For investing, PCs are hands-down winners vs. Macs

— -- Q: What's a better computer for online investing, a PC or a Mac?

A: Well, you did it. You opened a surefire can of contention.

Frankly, I'm surprised it's taken so long for someone to ask this question. Apple's advertising campaign railing against people who use PCs using Microsoft's Windows has been funny, and relentless. So, it's only natural for investors to wonder whether a PC or an Apple Mac computer is best for them.

And while PCs running Windows outsell Macs 30 to 1, based on an estimate by Microsoft's CEO in a company memo, Apple's recent momentum is hard to deny.

The biggest point to make, for an online investor, is that you'll most likely be fine with either a Windows PC or a Mac.

Both will run Web browser software, allowing you to complete 99% of the investing and money management tasks you'd want to do. Just about every online brokerage website is compatible with all the major browsers, and the operating system you're running means nothing at all. I know of several high-powered stock research firms that use both PCs and Macs.

With that said, at this point I prefer Microsoft's Windows operating system, Windows Vista in particular. Windows has the edge from my perspective for online investors in several aspects, including:

•Cost. When it comes to investing, you want to keep your costs down. As investors we've been trained to reduce the commissions we pay, limit ourselves to low-cost mutual funds and reduce our capital gains taxes. Why then, should you overpay for a computer?

Let's take an example. For less than $500, you can buy a Compaq Presario CQ50Z laptop. It comes with a 1.9 GHz dual-core processor, 1 gigabyte of memory, an Nvidia GeForce graphics card, 120 gigabyte harddrive and wireless networking. A capable machine by today's standards and more than adequate for an online investor, for less than $500.

Now, let's see what's available from Apple. You'll need to spend at least $1,099 for a MacBook, which comes with the same memory and hard drive. The MacBook has a slightly faster microprocessor, 2.1 GHz, but you won't notice the difference if you're just Web surfing.

In this case, you save $600 that could be invested in stocks instead of sent to Cupertino. And this is just one example.

•Device diversity and freedom of choice. Dozens of companies build computers that run Microsoft's Windows, including Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo and Sony. But the list doesn't stop there. There's an innovative Asian PC maker, Asus, which is making interesting miniature laptops called the Eee. The Eee weighs just two pounds, is about the size of a tissue box and costs less than $300. These tiny PCs could be great machines for online investors on the run. Then there are even smaller PCs, like the FlipStart, which runs Windows too.

In the Mac world, you don't have a village of companies trying to top each other. You have to wait for Apple to do the innovation. Certainly, there's no shortage of innovation from Apple, but, new ideas come at the company's, or rather Steve Jobs', pace.

And if the Apple design doesn't suit you, you can't look around at what other vendors offer. For instance, some critics have bemoaned the lack of ports in the MacBook Air PC. And if that's a sticking point with you, you're not able evaluate products from other companies if you want a Mac.

•Availability of software. Yes, it's true that PCs today are used almost entirely to access the Internet. And most of the time, the sites you'll need are accessible from Windows and Apple PCs. Microsoft's popular Excel spreadsheet software also runs on both Windows and Apple computers.

But there are times that you'd need or want to run software that's only available on Windows. And due to its long history serving the financial community, Windows has a impressive collection of investing-related software. For instance, Better Investing's Investor's Toolkit software, which I use to analyze stocks' P-E ratios for the Ask Matt column, only runs in Windows at this time.

What's more, Microsoft's Microsoft Money personal finance software only runs in Windows. Certainly, Mac users may use Intuit's Quicken software. And it's true that you may run Windows on many Macs with Intel microprocessors. But, that's not as easy as you'd think. To run Windows on a Mac without buying additional software (other than a copy of Windows), you need to install Windows yourself and then reboot every time you want to run a Windows program. The other option is installing "virtualization" software on your Mac, which makes the Mac even more expensive.

This is a key point, especially with financial software. There are personal finance websites like Mint.com, which will store all your financial information online. And Mint runs just as well on a Mac as a PC. But, do you really want a third-party you don't know to house all your personal and critical financial data? Many investors would prefer to keep data on their own computers' hard drives so they can back it up and protect it.

• Backward compatibility. Microsoft has a nearly unblemished history making sure that files and data you have created in its operating systems are readable in the future. Floppy disks created with Microsoft's early MS-DOS operating system decades ago will open on standard Windows Vista machines today, if you spring for an external floppy disk drive. Apple on the other hand, will often start from a clean slate, and doesn't appear to hold backward compatibility as dear. Maybe some readers know if disks formatted using Apple DOS on an Apple II computer will open on a modern Mac PC?

This is a key factor with financial data. If you burn a CD with your past tax records, for instance, you want to know that in 20 years you'll be able to call up those records if you need them. Microsoft has demonstrated it will make sure your old data are readable.

•Second-mouse button. When it comes to investing, speed and power are important. That's why investors benefit greatly from the fact that Windows PC support mice with two mouse buttons. The left button lets you select items. And usually, if you right click on objects on the screen you'll see a quick list of relevant tasks and commands. With Macs, you have to hold down a button on the keyboard with one hand and click the mouse at the same time to get a similar action. Not a deal breaker, but worth mentioning.

•Access to a huge support community. Run into a problem with Windows? There are millions of Windows users willing to share information and help you. Usually, if you enter your problem into a discussion website, like groups.google.com, you'll find a answer in seconds. Microsoft also operates a free community help area. You might even be able to get tech help from work, since most companies run Windows. Apple users are passionate, but not as numerous.

•Availability of Internet Explorer. Despite the criticism heaped on it, Internet Explorer is a excellent Internet browser for investors. It has several security features that are great for sensitive financial transactions, which I describe here.

Also MSN Money, a useful financial website with one of the most powerful stock screening tools, runs best on Internet Explorer.

There is not a version of Internet Explorer available for Macs. It's true that Macs can run the popular Firefox browser. But Windows can run Firefox, too. So by sticking with Windows, you get more choice.

I can hear Mac users fuming already. And certainly, Windows isn't without problems. But it's important to separate the hype and rumors from reality.

Again, if you're just surfing the Web, it probably doesn't matter much which operating system you use. In fact, if you like the way Macs look, you could buy a Mac and use it to run Windows. But for me, at this time, I'd recommend Windows to most online investors for the reasons above.

Matt Krantz is a financial markets reporter at USA TODAY and author of Investing Online for Dummies. He answers a different reader question every weekday in his Ask Matt column at money.usatoday.com. To submit a question, e-mail Matt at mkrantz@usatoday.com. Click here to see previous Ask Matt columns.