New Hardware - Change to Apple / Stick to Windows?
Discussion
Zod said:
Squeezing in an iMac, even a 27" one is really not an issue. The screen is slim and the keyboard and touchpad/mouse are small and unobtrusive.
They are indeed slim - but they are quite wide! Which might be more of an issue for the OP's space restrictions.OP, if you want to spoil yourself a bit, get a 15" Macbook Pro. Its a very smart bit of kit. Just be careful about what it comes with. Some didn't have dvd drives for example, when I was buying. I bought one with.
CDP said:
Crafty_ said:
Is apple stuff still expensive to upgrade, e.g. add some RAM etc ?
Some of it is impossible to upgrade. Check very carefully before you buy.I bought a 21.5 inch iMac a couple of months ago and paid the apple tax for pre-installed upgrades as they are not simple tasks to do later. I installed Windows 7 and Office 2010 via Bootcamp but have only used it a couple of times to access some old emails.
Pages, Numbers and Keynote provide most of the every day functionality of Word, Powerpoint and Excel. The Mail app fulfils my requirements as well.
Just about to sync my iTunes music collection with my Windows phone.
FlossyThePig said:
CDP said:
Crafty_ said:
Is apple stuff still expensive to upgrade, e.g. add some RAM etc ?
Some of it is impossible to upgrade. Check very carefully before you buy.I bought a 21.5 inch iMac a couple of months ago and paid the apple tax for pre-installed upgrades as they are not simple tasks to do later. I installed Windows 7 and Office 2010 via Bootcamp but have only used it a couple of times to access some old emails.
Pages, Numbers and Keynote provide most of the every day functionality of Word, Powerpoint and Excel. The Mail app fulfils my requirements as well.
Just about to sync my iTunes music collection with my Windows phone.
FlossyThePig said:
CDP said:
Crafty_ said:
Is apple stuff still expensive to upgrade, e.g. add some RAM etc ?
Some of it is impossible to upgrade. Check very carefully before you buy.I bought a 21.5 inch iMac a couple of months ago and paid the apple tax for pre-installed upgrades as they are not simple tasks to do later. I installed Windows 7 and Office 2010 via Bootcamp but have only used it a couple of times to access some old emails.
Pages, Numbers and Keynote provide most of the every day functionality of Word, Powerpoint and Excel. The Mail app fulfils my requirements as well.
Just about to sync my iTunes music collection with my Windows phone.
CDP said:
But machines like the Macbook Air have entirely soldered RAM and Flash. The mini is currently the easiest to upgrade.
I think the early MacBook Airs had that, I think the later ones use SSDs and normal RAM. I have had Apple laptops for the last 8 years. I have always bought mine from the refurb store. You always save a bit and it still comes with a full warranty.
Macs have far better re-sale value than PC laptops. I have never had any issues selling my old Apple laptops and usually get a decent amount for them. Keeping the box and manuals is vital though.
I've always had mine upgraded over the years and found the costs to be quite reasonable. Current one is running 8Gb RAM and a 1.5Tb HDD.
I have always found Mac laptops very durable and well made. The keyboards are really nice too
3 months down the line and still haven't made a decision.
PC is on the verge of dying.
May possibly have managed to work in space for a desktop version of whatever I choose.
Sooooooo
If I was to go for Windows based / PC system what sort of spec do I need to be looking at these days? Need some future proofing - don't tend to upgrade anymore often than once every 5 years or so.
And if I was to go Apple, are the specs comparable in terms of processor speeds and so on?
PC is on the verge of dying.
May possibly have managed to work in space for a desktop version of whatever I choose.
Sooooooo
If I was to go for Windows based / PC system what sort of spec do I need to be looking at these days? Need some future proofing - don't tend to upgrade anymore often than once every 5 years or so.
And if I was to go Apple, are the specs comparable in terms of processor speeds and so on?
Dan_1981 said:
3 months down the line and still haven't made a decision.
PC is on the verge of dying.
May possibly have managed to work in space for a desktop version of whatever I choose.
Sooooooo
If I was to go for Windows based / PC system what sort of spec do I need to be looking at these days? Need some future proofing - don't tend to upgrade anymore often than once every 5 years or so.
And if I was to go Apple, are the specs comparable in terms of processor speeds and so on?
A nice price/performance point at this time:PC is on the verge of dying.
May possibly have managed to work in space for a desktop version of whatever I choose.
Sooooooo
If I was to go for Windows based / PC system what sort of spec do I need to be looking at these days? Need some future proofing - don't tend to upgrade anymore often than once every 5 years or so.
And if I was to go Apple, are the specs comparable in terms of processor speeds and so on?
CPU: i5 4690k
RAM: 8 or 16GB 1600Mhz
HDD1: 256GB Samsung 850 EVO
HDD2: 1TB WD Blue
GPU: The HD4600 (included in the i5 listed above so no extra purchase) is good for most home applications, heavy games will require something heavier, the Radeon R9 280X seems to be a good perf/price point atm.
Something with these specs, add in a MB, case and a PSU that can swallow this, will last you another 7-8 years easily. Including Windows license, this'll set you back about £850.
A nice 27" screen (1440p) will add another £350 iirc.
The closest mac is the 27" model + SSD, although that won't have the ability to have big storage internally without adding some serious cash. The CPU is a bit older but still keeps up well: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=1933....
That'll be ~£1600, so 33% more expensive.
Although, if this computer lasts you 7 years, like your previous one, according to a lot of people in this thread, the iMac will last you well over 9 years to offset the price difference.
In my experience, it won't though. All-in-ones have the problem that they create heat, which reduces lifespan of all components.
They are a neat solution, less clutter on the desk. I found it a big shame to throw away the nice screen every new computer, therefore I'm not a fan of the form factor.
ZesPak said:
A nice price/performance point at this time:
CPU: i5 4690k
RAM: 8 or 16GB 1600Mhz
HDD1: 256GB Samsung 850 EVO
HDD2: 1TB WD Blue
GPU: The HD4600 (included in the i5 listed above so no extra purchase) is good for most home applications, heavy games will require something heavier, the Radeon R9 280X seems to be a good perf/price point atm.
Something with these specs, add in a MB, case and a PSU that can swallow this, will last you another 7-8 years easily. Including Windows license, this'll set you back about £850.
A nice 27" screen (1440p) will add another £350 iirc.
The closest mac is the 27" model + SSD, although that won't have the ability to have big storage internally without adding some serious cash. The CPU is a bit older but still keeps up well: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=1933....
That'll be ~£1600, so 33% more expensive.
Although, if this computer lasts you 7 years, like your previous one, according to a lot of people in this thread, the iMac will last you well over 9 years to offset the price difference.
In my experience, it won't though. All-in-ones have the problem that they create heat, which reduces lifespan of all components.
They are a neat solution, less clutter on the desk. I found it a big shame to throw away the nice screen every new computer, therefore I'm not a fan of the form factor.
It's worth noting that the iMac does come with a separate gfx chip. CPU: i5 4690k
RAM: 8 or 16GB 1600Mhz
HDD1: 256GB Samsung 850 EVO
HDD2: 1TB WD Blue
GPU: The HD4600 (included in the i5 listed above so no extra purchase) is good for most home applications, heavy games will require something heavier, the Radeon R9 280X seems to be a good perf/price point atm.
Something with these specs, add in a MB, case and a PSU that can swallow this, will last you another 7-8 years easily. Including Windows license, this'll set you back about £850.
A nice 27" screen (1440p) will add another £350 iirc.
The closest mac is the 27" model + SSD, although that won't have the ability to have big storage internally without adding some serious cash. The CPU is a bit older but still keeps up well: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=1933....
That'll be ~£1600, so 33% more expensive.
Although, if this computer lasts you 7 years, like your previous one, according to a lot of people in this thread, the iMac will last you well over 9 years to offset the price difference.
In my experience, it won't though. All-in-ones have the problem that they create heat, which reduces lifespan of all components.
They are a neat solution, less clutter on the desk. I found it a big shame to throw away the nice screen every new computer, therefore I'm not a fan of the form factor.
Football Manager 2015 also runs on a Mac if you're interested.
onlynik said:
It's worth noting that the iMac does come with a separate gfx chip.
Hardly. www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GT+...
If gaming wants to be done, it'll be pretty poor, and a windows license will be required, offsetting the cost.
If going with a PC, get one built up to your own spec by someone like PC Specialist. Save yourself 100s even on sale prices, compared to a brand like HP or Dell (and you'll get a better machine). If you're in the midlands, let me know, I can put you in touch with a guy who builds them (I trusted him with my desktop and its been brilliant).
ZesPak said:
Hardly.
www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GT+...
If gaming wants to be done, it'll be pretty poor, and a windows license will be required, offsetting the cost.
What utter tripe about needing a Windows licence. OP mentioned he played championship manager. I play football manager on OSX. XFwiw it is also available for Linux. www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GT+...
If gaming wants to be done, it'll be pretty poor, and a windows license will be required, offsetting the cost.
The gfx chip is a separate mobile gfx chip. Which is still better than the on board Intel HD one.
onlynik said:
What utter tripe about needing a Windows licence. OP mentioned he played championship manager. I play football manager on OSX. XFwiw it is also available for Linux.
The gfx chip is a separate mobile gfx chip. Which is still better than the on board Intel HD one.
That's true, but you wouldn't need it for championship manager. For £50 you can have a much better cpu, if you really want to play more demanding games. The gfx chip is a separate mobile gfx chip. Which is still better than the on board Intel HD one.
I don't really get why Apple bothered with the 755M in the first place.
ZesPak said:
That's true, but you wouldn't need it for championship manager. For £50 you can have a much better cpu, if you really want to play more demanding games.
I don't really get why Apple bothered with the 755M in the first place.
Obviously they decided on it to give people something to discuss on forums. I don't really get why Apple bothered with the 755M in the first place.
Plenty of Mac games on Steam, these are just the ones I own.
To be honest, if you want to play games, the more expensive models sport the GTX 775M,despite the very similar designation, it beats the 755M to a pulp.
www.videocardbenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2646&...
That's more on par with a ~£130 desktop gpu.
www.videocardbenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2646&...
That's more on par with a ~£130 desktop gpu.
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