New All-In-One Desktop: Windows Or Mac ?

[ownyourfuture]

My History: Went through 3 Windows based PC's between 1997 & early 2008: 1 Gateway & 2 HP pavilions.

At that point I decided to give Apple a try. Around this time in 2008, I ordered my 1st iMac directly from Apple.
With heavy usage, no virus protection, no security suite software, etc, it gave me 10+ years of flawless performance.

I was sold on apple at this point, so in November 2018, I purchased a new iMac from Best Buy.

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017)
Processor 3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
Memory 8 GB 2400 MHz DDR4
Graphics Radeon Pro 555 2 GB

The problems were nothing like they are now, but from the start, I knew it wasn't quite the same machine the 1st one was. I highlighted 2017 in the specifications. Does that mean the machine I bought was actually manufactured in 2017 ?

Late in 2020 the problems got worse. I was already registered at Mac Forums, so I checked in to see if anyone else was experiencing the same issues.
Sure enough, there was already a thread.

*I'm going to show a sampling of posts from that thread. I'm not doing this with the expectation of people here troubleshooting the issue. It was never corrected & never will be*

Instead, I'm hoping to see if others who bought an iMac after I bought mine
(let's say anyone who bought a new one no earlier than January 2020) ever experienced problems similar to those shown below ?

If they haven't, that would tell me it was a problem that couldn't be fixed on models sold that year, but was addressed in later years.

If that was the case, I'd be willing to give them another chance, & hope to purchase a machine that performed like the 1st one.



‘iMac sleep restart problems’
01-25-2021

When my iMac goes into sleep mode it will not start unless I hit the power button. It has been doing this about a month now.

There has been a long-running issue with Watchdog. It occasionally causes the symptoms you report, plus others.

Hello everyone, I just joined to state I have the exact same problem. The computer has started to crash while on sleep and it also started some weeks ago.

Apple is aware of the issue, but there hasn't been a fix for it.

WatchDog seems to be the issue but there is no fix for it.

A question I asked:
Is this issue caused by a virus or something similar, or is it purely an Apple problem ?
Not a virus or anything similar. There is something wrong with WatchDog, which is a component of the OS.

At this point, I'd ask anyone here who purchased a new iMac between January 2020 & now, if they've ever experienced issues like this ?





Windows based all in one desktops:

From the small amount of research I've done, it looks like the top 3 players are Lenovo, Dell, & HP

I started with Dell. As far as I know, they still have a very good reputation for quality. One thing I noticed that I didn't care for, is that they’re all touchscreens.
That's something I wouldn't be interested in & wouldn't want to pay extra for.

Since I haven't used a Windows based computer since early 2008, I'm totally in the dark.
As for my needs, the only specialized software I use is Wondershare Filmora 9, which I use to edit storm chasing videos.
Other than that, I'm like most others. Surf the web, post at forums, prepare my taxes, read online newspapers, etc.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Gumby]

I've had an HP all-in-one since 2013 and have been happy with it. But since it's not compatible with Windows 11, I just bought a new HP all-in-one to replace it. (ENVY Inspire 7995e)

 

[ownyourfuture]

I've had an HP all-in-one since 2013 and have been happy with it. But since it's not compatible with Windows 11, I just bought a new HP all-in-one to replace it. (ENVY Inspire 7995e)

Appreciate the reply, but it looks like that's a printer, not a desktop computer.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017)
Processor 3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
Memory 8 GB 2400 MHz DDR4
Graphics Radeon Pro 555 2 GB

The problems were nothing like they are now, but from the start, I knew it wasn't quite the same machine the 1st one was. I highlighted 2017 in the specifications. Does that mean the machine I bought was actually manufactured in 2017 ?

Not necessarily. 2017 refers to the year that model was released as new. Yours could have been built anytime after that. Apple computers sell pretty quickly. I would expect your’s was built within a month or 2 from the date you purchased it.

If you have a software that you must have working on your new computer, you need to research if it works on current versions of the Windows or Mac operating systems. Additionally, the current/new models of Macs now use a new chip from Apple (M series). This chip requires software vendors to update their products to fully work with the M chips. If a software hasn’t been updated, it will need to run using a compatibility software component that Apple supplies. This could slow down the software. The M chips are very fast. Once a software has been updated to support it, the software will likely be noticeably faster than it was.

I currently own an HP all in one that I bought about 18 months ago. I also own a new MacBook Pro laptop. I would not hesitate to buy either again. I would also not hesitate to buy a current model Mac all in one desktop. Any computer at any time could have issues. Research, research, research and buy the one that floats to the top.

 

[braumeister]

WADR, your iMac is overdue to be replaced. 3 to 5 years is considered a good lifetime for a computer these days.

 

[Gumby]

Appreciate the reply, but it looks like that's a printer, not a desktop computer.

Sorry, my mistake. Here is the new computer: HP All-in-One 27-dp1086qe Bundle PC.


As you can see, I also got a new printer.

 

[OldShooter]

Well, the three characteristics I think of with Apple are: expensive, superior high-end graphics production, and have-it-our-way. None of these have ever been of interest, so I have always had PCs.

Right now I am on my second MS Surface Pro, a model 7. Docked, it serves very well as a home office computer with full-size monitor, keyboard, and mouse. On rare cases where I take it somewhere the chiclet keyboard is tolerable, I have all my files and applications with me, and it runs a video projector just fine.

In the evening, I undock it and put it by my recliner (sans keyboard, sans mouse). In the morning it's a lightweight tablet used with the MS stylus and (gasp!) the touch screen. I read about a half-dozen news sites/bookmarked plus this one. In the "recliner chair" configuration I can use the voice recognition to write short emails or I can use the on-screen keyboard. Both are a bit clumsy so longer emails wait until I'm back in my home office with the Surface docked.

I have an amazing (to me) number of USB devices connected when the Surface is docked; a page scanner and a Xerox Documate, a Wacom tablet, an SD card reader, desktop keyboard and mouse, ... I count a total of 8 gadgets plugged in. Docked, I also have the option of running dual monitors -- the big desktop one and the smaller Surface one. That works just fine though I rarely have a need to do it.

The only hard work it does is to run Adobe Lightroom and it is adequately fast for that. If I were paying someone by the hour to process photos, I would want it to be faster, but for what I do it is fine. I don't do video so I can only guess that it would work fine for casual video processing too.

 

[disneysteve]

We have had Macs since 1994. We've never had a single problem. We bought our current one about 3-4 years ago after the roughly 7-year-old one was just having a little trouble keeping up (and I still use it from time to time because it has Photoshop installed and the new one doesn't).


No, we haven't experienced the stuff you mentioned. I'm not quite sure what Watchdog is but there doesn't seem to be any problem with it as far as I know.

 

[catii]

I've owned our computer consulting company since 1986, & although we support Windows & Macs, the serious engineers & scientists all go to Windows on HP platforms. Your needs aren't the same, obviously, but my desktip & laptop are both HP, & that's what I recommend.

Forget touch-screen & other "features" that are often failure points.Windows 10 is stable, & I would avoid Windows 11, if possible - it's too much of an unknown. Wander over to www.askwoody.com & register for their free newsletter. They're an excellent source of unbiased information, & you can browse more than 25 years of info, free. I pay for their paid newsletter, because even with all of my experience, there are experts who know more, on specific topics.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I have a 2017 iMac and haven’t had anything like the problems you described. I use it daily and it goes into sleep mode many times per day, and I usually put it to sleep overnight.

Fingers crossed I will continue to have good luck.

 

[ScoopKona]

WADR, your iMac is overdue to be replaced. 3 to 5 years is considered a good lifetime for a computer these days.

I'm typing on a 10-year old Asus laptop.

My gaming rig is an 8-year old Asus desktop.

My backup computer is a 15-year old Asus desktop.

My audio processing computer is a 15-year old Asus desktop with an audio card that is STILL considered cutting edge for DSP.

As parts break -- power supplies, hard drives, graphics cards, etc, I replace. If the motherboard, memory or CPU give me trouble, I buy last year's Asus and build a new computer in one of my old cases.

This way costs next to nothing.

 

[ownyourfuture]

WADR, your iMac is overdue to be replaced. 3 to 5 years is considered a good lifetime for a computer these days.

Then how do you explain this ?
Around this time in 2008, I ordered my 1st iMac directly from Apple.
With heavy usage, no virus protection, no security suite software, etc, it gave me 10+ years of flawless performance

If they used to build them good enough to last 10 years, but now only 3 to 5, is it any wonder Apple now has a market cap of 2.85 trillion.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

WADR, your iMac is overdue to be replaced. 3 to 5 years is considered a good lifetime for a computer these days.

Don't tell my computer that, please.



My iPhone8 is 5 years old and hoping to get another 3-5 out of it if I can (battery is shy of a year old). My desktop computer is a bit older... I think I got it in 2012/13 and it does everything I need. I will likely have to replace due to MS OS support rather than the computer being "obsolete" and if it is due to MS not supporting my PC, I will definitely buy a Mac and be almost fully in the Apple ecosystem.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

As a fan of Chromebook and Chrome in general this all in one by HP with rotating screen looks very interesting especially at less than 500.00 for lower end model.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/moorin...-turns-to-disrupt-the-market/?sh=397c68192903

 

[Jerry1]

I think it was ERD50 that bought a new iMac all in one with the new M chip. He seemed to be very impressed with it. I think I’d feel very comfortable buying a new Mac. There’s no computer operating system that doesn’t have issues pop up from time to time. Though I’m surprised Apple never addressed the issue that the OP experienced.

 

[corn18]

Pick the OS, not the computer. I like Mac OS better than Windows, so I buy Macs. I like iOS better than others, so I buy iPhones. Although I would be fine with Win10 and Adnroid.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

I've owned our computer consulting company since 1986, & although we support Windows & Macs, the serious engineers & scientists all go to Windows on HP platforms.

Wow, not my experience at all. I am (was?) a scientist, and I would estimate that Macs outnumber PCs about 2:1 among scientists. (Engineers are a different story.)

 

[Closet_Gamer]

As a fan of Chromebook and Chrome in general this all in one by HP with rotating screen looks very interesting especially at less than 500.00 for lower end model.

+1

We switched from Mac to Chromebooks about 18 months ago.

We love it. Zero maintenance, rapidly expanding capabilities, wide range of price points/features on the devices.

Plus I like the fact that they tell you exactly when they will stop supporting that device with Chrome OS upgrades. Its usually 6-7 years, but you should check that before you buy one.

Fair warning: a Chromebook is not a mac and its not a PC. They are their own devices with strengths/weaknesses and many things that are just different.

 

[Midpack]

After decades of using nothing but a PC at work and and at home, I got tired of Windows bugs and glitches and the higher incidence of viruses etc. Our iPads and then iPhones worked so well, and integrated so nicely, I bought an M1 iMac last July and DW bought a 16” MacBook Pro a few months later. We have both been thrilled, issues have been few and far between, FAR less than any PC I’ve owned. The M1 CPU/GPU’s are very fast. Time will tell, but I doubt we’ll ever go back to PCs. We both fired up our old desktop and laptop PCs months later for final checks and cleanup before disposal/recycling - and hated it!

 

[pjigar]

I think it was ERD50 that bought a new iMac all in one with the new M chip. He seemed to be very impressed with it. I think I’d feel very comfortable buying a new Mac. There’s no computer operating system that doesn’t have issues pop up from time to time. Though I’m surprised Apple never addressed the issue that the OP experienced.

I finally replaced my 2013 iMac 27 with 2021 iMac M1 24". The old iMac works fine, no issues but some of the softwares have stopped support for High Sierra OS! I have been using the new iMac for about a month and I haven't noticed any issue. Except everything is faster now! I wouldn't buy an Intel based iMac now.


PS: I used to go through PCs 3-5 years as they slow down like a dinosaur before I jumped on Apple band wagon.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Wow, not my experience at all. I am (was?) a scientist, and I would estimate that Macs outnumber PCs about 2:1 among scientists. (Engineers are a different story.)

Yeah, the software we used daily in my engineering career (AutoCAD then Revit) pretty much dictated the need for Windows.

 

[target2019]

All-in-one machines look so great. I have three in my basement, gifts from friends. The problem I have with the design is that you may see very-expensive replacement cost for ordinary parts that fail.

You can get a Dell in micro form that hangs on the back of monitor.

You'll want to research how well Wondershare Filmora 9 runs in the environment you purchase.

 

[eytonxav]

I got sick of Windows updates and associated problems with them and went iMac back in 2013. The iMac is still running strong, but is short on ram and not as fast as I would like, so waiting to receive replacement iMac. I will not go back to a PC.

 

[ERD50]

I think it was ERD50 that bought a new iMac all in one with the new M chip. He seemed to be very impressed with it. I think I’d feel very comfortable buying a new Mac. There’s no computer operating system that doesn’t have issues pop up from time to time. Though I’m surprised Apple never addressed the issue that the OP experienced.

Nope, not me. DW's MacBook Pro is ~ 10 years old, and that's the most recent Apple product that I've bought. I need to set up my old laptop (Linux) for her, just to see if she'll take to it, as I really don't want to support different OS's in the house going forward. Email, web browsing, DVD (the stuff you can't stream), so she should be good.

-ERD50

 

[Jerry1]

I think it was ERD50 that bought a new iMac all in one with the new M chip. He seemed to be very impressed with it. I think I’d feel very comfortable buying a new Mac. There’s no computer operating system that doesn’t have issues pop up from time to time. Though I’m surprised Apple never addressed the issue that the OP experienced.

After decades of using nothing but a PC at work and and at home, I got tired of Windows bugs and glitches and the higher incidence of viruses etc. Our iPads and then iPhones worked so well, and integrated so nicely, I bought an M1 iMac last July and DW bought a 16” MacBook Pro a few months later. We have both been thrilled, issues have been few and far between, FAR less than any PC I’ve owned. The M1 CPU/GPU’s are very fast. Time will tell, but I doubt we’ll ever go back to PCs. We both went back to our desktop and laptop PCs months later for final checks and cleanup before disposal/recycling - and hated it!

I stand corrected. It was Midpack. I knew it was one of our members but for some reason, I had ERD50 stuck in my mind. No wonder I couldn’t find the post I was thinking of.