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post #31 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

I'll side with Christian on this one. The current Apple displays aren't worth the price premium and they haven't been for quite some time. We have over 500 Macs in our offices and we haven't bought a display from Apple in years. Third party is the way to go.
post #32 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric_L
Its really not so much a budget as an amount that I can risk on a venture that may dissappoint... I'm leaning to the mini because I already have a nice monitor, speakers, and wireless kbd/mouse. Considering that; what does the iMac have that could justify risking almost double on the experement?
looking at the pre-installed software options-is there a price advantage to getting them at purchase?
also, I see that they offer "combined optical digital audio output/headphone out(minijack)" WTF? Optical minijack?
Eric -- one more voice for switching to Mac -- don't be afraid of disappointment -- it's not likely.

So far as iMac vs. Mini: If your existing nice monitor is DVI, it will work fine with the Mini, but keep in mind that you'll end up with a sweet dual monitor setup if you get the iMac (and the iMac monitors are REALLY nice.

Other iMac advantages -- much larger capacity (up to 1TB), better performing HD, FireWire 800, 802.11N (Mini is still G), faster CPU. (Mind you I am happy Mac Mini owner -- nothing against it).

Yes, optical (combo with analog) minijack -- sounds funky but works fine. You need an adapter to a standard optical cable -- available cheap from Amazon.

Networked drives work fine.

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Dirk
Quote: Originally Posted by Christ Reynolds
"It IS just as vulnerable as any XP machine."
That's what I thought, so I was wondering why it would not have the same potential virus problems based on Thomas's comments in an earlier post.
The real world reason that it is much less vulnerable is that once you've started using Mac OS X and its native applications, you quickly discover that you don't really need XP under Boot Camp. It is there as a safety blanket, but in fact you are in the tropics -- no blanket needed
post #33 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveF
Unfortunately, you're giving comments, towards a prospective buyer, that are outdated or simply wrong -- and you give them in what can be taken as authoritative context.

You have a point there. I am certainly not the best person to drive an overall purchase decision, just a guy with opinions that are admittedly outdated. I should have considered that before posting some of my comments. I would love to have a current generation Mac to play with but have no real justification [yet] for it.

John
post #34 of 65
Thread Starter 

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

well I did it. I bot from macmall an imac: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, 1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM, 320GB SATA, DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive 8x, 10/100/1000, ATI 2600Pro.

I also bot 2 X 2GB PC2-5300 667MHz DDR2 200-pin SODIMM. I'm not sure what I'll do with the existing memory stick... It was a package deal for $100 for the two... Ebay I suppose..

I also bot iWorks and Fusion (I have XP already)

I picked up an HP AllInOne L7580 too, just because I can.

Gross price before rebates:
PC $1494
Iwork : $69.98
Fusion: $69.95
Memory: $104.00
Printer: 299.99 (but I get free ink from my employer - w00t!)

Ther are some rebates, which I figure I'll get after I send in a receipt, the UPC, a seven page form, dna samples and a photo of my left center toe. I forget what the amount was - around $100-$200 if I ever get it.

I decided to go for the better system because I just bot a Sony HDr-sr10 and figure the editing/processing might be useful. also, my wife is always bugging me to scan/edit crap so I'm hopeful that the printer combo with the imac might get her off my back.

I'll report in at the beginning of the honeymoon, then try reporting back after I've had some time to finds it's warts.
post #35 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Dirk
I would love to have a current generation Mac to play with but have no real justification [yet] for it.

John
It's all good. I was not a Mac fan for many years. A year or two ago, I decided I needed a change with my next computer purchase. The intel transition and BootCamp were the watershed events that "freed" me to think different. A perfect safety net -- if all else failed, I'd have a nice new Windows machine.

So, if you can afford the premium, make your next PC a Mac. You can install BootCamp, give the lion's share of the hard drive to Windows, and think of it as a dual boot system with OS X on the side. Then you can come back here and point out all of my errors...

Eric__L -- welcome to the club!
post #36 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Wow, Eric, that was quick!

I am so relieved you bought the iMac. That I think was by far
the better choice.

I would also have gone Parallels over Fusion, but that's a personal
choice.

And of course, you will have questions. We are here to help. I
still run into situations where I need assistance and everyone in
this area is very quick to respond.

Please keep us posted on your experiences. Can't wait to hear
you say that you will never go back to a PC.
post #37 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Welcome Eric...you did done good
post #38 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
I would also have gone Parallels over Fusion, but that's a personal
choice.
I've got Parallels too, and am completely happy with it (especially after the updates for 10.5). But reviews and comments on Fusion are very positive.
post #39 of 65
Thread Starter 

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Well, it has arrived and so far the honeymoon is a bit rocky. It would not fit into my computer cabinet - it was 1/2 inch too tall. Nothing a belt sander couldn't fix (but now the top of the imac is rough - haha)

Now I am trying to install the software that came with my HP L7580 all in one and it won't install. I open the HP installer and it gets to the 'installation type' screen - I click install and it asks if I want to be part of some survey group. I select no and it returns to the 'installation type' screen. I click install and it asks if I want to be part of some survey group. I click yes and it returns to the 'installation type' screen. And so on and so on and so on... It will print with the OSX just fine, but I can't set up the scanner...

Any ideas?
post #40 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Quote:
For a monitor, however, I would look elsewhere, as the Apple displays haven't been updated in quite a while and don't offer really good value for money anymore, even at refurbished prices.

Any recommendations? Are there any third party monitors that will look good with a Mac Pro? Something in the 20" - 25" range?
post #41 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Samsung has some very good monitors and are often the recomended display for graphics.

Eric try downloading the latest version of HP's software from their site and see if that works any better...the version you have may not work in Leopard.
post #42 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Harris
Any recommendations? Are there any third party monitors that will look good with a Mac Pro? Something in the 20" - 25" range?

Michael,

What are your main uses for the computer? I do graphic design and illustration, so color accuracy was #1 on my feature list. I'm not into any sort of gaming, so what I sacrificed in speed to get the color fidelity was meaningless. But your priorities may differ, so let us know what your main usage is, and then we might be able to advise you better.
post #43 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Quote:
What are your main uses for the computer?

This would become my jack of all trades computer. I don't do much gaming and what games I do play don't require high refresh rates or perfect graphics. I do plan on using it for some photo editing using Photoshop Elements but that is really the only application I'll use that would require good graphics display.
post #44 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric_L
Now I am trying to install the software that came with my HP L7580 all in one and it won't install. I open the HP installer and it gets to the 'installation type' screen - I click install and it asks if I want to be part of some survey group. I select no and it returns to the 'installation type' screen. I click install and it asks if I want to be part of some survey group. I click yes and it returns to the 'installation type' screen. And so on and so on and so on... It will print with the OSX just fine, but I can't set up the scanner...

Any ideas?
Read this Amazon review.
post #45 of 65
Thread Starter 

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

downloaded from HP and it worked like a charm. My toolbar at the bottom is looking a bit crowded. At some point I'll decide if I want to uninstall the HP apps... then figure out how to do it.
post #46 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Eric what I did for the dock is create a folder in my apps directory and drag over alias's of the app's I use often. I then dragged that folder to the dock and made it viewable as a grid. When you do that it functions a lot like the Quick Launch concept in XP and allows me to only have the top 5 icon's or so on my actual dock.
post #47 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

oops!
post #48 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Michael, based on what you've said, I would second Andrew's recommendation of a Samsung monitor. I would look specifically at their models with a "T" in their Model#, and would avoid their "BW" line. The "T"s are very solid performers in all areas, and area good value compared to higher end graphics monitors. They won't look quite as nice as an Apple Display sitting next to your MacPro, but they will perform well and will save you a good deal of money over Apple's outdated monitors.
post #49 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Eric_L, welcome to the HTF Mac Club. I made the leap about 6 months ago after reading the posts here - my own posts and mini-review of the new iMac is on here. I went completely "cold turkey" with no Windows at all and haven't regretted it.

Michael, the higher end Dell Digital monitors are nice. I've had one before and was very impressed with it.
post #50 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveF
I've got Parallels too, and am completely happy with it (especially after the updates for 10.5). But reviews and comments on Fusion are very positive.

I bought my mom an 20" iMac last month and set her up with Fusion (so she could run a couple of PC only scrapbooking programs.) My buddy who's a bigtime security/Mac networking guy recommended Fusion over Parallels. He said mostly because "VMWare has been in the game for 30 years". Anyway I had the iMac here for a month and Fusion ran very well without one issue. It is a little odd however to see windows running on apple after using Mac's for 15 years.

-EJ
post #51 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

I'm getting ready to make the leap as well (I've posted about this in the past but still haven't bought anything).... I want to move from a desktop machine and a small laptop to 1 machine that I can use anywhere but still has the power for some higher end stuff... possibly editing HD video at some point, and definite use of Photoshop and Aperture type software. My eyes have been set on the MacBook Pro, but I've been waiting for a model to be released with Blu-ray built in (mostly to watch movies while traveling), as well as to burn HD video (I'd like to get an HD camcorder and housing for underwater video). Now I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and order a machine now, and get a small external Blu-ray burner whenever they come out.

Anyone know if Apple plans on introducing anything this summer along these lines, or should I just bite the bullet and order something (looking at new baseline $1999 model, or one of the refurbs for around $1650)
post #52 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Brian I'd buy now and go with an external later. Apparently they're having problems with the power needs of the blur ray drives which is why we haven't seen one yet in the laptops. Besides you'd get better battary life playing a movie that was stored on your hard drive then off a DVD rom drive.

PS buy the refurb and load up on RAM from a 3rd party vendor.
post #53 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Would anyone else recommend the refurb over new? I can't see losing multi-touch being that big of a deal, and I can always put in a bigger HD later if I decide the 160 gigs in the refurb is not enough. I may go ahead and pull the trigger this afternoon... it's only money!

PS Glossy display or matte?

PPS Are there warranty differences between new and refurbished? I'm sure I could find the answer with a few seconds of looking, but I'm now heading for bed!
post #54 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Personally i don't like glossy screens as I find myself in too many situations where reflections are an issue...esp on laptops. Our new iMac has a glossy screen and its not too bad as the screen is typically more perpendicular to the ceiling where the pot lights are but on my laptop the screen is often tilted back and glossy doesn't work in those situations (my previous lappy was gloss and I hated it). Personal opinions vary though so gloss's benefits may work in your favour.

The refurbs are identical in all respects to their new counterparts other then the box's they ship in....including the warranty. You also have a full year to buy AppleCare if you so choose.
post #55 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric M Jones
I bought my mom an 20" iMac last month and set her up with Fusion (so she could run a couple of PC only scrapbooking programs.) My buddy who's a bigtime security/Mac networking guy recommended Fusion over Parallels. He said mostly because "VMWare has been in the game for 30 years". Anyway I had the iMac here for a month and Fusion ran very well without one issue. It is a little odd however to see windows running on apple after using Mac's for 15 years.

-EJ
Parallels beat Fusion to the punch last year, and was effectively the one and only quality choice for running Windows within OS X. Fusion has caught up with Parallels and, as I understand it, they are on par. It seems there are two excellent options now, with some differing strengths.
post #56 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Go glossy!

The images you get off of a glossy screen are breathtaking!

My Lenovo PC (the last Windows laptop I owned) had a matte
screen and I hated it. Colors looked dull. Movies I watched on
it looked lackluster.

There is not a noticeable amount of reflection off of the glossy
screens. They have anti-reflective coating on them that works
rather well.

Really, if you are not certain, go to an Apple store and put
a matte and glossy MBP next to each other and you'll be amazed
how much more vibrant the picture on the glossy is.

However, as Andrew points out above, sometimes these issues
come down to personal taste and you may not be a glossy
type of individual.

Also, do Parallels over fusion. Parallels is AMAZING.

Let us know what you do. Keep us updated.
post #57 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Well, I did it! Pulled the trigger on a refurbished 15" MBP 2.4 ghz with the 160 gig HD and 2 gigs of ram. I'll order some 3rd party ram down the road if I don't think 2 is enough... and where does Apple get off charging $400 to upgrade from 2 gigs to 4 anyway, since 4 gigs from Newegg is just over $100 total??
I also picked up a bluetooth Logitech mouse, the new wired Apple keyboard, and a copy of iWork 08. I was going to add in Aperture 2.0 as well but I'm going to download the trial version first (trying to get back into the photography hobby I was into for awhile, but kind of dropped out of a year or so ago). Didn't get Parallel's yet either, as I'd have to buy a copy of XP (unless I could figure out how to get my already installed OEM copy of XP to work... doubtful it would activate! - I'll see if I can do without Windows for awhile)

I went with the matte screen, since one of the things I want to use it for is photo editing, and I've read that matte is better for that... also my current notebook has a glossy screen that I'm not that crazy about, and I'm very used to my matte desktop screen.

This is exciting! I really wanted to wait for something with a Blu-ray RW drive, but who knows how long it's going to be and I've been coming up with more and more reasons to want a new machine NOW!

Now to figure out what to do with my perfectly good desktop...
post #58 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Quote:
Originally Posted by BrianShort
Well, I did it! Pulled the trigger on a refurbished 15" MBP 2.4 ghz with the 160 gig HD and 2 gigs of ram. I'll order some 3rd party ram down the road if I don't think 2 is enough... and where does Apple get off charging $400 to upgrade from 2 gigs to 4 anyway, since 4 gigs from Newegg is just over $100 total??
I also picked up a bluetooth Logitech mouse, the new wired Apple keyboard, and a copy of iWork 08. I was going to add in Aperture 2.0 as well but I'm going to download the trial version first (trying to get back into the photography hobby I was into for awhile, but kind of dropped out of a year or so ago). Didn't get Parallel's yet either, as I'd have to buy a copy of XP (unless I could figure out how to get my already installed OEM copy of XP to work... doubtful it would activate! - I'll see if I can do without Windows for awhile)

I went with the matte screen, since one of the things I want to use it for is photo editing, and I've read that matte is better for that... also my current notebook has a glossy screen that I'm not that crazy about, and I'm very used to my matte desktop screen.

This is exciting! I really wanted to wait for something with a Blu-ray RW drive, but who knows how long it's going to be and I've been coming up with more and more reasons to want a new machine NOW!

Now to figure out what to do with my perfectly good desktop...
Welcome to the fun!

That's the MBP I have, and I too have iWork 08 (bought it last Thanksgiving at a great sale price). I really like my MBP -- both as a desktop machine for video editing and gaming, and as a couch-machine to doodle on while vegging.

Happy Mac'ing!
post #59 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Brian,

I want to offer you congrats on your purchase.

As I tell everyone who buys their first Mac based on our
recommendations -- keep us updated on your experiences.
We are here to help and we are here to cheer once you finally
post that you will never go back to using a PC again.
post #60 of 65

Re: PC guy thinking of making the leap....

Welcome to the world of Mac Brian.

Aperture 2.0 is a nice piece of software - I bought the full version not too long after it was released and am really enjoying it for my photography needs.

For the old PC, you could either keep it for the odd windows prog you might want to use, or sell it off on eBay. The motherboard BIOS finally gave up on my old Windows PC so I sold the memory and video card on eBay. The 320Gb hard drive went into a nice aluminum external USB2 enclosure and is now used for TimeMachine
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