Help me choose a computer to buy!

December 20, 2005 9:13 AM

I need a new computer - any suggestions for which to buy? I'm open to both Mac and PC and I'd appreciate any advice on the best computer to buy. I'm not broke, but would prefer not to spend an unnecessary amount of money. A little about what I'm looking for - I use computers all day, but am not particularly tech-savvy. I'd like a good, solid, reliable home computer that I can use for internet, word processing, pictures and some layout (flyers, newsletters etc). I'd really appreciate any advice on what is the best way to go, both for a mac and a pc.
posted by krudiger to Computers & Internet (29 answers total)

Well you're going to get a lot of Mac vs PC debate here now that you've opened up. If you really don't care about anything but basic productivity applications I would go with what you're comfortable using (ie the MacOS or Windows) or what price is better.

You really can't beat Dell in the PC arena. If you can get to CostCo you can usually get one with a flat panel monitor for under $1000. Not to mention a three year warranty and other amenities. Macs will simply cost you more, there's no real way of getting around that.

If you're not tech savvy and used to Windows, stick with that. Many will disagree, and while I know that Macs are easy to get used to -- there's still a hurdle in simply changing the interfaces. I'd go with the chic/cool factor of Macs if money was not an issue.
posted by geoff. at 9:21 AM on December 20, 2005

If you surf a lot, go with a Mac. To my knowledge, there has never been a Mac virus seen in the wild. The savings in money (software) and time alone might be worth it.
posted by Chrischris at 9:27 AM on December 20, 2005

I have to agree with the long-term costs of Macs being lower, even given a larger initial investment. Less hassle and headache- and Apple has good, reasonably priced software that sounds like it'll do most of the tasks you want. Pages is nice enough, and you avoid the MS Office bloat, and you also open yourself up to iDVD, iMovie, etc. and, perhaps later, final cut and the other pro-level apps.
posted by wzcx at 9:41 AM on December 20, 2005

For Mac - the iMac G5 is your #1 pick right now.
posted by jedrek at 9:42 AM on December 20, 2005

www.bensbargains.net - figure out how much you can spend and buy the one that is most recommended in the comments.
posted by k8t at 9:44 AM on December 20, 2005

This article by Wall Street Journal technology columnist Walter Mossberg was suggested by my partner.
posted by stagewhisper at 9:46 AM on December 20, 2005

As a user of both platforms, I'll have to chime in with the Mac crowd here. While PCs have the advantages of price and software offerings, I find my Macs to be much more stable, less prone to virii and spyware, and overall needing much less maintenance and care. My Mac Mini has been truly plug & play since I took it out of the box a year ago, whereas I constantly need to fiddle with my PC for software updates, virus updates, and a host of other piddling details that I tire of very quickly.
posted by slogger at 10:02 AM on December 20, 2005

I was only unhappy with my Powerbook G4 because it was the dated G4 architecture. An iMac G5 in portable format would be sated me for years. I'm back to PCs for laptops for now but once the Intel based Macs are out I'll probably go back when I need to buy a new machine.
posted by kcm at 10:03 AM on December 20, 2005

I'm a dual-platform user, and would recommend the mac.

The biggest advantage I see is that there's significantly fewer annoying "maintainance" tasks. No spyware removal, no hard drive defrag, everything pretty much just keeps on working.

The only reason I recommend PC is if the person cares about games, or plans to do work that requires PC applications. (Virtual PC is still quite awfully slow).
posted by I Love Tacos at 10:23 AM on December 20, 2005

I've worked inside of software for over twenty years, with the great majority being Windows. Even though I know Windows back to front I'd still recommend you get a Mac. Specifically, I'd suggest a 14" Powerbook. You didn't mention a preference for laptop vs desk computer, so get the laptop -- after you've been freed from a desk for a few months you'll never want to go back. Being able to work or surf from bed, or the couch, or the porch is liberating.

The 14" screen PB is a little less portable than the 12", but is still fine for daily travel. I find the bigger model too big, and the smaller one too small. Get at least 1 GB of RAM - OSX performs best with even more -- and get the AppleCare 3-year warranty. PBs are reliable but AppleCare gives peace of mind.

And ditto all the other good things have pointed out about Macs.
posted by anadem at 10:29 AM on December 20, 2005

I think an iMac with Pages (part of the $79 iWork suite) would absolutely knock your socks off. Out of the box, you'll be ready to surf the internet with a standards-compliant browser, manage your e-mail, video-conference with iChat, manage your photos with iPhoto, listen to music with iTunes, edit & burn movies with iMovie & iDVD, watch it all from across the room with the included remote control & Front Row, and make some really beautiful newsletters, documents, & presentations with iWork. You're not going to find anything as easy to set up and use on the Windows side of things.
posted by designbot at 10:29 AM on December 20, 2005

If you really want to save money, and you already have a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, a Mac mini can do a lot of the same stuff for just $499. But it has a G4 processor, so it won't be as fast or powerful as the iMac. And there's a good chance it might be one of the first models to be updated to Intel chips in the next few months.

If you're not in a hurry, I'd recommend waiting to see what gets announced at Macworld in two weeks before purchasing any G4. If they do come out with Intel-based iBooks, that may be your best bet.
posted by designbot at 10:49 AM on December 20, 2005

For internet, word processing, pictures, and some layout, you don't need anything very powerful, so look at the cheap models (like $500 sans monitor). You might look in your area for a white-box builder who will build you something cheap and without lots of useless crap loading up at startup. The main problem with a big-name cheap pc is that it's going to be absolutely bogged down with about 342908420938 different useless programs that are pre-installed for your convenience and that just sit there soaking up resources and crashing occasionally.

Use whichever of a Mac or PC you're more used to. The spyware / virus stuff about PCs seems to me to be hugely overblown unless you're one of those idiots that only use IE and keep clicking on the bouncing monkey.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:58 AM on December 20, 2005

You need to narrow down your choices. There are a lot of deals; you could probably go to Staples and leave with a pretty good computer at a pretty good price. Go look; don't take up a lot of sales time; just check prices and see how fast applications seem to run. You need to decide on a cutoff for minimum specifications; testdriving machines is a good place to start.

1st choice - Mac or PC. Macs are more expensive but many people feel they maintain value well, and that the design and implementation is worth the cost. PCs are mostly non-proprietary, easy to get repaired, easy to get software for, etc. This is jihad territory; you just have to choose.

Any new computer should run an office suite pretty reliably. Graphics apps need more muscle; what app do you use?

When comparing oranges to umm, pears (not Apple/Macs) list the chip - P4, AMD, whatever, the speed - in mhz, RAM - in megabytes, hard drive space - in gigabytes, jazziness of graphics adapter, size and quality of monitor and any bundled software. Peripherals, too: CD-Read & Write and DVD-read is minimal for me. DVD-Write is useful in some circumstances.

Some bundled software is bogus - a 3 month subscription to Macafee isn't worth all that much - so be skeptical. Win XP Pro is better than Win XP Home.

You need to have a minimum and maximum price point; otherwise the recommendations you get will be all over the place. If you have spare cash, a laptop is spacesaving, and nice to use at home. A good monitor is key to making your machine pleasant to use, as well as being nice for DVDs

A good question for you to ask would be: What are reliable sites to start deciding what I want in a computer.
posted by theora55 at 11:16 AM on December 20, 2005

If cost is an issue, don't buy a mac period. They're good machines but totally not worth the extra cost. Despite the fact that there's so many Mac cult adherents here. I think it would be almost realistic to see an AskMetafilter question like this:

Q: I am thinking of buying a computer. In order to afford a mac, I will have to pimp my mom and sell pcp at the junior high. Is it worth doing this to avoid getting a PC?

A1: Yes, totally.

A2: I have to agree with the poster above. Your life will never be complete until you become one of us.

Well, I have a mac and it's merely pretty good. It's certainly not 150% the computer that a similarly equipeed toshiba would be, even if it cost 150%. I might like it more if I was still single and taking it to Peets to pretend to work on my thesis while I trolled for hipster ass.
posted by Mayor Curley at 11:17 AM on December 20, 2005

Apple's cheapest mini, coupled with a nice 19" Dell LCD monitor (get one with a DVI connector if you can), makes for a good setup for less than $1000--less than $900 if you go with a 17" monitor. About the only feature you'd be lacking would be the ability to burn DVDs; if that matters, spend an extra $100 and get the middle mini.

The iBooks are nice machines too, but my opinion is that if you don't need a laptop, don't get one--you get more machine for your money with a desktop.

As others have said, new Macs might be less than a month away. This is not necessarily a reason to get one (I'd wait for all the bugs to get worked out, and all the software to be recompiled)—but it might mean killer deals as Apple clears out the old PowerPC stock, which will work fine for years to come.
posted by adamrice at 11:25 AM on December 20, 2005

When asked the prototypical question of "Rabbi, is it better that I get a Mac or a Windows PC?" I tell them, "First, stop calling me Rabbi. Next, if you want to learn about computers, get a PC. If you want to work and not be bothered about learning about computers, get a Mac."

Is a Mac 150% a line for line item equivalent PC? Nope. It's only about 130% an equivalent PC. And if it's really equivalent in hardware configuration, the Mac will probably be cheaper.
posted by cptnrandy at 11:26 AM on December 20, 2005

Time is money. If your goal is to spend the bare minimum for a crappily constructed PC regardless of future recurring costs or productivity concerns, buy the latest Dell deal. Some people think cost is the only factor is buying anything, but remember, Wal-Mart jeans look like crap.
posted by kcm at 11:30 AM on December 20, 2005

The Mayor is right -- the apple laptop will get you ass at the coffee shop. Don't know what's that's worth to you.

I run both Windows and Mac OS. I love my Mac. Windows Vista has some swanky chrome and some new features. It doesn't matter though, because you'll have to buy it when it comes out. If you already had a big investment in (reasonably) up to date software, namely Office 2002, 2003, or Adobe or Macromedia products, then you should stay on that platform. If not, then go Mac; you'll never, as they say, go back.

$1250 for a Dell (I'm figuring $950 + Office) or $1400 for an iMac ($1300 + Pages). That's not enough of a difference to matter in the long run. Plus, iTunes, iPhoto, etc etc etc.
posted by zpousman at 11:33 AM on December 20, 2005

If cost is an issue, don't buy a mac period… It's certainly not 150% the computer that a similarly equipeed toshiba would be, even if it cost 150%.

Hate to get into a flamewar, but I have to disagree. There are cheap-ass Windows computers out there. There's also the cheap-ass Mac mini. He should also take into account the cost of any software he needs to buy.

I'm not saying he couldn't be happy with a cheap-ass Windows machine; but I can't imagine he'd like it better than a comparable Mac.
posted by designbot at 11:37 AM on December 20, 2005

Yeah, so the big choice is Apple vs. Windows/Intel.

I use both operating systems on a daily basis (along with Linux), and I have to say, ever since WinXP was released, Windows has been a stand-up OS. Totally reliable, and if you use a little common since and a firewall, it'll remain relatively stable over a long period of time. And machines can be had cheaply. You probably won't regret buying a Windows machine.

That said, I have never had a computer as easy to maintain and as straightforward to operate as my Mac. It's easy, easy, easy: I spend almost no time on system maintenance. Even upgrading the OS was a piece of cake. I've put in my time mucking around in the internals of operating systems; now I just want to get work done. So I'm buying Apple from now on.
posted by mr_roboto at 12:03 PM on December 20, 2005

Do you want to be part of Apple's experiment with introducing the SECOND best processors available (Once they eliminate the G5's and go to Intel), or would you rather maximise your $$ and learn a little about what's inside that funny box with all the wires coming out of it?
I would read a bit more, consider the available benchmark results, and inevitably decide to take my time and BUILD the best PC I could for the money. Mac most certainly will have problems with first generation Intel machines, and no matter how good the G5's are, they were yesterday's tech the day Jobs said "INTEL".
http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/system-guide-200508.ars
A link to Ars Technica's system BUILDING guide. They provide links to source the parts, and it all comes with instructions. Dell? They can't even SPELL AMD...,
posted by FredsinPa at 12:27 PM on December 20, 2005

Response by poster: thanks. i really appreciate anyone's comments. whether you think that i should get a mac or a pc, i'd really appreciate as many specifics as possible, model numbers, speeds, what accessories make sense, etc.

thanks!
posted by krudiger at 12:43 PM on December 20, 2005

If you're really not tech-savvy, and you really are only going to use the machine for what you say, then don't worry about specifics. Literally any new machine will do what you want it to. Seriously. Any machine on the floor at Best Buy or whatever will almost be overkill for what you want to do.

If you go PC, I'd probably find a local builder to set up a cheap system and put a clean install of XP on it. You don't need to care about the processor or video and sound subsystems. You want at least 512 megs of ram. You might as well get a DVD burner instead of a CD one.

Accessories: a router. You might as well get a wireless router in case you ever get a laptop; they don't cost any more than non-wireless ones. In combination with some decent habits, that will mean you don't need to bog down your machine with antivirus and antispyware software.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:38 PM on December 20, 2005

Specifically, I'd get a 17-inch iMac and iWork '05. Amazon.com has a $125 rebate going now, so you'd come to about $1174, including iWork '05. The default configuration should be fine (1.9Ghz G5 processor, 512MB RAM, 160GB hard drive, CD/DVD burner, 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0). If you want extra RAM, get it from someone other than Apple and put it in yourself (it's easy). Another 512MB would only run you about $32.

A router isn't going to do anything for you if you only have a desktop, and antivirus and antispyware software really is unnecessary with a Mac.
posted by designbot at 2:12 PM on December 20, 2005

I work with a mac G5 and recently purchased a PC laptop for personal use. A mac isn't God, and PCs aren't satan. There are quirks to OSX that I still haven't gotten over, (and I hate iTunes) and it's still easier to find freeware for Windows than OSX. A mac will work right out of the box and be relatively trouble-free (though not 100% perfect, as one of my coworker's had her G5 crash and burn recently, and we've been hearing a lot of complaints from the admins about their newish iMacs). Once you tweak Windows to your satisfaction, and make sure you have a firewall and an anti-virus program in place, you'll be set. (And seriously, use Firefox as your browser--that probably eliminates about 90% of the problems with viruses and spyware PC users tend to have.)

The bottom line is, do you want to save money but put more time and effort into messing with Windows, or do you want easy from the start and are willing to part with more cash?
posted by lychee at 3:20 PM on December 20, 2005

I work for one of the biggest Mac software companies in the world. Here's an except from our internal IT security web site:

Q: Are there any viruses that can infect Mac OS X?

A: No, not currently. However, because Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word documents are a cross platorm format, they can contain macro viruses. The powerful features of Microsoft Office spawned the evolution of cross-platform "macro" viruses. The proliferation of macro viruses has impacted more than a few departments. Install Norton AntiVirus 10 to make sure that your Mac OS X system stays free of macro viruses.

So even though we have thousand of Macs, we never have any problems Mac with viruses or spyware. But minute anything from Microsoft is installed...look out!
posted by ryanrs at 4:16 PM on December 20, 2005

My only advice is that if you decide on a laptop, get the best one you can afford (and read real reviews of the models before buying, don't listen to the GeekSquad member at Best Buy or the cappuccino-glasses hipster at the Apple store). You will pay more up front, but with a laptop you're pretty much stuck with what you bought. You can't really upgrade much later (aside from more memory/bigger HDD) so go for the gold today and save yourself some pain later on down the road.

Things to consider with a laptop:
-Battery life? How much real-world app can you run for how long before it needs a recharge?
-Portability? How heavy and how bulky is this thing, vs. how often do I carry it with me?
-Desktop replacement? Can I get a dock or similar to turn this into my new computer, but with a full-sized monitor and keyboard?

And I'd recommend looking at something besides the bog-standard Dell, Gateway or HP if you go Windows. Acer makes some nice laptops, IBM is pricier and a little behind on the power curve but makes up for it with the reliability factor, Toshiba usually gets good reviews...
posted by caution live frogs at 7:52 AM on December 21, 2005

If you're not tech savvy (which you flat out mentioned in the intro) then the "build your own PC" route is the *last* thing I'd try. Also be wary of local white box builders. Often times they'll throw in the cheapest hardware they could possibly find. Things like Winmodems and onboard sound cards usually suck. At least, with my older Soyo (and ETS) motherboards, performance took a huge hit when I was using the onboard audio but improved once I threw in a PCI Soundblaster. But then, I was down yet another PCI slot.

There are still plenty of people on Earth that really don't want to know what's inside the computer. They just need it to work.

I work with both Macs & PCs all day. I'd have to say: Get a Mac. Mac OS X is solid, reliable, and there are apps available to do what you're planning. I keep a PC around for the games, but that's about it. A Mac Mini might be great for you. The new iMac is quite nice. We have a few of them around here and a good friend of mine absolutely adores hers.

I don't think he security issues on Windows are overblown. Hell, it was possible to r00t Windows by having IE *display a JPG image* a while back. That's pretty scary. Mac OS X has been great for me.
Oh, and it'll also work a hell of a lot better with the iPod that you oughta buy. ;)
posted by drstein at 11:21 AM on December 21, 2005