$3000 to spend, High end mac, or middle end mac and PC?

[WannabeSQ]

I think I want to spend around 3 grand on a new computer(or 2) I know I could get a refurb dual 1.25 for $2800, but then I got to thinking, Why not get a refurb dual 1ghz for $2200 or even a dual 867 for $1500 and use the rest for a fairly High end PC?

A little background, I have a G4 500, 768mb ram, radeon 8500, Jaguar, and a PC laptop PIII 1ghz. I dont really like windows, and since upgrading to Jaguar, rarely use the laptop when I'm at home, just when im out. I do play games, mostly Warcraft 3. I am stuck at this decision. I know I want a faster Mac, but they cost so darn much compared to PCs. I also know that a newer Mac will play Warcraft just fine, definately better than now. But then future games come into play, and the PC has that won, more likely to be able to fit the minimum system requirements, and more games come out, and they come out sooner.

I do like to do multiplayer gaming at my house, and it works (sorta) with my desktop and laptop. If I were to get 2 computers, the Mac could play them decently, while the PC will kick major bootay on them. Im tending to lean more to this configuration. So, should I go all out no holds barred on the PC and spend $1500 on it and the dual 867 refurb? Or get a decent PC for around $800 and get a dual 1ghz for $2200?

 

[edesignuk]

I'd go with the dual 1Ghz or 867Mhz and a PC, that get's your far more for your money than just a dual 1.25Ghz.
I doubt you'll even notice the difference between the DP1Ghz and the DP1.25Ghz, and to have a good quick PC is allways handy for stuff you just can't run on your mac, and more importantly games.

 

[Nipsy]

With $3k I would get a Dual 867 refurb ($1500), a fast enough PC ($600), a 20GB iPod ($500), a Good 21" CRT ($300), and a USB KVM switch ($100).

I'd scrape the couch for $50 to get a rally good mouse.

 

[groov']

You got 3000 dollars!

Buy the high-end PC now for 1000 dollars, keep your G4-500 and save the rest for the Mac G5, or whatever shows up in the next two years.

You 'll be more than satisfied with the PC-speed and in the end you'll get the future topMac for 2000 or so, cause Apple 's gone realize they are much to expensive now.

I did it this way...

 

[idkew]

i just don't understand how you could justify spending >$1000 for a PC to play games on.

GO BUY A CONSOLE SYSTEM. take the $800 you saved and get 4 controllers and 5 games.

 

[WannabeSQ]

i respect your opinion, but I dislike console games. I play Warcraft, and that game would absolutely suck on a console. I prefer computer based games. Also, i sometimes play shooters, and absolutely hate playing games like that with a control pad. Maybe if they made a mouse and mini keyboard for the xbox and if it could be used in games, I might get that. But until then, I will be PC only. Besides, my friends have consoles and I can play them whenever I want.

 

[WannabeSQ]

and Nipsy, thanks for the suggestion, and Id agree, but I already have an iPod (10gb though) and am fine with dual 17" crts.

I think I am leaning towards the Refurb dual 867, and getting a nice mini pc based on the flexATX form factor. They finally make them with AGP slots. Im thinkin get a pentium 4 2.4 ghz with 512mb of ddr ram a radeon 9700 a CD-r or DVD rom and a 30gb or so HD, and maybe a cheap LCD and Ill have a nice portable PC for lan parties and such.

And, because Macs keep their value, I can always sell the dual 867 and get whatever new comes out without as much loss as a PC

 

[benixau]

RAM baby RAM, la di di da da

heres what you should do,

get the fastet mac you can afford including upping its ram to 2GB (mdd specs). Get a good pc and up its ram to the max you can now afford (no less than 512MB) aswell as running winXP PRO. You will have a mac that will be good enough to handle the next 3 years at least of software and a pc that will do the same.

With those specs though the meac at least, if you get a mdd, will hold it value longer cause its DP and has maxed out ram.

hope this helps.

 

[springscansing]

Originally posted by idkew
i just don't understand how you could justify spending >$1000 for a PC to play games on.

GO BUY A CONSOLE SYSTEM. take the $800 you saved and get 4 controllers and 5 games.

Yeah.. if things like multiplayer don't matter to him.. or.. you know.. stragety games.. or.. mice..

Shut up.

 

[macktheknife]

My $0.02

If you're really a hard-core gamer, you should definitely go for a PC. I hate to admit this, but Macs just don't run the latest games very well. Months or even years might pass before a game is ported to the Mac after its initial PC release. Even then, the game was probably optimized to run on PCs, with Mac compatability almost being an afterthought. Even more RAM won't make a difference: playing WarCraft III on my 550 Mhz TiBook with 512 MB of RAM is way more sluggish than playing the game on a 1 Ghz PIII with half the RAM.

You can get a decent PC that runs the latest games (WarCraft III, Unreal, CounterStrike, etc.) for around $1,000. Just save your money for a better PowerMac if you don't need a new one right this minute.

Also, while it is true that consoles are uaually better for games, you simply can't play certain games on a PS II, Xbox, or GameCube. We should use our computers however we want to, whether it is to play games, listen to music, watch movies, etc.

 

[WannabeSQ]

What I think I have decided is to get the PC now, as the parts are easier to upgrade and less expensive, and wait on the Mac. The Mac is bearable for the time being. Then when the next batch of powermacs comes out, I will either get one of those, or a closeout sale on the MDD ones, depending on what the newer stuff is. Im really hoping for the IBM PowerPC 970 in either a dual or a quad configuration. I believe quad 1.8ghz processors will put the mac on a more level playing field with PCs, even if its not the fastest.

How does a P4 2.4ghz in a shuttle flex atx case, with an audigy, Radeon 9700, 512mb ram, DVD and a 30gb HD sound for games?

Edit

BTW, I played warcraft on a friends XP 2000 with a radeon 8500 and it was silky smooth, so I think a P4 2.4 with a 9700 should really do nicely, and hopefully run Doom III well.

 

[idkew]

Originally posted by springscansing


Yeah.. if things like multiplayer don't matter to him.. or.. you know.. stragety games.. or.. mice..

Shut up.

humm... multiplayer- how about 4 controllers on the machine, not to mention online multiplayer.

strategy games- not sure exactly what you mean(i am not a huge gamer), but most games available for peecee are available for at least one console out there also.

mice- why would you need one? you are not clicking a web link. if you don't like the controller that came with the console, there are probably 6 or so different designs to choose from.


how... or... about.. you... shut... up... and think... before you.... post?

 

[WannabeSQ]

I dont want this thread to become another console versus computer debate, but Consoles lend themselves more to action types of games. First Person Shooters to me seem better with a mouse and keyboard. With a mouse, you get much more precise aiming than any controller, even an analog joystick. For strategy games, They tried that on a console, and it failed miserably, it was Starcraft 64. I never played it, but it was a joke.

Consoles are bridging the gap and going online to give the same type of multiplayer experience as computers do i agree, but it is still in it's infancy.

You say there are 6 different designs for console controllers? What? They are just slightly different, like useless turbo buttons, rubber grips, not a significantly different design. Id love to have an xbox with Halo and a mouse keyboard combo to play with.

Yet another reason I dislike playing console games is the resolution, or lack thereof. You are limited to 640 by 480 resolution on a TV screen. Some might say that it doesnt matter, or is good enough, and that TV screens are bigger, but regardless, I still like to sit closer to a high res. CRT (maybe an LCD someday) than 5-15 feet away from a bigger screen.

 

[BenderBot1138]

3000 Miles to San Fran...

Step One
Buy 3000 dollars worth of Apple Computer Inc. Stocks

Step Two
Wait till the price of Apple doubles after MWSF;

Step Three
Buy a 6000 dollar Mac setup.

 

[macktheknife]

WannabeSQ - Good decision. Get the computer that will fit your needs, not any sort of ideology. (Although thinking that a Mac is generally better than a PC is not exactly wrong. )

I'll throw in this one last thing about the console vs. computer debate. When you get right down to it, a computer is simply a magic box where the user can use it for multiple purposes. It's a word-processor, data cruncher, stereo system, video editing system, and, yes, a gaming console all rolled up into one single machine.

 

[scem0]

get the dual 1 GHz and hten get a really cheap PC off ebay.

For $700 I got a loaded 2.4 GHz pentium 4. 512 MB of 333MHz
DDR RAM. Talk about a good deal. I got a really good deal, but
there are plenty more. BUy the PC off ebay, but not the Mac.
Macs suck on ebay . THey sell more then they do on internet
stores ...

 

[idkew]

Originally posted by WannabeSQ
I dont want this thread to become another console versus computer debate...

I realize that, and i gave you my opinion and was done; until some idiot acted like an *******.

if that is what you like, go for it. doesn't bother me a bit. all that bothers me is when some loser comes along and yells at me without thinking.

anyway- doesn't the PS2 have a usb port? can you just hook up a keyboard and/or mouse that way?

also- i agree with one part- i would/could never play a game like warcraft iii without a 3 button mouse.

 

[scem0]

3 button mouse? I can understand not wanting to play with one
button, but what do you use the 3rd button for? Just wondering,
becauuse I have a 3 button mouse, and I would like to know how
I could customize it to my advantage.

 

[solvs]

Shuttle mini-PC - $300
Intel or AMD CPU - $200
512MB DDR RAM - $150
IBM 120GB drive - $150
ATI Radeon 9700 - $300
Sony Multi-DVDR - $350
Mouse/Keyboard - $50

~ $1500

Of course, you could always skimp on some things. Or if you already have some things, deduct accordingly. And you could always get something other than one of those Shuttles. A lot of people here think they are ugly (well compared to the cube what isn't?), but they seem to be pretty cool (though not literally. Very hot actually).

You could sell your Laptop, buy an iBook in the meantime.

Or save the leftover $$$. Stick it in a good savings account. I have a feeling next year is going to be really good for Apple hardware. When Steve, when!?!

 

[Frobozz]

Wait until January or February

If you can wait until after the holidays, which have some awesome deals on existing hardware, you should wait until the new Macs are announced. Last time, it was in February, but it could be as soon as MWSF. Rumor mill has it that they will be running at 1.4 - 1.6 GHz by then and should have some new connectivity like Firewire 2, etc. If you can afford a new machine then, you could save a couple hundred on an existing DP 1.00 or 1.25 GHz mac.

 

[vniow]

Originally posted by scem0
3 button mouse? I can understand not wanting to play with one
button, but what do you use the 3rd button for? Just wondering,
becauuse I have a 3 button mouse, and I would like to know how
I could customize it to my advantage.

The only time I ever use my third button is to open up a link in a new tab in Phoenix (works with Chimera too on my iBook)

Other then that, I could live with two.
Don't really understand why some people want more.

 

[GeeYouEye]

Why not get a 1GHz TiBook?

 

[idkew]

Originally posted by scem0
3 button mouse? I can understand not wanting to play with one
button, but what do you use the 3rd button for? Just wondering,
becauuse I have a 3 button mouse, and I would like to know how
I could customize it to my advantage.

well,i guess it matter on the game. in warcraft i have it set to double click. this makes it easier to select a moving unit and all other ones like it that are close. just think of any ket combo you use a lot, and there is your third button.

 

[idkew]

Originally posted by edvniow



The only time I ever use my third button is to open up a link in a new tab in Phoenix (works with Chimera too on my iBook)

Other then that, I could live with two.
Don't really understand why some people want more.

i love my buttons. in any of my browsers, i have the third button set to BACK and a chord of buttons 1 and 2 to close window. saves me many, many keystrokes and a lot of movement, too.

i normally open 10 or so pages at a time, navigate back and forth and close often.

give it a try, i think you will likes.