anyone plan to buy a pc? what reason?

[jefhatfield]

i have to at least have a basic celeron/duron machine around for my pc repair business

i will never need the p4 or athlon since the heavier graphics apps will be done on a mac with my g3 ibook and hopefully later a g4 imac or soon to be g4 ibook...one can hope

[Choppaface]

i got one mainly because it's a lot faster (i wanted to see just how fast..), it will be cheaper to upgrade, i wanted to be able to run 3dsmax, i wanted a real pc to preview web stuff in, and i thought it would come in handy seeing that VPC did nothing but crash for me, and IMO it was too slow to use. so far I've been very pleased with it :D

[ShaolinMiddleFinger]

I just use mine for downloads. That way if I download something bad that destroys the comp...I won't really care.

[Grokgod]

This thread just makes me feel sick...

Yea, i have a Pcheese and its just damn irritating and ugly and I hate to boot it and when i do i curse it out loud and spit into its guts and cry havok.

Yea, it goes real fast, flying at ultra speeds towards its crash.

XP is the worst version of Winblows ever! 98 was a Gem compared to XP.

XP was the single greatest thing m$ every did for APPLE

Of course for web stuff you have to check out what your stuff looks like and for tech stuff if you make a living off M$ mistakes or are they on purpose?

So I have one under the desk in the back and my laptop ontop of the desk.

Yesterday I hooked up my Ti to my second LCD and it was so easy to do ,,boom a whole new screen to work with, my photoshop world was HUGE.

Could never do that with a PCheese!

[sparkleytone]

the only thing that makes the PC im on right now semidecent is the fact that i just deleted windows and am running slackware. kde3 isnt complete crap. its still way more of a pain in the ass than it should be. alll these dependencies and shizz. anyways i got to go to bed :rolleyes:

[Nipsy]

If you must get one, I would recommend a PIII 1GHz running Win2k Pro. This setup can be had for $350 on eBay, and is all the PC you should ever need or want.

[mmmdreg]

why do people who buy PC's buy them apart from ignorance and work-related topics?

[ShaolinMiddleFinger]

Mine was made by my friend who thought I might like windows better....wrong decision.... I converted him to Mac in two days after..... All those things you take for granted on a Mac will be cherished items if you stumble upon a PC (especially spring loaded folders)

There is one good thing though....there's more file sharing programs on a PC... Yes, there's virtual PC but running Kazaa on it with a iBook 500mhz makes it as slow as a 100mhz. Correct me if I'm wrong... i'd love to learn how to speed it up...

but remember this....in two days time, I switched a person that could swear his life by Windows to a Mac person....

[sluthy]

I bought a 1.5 GHz P4 PC in January (I got it for a bargain at education rates). I'm using it now simply because it's faster than my aging graphite iMac, and I require Visual Basic and MS Access for schoolwork. I also want KaZaa, or similar.

I did have VPC 4.0, but it was far too slow, and is now defunct is OS X. And I'm not paying for the upgrade anymore.

However, I still keep all my music and videos on my iMac in my room, because it's just so nice too me - except when it all gives me a spinning beachball and makes me restart, and then my iPod carks it suddenly when I can't find the receipt for warranty, and - oh well.

P.S. Does anybody know of a perfectly legal client that uses the same network as KaZaa, and DOESN'T HAVE ANY ****ING ADWARE/SPYWARE/SH*TWARE??!?!?!?!?:mad::mad::mad::mad:

P.P.S. KaZaa Lite is illegal. Don't bother suggesting it.

P.P.P.S. Gnutella is crap. Don't go there.

[Ensign Paris]

I would not have a Windoze machine as my main machine, I think Win2k was very very good, for windoze. XP sucks.

Ensign

[shadowfax0]

Yeah, i'm gonna buy a PC, I ahte this Mac crap, I'm so sick of all the usability, the stability, Bleck! I'm gonna go buy myself a $500 PC with XP, purely because I can't stand the Mac platform, all it does for me is give me no excuses for not being productive, nothing to repair! It's such a pain in the behind! No seriously, im thinking of buying a $500 Athlon XP 2200+ purely for SETI, and it's simply going to sit in the corner, do SETI, kazaa searches, and fill my appetite for Day of Defeat. That's it. I wanna see if I can't leave it on all summer next to my mac, and see if it'll crash from jsut doing SETI. I already know who the winner (yeah I know I'm the LOSER here, but that's besides the fact :p ) will be, but I want to see how 'stable' XP really is. And hell, they have DoD for Linux, maybe I'll just choose that path....

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by shadowfax0


, but I want to see how 'stable' XP really is. And hell, they have DoD for Linux, maybe I'll just choose that path....



the way i see it, xp is windows nt4, 3rd edition

with windows 2000 being windows nt4, 2nd edition

...so xp should be at least as stable as the previous two releases (which are non-dos)

the dos stuff, 95 and 98, are more prone to crashing...but on the other hand, have a lot more stuff that works with it

only time will tell where microsoft windows xp will go...we have os x and it's a certified hit and apple's future with aqua is assured:D

[cb911]

well i might get a PC in about a year and a half when i finish at college. there will be at least P4 3.5GHz out then, maybe a 4GHz. and when i say 'buy' one i really mean i will build one. but if i do get a PC it will be because Apple hasn't kept up with the PC world (which i think is very unlikely), or because i don't have the money for a Mac. it also depends on the software, but it looks like i won't have to worry about that. another reason i would get a PC is for the upgradeability. or i could just get a new Mac whenever they release one... sounds good to me!:D

[LethalWolfe]

buy a PC... no... BUILD a PC... always :D

I like my PC for two big reasons:

1. You can tinker/tweak a PC a hell of a lot more/easier than you can a Mac. Not just hardware wise, but software wise too ( there are a lot more free/shareware proggies for PC than for Mac).

2. Games.


Lethal

[billiam0878]

I don't use a PC, but has anyone seen this?

[billiam0878]

Sorry, that didn't work. I 'll try again.

Bill

HERE (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product_listing.gsp?cat=96356&dept=3944&path=0%3A3944%3A3951%3A41937%3A86796%3A96356&bti=0&sb=61)

[AlphaTech]

I am with LethalWolfe on this...

IF you must have a peecee, build it, don't buy one. You will learn a lot more of how to support them by building one. You can pick up AMD processors a hell of a lot cheaper then intel crap. You can go with either the Duron, or an Athlon (you can find the pre-XP chips for a song) chip. I highly suggest going with a Giga-byte motherboard. I have used them in several peecee's and never had any problems. The times I have used others, all sorts of nastiness occurred.

You can also get an inexpensive video card (update it later if you want) for well under $100. Then you just need to get the hard drive, optical, floppy, NIC and such.

[edesignuk]

I have only EVER bought 1 PC, and that was my first PC.
Since then I have allways built my own, it is the ONLY way to go if you must (which I do) have a PC.

[jadam]

Im getting a PC for work. I have my iBook 700, but, AMD is coming out with the 64bit hammers, and im ganna get a PC just to have 64bits of power :p . When/And If the G5's are 64bit, ill get one of those too.

[jadam]

Originally posted by AlphaTech
floppy

...

[kaltsasa]

By all means build one if you have to have one. And I agree 100% on AMD Chips, I've never had any problems with mine. In my line of work I have to have a pc for repai, trouble shooting, etc...I work at a school with macs and pc's and I also do pc repair and system building localy. Of course I always try to get my customers to go downt to the local mac store and take a look, I've gotten a few people to switch to the mac, and in return my fellow apple lovers have given me posers, t-shirts, even a huge apple banner. But there will always be those pc heads out there and for them, I'm here to repair thier forever ailing machines.

[F/reW/re]

I'm bying a Dell laptop. P4 1.6 GHz
I hate PC and love Mac, then why..?
The PC costs 10'000 NOK and a PowerBook G4 667MHz costs 30'000 NOK. That means I can buy 3 Dells for the price of 1 Mac. That sucks!!

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by jadam


...

Fork you... :p

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by F/reW/re
I'm bying a Dell laptop. P4 1.6 GHz
I hate PC and love Mac, then why..?
The PC costs 10'000 NOK and a PowerBook G4 667MHz costs 30'000 NOK. That means I can buy 3 Dells for the price of 1 Mac. That sucks!!

Dude, you're going to hell for that... :D

If you MUST get a peecee, build one, don't buy a dell pOc... Just because you can buy more dells for your dollars, doesn't mean you should.

[job]

Originally posted by AlphaTech
Just because you can buy more dells for your dollars, doesn't mean you should.

You get what you pay for. :D :D

Sometimes quality does not always come cheap. :)

[job]

Originally posted by billiam0878
Sorry, that didn't work. I 'll try again.

Bill

HERE (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product_listing.gsp?cat=96356&dept=3944&path=0%3A3944%3A3951%3A41937%3A86796%3A96356&bti=0&sb=61)

What the heck is that? Does it run Windows programs or Linux apps? Do they have to be specially complied for Lindows (sic)?

[jaykk]

Look at the price they are offering for Athlon and P4 Systems minus Windoze.. No wonder M$ sued Lindows (and ofcourse M$ lost the the suite). You can run most of the Win Applications natively on Lindows.. Windoze's market share is going to come down if big guys like IBM , Walmart goes the Linux way..

[F/reW/re]

Originally posted by AlphaTech


Dude, you're going to hell for that... :D

If you MUST get a peecee, build one, don't buy a dell pOc... Just because you can buy more dells for your dollars, doesn't mean you should.
I ment I'm gonna buy a Dell notebook P4 1.6 GHz. Where am I suppose to be able to build a notebook..?

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by F/reW/re

I ment I'm gonna buy a Dell notebook P4 1.6 GHz. Where am I suppose to be able to build a notebook..?

You're still going to hell for getting a dell... There are ways to build laptops just like desktops/towers.

Why not get a Mac laptop?? :p :D

[F/reW/re]

Originally posted by AlphaTech


You're still going to hell for getting a dell... There are ways to build laptops just like desktops/towers.

Why not get a Mac laptop?? :p :D
No, theres no place to build a notebook where I live. I have to pay 3 times as much for a PowerBook than a Dell. Apple is cheap in USA, but here in Norway the prices are TOOOO HIGH!

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by F/reW/re

No, theres no place to build a notebook where I live. I have to pay 3 times as much for a PowerBook than a Dell. Apple is cheap in USA, but here in Norway the prices are TOOOO HIGH!

the cheapest dell in the states is about 899-949 usd

the ibook starts at 1199 usd
the powerbook starts at 2499 usd

the powerbook is certainly more expensive than anything out there but it is a much better machine for certain purposes

for email, internet, and word processing, get the ibook if it's cheap enough

what are the relative prices in norway?

[spuncan]

Strangely enough theres only been one person here that gave gaming as a reason. Gaming is the number on issue for me if I bulit one. I'd build myself a killer Opteron rig when they come out. Put a NV30 in it drool that would be nice. That would beat any other desktop PC available. If I didn't build it I'd probably buy an alienware if I had the money.

[tjwett]

i'm considering switching to Windows after 15 years with the Mac because i'm going broke because of Apple's silly prices and the outdated hardware is ruining my workflow. i hate Windows but i'd hate living in a box and eating dogfood even more. maybe MWNY will be good.
-holding my breath

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by tjwett
i'm considering switching to Windows after 15 years with the Mac because i'm going broke because of Apple's silly prices and the outdated hardware is ruining my workflow. i hate Windows but i'd hate living in a box and eating dogfood even more. maybe MWNY will be good.
-holding my breath

Quit your b*tchin will ya???? No one in their semi-right mind would blame a Mac for their decreasing work flow... :rolleyes: Any G4 from the AGP model forward is more then up to the task. We have more then a few on the floor here at work, and no one is complaining that the computer is slowing down their workflow. :p In fact, everyone with a G3 blue or better is very happy with them, and productive. Most of the G4 towers are in either the OMM (online and multi-media), design, or page production departments. There are a few G3 blues there too. We do proper system maintenance as well as memory upgrades as needed, which keeps all the computers humming along.

I believe you are experiencing either an ID 10T error, or an EOBTKAC error. :eek: :eek: :D :cool:

[tjwett]

not in the mood to take part in any of todays flame wars. someone asked a question which i answered with my opinion. i am personally tired of spending so much money on oldschool hardware. when i say "ruining my workflow" that doesn't just mean a slow render in After Effects. it's alot of things. it's having to spend more money on multiple machines to do network renders which causes me to be broke which causes me to lay people off which causes less employees which causes less productivity which causes less money which is ruining my workflow...etc.etc. my personal choice is to not spend anymore money on Macs until they are atleast using current hardware while not charging outlandish prices. i will not buy another facelift from Apple. sorry if it bothers you.

[jefhatfield]

as a pc tech, i can tell you that repair and maintenance costs will make your pc and pc networks cost more than the macs in the long run

at least pcs can do more stuff than in the pentium 1 days and the windows 3.1 era

at least windows is a viable choice now, but i would still go with mac due to overall lower maintenance costs on the long term

my 2 cents

in reality, neither platform is "way better" than the other, but mac still has the overall edge

[Grokgod]

I stand by Tjweet on this one!

I also refuse to buy a facelift MAC!

The prices are extremely high for the type of hardware that is being pushed.
If it was the most current hardware possible then I would be saying ,, no problem.

I am not buying a new MAC until the Hardware is up to speed.

Thats the message I am sending to APPLE.

NO current Hardware NO cashola!

New Current hardware,, you can have all my cashola!

Until then I will make due with my Ti and <cough cough > P4 Pcheese...

[jefhatfield]

the ddr thing is certainly a sore point

so is the slow bus

i am not too worried about the speed issue since i believe we will get a boost this month...i hope...he he

i won't give apple cash until they get a g4 in the ibook , so i can see your point

i can't see replacing my 300 g3 ibook with another faster g3 ibook...but g4, then i am there:D

[job]

Originally posted by jefhatfield

i can't see replacing my 300 g3 ibook with another faster g3 ibook...but g4, then i am there:D

Hope you have a lot of paticence. :D :D

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by hitman


Hope you have a lot of paticence. :D :D

patience is my middle name

my last mac was a 185 mhz 604e with 64 MB of RAM/2 MB PCI video/nubus

the 300 mhz g3 ibook/160 MB RAM/4 MB AGP video/UMA seemed like a rocketship in comparison

i want that type of contrast again with my next mac/ibook

g4 ibook/900 mhz-1ghz/512 MB RAM/32 MB AGP video would do just fine;)

[jefhatfield]

however, the current 700 mhz ibook with 512 kb level 2 cache/RAM up to 640/16 MB AGP video is pretty good and i can get that right now

but i will wait another six months to year and see if apple puts g4 in ibook at that time

...but i would give into a 1 ghz g3 ibook with a 1 GB RAM capability and a 32 MB AGP video card...sweet:D

[F/reW/re]

Originally posted by jefhatfield

what are the relative prices in norway?
Prices in Norway. From online applestore in Norway. (the cheapest place)

iBook - $ 1866
12.1-inch TFT XGA display
600MHz PowerPC G3
512K L2 cache (at 600MHz)
128MB SDRAM memory
20GB Ultra ATA drive
CD-ROM drive
ATI Mobility Radeon
16MB video memory
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
56K internal modem
VGA video output

PowerBook - $3800
15.2-inch TFT XGA display
667MHz PowerPC G4
256K L2 & 1MB L3 cache
256MB SDRAM memory
30GB Ultra ATA drive
DVD/CD-RW drive
ATI Mobility Radeon 7500
32MB DDR video memory
Gigabit Ethernet
56K internal modem
AirPort ready

Thats too expensive for me :(

[tcmcam]

Why would you buy a PC? Speed, that simple.

In graphics operations, (using Photoshop, iMovie, iDVD), the Mac is as fast or faster than the PC (but, the PC is half the price).

In web surfing, sharing, the PC blows a Mac away. Yes, this even includes the G4 Dual 1ghz. Why? This is mainly an OS X issue. You can be surfing (my tests were using Mozilla and IE), and the screen takes forever to paint graphics versus a PC. Both were using the same connection type and cleared internet cache.

So, I'm praying for Jaguar. I think the Mac architecture is also suffering. Basically, the bus, memory speeds, and ATA66!!!! are way to slow for a modern PC.

[SilvorX]

i currently own a pc (n only a pc :() and it only its a stinking celeron (466 mhz :(), i got upgrades on it over the last few years, but im suprised xp worked well on it for a slow puter), but pc=bad lol (of course), linux isnt that bad of an alternative but it doesnt support MOST of the hardware on my puter (like webcam, scanner, printer, modem) but my optical mouse works awefully well, if linux supported most of the windows drivers, i'dd probably b using linux instead of windows since i'm so tired of the rubbish of windows (ie 6 crashing, oe being too slow, cruddy dvd/burning support, etc)
my first mac will probably be an emac since its in the right price range (i'll see if i could get an educational discount or something), or an ibook if i just use my xp machine for burning n such...

[blogo]

My next computer will be a pc, because as we all know, the pc got more software.

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by Eple
My next computer will be a pc, because as we all know, the pc got more software.

this is why apple needs to increase mkt share by:

1) lowering prices...even if by 50 to 100 dollars from current line
2) keeping up to "speed" and having a plan to reach 2 ghz by 2003 sometime
3) having adequate bus speed and ram like ddr

increased market share will give software companies more incentive to give us more offerings

[Computer_Phreak]

I'm gonna built my own peecee because I like to play games and download from KaZaa. VPC emulation is plain too slow. What I really like though is that im going to build a 1U (1.75" tall, like Xserve) system with an Athlon XP 1800+, 512 MB DDR, 80 GB HD, 40x CD-RW, all for less than $800. That way I can put it under my desk, out of site, and have people see my flat panel iMac when they walk in the room.

[AlphaTech]

Where do you plan to find a 1U rack unit case and all the other parts for under $800??? Which [per]version of windblows are you going to use?? How about a display?? That alone could put you well over the $800 mark even if you don't purchase windblows.

Who's motherboard do you intend to use?? I have had excellent results with Giga-Byte, but shiety results with all others (including Asus).

Be very careful with the placement of your system. Make sure that there is a sufficient air flow around and through it. If there isn't, then you could overheat it, and have to replace critical components in short order. Another thing, unless you can find a quality board, with a gf4 or Radeon 7500/8500 on it, your gaming experience will be ho-hum at best.

While the hidden computer is a decent idea, it's not all that practical, especially at the amount you are looking to spend.

[Jack Tenric]

The main reason to pick Apple laptops over PC ones is battery life. Apple laptops have about twice or more battery life than PC models. 5-7 hours depending on model compared to 2.5 - 4 hours.

[Computer_Phreak]

Originally posted by AlphaTech
Where do you plan to find a 1U rack unit case and all the other parts for under $800??? Which [per]version of windblows are you going to use?? How about a display?? That alone could put you well over the $800 mark even if you don't purchase windblows.

Who's motherboard do you intend to use?? I have had excellent results with Giga-Byte, but shiety results with all others (including Asus).

First of all, I have a compaq FP500 flat panel display that is faulty which i hope to use with the system. I have windblow$ 98. I plan to get most of the stuff from eBay.
Motherboard: Asus A7N266-VM (MicroATX size) - $90
CPU: Athlon 1800+ - $100
HD: 80 GB - $80
CD-RW: Lite-on 40x - $90
RAM: PC2100 DDR SDRAM 2x 256MB - $ 100
Case: $ 140-200

Thats a total of $ 600 - $ 660.
Most of the extra stuff (NIC, modem, video card (GeForce 2), etc) is integrated into the mobo.



Another thing, unless you can find a quality board, with a gf4 or Radeon 7500/8500 on it, your gaming experience will be ho-hum at best.

While the hidden computer is a decent idea, it's not all that practical, especially at the amount you are looking to spend.

I can buy an AGP extender card or right angle adapter and add a GF4 TI 4200 for sub $200. A good GF3 is adaquet for gaming, too.

[AlphaTech]

Be very careful about purchasing anything with a price that is significantly lower then anyone else. There is a thing called a grey market where you will be lucky to have the full warranty term on the hardware.

Also, a gf2 gpu is low end these days... very low end.

I don't know where you're getting that 80GB drive from, or which brand it is, but if it's listed as 'bare' then you get nothing with it but the drive. No ATA ribbons, no screws, no mounting brackets, nothing. It also has to be a 5400 rpm drive, which is not good for a game system, where you want speed.

Does that case come with a power supply??? How about a back plate?? How do you intend to mount it to your desk??

It will be interesting to see how much over budget you actually go on this.

BTW, I would NEVER buy hardware for a computer from ebay. You don't know what you are actually getting until it arrives. You also do NOT get the full warranty period, since it has already been purchased once. Just about all the manufactures that I know about track their hardware in their own database for warranty purposes... If the hardware was sold at X date, and you purchase it at X+Y, then you get less of a warranty period, if any.

[Computer_Phreak]

Check out this:

http://pcworld.pricegrabber.com/search_prodsummary.php/masterid=538294/search=hard%2520drive/ut=185823192e8a820a/

80 GB HD ata/100 7200 under $80

as for the case:

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/sleekline/sl_enclosure.htm

[AlphaTech]

Notice on the case that the power supply is sold seperately... That is the [usually] the majority of the cost of the case. You will need to get a power supply that is rated for the AMD chip, which is [typically] 300W or better.

I hope you have plenty of band-aids on hand for the slices the steel case will give you. Even cases that claim to have rolled over edges will slice you better (and faster) then a Ginsu knife. :eek:

I've found that it is much better to deal locally for parts like hard drives. That way, if it is not 100% you can return it and go home with a replacement (same day too). Mail order can be a total biatch when it comes to that stuff.

Is the motherboard you are looking to get on the full list of compatibles??? If not, then you either need to get a different board, or case. If there are any Giga-byte boards listed, I would go with one of those long before an Asus. Don't look at just the price when you look at motherboards. I have had Asus boards that had major issues with AMD chips, even thought they were supposed to work with the processor I picked up. The Giga-byte boards have ALWAYS worked, first try, each and every time. I have one in the server I built over 2 years ago. It has been running 24/7 since I built it. The only time it goes down is when we have a power failure here.

[madamimadam]

Originally posted by sluthy
P.S. Does anybody know of a perfectly legal client that uses the same network as KaZaa, and DOESN'T HAVE ANY ****ING ADWARE/SPYWARE/SH*TWARE??!?!?!?!?:mad::mad::mad::mad:


Please expain this *Ware to me..... I heard of a friend that was using a client for mp3 download that was made originally as spyware and all I had to say was "I would not be using something called spyware on my machine".

[madamimadam]

I am running Win2K for the purpose of Oracle 8i...... bring on 9i for OS X is all I have to say