Mac Hardware

A friend talks about Mac hardware and how there's no question it's superior to anything else and how I should get a new mac and install Windows.

Why is it better if it is?

 

the mac hardware is nice. that is, it's top notch components and they're designed and tested together. the pitfalls of putting together your own system is that you have to make sure the mobo is cool with the cpu and the video card and memory and shit like that. to maximize your dollar, you want to make sure you're not duplicating effort -- built in graphics are pointless if you get a video card, for example.

the mac hardware is essentially like a pre-built machine -- dell, alienware, etc. so mac hardware isn't necessarily any better, unless you happen to like the choice of components.

i'm looking at getting a macbook pro, but i'm a little concerned about the windows (and linux) capabilities of these machines. i've heard stuff like "bootcamp works even better now with more driver support". driver support? i thought that was up to the os you're installing, so i'm not sure if macs can literally run any x86 os without a hitch.

also, the parallels virtual environment (that lets you run windows apps on the mac desktop) is great, but lacks driver support as well -- namely graphics driver support so games are out the window (no pun intended).


if somebody has more experience with the windows mac stuff, i'd love to hear how it goes cuz that's a MAJOR factor in whether or not i'll go down that pathway.

 

The only advantage of mac hardware is the same one consoles have: it's the same basic hardware setup on every generation of their machines. That makes it much easier to porgram for and troubleshoot. On the flipside, the components, while good, aren't bleeding edge like PCs, and that's not really an option to get one that way. Most of the Macs come neutered unless you pay hefty upgrade prices for stuff like RAM. Video cards are extremely limited.

 

yeah, the options are limited but that's pretty much the case with all manufactured boxes. and they're not bleeding edge, but they're not behind the times, either. all manufacturers have lowe end boxes that are last year's technology. i wouldn't look at an imac and wonder why i couldn't get a dual-core xeon running in it.

 

as I suspected, he's sort of full of shit

 

If you're considering a MAC to run windows, why not buy a machine that has windows already? Or is it just a hardware superiority complex?

 

personally, i'm interested in running windows and linux on a mac. the mac hardware is nice and of course, i'd use os x as well, but there are certain things that only run on windows (games) and linux (some graphics apps). my wife is a designer and prefers macs so buying one machine that can serve multiple purposes is great. but yeat, buying a mac to run windows exclusively is a waste unless you REALLY like the design of mac hardware. the macbook pro's are pretty nice looking, afterall.

 

well I understand if you want a dual purpose machine. Just seems kinda silly to use something not built for your purpose if you really dont need to. Isn't Mac hardware more expensive too? fewer suppliers should mean higher cost.

 

the mac OS X is what you should really want

 

yeah, mac hardware is traditionally more expensive. but maybe not as much when you compare to other "high-end" retailers. way more expensive than finding deals on components and building one yourself.

at this point, macs are built with largely traditional components. the mobo might be custom, but i don't think much else is.