Is Macintosh for me?

[MDP]

Hi all - I am new here! :)

Recently, I have been considering a Mac for my next computer upgrade at the end of the year - but I am not sure whether it would be a good idea purchasing one or not.

The only thing deterring me from buying one is the hardware (mainly the video card), and the limited upgrade abilities.

I pretty much use my computer for music, gaming and other general work.

Right now, the iMac/Mac Mini does not suit my needs and the Mac Pro is too expensive and overpowered. I am hoping that there will be some improvement later in the year.

So I have these two questions:

1. Should I stick with PC, or switch to Mac?

2. Are :apple: likely to release a new mini-tower Mac at the end of the year, or at least update the iMac with a better video card? Is it safe to wait?

My Current Specs are:

AMD Athlon 64 3700+
2GB DDR333 RAM
Nvidia 7800GT
250GB SATA Hard drive

Cheers!

[pianoman]

i wouldn't count on a midsized tower. Apple has had plenty of chances to release something of this effect and they've passed every time.

[synth3tik]

I guess the main thing to look at is your gaming. Mac are not made for gaming, but can do them rather well. I am not a gamer so my knowledge on the area is slim. The few games I have played were good. I use a MBP and a Mac Pro. The video card on the new iMacs is decent. Don't know how intesive the games you like are, but for the most part you should be alright. I won't get into the different ways of running widows on a mac as you probable looked into that already.

As for as a mid size tower, do not hold your breathe. There will not be one in the foreseeable future. The iMac was just updated so that is what it will be for a while. I think a 24" iMac will suit you fairly well, as I said I am not a gamer so I may be wrong.

good luck with your decision.

[Muncher]

I believe the 7800GT is more powerful than the Radeon HD 2600 Pro in the new imacs. If you're looking for something at or above the same level, the 8600GT mobile in the macbook pro may be as good. Otherwise, it's Mac Pro or bust.

[stainlessliquid]

If you are a serious gamer then no the mac is not for you. It really doesnt matter if the imac had an 8800gtx, the fact is that you cant update the video card on an imac and that will cost you big time later. The fact that you spent money on a 7800gt probably means that you are in the mainstream enthusiast market that cares about keeping up with the times but doesnt care about having the very best and doesnt want the bare minimum. The imac is really not an option for keeping up with games, youll be buying an entirely new computer every year or so even if it had the best card available at the time. Gamers know that you always have to upgrade the video card more than any other part in your computer to keep up with new games, so having that option saves thousands in the long run. Even the Mac Pro isnt an option since it takes such an insanely long time for them to get a video card update since nobody buys those expensive things.

PC users, specifically gamers, have been asking Apple for an upgradable consumer grade tower for years. Apple would make a killing with it but they refuse to release one. If it hasnt happened by now then its never going to happen.

[gnasher729]

Hi all - I am new here! :)

Recently, I have been considering a Mac for my next computer upgrade at the end of the year - but I am not sure whether it would be a good idea purchasing one or not.

The only thing deterring me from buying one is the hardware (mainly the video card), and the limited upgrade abilities.

I pretty much use my computer for music, gaming and other general work.

Right now, the iMac/Mac Mini does not suit my needs and the Mac Pro is too expensive and overpowered. I am hoping that there will be some improvement later in the year.

So I have these two questions:

1. Should I stick with PC, or switch to Mac?

2. Are :apple: likely to release a new mini-tower Mac at the end of the year, or at least update the iMac with a better video card? Is it safe to wait?

My Current Specs are:

AMD Athlon 64 3700+
2GB DDR333 RAM
Nvidia 7800GT
250GB SATA Hard drive

Cheers!

Get an iMac or a MacBook and a Wii. Much better to get work done, and to have games that are actually fun.

[kikobarbada]

The 2.4 Intel Core 2 Duo from Apple is way better than your AMD processor. About the video card, yours is way better than the 128mb or the 256mb from Apple. I think if you get:

20" LCD
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB memory
320GB hard drive1
8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory

It'll be perfect from your needs. Or bump the ram to 2gb. And this will be about the same speed as your current computer, so if you want a better one get the top-end iMac or a Mac Pro. Plus, it is Mac OS X.

[Sean Dempsey]

Get a PC for gaming.

There is no point to try and game on a Mac when a PC does it so much better. Especially, what games are you playing?

[flopticalcube]

Hi all - I am new here! :)

Recently, I have been considering a Mac for my next computer upgrade at the end of the year - but I am not sure whether it would be a good idea purchasing one or not.

The only thing deterring me from buying one is the hardware (mainly the video card), and the limited upgrade abilities.

I pretty much use my computer for music, gaming and other general work.

Right now, the iMac/Mac Mini does not suit my needs and the Mac Pro is too expensive and overpowered. I am hoping that there will be some improvement later in the year.

So I have these two questions:

1. Should I stick with PC, or switch to Mac?

2. Are :apple: likely to release a new mini-tower Mac at the end of the year, or at least update the iMac with a better video card? Is it safe to wait?

My Current Specs are:

AMD Athlon 64 3700+
2GB DDR333 RAM
Nvidia 7800GT
250GB SATA Hard drive

Cheers!

Given your needs, your probably best to stick with a PC. I don't think Apple will release a mini tower, as much as we all would like it. The graphics card in the iMac is not a desktop 2600Pro. Its an underclocked Mobility 2600XT. It will be a bit slower than your 7800GT on older games but should be pretty snappy on the newer games. As others have said, the big problem is GPU upgradability. The graphics card sits on its own MXM module but its nearly impossible to get to and voids the warranty in doing so.

[stainlessliquid]

And this will be about the same speed as your current computer, so if you want a better one get the top-end iMac or a Mac Pro. Plus, it is Mac OS X.
No it wont. Theres nothing wrong with his current processor for games. His bottleneck in new games with lots of shaders and textures is the video card, so the imac would actually be worse. Yes the C2D kicks the Athlong 64's ass but getting a better processor would only mildy improve framerates in modern games (only if he kept the same gpu).

[suneohair]

Sounds like you need to stick with PC.

[MDP]

I'm afraid it looks like I will be sticking with PC - since it would be more suitable and cost effective for me.

Although, I am considering a Macbook for just my music (both listening and production) and work, alongside my PC for gaming and other stuff. How does Logic run on a standard Macbook? Would I need to go for a Macbook Pro instead?

Thank you for all the fast replies! I appreciate it :)