Talk me out of building pc...

[throAU]

P.S. if you do build a computer, look to build with a Corsair cases. I've used 2 and they are really nice

I'll +1 this.

When building a PC, don't cheap out on

- case / PSU
- motherboard
- ram

crap motherboard = driver/bios/support problems, and a crappy chipset will cause stability issues.
crap case = you'll cut yourself, have issues routing cables and if it flexes it can cause the board to have problems.
dodgy ram is THE number one cause of PC crashes nowadays.


the case is easy to forget - "it's just a box!"

but working on a machine in a crappy case is just really annoying.

 

[28Fiend]

Well needless to say I've learned alot so far just reading here about people's own individual experiences. Aside from building, my biggest question is transferring the information. I'm backed up, but what can transfer and what do I lose?

Music?
Movies?
Documents?
Obviously certain Apple apps
Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom?
User profiles?

I wouldn't even know where or how to start the idea of transferring what I can over.

 

[Melbourne Park]

I'll +1 this.

When building a PC, don't cheap out on

- case / PSU
- motherboard
- ram

crap motherboard = driver/bios/support problems, and a crappy chipset will cause stability issues.
crap case = you'll cut yourself, have issues routing cables and if it flexes it can cause the board to have problems.
dodgy ram is THE number one cause of PC crashes nowadays.


the case is easy to forget - "it's just a box!"

but working on a machine in a crappy case is just really annoying.

they can be heavy though.

Lian Le I like best. They have a cheaper version too, which is still almost all alloy, but also has a window in the side. IMO for a PC, a window is mandatory. So that you can see water cooling, which has to be lit up of course.

But a 27" PC with a screen equivalent to an iMac, is going to cost more than an iMac IMO, at least at first. And if you want Hackintosh, the whole things gets risky and painful.

The value thing though is that you can upgrade the motherboard and CPU easily. But ... Windoze upgrades are not so cheap.

 

[throAU]

they can be heavy though.

Planning on lugging your desktop around?

 

[battlekid]

they can be heavy though.

Lian Le I like best. They have a cheaper version too, which is still almost all alloy, but also has a window in the side. IMO for a PC, a window is mandatory. So that you can see water cooling, which has to be lit up of course.

But a 27" PC with a screen equivalent to an iMac, is going to cost more than an iMac IMO, at least at first. And if you want Hackintosh, the whole things gets risky and painful.

The value thing though is that you can upgrade the motherboard and CPU easily. But ... Windoze upgrades are not so cheap.

No, it's $100 cheaper for a matx build with the same specs as the 27" iMac.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/arlk

Keep in mind that these are the same specs, and for this budget, you could end up with slightly better hardware.

Also, for whoever asked, you can build a Mac Mini equivalent with a small case/mobo. Someone on MCF built one for his father, I'll dig up the thread if anyone wants it.

 

[Mike Valmike]

Able to run the programs I need for my Software Engineering degree

You're a student?! Build a PC. You probably have time, in abundance, to maintain it, and you can do some really cool things by mixing and matching ever-evolving hardware.

I built PCs from the time I was a teenager in the late 1980s (Computer Shopper catalog! Hard Drives International!) until I got married and had kids and realized my tolerance for brewing my own technology had finally been exhausted. I switched to Mac in the Tiger era and have never looked back -- but if I was still a single, childless student tinkerer, I'm sure I'd gladly still be building and maintaining my own machines.

 

[bogatyr]

I agree. Putty and cygwin arent really a match for terminal in my experience

I love terminal, but when I'm on Windows, I do just fine with PowerShell. Actually I do 99% of my Windows Server work remotely with PowerShell off my MBA. PowerShell Server is a nice SSH Server that gives access to a PS prompt on any Windows machine - it includes SCP Server functions so you can copy scripts over too.

EDIT: Regarding building a PC - fun to do once, a pain beyond that. I used to build them for a living but I have not built one in about 7 years now and I have no desire to ever build one again. Pre-built with a warranty is simple and easy. I have better things to do than worry about repairs or issues.

 

[rydewnd2]

I love building PC's, but I wouldn't call it marginally more difficult than strolling into an Apple store and buying a MacBook Pro.

I'm not a software engineer (I do a lot of programming though), but I've found working in a Unix-like environment is a huge advantage over Windows. I would never want a Windows PC as my main computer after having used Macs for that past several years for that reason alone.

That said, I have a home-built gaming PC and haven't had nearly the bad experiences that other posters are suggesting here. Sure, buying a Mac is a marginally easier process, but the fun and experience of building a PC is also worth considering (as others have also mentioned).

I think your list of pros is relatively accurate for buying a Mac. Although, the "Relatively safe against viruses" shouldn't be an issue either way as long as you're not entirely hapless with what you download and use. I'd suggest to price out the PC you would build and compare with the iMac you want. Don't forget to consider the substantial resale value Macs carry. You can sell back some of the more central components of a PC, but not everything, and likely for a greater loss than a Mac.

 

[28Fiend]

You're a student?! Build a PC. You probably have time, in abundance, to maintain it, and you can do some really cool things by mixing and matching ever-evolving hardware.

I built PCs from the time I was a teenager in the late 1980s (Computer Shopper catalog! Hard Drives International!) until I got married and had kids and realized my tolerance for brewing my own technology had finally been exhausted. I switched to Mac in the Tiger era and have never looked back -- but if I was still a single, childless student tinkerer, I'm sure I'd gladly still be building and maintaining my own machines.

I wish I had an abundance of time, though I am married no kids. But I couldcertainly spare time to keep up with it.

Anbody on this?

Aside from building, my biggest question is transferring the information. I'm backed up, but what can transfer and what do I lose?

Music?
Movies?
Documents?
Obviously certain Apple apps
Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom?
User profiles?

I wouldn't even know where or how to start the idea of transferring what I can over.

 

[leman]

No, it's $100 cheaper for a matx build with the same specs as the 27" iMac.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/arlk

Keep in mind that these are the same specs, and for this budget, you could end up with slightly better hardware.

Also, for whoever asked, you can build a Mac Mini equivalent with a small case/mobo. Someone on MCF built one for his father, I'll dig up the thread if anyone wants it.

Well, if you choose a decent aluminium case, the price will be about the same

Still, it won't run OS X, at least not seamlessly. For many of us, this is the main requirement. I can't imagine working on Windows anymore, OS X has just too many goodies (most important of which for me are excellent font rendering and UNIX).

 

[HurtinMinorKey]

You can easily build a dell desktop that eats the top end i mac, with a monitor that is just as good, for slightly less money.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...wps4s&model_id=xps-8500&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

+ new dell 27inch ultrasharp

Just don't use the internet with it, and you won't have any problems!

 

[martinm0]

I wish I had an abundance of time, though I am married no kids. But I couldcertainly spare time to keep up with it.

Anbody on this?

Aside from building, my biggest question is transferring the information. I'm backed up, but what can transfer and what do I lose?

Music?
Movies?
Documents?
Obviously certain Apple apps
Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom?
User profiles?

I wouldn't even know where or how to start the idea of transferring what I can over.

Assuming the iMac is still up and running, and you build a Windows PC, you can transfer any file between these two OSes over a network connection (just make sure to set up file sharing on the mac and you should be able to see the Windows machine in the Finder). So you should be able to migrate all your data (though I can't comment on the Adobe side, but I can't see why not). User profiles would be moot (if going OSX to Windows), otherwise I'm not sure I ever tried using my Hackintosh HDD as the source for Migration Assistant.

 

[Mike Valmike]

Aside from building, my biggest question is transferring the information. I'm backed up, but what can transfer and what do I lose?

Music?
Movies?
Documents?
Obviously certain Apple apps
Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom?
User profiles?

For sure you will be able to keep music, movies, and documents. Even if you have to do it "manually" -- drop it all onto an external HDD and copy it over -- bottom line is, it will work.

User profiles and app settings and project files are a bit of a spottier situation. You may be able to convey some stuff over, but as a default you probably should assume most of it will not.

 

[topmounter]

I don't have a problem with building or upgrading my Windows gaming machine, but I wouldn't go near a Hackintosh.

Keeping "work" on my iMac and "gaming" on my Win7 DIY box equals sanity for me.

 

[turtlez]

you get what you pay for

 

[dylin]

it all depends on what you are willing to work with. To be honest i see no problem with having a windows machines at all. I building computers as a hobby and also sell some of my projects.

If you haven't noticed my sig yet, I'm currently running a windows machine as well as a linux box, but still use my macbook regularly. I enjoy building due to the flexibility to tweak and such, and sometimes building a rather extensive build can easily out cost that of a mac (i.e. paying for quality power supplies, fans, heatsinks, cables, and other hardware.)

I say if you have never owned a mac, it would be a nice time at the moment to make your first purchase considering that recent refresh. At least you know that you have given it a chance to see if you fits your needs, or even if you actually enjoy the over all feel of OSX.

Hope that helps.

 

[Scythe5]

If you have a price point you are looking at, sites like Tom's hardware, Anandtech and Ars Technica all have system builds in various prices ranges (usually $500, $1000 and $2000.)

They'll recommend the case, PSU, Mobo, ram, graphic card, etc. AND benchmark it. If you've never built a computer before, it's pretty easy and if you use one of the guides, you'll pretty much buy the components and put it together.

Toms Hardware Guide http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-pc-do-it-yourself-geforce-gtx-560,3216.html

http://www.anandtech.com

http://www.arstechnica.com
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2011/12/ars-technica-system-guide-december-2011/

Hope this helps.

 

[battlekid]

Well, if you choose a decent aluminium case, the price will be about the same

Still, it won't run OS X, at least not seamlessly. For many of us, this is the main requirement. I can't imagine working on Windows anymore, OS X has just too many goodies (most important of which for me are excellent font rendering and UNIX).

If you want, I'll modify it with a shiny case, just for you. And I can make it hackintosh compatible quite easily — ditching Windows would end up saving me even more money!

Decent case is subjective. A mATX build is larger than the iMac, but if you want something tiny, you can always go with a mini-ITX build.

You can easily build a dell desktop that eats the top end i mac, with a monitor that is just as good, for slightly less money.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...wps4s&model_id=xps-8500&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

+ new dell 27inch ultrasharp

Just don't use the internet with it, and you won't have any problems!

Ehh, not really. The 7770 isn't quite as good as a 6850 (aka 6970M), and that 27" monitor costs a boatload.



Also, I promised everyone a link to that Mini-ITX "Hak mini", so here you go: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1194334-hackintosh-buildlogreviews/

With some tweaking, you can stick a nicer CPU in there and destroy the Mac Mini in both price and performance.

 

[49JC]

Im waiting on the 2012 iMac but only until July. Then I'll be trying to talk myself into building a new PC.

 

[G51989]

Well, if you choose a decent aluminium case, the price will be about the same

Still, it won't run OS X, at least not seamlessly. For many of us, this is the main requirement. I can't imagine working on Windows anymore, OS X has just too many goodies (most important of which for me are excellent font rendering and UNIX).

It really depends if he NEEDS OSX for what he does, everyone has different needs. If he can do what he needs to do on Windows, I would recommend he goes for building his own PC, Windows 7 is a great operating system. He'll get more bang for his buck, for less money. Which in college, dollars saved is always good.

Me for example, OSX literally can't do what I need it to for my job, sure there are OSX versions of some of the software that we use, but its generally useless in the larger simulations as OSX can only recognize 96gb of Ram for some reason.

Simulation software doesn't like virtual memory which = crash lol

 

[Melbourne Park]

No, it's $100 cheaper for a matx build with the same specs as the 27" iMac.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/arlk

Keep in mind that these are the same specs, and for this budget, you could end up with slightly better hardware.

Also, for whoever asked, you can build a Mac Mini equivalent with a small case/mobo. Someone on MCF built one for his father, I'll dig up the thread if anyone wants it.

yes, I'd like to have a look, thanks.

I must say, in our household, my son's games machine - ASrock Z68 Exteme 3 MB. Gold 1000 w Power, Water cooled, twin Gigabyte Overcloced 570s (SLI therefore), top Razor mech keyboard and 2nd top mouse, Dell 24" IPC panel (not the best one though), good RAM, Intel SSD and a 1GB winchester HD of some flavour, keeps showing the blue screen. He's just gone on Uni holidays, and spent most of the day trying to find out what the Fxxxck is going on.

Clean install time I said, but first, check all the drivers. maybe pull the wi-fi card (he uses ethernet to the Apple wi-fi router), Stop the SLI.

Still, I shouldn't mention that ... its all part of the fun. perhaps.

 

[forty2j]

Still, I shouldn't mention that ... its all part of the fun. perhaps.

It's fun right up until the point that it isn't because you ran out of time to fix it and just need the damn thing to work.

 

[russofris]

Our iMac is slowing considerably. I don't mind waiting for Apple to announce the new Imac line up, though I'm just weighing my options.

Custom-Built PCs enable consumers to construct unique computers at a good price. There's a thriving ecosystem of manufacturers with varying degrees of quality and support.

OEMs construct PCs, often out of the same parts that custom-builders do, and package the resulting systems with software, warranty, and support. Many OEMs undertake in-house customizations and testing to reduce incompatibles, decrease cost, or change the aesthetics of the product. Apple is an example of an OEM (as are Dell and HP).

If you require a PC that performs better than what OEMs have available, you are able to build one. If you require a PC that possesses features that OEMs do not offer, you can build one. If you simply desire the experience of building a unique PC, you can. For all other purposes, you are typically better off purchasing a system from a reputable OEM.

Ask yourself what you're going to be using a computer for, as it will usually lead to what type of computer you should build/buy. If an iMac suits your needs currently, then a new iMac should suit your needs as well.
F

 

[battlekid]

yes, I'd like to have a look, thanks.

[...]Also, I promised everyone a link to that Mini-ITX "Hak mini", so here you go: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1194334-hackintosh-buildlogreviews/

With some tweaking, you can stick a nicer CPU in there and destroy the Mac Mini in both price and performance.

I must say, in our household, my son's games machine - ASrock Z68 Exteme 3 MB. Gold 1000 w Power, Water cooled, twin Gigabyte Overcloced 570s (SLI therefore), top Razor mech keyboard and 2nd top mouse, Dell 24" IPC panel (not the best one though), good RAM, Intel SSD and a 1GB winchester HD of some flavour, keeps showing the blue screen. He's just gone on Uni holidays, and spent most of the day trying to find out what the Fxxxck is going on.

Clean install time I said, but first, check all the drivers. maybe pull the wi-fi card (he uses ethernet to the Apple wi-fi router), Stop the SLI.

Still, I shouldn't mention that ... its all part of the fun. perhaps.

With a properly done build, you'll never see a BSOD. Did he overclock it? Is his PSU from a good brand and able to supply enough power (1000W means nothing if it's a crappy PSU)? Is something faulty? Check what error code the BSOD spits out, look it up and find out what's wrong.

 

[28Fiend]

Thanks for all the advice, I'm currently just researching right now. Still patiently waiting for the refresh, so we'll see what turns up. Crazy though how much is out there for building, a bit overwhelming.