Fireside Chats: Mac vs. PC
It seems appropriate, as the long TV relationship between Mac and PC winds to a close, to bring the two of them into the studio here. But instead of continuing the age-old battle, we thought we’d narrow it to a specific field. Specifically, the $700 mac mini vs. a $700 home-built PC.
It seemed like fun in my head. Now, let’s see how it plays out. Mac will be taking the side of the mac mini, PC, will be taking the side of the homebuilt gaming PC.
Mac: Hello, I’m a Mac.
PC: And I’m a PC.
Moderator: And I’m a moderator. Gentlemen, I brought you here today to discuss $700 systems. Mac, you, of course, have the mac mini, a tiny little box that fits anywhere. PC, you can be built entirely from parts purchased on newegg for that price. mac, let’s start with you. Why would we choose a mac mini?
Mac: ….It doesn’t work if I go first.
Moderator: I’m sorry?
Mac: Yeah, see, the way we do this is I ask PC what’s up, he tells me something that doesn’t apply to me, and then I tactfully ignore that glaring problem while he writhes in misery.
PC: It’s a tried and true system.
Mac: So, if you could just ask PC to defend his point first, I’ll be much more comfortable. Thank you.
Moderator: Well, okay. PC: same question. Why would we want to build a PC from parts for $700?
PC: Well, you get a lot of bang for your buck that way: fast graphics cards, great processors, lots of RAM, hours on the phone with various companies trying to get your rebates back and get RMA numbers for faulty components…
Moderator: Some of that…doesn’t sound so positive.
PC: Well, it’s the total experience, isn’t it? For every really easy install you’ve got at least one part that doesn’t quite fit. But once you’ve done it all you have a machine that’s truly your own, from the ground up. And you know it’s exactly what you want because you built it. Sure, there’s some trials, but that just adds to the feeling of accomplishment when you’re finished.
Moderator: Well, that sounds good. Mac, your response.
Mac: Hmm? oh, sorry, I was just surfing the web, playing StarCraft II, and emailing photo albums of this awesome trip me and my photogenic friends took to Sundance last year. Yeah, I just pull the mini out of the box, set it up, and I’m good to go.
PC: But what about options? what about upgrades?
Moderator: Mac, your response?
Mac: I can upgrade the RAM in here in like, three seconds.
PC: and the hard drive?
Mac: …That’s what AppleCare is for! What happens when your homebrew box breaks down?
PC: I spend a few hundred dollars and fix it. What about you?
Mac: APPLECARE!
Moderator: Gentlemen, let’s move on. Next topic: software. PC, where does the custom rig really shine?
PC: Anywhere I put LEDs of course. But I kid. No, the strong suite is, without a doubt, games. I will always have a siiiiiiick video card, tons of RAM, and enough processors to choke a camel. So I can play any game at any resolution. And I can do anything any other windows machine can do.
Mac: But not the stuff I can do. No iWork, no iLife, no Coda, Transmit, Scrivener, UNIX, XCode, or any of the other rich tools you get with any mac. Oh, and you get to run anti-virus software all the time as well.
PC: You know, you sound like a recap of every commercial we ever did right now.
Mac: Playing my strong card, buddy.
Moderator: Well gentlemen, this has been very enlightening, and not as funny as we’d hoped. I’m disappointed. But thank you for your time anyway, I guess. Mac, go catch a shave, PC, go buy some new suit coats and we’ll see you all next time at our next fireside chat.
