Mac or PC?

[texasgirl]

Okay, first, thank you all for your help and advise. I will look for that book, James!!

I will try to remember all the questions, if I forget one, I will come back and edit.

I have a HP with the celeron 2 GHZ and only 120 mb of RAM. I know that isn't enough now, since just the Office uses 209 mb alone, and the MSN is taking up 113mb. Plus I have other things that I have on here that range from 10- 90 mb.
My computer is only 4 years old and I have liked it, other than the welchia worm. I haven't had any other problems since putting Mcafee instead of Norton. I have downloaded Microsofts Defender and one called Secret maker that is an all in one for malware, adware, etc.
I really don't trust having anyone do anything with my computer. MIL had a very bad experience with 2 of those kinds of groups that work on computers. I'm just weird that way.

 

[texasgirl]

Okay, now answer me this. I can't use the Defender without downloading the Service pack 2. But, when I went to download that, it said to back up my computer. I don't have anywhere that I can back up the computer. What do I do in this instance?

 

[Snoop Puss]

I'll let someone else answer the Service Pack 2 question. But in the meantime, from the way you talk about it, it sounds like the only thing stopping you from doing what you want to do is a lack of RAM. Do you know how much potential RAM you can have? Check the name of your computer in Google and see what it says. Is the type of RAM you use still available so that you can upgrade the amount of RAM rather than buying a whole new computer?

I too hate people fiddling with my computer (this was especially the case with my Windows PC) but I'm sure if you took it to a shop and said how much would you charge me to fit x amount of RAM to this computer, you'd get a straightforward reply and they wouldn't go changing your preferences, software, etc.

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

You can get a very nice PC fir $550 at your local custom computer builder. I dont care for Dell, Gateway, HP, ANY Mac, E-machine or Compaq.
I build PCs and I work for a company that builds and sells Mac and PCs. What you put in the case makes a BIG difference.
Trust me, Im a geek. Macs are overpriced computers. They use the same processors as PCs made by intel.

 

[wasabi]

3 years ago when I first decided to get my very first computer, I got a Mac. I have a simple mind, and Macs are very simple to use. You just plug it in and you're off and running. This G4 desktop is my third desktop, not because the others broke down, it's just because I love new toys. I also have the G5 notebook which I call my "Black Beauty". I use my puters for fun. Surfing the web, forums, shopping, etc. I love my "over priced" computers and will never own a pc.

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

Are you sure you have 120MB of RAM or are you looking at 120GB of Storage on your Hard Drive? 120GB is a common number for HDD space, while 128MB is a common number for RAM (in slightly older machines).

I was a PC user from the age of 10 until the age of 23. I switched to a MacBook earlier this year, and love it! Simple, well built, and easy to use. The software works like magic. Since Macs are intel based now, you can actually set up both Mac OS-X and Windows XP. I have both on my laptop. 95% of the time I'm on OS-X, but every once in a while I use XP for that odd piece of software. Mac is definetly king on multimedia such as music/photos/video, but PC has photoshop which is pretty good. As sad before, most virus' are written for PC's, so Macs see very few problems. Sometimes I think anti-virus software is worse than getting a virus! Back when I had a PC, I used to wipe my hard drive a couple times a year and do a fresh install of XP. PC's usually see the latest high-zuit video gear for gaming, but I don't play computer games so thats not a problem.

Overall, I think Macs are much more user friendly and stable. However, upgrading stuff beyond RAM and Hard Drives is much more difficult to do, as you need drivers that are compatible with OS-X. Given that you can run both operating systems on Macs now, I recommend them to everyone. The #1 problem friends/family always bug me to fix is a 'puter that is loaded with spyware. I've gotten to the point where I have taught them how to just re-install XP. A lengthy 2hr process, but it takes almost that long sometime to find and eliminate every last critter that has invaded them. No trouble with Macs, so long as PCs still have the major market share and virus-writers continue to attack PCs.

They really aren't that much more expensive either. Also, CPU speed really isn't as important for the average user as their Internet connection, RAM, and speed with which the hard drive communicates with the rest of the system. I had a 3.0GHz PC desktop that I built myself, and now my 2.0GHz laptop is more than fast enough for what I do.

The system I recommend to people who aren't interested in a high-zuit gaming computer is...

iMac 20"
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
1GB 667MHz DDR2 RAM
250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive
Rewritable DVD/CD Drive
128MB Video Card
20" Flatscreen Display
Wireless Keyboard & Mouse
Wireless/Bluetooth Card
Mac OS-X Operating System
Apple Remote Control

$1559 w/Free Shipping.

The 20" apple display is very nice, and it's something many people appreciate who don't have perfect vision or want a big screen for viewing/sorting/editing photos. Most people get a kick out of "The Computer" part too... it's part of the screen. If you buy the optional $150 Airport device, it allows you to access the net and print wirelessly. So the only wires at your desk will be the powercord, and no bulky boxes lying around. I have a separate cart that I have my printer on. The DSL modem box and Airport module are behind it - out of view.

With the included software you can easily make home videos too and burn them to DVDs with functioning Menu's, soundtracks, etc.

Next year Mac is coming out with a $250 box that you hook up to your big screen TV. It wirelessly speaks with your Mac and lets you stream photos/videos/music. The above system also comes with a remote control that allows you to step back and allow people to crowd around to see as you click through media.

Anyhoo, I'm a big Mac fan now!

 

[bullseye]

Are you sure you have 120MB of RAM or are you looking at 120GB of Storage on your Hard Drive? 120GB is a common number for HDD space, while 128MB is a common number for RAM (in slightly older machines).

Probably 128 meg w/ 8meg allocated to video. Common for video built into the motherboard.

 

[Maidrite]

Okay, first, thank you all for your help and advise. I will look for that book, James!!

I will try to remember all the questions, if I forget one, I will come back and edit.

I have a HP with the celeron 2 GHZ and only 120 mb of RAM. I know that isn't enough now, since just the Office uses 209 mb alone, and the MSN is taking up 113mb. Plus I have other things that I have on here that range from 10- 90 mb.
My computer is only 4 years old and I have liked it, other than the welchia worm. I haven't had any other problems since putting Mcafee instead of Norton. I have downloaded Microsofts Defender and one called Secret maker that is an all in one for malware, adware, etc.
I really don't trust having anyone do anything with my computer. MIL had a very bad experience with 2 of those kinds of groups that work on computers. I'm just weird that way.

Texasgirl, Your computer is ok I would just add more ram from the looks of things your computer can be upgraded to at least 1.024 GB of Ram which depending where you go will be anywhere from 60 to 120 dollars. Just make sure to Balance the Ram chips out. I am upgrading a Laptop and I found a 512 MB ram chip from ebay for $25.00. It sounds like you have everything else you need. Ram Chips are easy to install.
Mac's are great machines and do some things alot better than PC's. PC's have their advantages too I like both.
You have a good system and as long as it works fine, its fast enough just to add more ram. Hugs and Love James

 

[bullseye]

Texasgirl, Your computer is ok I would just add more ram from the looks of things your computer can be upgraded to at least 1.024 GB of Ram which depending where you go will be anywhere from 60 to 120 dollars. Just make sure to Balance the Ram chips out. I am upgrading a Laptop and I found a 512 MB ram chip from ebay for $25.00. It sounds like you have everything else you need. Ram Chips are easy to install.

I agree that the basic machine is OK, but I think you mean either 1024 Mb or 1 Gb. Also, not all motherboards need to balance the RAM. In fact, unless you have a relatively new machine that uses DDR2, most today do not need to do this.

 

[bullseye]

Okay, now answer me this. I can't use the Defender without downloading the Service pack 2. But, when I went to download that, it said to back up my computer. I don't have anywhere that I can back up the computer. What do I do in this instance?

The upgrade will back up to your hard drive, as long as there is sufficient space.

 

[college_cook]

I used to be a pretty hardcore PC user, but switched to Mac sometime during highschool. It's really a blessing not having to worry about any sort of viruses, and since the switch was made to Intel, Mac's are no longer overpriced. There was an article that pitted the MacBook Pro against a equally equipped Del notebook, and the Dell was about $1000 more expensive .

Software can be a concern, depending on what variety of work you need to do on your computer. I find that there are a ton of great business apps for windows where there are none on OSX. Other than that, it is equally easy to find appropriate solutions for both platforms. I do find that when dealing with your photo and music coollections, OSX is infitnitely more easy, user-friendly, and intuitive than windows apps, and Mac bundles their apps with their OS.

I think Macs are just more friendly to use in general, easier to setup, configure, and basically get anything you need to accomplished.

 

[GB]

I have been using PC's since my first comuter years ago. My next computer will be a Mac. I think they are designed much more intelligently. Plus my cousin got a job at Apple so maybe I can get his discount

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

I didn't mean she needed a new 'puter, I just threw that out as advice for someone looking to get a new Mac. It's a great deal on a clean/aesthetically pleasing personal computer.

I'm lovin' my new MacBook. Built very well, great peformance for the tasks I take on, and gets almost 4hrs of Battery life with a brightly lit screen. With my Apple Airport wireless network in my apartment, I can sit at my desk, lay on my futon, or take it right into the kicthen with me and be online anywhere I want. Actually (this is kinda funny), I park my vehicle right outside, and get a solid signal from there. So sometimes if I want to order movie tickets or do some banking and I'm in town I'll pull up the driveway, open my notebook, and have at it!

But the iMac is the way to go if you're not constantly on the go like me and don't need a laptop. Much more bang for your buck.