[ChiliSauce]

...I have an iMac DV, and eMac and an iBook.

The iMac DV is a 10GB thing I let my daughters mess around with, the eMac was our main desktop in the old den, and the iBook was Daddy's little baby for surfing on the couch.

Well, the eMac's screen went black on me (with a red line down the center), and has been slow as dirt lately, and the wife doesn't like its bulkiness. Essentially, she wants to replace it.

Considering I recently had to send the iBook in for logic board repair, and the DV is useless for anything but internet, music, etc., my brother-in-law is saying it's time for a PC. He has one that really seems to fly. We don't use our computers for anything but school reports, surfing, music and iMovie/Garage Band, which we could live without.

That said, do I just buy a Dell or something cheap that works for what we need it for, the internet and pictures and stuff, for $500 or so, or stay with the Apple line and drop $1,400 on the new iMac. For the first time, we're actually debating this issue after a life of Mac products.

Any suggestions from the wise sages of this board?

[Tin-Cup]

tell me, do you worry about spyware? adware? or viruses? do you worry about you machines breaking every other month? do you need to wipe the hardrive and do a clean install every few months? do your apps crash often?

you will worry about this if you get a pc... windows is junk in my opinion...
the new imac will FLY, its an amazing machine and comes with some great software for free.... it comes with all the ports you will ever need... you cannot get a pc...

os x is a god send omho......

it shouldnt even be an option...

[toti]

I'd think twice before replacing a mac line with PC's for home use... nay, thrice

With the PC ( assuming that you are going to use windows on it ) someone is going to take the strain and pain of supporting it, be it you or your brother-in-law.

You get the value-added fun of viruses, malware, spyware, worms - a whole new category of family fun and blaming who-did-what-and-when to result in a close-to-dead computer..

I'd strongly recommend against it.

The eMac can very likely be fixed - replace the DV with the fixed eMac, and go for the low-end iMac or an iBook and external keyboard...

[discotronic]

I own and use both PC's and Macs everyday and I have to say that it would be a mistake to move from a Mac to a PC. Viruses, spyware, and all the security issues that plague Windows is just not worth it. With my PC I have to work to keep it running great. With my Mac I hardly ever have to do anything to keep it running great. You may find the initial cost of moving to a PC cheaper but in the long run, it really isn't.

If you do decide on getting a PC -- don't get a Dell. I have worked on many of them (especially the 2400 series lately) and in my opinion they are nothing but a POS. Also, try calling tech support for Dell sometime and you will realize that you get what you pay for.

Try finding some programs like the iLife suite that will work as well with Windows as iLife does with a Mac. If you do, then look at the price those programs will cost you. When I install a program on my Mac and decide that I want to uninstall it all I have to do is drag it to the trash. With Windows, I have to use an uninstaller because the program has rewritten some of the registry files. If I just drag it to the trash there is a good chance that I have really screwed something up.

OSX vs. XP. Hands down you won't find a better commercial OS than OSX. The only way that I would use a PC as my primary systems is with Linux installed.

[PEHowland]

Originally posted by ChiliSauce:
...I have an iMac DV, and eMac and an iBook.

The iMac DV is a 10GB thing I let my daughters mess around with, the eMac was our main desktop in the old den, and the iBook was Daddy's little baby for surfing on the couch.

Well, the eMac's screen went black on me (with a red line down the center), and has been slow as dirt lately, and the wife doesn't like its bulkiness. Essentially, she wants to replace it.

Considering I recently had to send the iBook in for logic board repair, and the DV is useless for anything but internet, music, etc., my brother-in-law is saying it's time for a PC. He has one that really seems to fly. We don't use our computers for anything but school reports, surfing, music and iMovie/Garage Band, which we could live without.

That said, do I just buy a Dell or something cheap that works for what we need it for, the internet and pictures and stuff, for $500 or so, or stay with the Apple line and drop $1,400 on the new iMac. For the first time, we're actually debating this issue after a life of Mac products.

Any suggestions from the wise sages of this board?

Well, I'm speaking as a long-time PC user (as well as Linux, UNIX, etc at work) who has finally had it with Windows and is moving to MacOS. I am also technical editor at an IT website (www.sudhian.com) in my spare time and get to see and play with a lot of PC hardware.

You can undoubtedly get a better machine (in terms of GHz and GB) for less by buying a PC. But for your needs, you have to ask whether you need that performance. If you're a gamer, then a PC is the way to go. If you're not, then the performanc differential is immaterial.

You sacrifice a lot in moving to a PC. You will be saddled with an Operating System that is dull at best, and increasingly insecure and virus prone. Stability is not a huge issue - I find Windows XP very stable - although you will find surveys that claim otherwise. The hardware you can get will be functional but ugly. MacOS has features now (and in Tiger) that Microsoft were not even planning to include until 2006 when "Longhorn" is released - and many of these features have now been dropped - like the Microsoft equivalent to the Spotlight feature in Tiger. So, in terms of computing experience, you'll be making a huge step backwards.

You need to ask yourself why so many PC users are now making the switch to MacOS (and also to Linux). I think you'd be making a mistake if you ran in the opposite direction.

That said, I have three PC's in my house and only one Mac. At work, I have a Powerbook and a PC. I use both. Variety is the spice of life. But I know which I prefer.

[turtle777]

Originally posted by ChiliSauce:
my brother-in-law is saying it's time for a PC.

What say has your brother in law in this matter ?
Just opinion, or more ?

Talk to your brother in law and ask him if he is willing to do ALL support needed for a PC. Fall back on your years of Mac experience and tell him, you wouldn't know how to support PCs, so it would be HIS business.
If you have the slightest doubt that he wouldn't support you, why would you go for his opinion ?

-t

[Parky]

Try specifying the Dell to the same level as the iMac and you will see it's great value as well.

Dell price things low, but you get the minimal product for that, Apple include so much more.

Ian

[bfurtado]

I tried to convince a business associate to get a Mac but they were too scared and thought it would be more expensive. True, they had some custom software on there but I know that we could have run it with Virtual PC 7 (once it came out) and that was only a couple hundred extra. But that was too much of an upgraded cost. Anywhoo, the day they got their new PC, they moved all their data back and formatted the backup drive to work with Windows XP. An hour later, a worm hit (sasser I think) and they lost everything!!!! You see, this worm doesn't need to be sent via e-mail and opened by the user. The machine had Windows XP service pack 1 but had not been updated. They plugged the machine into their high speed and it was that instantaneous. They needed to go online to plug Windows's holes, but once they went online, they were infected. That's what happens with Windows. I am still 1/2 a Windows user (well, until my iMac G5 comes in), but I have to work really hard to keep it functional on the same level as my Powerbook. Now they have spent HUNDREDS more on virus removal, data recovery, and security software. Its the background costs that kill you. Virus software, spyware software, etc etc will cost money. Then there is software to compete with iLife. Arcsoft is terrible and anything better will cost several hundred more. Then there is the time when you get infected. If you are savvy enough, you can fix it yourself. If not, maybe your brother-in-law can help. If not, it'll cost you a pretty penny. I have seen regular advertisements for virus removal services. $45 Canadian an hour is the CHEAPEST I have seen with a minumum of 2 hours. I had one friend (who works for a local OEM PC builder) tell me that Windows XP was the greatest thign to ever happen to their business. They get 3-4 customers a day who need virus removal. Its absolutely insane that PC users (myself included) were and are willing to put up with this as the expected norm of computing.

Brian

[Spliffdaddy]

My PC runs great. No virus problems - no stability problems. I have mail in my inbox from 1999 - dating from the original Win2000 R/C2 installation. Currently updated to XP Pro. I can't say enough good things about it.

Does everything I need it to do, reliably and inexpensively. 1GHz Athlon with GF2 and 512MB RAM. Worth about a hundred bucks.

[klinux]

Originally posted by PEHowland:
If you're not (a gamer), then the performance differential is immaterial.
[/B]

I respectfully disagree.

I would get a cheap but good quality PC in your case. A $500 PC can rip CDs (using iTunes of course) faster than a Mac since PCs in general tend to come with faster optical drives than Macs. In addition, I rip my DVDs to DivX which is probably one of the most CPU intensive thing one can do on a computer. In order to get the same performace on a Mac, I would have to pay triple the amount. To get a cheap PC, visit www.techbargains.com or www.gotapex.com..

I would not trade the Mac experience for a PC anyday but being dual platform has its advantages.

As for securing a home Windows system, it is not really as difficult as many Mac users think. I posted the below in a separate thread. All of these solutions are free, professional quality, and many are open-source to boot.
***********
1. Install Mozilla or your favorite non-IE/OE browser/e-mail tool.
2. Install Grisoft AVG or your favorite free antivirus tool. Set to auto-update definition.
3. Install Zonealarm or your favorite free firewall tool. If you don't know what is incoming or outgoing, deny by default.

Update Windows patches regularly but that goes without saying for any OS.

Use GAIM for IM, iTunes for audio, VLC for video, and Picasa for photo.

Good luck! (I too had to have my iBook's logic board replaced.)

[gperks]

If your wife finds the eMac bulky, a $500 PC + monitor is not going to solve that issue.

An iMac is about as compact as you can get. And fast too. You can also keep using iMovie and Garageband.

I tried to edit movies on my PC using the popular Pinnacle Studio software. I got used to saving every few minutes. It's buggy as anything. That experience was one of the drivers to get me onto the Mac. iMovie is like a breath of fresh air in comparision! I can edit movies to my heart's content (making my parents very happy with the results too; they get to see their grandkids long-distance!).

After almost a year with a Mac, I would be very hesitant to move back to the PC now.

My Powerbook goes everywhere with me.

[Big Fat Octopus]

I think all the responses above have been very constructive and for the most part factual. Forums can be great when people are being helpful instead of ranting

I agree with the overwhelming suggestion to stay with MacOS. I too have to deal with Windows systems at work as does my wife and we are both relieved when we get home to use our iMac. At work we are fixing customers virus and spyware ridden Windows PC's everyday. Our support calls would easily be 25% virus/spyware related and growing.

It is indeed a drag to own a windows computer! The savings on buying a cheap PC over a Mac are a false economy. Windows will easily cost you more in the long run.

There is a school in my area that has 1 Mac lab and 1 Windows Lab, each with about 25 machines. The full time Tech Guy rarely has touch the Macs which is a good thing because he needs so much time to keep the Windows systems running.

Stay with Mac and don't look back!

[deboerjo]

As most other people have stated, the PC would likely be a most unpleasent experience. If you're on a tight budget, consider the very cost-effective eMac. Also, take that "$500" price with a grain of salt; that's with a useless software package, no CD-RW or DVD capability, and only a 90-day warrenty. I can't configure a Dell I'd actually want anyone to buy for less than $750.

If you do get a PC, get nothing but the best possible quality; that's one of the big things that trips up PC buyers and sends them running into the arms of the Mac; buying cheap crap. The only company I've seen that really meets my standards in quality is Falcon Northwest (www.falcon-nw.com) Dell's a distant second place, Sony's are also halfway decent. I wouldn't buy a Compaq or HP if my life depended on it, and Gateway's almost as bad. Also, try to avoid the Celeron D, and the Pentium 4 5xx series. They're little toaster ovens. Stick to the older Northwood P4 processors, or better yet go for an Athlon64 based system.

[lookmark]

Originally posted by gperks:
If your wife finds the eMac bulky, a $500 PC + monitor is not going to solve that issue.

I think that's the key point. Moving to a PC doesn't completely solve what's irking your wife: sluggish and bulky.

I would definitely try to get the eMac fixed, esp. if it's under warranty, and add more RAM if it feels sluggish. But if it's too much trouble to do so, and/or bulky is a major irritant, then the new iMac G5 sounds just perfect for you.

The new iMac has a tiny footprint, packs a G5, has a gorgeous display, and is by all accounts, a striking, excellent computer. (Interestingly, it also fares very well competitively feature and price-wise versus Gateway, Sony, and even Dell's relatively compact all-in-ones -- check it out -- and looks a ton better than any.) Just budget in the extra money for RAM (from either Apple or a third-party), as you'll need it.