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Life long PC user/gamer has switched to Mac.

Beanbeany

Beanbeany

Member
Apr 25, 2022
2,423
Fuck windows.(this is mostly a joke) I suppose I could explain but I feel as though most folks can understand the sentiment.
Windows user since the late 90s and a daily windows user since 2005. I use them every day at work, as I do IT and provisioning and I still play games on my desktop and some light gaming on my windows laptop.

However, I've been dabbling in MacOS for a couple of years trying to figure out if I wanted to make the swap.

After playing with multiple mac laptops I've landed on a Macbook air 15 512gb for my daily driver and I picked up a gently used 2017 Macbook pro and I yesterday was my first day of only using MacOS after work and it was fantastic. The whole sidecar function of being able to control both laptops from one track pad and keyboard is super seamless and the speakers on both units are more than good enough to be usable. My room was cooler than its ever been without my high powered PC dumping gallons of hot air.

I'm still not a power user just yet, I'm learning the file structure and learning about different programs I need to make the most of my experience but so far so good.
I'm sure I'll find stuff that will be annoying, other than the lack of upgradability.

Good job Tim Apple, I like your laptops.

Also what the fuck these trackpads are goddamn amazing. I don't feel compelled to hook a mouse up at all to my macbooks.

So, anyone else made the switch? If you have what are some softwares that I need to make this machine really sing?

~fin
 
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Lump

Lump

One Winged Slayer
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,042
The best part of my M2 Mac Mini is that is runs absolutely silent and only gets rather warm even when I'm emulating some 3D Windows app via Crossover. The headphone port on it is also way better than my Windows rig.
 
Fat4all

Fat4all

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Oct 25, 2017
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ive switched to a macbook as well, does pretty much everything i need it to, even work stuff i couldn't really do on my old pc back ten years ago
 
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Beanbeany

Beanbeany

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Apr 25, 2022
2,423
Fat4all said:
ive switched to a macbook as well, does pretty much everything i need it to, even work stuff i couldn't really do on my old pc back ten years ago
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Yeah, apple silicon made me a believer. I haven't run into anything that I can't do on it just yet. Other than games that aren't supported.
 
J_ToSaveTheDay

J_ToSaveTheDay

"This guy are sick" and Corrupted by Vengeance
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
19,915
USA
I made the switch but

1) I'm a casual user that doesn't know the deeper sides of any operating systems

2) I like other Apple products (iPhone) and the ease of integrated communication between their devices is extremely valuable to me

I'll say, Spotlight works way more quickly and intuitively to me than Windows Search ever has so that's at least something that feels like a perpetual OS advantage on MacOS. But generally speaking, my usage/workflow is pretty identical on both, and as of the Apple silicon release, the difference does feel very weighted toward the hardware design. That MacBook battery life is just insane compared to any Windows based laptop I've ever owned and it's been incredibly liberating for my MacBook use to see full day battery life without ever needing to tether myself to a power outlet OR experience any level of downgraded performance from running on battery alone.
 
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platocplx

platocplx

2020 Member Elect
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Oct 30, 2017
36,389
I hope Mac gaming gets a boost seems like apple is investing more to make games be ported to Mac. Would be awesome.
 
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Beanbeany

Beanbeany

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Apr 25, 2022
2,423
J_ToSaveTheDay said:
I made the switch but

1) I'm a casual user that doesn't know the deeper sides of any operating systems

2) I like other Apple products (iPhone) and the ease of integrated communication between their devices is extremely valuable to me

I'll say, Spotlight works way more quickly and intuitively to me than Windows Search ever has so that's at least something that feels like a perpetual OS advantage on MacOS. But generally speaking, my usage/workflow is pretty identical on both, and as of the Apple silicon release, the difference does feel very weighted toward the hardware design. That MacBook battery life is just insane compared to any Windows based laptop I've ever owned and it's been incredibly liberating for my MacBook use to see full day battery life without ever needing to tether myself to a lot outlet.
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Oh yeah. As someone that uses windows search for most things I can say that 90% of the time it fails to find what I'm looking for. Spotlight has been great so far.

Again give it more time and I'll find things that are annoying, but so far the past few months of messing around with MacOS has been pretty smooth.

And yeah battery life is unreal. My Lenovo laptop gets like 4 hours at most with basic web browsing and 30-40 minutes of youtube.
 
Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
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Oct 25, 2017
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Beanbeany said:
Other than games that aren't supported.
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yeah that's the biggest negative

but honestly ive pretty much converted to pc gaming indie titles only these days anyways, smaller stuff, itch.io games, etc

I miss having a beefy rig, but I think the positives of the MacBook outweigh the negatives so far
 
Omegasquash

Omegasquash

Member
Oct 31, 2017
6,844
I've used a Mac professionally for over a decade now, and I would like to see more games available for it. There are plenty of games available that my newest Mac can run, and I like that.

Typically I have a Mac to my left and my PC to my right during the day. I've gotten so used to the both of them that I feel like not having both available for certain things would make me less effective, but I know that's probably just me not putting the time in to learn more about what I can do in both.
 
flook

flook

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Oct 28, 2017
1,006
My first Mac was the original Mac mini and I saw enough then to know I was done with windows (outside work) for good.
 
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Beanbeany

Beanbeany

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Apr 25, 2022
2,423
Fat4all said:
yeah that's the biggest negative

but honestly ive pretty much converted to pc gaming indie titles only these days anyways, smaller stuff, itch.io games, etc

I miss having a beefy rig, but I think the positives of the MacBook outweigh the negatives so far
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I think Apple is going to slowly roll out more ways for gaming to be possible on Mac. It's such a huge market right now that I feel like they won't want to ignore it forever.

Omegasquash said:
I've used a Mac professionally for over a decade now, and I would like to see more games available for it. There are plenty of games available that my newest Mac can run, and I like that.

Typically I have a Mac to my left and my PC to my right during the day. I've gotten so used to the both of them that I feel like not having both available for certain things would make me less effective, but I know that's probably just me not putting the time in to learn more about what I can do in both.
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Yeah, same here at my job. I've become the de-facto mac guy in the office if that tells you anything about Apples popularity in central Mississippi.
 
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maximumzero

maximumzero

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,540
New Orleans, LA
Been exclusively a Mac user since 2003 when Panther dropped and looked like an operating system from the goddamn future compared to Windows XP. Bought an eMac and haven't looked back since.

I did build a PC in late 2020 to play games, but it just hasn't gotten the traction I was hoping it would, and I rather regret sinking the cash into it from time to time.
 
striderno9

striderno9

The Fallen
Oct 31, 2017
2,407
New York, NY
I got into Macs right as I was getting into IT and almost 20 years later I'm switching back to Windows just to change things up a bit. I still love my Macbook but my Windows desktop will probably be my main driver for a bit.
 
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Beanbeany

Beanbeany

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Apr 25, 2022
2,423
maximumzero said:
Been exclusively a Mac user since 2003 when Panther dropped and looked like an operating system from the goddamn future compared to Windows XP. Bought an eMac and haven't looked back since.

I did build a PC in late 2020 to play games, but it just hasn't gotten the traction I was hoping it would, and I rather regret sinking the cash into it from time to time.
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First mac I used was a unibody with a core2duo and I thought it was the shittest thing I'd touched. I was 18 at the time and was a mac hater and never even considered using them until I had to use them at my old job as an apple repair tech lol.
The M1 chip really changed my mind on daily driving one though and looking back I think in terms of design the laptops, even the older ones are really quite nice.
 
Seirith

Seirith

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,410
Beanbeany said:
Fuck windows. I suppose I could explain but I feel as though most folks can understand the sentiment.
So, anyone else made the switch? If you have what are some softwares that I need to make this machine really sing?
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Honestly, I cannot understand that sentiment at all.

I would never switch to a Mac. My PC does everything I need it to with no issues and my windows laptop does work and plays game perfectly with no issues. I do not understand the "hate" some people have for windows or why people act like Windows is the worst OS ever made.

If you like your mac, glad you have something you like.
 
Relix

Relix

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Oct 25, 2017
6,406
I only use Windows for gaming. Even my work I rock a Mac these days. It barely slows down, quiet, super fast and it's just a better experience.
 
swsp

swsp

Member
Oct 27, 2017
602
The last architecture switch (PPC -> Intel) got me. I've been using a Mac as my primary laptop since 2006. These days with everything being an Electron application I don't think there are huge barriers to switching back and forth between platforms, but I find the power efficiency and convenience of Apple Stores if anything goes wrong too much to give up. I also find the POSIX-y underpinnings more familiar and easier to do remote dev for Linux on, and there's no way in hell I'd use desktop Linux as my laptop OS.
 
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Beanbeany

Beanbeany

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Apr 25, 2022
2,423
Seirith said:
Honestly, I cannot understand that sentiment at all.

I would never switch to a Mac. My PC does everything I need it to with no issues and my windows laptop does work and plays game perfectly with no issues. I do not understand the "hate" some people have for windows or why people act like Windows is the worst OS ever made.

If you like your mac, glad you have something you like.
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The search function doesn't work most of the time.
Bluetooth auto connecting is spotty and half the time will not auto switch the audio.
System settings found in multiple places that offer different levels of options. Conflicting UI elements with the old and useful control panel and the new still a bit shit settings menu. Making the start menu less useful each update. That terrible idea to make right click options 1 more layer deep in menus. Hiding the task manager behind more clicks in window 11. (they fixed that)

I can go on, but all of those things annoy the shit out of me.
 
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Beanbeany

Beanbeany

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Apr 25, 2022
2,423
swsp said:
The last architecture switch (PPC -> Intel) got me. I've been using a Mac as my primary laptop since 2006. These days with everything being an Electron application I don't think there are huge barriers to switching back and forth between platforms, but I find the power efficiency and convenience of Apple Stores if anything goes wrong too much to give up. I also find the POSIX-y underpinnings more familiar and easier to do remote dev for Linux on, and there's no way in hell I'd use desktop Linux as my laptop OS.
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Yeah, I've got a friend that runs linux on a few underpowered laptops and I can't for the life of me understand why. The battery life is beyond dog shit.
 
Addie

Addie

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Oct 25, 2017
8,954
Anyway, I tried FFXIV on my new MBA last night, and it's wild to have good performance on a completely SILENT machine. I'm sure a MBP would offer better performance, but coming from a 2017-era MBP, this is game-changing.

Macs do all I need. I use enough Windows (I don't hate Windows, mostly) at work.
 
BennyWhatever

BennyWhatever

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Oct 27, 2017
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I still like Windows, though I'm finding its usefulness to be a little less lately. With handheld gaming PCs getting more affordable, I'm seeing less of a need for a desktop PC.

That being said, my wife has a Mac and I really don't like using it, so I still prefer Windows.
I've also tried switching to Linux like 30 times now and I still cannot stand that OS. Only use it for my Pi server now.
 
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Beanbeany

Beanbeany

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Apr 25, 2022
2,423
BennyWhatever said:
I still like Windows, though I'm finding its usefulness to be a little less lately. With handheld gaming PCs getting more affordable, I'm seeing less of a need for a desktop PC.

That being said, my wife has a Mac and I really don't like using it, so I still prefer Windows.
I've also tried switching to Linux like 30 times now and I still cannot stand that OS. Only use it for my Pi server now.
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It was not a smooth transition for me at first. I've been using macOS off and on for a few years. It's only been recent that I've felt like I can daily drive it.

Honestly the thing that sold me was the efficiency and the fact that if I felt like I could do something with the trackpad it would work.

What does suck though is command instead of control for shortcuts. D:
 
Rirse

Rirse

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Jun 29, 2019
2,016
I am slowly getting into this after getting a iMac last year for my bedroom.
 
SwampBastard

SwampBastard

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Nov 1, 2017
11,716
Beanbeany said:
If you have what are some softwares that I need to make this machine really sing?
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It won't make your machine sing, but I like this app for keeping my screens from turning off in specific situations.

apps.apple.com

‎Amphetamine

‎Welcome to Amphetamine, the most awesome keep-awake app ever created for macOS. Amphetamine can keep your Mac, and optionally its display(s), awake through a super simple on/off switch, or automatically through easy-to-configure Triggers. Amphetamine is extremely powerful and includes advanced...
apps.apple.com

Learn to make use of gestures on the trackpad. One of the things I really like about macOS over Windows is that if you set up multiple virtual desktops, they operate independently of one another. I am swapping between screens on my three external displays CONSTANTLY.

Also, use hot corners (search settings to see what they do).
 
nonoriri

nonoriri

Member
Apr 30, 2020
4,532
I swapped back in college when my lenovo had an issue where it just kept blue screening multiple times a week and it was starting to impact my work. My friends talked about Macs just working and I picked one up and never looked back. I get why some people dislike the limitations but I like the reliability. I suppose its also why I prefer console gaming. I don't think I'll ever game much on my Mac but for my writing and little design projects its great.

And now that I have an iPhone and Airpods, it makes the whole set up even more convenient.

That said, I'm a crime user that doesn't use any of the touchpad gestures.
 
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Beanbeany

Beanbeany

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Apr 25, 2022
2,423
SwampBastard said:
It won't make your machine sing, but I like this app for keeping my screens from turning off in specific situations.

apps.apple.com

‎Amphetamine

‎Welcome to Amphetamine, the most awesome keep-awake app ever created for macOS. Amphetamine can keep your Mac, and optionally its display(s), awake through a super simple on/off switch, or automatically through easy-to-configure Triggers. Amphetamine is extremely powerful and includes advanced...
apps.apple.com

Learn to make use of gestures on the trackpad. One of the things I really like about macOS over Windows is that if you set up multiple virtual desktops, they operate independently of one another. I am swapping between screens on my three external displays CONSTANTLY.

Also, use hot corners (search settings to see what they do).
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Great I'll check it out.

Yeah I use the desktop feature a lot already. They implemented that in windows but its a little less elegant.

Yeah the trackpad is basically perfect.
 
Mogg

Mogg

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Jul 4, 2023
502
The M seeies chips are it. It's such a relief to get that kind of battery life on a full on laptop, and that kind of low energy consumption on a desktop. And the games that DO run on these things are very impressive, considering how little energy they're actually working with.

I'm considering just going with a Steam Deck for my PC gaming needs and getting big, power chugging rigs out of my life for the time being. Nvidia and AMD seem uninterested in gaming this generation,, putting out bad and expensive midrange products, and it's making me less interested in building a new rig for the first time in a couple decades.
 
auicc

auicc

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Oct 27, 2017
407
I got me a macbook air yesterday and I can't seem to put it down lol. I ended up with the M1 version and it is working for what I want to do. I would try gaming but I wonder about overheating
 
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Beanbeany

Beanbeany

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Apr 25, 2022
2,423
auicc said:
I got me a macbook air yesterday and I can't seem to put it down lol. I ended up with the M1 version and it is working for what I want to do. I would try gaming but I wonder about overheating
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You know I'm thinking about running some gaming benchmarks and then dropping it on a laptop cooling pad to see if fans blowing on the bottom case would help since it seems to act like a heatsink lol
 
LinkSlayer64

LinkSlayer64

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Jun 6, 2018
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Beanbeany said:
Oh yeah. As someone that uses windows search for most things I can say that 90% of the time it fails to find what I'm looking for. Spotlight has been great so far.

Again give it more time and I'll find things that are annoying, but so far the past few months of messing around with MacOS has been pretty smooth.

And yeah battery life is unreal. My Lenovo laptop gets like 4 hours at most with basic web browsing and 30-40 minutes of youtube.
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If you still have to use windows "Everything" by voidtools.com will accomplish a better search than Windows. It even compensates for accent characters in filenames (i.e. it will find a file with a letter that has an accent mark if you don't type that accent mark. I could not believe Windows doesn't do this.)

Also for another thing you mentioned, Ctrl+Shift+Esc will open task manager.

You use what you want, I'm not trying to say these are fixes, I'm just telling you so you know if you have to use windows (and for anyone else, I suppose.)
 
LuigiMario

LuigiMario

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,994
My next computer will be a Mac, just waiting til the Air doesn't require a custom config to get 16 GB of RAM since I'll need to utilize sales and education discounts thru work to afford it. The last Mac I used daily was a PowerMac G4 I got from my mom when she upgraded her work computer so excited to dive back in and Apple Silicon seems like the only way to go for a laptop right now.
 
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Beanbeany

Beanbeany

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Apr 25, 2022
2,423
LinkSlayer64 said:
If you still have to use windows "Everything" by voidtools.com will accomplish a better search than Windows. It even compensates for accent characters in filenames (i.e. it will find a file with a letter that has an accent mark if you don't type that accent mark. I could not believe Windows doesn't do this.)

Also for another thing you mentioned, Ctrl+Shift+Esc will open task manager.

You use what you want, I'm not trying to say these are fixes, I'm just telling you so you know if you have to use windows (and for anyone else, I suppose.)
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Thanks, I'll grab that program when I get home.
 
Twister

Twister

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Feb 11, 2019
5,519
Glad you're enjoying it! I'd definitely recommend dabbling with the multiple desktops you can set up and looking through the trackpad settings as well. I've customized my trackpad with custom gestures to switch between desktops and full screen apps and it helps a ton!

Apple Silicon is also a game changer but the great thing about Macs is their longevity so definitely no need to jump on the latest, but in the future when you do upgrade, you'll see a massive difference
 
Arc

Arc

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
4,666
I switched about 18 months ago and can't imagine going back. I use Parallels for the rare work application that won't run on MacOS. It helps that I've mostly abandoned PC gaming given the ridiculous state of the industry.
 
Charcoal

Charcoal

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Nov 2, 2017
8,349
If I could play Deep Rock Galactic on my Mac with the same fidelity as my PC, I would never touch Windows again.
 
collige

collige

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Oct 31, 2017
12,772

Alfred - Productivity App for macOS

Alfred is a productivity application for macOS, which boosts your efficiency with hotkeys, keywords and text expansion. Search your Mac and the web, and control your Mac using custom actions with the Powerpack.
www.alfredapp.com www.alfredapp.com

Alfred is basically an upgrade drop-in replacement for the cmd+space Spotlight search. The paid version has a bunch of killer features including a clipboard history.
 
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