Virus Removal Tool

1. The Specs determine the speed and the quality "can" affect the performance. Below are some brand stats.

2. Not as many Macs users so hackers target PC’s…where there is both more users…and more potential for profit.

3. Linux is for specialty technical purposes best like servers. Some linux is made for low end hardware for and second hand old computers or cheap computers for poor people. See below for Mac and PC.

4. PC’s are cheaper if you have a budget.

5. See recommendation below on Gateway.

For Vista, look at the MS requirements…and double it at least and make sure it’s certified. Triple if you can afford…then Vista should rock your socks. If you learn how to use it, Vista features and technology blows XP away…when it works. You want it to last so get 64-bit Vista Home Premium or Ultimate. It’s mega-fast with 64-bit apps as well as lets you upgrade > 4GB TOTAL RAM (system RAM + graphics card + other devices).

But if you have old programs, they might not work (esp. with 64-bit version). Google “Vista compatibility list”. Knowing a bit about computers helps getting the old problematic ones to work (Internet has a lot of solutions that smart people share).

Ultimate is the best but if you don’t think you need anything that fancy, Home Premium is good too. Get a good video card if you want Aero graphics (at least 256MB 128-bit in the newer cards). Better if you can afford.

Vista uses extra RAM to store commonly used files in a new activity known as “disk caching”. The computer uses artificial intelligence to determine which files will be used most and copies it to RAM (where it is much faster than accessing your hard disk). This includes components of the programs you use on a regular basis. When you need more RAM for programs you launch, etc. the computer purges the “least likely used” files from RAM to make room for the new program. That’s why if you look at the performance monitor, Vista always has near zero “free” RAM. So in theory, the more RAM (for disk cache) you have, the faster your computer will operate. This can also be augmented (to a lesser effect) with a USB flash drive with a technology called ReadyBoost. Just stick it in and select “Speed up my system” and leave it there.

Vista Home Premium and Ultimate has Windows Media Center, where with a TV card/USB adapter (if not integrated) of the type that fits your TV/Cable, acts similar to TiVo. You can play your videos, schedule recordings, etc. You can get a wireless keyboard / mouse or gyro-mouse and it will be sort of like remote control. If you do this, get a big Hard Disk.

Vista supports touch-screens and voice recognition if you’re into note-taking and dictation. A good program to use with this is OneNote, which is included in some Office editions.

Deals of America and Tech Bargains catch good deals on HP and Dell’s and sometimes you can get like $500 off! XPBargains has deals on Tablet PC’s!
http://www.dealsofamerica.com/
http://www.techbargains.com/
http://www.xpbargains.com/best_deal.php/tablet_pc_deals.htm
 
Unless you are an artist, most Universities (and programs) as well as the rest of the world use Windows. WinMacs are popular but for the price, Macs don’t run Windows as well as other brands, but sometimes it doesn’t really matter that much to most users. In addition some just want it for fashion and like them to match their iPods.

Macs are durable because many have an accelerometer in there that can "increase the chance" of saving your hard drive when you drop it. Like those used in airbags. The power cord is also magnetically attached so it reduces the chance that you yank it off the table.

OSXMacs can exclusively install Final Cut Pro (which is good for media work). Adobe CS is also good and available for Windows but works better on OSX. The Windows version actually looks like an OSX port. I would suspect that many OSX keepers are artists as usual. Emotion workers are generally not as good with computers as logic workers so OSX is good for them. So that’s why a lot of computer newbies also use Macs and you will see a lot of “Get a Mac! They are so awesome!” without any technical explanation to back up that opinion.

Mac Pros:
OSX stability
OSX is easy to use
Dual-bootable to Windows
More durable than many brands
Trendy

Mac Cons:
Not as much peripheral support
Not as much software support
Windows doesn’t run as good
Expensive
Minority

Windows PC Pros:
More customizable
More choices
More styles
Cheap hardware
Vista has best gaming capability (Direct3D 10)

Windows PC Cons:
Less stable (unless you are an IT pro)
Many are relatively not as fashionable
Not as user-friendly
Some extra features in Windows requires advanced knowledge to use
The extra features require better hardware despite your use of them or not

Details of features can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X

Some brand statistics: In terms of recent sales, the top 3 manufacturers are HP, Dell, and Acer (Gateway). Apple is #4 in USA.
http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2008/04/24/mac-q1-2008-market-share-3-26-percent-worldwide-6-26-percent-in-the-us.aspx

Pretty good deal on a powerful laptop: $900 – Gateway M-6851 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T5550(1.83GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 4GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD 5400rpm Dual layer DVD Burner ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600(512MB GDDR3 Dedicated Memory)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834101154

the only thing that affects performance is the parts, and the parts alone. as for viruses there are fewer viruses for macs, but almost none for linux. as for brands…..hard to say, all OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) seem to act the same (loading up systems with crap and pimping a pentium D as "being able to handle the latest multimedia and games perfectly". although generally you can get a desktop with the same specs as $1200 laptop, for about $500, and a $1200 desktop is likely to be more powerful than any laptop out there.

1. The brand of PC does not matter (Mac is another story, generally runs faster with less resources), however, AMD chips do more per clock cycle than an Intel, but Intel chips generally have a faster clock rate. This is why AMD chips come with "ratings" (like 1800 etc) to compare to an Intel chip (1.8 GHz).

The other thing is what software is loaded on it, but you can remove whatever you don’t need anyway.

2. A little of both. One poster said "Mac does not come with security" which is wrong. Unlike Windows, Linux and Mac make their OS secure so you don’t have to run a separate program (or two) to make it secure. When vulnerabilities are found the OS is updated to fix this.

3. Depends on what your doing. Mac’s are the easiest to use and are gaining more and more acceptance in teh corporate world. You buy one machine from one company that comes with pretty much all the software you need for everyday use. If you like tinkering, Linux is probably best (but you can download this for free and put it on a Mac or PC so it’s not really an issue). PC’s are more mainstream and generally support more software (but not necessarily anything you want)

4. Depends on the processor, if you go with Mac I would try to get one with an Intel chip, it will be much more versatile.

5. Mac is good, they make solid computers with their own software so there are less compatibility issues that can cause crashes, my brother in law had his for years.

I’ve had a dell laptop for years and it is still humming along nicely.