My dilemma :to switch or not to switch
I am going to college and want a powerful desktop that can, with few upgrades get me through the first 2-3 years, I will, in late Aug have ~$900-1000 to spend.
My dilemma is that I really want a Mac but I will NEVER buy an e/imac because AIOs ALWAYS without exception suck hard, they cant be upgraded and I am stuck with a crummy 17 inch crt that is lower quality than the one that I have.
I have thought about the PM but I don?t need 8 gigs of ram and 2 G5s, I may save for a little longer and go for a PM but all I want is what I will need to listen to music, write reports, coding, networking, and other college stuff like the occasional DVD and the obligatory web and email tasks. (Addition) I also do some light photoshoping if that makes a differance.
Will apple ever get a non-aio low end unit? Will they ever unplug their ears and stop humming loudly while ignoring what real consumers need and demand?
My other option is building a windows rig, please Apple, don?t make me do it!
My dilemma is that I really want a Mac but I will NEVER buy an e/imac because AIOs ALWAYS without exception suck hard, they cant be upgraded and I am stuck with a crummy 17 inch crt that is lower quality than the one that I have.
I have thought about the PM but I don?t need 8 gigs of ram and 2 G5s, I may save for a little longer and go for a PM but all I want is what I will need to listen to music, write reports, coding, networking, and other college stuff like the occasional DVD and the obligatory web and email tasks. (Addition) I also do some light photoshoping if that makes a differance.
Will apple ever get a non-aio low end unit? Will they ever unplug their ears and stop humming loudly while ignoring what real consumers need and demand?
My other option is building a windows rig, please Apple, don?t make me do it!
Comments
...all I want is what I will need to listen to music, write reports, coding, networking, and other college stuff like the occasional DVD and the obligatory web and email tasks. (Addition) I also do some light photoshoping if that makes a differance.
Sounds like an eMac or iMac would be perfect for that sort of work (don't know about the coding bit though, as I've never done any, so don't know how an iMac would cope). It's pretty much what I'm using my iMac 17" for
...I am stuck with a crummy 17 inch crt that is lower quality than the one that I have...
If you already have a good quality monitor, couldn't you hook that up as an external dsiplay? Or even better, use the monitor spanning hack for dual display fun 8).
...I don?t need 8 gigs of ram and 2 G5s...
Just because it can have up to 8 GB RAM doesn't mean you have to have that much
If all you will be doing is the type of things you listed, why would you need to upgrade? I personally think an AIO would do what you need it to, now and for the next couple of years.
Just a few thoughts
Dave.
No need to spend three grand (as I did) on a new Power Mac, pickup an older one and buy a processor card, done. With a few hundred more you can also purchase a MDD from the Apple Store brand new.
PM Digital Audio ($700) + Sonnet 1GHz ($250) = "Within Budget"
Originally posted by IonYz
Or go the refurb route on an older Power Mac. In 2001, when I switched, I bought a Power Mac G4 Dual (Digital Audio) and it held up quite well on its own. Later on I bought a 1.3GHz processor upgrade, Serial ATA controller card, Pro Audio card. Your right about the upgrading end of things. I can add just about any technology I want to my Power Mac here.
No need to spend three grand (as I did) on a new Power Mac, pickup an older one and buy a processor card, done. With a few hundred more you can also purchase a MDD from the Apple Store brand new.
PM Digital Audio ($700) + Sonnet 1GHz ($250) = "Within Budget"
sweet thanxx
Originally posted by kraig911
an emac could easily make it for the next two years. hardly anyone updates the crap in their computers anymore, and with firewire you can always buy external solutions that will help you ie more storage, external new blue ray burner (if you needed it.) You want the g5 because its the g5 not because its headless just admit it
th g5 is nice but I want a tower that will sit next to my current windows tower and would play nice with a kvm switch and right now, the g5 is the only mac to do that eccept for the pmg4 which imho is way over priced.
Originally posted by Dave Abrey
Sounds like an eMac or iMac would be perfect for that sort of work (don't know about the coding bit though, as I've never done any, so don't know how an iMac would cope).
LOL
(Leans over and taps the 66MHz 486 he was coding on this morning and chuckles).
An eMac will do fine for coding!
Originally posted by a_greer
My dilemma is that I really want a Mac but I will NEVER buy an e/imac because AIOs ALWAYS without exception suck hard,
well, all the ones I have had, have not sucked, so there goes your 'factual statement'.
you are not worthy of a mac, go to walmart.com and order one of those cheap-ass $200 pc's
At your budget it would make the most sense to build a Windows based computer. If you plan on coding and networking you're going to want to have access to both platforms anyways. $1000 isn't going to keep you very current on either platform but the money is probably best spent on a PC at that pricepoint. I would then look to augment the PC Desktop with a Mac iBook or Powerbook in the future. Best of both worlds.
Portables are very nice for school (you can take notes in class, take it to the library, etc.), I really which I had one when I went to college.
Originally posted by Res
Since you want a Mac and don't have the $$$ for a tower, I'd say get an iBook. With a student discount you can get the iBook for under $1000.
Portables are very nice for school (you can take notes in class, take it to the library, etc.), I really which I had one when I went to college.
sounds like a winner, I have used a 14 inch in the real world and it was great, but I haven't seen or used a 12 inch laptop outside of a brightly lighted showroom, and wonder if it looks differant in normal room light.
basicly what I am asking is does a 12 inch laptop display appear as crisp bright and vivid outside of a showroom where every single element is designed to make the product look great?
Originally posted by psgamer0921
If you're going to be in college, wouldn't it make more sense to get an iBook, or refurb Powerook?
yes, but I have space for 2 desktops and usually desktops have a better price/performance ratio than laptops, but I may go laptop because being able to keep it with me, while not necessary, is nice.
For a desktop in that price range I wouldn't even bother looking at an Apple if you're willing to consider anything else. For $1,000 and a little DIY assembly - you can build a fairly decent PC box.
Just my 2 bits.
C.
Originally posted by Bygimis Turug VIII
LOL
(Leans over and taps the 66MHz 486 he was coding on this morning and chuckles).
An eMac will do fine for coding!
...stop tapping your emac
Originally posted by a_greer
sounds like a winner, I have used a 14 inch in the real world and it was great, but I haven't seen or used a 12 inch laptop outside of a brightly lighted showroom, and wonder if it looks differant in normal room light.
basicly what I am asking is does a 12 inch laptop display appear as crisp bright and vivid outside of a showroom where every single element is designed to make the product look great?
The darker the ambient light, the better it looks.
Speaking from personal experience with a 12" iBook.
Originally posted by a_greer
sounds like a winner, I have used a 14 inch in the real world and it was great, but I haven't seen or used a 12 inch laptop outside of a brightly lighted showroom, and wonder if it looks differant in normal room light.
basicly what I am asking is does a 12 inch laptop display appear as crisp bright and vivid outside of a showroom where every single element is designed to make the product look great?
I think the 12 inchers look like crap in every kind of light.
Looks like your store has some good interior architects
edit: nice machines in all other respects though. I wouldn't shy away from the twelve inchers if I had a good external display at the desk.
For a good budget PC recipe, looky here:
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=2077&p=9
Substitute the processor with a 2500+, up the memory to 512MB, ditch speakers and you're set. About 450$ plus display.