|
I consider myself a windows guy mainly because that's where all my work and gaming gets done. I have something like six windows PCs, one of which dual-boots as a hackintosh, and four laptops, one of which is a macbook air. It's not really that I think Windows is better; but simply, that's where all the applications I need to use are. I might prefer Windows' UI and whatnot, but that's objective to begin with.
I use the macbook air more than my other notebooks because it's the smallest of the bunch (the others being two somewhat heavy 15" systems and a 13" tabletPC which gets almost as much use) and have it set up with vista/OSX in boot camp. I tend to only boot into OSX for working with my iPhone, and occasionally play with garageband (I do a lot of audio work, and while my primary tools are in windows, GB is nice to play with every now and then).
in the meantime, all my real work is done between three windows desktop PCs. one system is dedicated to gaming (having three GTX280s), another dedicated to audio production (with appropriate hardware) and my main PC being general-purpose, with a QX6850, areca RAID controller, 9800GTX... those systems run Vista x64 Ultimate, XP Pro SP3, and Windows 7 x64 build 6801, respectively.
None of my desktops are pre-built. I wouldn't be caught dead buying a prebuilt desktop system, and that goes for macs too. Macs are simply too expensive, and last time I checked their upgradability was somewhat limited. I can easily build a better system for less. That said, I'm glad more companies are starting to release 'unofficial' mac systems, since it gives apple a headache while at the same time helping expand their market share by making it available to people who can't quite afford it as easily (thus giving windows more competition, making MS work harder at improving it). In the meantime, I'd never buy a prebuilt Windows desktop either. Some of the faults with mac hardware tend to apply for Windows systems as well, and often I can built a system that's more attractive, quieter, and more powerful, for less money.
As far as the "It just works" junk goes, sure. Totally. So long as you're playing by Apple's rules, using only Apple-approved hardware, it's *probably* guaranteed that you'll have no issues. Outside of that, you're on your own and chances are It Won't Just Work.
As for reliability, I can't say with absolute certainty, but in my experience the windows machines I've used have been more reliable in general than the Macs I've used. Granted, my Mac exposure is somewhat limited (my hackintosh and Air, and the G5s and G3s that we had when I was in college) but I'd say it's a good-enough selection given how few systems they offer to begin with. In all cases, I've had more crashes and freezes on mac systems than with windows PCs. I'll even go one step further and say that the issues I HAVE had with windows PCs have been due to either bad drivers or faulty hardware, in the majority of cases. A windows-induced failure is a very rare and unusual event.
All that said, I think it goes without saying that if you want a computer for gaming, you won't be buying a mac. Outside that, it's pretty much open for mud-slinging in both directions.
It goes without saying that this is all based on personal experience, and obviously not everyones' experiences have been the same. After all, if they were, we'd all just agree with each other. While I've found Windows PCs to be overall more reliable than the Macs I've used, neither one has been especially troublesome. They both have acceptable reliability, both have their uses, and there's certainly not much ammunition for a debate regarding which is "better".
Just use what you like and stop throwing mud. Chances are, if you have to come up with absurd rationale to justify your choice of computer/OS, then deep down you're not actually confident with your choice to begin with.
|
12-08-2008, 08:49 AM
Linear Mode
