Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Need unbiased info on a MAC purchase

A

Adam23448

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2008
3
0
Okay so I currently own a
Windows Vista desktop
AMD Athlon X2 5000+
4GB Ram
Geforce 8600GTS 512mb
Windows Vista Home Premium

Very happy with the system no slowdowns actually quicker then my old XP rig.

I was thinking of buying a MAC just to have one not that I don't like my current system but just that I want to try something new.

What I was wondering is if I can get some unbiased info on leopard.


I tried searching around online but MAC fanboys generally tend to turn to insults to try and get people to switch which generally just gives off that im better than you vibe.

No offense to people who aren't like that.

So anyways can I just get some info and comparisons on Vista and Leopard
as far as pro's and con's to each.

Thank you :)
 
This won't help you, but I have both Vista and OS X (of course) on my Macbook and like both. Each has their strengths. Overall I prefer OS X obviously, but Vista is pretty good. I know the fanboys like to try to tear it down, but once MS fixed a number of the bugs in it, I have been using it more. The key advantage I see buying a Mac (my opinion) is you can run both operating systems. If Apple didn't have OS X, I wouldn't have an Apple. It is way overpriced for the hardware you get compared to PC's.
 
Seeing as this is an extremely broad question at the best of times, giving some indication of what you do with your computer will help people in helping you.
 
MAC = Media Access Control. Mac = Macintosh. Why don't you just go ahead and buy a Mac? Nothing says you can't have both a Mac and a PC at the same time, and you'd be able to have a better idea about Leopard by using it rather than have some people tell you about it.

--Eric
 
The choice is really two part, hardware and operating system. Most will argue that hardware isn't an issue since Macs can now run Windows without emulation; however, I think hardware is still a key deciding factor.

With regards to hardware, Macs are sleek and lightweight, however, it comes at a cost. In most cases, this cost is ports; or rather lack thereof. If you want a machine with everything built into the computer, Macs are not for you. If you want thin and lightweight and do not care for more than two USB ports, Macs are still on the decision table.

With regards to the operating system, I believe ultimately it comes down to what you want to do. If you want to use your computer for games, or have it work seamlessly with your company's network servers then you will want a Windows based install. If you want to try doing basically the same things, just in a slightly (or in some cases completely) different way - then use Mac OS. The beauty is that, with Bootcamp, you aren't forced to decide to use either OS full time if you don't want to. You can also experiment and gradually move over to Mac or decide for sure to stay put with Windows.

Lastly, as a final word on the current crop of Macbooks or Macbook Pro's (of which I have one of the Pros) - I would wait for a new update to Bootcamp before installing either XP or Vista on the computer. I've had some issues (minor, but issues nonetheless) with the new trackpad and Windows through Bootcamp. If you want to use Parallels or VMware, to run Windows on the Mac, I've had no issues with this.
 
The OS is the main selling point for me. Of course the good hardware and software integration is a plus! I mean camoon, OSX is the best "End user" UNIX on the market. Best graphical interface with the powerfull unix stuff behind it. Nothing compares!

Windows and also Linux seems like a "hobbyist" systems compared to leopard :)
 
edesignuk said:
Seeing as this is an extremely broad question at the best of times, giving some indication of what you do with your computer will help people in helping you.
Click to expand...
Agree.

Personally I use Tiger and WinXP daily.

Playing around with Leopard and Vista.

Both the Mac and Windows platforms have their strengths and weaknesses. What I really like with the Intel Macs, is that I can carry one laptop and have both platforms available to me. Before, I used to carry two laptops. So the Intel Macs have been a wonderful evolution for me.

But to really address your question, we would need to know what you plan on using your Mac to accomplish.

P.S. On a minor side note, it's Mac instead of MAC. :)
 
johto said:
Windows and also Linux seems like a "hobbyist" systems compared to leopard :)
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that. We have many NAS systems at work running Linux, and they are rock stable. Maybe you meant just for end users though. :)
 
Adam23448 said:
Thanks exactly what I needed

I'll probably go ahead and start looking around.

Should I go for one now or are there any new models coming in the future?
Click to expand...

If you're looking for a desktop, the iMac would be the way to go. There are rumors that the iMac will see some upgrades at MacWorld 2009, which is in the second week of January. If you don't need a computer before then, it might be worth it to wait to see if an upgrade does happen.
 
themoonisdown09 said:
If you're looking for a desktop, the iMac would be the way to go. There are rumors that the iMac will see some upgrades at MacWorld 2009, which is in the second week of January. If you don't need a computer before then, it might be worth it to wait to see if an upgrade does happen.
Click to expand...
Agree.

Probably true.

Agree.

The iMac is cost effective. Decent power at a reasonable price.
 
if youre thinking about getting a mac just to try something new, why not get an older white macbook? since the new models released the older ones are a great deal. plus, since you are happy with your current desktop, it would be a nice little add on to your computer family.

i mean, youve got a nice system now, so i doubt youre looking for a replacement, and the fact that you speak of just giving the mac a run to see what all the hullabaloo is about..then the white macbook might be a good start?

then. later on in life, if you choose to go mac, you will have a good foundation on the kind of power you need in a future machine.
 
Now when I finally purchase one would it be cheaper to buy a lower end one and just upgrade ram and hdd myself?


if youre thinking about getting a mac just to try something new, why not get an older white macbook? since the new models released the older ones are a great deal. plus, since you are happy with your current desktop, it would be a nice little add on to your computer family.

i mean, youve got a nice system now, so i doubt youre looking for a replacement, and the fact that you speak of just giving the mac a run to see what all the hullabaloo is about..then the white macbook might be a good start?

then. later on in life, if you choose to go mac, you will have a good foundation on the kind of power you need in a future machine.
Click to expand...

Depending on how things go
I may end up using the mac more
 
Adam23448 said:
Now when I finally purchase one would it be cheaper to buy a lower end one and just upgrade ram and hdd myself?
Click to expand...

The RAM is very easy to upgrade yourself, so I would suggest you get the least amount of RAM with it. The hard drive is not easy to upgrade, so I would suggest you upgrade the hard drive through the Apple store.

Edit: Here's a video from OWC to show you how to upgrade the RAM yourself on an iMac.
 
I dont have a Vista machine, But our family PC is XP and is from 2005, I got a tiger Macbook in 2006, mainly for hobby music production with garageband.

I still think windows isnt too bad, but what annoys me is the virus software. We have Norton, which pops up all the time, asking for permission to do things , telling me the computer is protected from viruses (well duh, thats why we bought Norton. Dont have to tell me its working.) and worst of all interrupting games, minimizing them to say that some program wants to connect to the internet.

Virus sofware is window's downfall. If virus protection was less intrusive, id find windows fairly ok. However I find it harder to maintain that a mac, like things slow down, things stop working for no reason...

My macbook still feels like new after 2 and a half years, our windows pc felt old after a year. Id say macs last longer, they dont really deteriorate, even old ones still cope well today, I dont think a windows machine could last as long
 
belvdr said:
I wouldn't say that. We have many NAS systems at work running Linux, and they are rock stable. Maybe you meant just for end users though. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, i mainly was meaning for "desktop usage". Stable linux, example debian is fine for servers :cool:
 
Get a slightly older Mac to try out. iMac deal

Adam23448 said:
Okay so I currently own a
Windows Vista desktop
AMD Athlon X2 5000+
4GB Ram
Geforce 8600GTS 512mb
Windows Vista Home Premium

Very happy with the system no slowdowns actually quicker then my old XP rig.

I was thinking of buying a MAC just to have one not that I don't like my current system but just that I want to try something new.

What I was wondering is if I can get some unbiased info on leopard.


I tried searching around online but MAC fanboys generally tend to turn to insults to try and get people to switch which generally just gives off that im better than you vibe.

No offense to people who aren't like that.

So anyways can I just get some info and comparisons on Vista and Leopard
as far as pro's and con's to each.

Thank you :)
Click to expand...
 
Adam23448 said:
Okay so I currently own a
Windows Vista desktop
AMD Athlon X2 5000+
4GB Ram
Geforce 8600GTS 512mb
Windows Vista Home Premium

Very happy with the system no slowdowns actually quicker then my old XP rig.

I was thinking of buying a MAC just to have one not that I don't like my current system but just that I want to try something new.

What I was wondering is if I can get some unbiased info on leopard.


I tried searching around online but MAC fanboys generally tend to turn to insults to try and get people to switch which generally just gives off that im better than you vibe.

No offense to people who aren't like that.

So anyways can I just get some info and comparisons on Vista and Leopard
as far as pro's and con's to each.

Thank you :)
Click to expand...

You are at the wrong forum if you want truly unbiased advice!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back