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should i get a mac

I

Independence

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 14, 2003
234
0
United States
i currently use a windows 2000 pro pc with an AMD Duron 800 MHz processor, 256mb ram, geforce 4 mx 440, etc...

anyway, im wondering if it would be a good idea to get a mac. what mac would you suggest for someone who does a great deal of playing games, surfing the internet, and listening to music? i've explorer several different operating systems on my PC (including Mac OS 8.1 with the help of Basilisk 2) and have yet to find the "perfect" operating system. im hoping that a mac just might be the right computer for me. i can deal with linux (hell, i've used slackware linux 8.1 which was a bitch to set up on this machine) but sometimes i just want solid ease of use. would a mac be a good choice?
 
First of all... Mac OSX is ALWAYS a good choice... But if you do a lot of game playing on your computer there are limited games for OSX... there are some good ones you might like though. WC3, Max Payne, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Jedi Knight 2, etc...
 
Basically, there is not such thing as a heavy gaming Mac. If you're into the games that are out for Macs, a PowerMac will run them just fine, but there are a lot of games that just aren't released for Macs (or are released much later than the Windows counterpart). Other than games, just about any Mac would suit you just fine. iTunes is an excellent music program, and once Safari is out of beta, it should be an excellent web browser (I'm posting from the beta now). Basically I would check if there are Mac versions of the games you like, and if there are, post here with the rest of your requirements (price, for example).
 
"Great Deal" of games in your post says no on the Mac. There are some terrific games for Macs, and it depends what you like to play. If you DO decide to go that way get a G4 tower with a decent vcard. The new macs don't come close to them, IMHO. If you're made of money, check out alienware.com. That's some SERIOUS gaming gear.
 
Supposedly the reason for the switch from the ATI video cards in the PowerBooks was to move toward a set of cards that perform better at gaming. I don't know a lot about current games, but I have heard that there are a lot more coming.
 
Originally posted by dabirdwell
Supposedly the reason for the switch from the ATI video cards in the PowerBooks was to move toward a set of cards that perform better at gaming. I don't know a lot about current games, but I have heard that there are a lot more coming.
Click to expand...

Well, it was a stupid move then, since the Radeon 9000 is better for gaming.
 
If you wanna game don't buy a Mac (seeing a trend here ;)). A lot of people like Windows XP (I haven't used it too much, Win2k has been very good to me so I ain't gonna fix what ain't broken ;)).

You seem to know yer way 'round a PC so if you want a solid gaming machine my suggestion would be to build yer own rig.


Lethal
 
Originally posted by LethalWolfe
If you wanna game don't buy a Mac (seeing a trend here ;)). A lot of people like Windows XP (I haven't used it too much, Win2k has been very good to me so I ain't gonna fix what ain't broken ;)).

You seem to know yer way 'round a PC so if you want a solid gaming machine my suggestion would be to build yer own rig.


Lethal
Click to expand...

XP is the devil. Win2000 Pro is the only competently made OS Microsoft has made. Basically, XP is 2000 with a lot of crap (the interface, the EULA, etc...) and a few good features (fast user switching) added.
 
YAY!!! You're not using Windows XPensive!
So happy. If you're into games don't get a Mac. I know...Macs are much easier to use and much more intuitive but PC's are just better for games. My Power Mac G4 (the greatest and best so far) is like nothing compared with my custom-built PC when you play games. Of course, you could just get a Mac for your day to day stuff and you can keep your PC for games.
 
i bet i can find ways to get a few of my games to run on max os x :D just rather run them natively.

im really just looking for an operating system i can stand for more that a week. im not saying windows 2000 or linux are bad, just that i haven't found that perfect OS yet. i got to screw around with a iBook about two years ago and i found i quite like Mac OS 9.1. and as for the gaming issue, i wont be throwing out my PC. assuming i wont sell it, i'd still be good for playing the PC only games. one of the games i already play is cross platform and free :)
 
It's not really a matter of wheter the games will play well on your mac, because they will, but it's more of a matter of will you find the games you like so why dont you just look online to see what games are out for os x and whats coming soon. start out with http://www.apple.com/games/
 
like i said, i wont be throwing away the PC (unless i know i can sell it for a high price :D). i still think a mac would be a good machine for me. an dim not made of money so Alienware is out of the question. i've seen some of those prices, those are insane. i put this pile of junk that im currently using together for a grand total of $450. but it's quickly becoming outdated and i just dont feel like putting anymore money into this PC. and recently, i've been having a whole slew of problems with my PC (im guess its either the power supply or the hard disk going bad, probably the hard disk). im still considering which model i should buy. someone suggested the G4 tower. i've been taking a look at the iMac. it looks like it has enough power to do what i usually do on a daily basis. plus, it'd be cool to have an LCD display and the iMac itself takes up very little desk space. my desk is always cluttered and i want more room to place my useless junk :) there would be more junk on my desk but the HP Laserjet IIP went bad. old printer but it served me well... :(
 
If space is a concern, the iMac 15" or 17" is the biggest screen for the littlest real estate. Note, however, that you can't pull the graphics card in and stick in a Geforce 4 Ti. If you can spring for the dual 867 powermac you can use your existing monitor (with a switch) and upgrade the graphics card. You don't mention portability being a concern?

What kind of games you like? First-person shooters? Medal of Honor is well-liked, and Jedi Knight. Real-time strategy? I like Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds, Age of Empires II and Warcraft III. Turn-based strategy? Civ III. Flight sims? Alas! But some are coming. Racing? Alas again! A NASCAR game is coming, but racing purists disdain the simple-oval stuff.

Operating-system-wise, you'll probably fall in love with Mac OS X. You've got some good games, and open Terminal and there your old friends sed, grep and vi. Plus there's apache and mysql ready to go, and Apple's just come out with their own X server. It's like the best Linux but with commercial-grade software too.

Why not pop into one of those stores or find a friend with a mac and try some stuff out?
 
well

if you did well in creating your pc, why not try building a mac, you can use your old HD, and RAM so this shouldn't get too pricy Here is a link to a step by step build your own Mac compatible computer. Have fun if you decide to go along with it.
 
thats an interesting article.

but i'd rather just have something prebuilt this time. i'd consider myself somewhat of a pro with software but i hate screwing around with hardware anyway. btw: i've seen screenshots of the Mac OS X desktop a few places and it looks beautiful to say the least. and the minor plus side to having just one unit (monitor and computer integrated) will free one of the two plugs on my APC Backup power supply so i can plug the network hub into the other socket. way things are right now, power goes out and i've lost my internet connection. food for thought when the weather gets bad...

edit: and yes, i like first person shooters. been playing half-life for several years. dates back to the windows 95 era but still fun :)
 
unfortunately, there is no half life for Mac.

Judging by your current system, I dont think any new computer apple makes except for maybe the crt imac and the lowest end ibook and imac is worse than what you have now. I think an iMac will suit you fine, saves space, and has decent performance. You lose upgradability, but you can always sell it and buy a new one, thats a whole different look on upgradability.
 
Just keep in mind that the iMac isn't upgradable graphics or processor-wise (well officially anyway) so you'll have to buy a new computer when it gets outdated rather than upgrading it...
 
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