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Hydrogen
Guest
That's funny because many of us didn't spend that much and have very nice, very versatile Mac products. A discussion about PC's need not include uninformed musings about Apple.
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- Thread starter spider
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That's funny because many of us didn't spend that much and have very nice, very versatile Mac products. A discussion about PC's need not include uninformed musings about Apple.
digi
Active Member
Funny, apples entire television advertising campaign is based on "uninformed musings about microsoft".
Brandon716
Senior Member
No need for a Mac vs Windows war, I've repeatedly said that Macs are machines that can be enjoyable to use, and they use a high quality hardware design. Its up to the end user if they want the customized Mac OS X experience or not, I personally don't think the price you pay is worth it based on what software is available and the kinds of changes Apple makes to its software and hardware platforms on a regular basis. But that's only my preference, by all means buy a Mac and spend the money on a Mac if you see fit.
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Hydrogen
Guest
People who use a Macs don't write their ads. One of the products I use everyday on my Mac is Microsoft office.
Brandon716
Senior Member
Not sure what that means because millions of PC users download files via iTunes, check out video with Quicktime, and do things with Apple software even beyond these two most-popular applications.
Many Windows users are using Apple software as we speak to do the above items, and many Mac users are also using Microsoft products, including Microsoft Windows Media player for Mac to run multimedia as well.
Many Windows users are using Apple software as we speak to do the above items, and many Mac users are also using Microsoft products, including Microsoft Windows Media player for Mac to run multimedia as well.
digi
Active Member
Apple doesn't even trust its own equipment to do word processing? That's funny.
cacruden
Senior Member
Actually I have 3 word processors - Open Office, Word, and Pages. Each of them are decent products (although Open Office still has some rough edges to remove on the created for the Mac native UI).
Although Macs were not foreign to me, the first mac I purchased was the Macbook Pro laptop last year. The "premium" was around $300, over a similarly configured one from Dell. My last laptop was 3-4 years old from Dell, which also was a reasonable laptop (also around the same price).
I looked at Vista, and was not impressed. Actually, other than one other person at work - I have not heard anyone really like Vista.... in fact a number of people that have bought laptops with Vista installed - tried it out (some up to a few months) then decided they wanted to move back to XP.
The selling point for me was not that it was a Mac, but that it was a flavour of UNIX (with a custom UI). I was really looking for a new laptop, and if Dell had officially supported Linux (they have a few laptops officially supported - but nothing in the league that I wanted). I have also found that a number of devices on laptops can be problematic when it comes to Linux support -- especially when it is a fairly new configuration (Wireless support last time).
That left the decision squarely in the area of the Macbook Pro, but up until a year ago they did not have the 1920x1200 monitor (and I really did not want to go backwards in resolution - since that was the resolution on my old Dell laptop). Apple came out with a Macbook pro last year with this resolution - so that was the one I chose.
I have been very happy with the macbook pro - I just wish it would handle four+ external monitors....
Although Macs were not foreign to me, the first mac I purchased was the Macbook Pro laptop last year. The "premium" was around $300, over a similarly configured one from Dell. My last laptop was 3-4 years old from Dell, which also was a reasonable laptop (also around the same price).
I looked at Vista, and was not impressed. Actually, other than one other person at work - I have not heard anyone really like Vista.... in fact a number of people that have bought laptops with Vista installed - tried it out (some up to a few months) then decided they wanted to move back to XP.
The selling point for me was not that it was a Mac, but that it was a flavour of UNIX (with a custom UI). I was really looking for a new laptop, and if Dell had officially supported Linux (they have a few laptops officially supported - but nothing in the league that I wanted). I have also found that a number of devices on laptops can be problematic when it comes to Linux support -- especially when it is a fairly new configuration (Wireless support last time).
That left the decision squarely in the area of the Macbook Pro, but up until a year ago they did not have the 1920x1200 monitor (and I really did not want to go backwards in resolution - since that was the resolution on my old Dell laptop). Apple came out with a Macbook pro last year with this resolution - so that was the one I chose.
I have been very happy with the macbook pro - I just wish it would handle four+ external monitors....
syn
Senior Member
I would say that's all relative. What would qualify as 'not that much' for some might be a lot for others.
Generally speaking, Mac systems are a lot pricier than their PC counterparts.
Even for the price of the cheapest Mac Mini, you can find a more powerful PC system with a monitor.
Even the Imac starts at $1299 and isn't that impressive.
I would say to the original poster, try getting a Mac if you're interested, but if PC has worked well for you so far then stick with that.
Brandon716
Senior Member
^^So far as UNIX, the variant the MacOS X platform is loosely based on is the BSD kernel. And beyond that the UNIX core really is minimal, MacOS X is a fully custom operating system that really has only the most minimal roots based in UNIX.
cacruden
Senior Member
http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/certificates/1190p.pdf
Leopard on Intel is a UNX 03 certified platform.
If you are talking about SCO (which will soon cease to exist) which is the owner of the source code (but not the copyrights) of the original UNIX - even that UNIX has BSD blended in.
I have all the UNIX/BSD command line scripting (bash shell) available to me (without installing Cygwin), I can use Git (source control software) - which does not really work well (if at all) on Windows. If I run an application that rely' on X Windows - that is installed on there. If I wanted, I could even install KDE on "OS X".
So basically everything that I rely on is there.
And yes, "OS X" origins are the Mach Kernel. I consider BSD itself to be a UNIX kernel (a branch).
There are some errors in it, but the following is a reasonable history of the UNIX/BSD variants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Unix_history-simple.svg
Leopard on Intel is a UNX 03 certified platform.
If you are talking about SCO (which will soon cease to exist) which is the owner of the source code (but not the copyrights) of the original UNIX - even that UNIX has BSD blended in.
I have all the UNIX/BSD command line scripting (bash shell) available to me (without installing Cygwin), I can use Git (source control software) - which does not really work well (if at all) on Windows. If I run an application that rely' on X Windows - that is installed on there. If I wanted, I could even install KDE on "OS X".
So basically everything that I rely on is there.
And yes, "OS X" origins are the Mach Kernel. I consider BSD itself to be a UNIX kernel (a branch).
There are some errors in it, but the following is a reasonable history of the UNIX/BSD variants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Unix_history-simple.svg
Brandon716
Senior Member
Its all good, use what you like. If OS X is your thing then have fun with it.
There's a few points I've stuck to during this entire discussion: Apple has good hardware, Apple has some innovative software. Its really up to the end user as to whether or not they want the drawbacks associated with the highly custom design of the Apple OS X platform, or its benefits in this case.
I personally have zero need to use a UNIX based platform, if I used MacOS it'd be for entirely different purposes.
There's a few points I've stuck to during this entire discussion: Apple has good hardware, Apple has some innovative software. Its really up to the end user as to whether or not they want the drawbacks associated with the highly custom design of the Apple OS X platform, or its benefits in this case.
I personally have zero need to use a UNIX based platform, if I used MacOS it'd be for entirely different purposes.
Brandon716
Senior Member
BTW, I forgot to mention on the original purpose of this thread, ATI has come out with a new Radeon generation so in regards to the original poster, if you are interested in a good graphics subsystem to go with a new platform check out the Radeon HD4850, its only $200 for some pretty impressive performance.
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12030BD8486&vpn=H485F512P&manufacture=HIS
Be wary though because you'll need to install a 500w power supply with a PCI Express connector in any system, most desktops from most retailers don't include decent power supplies and 300w won't cut it for the next gen graphics cards.
The best competition for the 4850 is the GeForce 9800 GTX.
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10720BD7790&vpn=BFGE98512GTXOCXE&manufacture=BFG
But be wary, the Radeon HD4850 benchmarks faster than the 9800GTX on most games and its cheaper, definately the better buy since its brand new.
I still think buying a cheap PC with a good processor and 3-4 gigs of memory and dropping one of these add in boards with a new power supply is better than spending extra bucks on a Mac. Personal opinion...
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12030BD8486&vpn=H485F512P&manufacture=HIS
Be wary though because you'll need to install a 500w power supply with a PCI Express connector in any system, most desktops from most retailers don't include decent power supplies and 300w won't cut it for the next gen graphics cards.
The best competition for the 4850 is the GeForce 9800 GTX.
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10720BD7790&vpn=BFGE98512GTXOCXE&manufacture=BFG
But be wary, the Radeon HD4850 benchmarks faster than the 9800GTX on most games and its cheaper, definately the better buy since its brand new.
I still think buying a cheap PC with a good processor and 3-4 gigs of memory and dropping one of these add in boards with a new power supply is better than spending extra bucks on a Mac. Personal opinion...
cacruden
Senior Member
Thanks, due to your ringing endorsement - you have convinced me to go out and get another computer (to go along with the portable). I still have some pieces being delivered (like memory, and more video cards).... but it is a Mac Pro (8-core Xeon), 10GB of memory - which will have 5 monitors (24" 1920 x 1200) hooked up to it. I found EnterpriseDB database which I will run on it until (or if) Oracle is ready with their "OS X Intel" database (scheduled sometime this year). The first impressions - the case - it is the most solid computer case I have had on a computer since the original IBM PC (era DOS 1.1) which was of solid construction (although the Mac Pro case is better cleaner construction [which I would expect having 25 years to improve]).
Brandon716
Senior Member
Just FYI, if you're interested in high quality PC cases, try Lian Li, they have some sturdy equipment that is rather elegant.
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/index.php
Be wary, some of their cases are $200 and of course that doesn't include power supply, so you'll end up paying $300 just for a solid power supply and sturdy case, but the quality is unsurpassed.
One of my favorite models is this:
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=209&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=64
But, I would prefer the silver metallic look, black is becoming so common.
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/index.php
Be wary, some of their cases are $200 and of course that doesn't include power supply, so you'll end up paying $300 just for a solid power supply and sturdy case, but the quality is unsurpassed.
One of my favorite models is this:
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=209&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=64
But, I would prefer the silver metallic look, black is becoming so common.
syn
Senior Member
^Actually, I find black is making a comeback. Silver has been popular for a while now. You can't really go wrong with either, actually.
I find Antec makes good cases (http://www.antec.com).
This one by NZXT is a pretty nice silver one: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2477939&CatId=32
I find Antec makes good cases (http://www.antec.com).
This one by NZXT is a pretty nice silver one: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2477939&CatId=32