Im Buying a new Computer

Let us know how much extra stuff you end up buying. I'm curious what it comes with and what needs to be added on.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 8 2007, 12:15 PM) [snapback]372501[/snapback]</div>

good luck with that

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 8 2007, 01:15 PM) [snapback]372501[/snapback]</div>

You don't seem like a Mac kinda person, anyway.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 8 2007, 02:15 PM) [snapback]372501[/snapback]</div>

Good move!

MAC can be summed up like this:


Cons:

Overpriced
Extremely limited market
Apple nickel and dimes you for EVERYTHING
crappiest company, environmentally speaking
Worst to troubleshoot

Pros:

Looks nice
Marginally better if your job involves intensive graphic work


So, if you want to be part of today's technological world without having to wrestle compatibility issues for every device you buy (unless, of course, you buy it from apple ), go with non-mac...

 

Well, you get what you pay for.

In order to get a monitor on that basic Dell you'll have to pay $529.

Let's compare:

Refurbished iMac 17-inch 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo
Dell 15 inch E156FP Analog Flat Panel

iMac -512MB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Dell -512MB Single Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz - 1DIMM

iMac 160GB Serial ATA hard drive
Dell 80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cacheâ„¢

iMac - no virus protection needed
Dell - No Security Subscription

iMac -ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Dell - NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE Integrated Graphics GPU

iMac - Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Dell - None that I can see.

(If it helps you to understand...the Mac is a Prius and the Dell is a Corolla)

To build a comparable Dell with 17" screen, 160 harddrive and an upgrade to the ATI Radeon graphics with 128 MB memory, speakers (mac has speakers built in), bluetooth, and webcam (mac has built in iSight) it comes to $1,490: . Hm...that doesn't include a wireless card. You do get a free built in 56k modem.

Now to the software.

You'd need the media package to equal the iLife suite. (iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, etc) That will add at least $49.00.

That brings it to: $1,539.00

Oops. Forgot the iMac also has Quicken 2006. Add another $88.00


It helps to compare an orange to an orange.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jan 8 2007, 10:26 PM) [snapback]372862[/snapback]</div>

I got one of the first Intel iMacs last year and it's a great choice. The computer and the monitor are one unit which means that when I took it out of the box, all that I had to do was plug in the mouse and keyboard. It also means that I didn't have to pay for a separate monitor. It's a wide screen and the little remote that comes with it allows me to play music or DVDs from across the room. With my Macs I never have to restart them or shut them down unless there's an update to be installed. I splurged a bit due to my work with Photoshop and got the 20 inch iMac and with the extra RAM, it cost me just under $2,000. I've always likened Macs to BMWs comparing them to, say, a Dell which is like having a Chevy. Sure, when I get a Mac, I opt for the higher end but these babies are worth the price and you can easily get a much lower priced refurbished Mac at apple.com ( http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebO...lm=CertifiedMac ). For example, you can get a Mac Mini for under $500. That's a good choice if you already have a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc and just want a new computer. You DO get what you pay for and Mac owers have learned, as have Prius owners, that getting the best is cheaper in the long run B)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Michgal007 @ Jan 7 2007, 09:58 AM) [snapback]372038[/snapback]</div>

I have 2 HP desktop PCs. Both have been very reliable and have had no major repairs. My newest one is a Media Center PC with lots of cd/dvd related features. I had HP build it for me and I am very happy.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jan 9 2007, 12:26 AM) [snapback]372862[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, too bad you're not...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ Jan 9 2007, 08:20 AM) [snapback]372960[/snapback]</div>

Yup. I have to agree. As of now, I have that same iMac, and a MacBook, and two MiniMacs. Worth every penny.

I still have a PC, hooked up to my TV, and even now, it's asking for a renewal to Norton...again. And my wife has a PC Laptop, and it stinks...so, this year, I can see me moving completly out of the PC world...you do get what you pay for.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TJandGENESIS @ Jan 9 2007, 03:45 PM) [snapback]373245[/snapback]</div>

go to ESET.com and buy their NOD32 virus scanner. It's way better and is far less intrusive on your computer's performance than stupid old Norton or McAfee <yuck> I have a windows box mostly for work and some of my older stuff and NOD32 is pretty darned good.

 

I've had Microsoft OS PCs since PCs were invented. Since the modern internet came along MS PCs have become an ever growing pain in the neck. Every year there's the cost of new virus detectors and eliminators, new popup detectors and eliminators, the need to download patches and whatever. Even when you keep everything up to date the bad guys find a way around your protection. I experienced viruses, worms, and popups to distraction.

No more.

Two years ago I finally had it up to here with Microsoft. I bought an iMac. Since that time I have had NONE of the problems mentioned above, actually, no problems whatsoever. I no longer yell at my computer. I no longer seethe in frustration. Stress is much less a factor in my life right now. Even my blood pressure has come down. Thank you Apple!

 

On a Macintosh, [God is in the details[/i]

 

It's a G3. That's kinda old.

Now a Mac will last longer than a PC. Flame me if you like but during the 6 years I had my Performa my friend went through 3 PCs. The machine still worked when I sold it. I just outgrew it and wanted to burn DVDs, do webpages and needed something with more harddrive, memory and that was faster. I still have a Mac512 that boots. I just don't have an external harddrive for it. They didn't come with internal harddrives. The OS was on the floppy disk. The thing is 20 years old and still works. I kept it to make a MacQuarium and can't bear to gut it.

40 GB harddrive? Only has OS 9? Graphite is a clear gray shell. It's upgradeable to OSX but I really wouldn't bother. It was built around 2001. Vintage Macs

It will get you on the internet. It will burn CDs. You can do email. But it's old by today's standards. It won't burn DVDs. I probably won't play DVDs.

But the red flag is OS9. If it doesn't run OSX, you don't want it. And it's not really worth upgrading.
Check this chart. It will tell you if firmware or other upgrades are needed to run OSX. If it needs firmware or another upgrade to run OSX, you don't want it. And every G3 needs something.
Apple chart of firmware updates for running OSX. That's not to say it's junk. I've got 4 indigo G3s running in my school library on OS9.2.2 and Netscape 7.0. That's because it's all I have. I have no money to replace them so I have to use what I have. I have three more running OS 9.1 and Internet Explorer with our online card catalogue database. They boot up every day. But I wouldn't buy one to use at my house if I could eat mac and cheese for a month and buy something a little better. Sell some junk from the attic on eBay and get a mac mini.

Look for something that is at least a G4. It should have a superdrive if you ever want to burn DVDs. With a CDRW it will probably play DVDs if it's running OSX. It shouldn't be more than 2 years old. You'll get plenty of years of service out of it. But be careful who you buy from. Don't buy off eBay!!! I recommended the refurbished machine from the Apple store because it is warrantied for one year. And you can even buy an extended warranty to cover it longer. You don't have to worry if you buy through them. If you have any connections to a school you can even buy at an educator's discount. If you buy from someone else, there's no telling what you'll get. If it's warrantied for 90 days it may die on the 91 and they'll say sorry too bad so sad.

Look for a snowball eMac. It looks like the G3 but it's all white, self contained.

Do you have a monitor and keyboard? USB keyboard and mouse? Get a mac mini. It will work off your current monitor and keyboard.

Refurbished Mac mini 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo (That means it can run Windows)
512MB memory (667MHz DDR2 SDRAM)
80GB Serial ATA hard drive
Double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Apple Remote

$649.00

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 9 2007, 09:16 PM) [snapback]373411[/snapback]</div>

No. It's too old.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 9 2007, 09:16 PM) [snapback]373411[/snapback]</div>

Nothing if it has the software restore CD it came with. It has everything plus some.

 

I agree with Godiva, G3 is a bit too old to bother with. The refurbished Mac mini that I mentioned earlier has an Intel Core Duo and OSX so it's fairly new. Refurbs can mean as little as an open box or one that was returned before it was ever actually used. You can get a refurbished 17" iMac for under $1000 and that's a great computer fully contained in the display that sits on your desk. I love my iMac.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Jan 10 2007, 06:32 AM) [snapback]373524[/snapback]</div>

The Mac mini sounds like a good choice for you then. You just plug in your existing mouse, keyboard and monitor and put the old computer in the closet. There's a slightly better mini on the refurb list for $519.

$479
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebO...1.8.1.5.1.0.5.0

$519
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebO...1.8.1.5.1.1.5.0