Hey (PC user considering Mac purchase)

snordhol · March 10, 2004 5:45PM

Ok, I am totally a Windows user that is tired of the crap and hassle that I deal with each and every day. I find my self having to keep my system up to date; it?s no longer a pleasure using my PC, and I want to go to using a MAC.

Now, this isn?t the only reason that I want to switch. I want the mobility of a Laptop, and the reliability of Panther. But, that?s all that I know that I want.

I really don't know what the MAC PPC specifications mean and how they compare to the same ones on a X-86 Machine (no, not a G-5).

Could I get some feedback as to what would be a good machine to start out on? My inclination would to get a 15" power book, but is it really necessary to get a new one? How much has the performance been affected over the last few computer upgrades?

Thanks, and please correct me if any of my information is wrong

Snordhol

placebo · March 10, 2004 7:02PM

First of all, Mac isn't an acronym. It's a nickname, and therefore all its letters needn't be capitalized, as is the case with PC, which stands for personal computer.

G5 doesn't need a - between G and 5.

And although you didn't make this mistake, iPod has a lower case 'i'.

And now that I've been prodigiously nitpicky, I'd like to congradulate your decision to get a Mac!

The G4 Powerbook is a very nice computer, but will most likely be updated in the next month or two, so don't buy one unless you absolutely need one NOW.

Used Macs can be good, but refurbished Macs are even better. Look at smalldog.com or apple's refurbished section for great prices on Macs that are identical in quality to their non-refurbished counterparts.

Happy hunting!

tekmate · March 10, 2004 7:17PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Snordhol

Ok, I am totally a Windows user that is tired of the crap and hassle that I deal with each and every day. I find my self having to keep my system up to date; it?s no longer a pleasure using my PC, and I want to go to using a MAC.

Now, this isn?t the only reason that I want to switch. I want the mobility of a Laptop, and the reliability of Panther. But, that?s all that I know that I want.

I really don't know what the MAC PPC specifications mean and how they compare to the same ones on a X-86 Machine (no, not a G-5).

Could I get some feedback as to what would be a good machine to start out on? My inclination would to get a 15" power book, but is it really necessary to get a new one? How much has the performance been affected over the last few computer upgrades?

Thanks, and please correct me if any of my information is wrong

Snordhol

I am a 15 year veteran of PCs and just recently purchased a Mac Tibook 667mhz and I have to say it runs about the same speed as my 1ghz laptop. I like the size of the 15 myself if you can get one I say do it. It takes a little while to get used to Panther but once you do it really rocks.

sledgehammer · March 10, 2004 11:14PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Placebo

[snip]And now that I've been prodigiously nitpicky, I'd like to congradulate your decision to get a Mac![/snip]

After all that, you spelled congratulate wrong. Come on man, that's what built in cocoa spell checking is for!

ghost_user_name · March 10, 2004 11:29PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Placebo

First of all, Mac isn't an acronym. It's a nickname, and therefore all its letters needn't be capitalized, as is the case with PC, which stands for personal computer.

--snipn' it up--

But MAC is an acronym! Media Access Control!

ghost_user_name · March 11, 2004 7:09AM

Welcome to the forums.

First, you'll find that Mac users are a little demanding about getting the names right. "Mac", "G5", etc. as has already been pointed out.

It's like how some PC users get pissed off if you say "Athalon" instead of "Athlon". You can safely ignore most language rants, but please do try to use the proper names.

Quote:

Originally posted by Snordhol

I really don't know what the MAC PPC specifications mean and how they compare to the same ones on a X-86 Machine (no, not a G-5).

PPC stands for PowerPC. It is the name of a class of chips that share a common instruction set. G3, G4, and G5 are all PowerPC processors in the same sense that Pentium, Athlon, and Celeron are all x86 processors. You can get additional information about the latest PowerPC chip Apple is using from Apple's G5 processor page. PowerPC chips are also used in embedded systems, Nintendo's GameCube, and supposedly the next version of Microsoft's Xbox.

As for older models of PowerBooks, I think the biggest differences are simply the processor speeds and the graphics chips. You can find lots of information about older models of Apple computers from Apple-History.com.

jwri004 · March 11, 2004 7:23AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brad

First, you'll find that Mac users are a little demanding about getting the names right.

I think the word is anal.

What I would like to say is that it is currently a good time to be a Mac user. Chips are starting to become competitive, specs are going through the roof. M$ is taking a beating (!!!), apple innovation is kicking goals....

One thing, if you haven't found out already, is that most users become very passionate about their machines. I use a desktop that is (supposedly) twice as quick as my laptop. Guess which machine I get more work done on. Guess which machine I smack about due to "this program is not responding".

My name is ????? and I will NEVER buy a computer that is not an Apple

talksense101 · March 11, 2004 7:35AM

I think a refurbished G4 laptop is a good buy if you can't wait for the G5 laptops due sometime this year...

messiahtosh · March 11, 2004 8:00AM

I would go with an middle ground iBook, just to get your feet wet. Then if you find you love it, the PowerBook G5 is due out later this year and may be worth the upgrade.

alcimedes · March 11, 2004 8:14AM

yeah, if you're looking for portability and options with a good price, the 12" iBook can't be beat. if you really think you'll need the extra power or DVD burning, then a powerbook is a good choice.

on thing to note though. the low end iBook can be picked up for anywhere from $1,000 - $1,200 depending on options/discounts. you could buy two - three of them for the price of a powerbook. i can almost promise you that a year from now, the $1,000 iBook offering will be as fast or faster than the current $3,000 powerbook offering.

ghost_user_name · March 11, 2004 8:16AM

Also, for a more technical discussion of the G4/G5, you might find these articles helpful:

The Pentium 4 and the G4e: an Architectural Comparison

The Pentium 4 and the G4e: Part II: the Execution Core

A Brief Look at the PowerPC 970

Inside the PowerPC 970

Inside the PowerPC 970, Part II

(PPC970 is the official chip name of the "G5")

jbl · March 11, 2004 8:52AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brad

(PPC970 is the official chip name of the "G5")

In the spirit of getting picky about names, G5 is a class of chips. The PPC970 is the only shipping G5 but soon we should have the PPC970+ and PPC980 (or whatever they decide to call these chips when they are officially released) which will also be G5s.

pscates · March 11, 2004 8:52AM

Personally, I think the iBook G4 can't be beat in a situation like this: affordable, plenty of muscle for surfing, writing, e-mailing, iApps, Office v.X, DTP, etc. All the latest connectivity and I/O (except FireWire 800...big deal), great battery life, rugged case, good resale, a Combo Drive in every model, roomy hard drive and really nice-looking to boot.

If I were just now getting my first Mac, I honestly believe I'd start off with a 12" iBook G4 and simply go from there at a later date.

As for the 15" PowerBook, you can find refurb models at Apple's online store.

But the iBooks are great, now that they're all sporting G4s, Combo Drives, 32MB graphics, AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth capability, USB 2.0, etc.

johnq · March 11, 2004 8:57AM

Powerbooks can run second monitors easily too, without hacks (however easy and workable they may be).

pscates · March 11, 2004 9:00AM

Is there a huge, widespread demand/need for this among the average, day-to-day user?

Probably not.

I would imagine that, for many people, once they drop the cash on an pricey PowerBook might not have anything left over for a second display. A nice little chunk of irony...

Oops...I forgot that the 12" PowerBook now supports this...okay!

wrong robot · March 11, 2004 11:26AM

yeah, and either way, monitor spanning is always good, I use it almost every day to watch DVDs in the apartment.

powerpc · March 11, 2004 5:01PM

PowerPC is an Acronym......stands for "Performance Optimized With Enhanced RISC"

see.....ya learn something new everyday...

chych · March 11, 2004 6:14PM

But wouldn't that be IBM's POWER series of processors?

daver · March 11, 2004 8:32PM

Indeed it would. PowerPC is a subset of the POWER specification.

Hey (PC user considering Mac purchase)

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