Gamers Itching To Switch To Macs? 261
An anonymous reader writes "CNET.com.au is forecasting Windows gamers will be flocking to Intel-based Apples, saying many 'have been looking for an excuse to switch to Macs.' The article says: 'Of course, games enthusiasts who like to customise their systems and upgrade their hardware (such as graphics cards) at the drop of a hat may still prefer the tinkering freedom a PC allows. But then there are the legions of more casual gamers who only upgrade every several years or so -- as long as they can play what's available at their local games shop, I'm sure they won't be fussed that they're not running off the latest gear from ATI or NVIDIA.'"
"work" (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:"work" (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:"work" (Score:2)
I agree with you, a lot of people will switch now that they can run both XP and OS X. The only thing that keeps me tied to Windows at home is the fact that I can't run many games on Linux without hassle or money (cedega just isn't worth the effort IMO). I also am going to agree with you on the cost of a Mac vs. the cost of a video card. Both cost alot of money. So I personally am not going to buy a Mac in the near future, but it is something that's potentially down the road for me. However, the real th
Re:"work" (Score:2)
Umm, no. Porting Linux software to OS X, if you're willing to put up with using X Windows instead of Quartz (or, for that matter, the terminal with no GUI) is fairly trivial.
Porting a native Mac application to Linux doesn't get any easier just because they're both unix-based.
Re:"work" (Score:2)
For a lot of applications where calls to the UI are more prevalent it could be more of an issue, but usually games don't worry much about Quartz vs. GTK vs. Win32 in terms of interfaces; they just need a minimal wrapper that abstracts input
Re:"work" (Score:2, Insightful)
But the hobbyist gamers, who combine the hobbies of constantly tinkering with and tweaking their computers with their gaming hobby in order to spend as little as possible and get as much as possible out of it (the sort of folks who bought the hackable Sapphire 9500s in order to mod them into glitchy Radeon 9700 equivalents just because they could) will never be sat
Re:"work" (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:"work" (Score:2)
So yes, some of us are going to switch.
Re:"work" (Score:2)
I've been what you might consider a "hardcore gamer" for going on eight years and i've never had the faintest desire to switch to apple. It's a possibility that down the road if every game for Windows also has a Mac version that it might make a bit of sense. And that would also require that the price of a mac get down into the reasonable "PC" range. As of now, windows does more for me than mac could and if i bought a mac to dual boot...it would never enter O
Re:"work" (Score:4, Insightful)
As soon as I can, I'm going to stop using my desktop machine and buy a MacBook Pro.
PS - You're making sweeping generalizations about gamers on an article specifically geared toward gamers. I suggest a new strategy. Don't be a dick.
Re:"work" (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Sexy hardware (Score:2)
I think they mean "occasional gamers," not "casual gamers". People always throw around the "casual gamer" term without understanding what market it actually represents.
That being said, online gaming is still a big market for casual gaming. The only problem the market has run into is, how do you make money off of all these users who want fast, fun, and free games? It's been a bit of a sticky issue. We'll see
Re:Sexy hardware (Score:3, Interesting)
n any event, gamers are a crowd where looks matter. A Mac can be sexy, but an Alienware box is somehow simultaneously sexy and badass, and that's what gamers like.
It's funny you should mention that. I was talking to a few people the other day about what kinds of laptops they've been seeing lately and what they infer about others from them. We were talking about the security conventions. There are lots of mac laptops these days, which basically tells people that the user is not one of those "Windows peop
Re:Sexy hardware (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Sexy hardware (Score:2)
Re:Sexy hardware (Score:2)
I've bought alieanwares because they do actually sell good solid harware, take a look at the packages they sell, they're very upfront about what specifically you're getting.
That was true a few years ago. These days independent reviews (like consumer reports) show their prices to be very high compared to the same hardware from other vendors and it is coupled with some of the lowest rated support in the industry. Further, I've read in some cases they literally buy white boxes in bulk, swap the cases, mark
Re:Sexy hardware (Score:2)
I think if you substitute casual gamer for closet gamer it all makes more sense. People who don't consider themselves gamers but nevertheless end up spending quite some time on Quake, the Sims and other really popular titles.
I ended up buying a PC a couple of years ago (and regretting it immensely) solely for playing Dungeon Master or something like that, such a clever, funny and engrossing game that I just had to have it. Me a gamer? No way
Re:Sexy hardware (Score:2)
You forget "...yet!" You haven't had any problems with service ...yet!
Seriously, I'm glad you've had good luck. But have you actually tested the customer service lines, and do you realize that warranty service under Alienware can take literally months to return your machine? That's why I hope Dell will be an improvement in service.
At work I by almost exclusively Dell PCs. They're no game machines, fo
XP? (Score:5, Funny)
Nope. One word: (Score:2)
(or is that two words? Intercaps are always confusing)
Re:Nope. One word: (Score:2)
Re:XP? (Score:2)
Some will buy full legit coppies, some will buy acadmic coppies and use them improperly, but almost all will pirate. Hell, I have several legit licences for Windows XP and the only version I have installed is pirated.
You misspelled "hell." (Score:5, Interesting)
If someone does a study on this a year from now and finds that more than half of the copies of Windows installed on dual-boot Macs are legal, I'd seriously question the study's methodology.
Meanwhile, because Apple is not a Windows OEM, that means that Microsoft (or other OEMs) must deal with the support calls made when things go awry. This increases Microsoft's costs, and the costs of Apple's competitors.
It gets worse for Microsoft: They are in no position to strong-arm Apple into an OEM contract of any kind. Apple doesn't want the contract, and the claim that they're shipping computers without an OS is leading people to pirate the OS falls flat. Apple is shipping an os, they can claim that what people do with the dual-boot is not Apple's responsibility, and they're right.
Microsoft can claim that Boot Camp is leading to more piracy, and they'd be right about that; however, the claim that Apple is somehow deliberately enabling this loss of sales -- although very likely -- is a subtle point. You can also see how Microsoft themselves, by strong-arming OEMs, have created a trap for themselves to where a company that Does Not Need Microsoft -- such as Apple -- can exploit that gap.
The more I look at it, the more impressed I am with the evil brilliance behind Apple's move. And yes, I meant it when I said "evil." This was truly devious. It benefits all of us in the short run, but in the long run it benefits Apple the most.
Re:You misspelled "hell." (Score:3, Insightful)
The way I look at it, I've had to buy 3 or more copies of Windows and right now I'm only running a single one of them. If I decide to buy a brand new top of the line AlienWare PC, why shouldn't I be able to install my same old copy of Windows XP on it?
Microsoft will surely
Re:XP? (Score:2)
Really? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Really? (Score:2)
Though I wouldn't put myself in the casual gamer category I can't see why a casual gamer would pay more for a Mac if a bit of casual gaming is one of the buying factors...
Quick, do most games run acceptably on said graphics card? No I don't mean can you get 82 fps instead of 75 fps, I mean will the casual gamer still have fun playing the game?
Now, can any machine other than a mac run OS X and all the associated software without extensive hacking?
Gee, why would someone pay more for a machine that only r
Re:Really? (Score:2)
Ah yes. As we all know, you must have OSX, or your life is an utter failure.
It all depends upon what you are doing. Using the right tool for the right job is important. Right now I have in front of me OS X, Win XP, Net BSD, and Linux. I think I have a pretty good handle on the strengths and weaknesses of the various platforms. Whether you like or dislike OS X, is it so unbelievable that some people might consider the ability to run in a desired feature? Can you (as the previous poster put it) not imagin
Re:Really? (Score:2)
Half-Life 2 on a MacBook Pro? (Score:5, Informative)
At the Valve Developer Community, a few of us are logging how Valve games run on these new Macs [valvesoftware.com], so if you've got any new information, feel free to contribute.
I do think it will kill most native MacOS gaming, or at least cause a major shake-up. But I'm not surprised - paying through the nose for years-old ports of PC games just didn't appeal to me, to be honest.
But what I've got now is a Universal Computer, capable of running Mac software (both PowerPC and Intel), UNIX stuff (thanks to Fink and X11.app) and now Windows stuff. I've been dual-booting on my PCs between Linux and Windows for years, so I'm familiar with the drawbacks, but the advantages are great. By day, for work and for my photography, I have a high-powered Mac laptop, and by night, for gaming and modding stuff, I've got a high-powered PC laptop.
Not bad!
Re:Half-Life 2 on a MacBook Pro? (Score:5, Insightful)
Are games going to start shipping with a free copy of Windows XP? If not I don't see how game manufacturers are going to assume that all the Mac users have Windows also.
Of course sales may drop and force the companies out of business. But the game developers aren't going to say "Well, you can now pay $300 to buy a copy of Windows to run on your Mac, so were going to stop making Mac games."
Re:Half-Life 2 on a MacBook Pro? (Score:2)
They'll just stop porting games to OS X altogether. Why bother?
-Eric
Re:Half-Life 2 on a MacBook Pro? (Score:4, Insightful)
For the same reason that despite the fact that OS X can and does run X11 apps easily, people still spend time porting them to aqua and the mac environment. Because mac users HATE applications that don't look and play the same way that the rest of the applications do. And rebooting in to windows every time you want to play your game is not going to win many customers.
Re:Half-Life 2 on a MacBook Pro? (Score:3, Insightful)
It DID kill Linux gaming (Score:3, Interesting)
See, the issue isn't one of right vs wrong, nor game _developpers_ assuming that everyone has Windows. Noone is that stupid. The issue is simple one of market size and _publishers_ deciding if it promises much of a ROI.
To illustrate it, even without booting Windows, you didn't see many games released for Macs. Sure, there was the occasional big company deciding to go t
Re:Half-Life 2 on a MacBook Pro? (Score:2)
Not only that, but the MacBook Pro is very competitively priced compared to other high-end Core Duo laptops.
I've tried fiddling with options on the Dell website and the outcome is always a slightly more expensive Dell machine for similar hardware and software. None of these machines are cheap, however.
I'd wait for a few revisions, given how new the system is, but the Macbook Pro is one tasty machine for a decent price.
Re:Half-Life 2 on a MacBook Pro? (Score:2)
Now it looks like there is a chance that I can get both at once. Sweet!
What I'm looking for, and hopefully will shortly see on your wiki, is a comparison between the two CPU choices on the mini. I had originally settled on a Single Core with 1Gb of RAM as the best set-up for me, but if Dual Core is going to make a d
Re:Half-Life 2 on a MacBook Pro? (Score:3, Informative)
My father's got a single-boot, single-core Intel Mac Mini, and while it's a great little machine for MacOS X stuff, from what I've heard from web forums and the like the graphics system on both Ma
Re:Half-Life 2 on a MacBook Pro? (Score:2)
I actually think it will cause *more* developers to think this way, since it's a competitive advantage to do so (at least in marketing terms).
WoW (Score:2)
Re:WoW (Score:2)
Sounds like they just did.
-Eric
Re:WoW (Score:2)
The problem (Score:2)
Also, another major factor is pirating things. Lets not get into the moral/ethical/legal arguments over this. The fact of the matter is that for a lot of people who are PC gamers...there is no good source of pirated Mac software (not that I've found at least). Believe it or not, that affects a lot of peoples decisions, especially since a decent Mac for gaming is quite expensive on its ow
Re:The problem (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:The problem (Score:2)
Re:The problem (Score:2)
Re:The problem (Score:2)
So, what you're saying is that people who know the least about Macs have the hardest time finding a source for ripped off Mac software? DUH!
Believe it or not, that affects a lot of peoples decisions, especially since a decent Mac for gaming is quite e
Re:The problem (Score:2)
Look...I didn't want to get into this issue because it is such a highly debated subject...but it is not your place to determine that if I can drop $2k on a computer, than I can afford to spend money on software as well. You do not know how I budget my money or what I decide to purchase or how much discretionary income I have. If I
Re:The problem (Score:2)
Do you think maybe that is because one is at home and the other at work?
Re:The problem (Score:2)
For some reason, I feel like I have the ability to tinker with the PC more.
Lets think about this rationally. With a PC you can replace most any of the hardware you want. With a mac you can replace most of the hardware, but you have a limited subset of motherboards and a harder time finding drivers for much of the hardware. Also, Apple has not yet shipped an Intel tower, which makes modification harder.
On the other side of things, OS X is 50% or so open source and has free compilers and dev tools. It al
Why spend a ton on a Mac (or factory PC)? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Why spend a ton on a Mac (or factory PC)? (Score:2)
Hm. That's about what an iMac costs, isn't it?
Sure, my initial outlay for the box was about $600. But then I got the DVD burner. And the LCD. And the extra memory. And I upgraded the video card. And then reformatted and reinstalled Windows 2000 and then Windows XP Media Center a
Re:Why spend a ton on a Mac (or factory PC)? (Score:2)
On average I replace the performance guts (CPU, mobo, RAM, graphics card) of my computer every two years nowadays. ~600 Euros for that (split into two upgrades usually quite some time apart). If, instead of my next upgrades, I bought a Mac for those 600 Euros, what would I get? My PC can run all new games at maximum details for almost a year after the upgrade, what would the 600 Euro Mac deliver? And could I upgrade just the performance stuff on it
Apple is going to make a killing... (Score:5, Insightful)
No one is going to buy a Mac now to run Windows on it. They're going to buy a Mac because they've always wanted to try OS X, but they have a few stubborn applications that they need to run on Windows, and until now couldn't justify the risk of switching and losing access to them. People on here would say "Just keep a second computer!", but most people aren't interested in that.
It is absurd to suggest that Apple is going to die now that people can run Windows on their Mac. The whole point of a Mac is NOT to run Windows. That's why people pay Apple's high prices - for the ability to run OS X. Companies are not going to stop making OS X software just because Apples can run Windows - if people wanted Windows, they would've bought a freaking Dell!
Take my dad, for instance. He loves to play chess against Fritz 8 and over the net with Playchess.com, which I bought him a few years ago. But it only runs on Windows. He's been wanting to get a Mac when his current computer dies, but until now he wouldn't be able to run his favorite software. He doesn't mind the hassle of dual-booting.
This will entice a huge population of people who have been teetering on the edge to make the switch. And now every time they reboot into OS X from Windows, or into Windows from OS X, the superiority of OS X will become clear. Even more so as time goes on, when the Windows installation becomes a spyware-infested, bloated piece of crap with fifteen different taskbar icons taking up 30MB of RAM each that starts to pause mysteriously after common tasks, and OS X just keeps humming along.
I didn't have any plans to upgrade my PowerBook before this, but I'm going to pick up a MacBook Pro this weekend.
Re:Apple is going to make a killing... (Score:2)
Re:Apple is going to make a killing... (Score:2)
I guess I'm no one. Interesting...
Re:Apple is going to make a killing... (Score:3, Informative)
OS X is Unix on the desktop that works. That's why it's appealing to me.
I hated Macs for years until OS X comes out - I was a die-hard Linux user. But now, I have all the ease-of-use and hassle-free-ness of OS X, with access to every one of my favorite Unix/Linux applications when I need them.
There are other features, too: Spotlight is incredibly cool, for instance. And Expose is awesome.
It is "Mac" not MAC (Score:2)
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC_address [wikipedia.org].
Calling a Macintosh a "MAC" looks a bit funny, and detracts from your valid points.
Re:Apple is going to make a killing... (Score:2)
And I say you're smug because you are.
-Eric
Re:Apple is going to make a killing... (Score:2)
Mac hardware has been fully compatible with PC hardware upgrades for years now. AGP, PCI, USB, IEEE 1394, ATA, SATA, memory technology, now processor technology, the list goes on. The only thing you can't readily change out for third party hardware on a Mac is the mainboard.
Now, granted, that only goes for t
Re:Apple is going to make a killing... (Score:2)
Could you please cite some examples?
Re:Apple is going to make a killing... (Score:2)
Bout time... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's about time somebody said it. In fact, I'd say that not even 5% of gamers are so hardcore that they upgrade anything in their PC every six months or less. I usually just get construct a cheap rig and upgrade it after a year or two and then jump to the next cheap rig and re-use any parts that I can. I do have a desktop replacement that I replace every two years or so as well. I'm one of the legion, I suppose.
Enough, already! (Score:2)
It's boring as shit.
Clearly whatever the Mac has up to now has only been compelling enough to make some people switch-- when are you going to get off your butts and make a compelling reason for the average guy to switch (read: Killer App).
Re:Enough, already! (Score:2)
The average person has average needs that are well covered by an average system, wouldn't you say? Those swayed by killer apps were or are switching. They are however not average users, but people who for instance see Final Cut Pro, Logic, Aperture or any other mac only product as a way to get more bang for buck.
As was the case with the original mac, when
Does it matter for GPU upgrades? (Score:2)
Re:Does it matter for GPU upgrades? (Score:2)
Re:Does it matter for GPU upgrades? (Score:2)
That will change once their full desktop computer comes out. It will have slots and it will lead to people whining about how card X works in Windows, "why doesn't it work when I boot into OSX?"
The result: Apple will spend increasingly more energy on OSX
Drivers? (Score:2)
No need to ever port another game to OS X again! (Score:2)
-Eric
Re:No need to ever port another game to OS X again (Score:2)
Re:No need to ever port another game to OS X again (Score:3, Insightful)
Now they won't have to deal with the hassle of porting their games and software to OS X. Why bother?
It's easy, just go to the store and buy a copy of Windows for $200, then download this program from Apple and repartition and install Windows. Boot Windows and install the game. After that each time you want to play a game you just have to reboot while holding down a key and then switch to Windows and then click on the Start menu, then programs then run the game. Simple huh?
Yeah, that will fly.
90% or mor
Re:No need to ever port another game to OS X again (Score:2)
-Eric
Might Have Helped Me (Score:4, Insightful)
Would this have helped me? It would give me reassurance, but I doubt I would have used it. Frankly rebooting takes too much time and it's just a hassle. I never reboot my Mac except when it needs security updates that require it. Otherwise it is on 24/7. I take it back and forth to school every day but I just close the lid and it goes into sleep instantly, and wakes up in about 2 seconds.
Now when someone gets either something like WINE working so you could play games (TransGaming... you've got an opportunity here for tons of sales), or true virtulaization gets enabled (some say Apple will do that in 10.5) so that you don't HAVE to reboot, you can just keep Windows in "the background" then I would have JUMPED at the chance to switch to Mac.
There are three things in life. There is having UNIXy goodness (got that), there is having great applications (iLife, Safari, and the ability to run Office/Photoshop), and there are games (got some, missing others). I'd say my Mac scores a 2.3/3.0. Windows is a 2.0/3.0 (games and apps).
Keep up the great work Apple.
So what will most people use this for? Nothing. I expect that virtualization will come out soon enough. All this will do is provide that reassurance for switchers until they go full-on Mac, and I doubt they would use it much.
DOES IT TRIPLE BOOT? (Score:2, Interesting)
PowerMac Intel Counterpart (Score:2)
Macs Ascendent (Score:3, Insightful)
In regards to the extra money spent on Apple hardware, that's less true than it used to be-- Alienware systems are actually MORE expensive than Macs these days. Are homebuilders and 'hardcore gamers' gonna be making the switch? No. But who gives a flying fuck about that 5% of the computing population? Regardless of what many people think, the 'hardcore' are not the ones out buying games-- the more casual gamers make up the vast majority of purchases. Most PC gamers (not the 'hardcore' minority) buy a handful of games a year, and replace their system every 3 years, with a few upgrades in the meantime.
Which brings me to my next point: Apple hardware retains its resale value much much better than other brands (including Alienware). That leads to an interesting cycle that is even cheaper than the homebuilding route, for achieving reasonable performance with excellent polish and style and OS X exclusive software. In short:
Step 1:
Buy MacBook Pro for $2500.
Step 2:
Use it happily and effectively for 2 years.
Step 3:
Sell it for $1200 when you can no longer play with heavy graphical goodies.
Step 4:
Buy New MacBook Pro for $2500.
Looking at it that way, you spend $650 a year after an initial $2500 investment to have a fantastic laptop that can play games. Now, before you jump all over me, be sure to look up your numbers. 2yo PowerBooks really do sell for $1200. Even for 12-inch. Additionally, PC laptops are what, $300 or so cheaper AT MOST at purchase. Yet they don't retain the same kind of resale value. You get back every penny you spent on the more expensive Apple product at resale and then some.
So yeah. I'm gonna switch ASAP. And it's the right decision.
Peace out.
People will make the switch... (Score:4, Insightful)
"Normal" gamers won't switch because they'll spend most of their time in Windows so they can play their games, thus defeating the purpose of buying a computer that costs much more than a non-Mac equivalent. There's also the hardcore gamer that has to be on the bleeding edge of everything, and Macs don't allow that sort of crazy upgrading.
Casual gamers won't switch because they would've already switched to begin with if that was the only thing holding them back. Stuff like Solitaire and PopCap games has always been available on the Mac, and you don't need to dual-boot for it. (And no, if you're one of those gamers who plays a certain Windows-only game enough to where you're willing to use an OS you don't like just to play it, you fit in the first category, not this one.)
Who are the people that will switch?
One thing that might happen is that these people switching will increase the marketshare significantly, which would encourage the big game developers to make OSX ports for all of their popular games, and then you'd see gamers start to switch. I'm sure this is what Jobs is hoping for. But it's not going to happen right away.
Rob
The Ultimate Computer... (Score:3, Interesting)
I could really see myself one day throwing down the cash for a really powerful Mac with a massive hard drive and throwing Windows and Linux on there. Windows for gaming, Mac for apps, and Linux for programming. This idea excites me to know end.
This article really hit me on the nose. I'm a gamer who's always been looking for a good reason to switch to Mac, and this really is the perfect answer. Too bad I just bought two new PCs about a year ago...it's gonna be a while before I make the big switch, but I'd guess I definitly will one day.
The day where I can boot Fedora, Final Cut Pro, and Halo 2 all on the same machine will be a happy day indeed...
Re:All that remains... (Score:2)
Re:All that remains... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:All that remains... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:All that remains... (Score:5, Interesting)
It almost seems like there's this hole that's a lack of support, and its shrinking from the tail end while eating up a bigger and bigger time period. Not sure if its expanding faster than its shrinking, but its rather interesting. I think with Vista's release, a lot of older but still-playable games (late 98 era) will become unplayable, and at the same time Wine will keep getting better and will be able to play the oldest games unplayable now (95-era and such).
On a different note, software like dosbox and the like seems to go partway toward nullifying the argument for open-sourcing games. I mean, games that were open sourced (Gladiator [sf.net], Rise of the Triad [icculus.org], the Dooms and Quakes, etc) do live on today on modern systems, but the games that weren't are still very much alive and playable. In facts, Dosbox's enhancements like modem and IPX emulation make those games better and better! Of course, no matter how good Dosbox gets, it still won't be able to make, for example, the original Transport Tycoon Deluxe [wikipedia.org] be anywhere near as good as OpenTTD [openttd.org], but its still cool how they improve well after their support life-cycle is over.
I kinda lost my point in all that, or maybe disproved it or never had one to begin with, but its still interesting. Maybe a bit off-topic, too....
Re:All that remains... (Score:2)
And, the best part, it's free.
Oh, and even better, it runs natively on MacOS!!!
Re:All that remains... (Score:2)
Re:All that remains... (Score:2)
After typing that paragraph, I spent an hour messing with Lords of the Realm II
Re:All that remains... (Score:2)
-Eric
Re: (Score:2)
Re:All that remains... (Score:2)
-Eric
Re:Encouraging porting? (Score:4, Insightful)
It will not do anything to application developers, however. No one would tolerate a two minute pause when they want to run Photoshop, for example. And then a two minute pause when they want to check their email, and have to reboot again.
The ability to run Windows on a Mac does two things:
1) It makes it easy for people to play games.
2) It makes it possible for people to still run any Windows applications that they depend on. Not convenient, but possible.
#1 will impact Mac game sales, yeah. But I don't really give a shit about Mac games, they're overpriced and out of date. It's not like the industry was exactly thriving, anyway - most gamers with Macs have a PC.
Re:Encouraging porting? (Score:2)
Re:Encouraging porting? (Score:2)
Re:Encouraging porting? (Score:2)
For most applications I think the reverse is true.
IF more people switch and as a consequense spend more time in OS X, THEN the demand for an OS X port will actually grow.
But for games you may be right. I think those games that are not for the biggest possible audience (Quake, the Sim
Re:Reminds me of... (Score:2)
That is one of the funniest things I have ever seen!
Re:Is this article a joke? (Score:3, Funny)
What do Ethernet cards have to do with this?
Re: (Score:2)
Re:He lost me at (Score:2)
I've bought things on a whim too, anyone remember the Sony Dexdrive? What about my ipod? Just because something is neat enough to get you to throw down money doesn't mean that it's the most well thought out choice.
Re:pff no, it's still an Intel (Score:2)
Why would a casual gamer spend more money on a Mac, when it's still got the same old Intel chip, Windows OS, and costs hundreds more than your average Dell?
First, Macs cost about the same as other machines with similar specs, customer service, and reliability ratings. Note, Dell sells cheap junk with lackluster support and passes the savings on to you. They make sense for a corporation that can have 10% extra in spares to swap out and has perfect backups. Second, If you're building a gaming desktop, AMD
Re:pff no, it's still an Intel (Score:2)