Considering Switching to Macs

Comments

• Reply 1 of 9

  ghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member

  October 7, 2003 7:03PM

  For 2Gs you could get a pc that will be faster than any Powerbook... If it is portability you need... then go for the Powerbook.
• Reply 2 of 9

  alcimedes Posts: 5,486member

  October 7, 2003 7:14PM

  you'll have better luck with this in General Discussion.
• Reply 3 of 9

  dmband0026 Posts: 2,345member

  October 7, 2003 7:38PM

  I think you should just get a Mac for the heck of it. Even if it doesn't do everything you need. You'll always have the option (though I don't recommend it) of using the PC. However, over time you will probably reduce your usage of the pecee due to the fact that the Mac will prove its superiority day in and day out. Get a Mac, never look back, you won't regret it, I promise.
• Reply 4 of 9

  splinemodel Posts: 7,311member

  October 8, 2003 12:56AM

  1) As far as I can tell, there are no notebook computers that are particularly good for playing video games.
  
  
  
  2) the performance of a Powerbook G4 is not that much different than the performance of a Pentium-M notebook, as far as I can tell. (Perhaps better, but I haven't seen the details)
  
  
  
  3) The screen is better than any other notebook screen there is, at least with the Titanium 15" 1Ghz I have.
• Reply 5 of 9

  luca Posts: 3,833member

  October 8, 2003 1:55AM

  Quote:
  

  
  Originally posted by Splinemodel
  
  1) As far as I can tell, there are no notebook computers that are particularly good for playing video games.
  

  
  

  
  
  Come back when you've tried a Dell Inspiron 8600
  
  
  
  It's their highest end laptop. SCREAMS in UT 2003. It's buttery-smooth at 1024x768 with very high settings, and it's even usable at the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM settings at 1600x1200 resolution. Lots of combat will slow it down at 1600x1200 unless the effects are turned down to the middle, but it's still amazing performance from a laptop. Of course, it helps that UT 2003 (and all games for that matter) tend to run a whole lot better on PCs than Macs.
• Reply 6 of 9

  thuh freak Posts: 2,664member

  October 8, 2003 6:47AM

  Quote:
  

  
  Originally posted by Luca Rescigno
  
  Come back when you've tried a Dell Inspiron 8600
  
  
  
  It's their highest end laptop. SCREAMS in UT 2003. It's buttery-smooth at 1024x768 with very high settings, and it's even usable at the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM settings at 1600x1200 resolution. Lots of combat will slow it down at 1600x1200 unless the effects are turned down to the middle, but it's still amazing performance from a laptop. Of course, it helps that UT 2003 (and all games for that matter) tend to run a whole lot better on PCs than Macs.
  

  
  

  
  
  i dont know if they've made big advances, but dell inspirons suck ass. they are not laptops. laptops maintain a reasonable temperature so as not to steralize a user. laptops dont weigh a metric ton. laptops aren't that fvcking huge. o man, i hate dell. and not just the company.
• Reply 7 of 9

  mccrab Posts: 201member

  October 8, 2003 8:44AM

  I started out using Macs at home in the mid 1980's and was a big fan until Apple lost its way in the 90's (poor hardware, price/value equation no longer stacked up). At the same time, my work environment always used PC's (typically good quality, fast, top of the line laptops, IBM ThinkPads etc) running NT. Towards the end of the 90's I bought a ThinkPad for personal use - it was a very good and stable machine.
  
  
  
  In early 2000, it was time to upgrade and I was about to shell out for another ThinkPad when a friend of mine suggested I take another look at the Mac - I did so and ended up buying a 500Mhz G4. It was a good buy and I got a lot of use out of it (using OS 9).
  
  
  
  Things changed dramatically when Apple released the beta of OS X (I think it was in March 2001). I tried it out - initially I wasn't all that impressed - it was unstable etc. Apple soon released the full commercial version - it was a very significant improvement. Since that time I have bought a G4 800Mhz DP, a 12" PB and recently a 15" PB. OS X and the current Mac offerings are simply brilliant - the stability is unmatched (NT comes fairly close, but needs much more in the way of tech/IT support) and the software library available for the Mac is very good. I am still a user of NT (on a ThinkPad X30) in the office, but when it comes to spending my own money, it is Apple all the way. You should really give the Mac (and importantly OS X) your serious consideration - you won't be disappointed.
• Reply 8 of 9

  bentspace Posts: 1member

  October 8, 2003 10:35AM

  considering you're going into the visual arts field, that alone should be the main reason for wanting to switch to a mac. everyone in your chosen field (the vast majority anyway) use the mac platform, it's just plain better at visual art than a pc.
• Reply 9 of 9

  kneelbeforezod Posts: 1,120member

  October 8, 2003 2:18PM

  I purchased my first Mac, a 1ghz Titanium PowerBook, last year. It is possibly the single best electronics purchase I have ever made (the only competition comes from some beloved audio equipment) and may just be the best computer I have ever used. My previous laptop was a Sony Vaio. It remains a solid, durable machine, but the operating system is and always has been a problem (First Windows 98, than Windows 2000). Keeping it Spyware and Virus free, rebooting as often as not (particularly in Windows 98) and having it become obsolete and near worthless in less than two years seriously detract from the computing experience.
  
  
  
  By comparison, the Powerbook is a joy to use. 11 months later I still feel like I'm getting my money's worth from the purchase. I have had no Spyware or Malware find its way into the registry thanks to poorly designed ActiveX controls in my browser. Instead of being an appliance that requires constant maintenance and coaxing, the Powerbook feels like a precision instrument that does exactly what it is supposed to. I'm still pleasantly surprised when I notice how well the kinds of actions I want to perform have been anticipated and simplified. A simple example is the position of the command key on a Mac keyboard. On a PC it's the control keys, which have to be pressed with your little finger while you stretch your hand for the other key(s) you need to press. On a Mac it?s the Apple icon keys are next to the space bar and may be pressed with your thumb. This small change in ergonomics allows me to use command keys more often, more quickly and with less finger gymnastics than on a Windows machine. This sounds like a small thing, but it?s all the small things that make a big difference.
  
  
  
  It's not flawless of course: The Finder in Jaguar is deficient in that it is slow and overly simplified for a power user (Panther is supposedly going to improve on this). Windows has better file sharing apps. In my experience the kinds of apps that are freeware on PCs tend to be $20 shareware for Macs (although the $20 shareware is usually well worth the $20). MS Office for OS X is even more of a buggy pain in the ass than Office 2000.
  
  
  
  I don't use my Powerbook for gaming, and wouldn't expect the kind of performance or range of titles available to desktop PCs if I did. If gaming is a priority that outweighs a day-to-day user experience that is more enjoyable than not, then you?re better off spending the money on a kickass Windows desktop, but I really don?t think you?ll find a laptop / notebook that compares with the current crop of G4 Powerbooks.