Omi's corner: The Macintosh

[Omicron]

So I am thinking about finally taking that big step and returning to the macintosh. The last one I used was a 95 power mac, with 8 gig hard drive and a 200 something hz processor.

Nothing fancy, just something I can use for college next year, work after that, and play myth on the OoH nights in the mean time.

I proved my computer retardedness when I bought this PC, so anyone have any tidbits of advice about what macintosh models not to get?

[Miltiades]

Hey Omi - yeah, been there, done that.

I started out with a Mac G4 tower (circa 2000) which I used until 2007 or so. Then I bought a dell laptop and a dell tower for about the same price as a new mac - thought i was coming out ahead!

Windows was so slow and backwards I quickly had dual-boot setups with linux going on both machines. I basically only used windows for gaming and work. Anything else, writing, coding, web-browsing, e-mail, etc. It's much nicer to just use linux.

Even so - tried a friend's macbook pro last week and wished I'd gotten that instead of the two dell machines. D'oh!

So . . . yeah, if it were me, I'd splurge on a new macbook pro.

Milt

PS: What will you be studying in school?

[vinylrake]

omi - sorry you couldn't make it last night. :(


what are you planning on using the computer for?

if you aren't doing real heavy lifting (e.g. just doing normal online stuff and word processing, iLife, etc) stuff you could get away with either a mac mini (desktop - $699) or for a laptop a normal macBook (their spec is almost identical to the cheapest macbook pro but 'only' $999 instead of $1200).

if you do want the extra power then you can go with the Mac Pro or Macbook Pro (desktop / laptop), but they'll run you considerably more expense.

of course if money is no object and you want to be envy of all your trendy friends and the target of every tech thief around, go for a MacBook Air.

there is another option which is a 'hackintosh' but that way is not for the faint of heart. it involves installing the Mac OS onto non-Apple hardware. There are guides that detail which non-Mac computers make good hackintoshes and installer programs that will do all the complicated stuff. Not for everyone but you can save several hundred dollars compared to buying actual Apple hardware. I've *considered* doing this for years, but am loathe to risk doing it on my *primary* computer - e.g. if i had money in the budget (and need for) a second computer i would try this. the one i would lean to is a Mac netbook - installing the Mac OS onto one of those Dell Minis (10" screen).

[Omicron]

Well I don't use my computers for games, other than myth. I pretty much would just be using it for internet and personal organizing. But I wouldn't want to get just a netbook or something like that, I want to keep options open with a moderately powerful system.

I'm going to study Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.

[vinylrake]

i of course forgot to mention the iMac - which is basically a Mac Mini with a built-in screen. I prefer the mini because you can upgrade your monitor without buying a new computer (a new mini is $699 and you can get a good 22"+ monitor for another $200, while a 22" iMac will set you back $1200) , but some people prefer the all-in-one's simplicity and lack of cord clutter. the iMac is a nice experience, especially if you get the wireless mouse and keyboard it's very star trekky - with no visible cords.

IF you don't need the computing power for anything specific, any mac is going to be fine for y our needs for at least 5 years. Given that, it really a question of features and your budget. e.g. if you want a 15" or 17" laptop you'll have to go with a MacBook Pro since the macbook only comes in 13" configuration. Similarly, if you know you are going want to add 4 internal 2TB drives to your computer down the road, or you want dual or quad CPUs, or you are going to want to upgrade your graphics card, then you'll need to go with a MacPro instead of a mini. (the only internal component you can easily upgrade on minis or imacs or macBook/macBook pros) is the memory, and sometimes the hard drive. (easy to replace on a mac laptop, not so easy on a mini or i think on an iMac)

Another factor to consider is space. If you are going with a laptop there's no issue to consider, but if you are talking desktop and are in a small apt or dorm room, a mini or an iMac takes up WAY less space than a Mac Pro (which is an underdesk endevor unless you have a massive desk).