6 Reasons to Buy a PC Instead of a Mac

No Joke; As much as we love Macs, we admit there really are reasons not to buy a Mac. Here are my top six reasons to buy a PC instead of a Mac.

1. You only have $300 to get a new computer. There is no disputing the fact that Apple doesn't compete in the market for cheap, POS computers. Today, a refurbished Mac Mini is going for $519 from Apple. It only goes up from there. Counterpoint: you can always buy a good used Mac for cheap on eBay.
2. You like to build your own computer. Some people like to tinker, and Windows or Linux PCs are the best way to do it. You can't just march into Fry's and start buying the parts to make a Mac yourself. Counterpoint: Unless your time is worth $3 an hour, don't fool yourself into thinking you are saving money.
3. You plan to pirate your software and all your sources use Windows. There is no denying software piracy is running rampant and by virtue of market share, there are far more sources of pirated Windows software than Mac software. Counterpoint: Macs come with most of the software you will need for free. Also, don't be a thieving asshat. You aren't entitled to steal someone else's work, even if it's Microsoft.
4. You live for the latest video games. You also don't mind dropping $500 for the latest video card to play them. Facts are facts: Computer games come out first for PCs and sometimes never even make it to the Mac. I've been waiting YEARS for Half-Life. Counterpoint: Go buy an Xbox.
5. You need a program that is only available for Windows and a Mac counterpart won't do. There may be tens of thousands of Mac programs available to you, but there still are gaps in very specific software categories. Counterpoint: Run Windows on your Mac via Parallels or Boot Camp to access that program.
6. You want an ultraportable laptop. At this point, the MacBook is Apple's smallest laptop computer, and it really doesn't compete in the ultraportable category where screens are small and optical drives and battery life are shed to save weight. Counterpoint: Get a job where you don't have to travel so much.

I'm sure I missed some items for the PC die-hards. What do you think? Use the Comments section below to take your best shot, but stick to reality. As much as you can.

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Counter-Counter Points
2. Counterpoint: Unless your time is worth $3 an hour, don't fool yourself into thinking you are saving money.
You in fact DO save quite a bit of money by buying your parts online and building it yourself. Not to mention that you get individual part warranties. So a home PC builder get's 3-5 years per part in warranties. I don't need to explain why this is good.

4. Counterpoint: Go buy an Xbox.
Isn't M$ the enemy? Arent' they the infamous monopoly that most mac fan-people complain about? Then surely you know they make the xbox as well, thus furthering their stranglehold on the consumer marketplace. Also console gaming is NOT the same as PC gaming. Mouse + Keyboard = greater control, and genuine advantage to console players.

5. Counterpoint: Run Windows on your Mac via Parallels or Boot Camp to access that program.
I will agree that Parallels is brilliant, and isn't made by apple, it's made by Swsoft, so please at least give the company the credit it deserves.

6. Counterpoint: Get a job where you don't have to travel so much.
That is generally a weak and insulting point. Honestly I have an iBook g3, and it has a battery life of ~6 hours. if you're seeking long battery life, I would go that way. If it has to be modern, then I think the Sony Vaio and the Macbook have the longest battery life per camp.

 ire
 07/14/2007  at  10:24 AM

This cracked me up: Macs are ALMOST “PCs” now. Cause and effect are often difficult to determine. But I do appreciate the hardware context.

 JohnS
 07/14/2007  at  10:29 AM

I'm sure someone else may have mentioned it, but points 3, 4, and 5 are all fixed with several options -- Boot Camp, VMWare Fusion and/or Parallels. For 4, Boot Camp will be needed so you can get full performance with the video card on native drivers. 3 is a larger discussion than why not to get a Mac. 5 will work with either virtualization OR Boot Camp. All viable options -- my Mac Pro runs VMWare on its second flat-panel, and it's outstanding.

 Anand
 07/14/2007  at  10:33 AM

good general tips, and i'm glad the myfirstmac creators thought it right to allow space for those times when you must have a windows machine....so here's my two cents..on the details.

1. used macs come incredibly cheap, i found myself a g4 12inch powerbook with 1.25 gigs of RAM for $375 on craigstlist. i couldn't believe it, but it happened!

2. you can build your mac computer, its just a bit harder. there are plenty of websites dedicated to doing this and helping your cause, its just not as rampant as the pc side.

3. well...good point there are more sites for pc piracy, but its just as easy on a mac. because of how well macs run, hate to say it but its even easier.

4. dual booting a mac, makes the hardware run windows. which is what the games play on. if you have a copy of XP or Vista, then its free to set your machine up to dual boot, and you can put the latest card you want into the mac pro tower. you can play every pc game you want on a mac pro machine you could on any other tower.

5. same answer as above. installing windows is on a mac, is easy. period.

6. great point, they don't sell laptops with detacheable drives and 6 inch screens. apple is only one company compared to the several that create pc stuff. apple only lets apple create stuff that runs their software. this is both a strength and a weakness for them.

just my two cents...great site!

 Rob G
 07/14/2007  at  10:50 AM

"You want an ultraportable laptop..."

... get an iPhone.

 Mike
 07/14/2007  at  10:52 AM

Good Site!

I use both PCs and Macs for numerous applications. A couple things I haven't seen mentioned:

1. OSX is far superior to Windows XP/Vista for any sort of a/v editing. The OS is simply coded better for it, and PowerPC was kick-ass at that stuff. Nothing beats a dual G5 for vid editing, especially with the prices of the high-end intel chips so high.

2. Intel macs are nice, especially the MacBook Pros, but you're paying a premium for the Apple on the front. The same hardware can be had from other manufacturers for the same price. Yes, you're getting OSX and iLife and hipster-cred with your Mac, but you're paying for it.

3. Apple has yet to produce a notebook with tablet capabilities. It's generally understood that they are in development, but if you want a tablet, you have no option but to go with a PC right now. I know there's a ModBook, and I also know that you gotta drop like $2000 for one and the hardware is base MB, intel graphics and all. And, in my opinion, Vista has excellent tablet capabilities. I'm more impressed than I thought I was going to be and I use my tablet every day.

 Josh
 07/14/2007  at  10:59 AM

Reason 7: The 'zoom' button on a Mac is worthless. Counterpoint: who cares.

 rob
 07/14/2007  at  11:05 AM

In case you have an application that runs on Windows only, besides Boot Camp & Parallels (both very good choices) another option may be Crossover Mac. It doesn't require an install of Windows like Boot Camp & Parallels do, but allows you to run many of your Windows only applications for only $59.99. Please notice some applications will not run through Crossover and it is best to check the CodeWeavers website for a compatibility list. Here is a great comparison between the three applications.

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/differences/

 Kevin Schaefer
 07/14/2007  at  12:31 PM

Just wanted to say that the counterpoints here are rather harsh and narrow.

Just a couple things off the top of my head: Building a PC is cheap. The whole Time = Money is valid for some people, but even then, it takes me like, three hours tops to assemble a computer from parts, then installing the OS/programs I do later when I can multi-task on other things.

Pirating is just as available on the Mac as on the PC. Don't be blind to that just because it 'seems' like there is fewer. There is just as supple an amount on the web.

And no, consoles aren't the answer to video games. Besides, your example of Half-Life is not available on the Xbox.

However one thing I really want macs to have is a tablet, but I still don't see one in the horizon.

 Clem
 07/14/2007  at  01:19 PM

I love my MacBook Prog, but if you like to tweak computer hardware and change or upgrade different parts like video card, CPU, etc then get a PC.

 WiFi Maps
 07/14/2007  at  03:24 PM

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