Apple versus PC - computer shopping

MacLeod · February 2009

exalted512 wrote: »

What kind of music editing are you doing Aaron?

Vista is a bit of a resource hog, but I'd like to welcome everyone to 2009, home of the 4 GB of RAM for $50.
-Cody

Nothing too terribly fancy. I make some test tones that I can use for tuning my car with - I like to take songs and extend parts I like using Soundforge. I also make my own ringtones from time to time.

exalted512 · February 2009

MacLeod wrote: »

Nothing too terribly fancy. I make some test tones that I can use for tuning my car with - I like to take songs and extend parts I like using Soundforge. I also make my own ringtones from time to time.

That's what I figured. The great thing about Mac's is they are excellent for video and audio editing, but for what little you're wanting to do, I wouldn't let Mac's superior video and audio editing have anything to do with your purchase decision, as what you're wanting to do is so basic that there is really no difference b/t Mac's and PCs.

Personally, I would save the money and get the PC.
-Cody

Motzart · February 2009

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

PCs aren't always as flawless, but you can do ANYTHING on a PC, not to mention that even a moderate amount of technical ability on the user's part can overcome almost all the shortcomings of Windows - good luck getting games to play on a Mac (anything good anyway).

I resemble this comment!

Exactly what I have done over the years....mine is pretty bullet proof these days.

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

I'm not a fan of dell...........

My Dell is a 2004.......no trouble with it ever and it's run 24/7 all this time.
Well ok other than a power supply fan roaring now and then....cured with a good cleaning and a lil oil.

Refefer · February 2009

I have to second the call for dell as well. My laptop has road warriored with the best of them and my dev server has been rock solid 24/7. That plus their philosophy on open source software has me firmly in their corner.

Sami · February 2009

MacLeod wrote: »

I can get a Dell Studio XPS with the smokin' Intel i7-920 processor, 4 GB of DDR3 ram and 640 GB hard drive for $1000. Or I can get an HP Pavilion Elite with an Intel Quad processor, 8 GB of DDR2 ram and 1 TB hard drive for $1200.

Just FYI: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4483696&sku=B69-1019&SRCCODE=LINKSHARE&cm_mmc_o=-ddCjC1bELltzywCjC-d2CjCdwwp&AffiliateID=NKa3hZyYoHA-5XCNaunz4Ay30RscHgbYAA

MacLeod · February 2009

Sami wrote: »

Just FYI: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4483696&sku=B69-1019&SRCCODE=LINKSHARE&cm_mmc_o=-ddCjC1bELltzywCjC-d2CjCdwwp&AffiliateID=NKa3hZyYoHA-5XCNaunz4Ay30RscHgbYAA

Wow! i7 processor, 12 GB DDR3 RAM and a TB hard drive for $1000?!?!

That seems almost too good to be true. Ive never heard of Asus. Are they new players?

Sami · February 2009

Asus has been making motherboards for quite some time. Note that the name comes from the mobo, it's not the computer brand. This one is just a component package which you have to assemble yourself and it DOES NOT come with any OS.

One thing as well...I think the mobo does not have integrated video card so something like this would also need to be added: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3747342&Sku=A271-3870

MacLeod · February 2009

Ah I gotcha.

I think Id rather have one already put together. For one, Ive got some buddies that insist on building their own and they always seem to have problems out of them - of course it could just be they dont know what theyre doing.

Plus I would think warranty issues would be easier if I were to buy one from Best Buy for example. Any problems and I could just take the whole thing back to them.

Sami · February 2009

True, but make sure you get one that is easily upgraded if need to be. Some of the prebuilts are a pain to fix if something breaks.

Sami · February 2009

I have received a few questions about using Linux and to all that are thinking about it, here's a useful link in choosing what Window manager to use:

http://www.internetling.com/2008/07/16/the-big-x-window-manager-guide-with-screenshots/
http://xwinman.org/others.php

Many popular distros come with Gnome or KDE as default but this is a very highly configurable feature in Linux, like many other things. There's definitely lots of eye candy available with useful features as well, and then there a the very light versions for slower machines. If you have a powerful machine, you might want to check out Compiz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRxb8DaPy0I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxfSwzhSn1c&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0bsKDZ7-Xs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC5uEe5OzNQ&feature=related

Also, installing Linux on Windows machine without partitioning: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/wubi

polkatese · February 2009

MacLeod wrote: »

Wow! i7 processor, 12 GB DDR3 RAM and a TB hard drive for $1000?!?!

Very nice spec indeed, but by the time you add Graphic card, monitor, keyboard, and OS, DVD/BD drive, it will be a $2000 machine. Still would be a nice $2000 desktop machine though.

Refefer · February 2009

polkatese wrote: »

Very nice spec indeed, but by the time you add Graphic card, monitor, keyboard, and OS, DVD/BD drive, it will be a $2000 machine. Still would be a nice $2000 desktop machine though.

Hmm, for the sake of it being nearly 1am...

Graphics card: $150
keyboard/mouse: $50
OS: Well, I use linux, but for the sake of this $200 (god that's a lot of money)
DVD Drive: $40
Monitor: Hmm, well, assuming you had to buy a new monitor, let's go with a 32 inch 720p HDTV: $500

Total: $1990.

Sami · February 2009

polkatese wrote: »

Very nice spec indeed, but by the time you add Graphic card, monitor, keyboard, and OS, DVD/BD drive, it will be a $2000 machine. Still would be a nice $2000 desktop machine though.

He already has a monitor, and I'm assuming also keyboard/mouse, DVD burner from his old computer, that's about $100-200 for a video card. BD drives are about $100. He said he likes Mac's interface and is thinking of it so OS (Linux) wouldn't cost anything as he's not stuck with Windows. That hardware running Linux would be a smooth machine. I am thinking something similar myself but with a larger tower case to fit my old liquid cooler and 6 1.5TB drives in RAID. Once I sell my other house that's one of the treats for myself, along with a new HDMI prepro.

MacLeod · February 2009

So in my continuing research into the whole Mac vs PC thing, I came across this and laughed my **** off!

*WARNING - May not be work safe due to a couple F bombs

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I may buy a PC just because of this dude!

Airplay355 · February 2009

I had no idea what that guy was talking about until I saw the old comp he pulled out. Those things are ancient, that's the original iMac.

Sounds like you'd be much happier with a PC. I say go for it.

polkatese · February 2009

Mac, if you remotely liking Mac, you should go for it, rather than getting another PC and then wishing that you had a Mac. Or have both, than you don't have to choose.

MacLeod · March 2009

Looks like Apple heard all my bitching and has drastically changed their lineup.

First, their Mac Mini is now worth something. It was 1 GB RAM and 120 GB drive running off a puny 1.8 GHz processor but now is 320 GB hard drive, 2 GB of DDR3 RAM and 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo processor for $800. This is a very reasonable price IMO considering the better performance of the Mac.

The iMac has also been updated. For $1200 you get the 20" monitor, 2 GB of DDR3 RAM, 320 GB drive and 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo processor. For $1500 you can get the 24" version which is not only upgraded to the 24" monitor but 4 GB ram and 640 GB drive. The old iMac had only 1 GB DDR2 RAM and a 2.0 GHz processor. And just last week, the 24" iMacs STARTED at $1800!! Damn Im glad I didnt buy one last week!

These prices are much more comparable to a PC. I know I could get a PC with better specs for less but with the better performance of a Mac and the superior build quality I think the price is probably better than for a PC. And since the high price was my only real reservation with a Mac which was my only real reservation with a Mac..... well it looks like Ive decided on a Mac - possibly the iMac. Cant wait.

Now for the hard part - having to figure out how to come up with $1200.

Refefer · March 2009

MacLeod wrote: »

Looks like Apple heard all my bitching and has drastically changed their lineup.

First, their Mac Mini is now worth something. It was 1 GB RAM and 120 GB drive running off a puny 1.8 GHz processor but now is 320 GB hard drive, 2 GB of DDR3 RAM and 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo processor for $800. This is a very reasonable price IMO considering the better performance of the Mac.

The iMac has also been updated. For $1200 you get the 20" monitor, 2 GB of DDR3 RAM, 320 GB drive and 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo processor. For $1500 you can get the 24" version which is not only upgraded to the 24" monitor but 4 GB ram and 640 GB drive. The old iMac had only 1 GB DDR2 RAM and a 2.0 GHz processor. And just last week, the 24" iMacs STARTED at $1800!! Damn Im glad I didnt buy one last week!

These prices are much more comparable to a PC. I know I could get a PC with better specs for less but with the better performance of a Mac and the superior build quality I think the price is probably better than for a PC. And since the high price was my only real reservation with a Mac which was my only real reservation with a Mac..... well it looks like Ive decided on a Mac - possibly the iMac. Cant wait.

Now for the hard part - having to figure out how to come up with $1200.

$1000 gets you a quadcore i7 with 6gbs of DDR3, 750gb harddrive and an ATI 4850 graphics card at Microcenter right now. Throw in $300 and get yourself a 24 inch Dell LCD, which are among the best in the game.

You literally are getting three times the computer for the exact same price.

AsSiMiLaTeD · March 2009

^^^ What he said

jmwest1970 · March 2009

^^^^ then buy a copy of OSX, but download and install with iDeneb v1.4 and you have a blazing Hackintosh!

I couldn't justify the hardware cost of a Mac, so I've taken a freebie HP business desktop that I had and done this. If you take the time to use the right hardware you won't know the difference.

AsSiMiLaTeD · March 2009

I don't know the rules, but I believe the legality of installing OSX on non-Apple hardware has at least been brought into question in this very thread, but again I don't know what the rules are.

exalted512 · March 2009

Refefer wrote: »

$1000 gets you a quadcore i7 with 6gbs of DDR3, 750gb harddrive and an ATI 4850 graphics card at Microcenter right now. Throw in $300 and get yourself a 24 inch Dell LCD, which are among the best in the game.

You literally are getting three times the computer for the exact same price.

holy crap:eek:

Thats almost as good as mine that I built for a couple hundred dollars more.
-Cody

Refefer · March 2009

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

I don't know the rules, but I believe the legality of installing OSX on non-Apple hardware has at least been brought into question in this very thread, but again I don't know what the rules are.

It's legal until you get caught

renowilliams · March 2009

I have an AMD 5000+ black edition on n ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe mother board with 4 gig of ram. I video encode all the time with this machine and multitask doing other things. Sure, an I7 core would do this better, and I have thought of building one but I just can't justify spending the money to get the increased speed to video encode. You could build a comparable system to this for a hell of a lot less.

Good Luck

MacLeod · March 2009

I tell ya, just when I think Ive made up my mind y'all come in here with youre damn logic and common sense and get me thinking some more.

How hard is it to just put a big fat processor in my current compy and be done with it? Thats really my only wrinkle right now. I almost never use more than half my available RAM and Ive still got 40 GB left on my hard drive. Im just tired of my CPU going to 100% and drag like molasses everytime I got to CNET.com or anywhere that uses flash animation.

spwuinmk67 · March 2009

go apple, you'll be glad you did.

Sami · March 2009

MacLeod wrote: »

How hard is it to just put a big fat processor in my current compy and be done with it?

Depends on the motherboard, but you can always buy them both. Check your RAM type as well. Since you're not going for the latest in everything, I would probably just get something low budget which I think is still much faster than you have now.

Maybe something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165139

What's your current computer model? If you could run dxdiag.exe (Start->Run->dxdiag), save the info and attach the file here I'd be able to help more with what type upgrades would work.

Refefer · March 2009

MacLeod wrote: »

I tell ya, just when I think Ive made up my mind y'all come in here with youre damn logic and common sense and get me thinking some more.

How hard is it to just put a big fat processor in my current compy and be done with it? Thats really my only wrinkle right now. I almost never use more than half my available RAM and Ive still got 40 GB left on my hard drive. Im just tired of my CPU going to 100% and drag like molasses everytime I got to CNET.com or anywhere that uses flash animation.

What is your computer? Do you have a model number or is it whitebox?

MacLeod · March 2009

Its a Sony Vaio model PCV-RX650 running Windows XP Service Pack 3

My current processor is a 1.60 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4 (Willamette)
8 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache
100 MHz clock speed
Socket 478
Core voltage 3.4 volts

My motherboard is a ASUSTeK Computer INC. P4B266LM REV 1.xx

The BIOS is Award Software, Inc. ACPI BIOS Revision 1002 12/18/2001 (Award Medallion v6.0)

For RAM Ive got 1024 MB of PC2100 DDR of which I almost never use more than 500 MB

Ive got 80 GB total disc space - 20 on C drive and 60 on D drive. C has 4 GB free and D has 35 GB free.

Dont know if it matters or not but my video card is a real ancient piece of crap. NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 Model 64 with a whopping 32 MB memory.

So you think it would be worth it to upgrade the processor? Or would I come out cheaper just buying a $500 compy from Best Buy? I know the sticking point will be that my motherboard has a 478 socket of which only Pentium 4's will fit and they dont make those anymore. Is it as simple as buying a motherboard combo with something like a Core 2 Duo processor and some more RAM and then dropping it in??? Cant be that simple!

AsSiMiLaTeD · March 2009

Dude, you'll be much better off just buying a new PC, even if it's not super high end i7. You're going to spend alot upgrading that one and not get much out of it.

Hell, even the $500 Dell Studio Desktop would be waaay faster than what you've got.

Apple versus PC - computer shopping

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