As a Windows user for over 20 years, and having administered a Windows network for the last 10, I respectfully have to disagree. Windows is much more prone to 'rot' than OSX or Linux. Even my own personal machines are subject to this to the point that I rarely go two years without a reinstall, unless the machine is used lightly for specific tasks only. Windows 7 does seem to be a major improvement over its predecessors in this department, but it is still nowhere near the level of its competitors. It's ultimately still saddled with the same registry problems it's had for years now.
For most people those specs don't matter, however. If you are obsessed with specs, buy a PC (or a Mac Pro). If you want a computer that works, go either route, but don't buy into the Macs are always more expensive garbage. A PC at that price point is going to be built to reflect it - ie. it's poorly manufactured garbage. Nor does it include the price of an equivalent monitor or packaged software. You'll probably get a few years out of it, then give it away or take it to the dump. The Mac will have the same (or in my experience, generally longer) lifetime, but it will likely still be worth half or more of its purchase price when you are ready to upgrade. I've done the life-cycle costs of a cheap PC vs. a decent Mac dozens of times for friends, family, and co-workers who come to me for computer buying advice, and when all costs and returns are considered, the Mac usually comes out on top.
