Mac vs PC: The Gaming Conundrum
The battle of the technological age: Mac vs PC. We’ve all been caught up in a conversation about it, whether or not we choose to admit it. The questions and opinions about which operating system is better as a whole has kept all the companies involved financially happy, for the most part. Within the PC universe, the companies are jostling for customers. But claiming that your system is better than your neighbor’s may not be enough. Words are powerful, but it has always been said that actions speak louder than words. That’s why, as kids, we go through Show and Tell.
The media has done its best to keep this Battle of the Tech on the front burner of everyone’s mind. They’ve thrown speifics at us, personified ads at us, even comic strips in the Sunday paper have gotten on board the crazy train! But can we call it crazy when each machine has components that make each of them unique but not necessarily superior?
As a PC user who has recently switched to Mac, I can tell you that each machine has its perks. Macs run smoother: more updates get done in the background than on a PC, which allow me to focus on my work better. But PCs are great for running games: I don’t have to go out and buy a separate program in order to play Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.
Let’s face it, when it comes to gaming, the PC is at first glance the uncontested champion. There are more games being made for the PC platform, more software available, and more PCs are being released specifically with gaming in mind. But what about Bootcamp, Parallels, PlayonMac, and other programs? Each of these programs gives your Mac the ability to either run PC programs or to fully embrace the PC experience.
Bootcamp is an Apple product that gives the user the choice to either boot their system up as a Mac or as a PC. According to the Apple support site, you can run Windows on your Mac “at native speed—without the performance penalty that comes with software emulation.” In other words, the “virtual machine” problem is a thing of the past. Going into your preferences menu on your Mac allows you to choose which operating system is default on start up. Of course, there is always the Option (Alt) button, which can be held down during start up. But who wants to be constantly rebooting their system to switch between Mac and PC? Parallels is currently the top rated program for running Windows on a Mac machine. Why? Because it does not require a reboot of the system! Parallels can run any Windows operating system as long as an installer disk or drive is available. It also allows for seamless Mac to PC file transfers, with the ability to put PC programs in the dock.
PlayonMac is a sister program to Wine, simplifying the user experience while still using some of its more advanced functions. It is free and does not require a Windows operating system in order to run the programs. PCs need little to no explanation to recommend their systems to gamers. Their graphics cards and processors are modified with each release to heighten the gamer experience. You’ve heard the saying that Macs are for business, PCs are for solitaire, and Linux is for everything else? Well, I don’t know much about Linux, but I can saftely say that with the release of these programs for Mac, gamers no longer have to choose between machines. The best of both worlds is just an installation away.
The battle of the technological age: Mac vs PC. We’ve all been caught up in a conversation about it, whether or not we choose to admit it. The questions and opinions about which operating system is better as a whole has kept all the companies involved financially happy, for the most part. Within the PC universe, the companies are jostling for customers. But claiming that your system is better than your neighbor’s may not be enough. Words are powerful, but it has always been said that actions speak louder than words. That’s why, as kids, we go through Show and Tell.
The media has done its best to keep this Battle of the Tech on the front burner of everyone’s mind. They’ve thrown speifics at us, personified ads at us, even comic strips in the Sunday paper have gotten on board the crazy train! But can we call it crazy when each machine has components that make each of them unique but not necessarily superior?
As a PC user who has recently switched to Mac, I can tell you that each machine has its perks. Macs run smoother: more updates get done in the background than on a PC, which allow me to focus on my work better. But PCs are great for running games: I don’t have to go out and buy a separate program in order to play Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.
Let’s face it, when it comes to gaming, the PC is at first glance the uncontested champion. There are more games being made for the PC platform, more software available, and more PCs are being released specifically with gaming in mind. But what about Bootcamp, Parallels, PlayonMac, and other programs? Each of these programs gives your Mac the ability to either run PC programs or to fully embrace the PC experience.
Bootcamp is an Apple product that gives the user the choice to either boot their system up as a Mac or as a PC. According to the Apple support site, you can run Windows on your Mac “at native speed—without the performance penalty that comes with software emulation.” In other words, the “virtual machine” problem is a thing of the past. Going into your preferences menu on your Mac allows you to choose which operating system is default on start up. Of course, there is always the Option (Alt) button, which can be held down during start up. But who wants to be constantly rebooting their system to switch between Mac and PC? Parallels is currently the top rated program for running Windows on a Mac machine. Why? Because it does not require a reboot of the system! Parallels can run any Windows operating system as long as an installer disk or drive is available. It also allows for seamless Mac to PC file transfers, with the ability to put PC programs in the dock.
PlayonMac is a sister program to Wine, simplifying the user experience while still using some of its more advanced functions. It is free and does not require a Windows operating system in order to run the programs. PCs need little to no explanation to recommend their systems to gamers. Their graphics cards and processors are modified with each release to heighten the gamer experience. You’ve heard the saying that Macs are for business, PCs are for solitaire, and Linux is for everything else? Well, I don’t know much about Linux, but I can saftely say that with the release of these programs for Mac, gamers no longer have to choose between machines. The best of both worlds is just an installation away.