I'm a PC user that want to try something different, after having used the same ol' x86/MS systems for several years. I've been researching the various Mac systems, and liked what I've seen. I even mentioned my interest in buying a Mac to some friends of mine. They thought I'd lost my sanity.
I'm currently considering two options.
(Prices from Apple Store Norway, converted from NOK til $USD with XE.com)
With either system I'll start with the smallest memory configuration (and in the case of the PowerMac, with the smallest harddrive), then upgrade if needed and as I get the funds required. I'm assuming that adding additional RAM or a secondary harddrive won't be problem (for the PM), using standard parts. Like adding my existing Western Digital 120GB SE ATA100 drive to the PowerMac.
I have some questions about the systems:
1. How much noise does the eMac and the PowerMac produce? At least compared to each other. What parts cause the most noise? Fans? Harddrive? It might end up in a living room so this could be of some importance.
2. Is it possible to use a normal LCD display with DVI and whould there be any issues with this, or do I have to get an Apple display? How about using a CRT?
3. How much difference does adding a second CPU add to system speed and responsivness? How does it affect performance when using and switching between several programs? I like to have several apps open, switching between them as needed. Often encoding MP3/OGG's or similar while doing lots of other stuff. My XP taskbar is usually very, very, crowded.
I'll be using it mostly for web surfing, listening to music, watching movies, some programming, web development, perhaps some graphics (2d).. Usually all at once . Assuming there's affordable programs out there. Photoshop is definitely not in my price class.. I already have a PC (which I'll be keeping), Xbox and a GameCube so it won't be used much for games.
4. How responsive/fast is MacOS X when it comes to the UI and system in general. I currently have a AMD Athlon XP 2600+ w/512MB RAM and a GeForce4 Ti4200 running Windows XP, and the system feel fairly fast. How whould the eMac or PowerMac w/MacOS X compare to this using the systems I put in the beginning of this post? And since I've read that adding RAM helps alot, how much is optimal? (I'd still like to know how fast/slow it whould be with the default configuration) Unfortunatly I have no chance to test out a Mac myself..
5. How good is localization support in MacOS X? If I choose a localized version whould there be delay in patches and upgrades for my choicen language or problems running english applications?
6. Any rumors of price drops on either systems in the next two months?
/All I can think of now. Hoping for some good replies.
I'm currently considering two options.
- The 1GHz eMac w/Combo drive, 128MB RAM, Radeon 7500 for ~1,250$USD
- The 1.25GHz PowerMac G4 w/Combo drive, 256MB RAM, Radeon 9000 for ~1,544$USD
(Prices from Apple Store Norway, converted from NOK til $USD with XE.com)
With either system I'll start with the smallest memory configuration (and in the case of the PowerMac, with the smallest harddrive), then upgrade if needed and as I get the funds required. I'm assuming that adding additional RAM or a secondary harddrive won't be problem (for the PM), using standard parts. Like adding my existing Western Digital 120GB SE ATA100 drive to the PowerMac.
I have some questions about the systems:
1. How much noise does the eMac and the PowerMac produce? At least compared to each other. What parts cause the most noise? Fans? Harddrive? It might end up in a living room so this could be of some importance.
2. Is it possible to use a normal LCD display with DVI and whould there be any issues with this, or do I have to get an Apple display? How about using a CRT?
3. How much difference does adding a second CPU add to system speed and responsivness? How does it affect performance when using and switching between several programs? I like to have several apps open, switching between them as needed. Often encoding MP3/OGG's or similar while doing lots of other stuff. My XP taskbar is usually very, very, crowded.
I'll be using it mostly for web surfing, listening to music, watching movies, some programming, web development, perhaps some graphics (2d).. Usually all at once . Assuming there's affordable programs out there. Photoshop is definitely not in my price class.. I already have a PC (which I'll be keeping), Xbox and a GameCube so it won't be used much for games.
4. How responsive/fast is MacOS X when it comes to the UI and system in general. I currently have a AMD Athlon XP 2600+ w/512MB RAM and a GeForce4 Ti4200 running Windows XP, and the system feel fairly fast. How whould the eMac or PowerMac w/MacOS X compare to this using the systems I put in the beginning of this post? And since I've read that adding RAM helps alot, how much is optimal? (I'd still like to know how fast/slow it whould be with the default configuration) Unfortunatly I have no chance to test out a Mac myself..
5. How good is localization support in MacOS X? If I choose a localized version whould there be delay in patches and upgrades for my choicen language or problems running english applications?
6. Any rumors of price drops on either systems in the next two months?
/All I can think of now. Hoping for some good replies.