Are you thinking of buying a new computer, and weighing your options between PC and Macintosh? Following is a comparison between two similar models, the Apple iMac and the Dell XPS ONE, which is Dell's offering designed to compete head to head with the iMac.

Base Price:

• Dell XPS ONE all-in-one PC with 20 inch screen $799
• Apple iMac with 20 inch screen $1199

Processor Speed:

• XPS ONE: Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 2.2 GHz
• iMac: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz

Translation: iMac has a slight processor speed advantage in terms of root core processing speed.

RAM:

• XPS ONE: 2GB
• iMac: 2GB

Translation: Raw RAM memory, dead even.

Hard Drive:

• XPS ONE: 250GB
• iMac: 320GB

Advantage: iMac

Video:

• XPS ONE: Integrated video
• iMac: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics

Translation: XPS ONE may have limited capabilities with present or future high end games and graphics. Advantage: iMac.

Both machines have extremely versatile DVD / CD drives that play and burn a variety of discs. Both machines have rudimentary standard software for image handling, word processing, and spreadsheets.

Something nice you get standard with the XPS ONE that you don't get with the iMac: a digital / analog integral TV tuner.

Something nice you get standard with the iMac that you don't get with the XPS ONE: Garage Band - a versatile and reasonably simple music recorder, creator, and editor.

Classic PC complaint: Freezes without warning for no apparent reason. Yes, it still does, but not as often, and catastrophic system failure is much rarer than it once was.

Classic Mac complaint: Most software is not Mac compatible. Still true, but not as true as it once was. Also, since Macs now sport an Intel processor, it is possible to run Windows side by side on the iMac with the Mac OS, however, the Mac is no speed demon when it comes to running Windows programs.

Myth: Mac compatible software is expensive. Not true anymore. In most cases, Mac compatible software is no more expensive than the PC compatible version.

Truth: Macs are highly virus resistant even without anti-virus protection.

Given the stats above, these two machines are highly comparable, yet the PC is a few hundred dollars cheaper. Why should you buy an iMac instead of a Dell XPS ONE?

As with any computer purchase, your main criteria should be what you want to do with the computer after you get it. For example, if you have a PC now and would like to use your old software and games on your new computer, the XPS ONE is the obvious choice. If you live in Microsoft Office on a PC now, and that suite of software is pretty much all you use, you will probably be happier with the PC because all your commands and clicks will remain the same for all practical purposes.

Also you might want to buy a PC instead of a Mac if you intend to connect your new computer to a network mostly comprised of PC's, or if you need to work as a team with other users who are using PC's and have the need to pass files back and forth seamlessly for editing purposes. Although file translation issues between Macs and PC's are slight, they can be enough to be bothersome at times.

If you want to do graphics-heavy creative work using high end tools like Adobe CS4, the Mac may be a better choice. Although PC's have narrowed the gap quite a bit, Apple has a long pedigree in the graphics industry, and as a graphics tool and as a communicator of graphic information within the graphics, design and art community, the Mac has a decided edge.

If you mainly use a computer for surfing the Internet, you may want to choose a Mac because of its ability to quickly and harmlessly adapt to various kinds of Internet media that are out there, particularly video media. However, to fully enjoy the Internet you will have to replace the Safari browser with something better, such as Mozilla Firefox. Safari is just not as widely compatible. For example, it is not compatible with Hubpages, so, of course, it has to go.

Another reason to pay the extra money for a Mac is if you are not particularly computer literate and have trouble using a PC. Macs are extremely user friendly, and the robust Mac OS is hard to freeze. Apple tech support and computer user classes are also exellent for beginners.

Personally I enjoy using both kinds of computers and can't say I truly have a preference. Both are fine machines with a high degree of user friendliness, and both have their strong and weak points. Your choice should depend on the software you want to use and the things you want to use the computer to accomplish.