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Made a bold decision, need buying advice.

adamvk

adamvk

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 29, 2008
1,308
0
Phoenix, AZ
Well 2 days ago my Vista-riden PC crashed and the info cannot be recovered. A week earlier my XP drive also crashed and had to be reloaded. I'm sick of Microsofts' OS's, and they seem to get worse, and support also worsens. I've decided that if I can sell my PC, I will buy a Mac. I've heard great things about Macs, and so I've decided to try to buy one. With that said, I have a lower budget of about $1500. I do gaming (Oblivion, TDU), Autodesk Products (Revit Architecture, Autucad) and simple everyday things. Graphics are important, probably the most important part for me. I'm wondering what you think I should go with

New Macbook 2.4GHZ 2GB 9400M 512MB $1599

Old Macbook Pro 2.4GHZ (??GB Ram) 8600m (prices vary from place to place)

Current iMac 2.66GHZ 2GB Ram ATI2600 PRO $1499 (Is it true a new one is coming out soon?)

Other....
 
SuperCompu2

SuperCompu2

macrumors 6502a
Jul 23, 2006
852
1
MA
If you're into visual applications, I would go for the iMac in a heartbeat. The bigger screen and better graphics will serve you better in the long run than eith either of the laptop solutions.
 
adamvk

adamvk

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 29, 2008
1,308
0
Phoenix, AZ
Ok thanks for advice...It sounds like the iMac is the best route for me. My only concern is that it is rumored that new iMacs will be released soon. Anyone know about this? I just dont want to buy an iMac for $1500 and then 2 months later a much more powerfull $1500 iMac comes out.
 
HLdan

HLdan

macrumors 603
Aug 22, 2007
6,383
0
adamvk said:
Ok thanks for advice...It sounds like the iMac is the best route for me. My only concern is that it is rumored that new iMacs will be released soon. Anyone know about this? I just dont want to buy an iMac for $1500 and then 2 months later a much more powerfull $1500 iMac comes out.
Click to expand...

If you can at least hold off and tolerate your PC's until January's Macworld Expo then it may be to your advantage to wait. Apple releases something new every Macworld. I can't say it will be an iMac however the longer you wait the older the current iMac line gets and if no iMac at Macworld appears then it's best to just buy what's available.

FYI, the Macbook doesn't offer a 9400M GPU with 512 ram, only 256.
 
adamvk

adamvk

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 29, 2008
1,308
0
Phoenix, AZ
HLdan said:
If you can at least hold off and tolerate your PC's until January's Macworld Expo then it may be to your advantage to wait. Apple releases something new every Macworld. I can't say it will be an iMac however the longer you wait the older the current iMac line gets and if no iMac at Macworld appears then it's best to just buy what's available.

FYI, the Macbook doesn't offer a 9400M GPU with 512 ram, only 256.
Click to expand...

Ya, I'm also worried about my PCs value going down in 2 months. Also thanks, I was thinking the high end macbook had a 9400 w/ 512MB ram, I dont know why...
 
richard13

richard13

macrumors 6502a
Aug 1, 2008
837
198
Odessa, FL
adamvk said:
Well 2 days ago my Vista-riden PC crashed and the info cannot be recovered. A week earlier my XP drive also crashed and had to be reloaded. I'm sick of Microsofts' OS's
Click to expand...

Blah... blah... blah...

Look, if things really happened the way you are describing it, it's most likely your hardware at fault, not Windows. You could be in the same situation with a Mac. There's no protection from such failures except a good backup scheme. Which, I guess you don't have.

As far as the value of your PC going down over the next 2 months, well, you shouldn't be looking at computers as an investment. They are mere tools with which to do your work. But, if I were you, I would want to try to get in on the holiday buying season and sell the PC right now.

All this said, I agree with the others. Based on your needs and if you are seriously considering a Mac, you should look at the iMac. You will appreciate the bigger screen for your CAD functions and gaming needs. If you want portability go with the current Macbook Pro. And, if you don't care about having the latest and greatest, the 17" Macbook Pro would be a good option too.
 
D

DaveOZ

macrumors 6502
May 13, 2008
376
294
Are you aware that you will have to boot into windows to use Revit? Seems like a PITA solution if you main production software is windows based.

/Yes I know it will work in VM Fusion but not as well as it does in full bootcamp windows.
 
adamvk

adamvk

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 29, 2008
1,308
0
Phoenix, AZ
richard13 said:
Blah... blah... blah...

Look, if things really happened the way you are describing it, it's most likely your hardware at fault, not Windows. You could be in the same situation with a Mac. There's no protection from such failures except a good backup scheme. Which, I guess you don't have.

As far as the value of your PC going down over the next 2 months, well, you shouldn't be looking at computers as an investment. They are mere tools with which to do your work. But, if I were you, I would want to try to get in on the holiday buying season and sell the PC right now.

All this said, I agree with the others. Based on your needs and if you are seriously considering a Mac, you should look at the iMac. You will appreciate the bigger screen for your CAD functions and gaming needs. If you want portability go with the current Macbook Pro. And, if you don't care about having the latest and greatest, the 17" Macbook Pro would be a good option too.
Click to expand...

Thanks, and it was Windows' fault, but anyways, it doesn't matter now.

DaveOZ said:
Are you aware that you will have to boot into windows to use Revit? Seems like a PITA solution if you main production software is windows based.

/Yes I know it will work in VM Fusion but not as well as it does in full bootcamp windows.
Click to expand...

Yea I know, but I don't have that much of a problem with it.
 
M

Mercellus

macrumors regular
Nov 4, 2008
181
0
adamvk said:
Is it hard to install ram in the iMac though?
Click to expand...
It should not be too complicated to install RAM in the iMac as it is a user-serviceable component; I believe you just remove the memory door from the bottom of the display panel (someone please correct me if I am wrong, as I do not own an iMac).
 
DoNoHarm

DoNoHarm

macrumors 65816
Oct 8, 2008
1,138
46
Maine
my two cents say macbook pro classic or the imac. the screen on the mbp classic is just outstanding......
 
adamvk

adamvk

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 29, 2008
1,308
0
Phoenix, AZ
Thank you everyone for your help/assistance. I have decided to get an iMac, but not until January when we see if a new iMac comes out. One more question though, I've heard its possible to change the video card in the 24" iMac, is this true?

Thanks.
 
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