How I Switched Back

I have a confession to make, I like Windows Vista. After a few years of using OSX, owning multiple Macintosh computers, and even working for Apple, I am ready to come out to the world as a PC. What made me come back to Windows? Well, the first big reason is that I am a reinvigorated PC gamer. This summer, I kept going back and forth if I should build a new PC or purchase a MacPro. I purchased a Macbook Pro last January after MacWorld, but I wanted a desktop. I enjoy using a notebook computer while I’m on the move. If I’m at home, I’d much rather be on a desktop and sitting on a comfortable chair. Another problem I kept running into was software compatibility, with Bootcamp and programs like fusion helped counteract that, if I’m going to be needing to run Vista or XP to complete my work, play a game, I might as well just run the operating system all the time.

When it comes to OSX, there isn’t any software that I run that requires OSX but there are numerous programs that require Windows. For photography, I’m able to get by just fine with the built-in photo software in Windows. OSX wasn’t able to compete with the customization, application support, and gaming. Then there is price, and the price difference for desktops is huge. For $1,400 I was able to build a topflight PC:

• Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q9550

• Ati Radeon 4870 512 MB Graphics Card

• 8 GB of Patriot RAM

• Vista Ultimate 64-bit

• WD Caviar ® Black 1TB Drive

• ASUS Rampage Motherboard

• Cooler Master Case

I also picked up a 24" Acer monitor that supports 1900 x 1200, and includes HDMI input for $330. For what I paid, I have a better computer for my needs, at a lower price, and the ability upgrade my computer in the future to keep up with technology. If I were to build an iMac, I’m stuck with a paperweight if I want to stay competitive with gaming and if I go the MacPro route, I have poor hardware support when it comes to GPU selection. I guess, what I’m saying, is that I believe in choice and Apple cannot offer choice with their current business and technology models.

My final reason for switching had to do with smugness. Apple is a smug company and many of the people who work for Apple are closed minded elitist, and I do not mean that in the Rush Limbaugh way. Many times, I would hear coworkers trash products or services they have never used because they were not produced by Apple. One has the ability to be a fanatic of a product and still concede the point that the competition offers consumers some level of value. That concession doesn’t mean someone’s love for their chosen fetish is any less after said confession.

Now, I’m in a new state, Minnesota, with a new job, and a new computer.

Some early feedback after having the new PC for about a month, is that I love Vista. The GUI of Vista in my mind, supersedes OSX. I have never been a fan of the dock, I’ve always enjoyed the Start menu/Windows button that Microsoft offers. I also really enjoy the interface offered by Office 2007. The one thing I do miss, is the ability to link search to the top right of the screen. It doesn’t take that much effort to hit the Start key and type in the search, but ease of use is ease of use.

All that is left for me to is pick up a pair of gaming headphones, a new office chair that is more comfortable for long marathon sessions of Warhammer Online or Team Fotress 2, and for me to learn more about how Windows works and how I can get the most out of the operating system. I’m learning and it will come, which is exciting. I hope to turn PC gaming into a hobby beyond just playing the games but also in the rig building and maintenance. I was truely excited when I built the PC myself, the self of accomplishment that this computer is mine from top to bottom is unparalleled and cannot be matched by the competition. Every part I picked I researched, talked about on forums and with friends, and I constructed. I know that for a lot of people they do not care about building the computer, they just want a machine to turn on and use. That’s a fine model but I want to have more control over my technology.

I’ll be posting some pictures of the rig and setup early next week after my stuff gets to my new house.