Windows 7 - Will it be the best of Microsoft?

[MasterBlaster76]

Some of these PC users can't seem to achnowledge that Mac's are, infact, very very good machines. No hassles of viruses, a very smooth and stable operating system (calling it clumsy in comparison to Vista is laughable IMO).

I use PC's at home, and we have Macs at school. The macs win hands down, much zippier, no lag, user friendly, and hassle free. You don't need to 'maintain' it like PC's either, with defrag, virus scans, firewalls (well, you don't need as much as windows) that just clog up the computer.

Although it must be said I don't mind using PCs, I love my Vaio. But I am looking forward to switching to a Macbook Pro when I head to college in two years.

just my .02.

But how is it for games? I'm a PC gamer, so my machine has to be able to play the latest games. I believe that's where the Mac falls down, no?

 

[sohum]

Macs have many downfalls, the primary being that they market themselves as an elitist machine. When you're buying a Mac, you're not only paying for the "superior parts" (you can actually custom build a PC with far superior parts than a Mac for a fraction of the cost) but you're paying for the ability to call yourself a Mac user and generally look down on the rest of the population. I'm not saying this is the case for all Mac users, but it does appear to be the general trend. Mac-PC squabbles are typically initiated by Mac users, since they want to vindicate the higher amount of money they spent on purchasing a machine that essentially cannot talk to the rest of industry.

It is not as if Apple has been ignorant to this, either. One of the main reasons they switched over to Intel processors is so that they could offer the ability for Mac hardware to run the Windows operating system. If they really trusted in their superior hardware and snazzy operating system, then they would have said "screw it" and continued on their merry way.

Having used both operating systems/computers extensively in my lifetime I can comfortably say that I much prefer a Windows-based system. OS-wise, I think I prefer the newer versions of Windows (aka Vista and 7). Hardware-wise, there is almost no comparison. While you can buy a powerful Mac and be happy for about a year, you know that they're inevitably going to release a higher spec'd model in the next year. And you can't do anything about it (at least, not without a considerable investment of your time). Comparatively, I can upgrade my PC (hell, I can update my HP laptop and have) with RAM/HDD (and even a freaking video card--on a laptop!) by unscrewing, unclipping, clipping, screwing and rebooting... I don't have to wait for Apple to decide my specifications and recharge me.

That said, Macs are really good for some tools. I would happily do web-design, digital image manipulation, video editing, etc. on a Mac. I used an iMac G6 at work for the last couple of years and they were easy to do these tasks.

In the end, it really comes down to the person using the computer. It doesn't make any sense for X, Y or Z to tell you what operating system is right for you. Personally, I have used Windows 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista and 7, a couple of flavours of Linux (Ubuntu, Knoppix and a bit of RH/Fedora Core) as well as a number of OS X versions and I can say that I easily prefer Windows 7 to everything I have used.

 

[Kshitiz_Indian]

Some of these PC users can't seem to achnowledge that Mac's are, infact, very very good machines. No hassles of viruses, a very smooth and stable operating system (calling it clumsy in comparison to Vista is laughable IMO).

I use PC's at home, and we have Macs at school. The macs win hands down, much zippier, no lag, user friendly, and hassle free. You don't need to 'maintain' it like PC's either, with defrag, virus scans, firewalls (well, you don't need as much as windows) that just clog up the computer.

Although it must be said I don't mind using PCs, I love my Vaio. But I am looking forward to switching to a Macbook Pro when I head to college in two years.

just my .02.

You crack me up. An OS which can't support an industry standard, SATA II, which came out years ago. I don't know want else to call it.

An OS, for which you wish to program, you have to learn new things, opposed to Linux and Windows where one language does it all.

An OS, which has till date not mastered the display drivers it bundles with its Mac's.

Built by a company, which claims that Macs are "virus-free" and do not need any protection, yet silently bundle an anti virus / malware suite along. I thought they didn't need any as they claimed.

Fact is, they are touted as secure because their userbase is low and hackers can't be arsed to work towards them. That doesn't make them "superior" - they're much easier to hack into as has been showed by numerous conferences.

Neither you know the parts argument not I do because neither of us has been into either factories, neither of us has seen what parts are actually bundled.

That $500 laptop is a waste of money, and is probably full of low quality parts and materials. All Mac products are built of high quality and obviously the price will be more.

That is, sorry to say, utter rubbish. That laptop can do every thing that Mac can do, probably more, and those have proven to be VERY reliable. I've used one myself for quite a LOT of years.

In the end, you get what you pay for.

Err, in the case of Macs, you don't. The OS is good, its UI is fantastic, but there is nothing in those computers that is technically superior than a PC of equivalent price [A PC of equivalent price will laugh upon the Mac].

You can easily see that. A 128GB SSD option, which Apple offers, Samsung made SSD's, is around $400. The same SSD's, samsung made, are available in the Market for much less.

I'm not saying Macs are poor machines, obviously they're pretty good. I'm just saying they're not in the same league as PC's.

 

[AbBh]

Macs aren't ultra secure machines. Researcher cracks Mac in 10 seconds at PWN2OWN, wins $5k

Its easier to make viruses and trojans for Windows because a large amount of research has been done on the OS internals by reverse engineers. Such information is easily available and anyone with good programming knowledge can make a virus that targets a Windows machine. Mac users should be happy that it isn't widely used.

 

[Cricketman]

But how is it for games? I'm a PC gamer, so my machine has to be able to play the latest games. I believe that's where the Mac falls down, no?

Most 'big name' games here are now coming out with Mac Versions. But obviously not as much as the PC, this is an area which falls down.

Macs have many downfalls, the primary being that they market themselves as an elitist machine. When you're buying a Mac, you're not only paying for the "superior parts" (you can actually custom build a PC with far superior parts than a Mac for a fraction of the cost) but you're paying for the ability to call yourself a Mac user and generally look down on the rest of the population. I'm not saying this is the case for all Mac users, but it does appear to be the general trend. Mac-PC squabbles are typically initiated by Mac users, since they want to vindicate the higher amount of money they spent on purchasing a machine that essentially cannot talk to the rest of industry.

Lol, i'm not looking down on anyone who owns a PC at all. Infact, I don't even own a mac yet.
Higher amount of money? A Macbook Pro 13inch and a Sony Vaio cost the same. Same goes with an iMac or any other high end PC. As for building, the regular 'Joe' is not going to have the time nor patients to actually make their own computer.

It is not as if Apple has been ignorant to this, either. One of the main reasons they switched over to Intel processors is so that they could offer the ability for Mac hardware to run the Windows operating system. If they really trusted in their superior hardware and snazzy operating system, then they would have said "screw it" and continued on their merry way.

Because they realize that in this day and age, people need the multiple OS's to work most efficiently. Many businesses still haven't switched from Windows XP. You can dual boot Windows and OSX, so you have the programs that are limited to Windows (Mainly used for work) and have the ease and preferred choice of OSX.

Having used both operating systems/computers extensively in my lifetime I can comfortably say that I much prefer a Windows-based system. OS-wise, I think I prefer the newer versions of Windows (aka Vista and 7). Hardware-wise, there is almost no comparison. While you can buy a powerful Mac and be happy for about a year, you know that they're inevitably going to release a higher spec'd model in the next year. And you can't do anything about it (at least, not without a considerable investment of your time). Comparatively, I can upgrade my PC (hell, I can update my HP laptop and have) with RAM/HDD (and even a freaking video card--on a laptop!) by unscrewing, unclipping, clipping, screwing and rebooting... I don't have to wait for Apple to decide my specifications and recharge me.

I changed the RAM and HDD on my sisters Macbook myself last year. It's very simple really, just a few screws, and your done. Apple even has a doityourself guide on their website - MacBook: How to remove or install memory

You also said you used an iMac G6 - that is a very old version and probably used an older version of OSX as well, such as Panther or Tiger. These aren't as close to how good as Leopard and Snow Leopard have been.

I'll address the other points later. I'm not looking to pic a fight, i'm just saying that Macs are better machines than the 'expensive pieces of junk' as commonly thought about here.

 

[Kshitiz_Indian]

I'll address the other points later. I'm not looking to pic a fight, i'm just saying that Macs are better machines than the 'expensive pieces of junk' as commonly thought about here.

I'm not picking a fight either mate. I never claimed they're just expensive pieces of junk as a whole, just pointing out that they're junk FOR the money that they demand. They're good machines otherwise.

 

[jkartik]

currently am pretty happy with XP. running extremely smooth...windows drive doesnt occupy much space and just too used to XP now..been using it for 7 years. frankly, i just dont feel the need to switch to Windows 7.

later on, when i get myself a big upgrade aka a gaming beast, i might go for 7.

 

[sohum]

Lol, i'm not looking down on anyone who owns a PC at all. Infact, I don't even own a mac yet.
Higher amount of money? A Macbook Pro 13inch and a Sony Vaio cost the same. Same goes with an iMac or any other high end PC. As for building, the regular 'Joe' is not going to have the time nor patients to actually make their own computer.

Let's compare a semi-customized 13.3" Sony Vaio versus the Macbook Pro 13".

Vaio - $1179.99
Processor: Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz
RAM: 4GB DDR2
HDD: 320 GB 7200rpm

Macbook Pro - $1199
Processor: Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz
RAM: 2GB DDR3
HDD: 160 GB 5400rpm

The Macbook Pro comes up a little short (in my opinion) against one of the most expensive PC Laptop brands. Personally, I don't buy the whole "better hardware" argument at all. You can check into the guts of any PC these days and if you really want to drop more than a grand on one, you can get yourself a much more powerful and social machine.

Because they realize that in this day and age, people need the multiple OS's to work most efficiently. Many businesses still haven't switched from Windows XP. You can dual boot Windows and OSX, so you have the programs that are limited to Windows (Mainly used for work) and have the ease and preferred choice of OSX.

People don't need multiple OS's to work most efficiently. A large majority of computer users around the world use only one OS. Even in the business sector, it is only really the tech companies who have to support multiple OS's. You will see graphic design firms and the like use Macs and you'll see most everyone else with Windows.

I changed the RAM and HDD on my sisters Macbook myself last year. It's very simple really, just a few screws, and your done. Apple even has a doityourself guide on their website - MacBook: How to remove or install memory

That's good to hear. Next you can work on the HDD. And it still doesn't come close to the upgradability of a desktop PC.

You also said you used an iMac G6 - that is a very old version and probably used an older version of OSX as well, such as Panther or Tiger. These aren't as close to how good as Leopard and Snow Leopard have been.

I'm guessing it was a G6 based on Google Images. It was purchased new in Fall 2008 so it was whatever came out new, then. It was definitely Leopard, though.

I'll address the other points later. I'm not looking to pic a fight, i'm just saying that Macs are better machines than the 'expensive pieces of junk' as commonly thought about here.

There are better ways to go about advertising that opinion than coming into a thread about Windows 7 and discussing it. AFAIK, the discussion hadn't been about Macs for a while so it really appeared to be baiting. As I've maintained before, Macs are powerful machines in their own right, but I'm not prepared to hand off my wallet to Steve Jobs on a regular basis. It does not have to be Mac vs. Windows--both can be good in their own ways.

 

[MistroBoomer97]

i reckon it will be best

MistroBoomer97 added 4 Minutes and 42 Seconds later...

easily
.....

 

[nakul]

Well i am using windows 7 This is the best ever Windows (After XP)

 

[SciD]

Well point of releasing new version is that its better than older ones. What's the fuss about?

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Is the Release Candidate DX10 enabled? I've just reinstalled Call of Juarez and added the DX10 enhancement pack (official) which is supposed to improve the graphics to take advantage of DX10, yet I tried it under Win 7 and it looks exactly the same to me.

 

[barmyarmy]

It's DX11 enabled I'm pretty sure. Also depends on your gpu.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

I'm sure my GPU is a DX 10 card.

 

[barmyarmy]

Just checked and I have Directx 11 (although no games that use it!).