What computer should a teenage girl get?

What desktop computer would be suitable for a teenage girl? Please give links. It can be Mac or PC.





Thanks!What computer should a teenage girl get?
PC is better, here is why... ( Dell Inspiron $499- $849) http://www.dell.com/content/products/pro… for everyday stuff... Dell XPS for very heavy gaming.. http://www.dell.com/content/products/pro… OR http://www.dell.com/content/products/pro… )





PC=Variety of specs, options, quality, prices, vendors, support


Mac=One vendor, limited options, still more expensive. Look below for more information..





Contrary to belief, Macs are not better quality. Apple also has been changing suppliers to try to ';lower the price'; and thus lowering quality. Even with the lower prices, Macs still cost more, they spend a higher percent of budget trying to make it look pretty, and marketing.





Today, Macs use the same hardware as PCs. Why spend extra to get the same CPU chips, graphics cards and OS X isn't as secure as you think.. Look below.





WINDOWS ADVANTAGES:





Aprox 90% of the market is Windows. Most PCs include windows already pre-installed.


1) A number of websites still require Internet Explorer to view and IE for Mac Stinks (it is really ies4osx which is the Windows IE version running really buggy on OS X and illegal if you don't have a legitimate copy of Windows, too many problems with it).


2) More supported peripherals (printers and other things you hook into the computer) on Windows.


3) Many more games


4) Like the Dock on OS X (Mac)? google/yahoo rocketdock, objectdoc.





Install at least Free Versions of Avira AntiVir, Avast, Comodo Firewall on the Vista.





LINUX ADVANTAGES:





1) Install Linux, and then get tons of software for free.Update software easily and automatically. (Checking a checkbox in either two ways to install (Add/Remove or Synaptic Package Manager), search for something you want, check a box and click apply)


2) Like the Mac OS X effects? go yahoo/google COMPIZ FUSION. It can do just about any cool effect a Mac can do and more...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Fbk52Mk…


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3gkX9HDf… (there is no flickering when you use it like on the video, not sure why the person has the flicker)


3) Like the Mac OS X Doc? google/yahoo Cairo Dock, avant window navigator.


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3rf5q_…


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0hzi22g2…





4) It is faster/MORE SECURE. Surf the internet and even run some windows programs with Wnehq/Crossover..





LINUX OS


If you are worried about viruses, spyware, security, Try Linux (it is free), I have included some information about Linux and links so you are not lost if you decide to try it.





Easily turn your system into a Dual booting computer with Linux, fast, safe and secure, easy to use (contrary to belief). You then get the best of both worlds (Windows with all of its supported products, freely go online without the worry)





Installing Linux in general is very simple and much more secure than OS X(Macintosh) and free.


Also, most Linux distributions have a LiveCD which means you can try without installing...


UBUNTU, KUBUNTU, FREESPIRE, PCLINUXOS, etc.. all have live CDS.


All you have to do is..


A) to download .iso file off the internet from the Linux website


B) burn the .iso file to a CD or DVD (Make sure your burning software can burn an ISO or get InfraRecorder http://infrarecorder.org/ )


C) restart the computer with the CD in the drive


D) As computer is restarting, press on F12 Key a bunch of times to get a boot menu


E) Select the option to boot from CD or DVD.





Click on this link and follow instructions up to the point of ';Once the system has started up...';, (the rest is how to backup windows) for an easy picture guide for steps A-E above http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-v…


For easy instructions on setting up Dual Boot http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_windo…








ANOTHER QUICK NOTE: People have been able to run OS X on a PC since the PC and Mac use the same hardware. This is not legal and I would not recommend it for security and legal reasons, the purpose is to show that there is nothing special about the MAC.





A)Price...


A similar equipped PC is much cheaper to purchase than Mac. Lets use Dell (but you can compare with another PC Brand if you like)





**(LAPTOP)


Dell Inspiron Laptop $849 dropped to $799


15'; Screen


CPU: (upgrade to) 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo


Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100


Memory: 3GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM


Hard Drive: 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm


Optical Drive: Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM) - WRITES DVDS,CDS, READS Blue-Ray Disks





Macbook $1349 just dropped to $1224


13'; Screen (SMALLER)


CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (SAME)


Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (SAME)


Memory: (upgrade to) 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (LESS RAM)


Hard Drive (upgrade to) 250GBSerial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (SMALLER HARD DRIVE)


Optical Drive: (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) - (Writes CDs, DVDs, cannot read Blue-Ray) (WORSE AND 1/2 SPEED)





**(DESKTOP)





PLEASE NOTE: I'm comparing Apple Mac's vs Dells best deal. If you decide that you must have an all-in one. The Dell all-in-one has more ram, wireless keyboard and mouse and equivalent to $400 for free making the Imac still more expensive when you upgrade the Imac to try to match. Personally I don't think the All-in-Ones are a good choice, and consider them overpriced, lack expandability and repairs both more expensive and require the entire computer.





PS: Apple knows that they must make Macintosh look different than PC so all Macs except the Mac Pro will not have a tower option. Apple's low end lacks expandability but it makes the Mac ';look different';, if Mac had a tower for low-end, more people would realize the similarities between the two.





Dell: (Right Now) Specs Below costs $809


CPU: 2.4 GHZ Dell Inspiron QUAD (4 Processor) CORE


SCREEN: 20inch Screen


MEMORY: 3GB Ram


HARD DRIVE: 500 GB hard Drive


OPTICAL DRIVE: 16x DVD/CD Read/Writer


GRAPHICS: (upgrade to ) ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB





The Best Deal Mac is not the Mac Mini since it has no monitor, keyboard, mouse, very skimpy on options and setup... IMac is better price than the Mac Mini.





IMac ($1400)


CPU: 2.4 GHZ DUAL (2 Processor) CORE (SLOWER CPU)


SCREEN: 20inch Screen


MEMORY: (upgrade to) 2GB Ram (LESS RAM)


HARD DRIVE: (upgrade to ) 500 GB hard Drive


OPTICAL DRIVE: 8x DVD Reader/Writer (1/2 speed)


GRAPHICS: ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO 128MB





**END OF DESKTOP





B) SECURITY:





Mac OS X was hacked in 2006 under 30 minutes, and hacked within 2 minutes in a contest in 2008. Linux and Vista were not able to be hacked until another day when restrictions were lowered.


All macs are standardized with Cameras, if your system gets hacked, the hacker would more likely be able to turn on your camera.


Please Note: All OS's have vulnerabilities.





C) VIRUSES





The argument that OS X has less viruses is true, but that is against XP, BUT Mac OS X has viruses (which is significantly on the rise), a friend of mine has a virused Mac. As more users use Macs, more viruses will come out for it. Especially when users think ';they are safe';.


Viruses on Mac are rising significantly.





Google/Yahoo Mac Viruses








D) WINDOWS LICENSE is discounted with PCs





You do not pay the full price, for instance Dell -%26gt; you pay $50 or less for Vista Home Premium If you buy a Mac and want Vista, you pay full price.








E) EXPANDABILITY %26amp; REPAIR...





Repairs are more expensive than PCs since the IMac, Mac Mini are compact units, and Apple charges a premium for their services. Some repairs can be done by another repair service but the compact design of the computer causes problems.


With an IMac, if the problem is with the monitor, the whole computer would have to be brought in.


IMac and Mac mini lack expansion.








F) PROBLEMS





Sample of problems: Overheating Macbooks, OS X- not responding to keyboard, some units with 16bit screens, etc. Apple statistics are misleading since Mac users with problem machines are more likely to go out and buy a new computer than PC users. Apple is lowering prices which means you can expect lower quality than in the past. Apple had switched the manufacturers producing parts. OS X also has problems slowing down.





http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/01/apples-qu…


http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft…


http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-100202…


http://infosecurity.us/?p=4005


http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives…


http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/ar…


http://www.ubuntu.com/


http://www.kubuntu.org/


http://www.freespire.org/


http://www.pclinuxos.com/


http://distrowatch.com/


http://polishlinux.org/


http://www.desktoplinux.com/


http://xwinman.org/gnome.php


http://xwinman.org/kde.php


http://www.linuxalt.com/


http://screencasts.ubuntu.com/


http://www.linuxfoundation.org/en/OpenPr…


http://www.avast.com/


http://www.free-av.com/


http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/


https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Switch…


https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Switch…


Google/Yahoo OS X on PCWhat computer should a teenage girl get?
I'm 15 and have had two PC's. I've noticed that the quality of PC's lately is not as good, and mine that I currently have has had to be fixed three times. It is about a year and a half old. I would definitely go with a Mac if that is an option, and since you can also run Windows on a Mac, I think it's the best choice. My next computer will be for college in two years, but I'll definitely be getting a Mac.
I'm 13 and so I start high school in the fall. My parents have agreed to split the cost of a computer with me. The one that I found to have the best features for the best price was the MacBook White. It was $1000 and had a lot of good stuff. But if you can spend a bit more money and want slightly more advanced stuff, the aluminum MacBook is good too. Well, I hope that helped! You can go to this link and the Apple website for more info. Good luck!





http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/sh…
I'd say a PC because it's what the rest of the world have got, regardless of what's best. And she'll need something up to date for just the same reasons.
erhm, there r many MANY options...


PC s are cheaper





but in my opinion, a Mac. I really like their features...


PC - get any kind of Dell or HP


Mac- get a new version iMac.
PC because it is common and more people know how to help when you have trouble.
PC
wat eva one she wants
let her choose
A Macbook!


Thats what I have and I love it!!





http://www.apple.com/macbook/