10-24-2007, 02:24 AM

Okay, that made me laugh.

Now time to bring in my technical expertise and love of argument.

So, first thing first...DO NOT BUY A MAC. Here's why.

1. Gaming - There's no situation where you should ever use a Mac for gaming. First off, the number of games on Macintosh is laughable. So unless you really like playing Starcraft without a right-click, you're not going to be playing any games on a Mac.

2. Upgrading - Here's how you upgrade a Mac. You take a sledgehammer. You bring the heavy end down on your computer. You go out and buy a new one.

3. User-base - Despite the growing popularity of Macintosh computers, they still make up a very small percentage of the market. And because of this, the majority of software is still made for Windows operating systems. Meaning that you will always be able to do infinitely more on a Windows machine than you will on a Mac.

Those are three of the biggest reasons, if you want I can bring in a whole armada of anti-Mac facts.

So, assuming you take the wise path and stay away from Macintosh with a ten-foot pole, you have a choice between Windows XP and Windows Vista. There are a few points that were raised about Vista which have been remedied in the past month that may help in your decision.

1. Game Compatability - Yes, yes, this was a problem. I had it not too long ago, but then, lo and behold, I used the internet to find a solution. There was a problem that high-end games, especially if they were running at high settings, would crash mid-game to desktop. The reason for this was the amount of video memory that Vista assigned per these games was not great enough to meet the requirements of the software, and Windows released a hotfix that resolved this problem. There are some other compatability issues, but the majority can be resolved.

2. Vulnerabilities - No. Windows Defender, combined with the UAC, is more than enough to repel anything on your system. If you're still feeling unsafe, you can go and download most of the great anti-virus programs you used on XP. (AVG Free)

I've been using Vista for a month for homework, gaming, and everything else a 17-year old nerd needs with no major problems whatsoever. A lot of people ridicule Windows OS's for their problems, but that's only because the majority of computer users are still using Windows. Windows Vista is sleek, sexy, and very easy to use (provided you haven't limited yourself to a Macintosh and have trouble with intuitivity), with a load of improvements over XP that made the jump over worth it. Yes, there are problems. If you want to optimize how your computer runs, Windows XP will be far better. You may cross a compatability issue, or a driver problem, but a simple search of the internet will present you with solutions other people have come up with to use until Service Pack 1 comes out. Almost every PC user will eventually be using Vista sooner or later (Provided Vienna doesn't come out too soon), so you might as well get yourself accustomed. DirectX 10, a host of new useful software (Windows Movie Maker >>>> iMovie), and a similarity to prior Windows OS was more than enough to justify my own upgrade.

However, if you want to play it safe, or don't want to spend a lot of money on meeting the technical reqs for Vista, then go ahead and grab Windows XP.

Just don't buy a Mac.

OSX with Boot Camp running Win XP...game, set, match. People who hate macs usually cant afford one.

KRL87

10-24-2007, 09:25 AM

OSX with Boot Camp running Win XP...game, set, match. People who hate macs usually cant afford one.

Oh snap.
Mac is now..
Pc's are a thing of the past..

PMS Unique

10-24-2007, 01:03 PM

Oh snap.
Mac is now..
Pc's are a thing of the past..

PC's are a thing of the past, present and future. In the near future, when a computer becomes an indispensable part of your home entertainment center; it will definately be a PC and not a Mac. Macs are ages behind in that area.

l F0CUS l

10-24-2007, 01:27 PM

Vulnerabilities thats a lie..There still are thousands of vulnerabilities out there that Microsoft hasn't found, if you look in the big world wide interwebs, you can find some of them. Most common vulnerabilities having to do with the Kernel, etc etc, many core components. So many flaws with Vista so far, wait until the second service pack or something. Until then use XP, theres no reason at all to upgrade yet... Oh and AVG,etc etc, isn't going to stop a good hacker to stop from breaking in..Take it from a WhiteHat.

Completely true. There will always be a vulnerability for every single Operating System. You can't protect yourself from it completely.

10-24-2007, 03:00 PM

In the near future, when a computer becomes an indispensable part of your home entertainment center; it will definately be a PC and not a Mac. Macs are ages behind in that area.LMAO!

PMS Unique

10-24-2007, 04:49 PM

LMAO!

Are you laughing at using a computer in your entertainment center?

Or the fact that it will be a PC and not a Mac?

If it is the latter, please name anything on the Mac that comes close to matching Windows Media Center? It will need to be able to record up to 4 high def signals at one time. It will also need to be able to transmit those signals or any pre-recorded signals to 5 different extender devices located through out your home, at one time. Oh, and those extenders will need to be able to talk back to the Mac and tell it what else to record.

Hint..... you're not going to find it.... because Mac doesn't have it.

H2O Galang

10-24-2007, 10:56 PM

PMS Unique

10-25-2007, 07:39 AM

Why would we need to record the shows? ever heard of torrents.....they have programs for mac that sit in the background and download whatever shows you want! (mac peeps its called TV Shows) Not to mention the have a program called Connect360 that tricks the XBOX 360 into thinking its a PC and streams your stuff to the 360.....and i dont need cables everywhere. If i wanted to stream my stuff everywhere i would get a slingbox pro

That is not equivalent to Media Center at all. Not even close. To download a torrent you have to sit at the PC and search for the torrent, start the DL, then wait for it to DL; and this will all go by the assumption that you have no qualms about breaking copyright laws and have no problem with risking a hefty fine. Connect 360 is not equivalent to Media Center either. It can not watch live TV, or schedule recordings. All it can do is watch things that have already been recorded or downloaded.

Windows Media Center turns your PC and any connected device (btw the connections can be wireless) into a DVR/Tivo device that requires no monthly subscription fee. It can be used to watch/ pause live TV. Schedule a single recording, or a whole series. Watch any multi-media that you have on your PC. Play music and playlists. Watch photo slideshows. Connect to popular online movie renting services. Connect to online news video services. You name it. All without ever actually touching a mouse or a keyboard. And one PC can stream all of this to up to five extenders at the same time.

Because my XBox 360's are connected to a Windows Media Center PC, they are the ONLY thing I need to hook up to a TV (other than a good audio receiver) to have every entertainment option at the touch of the XBox remote. Oh and they play great games too.

s0urz

10-26-2007, 05:43 AM

That is not equivalent to Media Center at all. Not even close. To download a torrent you have to sit at the PC and search for the torrent, start the DL, then wait for it to DL; and this will all go by the assumption that you have no qualms about breaking copyright laws and have no problem with risking a hefty fine. Connect 360 is not equivalent to Media Center either. It can not watch live TV, or schedule recordings. All it can do is watch things that have already been recorded or downloaded.

Windows Media Center turns your PC and any connected device (btw the connections can be wireless) into a DVR/Tivo device that requires no monthly subscription fee. It can be used to watch/ pause live TV. Schedule a single recording, or a whole series. Watch any multi-media that you have on your PC. Play music and playlists. Watch photo slideshows. Connect to popular online movie renting services. Connect to online news video services. You name it. All without ever actually touching a mouse or a keyboard. And one PC can stream all of this to up to five extenders at the same time.

Because my XBox 360's are connected to a Windows Media Center PC, they are the ONLY thing I need to hook up to a TV (other than a good audio receiver) to have every entertainment option at the touch of the XBox remote. Oh and they play great games too.

Can't forget the great games eh :P?

Black Capone

12-11-2007, 05:16 PM

Funny, until l saw this, l was going to ask the same question. Well, l've used a Windows PC ever since we first got one, which was a long time ago, it couldn't do a damn thing, and it blew my mind away!!!!! Now, since l use iTunes (l LOVE MY iPOD!!!!), l wish we had a Mac. My grandfather's cousin has Vista, and says that as long as you know how to use it, it's a good system, however, from looking on Apple's website and reading what they said about their Mac's, it said that "if you can use iTunes, you know how to use a Mac", it seems that if l had the money, l'd by a Mac. l don't use any PC or laptop for gaming whatsoever; l use it for talking to people (like on the good ol' forums of PMS:D), and for music, so really, since l love iTunes more than any other program on the laptop l'm using now, and all l really use is Windows Word for a script l'm working on, if you're like me, l'd buy a Mac. iTunes is so easy, l can literally find everything without having to search through random folders like on this laptop. Like l've heard countless times, Windows is for business, Mac is user friendly, whether or not you believe this is up to you.

12-11-2007, 07:14 PM

Here's something I'd like to add mow that its been bumped:
The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year is a Mac. Try that again: The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year--or for that matter, ever--is a Mac. Not a Dell, not a Toshiba, not even an Alienware. The $2419 (plus the price of a copy of Windows Vista, of course) MacBook Pro's PC WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 88 beats Gateway's E-265M by a single point, but the MacBook's score is far more impressive simply because Apple couldn't care less whether you run Windows
http://www.macrumors.com/2007/12/04/get-a-mac-ads-misprint-boxer/

Nakashige H2O

12-11-2007, 10:15 PM

i have been running vista since the alpha stages in some way using it everyday.
on my gaming system i run windows vista bussness
on my laptop for school i run vista and gentoo

xEnOnE

12-14-2007, 02:27 AM

my honest opinion? Stay with XP, vista is a bunch of crap, I hear nothing good about it lol
unless you want full dx10 support.

KraZ

12-17-2007, 08:16 PM

Well this thread is rather entertaining to read. A lot of passion going on it seems... I've been using quite a lot of different systems over the years. From the craptastic CP/M on a junky 8bit Amstrad booting off a flimsy 3inch floppy (or worse... cassette!!) to some obscure 64 bits SPARC OpenBSD and of course just about every incarnation of Windows and Mac OS there is... And if there's one thing that all this fantastic amount of wasted time and energy has taught me (aside from "I should get a life" ) is that a computer is just some piece of machinery (albeit very advanced) that adds stupendously fast and... they *ALL* suck. In particular all *OS* suck no matter how you look at them in one way or another. Yes that includes Linux, *BSD, Solaris, Windows, MacOS WHATEVER.

I think there is no single best answer to computing nirvana. Also, saying a mac suck over a PC (and vice versa) is rather ignorant since... well... for instance, your fancy mac book pro's components are about 99% identical to that of a plebeians Dell Latitude. (the only REAL difference being that the mac lacks a proper BIOS). I think if one is considering buying a computer right now, one should first and foremost ask not what the computer can do but rather what THEY are going to do WITH the computer.

It's not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your... ahem.... :D

If you are looking for the holy grail of computing, I'm sorry but it just ain't out yet.

And I will stop right here because I really need to stop posting friggin' long post... :)

Sniperess

12-18-2007, 09:55 AM

Holy Crap Kraz.... lol.... you're like the computer yoda. :D
I don't know a lot about computers. I've taken some programming classes and thats about it, My husband is a Computer Science major, so I always go to him for advice. :) He is a die-hard fan of linux, mostly because of the philosophies behind it.

But this is my first hand knowledge of computers that I learned all by myself :D
I bought an emachine and it was outdated, had a virus, and a fried motherboard in about 6 months. I was fed up with windows OS complexity and the quality of the hardware so I bought a mac iBook G4. That was over 5 years ago. And it is still perfect in every way. I've not had a single problem with it... it even still has all the keys and everything. IN FACT - lol - It's been dropped (pretty far) twice, sat on 3 times, and stepped on by my husbands friend who is by no means "small" :). That last one was the straw that broke the camels back, but still it only screwed up a couple pixels in the screen.
It's one tough cookie! I love it :yahoo: and I'll never go back. Plus I've had no problems finding mac alternatives to any program. I absolutely love Pages and I'm trying out a vector graphic program called LineForm right now - it looks to be really good to. You could always use Adobe Illustrator... but LineForm seems to be more for a casual user.

Anyway, in my mind, if you think about how many times (possibly) you would have to replace parts or even computers for pc.... macs don't seem that expensive... it's like an investment. ;)

FearFromWithin

12-18-2007, 06:28 PM

I heard Vista's are really crappy and dont load up half the software you try to

H2O Raiden

12-18-2007, 06:44 PM

Mac or Vista? Hm.. I'd take neither.

But if I HAD to, I'd take Vista. Why? Because I can at least rip the crap straight out from it, and make it SLIGHTLY better. And hell, I could just uninstall, return for refund, get XP Professional or Linux.

FearFromWithin

12-19-2007, 02:50 AM

Wrath1

12-19-2007, 03:04 AM

im prolly going to build my own pc i hate vista my mom has it. i think its trash and im to used to xp. ill prolly just get a custom pc and then use xp till i cant anymore. i like macs too they are nice but they have there downfalls also.

FearFromWithin

12-19-2007, 03:08 AM

WHat are the downfalls to a Mac? I've always wondered that

Wrath1

12-19-2007, 03:10 AM

its not as customizeable as a pc. from what i hear its hard to get upgraded hardware. i dont have one so i dont kno but thats what i hear. to me thats a major downfall. i guess another one would be there arent as many games availble for macs as there are for windows n vista. but that is slowly changing.

PMS Unique

12-20-2007, 06:25 PM

Kraz is right... it is all about what you want to be able to do with your computer. Since the original post mentioned gaming, a PC is the way to go. The question then becomes XP or Vista. That's the tougher question. I would say go with Vista, since XP does not support DirectX 10; and most newer games will use DirectX 10. Of course you have to have a machine capable of running Vista, because it does require a lot of resources. I however have Vista running on a 4 yr old 3.0Ghz hyperthreaded P4. I upgraded the RAM to 2 gig, and updated the vid card to an ATI X1300 (it was the best card I could find in AGP.) Vista runs fine on this machine, even the Aero eye candy works fine. The important thing to be able to run Vista well is the RAM and the vid card. I'd say 2 gig of RAM is the MINIMUM one would need.

Vista has gotten alot of bad rap, and I think much of it comes from people who have never actually used Vista. They are just parroting the things they have heard, and it's almost a "fad" to bash Vista. Most of the Vista negativity seems to stem from compatibility issues from when Vista was still in Beta. OF COURSE there were compatibility issues at that time; let me just say DUH.

Vista is an extremely stable operating system. My Vista machine has NEVER crashed. Not a single time in over a year, and I run it 24/7/365. I could not have said that for this very same machine when it had XP on it. If you are into home multimedia networking, and making your PC part of your entertainment experience; then Vista is DEFINITELY the way to go, no questions about it.

Omega79

01-02-2008, 12:41 AM

I completely agree with Kraz. I've felt the same way for a few years now, and I see a lot being an IT professional working for a company that offers managed services.

As for Vista, Unique, yes it is stable and there is a lot of Parroting going on, but there is still plenty compatibility issues. This biggest issues aren't so often realized by home users, but we do not have 1 business client that is currently using Vista at my company. Especially for our clients that have industry specific software (CPA's and such). At this point for most of our businesses it's just to much of an out of pocket cost to upgrade to something that is just prettier, Vista doesn't offer a lot to a business that doesn't use much of anything built into the OS.

Draco88

01-18-2008, 12:30 PM

Omega79

01-18-2008, 11:33 PM

i have seen vista, and it is a giant waste of time if you do alot messing around in your comuters program files, it prompts you twice everytime you do anything. Vista has also completely wiped out my internet explorer, not once but twice! I would prefer XP over vista, but you don't have much of a choice, if you want to have a top of the line computer you have to go with Vista.

You don't have to have Vista to have TOL unless you are looking to use Directx 10 and play DX10 games. As far as the UAC, you can turn that off. Also, not meaning this to be rude in any way, if you don't know how to turn off the UAC or that you even can, you probably shouldn't be digging around your hard drive too much anyway. The UAC means well but I agree is a little overly aggressive, I mean, do you really need to prompt me when I just want to change my desktop picture? Come on now...

And draw backs to Mac? Well there is a lot less now if you buy a Mac Pro and load XP on it with boot camp! What I wouldn't give to have a quad core rig with 32GB of RAM and a pair of 8800GTS's...