PC vs. Mac

jim255 · 05-05-2025, 06:52 PM

I recently had an issue with some possible rogue/hacker activity on my Windows 11 PC, and a local tech expert is very much down on Windows and strongly recommends I get an iPad or a Mac computer. I've been playing OOTP for about 10 years almost exclusively on a desktop or, on a few occasions, on my laptop. Any thoughts on converting . . . and how much I would or would not enjoy the game (I play out all games) or encounter problems?

ChrisG · 05-05-2025, 06:57 PM

I have no issues on my Mac. My understanding is that Facegens and some other stuff don't look as nice.

jim255 · 05-05-2025, 11:29 PM

Thanks for that. Quick questions: Can I transfer PC files to the Mac I may buy, or do I have to purchase a new game? I'm playing 3 games (seasons) right now, all on 26. Thanks.

twins_34 · 05-06-2025, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim255

Thanks for that. Quick questions: Can I transfer PC files to the Mac I may buy, or do I have to purchase a new game? I'm playing 3 games (seasons) right now, all on 26. Thanks.

I have been on PC since 1993 and I have never once been hacked. It might just mean you need to protect yourself and just FYI, they can hack MACs as much as they hack a PC and Windows. The only real difference is, less people use macs so they honestly are less of a target but when it comes to gaming, they are not as good, just like with Linux, the compatibility with games is not that great, the hardware less powerful, and right now, tons of issues with macs and OOTP. Yes OOTP is trying to fix them, but there have been issues with stadiums crashing the game, problems with facegen, other issues.

So, just be ready for what you are getting into.

mr-cpu-geek · 05-06-2025, 07:20 AM

I use a Mac. Have zero issues. I’ve had OOTP crash some before the latest patch. Not having that problem anymore except with stadium builder. And I have all the faith in the world that the OOTP team will continue to support Macs.

Yes. You can copy your files over with no problem.

Twins is right about one thing. Beyond OOTP, games for the Mac are scarce. So, if you play other games, you may want to think about it. I play OOTP and Pro Strategy Football on my Mac. Most other games I have a Steam Deck and a PS5 for.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

whaleheader · 05-06-2025, 08:07 AM

I have Apple products (MacBook Pro, iPad, iPhones) and PCs.

As twins_34 mentioned, PCs are targeted more. However, if you are careful and keep your antivirus up-to-date, there isn't a huge difference in safety.

Ultimately, the deciding factors are computer literacy, cost, and usage.

If you have only used PCs, there will be a learning curve.

Macs are more expensive than PCs.

The programs you use are an important factor. Some programs will not work as well or have more limited features on a Mac.

Pelican · 05-06-2025, 08:56 AM

I have played several versions of OOTP on a PC (Dell laptop) and Apple (a Mac Mini and a MacBook Pro). I prefer playing on a Mac, but that could be due to my Apple platforms having more "horsepower" and better screens than the PC. I have had zero computer issues playing OOTP on Apple products for five versions of the game.

The PC is more vulnerable to hacking and malware. It seems like I am constantly downloading updates to virus software and other programs to keep ahead of the bad guys. Apple products are not immune, but their architecture makes it harder to penetrate and do damage. (Apple's use of "containers" and such does make it harder to transfer OOTP sims to new versions of the game.)

I have not found a program that would not run on Apple products. For example, Microsoft Office now makes Apple versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I actually prefer using that software on a Mac.

I was surprised to hear that OOTP sims on a PC could be transferred to a Mac. I remember getting a hard "no" on that when I asked. I am intrigued, but don't see how that would be possible. Maybe I misunderstood the comment?

I would push back on the notion that Apple products cost more. You need to make a direct comparison. Apple has rarely ever built a stripped-down "loss leader" machine, just to boost sales. You could always buy a cheap PC with very limited capabilities. I'm not judging. Surface tablets are great for kids in schools. You would not want to play a game on one. My point is, Apple products are comparable in price to a PC with similar capabilities. Look at the specs.

If you are thinking of taking the Apple plunge, I strongly recommend the Mac Mini. You buy the CPU, and can use your existing screen, mouse, keyboard, sound system. I did that on a limited budget fifteen years ago, and never looked back. I'm on my third generation Mini now, and along the way of course I bought an Apple mouse and "magic" keyboard. Still have a Dell monitor chugging along.

Apple products are compatible with each other and smoothly interconnected, so that my iPhone and the Mini and the MacBook share readily and function together. My wife has to try to cobble that together on her Android phone and PC, with limited success. Some people find the sharing creepy, but to me it is efficient and less of a headache for me.

Apple products do require an adjustment, but it's not long until it becomes second nature. I now routinely switch between my work PC and my Apple products with ease. It's a bit like driving in England and then back in the states. Everything is there, but in a different place.

Sweed · 05-06-2025, 09:12 AM

I've only played on pc with game availability being the prime reason.. Never had a hacking issue but I am also careful about what I click on.

Correct me if I am wrong but OOTP on Mac does not have text to speech capability. I play modern 3d, every inning of every game, on short play by play.
With my settings the action and speech synch up with only slight hiccups. It's so easy to watch and listen to a play. Losing only text to speech would be a gamebreaker for me.

phenom · 05-06-2025, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twins_34

I have been on PC since 1993 and I have never once been hacked. It might just mean you need to protect yourself and just FYI, they can hack MACs as much as they hack a PC and Windows. The only real difference is, less people use macs so they honestly are less of a target but when it comes to gaming, they are not as good, just like with Linux, the compatibility with games is not that great, the hardware less powerful, and right now, tons of issues with macs and OOTP. Yes OOTP is trying to fix them, but there have been issues with stadiums crashing the game, problems with facegen, other issues.

So, just be ready for what you are getting into.

For years, I've put one OOTP license on a Windows machine I use and one on a Mac machine. I can remember zero issues on one that didn't appear on the other. Perhaps there has been some, but nothing I can recall having encountered in 20+ years of doing it this way.

OutS|der · 05-06-2025, 11:44 AM

I've never ran anti-virus beyond what comes with windows in over 20 years. I go to shady sites all the time, never been hacked.

An Ipad is a downgrade from a PC, plus not even the same game so not sure what advice he's giving you.

BaseballMan · 05-06-2025, 12:18 PM

How well do you this expert tech?
Do you know him well enough to trust
His opinion alone?
Was it actually hacker activity or just a problem
that looked liked hacking or a virus.
Not saying you shouldn't look at getting a Mac.
You might prefer it over Windows.
Especially since microsoft is sometimes just as bad as hackers.
Between trying to force you to sign into an account and one drive saving stuff you didnt ask it to save, im not sure switching isnt a bad thing to do.

jpeters1734 · 05-06-2025, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BaseballMan

How well do you this expert tech?
Do you know him well enough to trust
His opinion alone?
Was it actually hacker activity or just a problem
that looked liked hacking or a virus.

this is a good point. I also wonder if he sells Macs at his store

Guthrien · 05-07-2025, 10:04 AM

I use both every day, both have nicer features than the other. Unless you play many games that part should be a non-issue, especially if they don't require a lot of GPU horsepower. I will say, for those who are not PC savvy and tend to get a lot of cruft and junk on their systems, the Mac is preferable if they can become comfortable using it.

I don't use a lot of the features others have mentioned so that's worth checking. I game on a monster of a PC, but I play OOTP on both and the new Apple chips seem to run it faster to me. They are beasts for certain forms of computation, I've always been very impressed with OOTP.

twins_34 · 05-07-2025, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenom

For years, I've put one OOTP license on a Windows machine I use and one on a Mac machine. I can remember zero issues on one that didn't appear on the other. Perhaps there has been some, but nothing I can recall having encountered in 20+ years of doing it this way.

I can name many in OOTP 26. Camden Yards was crashing OOTP on Macs. No issues on PC. Issues with Facegen on Mac, no issues with PC. People having some issues in online leagues with league archives not working quite right.

So, yes there are some issues that only are happening on Macs. The devs are doing a good job in trying to fix these issues, but, they are not issues I have seen on PC and honestly, that is why a lot of gaming companies do not target Apple or Linux because it can be a pain in the rear to get things to work as intended without problems.

BaseballMan · 05-07-2025, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twins_34

and honestly, that is why a lot of gaming companies do not target Apple or Linux because it can be a pain in the rear to get things to work as intended without problems.

Which is weird because you would think with Apple having its own software and hardware it would be easier.
But i assume its also a bad thing in that Apple controls everything so changing something would be harder.
I'm just guessing.
Had a 27" Imac once.
Once.
It wasn't bad it just didn't do everything i needed it to so i quickly went back to PC and the IMAC became a paperweight till i sold it.
Not knocking Apple. I agree with it being better for simple users and annoying for those who want to tinker. I might try again someday when i just want a computer that may not do as much but is more reliable at not doing that much.

phenom · 05-07-2025, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twins_34

I can name many in OOTP 26. Camden Yards was crashing OOTP on Macs. No issues on PC. Issues with Facegen on Mac, no issues with PC. People having some issues in online leagues with league archives not working quite right.

So, yes there are some issues that only are happening on Macs. The devs are doing a good job in trying to fix these issues, but, they are not issues I have seen on PC and honestly, that is why a lot of gaming companies do not target Apple or Linux because it can be a pain in the rear to get things to work as intended without problems.

I've heard of those issues, but I haven't encountered them. I'm not saying they don't exist, but I haven't encountered them.

ChrisG · 05-07-2025, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twins_34

I can name many in OOTP 26. Camden Yards was crashing OOTP on Macs. No issues on PC. Issues with Facegen on Mac, no issues with PC. People having some issues in online leagues with league archives not working quite right.

So, yes there are some issues that only are happening on Macs. The devs are doing a good job in trying to fix these issues, but, they are not issues I have seen on PC and honestly, that is why a lot of gaming companies do not target Apple or Linux because it can be a pain in the rear to get things to work as intended without problems.

The only Facegen issue I have is that they just don't look as crisp on Mac. Not the biggest deal.

Left-handed · 05-11-2025, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twins_34

I can name many in OOTP 26. Camden Yards was crashing OOTP on Macs. No issues on PC. Issues with Facegen on Mac, no issues with PC. People having some issues in online leagues with league archives not working quite right.

So, yes there are some issues that only are happening on Macs. The devs are doing a good job in trying to fix these issues, but, they are not issues I have seen on PC and honestly, that is why a lot of gaming companies do not target Apple or Linux because it can be a pain in the rear to get things to work as intended without problems.

Never had any of these issues running OOTP on my M-series MacBook. I've been playing every iteration of this game since around 2019 on Mac without issues.

05-05-2025, 06:52 PM	#1
jim255 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 169	PC vs. Mac I recently had an issue with some possible rogue/hacker activity on my Windows 11 PC, and a local tech expert is very much down on Windows and strongly recommends I get an iPad or a Mac computer. I've been playing OOTP for about 10 years almost exclusively on a desktop or, on a few occasions, on my laptop. Any thoughts on converting . . . and how much I would or would not enjoy the game (I play out all games) or encounter problems?

05-06-2025, 08:56 AM	#7
Pelican Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 2,837 Blog Entries: 1	I have played several versions of OOTP on a PC (Dell laptop) and Apple (a Mac Mini and a MacBook Pro). I prefer playing on a Mac, but that could be due to my Apple platforms having more "horsepower" and better screens than the PC. I have had zero computer issues playing OOTP on Apple products for five versions of the game. The PC is more vulnerable to hacking and malware. It seems like I am constantly downloading updates to virus software and other programs to keep ahead of the bad guys. Apple products are not immune, but their architecture makes it harder to penetrate and do damage. (Apple's use of "containers" and such does make it harder to transfer OOTP sims to new versions of the game.) I have not found a program that would not run on Apple products. For example, Microsoft Office now makes Apple versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I actually prefer using that software on a Mac. I was surprised to hear that OOTP sims on a PC could be transferred to a Mac. I remember getting a hard "no" on that when I asked. I am intrigued, but don't see how that would be possible. Maybe I misunderstood the comment? I would push back on the notion that Apple products cost more. You need to make a direct comparison. Apple has rarely ever built a stripped-down "loss leader" machine, just to boost sales. You could always buy a cheap PC with very limited capabilities. I'm not judging. Surface tablets are great for kids in schools. You would not want to play a game on one. My point is, Apple products are comparable in price to a PC with similar capabilities. Look at the specs. If you are thinking of taking the Apple plunge, I strongly recommend the Mac Mini. You buy the CPU, and can use your existing screen, mouse, keyboard, sound system. I did that on a limited budget fifteen years ago, and never looked back. I'm on my third generation Mini now, and along the way of course I bought an Apple mouse and "magic" keyboard. Still have a Dell monitor chugging along. Apple products are compatible with each other and smoothly interconnected, so that my iPhone and the Mini and the MacBook share readily and function together. My wife has to try to cobble that together on her Android phone and PC, with limited success. Some people find the sharing creepy, but to me it is efficient and less of a headache for me. Apple products do require an adjustment, but it's not long until it becomes second nature. I now routinely switch between my work PC and my Apple products with ease. It's a bit like driving in England and then back in the states. Everything is there, but in a different place. __________________ Pelican OOTP 2020-? ”Hard to believe, Harry.”

05-06-2025, 12:18 PM	#11
BaseballMan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,408	How well do you this expert tech? Do you know him well enough to trust His opinion alone? Was it actually hacker activity or just a problem that looked liked hacking or a virus. Not saying you shouldn't look at getting a Mac. You might prefer it over Windows. Especially since microsoft is sometimes just as bad as hackers. Between trying to force you to sign into an account and one drive saving stuff you didnt ask it to save, im not sure switching isnt a bad thing to do. Last edited by BaseballMan; 05-07-2025 at 02:03 PM.

05-05-2025, 06:57 PM	#2
ChrisG Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 297	I have no issues on my Mac. My understanding is that Facegens and some other stuff don't look as nice.

05-05-2025, 11:29 PM	#3
jim255 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 169	Thanks for that. Quick questions: Can I transfer PC files to the Mac I may buy, or do I have to purchase a new game? I'm playing 3 games (seasons) right now, all on 26. Thanks.

05-06-2025, 07:20 AM	#5
mr-cpu-geek Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 99	I use a Mac. Have zero issues. I’ve had OOTP crash some before the latest patch. Not having that problem anymore except with stadium builder. And I have all the faith in the world that the OOTP team will continue to support Macs. Yes. You can copy your files over with no problem. Twins is right about one thing. Beyond OOTP, games for the Mac are scarce. So, if you play other games, you may want to think about it. I play OOTP and Pro Strategy Football on my Mac. Most other games I have a Steam Deck and a PS5 for. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

05-06-2025, 08:07 AM	#6
whaleheader Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 256	I have Apple products (MacBook Pro, iPad, iPhones) and PCs. As twins_34 mentioned, PCs are targeted more. However, if you are careful and keep your antivirus up-to-date, there isn't a huge difference in safety. Ultimately, the deciding factors are computer literacy, cost, and usage. If you have only used PCs, there will be a learning curve. Macs are more expensive than PCs. The programs you use are an important factor. Some programs will not work as well or have more limited features on a Mac.

05-06-2025, 11:44 AM	#10
OutS\|der Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: In A Van Down By The River Posts: 2,600 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	I've never ran anti-virus beyond what comes with windows in over 20 years. I go to shady sites all the time, never been hacked. An Ipad is a downgrade from a PC, plus not even the same game so not sure what advice he's giving you.

05-07-2025, 10:04 AM	#13
Guthrien Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 166	I use both every day, both have nicer features than the other. Unless you play many games that part should be a non-issue, especially if they don't require a lot of GPU horsepower. I will say, for those who are not PC savvy and tend to get a lot of cruft and junk on their systems, the Mac is preferable if they can become comfortable using it. I don't use a lot of the features others have mentioned so that's worth checking. I game on a monster of a PC, but I play OOTP on both and the new Apple chips seem to run it faster to me. They are beasts for certain forms of computation, I've always been very impressed with OOTP.