Discussion
I am a long standing PC man, but of late have started hankering after a Mac. I think I want a second machine to run with my PC for graphics, DVD copying and editing etc. Not Net use.
I don't know anything about Macs or the speed rating. Therefore, please can you help me with a good starter system.
Cheers
I don't know anything about Macs or the speed rating. Therefore, please can you help me with a good starter system.
Cheers
As the (happy) owner of 3 Macs at the moment I'd say wait. MWSF is in the first week or 2 of January next year and new machines might well be launched there.
Apple will be changing from the existing PPC architecture to x86 over the next year to 2 years so holding off for a few months to see when the first x86 machines are going to be available might be wise.
If you want to jump in right now then get a Mac Mini. It's cheap, works pretty well and is impressively tiny. It's not the fastest machine in the word, but a good introductory machine.
Apple will be changing from the existing PPC architecture to x86 over the next year to 2 years so holding off for a few months to see when the first x86 machines are going to be available might be wise.
If you want to jump in right now then get a Mac Mini. It's cheap, works pretty well and is impressively tiny. It's not the fastest machine in the word, but a good introductory machine.
For £500 you can buy a brand new Mac Mini. 1.42Ghz G4. DVD Burner. WiFi & Bluetooth. It's a much better machine than an old G4 tower unless you need the expandability.
A 500Mhz G4 is around a 750Mhz-1Ghz Pentium IV in terms of usable speed. I'd not pay more that £200 for that sort of machine when new ones are so cheap.
A 500Mhz G4 is around a 750Mhz-1Ghz Pentium IV in terms of usable speed. I'd not pay more that £200 for that sort of machine when new ones are so cheap.
I can't find any decent PC-Mac speed comparisons, but as a general rule (at mid- and higher-spec) increase a G4's clock speed by 50-100% for the equivalent Pentium of similar vintage.
Also note that the powerhouse Mac programmes (graphics, video) adore RAM, so factor in the cost of increasing beyond 1GB (use crucial.com for keen prices, quality, and a good selector guide). That of course makes most speed test (with as-shipped RAM) meaningless.
I think it is highly unlikely that we will see Mactel machines before late summer, 2006. The rumour sites suggest Leopard (the revised OS) and key programmes are well on target for this, but the latest Intel chips aren't due until Q3 - anything earlier would be on a stopgap. Then the chips are likely to be phased in across product lines, and you run the risk of acting as a reliability tester on new software. Right now, accept an AIM-chipped machine (especially if you are going secondhand) with the proven Tiger or Panther, and it will live out its normal service life happily.
Other useful sites are:
www.lowendmac.com for information
www.2ndchancepc.co.uk for advice, components and deals
Also note that the powerhouse Mac programmes (graphics, video) adore RAM, so factor in the cost of increasing beyond 1GB (use crucial.com for keen prices, quality, and a good selector guide). That of course makes most speed test (with as-shipped RAM) meaningless.
I think it is highly unlikely that we will see Mactel machines before late summer, 2006. The rumour sites suggest Leopard (the revised OS) and key programmes are well on target for this, but the latest Intel chips aren't due until Q3 - anything earlier would be on a stopgap. Then the chips are likely to be phased in across product lines, and you run the risk of acting as a reliability tester on new software. Right now, accept an AIM-chipped machine (especially if you are going secondhand) with the proven Tiger or Panther, and it will live out its normal service life happily.
Other useful sites are:
www.lowendmac.com for information
www.2ndchancepc.co.uk for advice, components and deals
Stamp said:
I think I want a second machine to run with my PC for graphics, DVD copying and editing etc. Not Net use.
Looking again, two points:
1- For DVD authoring, go for a machine with an internal Superdrive. Some applications are rather pernickety about external drives (for writing) so stick with Apple OEM (which is Pioneer IIRC)
2- You do realise that applications have to be compiled for Mac? If you had to buy a Mac version of Photoshop, and already have a PC version, the extra cost would rather defeat the object. Do take the time to:
- Understand what applications you want. Which are included in the deal (e.g. iLife can do a fair bit of simple work)?
- Check your existing software disks. Some may be dual-format.
- If you do need to buy new software, be aware of the prices
And don't rule out a new Mac Mini. £499 inc VAT gets you 1.42GHz G4 (and you might get a surprise 1.5GHz chip, as they are secretly clearing stock), 512MB, Superdrive, and iLife (which includes iDVD, iMovieHD and iPhoto, which may be good enough for starters). You can run ADC, DVI or VGA screens, and any PC USB keyboards & mice that you may have knocking around.
Today Apple announced a press call for next Wednesday. The invitation is titled "One More Thing...", which is apparently a phrase Steve Jobs often uses just before announcing something huge.
I've no idea what it would be, as most products are mid-lifecycle (though the PowerBook and iBook are due a redesign).
- Maybe the video iPod?
- Maybe Apple's own iPod Phone?
- Maybe the G6 chip, based on the IBM Power 5+ chip?
- Maybe "we were joking - Leopard's ready now"
but it will probably be worth keeping an eye out for it.
I've no idea what it would be, as most products are mid-lifecycle (though the PowerBook and iBook are due a redesign).
- Maybe the video iPod?
- Maybe Apple's own iPod Phone?
- Maybe the G6 chip, based on the IBM Power 5+ chip?
- Maybe "we were joking - Leopard's ready now"
but it will probably be worth keeping an eye out for it.
Hirich said:
Today Apple announced a press call for next Wednesday. The invitation is titled "One More Thing...", which is apparently a phrase Steve Jobs often uses just before announcing something huge.
I've no idea what it would be, as most products are mid-lifecycle (though the PowerBook and iBook are due a redesign).
- Maybe the video iPod?
- Maybe Apple's own iPod Phone?
- Maybe the G6 chip, based on the IBM Power 5+ chip?
- Maybe "we were joking - Leopard's ready now"
but it will probably be worth keeping an eye out for it.
There are 2 rumors at the moment:
www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1304
www.thinksecret.com/news/0510oct12.html
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