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My Switch from PC to Mac? Chances are slim :(

jnc said:
Have you been under a rock since 2006? Now you can run Windows and OSX out of the same box, of course you can play games.
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Sorry, I mis-spoke. That should be "OS X", not "mac". And I'd like anyone to show me a good current game that can be played in a mac. Even the newest EA releases require a dedicated graphics card, where as their Windows counterparts don't.. so I don't get it. Unless you already need a Mac Pro (and chance replacing the whole thing every time a new high end graphics card comes out), I don't see the advantage of a Mac Pro over a low end mac and a gaming rig.
 
1. Buy an iMac and use your monitor as an extended monitor. I've been using two monitors for the past couple of years and it's great, actually does increase productivity.

2. The Mac mini is not underpowered, although if you're considering machines under 2k, that's probably not your best bet.

3. Get a Mac Pro! There is no such thing as "too much power for me" as long as you can afford it. I'd say spend the $299 over the $2000 you mentioned and get a machine that will last you VERY long. If you can get someone who's a student to buy it for you it's only $2150 :rolleyes:

OS X - If you're considering getting a mac, you've seen what os x can do :D
 
I'm kind of in the same boat as the OP, except that I may have to UN-switch, which I really, really do not want to do. I would really like a new Macintosh, but since I can't afford a MP, and nothing else suits my needs, I'm sort of left out in the cold.

I don't care so much about the form factor, but I really need an affordable 4-core machine - I'm in a class that requires I test programs I write on 2- and 4-core machines, which means I spend several hours in the university's queue to wait for a 4-core node to become available. It would save so much time to do the bulk of my work on my own computer, and then once everything is finalized, THEN do final testing at school, but I can't.

I don't care if it's a mid-tower desktop or just a 4-core iMac, I just want Apple to offer SOMETHING that's got 4 cores for under say $1500. But the universe as seen by Apple consists only of laptops and workstations and people wealthier than I am.
 
sine-nomine said:
I'm kind of in the same boat as the OP, except that I may have to UN-switch, which I really, really do not want to do. I would really like a new Macintosh, but since I can't afford a MP, and nothing else suits my needs, I'm sort of left out in the cold.

I don't care so much about the form factor, but I really need an affordable 4-core machine - I'm in a class that requires I test programs I write on 2- and 4-core machines, which means I spend several hours in the university's queue to wait for a 4-core node to become available. It would save so much time to do the bulk of my work on my own computer, and then once everything is finalized, THEN do final testing at school, but I can't.

I don't care if it's a mid-tower desktop or just a 4-core iMac, I just want Apple to offer SOMETHING that's got 4 cores for under say $1500. But the universe as seen by Apple consists only of laptops and workstations and people wealthier than I am.
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Hmm, sorry you're that situation. I'd say if you wanna try to not unswitch, your best bet would be ebay :eek: Maybe a PowerMac G5 Quad? Good luck.
 
Why not get an iMac and install Windows on it? Best of both worlds. Sure you have a monitor and keyboard and mouse and all.
But you want to switch. Or do you? I don't really understand this thread.
(and the mini has plenty of power).
 
jnc said:
SINGLE Quad Core 2.8GHz Mac Pros are $2299.

Apple won't be coming out with anything else, because that's your mid tower right there. Same price as a 2.8GHz iMac.

This is the best you're gonna get!

I see the Mac Mini and the :apple:tv merging into one product.. at least, that's what I'd have done if I were in charge :p

Slimmer Mini with Component and HDMI outputs in addition to DVI. Cinema Displays renamed Studio Displays and REAL 1080p "Cinema Displays" (40" and beyond!) announced.

:p

Anyhoo, go for that Mac Pro right now. Stop the waiting, it's here already!
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If I could slap someone for saying this everytime it was said, PEOPLE WOULD STOP SAYING IT! The Mac Mini and AppleTV are two Seperate products. They are not merging. They will never merge. AppleTV is a HOBBY. The Jobs said it himself. They wouldn't merge real business with a hobby. THese are completely different animals, apples to oranges.

But I do agree with the "Mid tower" Thing. There will be no mid tower people, get over it. You can use dual Monitors with the iMac, why not take advantage of that? Max it out now, and you won't need to worry about upgrading! Sometimes the logic on these boards kill me.

If you don't like Apple's Product strategy, then you don't have the Mac "mindset". Apple Wants you to have the easiest experience you can with your computer. They don't want you to have to upgrade their components because the average user doesn't, and they shouldn't have to.

The iMac seems like the overall good choice for the OP, just buy the $20 cable and add the Monitor to your iMac. Screen Real Estate FTW.
 
jnc said:
He said he wanted to game casually, and start creating music and video content... now, as an buyer of two MacBooks, two Mac Minis, an iMac and very soon a Mac Pro and MBP, I couldn't tell him to get anything with less punch than a iMac / MBP for all of these purposes with a straight face.
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Funny, I have been creating music and video on my Rev A iMac G5 for years and I have a straight face.

I don't mean to specifically pick on you, but there are lots of people that post here that claim you can can't do anything on a computer but surf the web unless you have a Core 2 Duo machine, you max out the RAM, and you have a video card released in the last 5 minutes and that is just plain not true.

Before I added RAM to my machine I only had 768 MB of RAM for years. And I was able to make movies in FCE that were more than an hour long and I was able to record dozens of songs with my band in GarageBand.

Half of the time when I see these "recommendations" I wonder if the person has ever even edited a movie or made a song. iLife runs great on any relatively recent Mac. Sure you get faster render times on a new machine, but other than that....
 
sine-nomine said:
I don't care if it's a mid-tower desktop or just a 4-core iMac, I just want Apple to offer SOMETHING that's got 4 cores for under say $1500. But the universe as seen by Apple consists only of laptops and workstations and people wealthier than I am.
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Does ANYONE offer a 4 core machine for under $1500?

And I want a free Mac Pro...what is your point? Apple does not sell what you want (or think you want). Other companies sell computers.

I am so sick of the mid-range tower topic. Even more so now that there is single processor Mac Pro again. The vast majority of users don't upgrade their computer AT ALL! Not even RAM. Mid-range towers have no margins. Apple knows both of these things. This is why you have no mid-range tower. The only people clamoring for a mid-range tower hang out here.

Apple has also done this several times in the past and they weren't successful. Nobody bought the Cube. Nobody bought the single G5 PowerMac.
 
AutumnSkyline said:
The Mac Mini and AppleTV are two Seperate products. They are not merging. They will never merge. AppleTV is a HOBBY..
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Personally, I find no use at all in the Apple TV, as I've had a Mini (which does the same job PLUS is a full computer) sitting under my HDTV long before the thing was introduced. I don't see the point of its existence frankly. It's like a severely crippled Mini that still requires a Mac to even work. :confused::confused::confused:

slu said:
Funny, I have been creating music and video on my Rev A iMac G5 for years and I have a straight face.

...
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Uhh, I recommended the iMac. Did you misread my post?

This guy doesn't want an AIO though, so it's out of the question. Hence I recommended the single quad core MP.
 
jnc said:
Uhh, I recommended the iMac. Did you misread my post?

This guy doesn't want an AIO though, so it's out of the question. Hence I recommended the single quad core MP.
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I did not mis-read your post. You are essentially saying that it is laughable (hence the straight face comment) to create songs or edit video on a MB or Mac mini. I am saying that, for non-pro use, you can edit video and create songs on any new Mac just fine. Because I do both on a Mac that is nowhere near as powerful as even a Mac mini. My wife does it on a PowerBook G4.
 
Why not check the Refurb store for a prior-generation Mac Pro Quad 2.0? I imagine that would be less than 2k, and it will offer all the expansion you need.
 
Great input ! Thx all !

What I've decided so far....the Mac Pro is my preferred option. I may not need all the power , but it has the most potential.

(1) It will easily take care of my gaming needs when my PC dies. I'm not a hardcore gamer, but I do need some POW ! for a few games I play. The 8800 GT was the card I was looking at for the Dell I mentioned. So i'm more than pleased with that option.

(2) Expandablity : Check

(3) Running OSX and Apple Software: No problem

(4) If I ever want to get serious with video/film/music etc. : No problem

It covers 3 of the 4 things i'll be doing right away. I may never get to step 4 (to be honest) but the possiblity is always there.

Now which option:

Mac Pro from the Apple Store down the road: 8 Core Base, Tax Free, + EDU = $2599

OR

Online Store: 4 Core, with Tax + EDU = $2277

So for $300 more I can get the 8 Core. Is that the wiser choice considering the cost of 1 quad core chip for me?

I'll wait till after MWSF, but the Mac Pro is what i'm leaning towards since I already have a nice 21" Sony monitor (High Quality, cost me $700 back in the day) with a nice Yamaha Stereo Receiver/2 Speaker system (Boston Acoustic CR-9 Models).

I can have both my PC and Mac hooked up and swtich the Video with 1 button since I have 2 inputs in my monitor and switch the Audio with the receiver with the press of the button. Use my PC for gaming when I need it and my Mac for everything else. Then I can also use Bootcamp/XP (Separate HD) one day and lay my PC to rest when its time comes.

I think that is my best opitons. Maybe not the cost effective, but my best Mac option. Just need a suggestion on whether to go for the 4 core or 8.

Thx to all for your input, very helpful. I may be picking up a Mac next week sometime, just want to make sure I don't miss anything with MWSF coming up.
 
slu said:
I did not mis-read your post. You are essentially saying that it is laughable (hence the straight face comment) to create songs or edit video on a MB or Mac mini. I am saying that, for non-pro use, you can edit video and create songs on any new Mac just fine. Because I do both on a Mac that is nowhere near as powerful as even a Mac mini. My wife does it on a PowerBook G4.
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When I moved from a MacBook to a iMac I instantly appreciated the difference in all round use of the OS, not just any particular tasks. That has to be down to dedicated GPU, as otherwise they were comparable in spec.

I've since had to switch back to a MacBook and I cannot wait for the MBP and Mac Pro to arrive... it's a day and night difference between dedicated and inegrated performance... never mind the fact the OP said he'd still want to play games.

I maintain that I could not recommend a Mini to a person in such a position.
 
Gunga Din said:
Great input ! Thx all !

What I've decided so far....the Mac Pro is my preferred option. I may not need all the power , but it has the most potential.

...

Now which option:

Mac Pro from the Apple Store down the road: 8 Core Base, Tax Free, + EDU = $2599

OR

Online Store: 4 Core, with Tax + EDU = $2277

So for $300 more I can get the 8 Core. Is that the wiser choice considering the cost of 1 quad core chip for me?
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Yes! That's a great price in comparison to the 4 core, thanks to the "no tax" bit.
 
Get a refurbished machine... that will save you the cash. I bought a new powerbook and, took it home, only to have it replaced three times... I bought a refurbished macbook and it was perfect. Also if you aren't doing professional work, have you looked at a macbookpro? It's game-able... plus you can take it anywhere.
 
dejo said:
How is that you pay no tax at the Apple Store down the road but have to pay tax at the online store? Just curious.
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Aye, the Store is in a Tax Free shopping State next to my State. Its only 20min drive but I have to enter a different state for the tax free. Another option would be to ship the computer to a friend in that state.
 
chewietobbacca said:
Yes and if you build it yourself (which is really easy honestly), it'll be even cheaper (< $1000 is doable)
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FWIW I just ordered a Dell Precision 390 quad 2.4 GHz Q6600 for $1200 with 4 GB of RAM for work, so the the $1K target for DIY should be quite achievable.

B
 
balamw said:
There are two obvious ones DE (Christiana Mall) and NH (Salem) that are close to many folks.

B
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Yep, Newark DE is a $100 2hr Amtrak train from NY. As if buying in NYC wasn't cheap enough for a Brit, I'm thinking of getting a cheap flight to New York (you can't fly to DE) and enjoying some tax free shopping :D
 
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