How to Make a Mac Killer

Setup

As we mainly focus our coverage on PC hardware and not Apple's product range at bit-tech, you might think we’re going to be biased against the iMac. However, we’re in favour of fair and accurate testing, and we’re also not completely immune to the stern aesthetic charms of the iMac.

When it comes to setup, we’d love to write about the laborious chore of opening the iMac’s packaging, the gruelling task of plugging in the keyboard and mouse, and the utterly exhausting process of hitting the power button. However, in the pursuit of objectivity, we must concede that this isn’t the case.

Setting up the iMac is easier than making a slice of toast and probably takes less time. In almost impossibly stark contrast, our PC required some case modification, testing to make sure everything was working, water-cooling loop assembly, leak testing, building, overclocking and finally stress-testing before it could be declared ready to go. And by ready to go, we mean installing Windows and all the correct drivers.

To say that this process isn’t as easy as setting up the iMac could be the understatement of our journalistic careers, but this isn’t to say that there’s no fun to be had from building your own PC. Despite the fact that we thoroughly enjoyed building our PC, the iMac is the winner in the setup process for its sheer ease.

Looks

There’s no doubt that the iMac – especially the imperious 24in model – is a desirable piece of kit. Some people might find it too plain (especially when seen in photos), but in the flesh, the simplicity of its design is attractive, thanks to the obvious quality of its casing. The iMac is a lustworthy object of hardware desire and one of the finest looking computers ever conceived. It’s also very trim, thanks to being an all-in-one unit. The SilverStone LC13 chassis we chose is a relatively minimalist and stylish piece of engineering, but it can’t hope to match the simplicity achieved by the strong lines of the iMac.

However, we felt the biggest drawback of our system was that there’s no way, without weeks, if not months, of modding, to build an all-in-one PC, and while there are many beautiful PC cases on the market, the same can’t be said for displays. There are some curvier models, such as the Samsung SM2433BW, but the panel quality is below par. The iMac’s one-piece solid aluminium stand and simple bezel design decimates the boxy vibe of the HP LP2475. The iMac’s peripherals may lack functions and features compared with the models we’ve chosen for the PC, but they clearly hold the upper hand from a visual perspective.