Help! PC builder wants to turn Mac

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ddubres79ddubres79
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
It's my first post, HUZZAH!



At work I have a nice PowerMac full of ram which works fine, but at home I have a home-brew cheap PC e6400 C2D computer, but I HATE Vista and can't take it anymore.



I mainly do print, some web and no video editing using CS3. I can't seem to talk myself into buying a MacPro for 3400 (especially because I can build a PC for $1900 sans OSX), but looked at waiting for the new iMac or getting the low-end Macbook Pro + 20in monitor. Since I have never used a non-tower Mac before, are the other options even realistic for my needs or should I just suck it up and save more for the MacPro?



Here is the breakdown:



1. MacPro (edu discount)

2.66 Quad

x1900 upgrade

4GB ram-MacSales.com

20in Monitor

Total = $3246



2. Macbook Pro 2.2

160 7200 upgrade

4GB ram MacSales

20in Monitor

Total = 2526



3. 20in iMac

3GB ram MacSales

x1600 upgrade

Total = $1682



I can also take advantage of my wife's edu discount btw. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!



Thanks, let the opinions pour in!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DdubRes79 View Post


    It's my first post, HUZZAH!



    At work I have a nice PowerMac full of ram which works fine, but at home I have a home-brew cheap PC e6400 C2D computer, but I HATE Vista and can't take it anymore.



    I mainly do print, some web and no video editing using CS3. I can't seem to talk myself into buying a MacPro for 3400 (especially because I can build a PC for $1900 sans OSX), but looked at waiting for the new iMac or getting the low-end Macbook Pro + 20in monitor. Since I have never used a non-tower Mac before, are the other options even realistic for my needs or should I just suck it up and save more for the MacPro?



    Here is the breakdown:



    1. MacPro (edu discount)

    2.66 Quad

    x1900 upgrade

    4GB ram-MacSales.com

    20in Monitor

    Total = $3246



    2. Macbook Pro 2.2

    160 7200 upgrade

    4GB ram MacSales

    20in Monitor

    Total = 2526



    3. 20in iMac

    3GB ram MacSales

    x1600 upgrade

    Total = $1682



    I can also take advantage of my wife's edu discount btw. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!



    Thanks, let the opinions pour in!



    Wait for the new imacs before making a decision. They should be coming soon.

    Then make your decision. I would probably suggest you look at the iMac. It will do everything you need and at a reasonable price. I think I'm going to get an iMac later this year to replace the pc in our kitchen.
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  • Reply 2 of 6
    easyceasyc Posts: 69member
    Yeah dido dude. The new iMacs will help you get a better view of whats out there, considering the current iMacs are way outdated.
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  • Reply 3 of 6
    ddubres79ddubres79 Posts: 101member
    Thanks, I guess that would be the consensus, after two replies this questions seems DOA! I will patiently await any iMac announcements. thanks!
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  • Reply 4 of 6
    ipeonipeon Posts: 1,122member
    Even if you get the least expensive Mac Pro costing you $2,200.00, it's twice as fast as the fastest MacBook Pro not to mention you have the option to expand it. Unless you absolutely need a laptop the Mac Pro is by far the better choice in every aspect.



    Mac Pro:

    Two 2.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon, 1GB (2 x 512MB)

    250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s

    NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single-link DVI/dual-link DVI)

    One 16x SuperDrive

    Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse - U.S. English

    $2,200.00



    15" MacBook Pro:

    2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

    2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB

    160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

    SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

    MacBook Pro 15-inch Widescreen Display

    Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English

    Accessory Kit

    $2,499.00
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  • Reply 5 of 6
    joe_the_dragonjoe_the_dragon Posts: 931member
    There may be a new mac pro coming soon with ECC ram dropping the FB-dimms
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  • Reply 6 of 6
    ddubres79ddubres79 Posts: 101member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Joe_the_dragon View Post


    There may be a new mac pro coming soon with ECC ram dropping the FB-dimms



    This is actually in response two the last two posts, but I had it in my head a MacPro would be overkill for a non-video editor (I don't need 4 HD's and 16GB of ram) but after you broke it down it's actually on par (with a monitor) to the Macbook Pro. I just have to remind myself that compared to a PC workstations it's a heck of a bargain at $2200.



    In regards to the updated ECC RAM, video card options etc, I feel like I've been 'on hold' for over 6 months now waiting for updates that never seem to happen. (except the 8-core which I KNOW I don't need). Maybe I just need to stop thinking "I'm paying the same price for last years hardware" and just hit the "checkout" button.
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