Is Mac for me? Windows XP user

[ElDogman]

Hi Everyone!

I'm a long time XP User that absolutely hates Vista.. to the point that even Macs are starting to look good!

However I'm still uncertain on some things in terms of software.

this is what I currently use my laptop for (A Vaio):

watching avi's and other video files.
using virtual drive programs like Daemon or magicISO
ripping dvds
emulation: snes, genesis, ps1, saturn, pc98, nes, gameboy advance
occasional free mmorpgs: maple story (very occasional as I have no time these days)
the typical web browsing,mp3 listening, skype chatting
FTP and IRC
Photoshop
Excel, Powerpoint, Word (but I hate word 2007)
google earth

as for gaming.. I do it occasionally.. like CoD4 and Hitman.. I don't know if I do it occasionally because my Nvidia 7400 is slow and I have to run things at very low settings, taking away the appeal of the game, or if im not as interested in PC gaming all together.. I don't think I've ever owned anything that was mid-high end like an Nvidia 8600.

I like real nice screens! Hard to come down from the screens used on a Vaio! but I'm just so fed up with Vista that i purposely downgraded to XP.

i'm also a college student. It seems one of my friends can use torrent programs on the Mac and get away with it while window users are blocked.

 

[nick9191]

OS X will do 90% of what you mention. For the other 10% you can install XP onto it if needs be. Are you looking at a laptop or a desktop?

Also if you can hold out until sometime this month or next month as Apple will turn over part of their product line.

 

[ElDogman]

OS X will do 90% of what you mention. For the other 10% you can install XP onto it if needs be. Are you looking at a laptop or a desktop?

Also if you can hold out until sometime this month or next month as Apple will turn over part of their product line.

one of my professors had the 24" iMac. It had the prettiest screen I ever seen! I think it uses that new h-IPS panel!

dunno if I can afford that (I think its more expensive than the MBP).
While I'm a sucker for screens, I love the portability of a laptop.

 

[Apple Ink]

one of my professors had the 24" iMac. It had the prettiest screen I ever seen! I think it uses that new h-IPS panel!

dunno if I can afford that (I think its more expensive than the MBP).
While I'm a sucker for screens, I love the portability of a laptop.

The 17" glossy MBP 1920x1200 costs $2900 and is probably the most beautiful screen Ive ever seen in a notebook!

 

[chrono1081]

I just switched to mac in march and will never look back. (Im an IT tech too who makes a living from windows).

Everything I did on windows (which is most of what you mentioned) I do on a mac. Also on mac no need for Daemon tools mac OS has that type of feature built in. I did put a copy of xp pro on my mac using bootcamp and I can access windows for gaming if I want by booting into windows, or if I just want windows to program I launch vmware and use a virtual machine of windows. Its an awesome setup and I really dont see myself switching back to windows only.

Vista is the reason I switched to mac (the slow file transfer speeds made my computer unusable for what I needed and I hate the constant crashes). I was extremely hesitant and almost didn't do it but I am soooo glad I did. It's the best move I made.

 

[DoFoT9]

OP: i dare say that you can do every single one of those on a mac without any windows help.

 

[ElDogman]

btw spec wise, what is good for mac os?

for example running XP, 512mb is sufficient, 1gb good, 2gb more than enough for most people.

but Vista is a hog, and 2gb is ideal, and preferably a processor thats 2.0ghz or above.

how about Mac?

also is there anything that saves "states" on the software?
i often surf the net, and sometimes go to some shady sites.. most people they get viruses or something. I have a program on XP called Deep Freeze, in which it saves the last state thats good. so all i need to do is reboot and its all clean and "fresh".. its a program many schools use.

Is there something like that on mac too?

 

[ditzy]

btw spec wise, what is good for mac os?

for example running XP, 512mb is sufficient, 1gb good, 2gb more than enough for most people.

but Vista is a hog, and 2gb is ideal, and preferably a processor thats 2.0ghz or above.

how about Mac?

also is there anything that saves "states" on the software?
i often surf the net, and sometimes go to some shady sites.. most people they get viruses or something. I have a program on XP called Deep Freeze, in which it saves the last state thats good. so all i need to do is reboot and its all clean and "fresh".. its a program many schools use.

Is there something like that on mac too?

Vast majority of virus' are written for windows and as such don't work on mac. So far safer than windows.

1GB is fine with Leopard but as with any computer the more RAM the better. If you get MBP they come with 2GB standard anyway.

Also after reading the thread you said you might be interested in the imac. They are actually significantly cheaper than the MBP.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I switched in April to my beautiful MBP - a longed for birthday present - and have not looked back. It is fantastic, physically beautiful and works really very well. Factors which persuaded me to switch were (not necessarily in this order) the fact that Apple makes beautifully designed products; I loved my iPod and iTunes was so intuitively easy to use that it made absolute mincemeat out of the horrid Macromedia package which I had found ghastly and difficult to use; Apple customer care - when my iPod died within warranty, it was replaced immediately without any fuss; and the fact that the Apple machines are very good on security issues. Prior to that, I had used XP, which was fine. However, Vista, by almost universal agreement, should not be touched with the proverbial barge-pole.

The speed is far faster (as pointed out elsewhere, 2 RAM is standard on MBA and MBP), screen superb, internet access virtually flawless, viruses and spam almost entirely eliminated, (and in the World of Windoze, I was one of the few who had actually bought a robust anti-spam/virus package, which reduced considerably, but not entirely the daily avalanche of unwelcome visitors), and the ease of use (and customer care) pretty impressive.

Yes, there are issues, but in my experience they have been mostly learning curve issues, and the Apple people in the shop where I purchased my MBP, in this forum and elsewhere have all been very helpful. Good luck.
MBP 15.4", 2 GB RAM, 2.4 ghz, 160 HDD
iPod Classic black 30 GB