Mac vs dell sgc

[gearman]

I have a Dell pc which is always locking up and is very slow. I recently upgraded to 5mbps speed.It still locks up a lot.  My 27 yo son says that I need a mac computer, that they never lock up and don't get viruses.I tell him that I don't see why with a repair  that it could be as good as new like my 1976 Convert.I saw a thingy called a WIN Cleaner on tv that is supposed to clean up a computer but you have to pay a yearly fee.  What say you all?  The dell was bought in 2007.

[Gliderjohn]

Your son is correct. Your Dell is ancient by computer standards and you say that you are still locking up. If you want continual frustration stay with your old Dell. If you want to use a computer with zero or little trouble go the Mac route. Macs are all we use at work and what I use at home. My home Mac is around four years old with NO issues or viruses. My work Mac is three years old with NO problems. My wife had used Windows based PCs all her work life and was concerned about getting but I talked her into it. After the first 24 hours of ownership she loved it and would not want to go back to a Windows PC. A local computer repair technician told me that "I work on repairing PCs all day long that is why I go home to a Mac." YMMV.
GliderJohn

[not-fishing]

8 year old Dell:





Mac 

And my shares in Apple will love you................ .

[gearman]

It is taking seven seconds for me to retrieve your posts.. Not good.  Keep the responses coming.

[acogoff]

     There is nothing wrong with a dinosaur. My 6year old vista controlled dino does all I want of it. Just run crap cleaner program once a month.

[twhitaker]

Ditto on my Vista controlled HP at home that I've had for about 7 years. $400 for the unit amortized over 8 years where else can you have fun for $50 a year?

[Dilliw]

I have a Studio Hybrid from the same era and it's still fine for surfing.  12gb min of DDR2 will probably fix any slowness you might be experiencing.  

[boatdetective]

OH GOD- not this again.

First of all- the 2007 computer is old and much of this has to do with it not being able to keep up. I'd get something new.

The FIRST thing you need to ask is what are you using the machine for. Remember- it is a MACHINE- a TOOL- not an alter.  If all you are doing is surfing the web- get anything you please.  If you are a graphics/artsy type- Mac is an easy choice (but you would know that already). If you actually have to work with many differnet businesses- and if they have to open up your files-  get a PC. Sorry folks, but no one has rolled back the rock and Steve Jobs has not come back from the dead. Cross platform compatability is NOT simple and seamless. I had MSOffice for Mac and it was awful.

I started with punch cards and my first machine ws a 286- so I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to this. I did taste of the golden fruit and bought a Mac Air. HATED IT.  I had to relearn every single thing for Mac. Every little thing you do is different. If you are computer challenged and resent having to relearn everything- stick with what you know and just get a PC. I've got a Lenovo Yoga little thing that has been fantastic.

The whole virus thing- by this stage- is overrated. Don't go to sketchy web sites and don't open up strange emails.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmbwR9J6-Yw

[LaGrasta]

once you try a mac, there's no going back.

[normzone]

>>>>>I tell him that I don't see why with a repair  that it could be as good as new like my 1976 Convert.I saw a thingy called a WIN Cleaner on tv that is supposed to clean up a computer but you have to pay a yearly fee.  What say you all? <<<<<

Computers are changing faster than motorcycles - you should be comparing a steam engine to your Convert instead.

>>>>>I had to relearn every single thing for Mac. Every little thing you do is different. If you are computer challenged and resent having to relearn everything- stick with what you know and just get a PC.<<<<<

PC advice above is good - as for computer cleaners, there are good free ones (Malwarebytes, CC Cleaner).

[bratman2]

My wife has a mac and loves it. Maybe 3 or 4 years old and has no issues with hers. My old laptop I just replaced is a HP that is maybe 4 or more years old. First, if you go windows route most or windows 8. It sucks in my opinion. My new Acer came with windows 7 and was one of the reasons I purchased it. So if you want a MAC you can't go wrong with them, they do operate different though and so there is a learning curve. If you want to save big bucks go with an Acer with windows 7. Mine is model Aspire E1-771-6496 and can still be purchased.

[Bill929]

My wife and I both switched to Mac products two years ago.  Very good product (not cheap), and no viruses.  Learning curve is not near as steep as it used to be...  We both use them for our businesses as well as personal use, so they are heavily used. 

[rboe]

I'm a fan of the Mac: But. They can and do lock up (happens to me, but very rare). There are viruses for them (typically you have to do something silly like agree to install it - but this is where they are very tricky, you THINK you are agreeing to something good; the social engineering is very very good on with these guys). Get a good anti-virus for the Mac. I run Sophos. It's free (Guzzi content).

There is a learning curve for the Mac but if you buy a new computer you are looking at Windows 8.x with ten coming around the corner; I submit that for most folks, learning the Mac OS will be less painful than the new Windows. Your mileage may vary. :D

A couple things in favor of the Mac. When Apple pushes out a major OS upgrade, typically it is an evolutionary change. Not revolutionary (9 to 10 being the "recent" exception). Much easier on the users to gradually learn new stuff as it's not a complete do over. I was in user support until recently; Windows seems to need a support person and much more time is "wasted" dealing with updates and their unintended affects. If find the Mac to be much more hands off and low maintenance. For a tool, I like the less fuss it presents.

That said, some people and Macs don't mix well so if you can, try before you buy (give it thirty days). If you and Mac simply don't jive then you have Windows (same for Windows users, some folks just can't work with it - although they seem to be folks that have a hard time with a P-38 can opener).

You have choices, pick your poison; but I agree, you have some old hardware/software and while there are a few things to tweak (upping the memory if possible and not max'd out already, faster hard drive) but it's really diminishing returns and you may as well get new or "new".

I find the main problem with Windows, right behind Users, is all the crap that tends to get loaded on the base machine. Lenovo Thinkpads have little of this. Not sure about other business class machines but I suspect if you steer away from Home machines you can avoid this software bloat. Outlet stores for name brands are also a good place to pickup decent machines at a good price. Save your money there, not getting the cheap consumer level PC that has software bloat and cheap components.

[Wayne Orwig]

I have an antique home grown PC. Probably built in 2005. I upgraded it to Win 8.1 last year.

It runs 24/7 collecting my weather data and running a home brewed web site.
http://hogmountain.homenet.org/

The fact that it is 32 bit limits the RAM, so with the FTP server, web server, and the local file shares, it is a bit sluggish at time. But not a real issue. If it was an issue I would simply add a cheap solid state drive.

Best thing to do with the Dell is reformat the drive and reinstall everything, to make sure it is 'clean'. Some of the worse performance hits come from the crappy virus software like Norton. After the clean install put on a lean and fast virus checker. 

[Sasquatch Jim]

 I have had three mac laptops.  They are not immune to viruses.  They are immune to most viruses.  There are evil ones who can get a virus into a mac
 but they are rare.  I have had a mac lock up.  Most of the time doing a forced shutdown will cure it or multiple forced shutdowns.
 When you do a forced shut down, shut off from internet access before powering back up.  Then clean the history and clear out ALL cookies.
 Then go back on the internet.
 I do not use wyfi.  My modem is the type that I plug into the laptop to get internet access.  If I suspect that some malware is trying to enter,
 the first thing I do is unplug from the modem.  Then I set about looking at the problem.

[Dimples]

If the Apple store is conveniently located, you might stop by for a demo. You may be pleasantly surprised. In my experience Apple has provided some of the best customer service for any brand of product I own.

Near you?

https://www.apple.com/retail/lakesideshoppingcenter/

[gearman]

All of you responders know what you are doing. I  appreciate that. My son just called and is coming over.He bought a mac on an open box special for 4 or 5 hundred dollars. He says there is a return ability.I agree that Someone could clean my computer but not me.Even typing this is a nightmare......big lag in ..........cant'     ....talk...... ;D

[boatdetective]

I forgot to mention that if you have a hard time learning all the new swipes, touch and pull, and other arcane hot key combinations witha  Mac, you can drive to the mall and wait in line for 45 minutes to talk to some diffident hipster. That really was the most special part of owning a Mac for me.

I've found with most windows/office software, there are three different ways to do each command. With mac, there is one: their way. Drove me nuts.


BTW, with Windows 8, you can opt for the "classic" screen. Basically, this is the same as Win 7.0.  I think you'll see them drop the whole Win8 multiple panes.

[charlie b]

You will probably be happy with the Mac, once you get used to how differently it works.  And in 4 years you can have the same issues you have now and need to upgrade again  :)

The below is one of the more honest assessments of Macs that I have seen in here.  After have three of them I won't get another.  They just cost too much for what they are worth.

And, FYI, PC's get viruses the same way Mac's do, by entering a website and selecting the 'wrong' item or downloading things from a second party website.

I'm a fan of the Mac: But. They can and do lock up (happens to me, but very rare). There are viruses for them (typically you have to do something silly like agree to install it - but this is where they are very tricky, you THINK you are agreeing to something good; the social engineering is very very good on with these guys). Get a good anti-virus for the Mac. I run Sophos. It's free (Guzzi content).

There is a learning curve for the Mac but if you buy a new computer you are looking at Windows 8.x with ten coming around the corner; I submit that for most folks, learning the Mac OS will be less painful than the new Windows. Your mileage may vary. :D

A couple things in favor of the Mac. When Apple pushes out a major OS upgrade, typically it is an evolutionary change. Not revolutionary (9 to 10 being the "recent" exception). Much easier on the users to gradually learn new stuff as it's not a complete do over. I was in user support until recently; Windows seems to need a support person and much more time is "wasted" dealing with updates and their unintended affects. If find the Mac to be much more hands off and low maintenance. For a tool, I like the less fuss it presents.

That said, some people and Macs don't mix well so if you can, try before you buy (give it thirty days). If you and Mac simply don't jive then you have Windows (same for Windows users, some folks just can't work with it - although they seem to be folks that have a hard time with a P-38 can opener).

You have choices, pick your poison; but I agree, you have some old hardware/software and while there are a few things to tweak (upping the memory if possible and not max'd out already, faster hard drive) but it's really diminishing returns and you may as well get new or "new".

I find the main problem with Windows, right behind Users, is all the crap that tends to get loaded on the base machine. Lenovo Thinkpads have little of this. Not sure about other business class machines but I suspect if you steer away from Home machines you can avoid this software bloat. Outlet stores for name brands are also a good place to pickup decent machines at a good price. Save your money there, not getting the cheap consumer level PC that has software bloat and cheap components.

[kevdog3019]

Mac is like s Jap bike but with the character of a Guzzi. You won't be sorry. Simple to go PC to MAC. Harder to go MAC to PC. THERE'S A REASON...

[canuguzzi]

You might notice that Apple no longer makes commercials about how PCs get viruses and MACs don't and for good reason.

The typical computer virus isn't the biggest concerns these days, it is malicious websites and malware that seeks to obtain access to your personal and financial data. MACs are just as vulnerable as PCs when it comes to that and can be even more so because of the false sense of security many people have thinking that MACs are inherently safer to use.

Its a funny thing sort of, you have an older PC. Now if you ask around, the people with MACs tend to have newer ones because they are buying news ones more often. I have some older laptops that run Windows 8.1 and were designed to run Windows XP. There is always someone around who manages to make the older PCs work with new software, something Apple people simply can't do, not because it can't be done but because it wouldn't be acceptable.

Your old PC can be cleaned up and made to run like the wind. If isn't going to happen with some fancy dongle or anything someone is going to sell you. You can do it for nothing:

To get ready, go get a download of AVAST anti-virus (free version) and copy that to a thumbdrive or CD/DVD. Keep it for later.

1. Save all you data. All of it. If you don't want to mess around, use an external backup device and let it do the job. Then verify everything you want is safely backed up.

2. Take the original recovery CD/DVD and reinstall everything to the same state as when you go it. Don't connect it to the Internet yet, just get the original software on it.

Hint: If you have a Dell or HP you probably can get for nothing, an upgrade to the latest supported operating systems (Windows) just for the asking.

3. Now go and uninstall every piece of trash software (known as bloatware) on the PC. It isn't hard to do and takes not all that long to do it. Get rid of all of it.

4. If the PC has anything called Norton...McAfee...T rend Micro... antivirus or security blah blah blah, dump that too. You aren't going to need it.

5. Now defragment the drive. Use the tuneup tools the system has in it to do that. Takes a little while but go have something to drink while the  machine works itself over.

6. Next you put on a nice clean new copy of AVAST antivirus. It is free.

7. Now connect to the Internet and let the PC update itself at the next scheduled time which should be shortly. If it doesn't, go to Control Panel or Start and find Windows Update and choose that. Simply accept the updates. This will take some time but that is where the good stuff you drink and eat comes in. Avoid the alcohol at this time.

You do that and you'll be amazed at how fast your computer runs and that it no longer locks up all the time.

This will work.

Anything else like Wincleaner and those kinds of things are like changing the oil and leaving the old filter there.

If your computer has Vista originally, Dell or HP can probably fix you up with Windows 7 or you can search Craigslist  and get one for your PC for next to nothing.

Then, let AVAST update itself and accept updates when it asks and everything will run and your PC will be as safe as you need it to be so long as you do your part about having good passwords.

"moto guzzi" is not a good password even though we might think no hacker in their right mind would ever think of it, they are evil people.

[redrider90]

I have 2 Macs and love them both. But do not be fooled that Macs do not freeze. Just google "the dreaded spinning ball on a Mac" and read on.
That said I still will never go back. I have a 2008 and a 2013 Mac Air. I was having trouble the spinning beach ball on the older unit.  After buying the Air in 2103 I doubled the Ram in the older 2008 Mac, added a new solid state hard drive and then upgraded the operating system with a clean install of Snow Leopard OS X, which is the most that Mac can handle. I then used my time machine, which is an external hard drive and dumped the whole history into the new clean hard drive with the new operating system. Since doing that it has run flawlessly and runs almost as fast as my new Mac Air with the flash drive and turbo boost and the Maverick OS X. But do not be fooled as Mac have their issues. I think they are easier to use and understand than Windows but they have their bugs and can cause big problems.  I have yet to update to the new Yosemite OS X because of too many problems are being reported. If you decide to buy a new Mac buy the 3 year extended warrantee. It comes in hand even if the computer is operating just fine but you cannot figure out how to use a program. You just call in and they will teach you how to use it over the phone at no charge.
 

[prof_stack]

once you try a mac, there's no going back.

Not so fast!  The walled garden of Apple is a happy place for those who drink the apple koolaid, and play by their rules. 

A new laptop, whether PC or Apple, will serve you well. 

[fotoguzzi]

the Applecare warranty replaced my Imac screen after a year and they gave a new mother board too.. would have cost $1500. to fix.

yo can get appointment at the mac genius bar so you don't have to wait in that line, for product service or to help you understand it.

My MacbookPro is a 2010 but I hot rodded it with a second drive (in place of the DVD drive) it's a SSD, (solid state drive)  it's about as fast as any new mac, boots in 17 seconds..  I'ts been a real workhorse, 1000's of miles in saddlebags, made a lot of HD video's, battery still lasts 4 or more hours.. I think I love it more than any motorcycle I've had.
https://vimeo.com/34351858   password: Guzzi

[jackson]

We own a Mac Pro desktop that I use primarily for video editing along with an older PC that I use in my home music recording studio.  My wife and I also have two HP desktops that I bought around 8 months ago and a Lenovo laptop (all the PC's run Windows 7 / 64 bit).

I am very familiar with both the Mac and PC operating systems and prefer a PC with Windows 7 over the MAC operating system for daily use.  The MAC does a great job with video editing because it runs several software programs that do not have a PC equivalent and that's why I own this computer.  Apple charges a heavy premium over an equivalent PC due to the fact that they've built a brand name that is synonymous with quality products but for just about any task other than video editing, you can purchase a PC that is fast & dependable for much less money.  The selection of software for MACs is limited and expensive when compared to the huge number of software programs for a PC.
We also own an Ipad Air and both of us use Iphones (so, we're certainly not Apple haters) but I won't purchase an Apple laptop because I just don't see the value when compared to a Windows laptop.
Norge Pilot gave you some very good advice that will fix your problem and save you a bunch of money.
Good luck with your decision.

 

[Kentktk]

I have a Dell pc which is always locking up and is very slow. I recently upgraded to 5mbps speed.It still locks up a lot.  My 27 yo son says that I need a mac computer, that they never lock up and don't get viruses.I tell him that I don't see why with a repair  that it could be as good as new like my 1976 Convert.I saw a thingy called a WIN Cleaner on tv that is supposed to clean up a computer but you have to pay a yearly fee.  What say you all?  The dell was bought in 2007.

Listen to your son.

[canuguzzi]

If you need a genius to keep your computer running, run away from the genius, they are there to take your money.

Just how much has that old 2007 PC cost you?

x3 at least for the MAC.

[sknapp351]

I have owned Macs since 2001, and am certainly biased. Since that time, I have worked at one job where we had to use Windows, and I will admit that Win 7 is a huge upgrade over XP, at least in my opinion. However, even at that job, I had to "fix" something on the computer at least twice a week. It may have been as simple as waiting 5 minutes while it installed updates. ( I love it when it restarted while I was in the middle of doing something) I often had issues with drivers, uninstall and reinstall. The pull for the Mac, for me, is that I rarely spend time working on it. My wife and I own a graphic design/web company and we currently have a 2006 Mac Pro that is our work horse, a 2008 MacBook Pro laptop, a 2010 MacBook Pro laptop, and a 2011 iMac as our work machines.

The hard drive in the 2008 laptop had to be replaced recently, I I had to reinstall an OS once. These computers are tools for me, and the fact that I spend very little time working on them opposed to making work on them, is huge to me. Yes, they cost more than a budget PC, but when I can look at the 9 year old computer that has run my company with VERY little downtime, that is a worthwhile investment for me. If this was just a browsing machine, maybe a budget PC would be better for me, but that's what my iPad is for. If budget was most important to me, I'd also likely be riding a Yamaha or Honda.

Computers are tools, and everyone needs something a little different. Figure out what is valuable to you, what you need, what is most important to you, then buy that.

Sam


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kentktk]

As always you get what you pay for, computers are no different.

[Doppelgaenger]

I have an irrational hatred of Apple and their corporate philosophy. Apple assumes that they know what is best, they dictate to you what it is you're going to get, and you don't get a choice. Some of their design choices are great, and some of them (like predictive text on the iPhone) are downright infuriating because the default is that the machine knows what you want better than you do, and it does what it wants to instead of what you intended. This thinking pervades their products. They don't support expansion ports for their products and they have planned obsolescence built in, by which I mean the newest operating system seems almost designed to slow down your device to the point that you throw it against a wall and get a new one.

That and apple prices are insane.

Depending on what you use your computer for, and this is a big 'depends', you might be better off with a chromebook. They can't do some things that regular computers do and they aren't all that useful when not connected to the internet, but they are blazing fast, start up almost instantly and they pretty much can't get a virus. It's somewhere between a tablet and a laptop. The batteries last for 5-8 hours and they don't get hot. If you just want to browse the net and do email, a brand new fancy chromebook can be bought for less money than the add-on protection plan for a new regular laptop. And if they ever break, everything is backed up on the cloud so you just get a new one, put in your password and you're up and running as if nothing ever happened.

Your dell could be refreshed to like new status, but you have to wipe the hard drive. Those win cleaner programs that are supposed to keep your computer running great are pretty much just a scam. Windows is mostly stupid and you can't fix stupid. That said I've heard from software friends that Windows 10 is amazingly good.