What The Hell... - Subaru Enthusiasts Car Club of the Sierras

Bob Danger · 2009-02-17, 07:17 PM

...Is the big deal about Macs, I can't get a straight answer. The entry level Mac is $1000, and for that you get the same system specs as my 6 year old desk top. Everyone says it's worth it for the operating system, so what's so great about it? Other than the fact that it comes with a program that teaches you to play the guitar. (Yo Bro)

Is it because I don't own a Prius, live in Berkley, or own things made from recycled Starbucks cups?

Dean · 2009-02-17, 08:28 PM

Minis start at $600 and MacBooks at $1000, all Core 2 Duos. Your 6 year old desktop can't touch that.

The OS and hardware, just work, and do so well together almost all the time. Windows PCs suck by comparison.

At one point, the fastest Windows laptop was a Mac...

Apple designs good $4!+ and asks a premium for it. Pay it or don't.

Try uninstalling a piece of Windows software vs. a Mac. A true differentiator between agony and elegance.

tysonK · 2009-02-17, 08:58 PM

I like my little powerPC I got for free. It seems to work really well with interneting and the likes.

Do you really need a Mac?

Bob Danger · 2009-02-17, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dean

Minis start at $600 and MacBooks at $1000, all Core 2 Duos. Your 6 year old desktop can't touch that.

The OS and hardware, just work, and do so well together almost all the time. Windows PCs suck by comparison.

At one point, the fastest Windows laptop was a Mac...

Apple designs good $4!+ and asks a premium for it. Pay it or don't.

Try uninstalling a piece of Windows software vs. a Mac. A true differentiator between agony and elegance.

Finally a straight forward answer! Thank you Dean. I was sick of getting no answers from people who swear by Mac yet know nothing about them. I hate salesmen, and ones with ponytails push me over the edge. I want to drag them outside and beat the smug out of them.

sperry · 2009-02-17, 09:55 PM

While everything Dean said is basically true, Macs are still overpriced due to the brand name alone. Apple can get away with it because all those people that don't give you a straight answer about why they think Macs are worth the premium buy them simply because they're fanatics.

That said, I am posting this from my iPod touch, and I do own a Mac mini. But I did buy the iPod used, and I do think the base mini should either cost $400 or it should come with twice the memory and three times the disk space.

cody · 2009-02-18, 08:30 AM

I love my $700 (new, shipped) gaming laptop running Vista. *Runs*

(But it took lots of tweaking and finally getting good drivers for the Nvidia video.)

100_Percent_Juice · 2009-02-18, 08:57 AM

Are you running Directx 10?

cody · 2009-02-18, 09:03 AM

Yes.

Nick Koan · 2009-02-18, 09:22 AM

Yeah, its basically a premium that many people are willing to pay for.

Apple controls the hardware and the software, which makes for a smoother integration. If MS wanted to lock everyone down to one or two choices for every component, they could also make things run as smoothly, and there wouldn't be such a thing as dll hell. And, they can also make all the software integrate together very nicely too, since they write a lot of it as well.

That said, they usually do put the latest hardware in there, and charge 20-30% more for the "complete package"

IMO, its the difference between a nice Toyota and a lower end Lexus. Both have the same components under the hood and both can get you from point a to point b relatively comfortably. One is just a little nicer (in a matter of opinion), and has the brand name to demand the premium.

cody · 2009-02-18, 09:42 AM

The files are in the computer.

ScottyS · 2009-02-18, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cody

I love my $700 (new, shipped) gaming laptop running Vista. *Runs*

(But it took lots of tweaking and finally getting good drivers for the Nvidia video.)

I just got a new Lappy through work. My old machine was an ASUS dual-core AMD with ATi 2600HD graphics, which was a great idea with poor driver support. I had blown Vista away and got XP running with hacked video drivers, except that no one driver would run both OpenGL and DirectX well. So, I could optimize for CAD or GIS, but not both. That computer would have lasted me at least another year or two, but opportunity came along, so....

The carnage is over with this ASUS G50VT. I'm getting used to Vista, but the machine is so over-powered I don't care. People have succesfully got XP running on these, but I don't have the extra week to spare right now. I will probably slowly prune back the extra junk as I get familiar.

T9400, 2x320gb7200rpm, 4gb, GeForce 9800M GS 512mb

cody · 2009-02-18, 10:54 AM

^Awesome. Be sure to at least try the new Nvidia Notebook Driver. It made an amazing difference in gaming for mine. http://www.nvidia.com/object/notebook_drivers.html

Sorry Bob.

ScottyS · 2009-02-18, 11:25 AM

Oh, Win v. Mac - since XP SP2, I really don't know how much reliability difference there is between Mac and PC. As long as you don't buy a POS PC they really are very stable and since everything you can think of is written for them, if there is a problem, it is usually with the software company, not the OS or hardware.

Yeah, Mac is in many ways more elegant, and has great marketing appeal, but they aren't the end-all that the bearded suspenders guys claimed anymore.

My last Mac, a PowerPC 520c lappy, was a hardware glitching nightmare. OS8 FTL.

2009-02-17, 07:17 PM	#1
Bob Danger Tape Terrorist Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Melmac Posts: 1,792 Car: ? Class: Retired! Warning: Prolonged eye contact may cause insanity	What The Hell... ...Is the big deal about Macs, I can't get a straight answer. The entry level Mac is $1000, and for that you get the same system specs as my 6 year old desk top. Everyone says it's worth it for the operating system, so what's so great about it? Other than the fact that it comes with a program that teaches you to play the guitar. (Yo Bro) Is it because I don't own a Prius, live in Berkley, or own things made from recycled Starbucks cups? __________________ A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi.

2009-02-17, 08:28 PM	#2
Dean Señor Cheap Bastarde Real Name: Dean Join Date: May 2003 Location: $99 Tire Store Posts: 9,294 Car: $.04 STI Class: Fast,Cheap & Reliable=STI Deal, did somebody say Deal? Oh, Dean, yeah that's me.	Minis start at $600 and MacBooks at $1000, all Core 2 Duos. Your 6 year old desktop can't touch that. The OS and hardware, just work, and do so well together almost all the time. Windows PCs suck by comparison. At one point, the fastest Windows laptop was a Mac... Apple designs good $4!+ and asks a premium for it. Pay it or don't. Try uninstalling a piece of Windows software vs. a Mac. A true differentiator between agony and elegance. __________________ I am a Commodore PET --- Now get off my lawn you kids...

2009-02-17, 08:58 PM	#3
tysonK warehouse SECCS Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: SoCal... Posts: 6,253 Car: 04 Evo 99 Cadillac Class: street de le mod	I like my little powerPC I got for free. It seems to work really well with interneting and the likes. Do you really need a Mac? __________________ Anjali? Anjali?

2009-02-17, 09:55 PM	#5
sperry The Doink Real Name: Scott Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 20,335 Car: '09 OBXT, '02 WRX, '96 Miata Class: PDX/TT-6 The way out is through	While everything Dean said is basically true, Macs are still overpriced due to the brand name alone. Apple can get away with it because all those people that don't give you a straight answer about why they think Macs are worth the premium buy them simply because they're fanatics. That said, I am posting this from my iPod touch, and I do own a Mac mini. But I did buy the iPod used, and I do think the base mini should either cost $400 or it should come with twice the memory and three times the disk space. __________________ Is you is, or is you ain't, my con-stit-u-ints?

2009-02-18, 08:30 AM	#6
cody Candy Mountain Real Name: Cody Join Date: May 2005 Location: Californication Posts: 7,751 Car: 03 Pussy Wagon, now with more pink! Class: TESP OMG Internet!	I love my $700 (new, shipped) gaming laptop running Vista. Runs (But it took lots of tweaking and finally getting good drivers for the Nvidia video.) __________________ Slow and low, that is the tempo.

2009-02-18, 08:57 AM	#7
100_Percent_Juice (40 percent vodka) Real Name: Joel Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 4,446 Car: 2004WRX Class: Baby-Hauler/GroceryGetter	Are you running Directx 10? __________________ "A power nap is when you sleep on someone who is weaker than you." - Dimitri Martin

2009-02-18, 09:03 AM	#8
cody Candy Mountain Real Name: Cody Join Date: May 2005 Location: Californication Posts: 7,751 Car: 03 Pussy Wagon, now with more pink! Class: TESP OMG Internet!	Yes. __________________ Slow and low, that is the tempo.

2009-02-18, 09:22 AM	#9
Nick Koan JDM Cowboy Real Name: Nick Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Somewhere Posts: 8,642 Car: 2015 Mazda 3	Yeah, its basically a premium that many people are willing to pay for. Apple controls the hardware and the software, which makes for a smoother integration. If MS wanted to lock everyone down to one or two choices for every component, they could also make things run as smoothly, and there wouldn't be such a thing as dll hell. And, they can also make all the software integrate together very nicely too, since they write a lot of it as well. That said, they usually do put the latest hardware in there, and charge 20-30% more for the "complete package" IMO, its the difference between a nice Toyota and a lower end Lexus. Both have the same components under the hood and both can get you from point a to point b relatively comfortably. One is just a little nicer (in a matter of opinion), and has the brand name to demand the premium. __________________ While a standard engine is powered by a belt connected to the crankshaft, a turbo engine runs on its own exhaust steam, making it more energy efficient. -- CNN

2009-02-18, 09:42 AM	#10
cody Candy Mountain Real Name: Cody Join Date: May 2005 Location: Californication Posts: 7,751 Car: 03 Pussy Wagon, now with more pink! Class: TESP OMG Internet!	The files are in the computer. __________________ Slow and low, that is the tempo.

2009-02-18, 10:54 AM	#12
cody Candy Mountain Real Name: Cody Join Date: May 2005 Location: Californication Posts: 7,751 Car: 03 Pussy Wagon, now with more pink! Class: TESP OMG Internet!	^Awesome. Be sure to at least try the new Nvidia Notebook Driver. It made an amazing difference in gaming for mine. http://www.nvidia.com/object/notebook_drivers.html Sorry Bob. __________________ Slow and low, that is the tempo.

2009-02-18, 11:25 AM	#13
ScottyS EJ205 Real Name: It is real! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: RNO Posts: 2,367 Car: 1998 Impreza Wagon, 1991 Legacy Turbo Sedan, 2003 Nissan Xterra Class: tvFree Yes, I'll fix it for you. Again.	Oh, Win v. Mac - since XP SP2, I really don't know how much reliability difference there is between Mac and PC. As long as you don't buy a POS PC they really are very stable and since everything you can think of is written for them, if there is a problem, it is usually with the software company, not the OS or hardware. Yeah, Mac is in many ways more elegant, and has great marketing appeal, but they aren't the end-all that the bearded suspenders guys claimed anymore. My last Mac, a PowerPC 520c lappy, was a hardware glitching nightmare. OS8 FTL. __________________ "Trend Number One is that people aren't getting any smarter." Dogbert

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
I know I'm going to catch hell, but I think I did right?	MikeSTI	Off Topic Chat	35	2005-02-11 10:28 PM
Thermodynamics of Hell.	Libila	Off Topic Chat	1	2004-10-14 08:06 PM
WTF, who the hell is this guy!??!?!?111?!?!!	Kostamojen	Off Topic Chat	35	2004-06-18 08:06 PM
Cube hell is getting to me today...	sperry	Off Topic Chat	16	2004-05-24 04:48 PM
What the hell was the name of that building in Sac...	sperry	Off Topic Chat	13	2004-02-25 03:52 PM