Mac Question - First Timer
Hello Community,
Im looking for a new computer after 6 years and Decided I would like to move to mac for some reason, but Im not well informed or researched.
I hear that Macs are the best for application intense processing.. is this true?
The computer would be used for web design and application use
I would like to hook up two additional monitors to the system for additional space.
is this possible off the shelf? is this possible at all?
thank you guys for your help
Im looking for a new computer after 6 years and Decided I would like to move to mac for some reason, but Im not well informed or researched.
I hear that Macs are the best for application intense processing.. is this true?
The computer would be used for web design and application use
I would like to hook up two additional monitors to the system for additional space.
is this possible off the shelf? is this possible at all?
thank you guys for your help
Comments
I hear that Macs are the best for application intense processing.. is this true?
Not really, I haven't really seen much difference in CPU benchmarks between PCs and Macs running OS X, Linux or Windows (Windows is usually slowest though but it's not much). For 3D, the Mac is one of the worst and is quite annoying because it's the only place that people generally think it's better - they always say 'Macs are better for graphics though', which really means it's better for color reproduction in DTP because it's a color managed operating system but then they see the graphics (3D) benchmarks and think nope, it sure isn't better at graphics.
One place it is better and similar to Linux is memory management. Not entirely because it has memory allocation problems that Leopard addresses but for running the OS for long periods of time it's pretty good.
The computer would be used for web design and application use
One issue I find using Macs for this is that I still need to test with Internet Explorer. Now that Windows has Safari, you can test with all the browsers. I use Parallels to get round this but I don't like having to run a VM while I run Dreamweaver just to test under IE plus it involves a lot of copying as I do local testing.
I would like to hook up two additional monitors to the system for additional space.
Ah, another one to join the mid-tower campaign. The Mini only has one display port, as do the Macbooks, Macbook Pros and iMacs, so the only option is the huge and expensive Mac Pro, which is overkill for web design.
That is not to say that Apple's current products won't suit you, it's just they don't sell one that would be ideal.
I like the imac alot -- but what would I miss if I chose that over the mini?
I like the imac alot -- but what would I miss if I chose that over the mini?
Nothing. The only reason to get a mini is if you have room for only one monitor and you hat the new glossy iMac screens. The mini is an entry level Mac and is good for what it is. It would be nice if there was a headless Mac between the mini and the Mac pro but there isn't.
So I would have to be satisfied with a dual display if I did not want to go with the pro.
I like the imac alot -- but what would I miss if I chose that over the mini?
The iMac supports 4GB RAM and an external DVI display up to (quite a big resolution). The Mac Mini only supports officially up to 2GB RAM (unofficially maybe 3GB max), and only video output.
So I would have to be satisfied with a dual display if I did not want to go with the pro.
I like the imac alot -- but what would I miss if I chose that over the mini?
Well...I've decided that one 30" monitor is better for me than two 24" monitors. I have the MBP 17" (rev a) which I use with a 30".
Unfortunately the iMac doesn't have a dual-link DVI (mini-DVI only) out but perhaps a 24" monitor and a 24" iMac will do for you.
Vinea