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After 15 years using PCs, I switched to a Mac last year and it was the best decision I've ever made. They have the most stable OS married with a larger array of consumer apps than any Linux or other Unix system.
My Mac is a pleasure to use, and does 97% of what I needed from Windows. Until I can get off of every Windows app, I run it using Parallels.
Windows is a bloated, inferior operating system with all the wrong attitudes about everything, including the way it considers me a criminal until I can prove that I bought it and have a key.
If you're looking for a consumer-level computer that has a lot of power, why not give an operating system a chance that has been developed by universities to really work well?