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PC died am I ready for a Mac?

T

TonyMil

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 21, 2008
99
0
My PC power supply gave out last night. I was running a 2 gig processor with 2 gigs of memory running WinXP.

I'm not into gaming or online games. I just want to work with my photos and iTunes. I was using The GIMP for my photo work.

Sadly I am on a rather tight budget. Can I get into a Mac for $500? I still have keyboard, mouse and large CRT.

Thanks.
 
A Mac mini would work but you'd be much better off waiting for the poor bugger to be updated soon.

Ever think of replacing the power supply while you save up some more money?
 
The least expensive Mac is the Mac Mini, which starts at $599. Search Apple's website for refurbished or check eBay for used. You're going to be very limited by such a small budget.
 
Yes, the cheapest way out is replacing your Power Supply.... assuming that it didn't take anything else with it when it went out. Or, assuming that something else biting the dust didn't also take out the Power Supply. Until you can trouble shoot the PC completely, you won't know.
 
Thanks for the replies.

It's more than just the power supply that is gone. This PC has been on it's last legs for a while now. It's just one big patch job.
 
Sadly saying, you.. **Takes a Deep Breath and Sighs** could buy a new PC.


There I said it.

You will definantly be able to get one for under $500.
 
Sorry to hear about the PC.

A Mac mini would be a great machine for your needs. The keyboard and mouse have to be USB for it to work and it comes with a DVI/VGA adapter for the monitor. If you can salvage the PC hard drive and with an external enclosure you can use it for Time Machine backups.
 
If you really need a new computer...

If you can find a way to hold off then wait for a Mac mini update.
 

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I was kicking around on the Mac site and I do believe I'll need to go PC again. At least I have a goal to save for now.

Thanks!
 
If you do have to get a cheap Dell, may I recommend the PowerEdge over the horrible Dimensions. The PowerEdge line are designed as servers, however shove a copy of XP on it and voila, you have a cheap PC, with considerably better build quality than the Dimensions.

On the Dell store I'm looking at a:

Dual Core 2.2ghz Opteron
2gb RAM
2 x 80gb HDD's

$320 ex. Tax and Shipping
 
Yes and no.

I wanted to chime in here, since I do IT buying for a living, and I just went through this with my next door neighbor. I am a Mac user, but have home-built PCs. When the neighbor's old Gateway bit the dust, I suggested a Mac, but they weren't interested. I ended up getting the very Dell a previous poster recommended - the Inspiron 530, running Vista Home Premium.

Despite the shoddy build quality of the case and the truly awful Windows Vista (which I have avoided up to this point; at work we still stick with XP) it isn't a bad box, but I wouldn't buy one for myself. Quite simply, the ease of use with Mac OS X and the seamless integration between hardware and software makes it worth every penny.

If you can't afford a Mac (even a refurb) then get a new power supply on eBay and wait until you can buy a Mac. Some former PC users take to a Mac easily and have no issues. Others just can't get a hang of it and end up going back to PC, for some odd reason.

The mini isn't a bad machine for basic usage, but they desperately need to udate its components. It's in serious need of a refresh.
 
Dell also has a refurbished site. That may be able to save you some more money should you go that route.
 
Cave Man said:
Or just do a hackintosh, if the OP's up to it.
Click to expand...


AHH NOOO!!!! Umm, you didn't read this post okay? We don't do illegal things here besides downloading movies and music, did I just say that?.... Wait... Someone is at my door... ITS THE COPS! FLUSH THE TERABYTE DRIVES! :eek: :confused:

What seems to be the officer problem?
-----------------------
$200,000 of Bail Later:
----------------------

I was thinking.... Since you only use GIMP, you could go the Linux route?

Doesn't Apple offer some way of "Monthly Payment" for their products? You could always do that too.
 
jaikob said:
AHH NOOO!!!! Umm, you didn't read this post okay? We don't do illegal things here besides downloading movies and music, did I just say that?.... Wait... Someone is at my door... ITS THE COPS! FLUSH THE TERABYTE DRIVES! :eek: :confused:

What seems to be the officer problem?
-----------------------
$200,000 of Bail Later:
----------------------

I was thinking.... Since you only use GIMP, you could go the Linux route?

Doesn't Apple offer some way of "Monthly Payment" for their products? You could always do that too.
Click to expand...

hackintoshes are allowed to be discussed here just like were allowed to discuss Psystar which is engaging in illegal activity… its just we are not allowed to provide illegal links. i suggest you do a search to get your facts right before posting like that.
 
richthomas said:
hackintoshes are allowed to be discussed here just like were allowed to discuss Psystar which is engaging in illegal activity… its just we are not allowed to provide illegal links. i suggest you do a search to get your facts right before posting like that.
Click to expand...

How did you honestly take any part of that post seriously :rolleyes:
 
sorry to inform you but like others say the cheapest way is to buy new PSU, keep/save the money for later or just go with new/faster PC...
 
Just go with a Mac Mini... its a learning experience learning a Mac OS.. it doesnt take long.. within a week you will know it inside-out.. And dont buy a PC coz they all come running Vista..
 
zainjetha said:
Just go with a Mac Mini... its a learning experience learning a Mac OS.. it doesnt take long.. within a week you will know it inside-out.. And dont buy a PC coz they all come running Vista..
Click to expand...

With my first Mac it took me several months, if not a year to become comfortable using it to the point where I'd prefer Mac OS over Windows.

However, there's now no real reason to switch. Windows Vista is equal on features to Mac OS X and in my experience it is actually more stable and is much more compatible with accessories like printers and scanners. There is also a lot more third party software available for it too.

When I switched back in 2005 then there probably was a reason to, but these days the two OSs are so similar in performance and features that you'd be stupid to spend the extra on some half-assed Mac mini product from Apple when you could get a machine with much more power for much less money from elsewhere.
 
richthomas said:
hackintoshes are allowed to be discussed here just like were allowed to discuss Psystar which is engaging in illegal activity… its just we are not allowed to provide illegal links. i suggest you do a search to get your facts right before posting like that.
Click to expand...

I don't think that there's been any legal determination as to the nature of Psystar's activity yet. Just because they've been sued by Apple doesn't mean they are doing anything "illegal". It means that Apple believes there is civil liability on Psystar's part. Whether that's true or not will need to be determined in court.

As for the OP, bite the bullet and get a new Mac. You can get a refurb'd 20" iMac for under $1000. Maybe more than you want to spend now, but worth it down the road. Once you go Mac, you'll never go back! :D :apple:
 
I think you're ready to jump to Mac- it's just unfortunate that your budget's at that level and Mini's in a sort of limbo at the moment. I decided to jump at the turn of the year and actually switched at the end of March.

I was initially considering the entry-level Mini but, long story short, I opted for the entry-level iMac instead.

I think the best advice in the thread has been to buy a new PSU or dirt-cheap refurb PC and
A) Save for a Mac
B) See what happens with the Mini
 
I plan to pick up a cheap PC for now and save over time to get into an iMac.
 
zainjetha said:
Just go with a Mac Mini... its a learning experience learning a Mac OS.. it doesnt take long.. within a week you will know it inside-out.. And dont buy a PC coz they all come running Vista..
Click to expand...

I will watch out for that "within a week you will know it inside out"! I switched about 6 weeks ago, and last Sunday I screwed up so badly with "permissions" that I had to reinstall OS. That fast switch can be dangerous. OSX behaves differently than windows, and simple things can hurt you bad ;)
 
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