The Great Debate

I've talked only about videogames so far, and I'm gonna try to switch it up to a different topic. This topic has been debated for years among gamers and I want to share my take on it. This topic is, of course, whether to buy a PC or a Mac.

Up until recently, if you wanted a gaming rig, you pretty much had to buy a PC. This was mainly because game manufacturers didn't always make their games Mac compatible, but was also because Macs just didn't come with the hardware to run games as well as a PC. The big change was made when Apple decided to start using Intel processors in their computers rather than their own G4 and G5 and such. This opened up many possibilities for them, including being able to use the high end video cards that PCs are able to use. They are also much better able to run Windows emulation software, which can give you a Windows-like experience even though you are actually on a Mac. In this way they have made themselves more gamer friendly, and from what I have read from many of the avid WoW bloggers, they use Macs to play and I haven't heard too many complaints coming from them.

Now in the past there would be no debate for me. I have used PCs all my life, I grew up on them, from DOS to Windows 95 (which I didn't get until '97) and now to Vista. Last year I bought a new laptop for myself, sort of as a gift to myself for graduating college and finding a job, not to mention my monthly earnings are about 5 times what they were when I was in college. At the time I didn't even consider getting a Mac, it just wasn't on the radar for me at all, and mainly because of the bias I have had all my life. My mom does all her work on a Mac, but she uses lots of graphic design programs that I really have no use for, and Macs tend to run those better. She also has a lot of files she can't afford to lose, and Macs tend to be much more reliable so there isn't too much worry about crashes and crazy problems popping up. I didn't really care, I'm not into graphic design, I wanted something that will run my games, and I knew a PC would, so that's what I went with, and of course I got it installed with Vista because it was new and seemed cool.

Fast forward to now and I hate Vista with a passion. It takes forever to boot up, and I can't touch it while it is loading up all those damn startup programs or it might interrupt it while it's connecting to my wireless network, which if it doesn't do off the bat I have to restart because I can't manually make it connect after that. It also freezes...a lot. Want to know what makes it freeze the most? Unplugging the power cord. Aren't you supposed to be able to plug in and unplug laptops when you want? Not this one, there's pretty much a 50% chance it will freeze up when I decide to unplug it and take it somewhere else.

On the positive side, it runs games great. The only thing that ever makes me lag is my internet connection if someone else in my house decides to use up all the bandwidth downloading something. Otherwise I never have problems, even with all the resolution and detailing options turned up to maximum. I am also very used to using a PC, and while I do know Macs somewhat, there are those differences that keep me from making that move.

The debate comes in now that Macs are more capable of running the games that only PCs could run previously. Many games that are released are compatible with Macs, and many of them don't even require you to buy a different version of the game anymore, which is a big step in changing the pattern. I don't need a new computer right now, mine is top of the line for now, but looking to the future I could see myself buying a Mac when my current computer becomes obsolete. I've actually been taking a look at the new iMacs and I think those are at the top of the list for choices for my next computer. I like having a laptop because it's portable and I can move it around easily, but I don't really take my laptop out of the house much so I think an iMac would be a pretty good computer for me since I really only carry it up and down the stairs.

Anybody else have any opinions on this or know any details I may not be privy to that would change my mind on this? I know Vista will get better as they put out service packs, but the fact remains that Macs are still more reliable and are generally not prone to viruses, and that's a big plus for me.