$1,499.00

1.8GHz PowerPC G5
600MHz frontside bus

512K L2 cache
256MB DDR400 SDRAM
Expandable to 4GB SDRAM
80GB Serial ATA
8x SuperDrive
Three PCI Slots
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB DDR video memory
56K internal modem


And now the PC that I put together in a few minutes on pricewatch.com:

17in 16ms response LCD $192.99

Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2GHz Newcastle Process 130nm 939Pins (Socket939) HyperTransport 1GHz L2 Cache 512KB 64-bit Processor OEM $260

K8V-X ASUS K8V-X mboard VIA K8T800 Chipset for AMD Socket 939 $81

eVGA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB DDR3/8x-AGP/HDTV-Out/DVI - On-Chip Video Processor $195

Kingston 512MB PC3200 DDR 400 $62x2

250.0GB EIDE 7200Rpm 2MB 8.9ms $114

Floppy, black $5.65

LG DVD-ROM black $4

Sony blac CD-ROM $20

Samsung USB CD writer 52x32x52 $30

[Black] Aspire 108 Multi-Media PS2 Keyboard + OPTICAL Mouse $19

Thermaltake Gaming Tower XaserV Series WinGo V7000+ Full-Tower Case $89

-OCZ ModStream 450W Power Supply - OCZ45012U $89

HSF - $20

Total: $1341.65

Keep in mind that this PC will run circles around the Mac, and that I didn't even try to find the lowest prices. I picked higher prices on purpose. Running Linux, plus Cedega, you don't have to buy any extra software (except Cedega - $15). Much better graphics than are possible on current consoles too.

*yawn* Your fallacy is that you assembled the PC yourself, so you are comparing apples to oranges again. You can't buy a cheaper PC, although you may be able to build one. Not everyone is able to do that. And don't forget the virus protection and other software that is a must for PCs but not needed on a Mac, the user experience, and the hassles of spyware, etc., that plague PCs.

Plus, did I miss the cost of Windows XP Professional in your analysis, or do you seriously use free Linux only?

Anyway good for you!

Last I checked, Macs do NOT come with a monitor (unless its an iMac) and the Mac brand monitors are closer to $300 or so.

And for an apples to apples comparison, heres a Dell 8400 for $1099 (normal retail) with very similar specs (and a monitor)

As far as consoles for gaming, have you ever tried to play an FPS without a mouse? Yuck...or a strategy game for that matter. Very difficult. Not to mention, when my computer breaks, I can fix it...I'm sitting on a dead XBox (DVD ROM died...$80 to fix myself or $65+trade in for a refurb) and a PS2 thats failing fast with no option to repair.

<edit>Oh, and with WinXP SP2, the best antivirus and antispy are free...though I wouldn't know *L*

lol...Was it me who started the PC/Mac debate? If so BAD ME! Oh well, something to talk about until UM comes out I suppose. Back to your bickering...

Its not bickering until something gets thrown. We're just arguing!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to start a fight. Merely supporting what I said

Just so we can laugh at ourselves:

One for the PC lovers:

Make it two for the PC crowd:

One for the Mac Lovers:

Ok, another one for the Mac Lovers:

and for those you still want to debate which type of computer is better, it's better than this:

If people really want to compare prebuilt machines, how about this one. It is a headless unit, so you would still need a monitor (just like the Mac):

for $1,058 (before $50 mail in rebate). It's only $1,029 directly through

Windows XP Home SP2
Intel Pentium 4 Processor 540J (800mhz FSB)
1GB PC3200 DDR SDRAM memory (4GB max)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 with up to 128MB shared video memory
Intel ® High Definition Audio, 8 speaker configurable
250GB 7200RPM Serial ATA hard drive
CD-ROM drive 48x max. speed
LightScribe Double Layer 16X DVDR/RW drive with CD writer capabilities
Front panel 9-in-1 memory card reader
56K modem
10/100 NIC
2 free PCI, 1 free PCI-Express


Faster processor, fast bus, twice the RAM, three times the hard drive, it would just need a better video card, but you can get cards better than the one in the Mac for less than $150 at Wal-Mart., and you can pick up a GeForce 6800 256mb PCI-Express for under $400 through PriceWatch.

Macs were once the king of graphics and audio work, but that gap had narrowed if not disappeared. PCs are virus targets in large part because they have such a large portion of the market. I'm not saying that PCs are perfectly secure, but most of the more recent viruses exploit the ignorance of the user more than any inherant vulnerability of the system (most Windows user run as an Administrator and click on things the really shouldn't).

The thing about the Mac is that it comes from a single source, while PCs come from a bunch of sources in competition, which drives the price down. And Jobs can make some odd choices... the IMac was doing well so he decided to increase the price, never mind that the price was why it was doing well. He has stated in the past that he dislikes the low end computer market.

Pretty soon Microsoft intends to enter the PC market, their plans include a system for $100 (yes $100, not $1000) or less. I have to admit that that one scares me, Gates becoming a monopoly in yet another market is rather daunting.

If God had intended computers to have more than 4K he wouldn't have given us cassette drives!

The Auld Grump, or stringy floppies, or data drums, or, hey! a punch card reader!