Considering buying a imac

[ThoughtKriminal]

I havent used a mac since the days of appleII in school. But my pc is getting too out of date and i think its time to upgrade. Im considering getting a 1ghz g4 17" imac.

Im very PC proficent, the operating system isnt too cumbersome or hard to mess with for me. but a more ergonomic and logical implimentation would always be nice. I am an amature artist, and that is mainly what i want my computer for. But im also a net geek and like to surf, play games, and chat. Id like to know the realistic advantages/disadvantages of buying a mac over a pc. Ive seen lots of different articles but most of them seem in one way or another aimed at either something i dont care about or as a marketing pitch.

i have a few questions:

1) i know there arent too many games for mac. I already play quake3 and warcraft3 and those are great, but are there other good games? i know i would miss counter strike and nwn.

2) do java chats run ok on mac? For istance, i use Opera as my web browser. even on a wintel machine opera doesnt want to run many chat progs. so i know java can be weird.

3)Is the quality of image editing still really that much superior to a PC?

4) is it possible to find a download for the mac version of photoshop?

5) do the advantages of a mac really outweigh the disadcantages of not having a pc?

 

[LethalWolfe]

Re: Considering buying a imac

Originally posted by ThoughtKriminal
I havent used a mac since the days of appleII in school. But my pc is getting too out of date and i think its time to upgrade. Im considering getting a 1ghz g4 17" imac.

Im very PC proficent, the operating system isnt too cumbersome or hard to mess with for me. but a more ergonomic and logical implimentation would always be nice. I am an amature artist, and that is mainly what i want my computer for. But im also a net geek and like to surf, play games, and chat. Id like to know the realistic advantages/disadvantages of buying a mac over a pc. Ive seen lots of different articles but most of them seem in one way or another aimed at either something i dont care about or as a marketing pitch.

i have a few questions:

1) i know there arent too many games for mac. I already play quake3 and warcraft3 and those are great, but are there other good games? i know i would miss counter strike and nwn.

2) do java chats run ok on mac? For istance, i use Opera as my web browser. even on a wintel machine opera doesnt want to run many chat progs. so i know java can be weird.

3)Is the quality of image editing still really that much superior to a PC?

4) is it possible to find a download for the mac version of photoshop?

5) do the advantages of a mac really outweigh the disadcantages of not having a pc?

1. I don't game much so I can't help you there.
2. I don't chat much so I can't help you there (off to a great start aren't I? ).
3. IIRC Macs do have better/ more acurate color calibration than PCs, but if you are really worried about that you should be using a CRT monitor for art/graphix not an LCD.
4. You can download PS here.
5. It all depends on what your needs are.


Lethal

 

[iShater]

1) www.insidemacgames.com. PC gaming will be remain ahead of the Mac for some time to come, how you considered keeping your current system to play the games you currently have? i.e. make it a gaming machine.

2) I would expect those chat apps to run the same under Java, I mean Java is almost truly platform independent.

3) I am not an expert here, but all the people I know who are into imaging/etc. use Macs.

4) heheheh, download and purchase? or just download?

5) Depends, what do you see as the disadvantage of NOT owning a PC? (other than gaming)

 

[ThoughtKriminal]

upgrading this computer for gaming would be almost as expensive as buying a whole new PC. and i cant afford that and a mac as well.

just download, unfortunately

I guess the main benifit of a pc besides gaming would just be being able to grab a program easily off the net and go with it. im sure its a bit tougher to find useful little apps for mac like trillian, genius, ect.

 

[ThoughtKriminal]

oh and another thought.. is now a good time to get a mac? or am i sitting on the edge of a new more powerful processor ect coming into play and leaving my brand new comp in the dust?

 

[LethalWolfe]

Originally posted by ThoughtKriminal
oh and another thought.. is now a good time to get a mac? or am i sitting on the edge of a new more powerful processor ect coming into play and leaving my brand new comp in the dust?

Both the iMacs and the PowerMacs just got bumped up so they probably won't see another upgrade for 5 or 6 months.


Lethal

 

[Doctor Q]

I use both Macs and PCs and have done a little image editing on both. I prefer Macs but can't recommend one for you. Here are my reasons:

1) Games. The market is overwhelmingly PC-oriented.

2) Chats should be fine on a Mac, but there is no particular advantage to using a Mac either.

3) Macs have plenty of advantages for graphics professionals and other artists, even though Photoshop and many other programs are now cross platform. The Mac side of the market is simply more mature. The specific advantages depend on what kind of art you have in mind. But your success will probably depend more on your talent than on the "talents" of the computer you use.

4) You can't afford Photoshop so you need to use less powerful imaging editing software. There are programs available for both platforms. Don't steal software just because you can't afford it. Get a legal copy of a program you CAN afford. That's what I did. If you say more about what type of art you have in mind, people in this forum can probably suggest the appropriate Mac (or even PC) software.

5) For you, Macs have two more minor disadvantages. First, you are "PC proficent" and know how to "mess with" the operating system, so you'd have a small learning curve with a Mac, as opposed to none with a PC upgrade. Second, since you aren't rich, you may be better off keeping PC software you already have rather than buying the equivalent Mac software.

You are right that the Mac experience is "more ergonomic and logical", and if you had one you would no doubt enjoy other aspects of owning a Mac, such as the free programs like iTunes and the friendly feeling of the Mac community. So if you decide to go Mac, welcome to the club!

 

[FattyMembrane]

Originally posted by ThoughtKriminal
just download, unfortunately

I guess the main benifit of a pc besides gaming would just be being able to grab a program easily off the net and go with it. im sure its a bit tougher to find useful little apps for mac like trillian, genius, ect.

you shouldn't pirate software, especially adobe software since it is believed that they can track cracked apps. the student discount on photoshop elements brings the price to $45 which should be manageable. there are lots of useful programs on the mac and they are not to tough to find. check out the osx section of versiontracker and hang around the boards to get a feel for what kind of programs you need. as far as trillian is concerned, there's adium, ichat, proteus, fire, etc. for messaging. java shouldn't be any buggier on osx than any other platform, but if you are doing java chats online, i'm assuming that it's through irc, in which case i would suggest a decent irc client rather than web interfaces (try X-Chat Aqua or IRCle).

neverwinter nights should be making it's way to the mac soon (search insidemacgames.com, i think it's due in a few weeks, maybe a month or so). most big games get ported eventually, but there are a lot of great shareware games too.
www.ambrosiasw.com
www.freeverse.com
www.pangeasoft.net
www.pompom.org.uk

as for question #5, the benefits of owning a mac far outweigh the disadvantages of not having a pc (i don't see any disadvantages, but i'm a nerd ). take a look at the mac community, most mac owners love their mac, you don't see many people who love windows. you will not be disappointed. good luck with the switch.

 

[ThoughtKriminal]

Thanks for the advice, you are all very helpful and im still leaning towards an imac. Im just trying to be as skeptical as possible as once i buy a brand new computer ill probably be stuck with in for years to come and 2k+ for the comp and the software i will want is a nice chunk of cash to me.

about adobe elements: what are the big tools i will miss out on with it compared to photoshop 6?

i paint free hand with a tablet and mouse so i really need the brushes, smudge/sharpen/blur, liquify, color ect adjustment balances, darken/lighten modes and the great layer support, as well as the long history.

 

[rainman::|:|]

fattymembrane: they can track cracked apps to a point; it has tools that alert Adobe to every serial number used. that's why you can't pirate SNs very easily. but if you delete a particular folder, i won't say what, but it has to do with the WEB, adobe products won't be able to go online.

hypothetically speaking, of course.

pnw

 

[Doctor Q]

A last bit of advice: If you are a student, be sure to take advantage of Apple's education prices. And ask other manufacturers about education prices too; sometimes they don't publicize them much. If you aren't a student, you could even consider taking a junior college course (art? computer science?) just to be eligible.

 

[FattyMembrane]

Originally posted by paulwhannel
fattymembrane: they can track cracked apps to a point; it has tools that alert Adobe to every serial number used. that's why you can't pirate SNs very easily. but if you delete a particular folder, i won't say what, but it has to do with the WEB, adobe products won't be able to go online.

hypothetically speaking, of course.

i'll keep that in mind . i had a friend who pirated some software once and the company caught him and threatened him with a lawsuit unless he paid (they may have just been trying to scare him). anyway... it sounds like photoshop elements has pretty much everything you need thoughtkriminal. the last full version of photoshop i used was 4, but i've heard that pse2 is very similar to ps6 in terms of its feature set. it can do the color correction/balances, brushes, layers, variable levels of undo, and supports photoshop plug-ins. it's really a great deal if you don't need the really high end extras. it works beautifully in osx, even on my little 500mhz imac.

 

[3777]

Re: Considering buying a imac

Originally posted by ThoughtKriminal
I havent used a mac since the days of appleII in school. But my pc is getting too out of date and i think its time to upgrade. Im considering getting a 1ghz g4 17" imac.

Im very PC proficent, the operating system isnt too cumbersome or hard to mess with for me. but a more ergonomic and logical implimentation would always be nice. I am an amature artist, and that is mainly what i want my computer for. But im also a net geek and like to surf, play games, and chat. Id like to know the realistic advantages/disadvantages of buying a mac over a pc. Ive seen lots of different articles but most of them seem in one way or another aimed at either something i dont care about or as a marketing pitch.

i have a few questions:

1) i know there arent too many games for mac. I already play quake3 and warcraft3 and those are great, but are there other good games? i know i would miss counter strike and nwn.

2) do java chats run ok on mac? For istance, i use Opera as my web browser. even on a wintel machine opera doesnt want to run many chat progs. so i know java can be weird.

3)Is the quality of image editing still really that much superior to a PC?

4) is it possible to find a download for the mac version of photoshop?

5) do the advantages of a mac really outweigh the disadcantages of not having a pc?

1:ut2003 will be available for Mac soon, I have it on PC and it is much better then Quake 3

2: Yes

3: Yes

4: Have to buy but Yes

5: It's always useful to have both, just update your current PC to latest patches, ect, and keep it just to have, and enjoy your new Mac. I will be getting the 17inch iMac when they bump speed a little more....

 

[frescies]

In Theory

I've seen someone forcequit Explorer before it had a chance to load and convey the Photoshop Registration. I asked him when I saw this post and he says that it hasn't sparked any activity over his interenet connection since.... Of course I'm sure he doesn't use any of the online features which are nice to have....

I think Photoshop 6 had that web folder that people would just remove, but 7.0 doesn't