Ok, first of all I have no wish to offend any of you out there because of my lack of knowledge concerning computers. I have found that SOME (far from everyone) of computer geeks (probably because they never get laid IRL) tend to snap your head off when you say something obviously stupid about computers, the net or other related stuff, so I want to warn you: I am a 100% "n00b", at least compared to most of you who post here. I mean no harm, I just want to get some advice on what to do.
So, here we go!
I want to buy an iMac, and it will be my "standard" computer. I will use it for games, internet, movies, film/photo/music-editing, studies etc. I plan to have it for a while. I have around $2,100, 2,200 to spend but want a better one than the most expensive iMac you can order today. I want quad-core (preferably the i5 or i7) and overall, better parts in the computer than today's iMac, since I'm going to be spending a lot on it. Rumour tells me that an upgrade is coming, and I hope that the hardware will be better, otherwise I'm buying a PC instead.
However, I have no idea if these rumours are good. What worries me is that they're going to add a version of the i7 core that only has 1.60 GHz to 2.00 GHz in CPU. This doesn't sound really good? I don't really know what it means but I know that the higher GHz, the better. 1.60 sounds like a grandpa computer! *prejudice*
Overall - I want my games and future games to run very smoothly on my new, very expensive computer, I want a full version of Adobe Photoshop to work extremely well and that the computer is FAST and sexy. The iMac design IS sexy.
So, why so low GHz? Doesn't the iMacs of today have higher? Why would the lower it??
The Intel Core i7 mobile processor will have a base frequency of 1.60GHz and 1.73GHz with a max "turbo boost" frequency of 2.8GHz and 3.06GHz respectively. http://www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/index.htm Not quite the same as a processor that natively runs at that speed, but then it is a mobile processor.
Considering the relatively higher cost of blank Blu-ray discs, the higher error rate and the unassured ability to universally play your recording on another player vs those of DVDs, a Blu-ray writer may be the last thing one would want to invest in.
Backing up your data to a 50 GB Blu-ray disc could be expensive if it crashes in the middle of the effort. I am sure that we all have CDs and DVD's that had to be junked because of faulty media or amassing the wrong files. However, at 10-25¢ a pop, who cares.
Even Sony is begining to question themselves in terms of Blu-ray vs DVD recording. As evidenced recently, i.e., "Sony has no plans to challenge LG in the timeshift TV category, or Panasonic in the Blu-ray recording market, preferring instead to focus on DVD recording and the impending IPTV revolution,"
The same logic, that is unreliability/high costs, certainly would seem to apply to internal implementation in computers as well.
The Intel Core i7 mobile processor will have a base frequency of 1.60GHz and 1.73GHz with a max "turbo boost" frequency of 2.8GHz and 3.06GHz respectively. http://www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/index.htm Not quite the same as a processor that natively runs at that speed, but then it is a mobile processor.
Thanks Rob!!
So... would Adobe Photoshop work well on a "better" iMac without killing everything (and itself) when trying to switch brushes...? My PC from 2004 is currently doing that with PS 7.0...
And would I be able to play WoW, Civ IV and Sims 3?
"Introducing Intel?s ultimate mobile processor. With the intelligent performance of the new Intel® Core? i7 processor Extreme Edition for laptops, you can dominate the world of extreme gaming like never before ? while you?re on the go"
So... would Adobe Photoshop work well on a "better" iMac without killing everything (and itself) when trying to switch brushes...? My PC from 2004 is currently doing that with PS 7.0...
And would I be able to play WoW, Civ IV and Sims 3?
I run Photoshop CS4 (the most recent version) just fine on my late '07 24" 2.4GHz Core2Duo iMac with 4GB of RAM. No problems at all. As for playing WoW, Civ IV and Sims 3 on a Mac (admittedly I don't do any gaming on my Mac), did you check to see if they have Mac versions available? If so, I can't imagine you'd have any problem running them on the most recent iMac. Like you said, rumor has it that there will be a refresh pretty soon (within the next 30 days?), so it might pay to wait and see.
So, can someone remind me why I'd want to watch a movie, DVD or Blu-ray, on my Mac in the first place?
Well you can hook your mac up to a large display. I have a mac mini hooked up to 46" display and have all my dvd's ripped to a 1.5 tb hard drive and my favorite tv shows. If Apple adds a blu-ray player to the mac mini I will buy one the moment they are announced. Then I could ditch my large, bulky and slow blu-ray player.
I run Photoshop CS4 (the most recent version) just fine on my late '07 24" 2.4GHz Core2Duo iMac with 4GB of RAM. No problems at all. As for playing WoW, Civ IV and Sims 3 on a Mac (admittedly I don't do any gaming on my Mac), did you check to see if they have Mac versions available? If so, I can't imagine you'd have any problem running them on the most recent iMac. Like you said, rumor has it that there will be a refresh pretty soon (within the next 30 days?), so it might pay to wait and see.
Both WoW and Sims 3 have Mac-versions. I'm thinking of boot-camping, but hopefully that won't be necessary!
Thanks again! Sounds like great news that Photoshop is running on your computer! I'm so used to bad computers (is currently typing on a Asus Eee 900 who hates me) that even a bad version of iMac would probably give me an orgasm. Not literally...
The fact that SL just came out with no support and that DVD Player is one of the few major apps that didn?t get an update (still at 32-bit, too) makes me think Apple has no intention of pushing Blu-ray in the near future. With the other factors involved I think it makes the most sense for Apple?s strategy.
I would interpret that differently. DVD player is due for an update, and the fact that it is one of the last apps to be updated is an indication that Apple might be hiding something. Then again, iTunes was updated late and it still didn't even hit 64 bit and I'm not sure how quickly they would turn around with another iTunes update with Blu-ray support.
"Introducing Intel’s ultimate mobile processor. With the intelligent performance of the new Intel® Core™ i7 processor Extreme Edition for laptops, you can dominate the world of extreme gaming like never before — while you’re on the go"
Hmm, those mobile GPUs really put a damper on the whole gaming experience though... \
Both WoW and Sims 3 have Mac-versions. I'm thinking of boot-camping, but hopefully that won't be necessary!
Thanks again! Sounds like great news that Photoshop is running on your computer! I'm so used to bad computers (is currently typing on a Asus Eee 900 who hates me) that even a bad version of iMac would probably give me an orgasm. Not literally...
Windows XP runs perfectly fine on my iMac via boot camp. Almost never use it, but it's good to know it's there. It makes my 15" late '08 MacBook Pro run a little hot but that's because Windows can't seem to control the CPU the way OS-X does. I'm assuming 7 will run fine as well though I haven't yet tried it.
I don't understand all of the opposition to Blu-ray? If it comes standard, what's the big deal? That doesn't mean you have to go out and buy blu-ray movies, etc...
Blu-ray in a MacBook pro or a MacMini are about the only things to get me to upgrade as (even though, I won't get the "HD" experience), Blu-ray in my MacBook would allow me to not have to rely on BRD that have the dreaded "digital copy" to be able to watch my movies on the road...
Blu-ray in a MacMini would allow me to use it for my blu-ray player rather than the PS3...
There have been rumors that people will be able to make a legal copy of their blu-ray discs on their computers for personal use... gotta have a blu-ray drive for that.
Blu-ray is superior to anything that can be downloaded or streamed legally from the internet on any platform (PC/Mac, Xbox360 Video Marketplace, PSN).
But for the lazy, i guess streaming is "good enough" but it will never be good enough for me or my household until downloadable content is equal in audio/video quality to blu-ray...
Oh, and I don't have to back-up my blu-ray discs... no need for HDD drives for backup.
Both WoW and Sims 3 have Mac-versions. I'm thinking of boot-camping, but hopefully that won't be necessary!
Thanks again! Sounds like great news that Photoshop is running on your computer! I'm so used to bad computers (is currently typing on a Asus Eee 900 who hates me) that even a bad version of iMac would probably give me an orgasm. Not literally...
Civ IV has a mac version, it was the first game I played when I got a mac. WoW works fine unless one of your fans die and you don't notice and you proceed to run your computer into the ground. I think playing any game non-stop like WoW can make you do is bad for any computer though.
Civ IV has a mac version, it was the first game I played when I got a mac. WoW works fine unless one of your fans die and you don't notice and you proceed to run your computer into the ground. I think playing any game non-stop like WoW can make you do is bad for any computer though.
Yeah, I'm not a hard-core gamer and thanks to Uni-studies and work, I won't have time for more than maybe 2 h a day at most.
I would interpret that differently. DVD player is due for an update, and the fact that it is one of the last apps to be updated is an indication that Apple might be hiding something. Then again, iTunes was updated late and it still didn't even hit 64 bit and I'm not sure how quickly they would turn around with another iTunes update with Blu-ray support.
Some things to consider…
— DVD Player is an OS app, it was never a separate app like iTunes. Sure iTunes comes with a Mac, but like iLife and iWork, QuickTime and Safari, they are updated separately from the OS.
— They still didn’t add AACS support to the OS so that even a 3rd-party developer can have Blu-ray software on OS X that will play authored Blu-ray media.
— I think it’ll be iTunes X before 64-bit comes because it, like iLife has to be written in Cocoa. If we take QuickTime X as a cue, this might be very difficult to achieve while keeping all the current features working properly and iTunes is a very complex app.
— This previous notion that iTunes will be getting Blu-ray support never made sense to me when they already have an app designed to work with the optical drive. They might pull all optical media into iTunes, but that adds even more complexity to iTunes. Something I really don’t care for. I already hate the video player in iTunes as it stands.
— I think what they are hiding is that they are pushing optical media aside in favour of digital media as a “good enough” option for internet connected users. That doesn’t mean that Jobs isn’t watching Pixar movies in Blu-ray in his home theater. Actaully, he’s probably watching it in some amazing digital version from the studio.
Comments
Ok, first of all I have no wish to offend any of you out there because of my lack of knowledge concerning computers. I have found that SOME (far from everyone) of computer geeks (probably because they never get laid IRL) tend to snap your head off when you say something obviously stupid about computers, the net or other related stuff, so I want to warn you: I am a 100% "n00b", at least compared to most of you who post here. I mean no harm, I just want to get some advice on what to do.
So, here we go!
I want to buy an iMac, and it will be my "standard" computer. I will use it for games, internet, movies, film/photo/music-editing, studies etc. I plan to have it for a while. I have around $2,100, 2,200 to spend but want a better one than the most expensive iMac you can order today. I want quad-core (preferably the i5 or i7) and overall, better parts in the computer than today's iMac, since I'm going to be spending a lot on it. Rumour tells me that an upgrade is coming, and I hope that the hardware will be better, otherwise I'm buying a PC instead.
However, I have no idea if these rumours are good. What worries me is that they're going to add a version of the i7 core that only has 1.60 GHz to 2.00 GHz in CPU. This doesn't sound really good? I don't really know what it means but I know that the higher GHz, the better. 1.60 sounds like a grandpa computer! *prejudice*
Overall - I want my games and future games to run very smoothly on my new, very expensive computer, I want a full version of Adobe Photoshop to work extremely well and that the computer is FAST and sexy. The iMac design IS sexy.
So, why so low GHz? Doesn't the iMacs of today have higher? Why would the lower it??
The Intel Core i7 mobile processor will have a base frequency of 1.60GHz and 1.73GHz with a max "turbo boost" frequency of 2.8GHz and 3.06GHz respectively. http://www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/index.htm Not quite the same as a processor that natively runs at that speed, but then it is a mobile processor.
Backing up your data to a 50 GB Blu-ray disc could be expensive if it crashes in the middle of the effort. I am sure that we all have CDs and DVD's that had to be junked because of faulty media or amassing the wrong files. However, at 10-25¢ a pop, who cares.
Even Sony is begining to question themselves in terms of Blu-ray vs DVD recording. As evidenced recently, i.e., "Sony has no plans to challenge LG in the timeshift TV category, or Panasonic in the Blu-ray recording market, preferring instead to focus on DVD recording and the impending IPTV revolution,"
The same logic, that is unreliability/high costs, certainly would seem to apply to internal implementation in computers as well.
http://www.current.com.au/2009/09/22...VAYYNOVMX.html
So, can someone remind me why I'd want to watch a movie, DVD or Blu-ray, on my Mac in the first place?
Do you ever travel or are you kept locked in a mouse cage?
The Intel Core i7 mobile processor will have a base frequency of 1.60GHz and 1.73GHz with a max "turbo boost" frequency of 2.8GHz and 3.06GHz respectively. http://www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/index.htm Not quite the same as a processor that natively runs at that speed, but then it is a mobile processor.
Thanks Rob!!
So... would Adobe Photoshop work well on a "better" iMac without killing everything (and itself) when trying to switch brushes...? My PC from 2004 is currently doing that with PS 7.0...
And would I be able to play WoW, Civ IV and Sims 3?
Step 1 - PatchStick the ATV
Step 2 - Install XBMC
Can you elaborate? I think I might like to try this on my ATV.
Nice. Nice! NICE!!
Guess I'll have a iMac with i7 core extreme!
Thanks Rob!!
So... would Adobe Photoshop work well on a "better" iMac without killing everything (and itself) when trying to switch brushes...? My PC from 2004 is currently doing that with PS 7.0...
And would I be able to play WoW, Civ IV and Sims 3?
I run Photoshop CS4 (the most recent version) just fine on my late '07 24" 2.4GHz Core2Duo iMac with 4GB of RAM. No problems at all. As for playing WoW, Civ IV and Sims 3 on a Mac (admittedly I don't do any gaming on my Mac), did you check to see if they have Mac versions available? If so, I can't imagine you'd have any problem running them on the most recent iMac. Like you said, rumor has it that there will be a refresh pretty soon (within the next 30 days?), so it might pay to wait and see.
So, can someone remind me why I'd want to watch a movie, DVD or Blu-ray, on my Mac in the first place?
Well you can hook your mac up to a large display. I have a mac mini hooked up to 46" display and have all my dvd's ripped to a 1.5 tb hard drive and my favorite tv shows. If Apple adds a blu-ray player to the mac mini I will buy one the moment they are announced. Then I could ditch my large, bulky and slow blu-ray player.
As a girl who gets turned on by the design of the iMac and its sexiness, I'm asking why you WOULDN'T want to watch it as much as possible?
(oh, and I don't own a TV...)
Well, yes, but wouldn't the movie distract you from the iMac. I guess the second reason makes sense, though
I run Photoshop CS4 (the most recent version) just fine on my late '07 24" 2.4GHz Core2Duo iMac with 4GB of RAM. No problems at all. As for playing WoW, Civ IV and Sims 3 on a Mac (admittedly I don't do any gaming on my Mac), did you check to see if they have Mac versions available? If so, I can't imagine you'd have any problem running them on the most recent iMac. Like you said, rumor has it that there will be a refresh pretty soon (within the next 30 days?), so it might pay to wait and see.
Both WoW and Sims 3 have Mac-versions. I'm thinking of boot-camping, but hopefully that won't be necessary!
Thanks again! Sounds like great news that Photoshop is running on your computer! I'm so used to bad computers (is currently typing on a Asus Eee 900 who hates me) that even a bad version of iMac would probably give me an orgasm. Not literally...
Well, yes, but wouldn't the movie distract you from the iMac. I guess the second reason makes sense, though
If the movie sucks, you can still enjoy the view!
The fact that SL just came out with no support and that DVD Player is one of the few major apps that didn?t get an update (still at 32-bit, too) makes me think Apple has no intention of pushing Blu-ray in the near future. With the other factors involved I think it makes the most sense for Apple?s strategy.
I would interpret that differently. DVD player is due for an update, and the fact that it is one of the last apps to be updated is an indication that Apple might be hiding something. Then again, iTunes was updated late and it still didn't even hit 64 bit and I'm not sure how quickly they would turn around with another iTunes update with Blu-ray support.
"Introducing Intel’s ultimate mobile processor. With the intelligent performance of the new Intel® Core™ i7 processor Extreme Edition for laptops, you can dominate the world of extreme gaming like never before — while you’re on the go"
Hmm, those mobile GPUs really put a damper on the whole gaming experience though...
Much needed:
- Apple miniTOWER. Quad core. Quiet.
- Matte displays.
- 500 g MacBook mini with video-out and USB2 ports. The MacBook Air is too heavy, too large and has only a USB2 port.
Did you just say the MacBook Air is too heavy?!?!?!?!?
*rubs eyes*
Both WoW and Sims 3 have Mac-versions. I'm thinking of boot-camping, but hopefully that won't be necessary!
Thanks again! Sounds like great news that Photoshop is running on your computer! I'm so used to bad computers (is currently typing on a Asus Eee 900 who hates me) that even a bad version of iMac would probably give me an orgasm. Not literally...
Windows XP runs perfectly fine on my iMac via boot camp. Almost never use it, but it's good to know it's there. It makes my 15" late '08 MacBook Pro run a little hot but that's because Windows can't seem to control the CPU the way OS-X does. I'm assuming 7 will run fine as well though I haven't yet tried it.
Blu-ray in a MacBook pro or a MacMini are about the only things to get me to upgrade as (even though, I won't get the "HD" experience), Blu-ray in my MacBook would allow me to not have to rely on BRD that have the dreaded "digital copy" to be able to watch my movies on the road...
Blu-ray in a MacMini would allow me to use it for my blu-ray player rather than the PS3...
There have been rumors that people will be able to make a legal copy of their blu-ray discs on their computers for personal use... gotta have a blu-ray drive for that.
Blu-ray is superior to anything that can be downloaded or streamed legally from the internet on any platform (PC/Mac, Xbox360 Video Marketplace, PSN).
But for the lazy, i guess streaming is "good enough" but it will never be good enough for me or my household until downloadable content is equal in audio/video quality to blu-ray...
Oh, and I don't have to back-up my blu-ray discs... no need for HDD drives for backup.
Both WoW and Sims 3 have Mac-versions. I'm thinking of boot-camping, but hopefully that won't be necessary!
Thanks again! Sounds like great news that Photoshop is running on your computer! I'm so used to bad computers (is currently typing on a Asus Eee 900 who hates me) that even a bad version of iMac would probably give me an orgasm. Not literally...
Civ IV has a mac version, it was the first game I played when I got a mac. WoW works fine unless one of your fans die and you don't notice and you proceed to run your computer into the ground. I think playing any game non-stop like WoW can make you do is bad for any computer though.
Civ IV has a mac version, it was the first game I played when I got a mac. WoW works fine unless one of your fans die and you don't notice and you proceed to run your computer into the ground. I think playing any game non-stop like WoW can make you do is bad for any computer though.
Yeah, I'm not a hard-core gamer and thanks to Uni-studies and work, I won't have time for more than maybe 2 h a day at most.
clients have been asking for blu-ray montages instead of standard dvds. That's the main
reason why I'm waiting for a blu-ray burner. I'm also waiting for a quad-core 17"-19" macbook pro
with lightpeak before I upgrade my 1.67ghz 17" Powerbook.
I would interpret that differently. DVD player is due for an update, and the fact that it is one of the last apps to be updated is an indication that Apple might be hiding something. Then again, iTunes was updated late and it still didn't even hit 64 bit and I'm not sure how quickly they would turn around with another iTunes update with Blu-ray support.
Some things to consider…
— DVD Player is an OS app, it was never a separate app like iTunes. Sure iTunes comes with a Mac, but like iLife and iWork, QuickTime and Safari, they are updated separately from the OS.
— They still didn’t add AACS support to the OS so that even a 3rd-party developer can have Blu-ray software on OS X that will play authored Blu-ray media.
— I think it’ll be iTunes X before 64-bit comes because it, like iLife has to be written in Cocoa. If we take QuickTime X as a cue, this might be very difficult to achieve while keeping all the current features working properly and iTunes is a very complex app.
— This previous notion that iTunes will be getting Blu-ray support never made sense to me when they already have an app designed to work with the optical drive. They might pull all optical media into iTunes, but that adds even more complexity to iTunes. Something I really don’t care for. I already hate the video player in iTunes as it stands.
— I think what they are hiding is that they are pushing optical media aside in favour of digital media as a “good enough” option for internet connected users. That doesn’t mean that Jobs isn’t watching Pixar movies in Blu-ray in his home theater. Actaully, he’s probably watching it in some amazing digital version from the studio.