the great mac vs pc debate!

[pibbals]

yyeeaahhhhhh, the whole 'it's easy to build a computer' thing doesn't sound that plausible to me. i'd have no idea where to start with parts. i don't know what's good and what's not or what any of that computer technical stuff means. i wouldn't feel comfortable at all putting it together based on instructions that i found on the internet, either.

pretty sure if it was that easy, a lot more people would be saving tons of money and doing it themselves.

Allison is right, no novice should be building a computer. It makes sense to tech people, but some of the most basic things would confuse a "normal person." Saying building a computer is easy is like her telling me "photography is easy, just push the button and take a picture!" When there is so much more to it than that.

I don't really like to debate PCs and Macs. I kind of thing anyone who does is an idiot. Use what you like, use what you can afford.

I will say this though, Windows 7 is the best OS on the market. OS X feels dated lately and Apple is kind of leaving it behind in favor of iOS devices.

Believe what you want but a basic enough computer can be built with maybe 2-3 hours of google and new egg. Lots of people do build their own computers, it's not as uncommon as Allison made it out to be. You're more than welcome to believe otherwise.

[lonesomexloveus]

Allison is right, no novice should be building a computer. It makes sense to tech people, but some of the most basic things would confuse a "normal person." Saying building a computer is easy is like her telling me "photography is easy, just push the button and take a picture!" When there is so much more to it than that.

I don't really like to debate PCs and Macs. I kind of thing anyone who does is an idiot. Use what you like, use what you can afford.

I will say this though, Windows 7 is the best OS on the market. OS X feels dated lately and Apple is kind of leaving it behind in favor of iOS devices.

Believe what you want but a basic enough computer can be built with maybe 2-3 hours of google and new egg. Lots of people do build their own computers, it's not as uncommon as Allison made it out to be. You're more than welcome to believe otherwise.

obviously i'm no expert, but out of all the people i know, i think maybe 3 of them have built their own computer from scratch, and 2 have degrees in tech related fields and the other is (no offense, and i say this lovingly) just a straight up nerd. i honestly don't feel as if myself, or the average person for that matter, possesses the tools or the knowledge to do this and make the machine i'd want. i'm lucky to know the difference between the two types of screwdrivers, and i was so scared to even remove the battery cover on my laptop to add more RAM that i had my techie friend do it.

[pibbals]

That's the biggest problem, people who are afraid of it. If you want something done, do it. You aren't going to break just about anything unless you're putting tools where tools obviously don't belong. Being scared doesn't mean inability.

[thesupervillain]

Building a PC is literally no harder than following the instructions to your Ikea furniture. If you know what RAM is, you can probably build a computer.

Also:

[lonesomexloveus]

That's the biggest problem, people who are afraid of it. If you want something done, do it. You aren't going to break just about anything unless you're putting tools where tools obviously don't belong. Being scared doesn't mean inability.

no offense, but this seems like horrible advice, lol. or a surefire way to ger hurt or waste lots of money.

'oh, you don't know how to operate this crane? stop being scared! just read these instructions on the internet and go use it!'

i am a huge advocate of just figuring out how to do things; i do it all the time when i want to make something i can't find or i'm too cheap to buy, etc. but stuff like this is way out of my league and realm of knowledge. when you're tentative/scared is when you make mistakes. and i'm not messing around with stuff that costs me a significant amount of money.

[lonesomexloveus]

also, i think the funniest thing in the world would be to put all the components to a computer in front of my mom, giving her all the tools and instructions she'd need to build it, and telling her to put it together.

[pibbals]

That's the biggest problem, people who are afraid of it. If you want something done, do it. You aren't going to break just about anything unless you're putting tools where tools obviously don't belong. Being scared doesn't mean inability.

no offense, but this seems like horrible advice, lol. or a surefire way to ger hurt or waste lots of money.

'oh, you don't know how to operate this crane? stop being scared! just read these instructions on the internet and go use it!'

i am a huge advocate of just figuring out how to do things; i do it all the time when i want to make something i can't find or i'm too cheap to buy, etc. but stuff like this is way out of my league and realm of knowledge. when you're tentative/scared is when you make mistakes. and i'm not messing around with stuff that costs me a significant amount of money.

You have the internet, it;s not out of your realm of knowledge.

[lonesomexloveus]

no offense, but this seems like horrible advice, lol. or a surefire way to ger hurt or waste lots of money.

'oh, you don't know how to operate this crane? stop being scared! just read these instructions on the internet and go use it!'

i am a huge advocate of just figuring out how to do things; i do it all the time when i want to make something i can't find or i'm too cheap to buy, etc. but stuff like this is way out of my league and realm of knowledge. when you're tentative/scared is when you make mistakes. and i'm not messing around with stuff that costs me a significant amount of money.

You have the internet, it;s not out of your realm of knowledge.

just because i can look up quantum physics or string theory on the internet doesn't mean i can understand it or apply it in real life.

there's a distinct difference between real world application and comprehension of knowledge and being able to read about it online.

[Dillhole]

I'm a recent mac convert. I grew up on macs since my parents work used them so it was natural for them to have them. But when I went and starting building my own computers I went the PC route since I used to be a HUGE PC gamer. Back in April of this year I bought one of the new updated macbook pro 15" models. Since then I've sold my old Acer laptop and parted out my gaming rig and sold it all. As far as I'm concerned I will be using Macs as long as I can afford them. I could also rebuild a new PC if I had to since its so god damn easy to do, and cheap as hell.

I love this macbook!!

[thesupervillain]

That's the thing though, you don't have to be able to understand it to build a PC.

If something fits somewhere, that's where it goes. The only problem a novice PC builder -might- have is putting the CPU in the socket properly, because there's around 1000 little pins that are easily bent, but even then they can be bent back.

[lonesomexloveus]

i looked up the wiki.how on 'how to build a computer', and i literally didn't understand half of the things being said. and if one tiny thing went wrong and i had to troubleshoot it, i'd be totally screwed.

i wouldn't even be a novice pc builder, i would be a 'i dont have the faintest idea about anything having to do with electronics or what most of these pieces are called and i call my brother in law to hook up my tv because everytime i try to follow the instructions and do it, it doesn't work' pc builder.

[pibbals]

The thing is, you'll know what the pieces and parts are, they come in boxes with their names on them.

[thesupervillain]

i looked up the wiki.how on 'how to build a computer', and i literally didn't understand half of the things being said. and if one tiny thing went wrong and i had to troubleshoot it, i'd be totally screwed.

I just took a peek at that as well, and it's very poorly written. I mean there are pictures and he does say what everything is, but doesn't explain why he's doing it or what anything does.

For example, one of the boxes says "Identify the front panel leads." but doesn't explain that these are the connectors that make the power and activity lights on the front of your case work.

[lonesomexloveus]

WELLLLLLL boys, if i ever feel the need to build a pc myself, i know who to contact! haha. though i doubt that will ever happen in my lifetime.

[rtw88]

It seems like a stalemate argument, but building a computer really is pretty easy. The hardest part is getting good parts for cheap and knowing what's good, which you can more or less look up on the internet or have a knowledgeable friend help you with. Assembling is simple enough. It's pretty obvious where and how to put things, and there isn't much you can mess up that will cause major problems without the computer letting you know that something isn't right.

[Guest eriathomas]

It seems like a stalemate argument, but building a computer really is pretty easy. The hardest part is getting good parts for cheap and knowing what's good, which you can more or less look up on the internet or have a knowledgeable friend help you with. Assembling is simple enough. It's pretty obvious where and how to put things, and there isn't much you can mess up that will cause major problems without the computer letting you know that something isn't right.

Yeah, unless you forget the thermal paste or don't push the RAM in enough (I've seen both when fixing PCs, though it's been a while).

[kirbypuckett]

Novices couldn't really build a computer that easily. Have any of you ever worked with anyone 30+ and computers? A lot of people are afraid of computers, because they don't fully understand them. Sure you can build a computer w/ instructions, but you might not understand what's going on.

Buying the parts can be rather difficult as well. If you don't know technology that well a search on Newegg for processors and motherboards, etc... will be quite confusing. I'm a very tech savvy person and it would take me a while to pick out a decent combo and I know what the stuff means. Your average end user doesn't know what all the tech jargon is. It wouldn't be an odd mistake for someone to buy the wrong RAM w/ their mobo, etc... What happens when they get the machine built and nothing happens except for 2 beeps? I'd know what to look for, but I can tell you my parents and even some of my friends would be quite confused.

Not to mention time is money. The time spent researching and building a computer for the first time can be quite costly if your time is worth a lot. Plus, most people don't really care and feel comfortable buying a PC from a name store where they think they'll have some kind of support...heh.

I worked retail at CompUSA. We used to sell barebones kits really cheap and they were not popular amongst people who just wanted a computer that worked. I actually hated selling them to novices, because they would bring them back w/ strange issues and expect us to service them even though they came w/ no actual warranty.

Building computers is a thing mostly for techies. Just like fixing a car is generally for mechanics.

[kirbypuckett]

Since we're on the topic...

iPhoto sucks. Windows Live Photo Gallery or whatever the hell it's called blows iPhoto out of the water.

I think Apple needs to focus on their OS again, as their core apps are aging and it shows. iTunes 10 is still a clunker.

[goraiders]

I'm pretty computer savvy and I had a hard enough time installing an extra hard drive. Count me out for making a PC. As Kirby said, I probably could figure it out, but not worth the time.

[jemsklile]

Since we're on the topic...

iPhoto sucks. Windows Live Photo Gallery or whatever the hell it's called blows iPhoto out of the water.

I think Apple needs to focus on their OS again, as their core apps are aging and it shows. iTunes 10 is still a clunker.

Yeah I've never even really used iPhoto so I can't argue with you on that one. Haha. That's what Photoshop/Bridge are for!

[imaxcowboyx]

I only have one problem with Windows Live Photo Gallery: ever since XP you can't preview GIFs with it. i figured it was a Vista issue, but the capability is still missing in 7.

[lonesomexloveus]

i use lightroom for batch organizing/editing photos and love it.

now i just have to get my hands on a copy of LR3.

[goraiders]

i use lightroom for batch organizing/editing photos and love it.

now i just have to get my hands on a copy of LR3.

Why is LR better than Bridge? beyond the fact bridge cant edit, also on that note why is LR better than RAW controls in PS?

[lonesomexloveus]

i use lightroom for batch organizing/editing photos and love it.

now i just have to get my hands on a copy of LR3.

Why is LR better than Bridge? beyond the fact bridge cant edit, also on that note why is LR better than RAW controls in PS?

i don't really have that much experience with bridge, to be totally honest. i just like that LR is pretty much all inclusive and i can batch edit while viewing all my images. again, i havent used the RAW editing in PS that much (because I use lightroom), but it was harder to do multiple photos at once using the PS software, and there was a lot of closing and opening of windows. lightroom just seems so much more intuitive and fluid to me, but like i said, i never really delved into the possibilities or potential of either of the aforementioned things.

[nicole]

i have a dell laptop thats going on 4 years and still kicking. that being said, i'd totally get a mac if i had the extra cash. i'm actually planning on wiping this thing out and restoring it with Snow Leopard.