Mac and a PC
- Thread starter Clueless
- Start date
I like the first one. Its so true cause my PC is super slow and freezes up. So I bought a Macbook Pro, I love it.
In todays world, unless you are gaming, a Mac is by far a better machine to run...
Any argument aside from gaming has no grounds anymore, even with most software computability you have Bootcamp and Windows Virtual PC along with VMWare.
Simple point is, Mac is run on a Unix backend and if you are going to tell me Windows is greater then Unix, you have a completely deranged mind...
I Just picked up a mac the other day...
$75..
G3 PowerMac "Blue and White" Has 512 MB Memory, a 500 MHz G3 Processor from 7 years ago, and runs OS X 10.4.11 amazingly well with no hang ups what so ever.
That is on their old Motorola Chips, with new Intel Dual and Quad Core chips in all their systems and Microsoft's release of Windows Vista Shy of 1 year ago, there is no way you can say that PC > Mac...
my 2 cents
Any argument aside from gaming has no grounds anymore, even with most software computability you have Bootcamp and Windows Virtual PC along with VMWare.
Simple point is, Mac is run on a Unix backend and if you are going to tell me Windows is greater then Unix, you have a completely deranged mind...
I Just picked up a mac the other day...
$75..
G3 PowerMac "Blue and White" Has 512 MB Memory, a 500 MHz G3 Processor from 7 years ago, and runs OS X 10.4.11 amazingly well with no hang ups what so ever.
That is on their old Motorola Chips, with new Intel Dual and Quad Core chips in all their systems and Microsoft's release of Windows Vista Shy of 1 year ago, there is no way you can say that PC > Mac...
my 2 cents
Linux 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa1RCg-Ccp0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eTguZ5OzJ4&feature=related
Linux desktop(my favorite): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD7QraljRfM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa1RCg-Ccp0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eTguZ5OzJ4&feature=related
Linux desktop(my favorite): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD7QraljRfM
Merlyn said:
Gaming benchmarks and programs to stress-test a system are the real tests of a computer's processing and overall power. By saying that PCs do gaming better, in a round about way you are saying that PCs are better. Macs may be more friendly, but that doesn't cut it with some people - like me. To make more money, Apple needs to:
Make the Apple logo smaller. It it ugly and annoying.
http://images.apple.com/macpro/images/index_tower_20070313.png
This rig would look great and professional if it were not for the side. So close, yet so far; at least it is a step up from their old colored iBook laptops. I think one condition of sale for those was that the buyer was younger than 25 and did not have a Y chromosome.
The MOUSE!!! Get a new goddamn mouse. It doesn't have to be aerodynamic and sleek, but it MUST have more than two buttons. I'll go out on a limb here and say that there is a fair share of Mac users who would like more than 3 buttons, plus a scroll wheel. I've been using one of these for more than 5 years - 4 buttons [5 if you press on the scroll wheel] and a wheel - I swear by it:
http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/123950-Gadget32-Intellimouse_b.jpg
Revise the annoying, snarky "we're such hip smartasses and PCs are dumb, boring morons" ad campaign. There is only one ad campaign that angers me more than Apple's, and that is "The Truth". I'm a happy non-smoker and those commercials REALLY piss me off.
I don't know, man..
Take Vista out of the equation.
I've been building PCs for 15 years now. I do not do it professionally, but I have built all of my own computers, a few friends computers, and have repaired and maintained several PCs at an internet cafe. A properly maintained PC will have no problems. I don't get lockups or blue screens. Ever. I think that NOT ALL, but MOST people who "used to own PCs and went to a Mac for simplicity, and now wouldn't dream of going back" are either morons who do not know how to properly maintain a computer, lazy asses who just WILL NOT properly maintain a computer, or people who are just too scared to really dig in to figure out how things work. These people had these problems and were introduced to the Mac by a brainwashed friend, and now they are one of the collective.
I run WinXP and have not had to re-install since the last time I upgraded several major components [CPU, motherboard, memory, video card and RAID 0 hard drive setup]. That was about a year ago. The last time I installed WinXP was the time before last, again, when I installed major components. That was roughly 3 years ago. I have not run an active antivirus program since Norton 2006 [2004 was great - didn't hog resources, but 2006 was bloated and actually slowed things down, so I uninstalled a week after I bought it]. I run Firefox and Spybot Search & Destroy, and my computer runs well. A little tweaking of the registry, msconfig and services.msc and my computer still runs very quickly, and with no problems. I'll also mention that I do not have the latest or greatest hardware, but I DID choose and installed/configured it all. I built it, as I have with all but one other computer of mine. There is some satisfaction to that, which you cannot get with a Mac.
With a PC you need to be able AND WILLING to:
Learn
Stop being a puss: open the case once in awhile
Clean/Dust
Recognize when things are not acting normal
Learn what to watch out for, especially in your task manager, the "run" sections in the registry, and the startup tab when you run msconfig
Check for and update your drivers
If you have Vista, most of these tools and rules remain the same
Save files that you want to keep [and driver updates!] on a separate hard drive; this way if you DO have major problems, day one is a format and re-install away. For something faster than that, see my PS at the bottom.
I really do not think the above is too much to ask of a computer user. A little maintenance will go a long way. I say that and think it sounds reasonable because I would like to think that something that costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars would be cared for and made to last - and it will, again, with maintenance, but there are some people who spend hundreds/thousands on cars and will not change the oil, turn a wrench or even buy a damn TSRM.
P.S. For the quick fix to computer problems, I recommend a ghosting program of some sort; while I've never had to use it, I worked at a Cyber Cafe and it was easily worth the disc's weight in gold. It usually took 5, and always less than 15 minutes for a full ghost of a clean image. So long as your hardware never changes, or you remember to update or make a new image after new installs/updates, this tool is invaluable.
And one more thing:
You CAN run XP Pro on brand new chips and hardware - you just need to request it from your OEM source, system builder, or put it in your shopping cart. Don't use Vista as a means to skyrocket Macs ahead of PCs - that is utter BS.
I have a PowerBook G4 from 2002...and it still works amazingly well...
I also have a desktop G3 from 1997 that wasn't turned off for about four years recently...still works fine.
My mom's Dell...constantly freezes up and just does weird shit all the time, like it won't connect to the internet, or it won't print for no reason. Really pisses me off. Whenever I set something up, or install something on Mac (OS9 or 10) it's always very easy, and doesn't take a million years...and then freeze just as it's about to finish. UGHH!!!!
I also have a desktop G3 from 1997 that wasn't turned off for about four years recently...still works fine.
My mom's Dell...constantly freezes up and just does weird shit all the time, like it won't connect to the internet, or it won't print for no reason. Really pisses me off. Whenever I set something up, or install something on Mac (OS9 or 10) it's always very easy, and doesn't take a million years...and then freeze just as it's about to finish. UGHH!!!!
Drunk Medic - nice post. I agree on the cult following of macs and their overplayed advertising. it is annoying and because of their 'conformist' nature to force you to do things in your computer, or just in general making their stuff only compatible or good looking with their stuff... and then there's the friends of mine who have been turned onto macs. I must say i have only met a few male macbook owners and every mac owner I have seen using their computer has a way about them that you will not see for a PC person.
own a PC - it's a computer
own a mac - it's a whole new addition to your personality, that frankly, bothers me to no end. I hate it when my mac friends try and get my to join them with their "seamless" macs that "just work and do everything for you." If i wanted that, i would hire a damn secretary. and besides, the mac cases are so damn flimsy and my mac buddies are always sending in their jewels for repair. what kind of reliability is that? i mean... a broken webcam? what a pain in the ass!! and besides i have no boobs so getting the repair guy to front it for free by smiling and wearing a low-cut shirt doesn't work.
by the way - why the hell do you need 4 buttons? and i thought macs only had one?? not two...
mac's powerhouses are appealing, especially if they are built better... but i've had good luck with my gateway and i have to say i don't keep it that organized and I don't do routine maintenance like i should. windows 98 on my old HP was a ROYAL PAIN but this...this is nice.
own a PC - it's a computer
own a mac - it's a whole new addition to your personality, that frankly, bothers me to no end. I hate it when my mac friends try and get my to join them with their "seamless" macs that "just work and do everything for you." If i wanted that, i would hire a damn secretary. and besides, the mac cases are so damn flimsy and my mac buddies are always sending in their jewels for repair. what kind of reliability is that? i mean... a broken webcam? what a pain in the ass!! and besides i have no boobs so getting the repair guy to front it for free by smiling and wearing a low-cut shirt doesn't work.
by the way - why the hell do you need 4 buttons? and i thought macs only had one?? not two...
mac's powerhouses are appealing, especially if they are built better... but i've had good luck with my gateway and i have to say i don't keep it that organized and I don't do routine maintenance like i should. windows 98 on my old HP was a ROYAL PAIN but this...this is nice.
I don't think macs cases are flimsy at all...I have dropped my mac really hard twice and the case even bent...I just bent it back on the edge of my desk and it works fine... :biglaugh:
And yea, macs have one-button mice.
And yea, macs have one-button mice.
johnathan1 said:
thanks.
and, what mac do you have specifically?
i've seen their cases chip, and the LCD panel comes loose from the plastic bezel on the front of the screen that holds it in, so when you open the screen a gap would form between the screen and the bottom of the bezel from the resistance of the hinges.. and it just feels badly made and fragile. although the two girls i knew that owned them treated them rather poorly for an expensive computer...
which makes me wonder if maybe their macs were exceptions, but they still seemed like the fell apart too fast.
Drunk Medic, you read into my statement the wrong way... Well, I also stated it wrong.
PC's are better for gaming because the gaming industry gears games towards PC's.
There are games out there for Mac but the demand is much lower
Any easy way to see the use of a mac vs a PC is my old Technology School I went to during Highschool
You had your Data Communications Section, for people wishing to get into the Networking, the Building of PCs, the trouble shooting, ect ect
and the Visual Communications, which was geared around photo design, photo editing, photo restoration, 3d animation, video editing etc etc...
Data Comm Used PCs
Vis Comm - Used Macs
Btw, if you wish to talk about Benchmarks, I can promise you the Mac on Average is a better machine then a PC...
Using this fair logic...
Take the lowest grade PC and the Highest Grade PC, in todays market comparing
Hard Drive Size
Processor Cores
Processor Speed
Processor FSB
Total Memory
and the lowest grade Mac and the highest grade Mac comparing the above and the Mac will be a stronger machine...
simply because Mac doesn't make pieces of shit with Celeron Processors...
So if you want to say PC's are better built machines, tell that to the 1000's of people everyday buying $399 laptops at Best Buy...
and your comparison about "comparing" a better computer...
That is like saying a Honda Civic is a piece of a shit because it has less horsepower then a Bugatti Veyron...
or like saying...
A supra is a piece of a shit because it doesn't get 40 MPG...
And even within your Comparison... You can still run Video Benchmarks on a Mac... hell...
Apple's Desktop... The mac pro...
starts at $2499... and well... hmm....
Comes with either a Quad Core, or 8 cores... no more dual core even... I have to say Macs are better machines...
Macs are to Porsche as PC is Toyota...
from Macs Website on the Mac Pro
Quad-core or 8-core, all Xeon
Up to 3TB storage
Up to 16GB RAM
Ready to RAID
Lowest Graphics card is a NVidia 7300GT up to an NVidia Quadro FX 4500 (which is a $1600~ video card)
so to just mess around on their site,
there Desktops start at $2499 and go all the way up to... $13078, with no software and no unneeded stuff (that I personally would never use)
i am sorry, but I have to say that...
# Two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
# 16GB (8 x 2GB)
# Mac Pro RAID Card
# 750GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
# 750GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
# 750GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
# 750GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
# NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 512MB, Stereo 3D (2 x dual-link DVI)
# One 16x SuperDrive
# Both Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and AirPort Extreme
# Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple wireless Mighty Mouse - Western Spanish
# Mac OS X - U.S. English
That Machine OWNS any PC I have ever seen...
Again, Mac is in a whole other League from PC...
Porsche vs Honda...
And before you say that the above is a server...
I am constantly connected through SSH, hosting some form of files from my computer to the internet, constantly remote desktoping, or doing some for of administration, constantly turning old computers into routers at my house, constantly storing back-ups of all my systems remotely on some for of media, and constantly doing just about everything that the above computer would do for me ABOVE any of the common setups of Windows...
i.e...
go download all the files from a set directory on a webpage in Windows...
in Mac you simply can use curl or easily for free download wget and use that command
enable SSH on your PC, very easy on Mac, go to sharing then enable SSH
Ditto for FTP...
Oh and I forgot to mention I also in my spare time do a lot of web development, 3d design, adobe work ect... I do play counter-strike from time to time, thank god for my old p4...
simply put, a Mac is a HELL of a better computer for my needs then a PC could ever be, if it wasn't for mac I would be using linux... so maybe for your ease of building PC's you think it is a better computer, but in the long run of things in this world, if you aren't gaming, I still hold to my argument, a Mac is better on all counts, even speed.
PC's are better for gaming because the gaming industry gears games towards PC's.
There are games out there for Mac but the demand is much lower
Any easy way to see the use of a mac vs a PC is my old Technology School I went to during Highschool
You had your Data Communications Section, for people wishing to get into the Networking, the Building of PCs, the trouble shooting, ect ect
and the Visual Communications, which was geared around photo design, photo editing, photo restoration, 3d animation, video editing etc etc...
Data Comm Used PCs
Vis Comm - Used Macs
Btw, if you wish to talk about Benchmarks, I can promise you the Mac on Average is a better machine then a PC...
Using this fair logic...
Take the lowest grade PC and the Highest Grade PC, in todays market comparing
Hard Drive Size
Processor Cores
Processor Speed
Processor FSB
Total Memory
and the lowest grade Mac and the highest grade Mac comparing the above and the Mac will be a stronger machine...
simply because Mac doesn't make pieces of shit with Celeron Processors...
So if you want to say PC's are better built machines, tell that to the 1000's of people everyday buying $399 laptops at Best Buy...
and your comparison about "comparing" a better computer...
That is like saying a Honda Civic is a piece of a shit because it has less horsepower then a Bugatti Veyron...
or like saying...
A supra is a piece of a shit because it doesn't get 40 MPG...
And even within your Comparison... You can still run Video Benchmarks on a Mac... hell...
Apple's Desktop... The mac pro...
starts at $2499... and well... hmm....
Comes with either a Quad Core, or 8 cores... no more dual core even... I have to say Macs are better machines...
Macs are to Porsche as PC is Toyota...
from Macs Website on the Mac Pro
Quad-core or 8-core, all Xeon
Up to 3TB storage
Up to 16GB RAM
Ready to RAID
Lowest Graphics card is a NVidia 7300GT up to an NVidia Quadro FX 4500 (which is a $1600~ video card)
so to just mess around on their site,
there Desktops start at $2499 and go all the way up to... $13078, with no software and no unneeded stuff (that I personally would never use)
i am sorry, but I have to say that...
# Two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
# 16GB (8 x 2GB)
# Mac Pro RAID Card
# 750GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
# 750GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
# 750GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
# 750GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
# NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 512MB, Stereo 3D (2 x dual-link DVI)
# One 16x SuperDrive
# Both Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and AirPort Extreme
# Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple wireless Mighty Mouse - Western Spanish
# Mac OS X - U.S. English
That Machine OWNS any PC I have ever seen...
Again, Mac is in a whole other League from PC...
Porsche vs Honda...
And before you say that the above is a server...
I am constantly connected through SSH, hosting some form of files from my computer to the internet, constantly remote desktoping, or doing some for of administration, constantly turning old computers into routers at my house, constantly storing back-ups of all my systems remotely on some for of media, and constantly doing just about everything that the above computer would do for me ABOVE any of the common setups of Windows...
i.e...
go download all the files from a set directory on a webpage in Windows...
in Mac you simply can use curl or easily for free download wget and use that command
enable SSH on your PC, very easy on Mac, go to sharing then enable SSH
Ditto for FTP...
Oh and I forgot to mention I also in my spare time do a lot of web development, 3d design, adobe work ect... I do play counter-strike from time to time, thank god for my old p4...
simply put, a Mac is a HELL of a better computer for my needs then a PC could ever be, if it wasn't for mac I would be using linux... so maybe for your ease of building PC's you think it is a better computer, but in the long run of things in this world, if you aren't gaming, I still hold to my argument, a Mac is better on all counts, even speed.
I am not attempting to start a flame war, but anyone who wishes to defend the fact they are "into" computers and that PCs (running XP) are flawless makes me sorta cringe inside...
I have been working with PC's for more then half my life...
I have run every OS that you can possibly think of at some point in my life, don't care to list, but lets say I was sooooo happy at the age of 12 to get a Commodore 64 from my neighbors who were moving and didn't want it anymore (it was stored in their closet forever). Also taught myself how to actually use that computer with no form of manuals etc.
To say that a person runs to a mac because they fear the "hard work" of a PC is the worst statement I have ever heard... I spend about 50% of my "mac" use through SSH connection using the console... as do most of my friends who use macs.
Most of my friends who use macs also have some form of Linux or Unix installed on their PC...
I am not saying PCs suck, I personally love Windows XP, and the fact I can play all my games and buy a sound card off the shelf to listen to my music ect... but a PC is just a PC to me... a mac is a whole other world...
btw, I have a Saitek Eclipse II Keyboard and a Logitech G5 mouse (5 buttons and a 4 direction scroll wheel) and I use synergy for Networked Keyboard / Mouse Switch which allows me to use my scroll wheel and all buttons on my mouse over the network on my Mac, and I can even plug it directly in and it works as it would on my PC.... Just because Mac sells keyboards and mice does not mean you have to use theirs, they just released a new mouse that has all the functions you complained about.
Do you build your own mice, or buy HP Mice, or Compaq Mice, or Dell Mice? I wouldn't think so, that is why logitech and other companies have a market, because the computer companies don't build the ALL out mice...
Btw, look into OSX86... many of people are running Mac OSX on their x86 machines OMG... the world is being over taken by mac... people are actually installing Mac on their x86 machines... OMG
I just keep thinking of things to add...
actually Newer Machines (by name brands) are being built for the design of Vista and many of them WILL NOT downgrade to XP... ask me how I know, because I am the person that the customer runs to to ask that very question, and I am the person who has tried it now on probably 30 machines since vista's launch and failed on 29 of them...
As long as you don't mind 640 x 480 Resolution or don't care to connect to the internet, then you are set... but do not say that XP can still install on EVERYTHING because... well I may not have 15 years of experience (I have 11) but I do work in PC Repair at a Retail Location, and aside from your first thought that we know nothing, well we sorta deal with all the issues that people like you tell your friends can be done...
XP can't install on all new hardware...
I have been working with PC's for more then half my life...
I have run every OS that you can possibly think of at some point in my life, don't care to list, but lets say I was sooooo happy at the age of 12 to get a Commodore 64 from my neighbors who were moving and didn't want it anymore (it was stored in their closet forever). Also taught myself how to actually use that computer with no form of manuals etc.
To say that a person runs to a mac because they fear the "hard work" of a PC is the worst statement I have ever heard... I spend about 50% of my "mac" use through SSH connection using the console... as do most of my friends who use macs.
Most of my friends who use macs also have some form of Linux or Unix installed on their PC...
I am not saying PCs suck, I personally love Windows XP, and the fact I can play all my games and buy a sound card off the shelf to listen to my music ect... but a PC is just a PC to me... a mac is a whole other world...
btw, I have a Saitek Eclipse II Keyboard and a Logitech G5 mouse (5 buttons and a 4 direction scroll wheel) and I use synergy for Networked Keyboard / Mouse Switch which allows me to use my scroll wheel and all buttons on my mouse over the network on my Mac, and I can even plug it directly in and it works as it would on my PC.... Just because Mac sells keyboards and mice does not mean you have to use theirs, they just released a new mouse that has all the functions you complained about.
Do you build your own mice, or buy HP Mice, or Compaq Mice, or Dell Mice? I wouldn't think so, that is why logitech and other companies have a market, because the computer companies don't build the ALL out mice...
Btw, look into OSX86... many of people are running Mac OSX on their x86 machines OMG... the world is being over taken by mac... people are actually installing Mac on their x86 machines... OMG
I just keep thinking of things to add...
actually Newer Machines (by name brands) are being built for the design of Vista and many of them WILL NOT downgrade to XP... ask me how I know, because I am the person that the customer runs to to ask that very question, and I am the person who has tried it now on probably 30 machines since vista's launch and failed on 29 of them...
As long as you don't mind 640 x 480 Resolution or don't care to connect to the internet, then you are set... but do not say that XP can still install on EVERYTHING because... well I may not have 15 years of experience (I have 11) but I do work in PC Repair at a Retail Location, and aside from your first thought that we know nothing, well we sorta deal with all the issues that people like you tell your friends can be done...
XP can't install on all new hardware...
i like vista, i bought my laptop the day it was released(not purposely) and have not had a single problem and im often running several programs at once and it never freezes up. i would never go back to xp.
I'm a Linux guy myself, but I will say realistically Windows receives more than its fair share of crap. It seems people still blame Vista for issues that 98 had. It's shaping up to be a decent OS, now the teething problems of drives and compatibility that most new OS's experience are starting to fade. This time around Vista has had fewer bugs than Lepard. OSX is nice but it isn't the last bastion for all things holy in computers that most fan boys claim. But it's had to get it past their inferority complex. They seem to have to go that much farther and shout that much louder to prove that their better.
Sorry I get tired of it. You can't sit down with a mac fan boy and have a decent discussion about computers, without him chirping about how wonderful his mac is, or not have anyidea what your talking about because his mac dosn't do that.
With as many people that have computers, a company can't custom make an OS for each and every person. That is why I like Linux, each version I have running is custom tailored to me and the task i want done. Mac and windows can't do this. Doesn't fit the business model. I like how people whined about how OSX was so pretty, and XP was ugly. So Vista comes out and now people bitch about how they shouldn't have done all the flashy stuff because of the performance hit. People trying to have their cake and eat it to. Switch to Linux and have it just the way you want it. All it takes is a little initiative and a little time to do the research to find exactly what you want.
OK, I'm done now.
And yes I like those PC, Mac spoofs.
Sorry I get tired of it. You can't sit down with a mac fan boy and have a decent discussion about computers, without him chirping about how wonderful his mac is, or not have anyidea what your talking about because his mac dosn't do that.
With as many people that have computers, a company can't custom make an OS for each and every person. That is why I like Linux, each version I have running is custom tailored to me and the task i want done. Mac and windows can't do this. Doesn't fit the business model. I like how people whined about how OSX was so pretty, and XP was ugly. So Vista comes out and now people bitch about how they shouldn't have done all the flashy stuff because of the performance hit. People trying to have their cake and eat it to. Switch to Linux and have it just the way you want it. All it takes is a little initiative and a little time to do the research to find exactly what you want.
OK, I'm done now.
And yes I like those PC, Mac spoofs.
Linux ftw. Been using Fedora for a couple of years now - it just works.
My grandmother is using Xubuntu, fwiw
My grandmother is using Xubuntu, fwiw
XP install on ALL new hardware, never had an issue as it's 100% backwards compatible...
FYI....XP AND VISTA are both GARBAGE.
Wanna not get comprimised? Run Windows Server 2003. The services that are taken over and cause chaos on XP are didfferent or don't exist, the OS is far more stable and secure, and the kernel won't run most of the really bad bugs that effect XP. Vista has been comprimised since day one, and hasn't gotten any better since.
New Macs run Windows fine as well, and generally speaking Mac's are designed as a full computer instead of being as modular as PC's. Not to say being modular is a bad thing as that allows you to change a lot more in a PC.
The new serer OS from M$ looks like it might be the next hot ticket for gaming as it has DX10, but does't have all the stupid idiotic parade float memory hog OS running anything you'd never need...
In response to Dirgle: The Mac's OS graphics are very streamlined much like linux (Mac OS is Unix), Vista is not. It's a memory hog, and you can't turn enough of it off for the power users (GAMERS).
Once linux finally cracks DX (might be a while), I'll be going to linux...
FYI....XP AND VISTA are both GARBAGE.
Wanna not get comprimised? Run Windows Server 2003. The services that are taken over and cause chaos on XP are didfferent or don't exist, the OS is far more stable and secure, and the kernel won't run most of the really bad bugs that effect XP. Vista has been comprimised since day one, and hasn't gotten any better since.
New Macs run Windows fine as well, and generally speaking Mac's are designed as a full computer instead of being as modular as PC's. Not to say being modular is a bad thing as that allows you to change a lot more in a PC.
The new serer OS from M$ looks like it might be the next hot ticket for gaming as it has DX10, but does't have all the stupid idiotic parade float memory hog OS running anything you'd never need...
In response to Dirgle: The Mac's OS graphics are very streamlined much like linux (Mac OS is Unix), Vista is not. It's a memory hog, and you can't turn enough of it off for the power users (GAMERS).
Once linux finally cracks DX (might be a while), I'll be going to linux...