iMac or Dell - I can't decide...

[Eidorian]

the imac is not more expensive, its a different machine,

you are comparing an ultra compact all in one computer to a desktop with standard components

if you search for a pc designed like the imac you will find they are actually more expensive (like the gateway one)

it is true that apple doenst make normal desktops, but one step higher the macpro is a damn cheap xeon workstation

so apple is actually very competitive price wise, it just has very limited choise of products

It shouldn't be that hard to hide this quad core. There's an Intel version as well.

 

[Gaelic1]

It's very simple. Get the Dell and post on a windows forum. Then you can dither about what to buy there.

 

[gnasher729]

The iMac is very limited in that it's extremely difficult (and risky) to upgrade the hard drive).

For most purposes, the hard drive is very easy to upgrade: An external 500 GB hard drive will cost you less than £60. Just plug it in.

 

[st9046]

Dithering no more, I bought the mac, and it feels good. Only took about 24 hours from posting this thread, but I was pretty much on the verge. Just needed a little push over.
So thanks all.

Just one thing, I have this idea I don't need any anti-virus or firewall software for the mac. That can't be right surely. Is that all done from within Leopard ?

 

[surferfromuk]

Don't think you'll find anyone with AV s/w on their macs - just not an issue despite what the PC users might have you believe.

For starters ;

1) All downloads are sent to the downloads folder
2) Nothing will install without admin password
3) downloaded web apps issue a warning

Seems to be enough to have kept the nonsense away.

Firewall - mmmh - personal choice but I let my wireless router act as a basic firewall - the one on the mac is turned off ...Best way is to just check under the sharing control panel to see what shared services are running (none by default - and don't worry it's nice and clear what is and isn't running - no possible doubt!) - if your not running any port based services (ie the built in apache web server, ftp, smb or afp file sharing) then you certainly don't need to worry - even then I wouldn't worry too much..

 

[gnasher729]

I don't quite think this is true...I could be wrong, but it just needs a type of RAM which is compatible, which is plentiful in the RAM world (as in, there's not just one or two very expensive RAMs you can buy). For my Macbook, I got 4GB of RAM for $60 (2x2GB sticks, $30 each) and it works perfectly. If I'm not mistaken, the Mac Pro is not RAM-crippled.

It uses more expensive RAM; the same RAM that you would find in an expensive Dell server, or HP server, or whatever other expensive server. It is more optimized for streaming huge amounts of data to eight cores. You will still find the memory cheaper than buying from Apple, but it is not the cheapest memory. Check out the Crucial website to get an idea of the prices.

 

[gnasher729]

Ok, more seriously don't worry about having to re-learn everything. I think this fear of needing to re-learn how to use a computer keeps many people using Windows. Yes Windows did take some time to learn how to use because it is so poorly designed you had to learn about registry repair, ani-virus and a million other tricks. Macs aren't like that. With Mac OS X I just don't need to mess with it. My 9 year old daughter just uses it from the monent I turned it on without needing to be told what to do.

Actually, I have seen people who have used Windows XP all the time who found it a lot easier to use my MacBook than to use a brand new laptop with Vista installed. To some people, there are three operating systems: Macintosh, Windows, and Vista. And they find switching from Windows to Macintosh easier than switching from Windows to Vista.

 

[windowpain]

Do I need anti-virus software for the mac?

Short answer : No.

Long answer : No, you do not need anti-virus software.

Hope this is clear.

Leopard also comes with a firewall, although I think its off by default. Go to system preferences and turn it on.