Posted: Wednesday 17 September 2008
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This computer rivalry has been elevated to a cultural divide on par with Pepsi versus Coke. Taking it beyond personal taste, PM crunches the numbers—with some surprising results (and detailed benchmark scores).

iMac | $1499  | SPECS | | Hardware | 20-in. screen, 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 GB DDR2 RAM, 320 GB hard drive, built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, 8x CD/DVD burner, remote control, ATI Radeon HD 2600 graphics card. | | Software | OS X Leopard, iLife '08 (iTunes, iPhoto, GarageBand, etc.), Front Row, iWork (30-day trial). | USER RATING | | Design |  | | Ergonomics |  | | Internet surfing |  | | Digital photo management |  | | iWork |  | | Front Row (movies, music, etc.) |  | | Overall |  | SPEED TEST | | Boot | Average startup | 28.7 sec. | | Average shutdown | 4.0 sec. | | Install | Microsoft Office | 4 min. 17 sec. | | Adobe Creative Suite 3 | 31 min. 44 sec. | | Program Launch | Safari (Internet browser) | 3.3 sec. | | Microsoft Word | 4.2 sec. | | Adobe Photoshop | 4.0 sec. | | Stress-launch Photoshop (w/ 8 apps running) | 21.36 sec. | | CD rip | 3 min. 35 sec. |
Gateway One | $1800  | SPECS | | Hardware | 19-in. screen, 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 3 GB DDR2 RAM, 500 GB hard drive, built-in Wi-Fi, 8x CD/DVD burner, remote control, ATI Radeon HD 2600 graphics card. | | Software | Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Works 8.5, Media Center, Microsoft Office (60-day trial). | USER RATING | | Design |  | | Ergonomics |  | | Internet surfing |  | | Digital photo management |  | | Works |  | | Media Center (movies, music, etc.) |  | | Overall |  | SPEED TEST | | Boot | Average startup | 1 min. 13 sec. | | Average shutdown | 44.3 sec. | | Install | Microsoft Office | 6 min. 25 sec. | | Adobe Creative Suite 3 | 25 min. 45 sec. | | Program Launch | Internet Explorer | 6.3 sec. | | Microsoft Word | 5.2 sec. | | Adobe Photoshop | 5.5 sec. | | Stress-launch Photoshop (w/ 8 apps running) | 40.0 sec. | | CD rip | 3 min. 35 sec. | MacBook* | $1299* As tested on an Apple MacBook containing an Intel Penryn processor. Because the new Penryn version of the MacBook was not available at press time for the May 2008 print edition of PM, the test results appearing in the magazine reflect the previous version of the MacBook.  | SPECS | | Hardware | 13.3-in. screen, 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo (Penryn); 3GB DDR2 RAM, 160 GB hard drive, 8x CD/DVD burner, built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. | | Software | OS X Leopard, iLife '08 (iTunes, iPhoto, GarageBand, etc.), Front Row, iWork (30-day trial). | | Weight | 5 pounds | BATTERY TEST | | With the DVD drive spinning and screen at full brightness, the MacBook made it through our movie, but fell short of Apple's stated 6-hour battery life: 3 hr. 34 min. | USER RATING | | Design |  | | Ergonomics |  | | Internet surfing |  | | Digital photo management |  | | iWork |  | | Media Center (movies, music, etc.) |  | | Overall |  | SPEED TEST | | Boot | Average startup | 41.6 sec. | | Average shutdown | 3.9 sec. | | Install | Microsoft Office | 2 min. 57 sec. | | Adobe Creative Suite 3 | 34 min. 54 sec. | | Program Launch | Microsoft Word | 5.3 sec. | | Adobe Photoshop | 4.1 sec. | | Stress-launch Photoshop (w/ 8 apps running) | 16.2 sec. | | CD rip | 5 min. 49 sec. |
Asus M51SR | $1299  | SPECS | | Hardware | 15.4-in. screen, 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB DDR2 RAM, 250 GB hard drive, ATI Radeon HD 2400 graphics card, 8x CD/DVD burner, built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. | | Software | Microsoft Vista Home Premium, Works, Media Center, Office (30-day trial). | | Weight | 6.5 pounds | BATTERY TEST | | Many users liked the Asus’s 15.4-in. screen, but that large display is a drain on the battery. The Asus couldn’t make it through our 2-hour, 49-minute movie: 1 hr. 30 min. | USER RATING | | Design |  | | Ergonomics |  | | Internet surfing |  | | Digital photo management |  | | Works |  | | Media Center (movies, music, etc.) |  | | Overall |  | SPEED TEST | | oot | Average startup | 1 min. 51 sec. | | Average shutdown | 25.4 sec. | | Install | Microsoft Office | 4 min. 46 sec. | | Adobe Creative Suite 3 | 21 min. | | Program Launch | Microsoft Word | 6.2 sec. | | Adobe Photoshop | 5.2 sec. | | Stress-launch Photoshop (w/ 8 apps running) | 25.5 sec. | | CD rip | 3 min. 9 sec. |
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