Do Macs Ever Get Bogged Down Like PC's

I've been a diehard pc user but I'm getting really sick of using the ctrl+alt+del function and seeing program 'not responding'. $2,000 pc or $500 pc they all seem to behave the same. Do macs have this problem?

 

Short answer is yes, but not in the same way. I had my fair share of force quits needed on my mac (2014). Most of the time it was either brand new software or web content. If on an older mac, it could be OS support problems

On PC it is mostly OS problem or 3rd party software. Learning to optimize your Win7, 8, or 10 and having the "pro" (i.e. non crippled version) is an absolute must for a good experience.

 

One of the biggest reason I see Macs slowing down is Apple tends to skimp on ram. The amount of 1500+ Macs I've seen with only 4GB of ram that the newer OSes is just destroying is a little ridiculous. So if you get a Mac I would shoot for 16GB as all new Apple ram can't be upgraded anymore.

Though I will say, that rarely happens to me on pc since I've gotten an ssd. Do you have a hard drive or solid state drive in your expensive machines OP?

 

I've had 300$ and 4000$ and everything in between and never once have I had to "ctrl+alt+del" at any point.

Macs slow down over time just like any other OS depending on how much bloat you put up there and if you continuously upgrade the OS. Some of these macs shipped with 4GB of RAM, soldered, nonreplaceable. That's the biggest crime committed on such an expensive computer. Always spring for more RAM and the second fastest (if not the fastest) CPU available.

I nearly punched the Apple store rep who kept trying to get me to buy a rMBP with selling points like "Macs dont' slow down" and "Macs don't get viruses". You NEED antivirus of some kind and to always be mindful of your RAM usage as well as SSD space. SSD speed tends to slow down as it fills up, always good to leave 20GB of it unused to maintain performance.

 

I'm curious as to what the Pro version gets you that the Home version lacks? I run both and can't tell a difference.

I would ask what you're doing with your PC that causes it to run so poorly. I haven't had to hit CTRL-ALT-DEL in years. I have a Mac too. While I like it as something different, I wouldn't say it's any better or worse than a PC.

 

The key take-away here runner is that no computer is a 100% maintenance-free affair. A Windows-based computer needs to be taken care of from time to time, a OSX/macOS computer needs to be taken care of, a Linux computer needs to be taken care of, .....

 

I think this whole Windows maintenance thing is overblown, especially since Windows 7 which are rock solid in my experience (XP were stable, but 7 is something else).

For example, on both my workstations, I've been running the original dual-boot Windows 7 installations that I made when I got them (so, I've had the first one for 4-5 years while the second one has only 2.5 years on the clock so far). There have been viruses, malware, numerous software installations and removals, driver upgrades, etc., but nothing which brought the OS down to require a reinstall. On the second one I never ran any registry cleanup or anything, I just have a free version of Avast installed. They still work fast and reliable with no apparent slowdowns.

 

I have never had "slow downs" in my windows devices from any era. I have been using windows since 3.11. My 2008 MacBook needs to be re installed....whoever owned it before me had a lot of crap on it.....SO I know it can be faster than what it is running now. It all depends on how "smart" you are using your devices. Clicking on every pop up etc, yep....certain death to any computer. Apple has a GREAT marketing team. This post is proof. They are no more secure etc, but since apple markets them as such. The uneducated believe it. My sons MacBook air is a great piece of hardware, but its not as "easy" to use as windows IMO.

 

This isn't based on the Computer or the Operating System, it's based on the users ability to maintain and monitor and care for his/her systems and operating system. In alot of ways I think it's like a car or automobile. If you take a Honda, yea the Honda might have a great reputation of Service and reliability, but if you never do an oil change or replace any of your filters it really isn't going to matter what automobile you drive.

 

In short, don't be this guy: https://aviation.stackexchange.com/...ld-use-a-standard-dodge-4-7l-v-8-engine/34371

 

Also, don't be that guy: https://arstechnica.com/information...-yes-to-the-webs-most-dangerous-search-terms/. This is sound advice for any operating system, yes, Windows is more targeted by this, but that doesn't mean that you can't bloat up a mac. Given that more software is becoming available on mac and that an expanding user base also comes with it, you can expect more of that kind of thing on mac as well.

As everyone else said, be smart with maintaining your computer, the car analogy holds true on that one, it's just that often people can't be bothered to do the basic maintenance a computer needs.

I shiver every time I see or hear of a computer that hasn't been rebooted in months nor updated. That's usually when you get minor problems fixed by updating and/or restarting.

 

Please also use Antivirus....just the other day handbrake mac version was hacked and infected with a trojan, so be vigilant and use protection.

 

Very good answers from everyone. I switched from OS X to Windows in 2012 (after using Apple computers for 14 years). Other than a Microsoft driver that laid waste to HP workstation SAS implementation in Windows 8.1 (fixed after a few months of wailing), WIndows has been more stable and trouble free than Mac OS X, at least for me.

 

I find windows a better overall OS anyways as well. OSX is not user friendly and a lot of things are backwards or just dumb in it's function.

 

As a mac user, myself and a PC user in the office I can tell you that I absolutely love my Macbook and I'll probably be an apple user for life but I can tell you my biggest complaint about apple OSX are 2 things. 1) FAT 32 is sometimes annoying ( https://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs-mac/) saves me or removes that problem for me

2) No Cut and Paste, (And I'm not talking about "Copy" and paste there is a difference.

That's it though I'm happy about everything else so really I only have one problem but that first issue is kind of annoying that I have to install it on every Apple System I touch and I use like 3 of 'em lol.