In January 2024, I had a quasi-resolution: No New Tech. And I mostly kept it, sort of. But then not at all. My iPhone gave way to a new Android phone that year. And at the very end of last December, I ordered a Windows gaming computer to replace my MacBook. Yeah, instead of no new tech, I, uh, totally switched my entire tech platforms. Why though? Good question.
Great Gaming
The main pull from the Mac back to Windows is in the description: gaming laptop. I find macOS, Windows, and even ChromeOS and iPadOS to all be very good for general computing. So it’s the gaming bit that really pulled me back into Camp Microsoft. And for me, PC gaming is all about Steam. So I bought the HP Victus.
There’s a saying, “Software sells hardware.” Well, PC games are software, “killer apps.” Simple as that. There are a few Steam games available for the Mac. The last two I played were Cities: Skylines and Stardew Valley. But all the games are on PC; there are so many good ones I want to play. An old classic (remastered) is Age of Empires II — not available on the Mac. I also already own Chrono Trigger and Ys Origin on Steam, which don’t run on the Mac. The “system seller” game that really pulled me to a gaming PC was, Tiny Glade.
Great Value
My M1 MacBook Air served me well for three years and is easily the best laptop I’ve ever had. Every bit of the hardware quality is superb. The only issues were the high cost, low storage, low RAM, and few ports. Despite top-notch components, the overall value was only compromised by what was lacking. But with my HP Victus, I got more for less. Thrifty tech is another compelling pull away from Apple.
| MACBOOK AIR | HP VICTUS | |
|---|---|---|
| PRICE | $850 refurb. | $480 |
| CPU | M1 | core i5-12450H |
| GPU | (M1) | RTX 3050 4GB |
| MEMORY | 8GB | 8GB+ |
| STORAGE | 256 GB | 512 GB |
| PORTS | USB-C 2x, Audio jack | USB-C, Audio jack, USB-A 2x, SD, HDMI, Ethernet |
Ok, so obviously the Windows machine has a discreet GPU, hence the gaming laptop. And it has far more ports and twice the storage of the Mac. To top it off, the Victus costs far less. And while it may seem the RAM is compromised at 8GB, I upgraded it - because, unlike Apple's MacBook, that's a thing you can typically do in most PC machines.
At purchase, the MacBook Air can be configured with an additional 8GB RAM for an additional $200. Frankly, that’s exorbitant if not ludicrous. I bought a single stick of 32GB RAM for $56 and popped it into my HP Victus; it now has 40GB of RAM plus the dedicated 4GB GPU RAM. So the total cost was $536, still far less than the MacBook.
Granted, the Victus was on a super good sale, so it’s not exactly an apple to apple comparison. But that raises another issue with Apple products: they rarely go on sale, and if/when they do, it’s at best a small discount. The overall point is that Windows gear is typically of greater value than Apple gear since more hardware can be bought for less money. And the hardware quality is often good enough.
That general value (frugal!) plus the gaming (fun!) capabilities were the two big pulls for me, going from a MacBook to a Windows clamshell. And what opened the door and pushed me to Windows in the first place was the Android phone gifted to me last Fall for my birthday. It let me escape Apple’s walled-garden and venture into the cross-platform Google ecosystem. Here again, the "software sells hardware" principle works but in reverse. Once I stopped using Apple software, I could use any non-Apple hardware.
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