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MacVirgin: before i give it away

H

hudsonCrossing

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 25, 2009
34
0
Jersey
hi guys! i have been a long time reader and this is my first post, so be gentle. :)

here's my situation. i'm a life-long pc user and after more than a year of self torture (resisting my worldly urge to buy a Mac) and salivating over those gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous machines at the apple store, i think im ready to take the plunge.

a perfect storm, aligning of the stars even divine intervention brought me to this critical crossroad. first, the rebate season which will provide me with $2Gs to burn, then my 7 year old Sony viao desktop/ pentium 4 windows XP (yes it survived that long) is showing signs of perish. which leaves me no choice but to head out to apple store and but myself a Mac.

i need some advice to prepare myself for the transition and make it as painless as possible.

im enticed by the 20" iMac upgraded version

i consider myself an average user: surfing, email, a little word processing once in a while, simple photo/video editing, etc. (not into games). do i need 4Gig of ram for these and future proof (for at least a year) my purchase? with the coming upgrades and all.

i plan to leave my windows life behind and never look back. i need some guidance from the enlightened ones to help me navigate this unchartered course. :D


:apple:p.s.
will be buying the iPhone too in the next few weeks
 
Welcome. There is no such thing as future-proofing.

You could do with an upgraded Mac Mini with that usage. Heck, the current Mac Mini would be a fine recommendation, except that it is inordinately expensive.
 
I think the upgraded 20-inch iMac should serve you very well.

2 GB of RAM is plenty for your usage habits. When (if) you eventually need to upgrade to 4, you can do so easily and at a much cheaper price.

Enjoy! :)
 
Whatever you do, do yourself a favor and get (which ever) the iMac with STOCK ram and buy the extra memory aftermarket and install it yourself. Apple's BTO prices for memory and hard drives are completely ridiculous.
 
Check on lowendmac.com for the best prices on new machines from reputable stores. It's ussually worth it, even though your gut says, "you can't make it another week! Buy it now!" It is ussually cheaper if you can find a factory refurbished machine. Apple restores them to like new and you can ussually save another couple hundred. Macsales.com is the best place to buy memory or upgrade your hard drive. They are ussually the cheapest and they have great customer service.
My opinion: Get the upgraded 20" on :apple:'s refurbished site for $200 off, then upgrade your ram at macsales.com. You will save money AND have what your heart longeth for. ;)
 
JasonK said:
Check on lowendmac.com for the best prices on new machines from reputable stores. It's ussually worth it, even though your gut says, "you can't make it another week! Buy it now!" It is ussually cheaper if you can find a factory refurbished machine. Apple restores them to like new and you can ussually save another couple hundred. Macsales.com is the best place to buy memory or upgrade your hard drive. They are ussually the cheapest and they have great customer service.
My opinion: Get the upgraded 20" on :apple:'s refurbished site for $200 off, then upgrade your ram at macsales.com. You will save money AND have what your heart longeth for. ;)
Click to expand...

that's a good suggestion.....but you know what, i intend to go through the whole experience...envisioned myself entering the apple store absorbing all the energy and excitement....even hearing in my mind a genius handing me over my Mac saying "here you go enjoy your new Mac" and walking away with my reward for holding back for too long.
 
Another plan...

hudsonCrossing said:
that's a good suggestion.....but you know what, i intend to go through the whole experience...envisioned myself entering the apple store absorbing all the energy and excitement....even hearing in my mind a genius handing me over my Mac saying "here you go enjoy your new Mac" and walking away with my reward for holding back for too long.
Click to expand...

I fully understand. I am the geek who stands in line 12 hours before a operating system is released, or sleep outside in order to be in the front of the line for a new iphone. The experience is great. But in the end, the experience isn't worth 2-4 hundred. I am just letting you know! It is also great receiving a package from apple! Although, I will digress, opening a refurb is not as fun; it is packaged different.
I guess if this is the one "you give it a way" to, you want it to be special. So new plan:
1. Light some candles. It will se the mood.
2. Get a baby sitter for the kids and have the wife go off with a friend. The last thing you want is an interruption on your first time.
3. Make a fancy meal with a little jazz in the background.
4. Get the version (20") you want and have the new memory ready (still from macmall). This isn't a cheap date, and you want it to be memor(y)able.
5. Take her in the other room and make it more comfortable.
6. Lay it down with the back side facing up.
7. The next part requires a little screwing (philips) and trying to find the tabs. This is where a lot of people get scared and run, but if you have patience I promise you it will be worth your while.
8. Wiggle the tab a little and pull it out and put the new ram in. Be delicate in this part. Also when you are putting it in, you might have to give it a little extra push to make sure its in all the way.
9. Once you have finished, put everything back the way it was, turn it a around and now you can turn it on for the very first time! The next part is my favorite, but I will not spoil the surprise, I want it to be special! Have fun! ;)
 
lol...thanks JasonK....i really enjoyed your alternative plan. rather than "paying" somebody to insert the memory and "hook" it up for me.

would you be my Godfather on this....;)


im still twisting in the air tho... hoping that there will be a refresh....this Tuesday...or the next:D
 
hudsonCrossing said:
lol...thanks JasonK....i really enjoyed your alternative plan. rather than "paying" somebody to insert the memory and "hook" it up for me.

would you be my Godfather on this....;)


im still twisting in the air tho... hoping that there will be a refresh....this Tuesday...or the next:D
Click to expand...

I know Seth over at 9to5mac.com seems fairly confident that the new line of apple desktops will be coming at the end of March. Thanks rdowns, in these trying times, a little recognition is all you can hope for. :)
 
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