PC/iMac

[overthemill]

i have a PC which is, I think, about 8 years old and is seriously slow. it has a big hard drive but 512RAM. It only has space for another 512 in a slot I understand.

I have a laptop which has (I think) 1g RAM and 60 MB (GB?? who knows). It is slow, freezes, generally crap
These are windows

But I have a bit of money and one of the many things i have thought about spending it on is a decent PC.. I am wondering whether i should go for a MAC or an ordinary PC. I am completely untechy but like using PC for work, itunes, internet, studying and kids would like to be able to record and play with music from keyboard/guitar etc and they have macs at school for this.

so, any advice? What would you buy if you were me?

I am not at all technical but I just made the move to mac and I love it! If you do get one then get it from the Apple store and you can get workshops from them too. I paid for a years worth but they run free ones too. I have had four sessions so far and have learned loads.

that sounds good, i am just so fed up with nothing working or it taking forever, when seeing macs at friends' houses have been impressed how fast they 'fire up' too! what model did you get?

If you're not worried about the cost and just want something that's easy to use then an iMac is perfect. The only reason to prefer a Windows PC is cost.

Personally I don't have an iMac. I use Linux. If you are interested in software freedom and having control of your own technology there could be a case for Linux, but it doesn't sound like that's you.

Just buy a Mac.

Compared to the latest Windows 7 OS, Apple OS X Snow Leopard is literally seamless. It's due to be replaced by OS X Lion this month.

I purchased my first MacBook three years ago. I went back to HP after that, using a heavily-modified HP DV8 running on Windows 7 Ultimate, a 3.2GHz processor, upgraded fan, 2 x 1TB HDDs and an upgraded graphics card.

Last December, I decided to go back to a Mac; with a 15" MacBook Pro. A little while later, I replaced this with a 13" MacBook Pro, purely due to increased portability as I travel frequently.

For work at home on a desk, I use a 21.5" iMac. I use this for processing and editing photos, gaming, music re-mixing and video editing etc.

Once you've had Mac, you never go back...

What bitoffun said

Would never buy a pc again. Slow, buggy, virus attracting things! We haggled for some extras thrown in at reduced cost - office suite - as you can't haggle on price with Apple.

I use Mac, Windows (XP, mostly) and linux. While the Mac is fine for most things, the range of software is probably wider for Windows. Not sure about games, so much, but there are a lot of reasons (not just cost) why I would remain a regular Windows user.

As OSX gets more popular, it too will attract more malware, please so don't think it is "immune" from attacks, because every additional user makes it more likely to be a target in future.

If you only have simple requirements such as mail, internet, skype, photos etc then the Mac will suit most people if you can stomach the price tag.

I used to think Windows was best until my best mate changed. I tried to convince him to think again but had to concede that for an average user like him, it was a compelling option.

Now I have an iMac too! It started out as the kids PC but it's since been adopted as my main PC.

I love the way it just wakes up & sleeps without fuss. Despite years & years of using Windows, I've never had a computer so reliably wake up from sleep. To the point where i dont bother with a shutdown now and just sleep it. Just means it wakes up within a couple of seconds rather than wait 5 mins for a Windows PC.

And the screen! Oh i love the screen! It makes my old Dell monitor which I thought was awesome look like some cheap piece of tat!

And I agree with NetworkGuy about more malware as it gets more popular. In fact recently a couple did hit the Mac but quickly dealt with. But right now I'm loving the fact I can run my computer without spyware or antivirus programs!

As I keep saying with Apple products....it just works.

some of this technical stuff is way beyond me but thanks for the info. Yep I just want something I switch on and it works. I dont let kids play games on either PC or laptop. but would like them to be able to record music.

thnx, any other suggestions?

If you want something which you switch on and it just works, get a iMac.

There are some good deals around at the moment for the older version as places are clearing stock since Apple just released the updated model. The new one is a bit faster with a whizzy new connector which no-one uses so it's not a big deal given you can save £300 by getting the old model.

I saw it in Currys for £800 the other day but you might try the refurbished models too on their website. They are fully guaranteed by Currys but also Apple. If you need to, take it back to Apple and they'll sort you out if you can't bear the thought of Currys customer service.

thanks! will look at currys now :)

niceguy2 would you look here and tell me which is best in terms of speed, reliability and longevity - ie i don't want to have to buy another one for a good long while!
thanks

If you just want something that works buy a Mac. I have just bought one and I am in love with it.

I bought it from an Apple store and they loaded all my data up for me sorted out all the emails and I get a years training. I was completely amazed that I switched it on and everything was just as it should be. Love it, Love it, love it.

Only just seen this message. It looks like the cheaper ones are now all gone. The only one remaining isn't worth it. You may as well get a new one for the saving you get!

If you don't mind ebay then you can still get them there cheaply eg. Link

Otherwise Amazon are selling brand new ones which are the new spec ones for £935 link

Have you down loaded Lion yet?

iMac, no contest.

Never owned a PC.

Once you have thrown your dell computer across the room you appreciate a mac more.

No. I've got a friend who's taking the first plunge. Will wait to see. There's no feature there I'm desperate to have, a few "yeah that would be nice" but I've learned from bitter experience that the real testing starts when people use it on mass, so I generally never upgrade day 1. It's which programs won't work which bother me and it always takes other manufacturer's a while to catch up with updating their apps.

True, when it comes to software I have learnt whatever can go wrong will go wrong even when it cannot go wrong.

thank you niceguy2. So the amazon one looks good. would you expect that it would be sufficiently powerful to keep me going for a few years? at this sort of price i wouldnt want to have to replace it very soon!
also can someone explain which software i need? is it an office mac equiv for example?
thank you so much from a non techy person!

iWork is very good. It's apple's "office" suite and has word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. The beauty of it is, it just works. No unexpected surprises. But if you are used to Microsoft office, it takes a bit of getting used to. You cam buy Microsoft office for mac, which is good if that's what you're familiar with.

If you go in an apple store, or a big pc world with an apple section, they can show you iWork in action.

Hi Overthemill, it's the same one I have and I expect it to last me a few years so yes I'd say it should be fine for you for quite some time to come.

As for software, if you want an Office type of tool, you can either download iWork from Apple App Store for £14 per app (ouch), use OpenOffice (or Libreoffice) which are both free and very very good. Or buy the Microsoft version from Software4Students for £38

Personally I'd suggest you go for OpenOffice first but it's up to you. I hate the new Office ribbon bar thing and much prefer the old menu system.

Other than that, I can't think of any other apps which you must have. Iphoto & iMovie are awesome. Good luck and have fun.

Oh just thought of one. Download Firefox instead of Safari.