Reconsidering the PC

With Windows 7 on the way, I've been reconsidering my earlier decision to get a Mac as my next computer. From all the testing that's been done, it's looking like the new Windows has fixed a lot of the problems that was making me hate Vista so much.

My big reason for going with a Mac was how much more reliable they are. I hate troubleshooting computer problems, and this isn't to say that previous version of Windows didn't crash every so often, but with Vista it got to be ridiculous. If Windows 7 is as reliable as XP, then I really won't mind the occasional error.

I'm also thinking it might be time to go back to a desktop. I love my laptop and how I can take it anywhere in the house if I so choose. The problem is they are hard to upgrade and the parts are way more expensive if you want them to compete with a desktop. Not only that, but they overheat very easily, and I think that's partially to blame for my computer crashes.

What I really want is a computer that I'm familiar with, and those are PC's. I can build a PC from the ground up, which means I'm only paying for the parts, and not all the labor and testing that I would be paying for with a pre-built system. Some of my older games aren't even made for Macs, and that's a big factor as well.

Doing some research online, I found that if I look at the specs on a brand new pre-built PC and then compare that to the price of the parts that would actually go in it, I could save about $600 by building it myself. And this isn't a low quality system either; I splurged on the main parts, like processor, motherboard and graphics card.

With money being tight as it is, I'm thinking a Mac may not be the way to go. Their products certainly are more reliable, but the price tag and compatibility with software, not to mention the inability to upgrade individual parts, may not be what I'm looking for.

In the meantime my laptop suits me just fine, so I'll wait for Windows 7 to be officially released before I actually buy a new computer.