mac vs pc pricing: round 1 – desktops… fight!!!

by Chiyin on Aug 12th, 2008 @ 5:29 pm

When it comes to comparing Mac and PC computers one of the main arguments is pricing. A lot of people are under the assumption that Apple computers are much more expensive than their PC counterparts. But this hasn’t been true for some time now. Since switching to Intel chips, mac prices are closely matching similarly configured pc computers. Before purchasing my iMac last year, I was seriously considering a Dell XPS desktop, but after comparing prices and configurations I opted to go with the Mac. That was a year ago when Dell didn’t have an All-in-One machine, so I wasn’t really comparing apples to apples, no pun intended. Now with the addition of the XPS One lets see how they compare…

For this comparison I have similarly configured an iMac 20″ and a Dell XPS One. In addition to hardware, I am also comparing the included software and support packages. Here is what I came up with

iMac

• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz
• 2 GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM
• 250 GB SATA HDD
• ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT
• Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• Mac OS X Leopard
• iLife
• iWorks ’08
• Applecare

Dell XPS One

• Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 (2.2GHz)
• 2 GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
• 250 GB SATA HDD
• Integrated Graphics
• 8X Slot load CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW)
• Windows Vista Home
• Adobe Elements Studio for XPS One
• Microsoft Works 8.5
• Norton Internet Security 2007
• DellCare Premium

Looking at the lists, the systems are not exactly matching, but they are as closed as I could get them given the options offered by Dell and Apple. There are 3 main hardware components where the iMac has an edge over the XPS One. For the CPU, I had to choose the iMac with the 2.4GHz chip because Dell doesn’t offer another CPU for the XPS One. The same goes for the memory and video card.

In the software department, the Dell comes with Microsoft Works and Adobe Elements Studio. While the Mac has iLife and iWorks pre-installed. From what information I have gathered, both these sets of software perform somewhat similar tasks. The only additional piece of software that comes with the Dell is Norton Internet Security, so that’s a plus for the Dell. Although, security threats are not as big of an issue on Mac OS as it is on Windows machine. But it’s always good to be safe.

Now, for the support I think Applecare and DellCare Premium pretty much offer the same services.

So, what are the prices?

iMac

• $1,567

Dell XPS One

• $1,597

As you can see, the Dell is actually $30 more expensive than the iMac. So, I think it is safe to say that Macs are not more expensive than PCs when it comes to desktops. But how do they compared in the notebooks department? That’s a different story…

Follow me on Twitter @chiyinng

View 1 Comments
Apples & Oranges

1.
1. dizzy

   August 12th, 2008 5:48 pm

   

   I thought they would be closer than in the past, but never thought a mac would be cheaper than a PC, especially a dell

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.