I guess it depends what are you going to use the computer for?

I say MAC - the best option.

Can you be more specific about " what you are going to use it for" ?

The Mac operating system seems to be a bit more userfriendly and reliable (a task made very easy by Microsoft, who enjoys launching Windows versions that are each time a bit worse than the previous ones in terms of simplicity).

Though, a Mac is more expensive (let's say 50% for the same technical specifications), and the choice of compatible components is restricted, and Mac sometimes put obstacles to shares some files with PCs.

So if you need a powerful computer (for instance for video editing), it's more affordable to get a PC. After all, once you are in the software, being on PC or Mac is quite the same.

If it's only to use internet, share pictures, write, a basic Mac can be sufficient.

If you work with Microsoft applications like Word, Excel or Powerpoint a PC should be a better option. Maybe describe a bit how you want to use the computer!

i would say you should look at the mac mini. they will announce the upgrade in june, and of course you can run microsoft office for mac on the new mac! you can use your existing monitor,keyboard, printer and mouse and enjoy really speedy and virus free applicatons on the mac mini. and of course the price is between 500 and 900 sfr.

if you are going to change, then the mac mini is for you.

In your last sentence do you really mean MAC? Most people usually say that about PC

I use it for email,surfing,picture storing,writing letters to print,storing music and downloading music and film

Mac or PC use the same architecture since 2006 (amd64 - the set of instructions of your processor). So technically Mac or PC are the same...the advantages is that you can install Windows on MAC, or Linux, etc. The drawback is that the old Mac architecture (PowerPC) is dead...so really I don't see the point of buying a Mac today.

Y The geek.

Mmm,once again I am getting conflicting views that confuse me.

one of the basic diferences is that mac doesn't use a registry. this builds up over time and slows down the the windows operating system. if what you say your use is for the computer. then mac is definitely for you.

http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/mac/new-mac-mini-release-date-specs-uk-price-when-will-apple-launch-2014-mac-mini-3472956/

check out this review/report. i plan to buy this and my use is the same as yours.

You will be very happy with the MAC then ;-)

you dont need a MacBook Pro, I would suggest MacBook air - it's very feminen and light  :-)

 http://www.apple.com/macbook-air/

Thank you- although my computer doesn't need any gender specific features 

From my own personal experience, having worked on PC all my life, switching to a MAC has proven impossible. I had to learn all the short cuts all over again, XL is different, you can't copy-past images (I still did figure out how it is done). The simple fact that they OFFER free classes to teach you is in my opition a silent proof that MAC is not "that" userfriendly. Yes, the hardware is great looking, classy, sleek, but honestly, nothing beats Microsoft software.

Again, this is only my humble opinion, as a user, having tried both.

MAC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I used to be a PC/Windows XP user and converted to MAC a year ago instead of buying a new computer with Windows 8.

If you're not using Windows 8 yet, there are also new features that you'll need to learn. I found MAC is very intuitive and whenever I didn't know how to do something, e.g. a screen capture, I googled the question and found the answer straight away.

If you decide to go for MAC, let me know, I'll show you a few tricks.

For half the price with the same performance you have a Windows PC. No need to fear windows 8, just get one with Windows 7. Eventhough Windows 8 has a new design, they are working on the possiblity to change the layout to the old style Windows that you are used to. Windows has many more choices in software which leads to lower prices or maybe in your case, more choice to download ;). Windows PC`s do have a higher risk of getting infected by a virus. A decent antivirus and mallware scanner can prevent a lot of problems. Eventhough MAC`s have a much lower risk of getting infected, virusses for MAC`s do exist. Unless it`s still a hype to have a MAC and you are sensitive to this and besides have some money you need to get rid off, there is no reason to buy a MAC for your kind of usage.

Mac Pro's : Virus Free (for the most) , better build quality ie screen etc, better looking, comparable systems with PC just run/feel quicker, better for media, very user friendly for simply word processing, media related stuff, great battery life, excellent customer support.

Mac Con's: 30% uptick on like for like PC system, you can only really use apple approved hardware and softare unless you are tech savvy, Complex Excel, programming on Mac is possible but its very poor compared to using a Windows system. Some windows stuff wont open perfectly on mac. Once you have your MAc you cant then open it an upgrade components easily.

PC: Pro's : Cheap, easy to upgrade, programmes work as they should, better for complex stuff in excel like VBA,

PC : Cons, Gernerally look crap, have poor build quality, virus up easily and are not as intutative as Apple.

I have a Mac Book Pro and Air both are perefectly fine for what I use them for which is media, basic Excel and document editing, basic database work. I personally wouldnt go back to a Windows or Linux based system now as I have no need of the extra feautures of programming. However if I had to do lots of Excel work including VBA then you really dont have an option but getting a PC. That being said if you dont do that then Apple blows PC out the water. You wont regret getting one and if you decide to sell it then they hold the value a lot better than a PC

Hi....

I used to build my own PC's but switched to MAC for ease of use. They have a slightly higher intial cost to buy, but i've found they last much, much longer than my PC did (without upgrades of anti virus software, updating software, hardware ect).

Both have their pro's and con's, but if you want to invest in something thats reliable, easy to use and wont give you any problems for a long period of time, then MAC is probably the best option since all updates pop up automatically so theres not much more you need to do after you have bought it and set it up. personally i feel if you are pretty computer savvy, and you prefer a PC operating system, then a PC is good as you can switch and change certain aspects of it to match how you like your OS to work for you. 

Good luck!

another mac vs pc..seriously? it's more of a personal preference.

GUYS! for people who say that mac is more stable, hardware wise, than PC...They're unaware of the fact that mac vs pc is more like mac OS vs windows, rather than some alien hardware being used in mac. They both use parts from same companies e.g toshiba, kingston, intel, amd, radeon, nvidia...Sure if you buy HP pc, it won't last long. If you like the Mac OS, sure, go for it...but don't ask people lol. It has to be your own preference.

If you wanna game at all, go for pc, if you just want to work and study, go for mac.

i have to agree with above, its like asking if you like two different types of cheese and you are going to get strong views in each direction.  I had been allied to windows PCs for years because i was used to them through work, and what i found was that year after year my PC would be brought to its knees by the ever increasing demands of virus scanners and the fact that the operating system and software was always built with the latest hardware in mind.  So I bought a Mac, kinda blind, at the point that my windows PC could no longer handle the things that the modern world threw at it.  Honestly, I became an evangelist for apple becuase the new mac just flew in comparison and all the itty bitty problems with windows - the registry, the arcane process for installing simple things likes printer drivers etc, all disappeared.  My mac is six years old and still runs the most recent operating system absolutely flawslessly (and which is free by the way so dont assume everything mac is expensive), the most recent software flawlessly, and i defy anyone to get the same thing from windows PCs.  The user interface is, for me, a million times more intuitive than windows, everything that you expect to do on a windows computer you can do on a mac and typically for reasons i cant quite put into words, the experience is just a lot more smooth, a lot less effort, and a lot more enjoyable.  Admittedly, i don't play games on my computer regularly and this apparently is a big difference between the two systems but frankly for the activites that you list I would go with a mac as the experience is just much more fun, and more beautiful if you can say that about a 'pooter!  I use mine for mainstream word processing, internet browsing, etc but also for pretty intensive artwork and photography and I cant remember having ever been caught frustrated by the system.  If you are used to a windows PC from the past then indeed you probably will need to sit down with someone who can walk you through for an hour or two just to see the big differences between the two systems.  They aren't difficult but you do need to know about them.  Voila, my five cents worth. 

Same model as the gal who is going to help you :-)

"i have to agree with above, its like asking if you like two different types of cheese and you are going to get strong views in each direction."

It`s funny how you end up promoting MAC.

Just a side note: You say your windows pc was much slower and couldnt handle all your antivirus software etc. It`s like  a BMW and a Mercedes doing a speedtest, but not sharing the specs of the engine of each car.

The bit of extra memory you could put in a pc to compensate this, costs nothing compared to the couple of 100 CHF in price difference.

buy a PC, get rid of windows and get linux!

I was told Linux is not user-friendly. I reckon someone who is not an IT expert would go for anything that makes her/his life easier.

Since converting to MAC I wouldn't go back. Programs, for me, were very intuitive and easy to learn though it will take some time. It does cost more upfront but I see it lasting a lot longer than a PC. They are also relatively robust, having dropped mine it still all works except for the disc drive. BTW I wouldn't recommend testing if a PC (or a new MAC for that matter) would stand up to the same abuse. 

Another plus is the software updates are free so you can always have the best version running. One word of caution on updating software, check to make sure all the earlier features you used are maintained. Sometimes it is worth waiting until the bugs are ironed out before upgrading. 

Also, for your intended purpose a basic version is all that's required with a large hard drive.

How many decades ago was that? :)

If you want a Mac, Apple just announced a drop in price and slightly more powerful processors for its Macs. The Air starts now at $899 in the US, which is the only place where I would buy Apple.

That being said, laptops at that price point which come with only 4 Gb of RAM and not user upgreadable is just indecent in 2014.

MAC.. 

For what you need it for it will just work. Anybody who says xyz won't work on a MAC is talking rubbish, if you can do it on windows, you can do it on mac (ok 99% of everything normal people want to do). 

Think on it as an investment too.

Spend 500.- on a windows laptop today, any one at all and in three years time it will either be broken or it'll be worth less than 100.-

Spend 900.- on a Macbook Air today and in three years time you will probably get 600.- for it.

Its just anecdotal, not meant to be anything but my own personal thoughts, but the windows pc was a pretty fiery desktop, it just couldnt keep up with the updated OS and the huge and ever increasing demands of a virus scanner which between the two of them brought the PC to its knees.  Any PC over time goes like this becuase the Windows OS continues to take increasing demands as hardware improves, and it just doesnt seem to be the case with macs.  I did indeed do things like adding ram to the PC but it was still "slow" ram becuase of the motherboard specs of the time, etc.  I think my point remains - my mac after six years is still able to run the most up to date os and software, and its as nippy as the day i bought it, which is pretty damned impressive.  It's extraordinary that the older macs continue to be able to run the updated os year after year in comparison. 

The quality of after-sales is also really impressive.  As an example, I have a magic trackpad as a mouse replacement.  Its a very clever piece of work, cost about 80 francs, but stupid me left the batteries in when they were drained and they leaked into the cavity to the point where you could no longer open the battery compartment.  Apple looked at it and gave me a new one.  With service like that, I do feel like going back and telling people they are impressive.  Another factor for their computers is that although they definitely cost more they also keep their value more. 

And in the meantime they are great fun.  I dont think i could ever describe a windows experience as great fun but weirdly the mac makes me smile.

I don't want to troll, but all my family is using Linux (Debian) without any problems...

You can buy computers with linux preinstalled if you want: http://whyopencomputing.ch/

I must say,from what I have observed,this does indeed seem to be true

Yes for me this is true too - both windows laptops I had broke (hardware, not software) within 2 years, my current macbook is 6 years old and going strong and my previous one lasted around 5 years. However my windows laptops were not the highest quality you can get, so not sure its true all windows laptops are shoddily built (after all there are a huge number of manufacturers...).

I'm sorry to say but linux "sucks". Why? Well...have a look at the benchmarks comparing windows and linux. Boot time, processing speeds, write/read speeds, power savings, they're all bad conpared to windows, especially windows 8.1

Just stating a couple of facts, You Nam sayin'

Yes Linux is not user-friendly since it is a kernel. Usually kernels are not very user-friendly as they lack a GUI (Graphical User Interface). So you usually have one installed with what we call a Linux distribution. For the story Mac is using a kernel called "Darwin" which is a micro-kernel of type BSD.

@Nabel: where are the links stating that the benchmarks stating that Windows has much greater performance on basically everything than Linux on the same hardware ?

No really the real problem with Linux is that there is a ton of distributions (which I see as an advantage because you have more choice) with different level of quality. Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, SUSE, Fedora, etc.

Now a bit of advertisement: next Saturday (the 24th) Geneva is hosting a linux party focused on sustainable developement and I really hope to see you there :

http://www.fetons-linux.ch/

Thanks Yoann

You're right that Kernels are not friendly, especially ones developed in America, in fact they can be down right agressive at times, and always produce lots of unexplainable errors, just ask anyone who has lived in North Africa, the Middle East or Vietnam over the last few decades! 

what about the one from kentucky  everyone's favorite !

You're right about different distributions but the most famous and powerful one is Ubuntu imo.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=gpus_windows81_ubuntu&num=5

I can't seem to find the site where it compares the power saving, read/write speeds etc...

But yeah, ubuntu 14.04 seems to be catching up to windows 8.1

If there is no compelling reason to change your current operating system, stick with what you know. There is a (steep, in some cases) learning curve when switching desktops. For your purposes, I'd say a PC will suffice. Just steer clear of Windows 8 unless you opt for a tablet or such.

HTH

Mike

can you afford a mac ? yes ? get one 

no ? get a PC 

Sorry Helen but I disagree with you. This was true before 2006 when the Mac was different (using the PowerPC architecture). Now it's Intel-powered. Today I see Apple as another giant like Microsoft, Google or HP. The cult of Mac is dead: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Apple_Inc.

Even their OS (MacOS X) is not open source, like Windows. All made in a big US-based company. Really today I would rather say, don't buy an PC at the supermarket like many people but a sustainable one.

Got money: http://whyopencomputing.ch/

No money ? Realise is a non-profit association that sells second-hand computer that are made to last : http://realise.ch/