Why my next computer won't be a Mac

[gnomez]

I am planning on buying a new computer before I go to college since the computer I use is beginning to become a bit old and moldy.  However, it was a dilemma for me exactly what to do since my money is very short and Windows XP has been pissing me off lately.  So

[kinky]

gimp is much harder to use than photoshop, yes...

I'd own a mac too if they didnt cost so much, i really hate that about macs... thats the only reason im using a PC and linux... its actually affordable.

but if you really want a mac, iMacs are really not that bad...

i myself already have SuSE 8 preordered, i LOVE SuSE 7.3 and 8 looks even better.  If computer gaming with newer games is one of your primary concerns... then your still stuck with windows... windows is a good gaming OS.

its just sad there is nothing thats perfect... everything has its ups and downs and you just have to decide what fits best for you

[gnomez]

Windows is only a good gaming OS because all the games are written for it  
Return to Castle Wolfenstein actually performs better on Linux than it does on Windows for me.

[psyjax]

You may think macs are expensive at first glance, but the power they dish out is unparaleld. Read the specs on the G4 and you realize that you are outperforming the Athalon XP by a mile. Bundle that with all the money you save on Janky hardware to support sound and graphics and you get a pretty comparable price.

Also consider the fact that a mac G4 tower is going to last you a very long time. If you like graphics apps then you better get a Mac running OS X. Photoshop 7 is incredible! And it's a fact, windoze versions of graphics apps blow compared to the counterpart. As games are to mac, so are graphics apps to windows.

As far as games go. I love games, never missed not having a PC. There are alot more games for Mac than you may think. Sure there are not tons of crap like in windoze, but the goodstuff has either been ported or is going to be. Mac gaming has been growing with the increesing popularity of the system and it's going to get better.

Besides, you already have a windoze box, so don't worry, keep it around and run OSX. I swear, the expense is worth it! If you are a student Apple will knock off a good chunck of the price.

Seriously, get a G4 tower. Even the dual 800 that I run, floors most x86. After using it for a while, im sure you will never go back to the Borg    

Take the leap, It's worth it!

[ March 23, 2002: Message edited by: psyjax ]

[kinky]

while i agree the expense is worth it, i simply cannot afford it unless i wanted to work a second job... then i wouldnt have any time to use it.

as far as your 'power' statements vs PC, mainly Athlon XP, your not exactly right... i have a dual 800 g4 tower at work and while it is impressive, i still would choose a duel athlon MP 1900+ set up that would still cost less... the macs dont outperform things as much as you think they do.

[psyjax]

Actually I have worked with dual 2gigaherts's here runing unix and Maya. They are pretty rockin.

Im just saying, as far as desktop use goes, the dual 800 is at least comparable, and for running PS7, illustrator, and other graphics apps. their deffinetly the way to go.

Should have held off tho, a couple of more month and I could have had the dual gigahert G4    , but for normal everyday computing I would venture to say that even something like the dual 800 is rather excessive.

All in all I think it depends what your going to do with the computer. All i meant by my statements (despite some excited exageration   ) was that Mac's are whole lot more powerful than people give them credit for, that plus all the hardware software optimization and integration in the machines make them pretty fantastic.

[ March 24, 2002: Message edited by: psyjax ]

[Tux]

i agree with psyjax the mac is worth every penny, i recently bought a dual 800mhz but decided to take it back and got the dual 1ghz and im loving it. i still have my pc running mandrake 8 and winMe but i havent touched it once since i got my mac.. i mean dont get me wrong it still usefull for something, but as far as i can see i can do anything better on my mac. at first i was aprehensive cause of the price but i just said fuck it, i know ill be happy when i get it home and was i ever.

[ March 24, 2002: Message edited by: Tux ]

[Master of Reality]

quote:Originally posted by Garden GNOME:
I am planning on buying a new computer before I go to college since the computer I use is beginning to become a bit old and moldy.  However, it was a dilemma for me exactly what to do since my money is very short and Windows XP has been pissing me off lately.  So

[mskarl]

goto stores and spend some time on a Mac.  If you like it buy it.  If not buy something and load Linux.  End of story.

[Macman]

What is wrong with you people? Have you forgotten what we're fighting for here? The reason macs are so expensive is because of this attitude! This is exactly what Microsoft wants you to think. "I want to buy a Mac, but Macs are so expensive, so ill just stick with PC." No!
Sure, Mac is more expensive in some ways, and sure, there aren't as many games, but buying macs will change that eventually! You are playing right into Billyboy's hands with that attitude.

[Calum]

quote:Originally posted by Macman:
What is wrong with you people? Have you forgotten what we're fighting for here? The reason macs are so expensive is because of this attitude! This is exactly what Microsoft wants you to think. "I want to buy a Mac, but Macs are so expensive, so ill just stick with PC."

Well it's true! Macs are more expensive so why should anybody think otherwise? Also, i reckon Sun Microsystems will bve the real big player on the horizon for M$, not Apple, no matter what anybody says...

quote:No!
Sure, Mac is more expensive in some ways, and sure, there aren't as many games,

aren't there? i thought people were saying above that there are lots for the mac? even if windows does have more games, that's not much use if they all fail to load up properly and crash et c et c...  

quote:but buying macs will change that eventually! You are playing right into Billyboy's hands with that attitude.

No, the original post in this topic is actually about dumping XP, and i fail to see how ditching XP in favour of, for example, linux is playing into "billy boy"'s hands. I could be wrong though actually, M$ have been pretty sneaky in the past, it could be a loss leader, or a tax dodge or something.

[kinky]

Macman... i think your confusing the term PC and Windows

[billy_gates]

in terms of speed, my 733 MHz G4 is fast, but many pc's are faster at the easy tasks. Apple is really falling behind in the speed department, nit just MHz but an equally priced athlon would be faster than a G4. Apple only has the advantage in the OS right now. I think the main reason people buy macs are

1) misinformed about speed (PIV's are faster at most tasks, G4's only pull ahead in some stuff in photoshop, and other advanced programs)
2) The Mac OS actually works, I think a lot of people just don't want to deal with windows. They probably figure, "go a little slower at everything and never have to stop and fix everthing"

[gnomez]

This is unfortunate.  I'm quite sure the dual 800Mhz / 1Ghz Power Macs are horribly fast, but I'm not Mr. Moneybags.  The very most I could afford is a 933Mhz Power Mac.  It would cost me almost 2000 dollars, and that is without the SuperDrive, modem and only 256 MB RAM.  On the other hand I could build the most maxed out dual processor 1.5 gig RAM Super PC ever with that money.  How fast is a 933Mhz G4 processor in comparison to a similarly priced Athlon system?  Anyone have any references?

[ March 27, 2002: Message edited by: Garden GNOME ]

[gnomez]

I mainly want a Mac because OS X with its open source UNIX core is the closest thing to "Linux on the Desktop" right now and you can also run Photoshop on it.  Sorry, but for me the GIMP needs a serious UI overhaul.