PC guy thinking of making the leap.... (1 Viewer)

[Thomas Newton]

The iMac has a better video chipset (one you might expect to find on a card, instead of the "integrated graphics" chipset on the Mini). That would matter if you are into 3D gaming.

The iMac uses a desktop hard drive; the Mini, a notebook one. The desktop hard drives are often faster, and they are available in much larger capacities.

The iMac has a built-in monitor and can also drive a second monitor. A Mini can drive just a single monitor.

 

[John Dirk]

I didn't say anything about laptops as they are all proprietary by nature. As far as desktop PC's go, I made my decision years ago and have really never looked back. Things may have changed somewhat on the Mac front by now, but even you admit that Mac's remain at least somewhat proprietary compared to PC's.

I am not a Mac hater, I just don't personally see the need to own one. Like anything else, they have advantages and disadvantages. I DO own an IPOD, and I love using it, but shudder at the thought of having to send it back to Apple for a simple battery replacement. That's the kind of stuff Apple does that turns me off to them.

John

 

[Thomas Newton]

Commercial third-party products (as is the copy of Windows that you'd be installing on top of them).

 

[John Dirk]

Looks like I've got a lot to learn about the current Mac environment.

Thanks

John

 

[DaveF]

As said, these are 3rd-party applications; been out for a year or more now. They work well, run at decent speeds, fast enough for normal stuff. And the rest of the system is still usable. We do finances in MS Money in Parallels, while using Mac's Excel at the same time.

I'd certainly rather have a decent finance program for my Mac, but until then Parallels lets me run MS Money to do my finances.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Parallels is amazing!

As Dave said, you can run Windows and Leopard at the same
time, instantly sharing files between them.

I'm too lazy to do a screenshot right now (there is one in an
older thread), but working within Parallels can be best described
as working on a Leopard desktop with a Windows START bar
just above the dock.

It's the most amazing experience to have both operating systems
at your fingertips at the same time, interacting seamlessly together.

screenshots and demos here

 

[Michael Harris]

Hello all. As I'm basically a PC guy with four PCs and one used Apple G-4, I'm looking to make the leap and go fully to Mac. I'm looking at the Apple site and am considering one of their refurbished models. Specifically:

Refurbished Mac Pro Quad 2.66GHz Intel Xeon
Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
1GB (2 x 512MB) memory (667MHz DDR2 fully-buffered DIMM ECC)
250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200 rpm hard drive
16x SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics with 256MB memory

Cost is $1,999

Thinking of pairing it up with:

Refurbished Apple Cinema Display (20-inch flat panel w/ aluminum enclosure)
20-inch (viewable), 1680 x 1050 optimal resolution, 16.7 million colors, DVI Display Connector, 2 port USB 2.0 Hub, 2 FireWire 400 ports, VESA mount compatible

Any issues, pitfalls, etc. I should be aware of? Does the Mac Pro lend itself to upgrading?

 

[Jacinto]

Michael,

That's the exact machine I have sitting under my desk right now (refurb as well). I have an extra 2GB of RAM from OWC which I installed, and my monitor is the beautiful NEC 2490wuxi (it's more the size I wanted, and I got it for a touch cheaper than the Apple 23", which only has a 1yr warranty vs. 4yrs on the NEC). I also installed the bluetooth chip myself when those went on clearance when my local CompUSA was closing down.

I would definitely increase the RAM to at least 3GB total. I'm about to add another 2GB and an extra internal 320GB hard drive for backup, as I'm finally about to upgrade to Leopard. This machine is truly a marvel. Upgrades, both software and hardware are a breeze. The insides of this tower are laid out in a remarkable fashion. Every last detail has been considered. I expect to get ten years out of this thing -- it won't be obsolete for a long time.

The only issue I can think of would be physical space. I had an old 450mhz G4 tower before this, and the MacPro simply dwarfs it. I've been using this computer for almost a year now, and I have loved every minute of it.

 

[Christian Behrens]

Refurbished is definitely a nice way to save a considerable amount of money.

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. Don't get me wrong, they are nice, just overpriced at this point, and you should probably save the money for some extra RAM .

-Christian

 

[Michael Harris]

Fortunately space is not an issue since one of the PCs I have is even larger than the Mac Pro. My G-4 is actually in a space in my desk which may just fit the Mac Pro. But, the Pro is so nice, why would I want to hide it?

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

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.

 

[Ted Todorov]

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

 

[John Dirk]

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

 

[Eric_L]

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.

 

[DaveF]

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!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

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.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Welcome Eric...you did done good

 

[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.

 

[Eric_L]

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?

 

[Michael Harris]

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