# New computer: PC or Mac? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 7, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123 "2012-04-07T22:20:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/21 "2012-04-08T03:50:46Z")
> [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](#): > > And again, you seem to be pulling numbers out of nowhere. From the links above: > > Macbook Pro: > 12.78 x 8.94 x 0.95 inches > > Sony VAIO > 13.04 inches, 8.84 inches, 0.92 inches > > Where is this 30% number coming from? Scroll down to the bottom of the description, it says this: > [@](#): > > Dimensions and Weight: 13.04 x 8.84 x 1.27 inches (WxDxH); 3.65 pounds (4.8 pounds with sheet battery attached) And if you look at the sheet battery, it appears to be door stop shaped, so with the external battery attached, it will be even thicker, I could not find a dimension listed for the unit with external battery attached. ---
**Author:** ![Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hero_From_Sector_7G)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/22 "2012-04-08T03:51:20Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > The MacBook Air costs $1299 and weighs less than 3 pounds. This does make it hugely convenient to travel with, and even carry around the house, use in bed, etc. - but if you are okay with a 7-pound laptop, you can do a hell of a lot better for your $1300 with a PC. > [@Absolute](#): > > I didn’t mean that all PC laptops weigh 7 pounds, just that, if you’re not concerned about size and weight, Apple has nothing to offer you, and you’re better off with a PC (assuming nothing else about the Apple appeals to you). The above two quotes seem at odds to me. Clarify? > [@Absolut](#): > > The Sony you linked is almost 30% thicker than the 13" MacBook Pro Two of the Sony dimensions are smaller, I assume you’re trying to tell me that 12.78 is 30% smaller than 13.04 ?? No matter how I pound my calculator I can’t get any reasonable numbers that show the Apple being 30% smaller. Help me out? ---
**Author:** ![Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hero_From_Sector_7G)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/23 "2012-04-08T03:53:13Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Scroll down to the bottom of the description, it says this: > And if you look at the sheet battery, it appears to be door stop shaped, so with the external battery attached, it will be even thicker, I could not find a dimension listed for the unit with external battery attached. Much appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hero_From_Sector_7G)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/24 "2012-04-08T03:55:57Z")
I still maintain that you can buy equal quality products for Mac vs PC and spend similar amounts. It unfortunate that some of my initial numbers didn’t take into consideration the awkwardness of the Sony battery pack. Claims that Apple hardware is better needs to be substantiated. Edit: It would be nice if there were a less nebulous metric. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/25 "2012-04-08T04:08:43Z")
> [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](#): > > The above two quotes seem at odds to me. Clarify? If you do not care about size and weight there is no point in buying an Apple laptop because they all prioritize size and weight! There is no point in buying that 13" Sony you linked either! What exactly do you not understand? > [@](#): > > Two of the Sony dimensions are smaller, I assume you’re trying to tell me that 12.78 is 30% smaller than 13.04 ?? > > No matter how I pound my calculator I can’t get any reasonable numbers that show the Apple being 30% smaller. Help me out? Happy to help. In the English language, we have these things called “words”. The word “thicker” does not have the same meaning as the word “smaller”. Given that both laptops have a 13" screen, it makes little sense to compare their size on any basis other than thickness. I suppose you could use volume, but the result is the same for volume as for thickness. I’m done responding to this thread. Sorry for the mess, **Candyman74**. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/26 "2012-04-08T04:09:04Z")
After years of Windows and linux laptops, I just bought my first Mac laptop (13" Macbook Air). I really love it. It’s pretty perfect for what I need a laptop for, which is mostly web browsing and connecting to remote linux machines. I love that it’s so light, feels well made and has such great battery life. OSX does take some getting used to, but there’s a lot to like about it once you do. ---
**Author:** ![Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hero_From_Sector_7G)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/27 "2012-04-08T04:16:44Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > I’m done responding to this thread. You got pretty sore just from being asked to substantiate your claims with some real numbers. Apple buys its hardware on the market just like everyone else. They don’t have special access to special processors or super batteries. Their hardware is the exact same stuff found elsewhere , but wrapped in nicer cases. ---
**Author:** ![elbravoiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@elbravoiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbravoiv)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/28 "2012-04-08T04:21:15Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > No, how is it incorrect? I didn’t mean that all PC laptops weigh 7 pounds, just that, if you’re not concerned about size and weight, Apple has nothing to offer you, and you’re better off with a PC (assuming nothing else about the Apple appeals to you). > I don’t know what anecdotal evidence you’re talking about. I never said Apple had the lowest 3-year failure rate in the market, I just said they were one of the best. Your study does not contradict that. > What do you mean, “again”? > > From your own link, in the “Key Specifications” section, it says “Dimensions and Weight: 13.04 x 8.84 x 1.27 inches (WxDxH)”. you seem to focus on him saying again, rather than the fact that .95in is just over 3% not 30%, furthermore, the mac is thicker than the pc … so you’re getting hung up on semantics, when your own facts come into question-by the way i think he was referring to how you were still exaggerating the weight figures; yet you attack people for their facts that clearly were left vague to encourage looking into the matter, not taking what some random dude says on a forum for face value - i think this guy just wants some guidance fact- i said “hdmi quality” because i’m not gonna get into specifics or look it up, it’s really nothing beyond common sense that adding another, extra point for information to pass through is going to take away from quality, same principle can be applied to just about anything… plus carrying around one extra thing to get lost is just a pain, i don’t think anyone can disagree with that maybe i used an old number for the 1/2 figure (as it definitely used to be 50%, in your terms), but honestly, i don’t think most people would take that number seriously anyway, as it’s pretty common in english to say twice as or half as and just mean the effect, not the degree…the point was that it makes it significantly slower (please cite your 10% figure if you’re going to be a man of the facts), and to look the issue if it’s a big deal to you… i’ve been running searches of these programs to run windows on a mac, a lot of people seem to complain about their macs slowing down, big time- i’m not going to provide this however, because i’m going to tell this guy to do his own research- spending this much money on anything should necessitate research… the reason i’m not providing this is because any one of the numerous sources i find can be questionable to some degree or another, but taken together, it provides a good basis for an issue to be looked into…it’s the kinda thing that isn’t going to show up on an amazon search which is why i don’t show it (regarding the amazon stuff, i didn’t realize that sony’s had gotten cheaper: my old sony ran for 5 years and was full of viruses for the majority of that time, it never crashed or anything, definitely slowed down) anyway the point of this is to help this guy, so i just wanted to say … take my advice as an opinion with some guidance provided by someone who’s found himself in this dilemma many times, not face value, do your research-as any smart consumer would My opinion-i stress the word opinion: If you need a computer for office functionality, price, obviously games (although more can be had on both now; i think u said this wasn’t a big deal though), and ability to customize - go pc - what i know the best about is financial modelling and quantitative research, both in excel; i can tell you, if you need it for this kind of thing, go pc, no questions asked If you need a computer for anything else, especially advanced media, go mac i just wanna stress that what i wrote above was based on my own experience in shopping for computers and the decision i made based on what i needed a computer for … i did try to highlight what i like about the macs i guess i shouldn’t have brought the whole culture thing into it as this guy clearly isn’t an opinionated hipster who’s already made up his mind… that’s the thing i hate about mac, but that has nothing to do with the computers themselves … bottom line is each has its pros and cons ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/29 "2012-04-08T04:23:34Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > _cough_Apple III_cough_ 😃 Yep, that was indeed a piece of crap. In 1981, a year after it was released Apple recalled all 14,000 and replaced them for free. ---
**Author:** ![elbravoiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@elbravoiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbravoiv)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/30 "2012-04-08T04:28:11Z")
oh yeah, just thought i’d add - apple gets its from samsung…who make pcs… [Apple A5 - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_A5) refer to the numerous sources cited at the bottom if you want to question wikipedia ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/31 "2012-04-08T06:36:00Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > I’m not talking about build quality, more like component quality. It is quite easy to spend $1300 on a laptop and end up with one that is sorely lacking in some respect (like screen quality and/or resolution) last I heard Apple was getting its motherboards from foxconn, who isn’t exactly the most desirable name in mobo circles. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/32 "2012-04-08T15:04:29Z")
Sounds like most of the things people argue about are things I don’t really care about. From what I can make out from the above, then - given a set amount of money I’m largely making a choice between power-for-money and attractiveness. Would that be a fair summary? ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/33 "2012-04-08T15:11:38Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Sounds like most of the things people argue about are things I don’t really care about. From what I can make out from the above, then - given a set amount of money I’m largely making a choice between power-for-money and attractiveness. Would that be a fair summary? No. The Mac OS has a different look and feel than Windows. It’s not a given that you will like it better. Definitely at least try it before you shell out money for one. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/34 "2012-04-08T16:00:22Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > last I heard Apple was getting its motherboards from foxconn, who isn’t exactly the most desirable name in mobo circles. They are assembled by Foxconn, but they are Apple designs, using Apple-specified components. In my experience, Apple has better hardware designs than most other manufacturers (few ribbon cables, for example). ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/35 "2012-04-08T16:23:12Z")
> [@elbravoiv](#): > > oh yeah, just thought i’d add - apple gets its from samsung…who make pcs… [Apple A5 - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_A5) refer to the numerous sources cited at the bottom if you want to question wikipedia this isn’t as significant as you might think. _Chaebol_ like Samsung are fairly loosely-connected, and individual businesses might as well be separate companies. Samsung Semiconductor and Samsung Electronics have little or no influence on each other. Hell, Samsung’s smartphones don’t always use Samsung’s chips; the Galaxy Nexus has a TI CPU. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/36 "2012-04-08T16:32:57Z")
> [@elbravoiv](#): > > fact- i said “hdmi quality” because i’m not gonna get into specifics or look it up, it’s really nothing beyond common sense that adding another, extra point for information to pass through is going to take away from quality, same principle can be applied to just about anything… When a Displayport to HDMI adaptor is connected, the Displayport (if it has multimode capability, all Macs do) outputs a pure HDMI signal. There’s no conversion, it’s purely a pass through rearrangement of pins. Even if that wasn’t the case, a digital to digital conversion should have no effect on the signal anyway. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/37 "2012-04-08T16:39:07Z")
just to pile on: > [@elbravoiv](#): > > fact- i said “hdmi quality” because i’m not gonna get into specifics or look it up, it’s really nothing beyond common sense that adding another, extra point for information to pass through is going to take away from quality, same principle can be applied to just about anything… plus carrying around one extra thing to get lost is just a pain, i don’t think anyone can disagree with that there’s no lossy compression I’m aware of in either HDMI or DisplayPort. So there wouldn’t be any loss of quality translating between the two; and I don’t know why you think “common sense” would tell you there would be. All you’d be doing is taking the same data and sending it in a different manner. I mean, it’s not like copying a music file from my desktop to my laptop over WiFi degrades its quality. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/38 "2012-04-08T16:54:34Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > They are assembled by Foxconn, but they are Apple designs, using Apple-specified components. In my experience, Apple has better hardware designs than most other manufacturers (few ribbon cables, for example). ide in desktop pc’s is pretty much dead I haven’t seen ribbon cable in a new pc for several years. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/39 "2012-04-08T16:59:21Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > just to pile on: > > there’s no lossy compression I’m aware of in either HDMI or DisplayPort. So there wouldn’t be any loss of quality translating between the two; and I don’t know why you think “common sense” would tell you there would be. All you’d be doing is taking the same data and sending it in a different manner. I mean, it’s not like copying a music file from my desktop to my laptop over WiFi degrades its quality. I’m getting hit with the poster in question was experiencing was a shift from native resolution to some variation thereof, giving a slightly less sharp picture. all monitors experience this ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123/40 "2012-04-08T17:05:46Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > ide in desktop pc’s is pretty much dead I haven’t seen ribbon cable in a new pc for several years. he’s talking about these kinds of ribbon cables: > **[Dell OEM Inspiron 8000 8100 8200 LCD Ribbon Cable 146CM](https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=197)** > > 1 Year Warranty + $5.99 Shipping! Gently Used Dell (146CM) LCD Ribbon Cable Dell OEM Inspiron 8000 8100 8200 Latitude C800 C810 C840 Precisio Laptops. still pretty common in laptops. The “locking” ZIF connectors they plug into aren’t all that secure, and if the ribbon is subject to _any_ movement whatsoever it can work loose over time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-computer-pc-or-mac/618123.md?page=3)