Why are there so many Mac users?

My 2GHZ 3GIG Core2DUO MINI running Leopard smokes my workstation (Dell 3.06 GHZ with 3GIG mem Core2DUO (running XP Pro with SP3).

I find that surprising, Audiofun. Is your Dell running an as delivered software configuration replete with bloatware, or have you installed/reinstalled the software yourself? How many background processes does Task Manager indicate are running? Are you using a Norton/Symantec security suite or other security software that is commonly reported as leading to instability and/or slow performance? Do you defragment the hard drive periodically?

My XP Home SP3 installations (installed from scratch by me) have only 25 to 30 background processes running, even though I have a LOT of software installed (upwards of 70 programs). These systems all fly.

That includes even a 6 year old Pentium 4/Asus P4C800 system, as well as two systems I've built more recently that are more powerful than your Dell (E8400 and E8500 Core2Duo's overclocked to 3.8GHz on Gigabyte X48 and EX38 motherboards). All three systems have 4gB RAM and Western Digital 10,000 rpm Raptor hard drives as system drives.

Regards,
-- Al

I've never been a Mac fan and I do not care for Apple at all.

Then again, I really do not care much for PCs either, but at least there is a more open market for PC related gear which benefits the end user from a cost of ownership perspective.

I go with PCs because you get more for the $$$.

Macs are probably still easier to deal with for most and look nice but you will pay a premium.

MACs are popular in the graphics arts industry in particular.

If you are looking for a computer to use as a music server, either will suffice just fine for that purpose alone.

My girlfriend's Macbook is just a pain. It's slow and if you download anything or even open a PDF file it's simply a pain in the arse. I hate the way Safari works. Firefox has helped but still doesn't work like it does on my four PCs. The keyboard is slow and leaves letters off if your not careful. When you close a program by clicking the X it's still running. Macs don't have HDMI and you have to buy an adapter to use them with a TV/monitor. The Macbook also doesn't have a digital out like everyone of my PCs even my 9 year old Sony which still works great. And if it locks up on a program, which it does, just try closing it. All of this and they charge much more. I suppose they fit right in with audiophilia.
All joking aside Mac does have some strong points.

Even though I have owned Macs from the beginning, it was Amarra, Weiss, and the use of Firewire that achieved a level of performance that I have not heard in any other digital. I just think it is ridiculous that USB is being used. AES/EBU and S/P Dif sound much better than USB if you are not going to use the best, Firewire. Incidentally, I hate Itunes, but Amarra takes over and you hardly notices its sales pitches.

Even though I have owned Macs from the beginning, it was Amarra, Weiss, and the use of Firewire that achieved a level of performance that I have not heard in any other digital. I just think it is ridiculous that USB is being used.

I'm pretty sure Firewire's been used in Pro-audio since before adopted by PC-audio high-end manufacturers. There are implementations of USB that are better than others (USB>I2S, and asynchronous USB). As I understand it, using Firewire requires custom plug-in software that is proprietary to the device used, whereas USB can be implemented more simply and universally without plug-in software. A recent review of Empirical Audio's OffRamp and DAC in TAS (FWIW) claimed that the USB combo of the OffRamp and Empirical's new DAC surpassed the performance of the Weiss Minerva with Firewire interface. In that same article (again, you throw in as much grains of salt as you see fit) the reviewer claimed that using the Empirical USB Offramp with the Minerva improved on the direct connection of the Minerva via Firewire. Details in the Feb '10 TAS.

Rwwear - sounds like your GF needs a new MacBook :-) I actually use a Macbook, but NOT for a music server (I use my tower for that) and would not recommend the base MacBook for that purpose. Especially not older ones...they will not run the current OS (10.6) well at all. It's the same planned obsolescence with PC's - my brother and I just replaced my Mom's PC (only 3-4 years old which is a lifetime in the PC world - this is not exclusive to either platform) for similar reasons. The hardware has to keep up with the software and eventually it will clog up and bog down. The new OS for both platforms requires more RAM, more HD free space and more processor power than ever (even though streaming music is not really processor/memory intensive). FTR - I would definitely choose a MacMini or iMac as a music server over a laptop.