I know this is a very dangerous thing to do but I would like some opinions on a new computer for my home use.

IMac is what I am leaning toards.

Pros...

Cons...

What size should I shoot for. The 27" model is appealing.

I want to mess with photos and videos on it and I think some software comes with it but woul appreciate software input too.

PC?

Pros...

Cons...

Thanks in advance.

Photos and Video the IMAC comes loaded ready to go out of the box...
Great choice! A pc can be configured but by the time you add up the cost of the software your above the 1699 IMAC retail..

My brother loves his, he will never own a Microsoft based PC again.

I'm a Linux and Mac guy (Network Admin) and I'd recommend either the basic 21" iMac or a MacBook Pro laptop+cheap 22" monitor ($120-$150'ish) for the price of a 27" iMac you can get a really nice unibody laptop ($1600-$2000) it just depends on what you want.

The pro's are: it just works and no viruses so no need to buy anti-virus just don't do stupid things, keep it up to date and watch out of root-kits. You can also run Windows in Parallels (virtually) for a bit o'money and allot more security or you can get bootcamp for free and dual-boot the machine.

The Con's are: it's bloody expensive compared to a budget based windows machine.

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Window's machines are cheap on hardware quality and OS, there a budget item in my opinion, good for what they do as long as you know what that purpose is.

Pro's: It's cheap Dell has Inspiron 546's starting at $399 with Windows 7 Home as long as it's just a light usage machine (internet, simple games, e-mail, etc) then it's all right as long as it's sitting behind a router and has a good AV product like Nod32.

A good machine starts at $600 whether it's a desktop or laptop with $1k being the better price point for laptops (a Lenovo Thinkpad is just as good as a MacBook Pro in hardware quality).

Con's: malware, malware, malware + horrible memory management.

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For me if I'm buying a pre-build machine it's always a Mac and I run Windows virtually but if I'm building a machine it's a Linux/BSD computer and the parts are about $250-$300 complete that rivals the $600+ computers.

- Brad

Just to keep things fair (my name is Luke...I'm a PC)

You say "mess with photos and videos"...what does that mean to you?
There is no reason to own Photoshop CS4 if all you want to do is crop a photo and re-size another.
It isn't possible to recommend software without knowing what you want to accomplish...there are several great programs for simple photo editing that won't cost a lot.

I use Windows because my programs do not like Mac and because I can build a faster pc for the price of a Mac
I do photo editing myself and often times I have no need for full blown photoshop and can accomplish what I want in Lightroom or Photoshop Elements.
I take an average of around 4k-6k pictures per year...which is why I like lightroom's simplistic ability to change simple settings.

Brad - good comments...relatively fair perspective Though...I haven't had a virus in years and I use free antivirus programs. However, I also don't open email attachments of things I don't understand.

Good input so far. Keep it coming. I can get a Mac at a slightly discounted student price that is why I am thinking about the 27" model. Don't know about the virtual stuff but maybe someone would help me with that. I no longer can build so I am buying a pre-built machine. I have had the malware issues on this laptop so I am looking for something different.

The thing 'PC' guys forget is your not buying just a computer when you buy a Mac your buying the experience. It's not just top of the line hardware (which it is) but your also getting a top of the line operating system (NetBSD) plus Apple's drop dead gorgeous user interface where the KISS idea is used to the max.

I spend allot of time working on servers, computers, phones, electric, plumbing, security systems all day so when I go home I just want my laptop to work. No cute BSD's, no screwed up drivers, no running out of memory ... it just has to work.

That and Mac software tends to be easier to use from a UI perspective than PC software since they all have to adhere to Apple's draconian software design even the Adobe products are easier let alone the free stuff.

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I like the free AV's myself I've just gotten tired of the added bloat now that everyone is going back to the all-in-wonder software. The nice thing with Nod32 is it's a top ten AV engine and has the smallest footprint.

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Tho if you want a top-end water cooled gaming rig then go buy Alienware or build your own PC or if you need high end CAD then go PC.

- Brad

If you do choose to go with a mac and you still need windows compatibility, I use VirtualBox to virtualize Windows XP. VirtualBox is free to download/install/use, but it DOES still require a Windows License and install media.

I run Windows XP virtually on my Linux Web Server, and also run Windows XP virtually on my Windows XP laptop (yes, I realize this may seem silly, but doing so allows me to recover if I get a virus, I can always restore to a known state very easily, by restoring my "virtual disk".

I realize some of this is techno-babble, so if you get to that point, and you need some help, it'd give me an excuse to come check out your fishroom

As far as your original question, I always recommend Macs to nontechnical people because Macs usually require less maintenance and things tend to just work. Oh and in the spirit of full disclosure, I also recommend Mac because as a person whose profession is Software Architecture, Microsoft has no idea how to produce a quality software product, so any market share they can lose to a better-quality product, I'm all for

well I won't go starting any argument as I respect what Apple has done...I simply dislike their pricing and I do run high end CAD.

I have always custom built my pc's and have done so to suite my personal use of the machine...which is high end gaming, high end CAD, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Each of those have requirements that at this moment Apple cannot meet.
At work I went to XI Computers for their high end CAD machines and they did a fantastic job of building our pc's to suit our requirements...such as 12GB of ram minimum and $2k graphics cards

For the past 15+ years, I've always built my own computers from parts too (new and used, sans laptops), and I've attempted to build ones for sisters, aunts, mother-in-laws-to-be... and it's always been a big mistake as I'm constantly called upon to fix their computer problems, which is why about 3 years ago I started recommending all of my non-tech savvy friends and family to buy Macs, since I already have one full-time job and don't need a second one (supporting everyone's computer needs).

Macs are more expensive up front, but I think an excellent argument can be made that they have a lower lifetime TCO (Total cost of ownership for you non-management types ), by the time you figure in wasted time maintaining (read: re-installing) Windows, paying for technical support, paying for proprietary software that Microsoft arbitrarily decides not to support anymore in 5 years giving you no other option than to fork over another 300-500 dollars just to upgrade.

But this is just one man's opinion.

Jack, if you already have a PC that works, there are plenty of OpenSource (as in free) programs that can be used for photo editing, and video editing. Macs aren't bad, but for the cost, I have to agree with Luke, you can build a much better PC, and if you take some time and can use google you can easily fix most PC issues yourself. If you have access to student discounted macs, do you have access to student discounted Windows 7? Or other PC software? That would drive the PC cost down even further. I am not familiar with any OpenSource mac programs, but I don't like macs so they may be available. Check out the GIMP, no need for Photoshop when the GIMP is available.

http://www.gimp.org/

The only advantage I could clearly give to Mac is the simple and easy to navigate interface. Other than that, “IBM” or Windows based PC’s have many advantages, including –
more performance per dollar
more software available
more hardeware available
much more performance capacity

Since I am a high end gamer who builds his own machines, this is an easy choice for me. In fact it's the only choice.

Belexes wrote:
The only advantage I could clearly give to Mac is the simple and easy to navigate interface. Other than that, “IBM” or Windows based PC’s have many advantages, including –
more performance per dollar
more software available
more hardeware available
much more performance capacity

Since I am a high end gamer who builds his own machines, this is an easy choice for me. In fact it's the only choice.


Sorry to quibble but the old "more software/hardware" than a Mac line hasn't been true since the 90's. Once Apple switched to the Mach FreeBSD kernel anything that runs on Linux can run nativity on a Mac and with the Intel x86 switch away from PowerPC + broad firewire/USB support makes any peripheral work on a Mac as well (Apple developed Firewire and was an early USB adopter before Microsoft).

- Brad

To try and prevent these waters from getting any more turbulent Let me paste a section from a current (1/15/10) article detailing the differences. Hope this helps Jack. -


Why Macs are Better

- Macs give you the ability to run OS X and Windows both (legally).

- Macs work great with other Apple components such as the iPhone, iPod Classic, iPod Nano, iPod Touch, iPod Shuffle, etc...

- Macs are very simple to use.

- Macs are less prown to computer viruses, although they can get viruses.

- Purchasing a Mac gives you Apple Store support.

- Apple uses quality parts to manufacture Macs.

- Macs are trendsetting, designed well, and visually appealing.

- Macs come with better software, out of the box (iLife).

- Macs give you out of the box access to the iTunes Store, if you are an iPod or iPhone user.

- Out of the box, Macs are not loaded with trials and additional software.

- Apple has top of the line phone support.

Why PCs are Better
- You can build a PC from the ground up, picking each individual component. PCs give you maximum customizability.

- PCs are generally cheaper in price. You can get the same processor, amount of RAM, and hard drive capacity for much cheaper with a PC.

- Branded PCs are a wide market. You have many options when it comes to choosing a PC: Dell, HP, Gateway, etc... There are really only 6 types of Mac computer: MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Mini, iMac, and Mac Pro.

- PCs have better software compatibility. You can find practically any software for PC. Macs are more limited in selection.

- PCs generally have better backwards compatibility. You can run Windows 7 on a 5 year old PC. You cannot run Snow Leopard on a Power Mac G5.

- More people use PCs. Thus, PCs have a larger support community behind them.

- The majority of businesses use PCs.

- PCs are better for gaming.

- PCs have more compatible accessories than Macs.

- PCs are more upgradable.

- PCs are open source.



Read more: www.brighthub.com/computing/mac-platform/articles/61641.aspx

Belexes, Excellent research and citing. I couldn't agree more with any point made by that article. Let me summarize that article with an analogy:

Mac = Everyday driver, bought off the lot, with few if any options, similar say to a Honda Civic LX. Very little maintenence, it just works.

PC = Custom Self-Built Hot Rod with dual overhead cams, custom supercharger, custom exhaust. It's everything you want in a car, but it's gonna require constant maintenance and money, but if you give it the care it needs, it'll work for ya, and it might impress a few chicks. Not too dissimilar to my '84 corvette...