Which to buy for uni?

[xNicolex]

Hi
i'v just started uni doing Design for Digital Media
and im gonna buy either a iMac or a pc, i just dont know which one, i cant decide.
i have a macbook but it isnt really suitable and for my work and my current pc is so old and slow >.<
At first i planned to buy a pc, becuase i know someone who builds them and so i could get a really good pc for like £400
...but then i was thinking more about my course, and i thought well, an iMac would be more suitable becuase i'll be using, photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver, after effects etc

so maybe i should get an iMac?
then i had a idea, that becuase i dont want to get rid of my pc, becuase i like pcs for some stuff like msn and some programmes, i was thinking i could plug my pc into the mac screen when i wanted to use that. but iv read some stuff and it doesn't seem possible, is that true? if i was to get the iMac i think ill probably have to just keep mypc and screen next it, unless anyone can think of a better solution?

alsoo, is there a new iMac coming out in January? iv spent all my money so my next part of my money comes in 12th jan so i have to wait till then anyway.. but if it comes out then do you think it would be there in the begining of jan.. i just wanted to get it as soon as i get my money becuase im having to do my work on my pc which is slow =/

Thanks
and sorry for the loooong post


Edit: new question further down =]

 

[jamin100]

I'd definatly go for a mac.
If money's tight have you thought about buying an imac refurb from the apple site?

There's a few on now and ones less than £650! Add a bit more RAM to that machine and it'll fly.

As for the windows side of things. Use bootcamp to install xp or vista onto a partition on the harddrive of the imac and you'll have the best of both worlds. Although you should be able to do all the things you mentioned on OS X

 

[MatLane]

I'd definatly go for a mac.
If money's tight have you thought about buying an imac refurb from the apple site?

There's a few on now and ones less than £650! Add a bit more RAM to that machine and it'll fly.

As for the windows side of things. Use bootcamp to install xp or vista onto a partition on the harddrive of the imac and you'll have the best of both worlds. Although you should be able to do all the things you mentioned on OS X

Agreed get mac!


Refurb is an amazing option and agree with this poster

 

[xNicolex]

thankss
yeh ill buy that then, well ill see if theres any one there in jan, coz i dont get my money till 12th. but i get £2500 so it'll be ok and i'll get bit of the education discount anyway.

do you buy that bootcamp?, and does it work as good as more or less having a pc? because i tried erm parallels i think it was called on my macbook and it was anoying, slow and freezy. but maybe that could have been becuase its on my macbook

 

[misterredman]

Bootcamp is already included with the new iMac. All you will need is a copy of the Windows OS of your choice (XP SP2 or Vista).
Once you install windows through Bootcamp it will be the same as working on a PC with the same hardware. Moreover, seeing the applications you are going to use the most, you will rarely use Bootcamp except if you want to play games. Other options are Parallels, VMware Fusion and Crossover, which don't require a reboot to use windows but are usually slower.

What would you be using the PC for exactly? Probably someone here may come up with a similar app for mac.

 

[xNicolex]

ooh right, so you you can only run with Mac or Windows and not together?

erm, i would just be using it for things like msn (becuase i hate the mac version) and some programmes or games like erm cant think of any at the moment. but like some poker programmes only work on pc and pc games that iv recently felt like playing again like Black&White, Grim fandango, etc

well, i guess ill just use boot or one the others, probably one of the others coz i like going on msn when i work lol, or i guess i'll cross that bridge when i come to it.. first i need the iMac lol
Thanks for the replys =]

 

[svndmvn]

ooh right, so you you can only run with Mac or Windows and not together?

erm, i would just be using it for things like msn (becuase i hate the mac version) and some programmes or games like erm cant think of any at the moment. but like some poker programmes only work on pc and pc games that iv recently felt like playing again like Black&White, Grim fandango, etc

well, i guess ill just use boot or one the others, probably one of the others coz i like going on msn when i work lol, or i guess i'll cross that bridge when i come to it.. first i need the iMac lol
Thanks for the replys =]

the best and only free way,that I know of, of having windows and and Mac OS is having one at the time,via Boot Camp, that as mentioned comes with your Mac.
There are other softwares that let you virtualize Windows on top of Mac OS, like parallels and VMware, but of course they cost money and they just need more resources to run, more RAM for instance. People also seem not to be so happy with the last Parallels. Restarting takes a few minutes only,don't see the problem there. Oh, and btw, I'd just suggest staying with Mac the whole time, there are nice alternatives to MSN for Mac, like Adium and some more, the games,though, if they don't have a Mac version, are, I suppose, the only thing supposingly getting you to boot in Windows.

 

[aaquib]

ooh right, so you you can only run with Mac or Windows and not together?

erm, i would just be using it for things like msn (becuase i hate the mac version) and some programmes or games like erm cant think of any at the moment. but like some poker programmes only work on pc and pc games that iv recently felt like playing again like Black&White, Grim fandango, etc

well, i guess ill just use boot or one the others, probably one of the others coz i like going on msn when i work lol, or i guess i'll cross that bridge when i come to it.. first i need the iMac lol
Thanks for the replys =]

Get VMware Fusion or Parallels for that. You will need a significant amount of RAM(I'd recommend 4GB) to run it without slowdowns.

 

[svndmvn]

Get VMware Fusion or Parallels for that. You will need a significant amount of RAM(I'd recommend 4GB) to run it without slowdowns.

While 2GB would suffice for Boot Camp,right?

 

[xNicolex]

After Waiting

Well... i waited and now i'm stuck again

as i send ages ago i dont really know about specs so i don't know wether the new iMacs are worth it or not

also as i said i would be using the computer for stuff like flash, photoshop, after effects etcc but well, also some games.. im don't play loads of games but i probably would want to sometimes, so i'd like good graphics


i'v been reading some of peoples posts and it seems alot of you are saying the new update isn't really that good and worse than the old ones. or is that just the two lower prices ones?
i think i'd go upto the £1,499 one, i don't think i want to go up to £1,799

i just don't know what i'm best doing
1. Buying the £1,499
2.Buying a refurb of the old one if there is still some
3. orr buying another one, dell or sumthing or getting my brothers friend to build one for me (which would saying buy to OSX =[ well i still have my laptop so id be alright)


which do you think would be the best option?
and also comparing the £1,499 one, if i spent that amount on building one would the specs being extremly better or just slightly?

Thankss