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I'm In A Delimma Please Help!

What do u guys think is better?

  • HP Pavilion?

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Apple iMac?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
M

morononastick

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 23, 2008
7
0
so here's the thing:

I'm thinking of buying a desktop computer to replace the shi-I mean bad-one I have right now. So after countless hours of research and google and staring at my old 15" CRT HP for hours lookin for comparison charts, I'm torn between 2 computers.

On one side, the all to familiar :apple: iMac. Here's the specs:

2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (powerful? I don't know, my current comp runs PENTIUM PROCESSORS :eek:)
Mac OS X Leopard
24" Monitor (BIG)
Wired Keyboard and Mouse (for the 2 ports)
nVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS w/512MB GDDR3 (ATI? I don't think so.)
320-500 GB HD
2 GB RAM (i'll update RAM later if i have troubles)
No TV Tuner (although I could get it later. Elgato EyeTV right?)
iWork preinstalled

Bundle that with a gigabit ethernet wireless N router, a junk of cables, FREE iPOD, $50 printer (on discount, can't resist), and a mousepad, and it's $2400. Can you say, E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E?

And in the other corner, the HP Pavilion Elite. It may run Vista, but i'll explain why I chose it with the iMac. Here's the specs:

2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad-Core
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit (don't laugh)
22" Monitor (with HDMI)
Wired Keyboard and Mouse
nVIDIA GeForce 9500 GS w/512MB (with HDMI!!!)
750 GB HD
6 (read it, 6) GB RAM
ATSC/NTSC/FM TV Tuner
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007

Bundle that up with a gigabit ethernet wireless N router, a junk of cables, $30 printer (again, can't resist), and a mousepad, and it's $1800. WHAT? IT'S WAY CHEAPER!

So here's the problem. Should I go with the WAAAY better hardware (the HP Pavilion Elite) or the WAAAY better softwarre (the :apple: iMac)? I can't run Mac OS X on PC's (stupid Steve) cause it's illegal, so that's out of question. And if I get a Mac, i'm gonna dual-boot with Vista Home Premium, but still I don't get the better hardware the HP has!! See my delimma?

I'll just give you some info on how I use my computer to help you pick a choice for me.

1. word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. you know, boring school stuff.
2. i'm gonna record TV
3. FAST Internet browsing
4. listening and downloading music
5. create and watch videos
6. taking and viewing pictures
7. gaming: i'm not a hardcore gamer, but i'll start playing Halo 2, Guitar Hero 3. all in all, I need something for gaming. If the game isn't compatible with mac, no prob. i'll just dual-boot to vista.
8. sending e-mails, talkin to my friends, video chats
9. printer, external HD, and file sharing between 3 computers (all desktops)

Thank you so muchg for helping me. For doing this for me, i'll give u 50 cents! (don't complain. 50 CANADIAN cents are stronger than 50 AMERICAN cents :D.)
 
morononastick said:
So here's the problem. Should I go with the WAAAY better hardware (the HP Pavilion Elite) or the WAAAY better softwarre (the :apple: iMac)?
Click to expand...
You're asking on a Mac forum so you can probably guess the answer... ;)

I bought my first Mac last summer, a new MacBook Pro. At the time, it was priced reasonably well against comparable Windows laptops, and I'd decided that I could afford the extra cost for both the computer and the additional software, and even a new Windows license.

I've not looked back since. Price was not my primary concern, and I bought the system that best met my needs and wants.

If price trumps all for you, buy a Windows PC. If price is a secondary concern to usability, get the Mac.
 
if you need more persuasion to get the mac. instead of getting an ipod, get the ipod touch, and get the 100 printer so it'll be free(so -50). you can sell both on ebay, i've checked both of them and the touch goes for about 225 and the printer goes for 75, so $300. you can take out 300 out of you mac and it'll get you 2050. not bad. is this including student discount? it'll give you another $100 off.
 
FuuFuu said:
if you need more persuasion to get the mac. instead of getting an ipod, get the ipod touch, and get the 100 printer so it'll be free(so -50). you can sell both on ebay, i've checked both of them and the touch goes for about 225 and the printer goes for 75, so $300. you can take out 300 out of you mac and it'll get you 2050. not bad. is this including student discount? it'll give you another $100 off.
Click to expand...

Yeah and depending on you university, you could get more off. When I got my iMac last year, I got the traditional $100 off plus another $150 because apple and my university had an agreement or something (idk why, they just did. I guess because my school had a dedicated apple store but I am not sure).
 
k thanks all. im gonna point out a few things.

1. i'm not in university
2. and it's a 64-bit vista home premium

I thank you all for posting, and encourage more people to post.
 
Since you can't get the student discount, buy a refurb to save $$. Apple refurbs are fabulous and tend to be like new (sometimes better than new). Check out this forum for lots of happy refurb buyers.
 
The iMac is a laptop with a big fancy monitor, neither of which makes it a cheap desktop.

The laptop-based architecture is also limiting when compared to desktop parts, so they really cannot compete on specs.

You can compare it to similar laptop-based All-in-Ones, but the cheaper desktops will still blow the PC versions away.

Personally, price and specs -- refurb Mac Pro, and get the LCD and printer later.
 
thorbjorn, u get an extra five dollars.
people I need more testimonies: is apple refurb good? or is it just a piece of low-grade junk?

and if i'm gonna play halo 2 and gh3 and other games that require good graphics, will ATI serve me well? i don't think so, but just askin for extra advice.

and if i buy an iMac, would i be able to go to my local apple store and get them to upgrade the graphics card and other things?

thanks all, and i appreciate ur time
 
morononastick said:
thorbjorn, u get an extra five dollars.
people I need more testimonies: is apple refurb good? or is it just a piece of low-grade junk?

and if i'm gonna play halo 2 and gh3 and other games that require good graphics, will ATI serve me well? i don't think so, but just askin for extra advice.

and if i buy an iMac, would i be able to go to my local apple store and get them to upgrade the graphics card and other things?

thanks all, and i appreciate ur time
Click to expand...

Apple refurbs are just like purchasing new models, including that you get the standard 1 year warranty and the ability to purhcase apple care, so there really is no risk.

Not really sure about the games, but since Halo 2 is a few years old and Guitar Hero 3 isn't incredibly graphics intensive (or at least shouldn't be, it a music game afterall), the ATI should be fine.

A note about macs and upgrades. Any custom setup Macs have to be bought online. I believe the only upgrades they'll do in store are RAM upgrades. Also, refurbs can't be customized.
 
Cave Man said:
I suspect the HP 22" display has a 6-bit TN panel, while the 24" iMac will have an 8-bit S/H-IPS panel in it. Does the HP also have optical audio input and output, or the old analog 5.1 connections? How about its wireless - just g or is it n?
Click to expand...

not sure about the TN Panel, and i don't get the optical audio input output...but i remember that it not 5.1 it's 7.1. and wireless b/g/n.
 
morononastick said:
not sure about the TN Panel, and i don't get the optical audio input output...but i remember that it not 5.1 it's 7.1. and wireless b/g/n.
Click to expand...

The TNs are cheap and have small viewing angles and only hundreds of thousands of colors (natively). Check up on all the complaints about the new 20" iMac's panel, it's a TN. The 24" iMac has a top quality panel capable of 16 million colors and is exceptional for critical image work, such as photography or video.

Macs all ship with optical audio ports so they can passthrough any digital audio file there is (and that might be) to a receiver capable of decoding it. This is why you can get native Dolby Digital and DTS to your receivers with Macs. It doesn't matter if the audio is 2.0, 5.1, 7.1, 9.1 or whatever - the Mac can just pass it through to the receiver.
 
Cave Man said:
The TNs are cheap and have small viewing angles and only hundreds of thousands of colors (natively). Check up on all the complaints about the new 20" iMac's panel, it's a TN. The 24" iMac has a top quality panel capable of 16 million colors and is exceptional for critical image work, such as photography or video.

Macs all ship with optical audio ports so they can passthrough any digital audio file there is (and that might be) to a receiver capable of decoding it. This is why you can get native Dolby Digital and DTS to your receivers with Macs. It doesn't matter if the audio is 2.0, 5.1, 7.1, 9.1 or whatever - the Mac can just pass it through to the receiver.
Click to expand...

ya HP doesn't say if it's TN or not. and as for the optical audio ports, it doesn't say if it's optical or not. and someone please tell me if ATI is good with my above requirements. (waaaaay above. first post above)
 
FuuFuu said:
its also cheaper since the hp pavilion elite comes with a tower, and the imac doesn't
Click to expand...

Do we have a smilie where the face is sitting at a computer desk, then falls out of the chair and rolls for several minutes? Preferably with its ass falling off somewhere?

It'd really fit my reaction right now.
 
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