Advice on buying my first ever Mac

[jsw]

Sorry disagree. I have no issues writting a PhD Thesis sized document with 512mb ram on an intel mac under rosetta with word. Maybe your definition of fine is different to mine.

Well, I rarely have just one app open, and when I had my iMac at just 512MB, I found Word to be intolerable. Of course, Rosetta's been improved since then, and definitions of "acceptable" vary.

What matters for you is that you are happy with it (which is good 🙂), as I'm sure many others would be. However, I still believe 1GB to be the minimum for most people to get what they would consider to be acceptable performance with Office apps and, presumably, a browser or Mail also open.

 

[Mr Mac Newbie]

You are going to regret calling yourself Mr Mac Newbie in a few years! (If you continue to frequent these forums, that is) 😀😛

In the words of Homer Simpson.....D'oh

I didn't think of that 😀

In reagards to the other disussion about firstly which Mac is best for my needs, yes i agree that i Mac Mini is more than capable of doing the stuff i like to do but wouldn't it be better to get the most Powerful Mac for my money to prevent me having problems down the line if say i went into things like Movie Editing on a Mac?

I was also going to ask about Microsoft office on a Mac. Is it any good on a Mac? If it is more sluggish than what it should be what else is there avaiable? Do Mac's come with their own simple to use Word, spreadsheet software?

I think i have decided to go with the 20'' Imac with 2.16GHZ Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, Wireless keyboard and Mighty Mouse

As i am now not going to buy apple tv is it worth spending the money on pimping the Mac further like having a 500gb HDD and a 256MB GPU Card instead on the standard 128MB. Will i see a difference with the extra 128mb graphics memory?

 

[eenu]

Well, I rarely have just one app open, and when I had my iMac at just 512MB, I found Word to be intolerable. Of course, Rosetta's been improved since then, and definitions of "acceptable" vary.

What matters for you is that you are happy with it (which is good 🙂), as I'm sure many others would be. However, I still believe 1GB to be the minimum for most people to get what they would consider to be acceptable performance with Office apps and, presumably, a browser or Mail also open.

I agree. Everyone who i talk to about buying a mac i tell them to get 1GB Minimum. I just think the OP could get away with 512mb and be comfortable given what they do. Also lets not forget he/she wont be stuck with a rosetta office for to much longer.

Clevin: As for the iMac is superior i still disagree. I have both and i don't find my mini any slower for the mundane tasks compared to the iMac. The iMac only comes into its own in CPU and Gcard intensive tasks. I just disagree with your persuasion to the OP to get an iMac because it's 'superior'. It's horses for courses and i think a Mini with 1GB Ram (Or 2GB if he she is willing to pay) would be the better horse for the OP.

I do think the OP could get away with 512mb ram if they wanted and when the intel office is out they would be more than happy. Since however they say they want it to last for 3-4 yrs there is no harm in loading it with Ram

 

[eenu]

be better to get the most Powerful Mac for my money to prevent me having problems down the line if say i went into things like Movie Editing on a Mac?

Fair. If you have the cash to splash and feel you may do these things in future.

I was also going to ask about Microsoft office on a Mac. Is it any good on a Mac? If it is more sluggish than what it should be what else is there avaiable? Do Mac's come with their own simple to use Word, spreadsheet software?

They do kind of but IMHO its crap. Office 2004 will do you for now but if you can wait till later this year the new intel one will be out and worth every penny. Or you could use Open or Neo Office

As i am now not going to buy apple tv is it worth spending the money on pimping the Mac further like having a 500gb HDD and a 256MB GPU Card instead on the standard 128MB. Will i see a difference with the extra 128mb graphics memory?

Depends what you are using it for. If your going to have lots of media for watching on the mac then yes get the bigger HD. If your going to try games or graphic intense processes then yes upgrade the gcard

 

[clevin]

Clevin: As for the iMac is superior i still disagree. I have both and i don't find my mini any slower for the mundane tasks compared to the iMac. The iMac only comes into its own in CPU and Gcard intensive tasks. I just disagree with your persuasion to the OP to get an iMac because it's 'superior'. It's horses for courses and i think a Mini with 1GB Ram (Or 2GB if he she is willing to pay) would be the better horse for the OP.

im sorry thats what u feel, there are quite a few ppl who suggestted op to get an iMac. I don't understand why u picked on me?

for me, I was simply stating the facts, despite the price, iMac is superior than mini. there should be no argument on that. I don't see this statement as an indication of me being suggesting OP to get an iMac. to be honest, quite on the contrary, i would suggest OP get a mini, like I said, i don't think there is much difference for OP consider what he is going to do. however, in answering OP's question about which is better machine, I put myself in no position to make any suggestions.

final question. did my simple statement sounds that much like a persuasion for OP to get an iMac?

 

[Mr Mac Newbie]

I reckon that everyone is right here and that a Mini may suite my needs, however i do love the look of the imac's, more so than the Mini and That is probably the only reason as to my i am swaying to the Imac more so than the mni.

I am sure both are real good powerful machines and i wouldn't rule out a mini because of it's processor speed being a little slower.

However, it seems that for not that much more money (in UK pounds) you do get alot more with the imac like the fact you do have the screen.

Also things like a seperate 128MB (or 256MB) GPU and a bigger Hard Drive cannot be a bad thing. Also i would like the I-Sight camera as the demo i saw of it looks awsome.

If you use i-chat on a Mac can you video chat with some on say for example MSN on a PC?

 

[jsw]

If you use i-chat on a Mac can you video chat with some on say for example MSN on a PC?

The best Mac<->PC solution seems to be Skype. I used to be an iChat fanatic, but Skype is easier to get to work for more people, in my experience. Since Skype is free, and registering a username with it is free, there's no reason to try to get Mac<->MSN connections to work. Just use Skype. It works well. 🙂

 

[ChrisA]

OK Thanks

I will go with 2GB when i order the Mac to save any hassle.

Which Mac is a better performer and more reccomended out of the Imac and Mac Mini or even the Macbook for that matter

Does anyone also know whether Apple TV will be worth getting especially as Mac's can still simply be connected to a large screen TV

Yes the Mac could be connected to an HD TV but the Apple TV is wireless. If you need a wireless connection then Apple TV is one way to go.

As for which Mac to buy. For your use they will ALL work fine. Simply let your budget decide. Which is the best performer? Easy: The Mac Pro. After that the 24" iMac. But the Mini will do fine. But please do budget for the complete system. You will need a couple FW/USB disks to use for backup, some software maybe a new Apple keyboard and getting 2GB of RAM is best although one would work.

When comparing CPU speeds, most people can't notice a 20% difference and you really need a 2X difference before most people will say "Wow this is faster." The speed of the disk and the amount of RAM matters more than a 20% CPU clock difference. Graphic cards (or GPUs matter a lot if you are into games or other 3D work but you didn't say anything about that.

 

[eenu]

The best Mac<->PC solution seems to be Skype. I used to be an iChat fanatic, but Skype is easier to get to work for more people, in my experience. Since Skype is free, and registering a username with it is free, there's no reason to try to get Mac<->MSN connections to work. Just use Skype. It works well. 🙂

Just a shame MSN is that big here and Apple so small that its hard to get people off it.

To the OP. Your choice for the iMac is fair enough but don't forget you said you already have a screen.

 

[Mr Mac Newbie]

Just a shame MSN is that big here and Apple so small that its hard to get people off it.

To the OP. Your choice for the iMac is fair enough but don't forget you said you already have a screen.

Yeah, i know i already have my screen but i love the imac's so much that i do't want to buy a Mini then wish i got the imac.

Plus at the moment i surf and use the computer from my bed as it's connected to the TV but want to go back to sitting at a desk when i get a Mac

 

[Mr Mac Newbie]

Shame it costs alot more for the 24'' Version as that would be cool. As long as the current Imac 20'' is not out of date yet and a new one is being released in the VERY near future then that's what i'll be going for

 

[WillJS]

You could always dual screen with the spare monitor. 😉

 

[roland.g]

In the words of Homer Simpson.....D'oh

I didn't think of that 😀

In reagards to the other disussion about firstly which Mac is best for my needs, yes i agree that i Mac Mini is more than capable of doing the stuff i like to do but wouldn't it be better to get the most Powerful Mac for my money to prevent me having problems down the line if say i went into things like Movie Editing on a Mac?

I was also going to ask about Microsoft office on a Mac. Is it any good on a Mac? If it is more sluggish than what it should be what else is there avaiable? Do Mac's come with their own simple to use Word, spreadsheet software?

I think i have decided to go with the 20'' Imac with 2.16GHZ Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, Wireless keyboard and Mighty Mouse

As i am now not going to buy apple tv is it worth spending the money on pimping the Mac further like having a 500gb HDD and a 256MB GPU Card instead on the standard 128MB. Will i see a difference with the extra 128mb graphics memory?

I think the 20" iMac you mentioned is perfect. Definitely get the new Core 2 Duo and not a used Core Duo because it has the wireless n in it for tv. I also thing the 500GB HDD is good idea for media. Music, movies, etc all take up space. Though you could get a 250 and get an external later. Didn't read all the posts so I'm not sure why you decided against the tv, but I think it is a great product and it would work great in conjunction with your iMac, though you wouldn't need one right away. Get used to your Mac, your iPod, build your media library, learn the iLife apps, then consider it.

Disregard some of that. Since the TV and Mac are in the same room and connected, yes you can use front row to do everything tv does.

Enjoy your new iMac!!

 

[Mr Mac Newbie]

Thanks