Maybe the least experienced people feel comfortable asking for a Mac.

Anyway, if you do that, then you’ve got an interesting problem, which is extremely geeky: the Core 2 Duo architecture versus the Xeon architecture (and their supporting components). I’ll leave THAT conversation for another time and place.

~Bryan

I want to take issue with your rebuttal of the “Macs are more expensive” myth. Now, you may be correct that Macs and PCs are fairly equally priced if you go to a well-recognized vendor and spec up a low-end PC to an equivalent Mac. I’ve seen that happen, especially if when you try to add the octuple-core Intel part in an attempt to the Mac Pro.
However, you’re not looking deep enough, and in so doing indeed, not following your own rules. I can’t remember which one of you said this, but essentially, one rule I’ve heard you use is “buy the computer that you need now” (in reference to the “Should I wait for Macworld?” question). With that in mind, let’s take a look at two different machines for two different users (I’d fill in the gaps, but I don’t have enough time at the moment):

~ The “Fairly Tech-Saavy Baby Boomer” Machine ~
This computer needs to be able to run Office-like applications, do web surfing/email, power through intermediate-level image editing, and have enough horsepower to things like compress a couple of seasons of a TV show down to a size suitable for an iPod.

If you’re buying from Apple, that’s the low-end iMac with an extra gig of RAM. Here’s what you get:

20″ iMac + Upgrades
- 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo
- ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT (128 MB)
- 2 GB RAM
- 250 GB hard drive
Bottom Line: $1350.

For the PC, let’s try a Dell with Windows Vista Business Edition:

Inspiron 530 + the new 20″ Dell SP2008WFP monitor
- 2.2 Ghz Core 2 Duo
- ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro (128 MB)
- 2 GB RAM
- 320 GB hard drive
- (Added Dell A525 2.1 speakers as well as Firewire, Bluetooth 2.0/13-in-one media reader, and 802.11g modules)
Bottom Line: $1020 (not counting Dell’s constant stream of rebates)

Summary: Well, the Dell is cheaper by over $300, is faster, and more capable–a gap that increases as specs go up. Of course, you’re missing Mac OS X, iLife, and Apple’s slick design. This conundrum is the classic Mac vs. PC one, and Boot Camp might help tip the balance slightly.

~ The “Power User/Gamer” Machine ~
This machine is suited for the creative/scientific/gaming community out there. Performance at a reasonable price is the object here, and since technical ability at this level is suitably high, I’ll include a third option: a custom PC. I’ll also skip the whole display/audio thing, since the Mac Pro doesn’t include those and it makes configuration comparison simpler. Let’s go:

Apple Mac Pro
- Octuple 2.8 GHz Xeon 5500-series
- 4 GB RAM (4 x 1 GB)
- Single nVidia GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB)
- Dual 500 GB hard drives
- Dual optical drives
Bottom Line: $3950 (although you can cut off ~$500 if you go the DIY upgrade route)

Dell XPS 720 + Vista Business Edition
- Quadruple 2.93 GHz Core 2 Extreme-series (a waste)
- 4 GB RAM (4 x 1 GB)
- Single nVidia GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB)
- Dual 500 GB hard drives
- Dual optical drives
Bottom Line: $3190 (although you can cut off $850 if you get the Q6600 and do your own overclocking)

Quality, Custom-Built Rig (contact me for the Newegg wishlist)
- Quadruple 3.5 GHz Core 2 Quad Q6600 (3.5 GHz is an easy overclock)
- 8 GB RAM (4 x 2 GB)
- Dual nVidia GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB each)
- Dual 500 GB hard drives
- Dual optical drives

Bottom Line: $1700-$1800, depending on your aesthetic tastes (cases vary widely in price).

Summary: An analysis could merit an entire podcast. Suffice it to say that if you’re going for raw scientific-grade processing power, Apple’s solution wins. If you’re working in 3D, or the applications that you’re using aren’t massively multithreaded, the quad-core Dell is considerably cheaper (especially if you take my hint).

The custom built system blows the living crap out of both the Dell and the Apple configurations, especially if you’re willing to go the “interesting” route and get OS X working on the machine. In the event that you’re working in 3D and need maximal processing power, you can always eliminate the dual-GPU configuration and supporting power supply (lowering the price to ~$1000), and using QMaster, create a rendering farm of three units for the price of a single Mac Pro.

Well, I hope you found this interesting. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Sincerely,

Bryan Clodfelter
Senior Hardware Editor
InsideMacGames.com