vikkyrob Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I am having a computer nightmare. My Laptop is 4 years old and was the best on the market but even after wiping the hard drive and defraging the machine it has started to slow right down. It has Virus checkers, Spyware checkers but few programs or huge amounts of data stored. Quite a few friends have told me MAC is the way to go. I know the initial outlay is much higher but it seems after 18 - 24 months the PC has slowed to frustrating levels and it seems to update itself or do a virus check at just the wrong time. I am a bit of a computer biff and so I am not use to diagnostically treating my PC to a heath check manually or whatever else PC geeks tell me would be useful. Is MAC the way forward? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilVT Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 i switched to mac about 2 years ago and have had zero problems since then. it's definitey more expensive, but well worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Is MAC the way forward? Yes. Yes, it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dani Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I have been a pc user since i got into computers and i just order a Macbook pro 17".. PC if you look at it, it looks bad, lots of small issues and resell value is per none. Apple it works,it looks great and has a very good resell value compared to pc..Also it actual has available pirate software, that pushed me over to it.. It did cost alot more then a PC whit same specs, but i look at it like this a Toyota Supra can be built to go as fast or faster then a Ferrari F430 but who you like? I would go whit the Ferrari.. Cheers Dani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I have both, and the MAC is super stable. +1 for the Mac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg_r Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I make my living as head of I.T. for a charity. I've been supporting Windows PCs since around 1991 and know Windows pretty much inside out. All the machines I use personally - both at work and at home are Macs and have been for years. You may derive what you like from that fact Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronoluvvv Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 how many processes are running when you invoke your Task Manager ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkerouac Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Depending on what applications you are running, a four-year old laptop might still be fine. But you obviously need to figure out why your system is slow, even after you reinstall. For what it's worth, I've been running Windows 7 for some months, including on laptops from Toshiba, Lenovo, and HP. A definite step forward from Vista. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbutlerman Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Just in case you needed another Mac vote, here it is. I had been a Windows only Mac basher forever! Mac's crashed for no reason, not a lot of 3rd party software...yada..yada...yada...but, I ended up needing one for work for video production so I bought one. It had some problems with reliability (crashing issues) when running the older 10.4 software, however, since the release of there newest operating system 10.5 Leopard, and the switch to Intel machines, I have nothing but praise for them. I have switched all of my servers, desktops, and laptops to Apple units and I couldn't be happier! Unbelievably solid and easy to use. It may take a little time getting used to the different OS, but it's worth the learning curve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikkyrob Posted July 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I get the idea that MAC is the way forward. I think the best thing I can do after buying a MAC is to wipe my Laptop, load on the basics and use it for surfing the internet only. Do you need to buy much software after intial purchase or does it come with most of the software for home use? I like the idea of the airport external storage device. Can I just confirm this is something that works on the internet and you can access this via the net from anywhere? i.e If I am in an internet cafe in Cambodia I can access one of my Word documents or a photo saved on my storage device located in my study? Thanks for your help. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Get a windows 7 machine when they appear in the next few months, Macs are way, WAY overpriced for what you get hardware wise..... A new laptop PC for the same cost as the MAC will have more memory, same or faster CPU, larger hard drive , better GFX card (more vid memory), HDMI connection, blu ray drive, finger print log on and more....... Seriously, figure out Vista and how to tweak it to get the best out of it, a computer only runs as well as it's user will let it Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 if you're not ready to buy a new computer and want to try to see if you can get your laptop running like it used to, here's a suggestion.... i have a 5+ year old ibm thinkpad and one of the features it has is the ability to do a full "factory restore", which essentially wipes everything and restores the computer to the way it was when you received it from the factory. now obviously you need to back up your music and files to an external hard drive before running the "factory restore", but it has worked well for me -- i do it periodically just to be safe (i don't run any anti-virus software -- those programs always seemed like more trouble than they were worth to me -- they always seemed to just slow down the computer). i'm sure now that i've posted this here my thinkpad will die when i get home in which case i'm getting the 17" macbook pro deltatahoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAMman Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 My Toshiba laptop is about 4 years old and has had 4 new hard-drives during that time - the first one at 11 months, under warranty, and 3 more since then. Because of all the trouble I had been using a 500Gb external drive, so for the latest HD I went for a 64mb solid state and I hope that that's the end of the bother. At the same time I bought a used Macbook (white, 2GHz processor, 160Gb HD, 4Gb RAM) just to see if I could make the change. I really like the Macbook and I am getting used to it without any bother. Despite the fact that the Toshiba is now operating better than ever the Mac is getting more use and is likely to be the favourite. However, I must recommend the SSHD as an excellent concept for a portable machine which is liable to get jolted about during use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJGladeRaider Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I do financial investigations for a living. LOTS of number crunching and database use. HUGE files -- the Discovery in the Wesley Snipes tax arrived on a Terabyte drive. I generally have a dozen files open and half a dozen programs running at once. I travel a lot - Geneva, Panama, Canada . . . I guess you get the picture. I have two computers. Both are MacBook Pro 17's, and both are set up to boot to Windows XP Pro and run it natively. I LOVE these things. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbutlerman Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I get the idea that MAC is the way forward. I think the best thing I can do after buying a MAC is to wipe my Laptop, load on the basics and use it for surfing the internet only. Do you need to buy much software after intial purchase or does it come with most of the software for home use? I like the idea of the airport external storage device. Can I just confirm this is something that works on the internet and you can access this via the net from anywhere? i.e If I am in an internet cafe in Cambodia I can access one of my Word documents or a photo saved on my storage device located in my study? Thanks for your help. Rob Hi Rob - The computer does come with a pretty good suite of software. The only real thing you'd need to buy for "home" use might be Apple's version of office, called iWork. It has 3 programs, a Word Processor called Pages, Spreadsheet Program called Numbers (Excel), and Presentation Program called Keynote (PowerPoint). And unlike Micro$oft you can buy it for about $100. As for the Airport, that is my understanding. I haven't used an airport for that purpose, but from what I've read - you are correct - remote access to the storage drive is possible. -David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docblackrock Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I get the idea that MAC is the way forward. I think the best thing I can do after buying a MAC is to wipe my Laptop, load on the basics and use it for surfing the internet only. Do you need to buy much software after intial purchase or does it come with most of the software for home use? I like the idea of the airport external storage device. Can I just confirm this is something that works on the internet and you can access this via the net from anywhere? i.e If I am in an internet cafe in Cambodia I can access one of my Word documents or a photo saved on my storage device located in my study? Thanks for your help. Rob I'm a 14-year Apple Macintosh zealot and refuse to use anything else. I've used them all pretty much, desktops and laptops, and have seen 'classic' OS 8 become OS X Snow Leopard. I even have 10 year old machines upgraded and running perfectly. However, don't be lulled into thinking Mac internal hardware is somehow massively superior to PC, in some ways it's not. It's certainly designed much more elegantly both externally (unibody in laptops for example) and internally, and uses better materials (aluminium). But what really sets a Mac apart, and by that I mean light years apart, is the OS. It's practically intuitive and represents by far the greatest advantage Apple has over the rest. Suffice to say my mother (in her 60s) uses her iBook with ease, having previously been as technically-challenged as you could imagine. Once you go 'Mac', you'll never want to go back. You're 'ruined' for life - it's like turning left on boarding a plane. By the way, unless you have to for work reasons, don't be tempted to install Windows on your Mac. Like revenge sex, it'll just feel 'dirty' afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docblackrock Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Oh almost forgot, your question.... Yes, with Time Capsule (basically an 'Airport' router and wireless backup hard drive combined), you can access (and stream) locally stored files from anywhere with a connection. Extremely simple to set up security protocols for doing so. Do some reading on Apple forums both official and unofficial. Search for 'Back to My Mac'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 I get the idea that MAC is the way forward. I think the best thing I can do after buying a MAC is to wipe my Laptop, load on the basics and use it for surfing the internet only. Do you need to buy much software after intial purchase or does it come with most of the software for home use? I like the idea of the airport external storage device. Can I just confirm this is something that works on the internet and you can access this via the net from anywhere? i.e If I am in an internet cafe in Cambodia I can access one of my Word documents or a photo saved on my storage device located in my study? You can only access the shared drive on an Airport if you know how to set up the firewall or if you subscribe to Apple's Mobile Me service ($59 a year). With a Mac (Not MAC, by the way. MAC in all caps means something else and calling a Mac a MAC only confuses networking people) you get iLife which gives you a webpage writing app, a class-leading photo organiser, iMovie for editing movies and Garage Band for recording and making music. You also get iChat (an AIM- and Gmail-compatible chat app), an email application and a browser. What you don't get is a word processor, spreadsheet or presentation app, but you have the choice of buying iWork (Apple's office suite) or Microsoft Office. Or, of course, you can go like the modern kids and use Google's free online apps for words and numbers. Also, if you insist, you can buy VMWare, which allows you to run Windows at the same time as Mac OS X, if you have a Windows license. Stuff you don't need: Anti-Virus (not yet, anyway. I doubt you'll need one for at least a year, either), Anti-spywear (same as AV) or backup app (built-in to Mac OS X 10.5). I run servers for a living. I've been a systems administrator for over a decade and I've managed large Windows LANs in my time, but these days mostly manage Windows and Linux web and application servers. At home, I have a MacBook and a Mac Mini (plugged into the TV) and the missus has a MacBook as well. At work, I have one of the most powerful Macs you've ever seen (lots of Xeons, 9GB RAM, 2x24" HD displays ...) and I can run copies of my servers in virtual environments on my Mac simultaneously without a slow-down. Macs aren't perfect, but they get in the way of what you want to do a lot less than Windows PCs. Oh, and here's me being controversial, they're not that much more expensive. Yes, you can get cheaper laptops, for instance, but you can't get an equal laptop for the same money, or if you manage, you'll be saving $100 at best. If you want a PC to play games, get a Mac and an Xbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 An Xbox to play games? If you are a serious gamer, you need a PC, end of story I sell PC's and Apples at work, Macs do cost a lot more for the specs you get, but they do look cool and are very well designed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJGladeRaider Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Once you go 'Mac', you'll never want to go back. You're 'ruined' for life - it's like turning left on boarding a plane. By the way, unless you have to for work reasons, don't be tempted to install Windows on your Mac. Like revenge sex, it'll just feel 'dirty' afterwards. I should have mentioned that. There are programs specific to my work that are not available for Mac. If I could live in the Mac environment, I'd never spend another dime with Bill Gates. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 An Xbox to play games? If you are a serious gamer, you need a PC, end of story If you're a serious gamer, you've already got a PC. Also, on all the price comparisons I've seen and done, the way you get much cheaper PC laptops is by cutting corners. If you were to spec a PC to exactly the same as a Mac, you're looking at the same price. Try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 My, my...I see all the Apple fanboys are awake today Personally, I use both Mac and PC. I also usually do a full restore on both machines at least once a year, where I reinstall fresh backup of the OS and all my programs. All of this is stored in a way so that the entire operation takes less than 30 minutes. All personal files, etc are on partitions that are not affected by the restore, so all you have to do once the backup is online is install the latest patches, updates, etc. Easy peasy and keeps the system fast and stable. I guess all of this boils down to a matter of what you prefer and how much money you want to spend. No matter what, a PC is still less expensive than a Mac with the same feature set, but with the MAC you get a very easy to use OS and many good preinstalled programs. If you have the chance, borrow yourself a Mac and perhaps a new PC with W7 installed and try them both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Last time I checked at work (few days ago), you can get a HP laptop for £899 with: 2.4Ghz core 2 duo, 4GB memory, 500GB HDD (2x250GB), 512MB ATI GFX card, N wi-fi, blue tooth, 17.3" Screen 1600x900, finger print reader, HDMI connection, lightscribe dual layer DVD wrtiter..... Free Window 7 upgrade too That is a retail price in a high street shop, not online or anything...... My PC I built myself, best way to go in my book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Last time I checked at work (few days ago), you can get a HP laptop for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Find me a Apple with a 17" screen with the specs of that HP for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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