Mac peeps, what am I missing? - Page 3

Stan4dSteph · 05-23-2005, 09:39 AM

Silly me, I thought this thread was going to be about Peeps.

Ghoulish Delight · 05-23-2005, 09:54 AM

Actually, it looks like they've standardized and the the G5 iMacs now have 184-pin dimms just like Powermacs.

Cadaverous Pallor · 05-23-2005, 10:04 AM

Many thanks to our Mac community for all the info! You people rock, per usual.

Ghoulish Delight · 05-23-2005, 03:10 PM

Yes, thank you indeed.

Of course, after all that, I'm now in the process of talking myself up to the dual proc. Powermac.

I had one important goal for whatever we end up with next, and that is that is to make sure it's not obsolete tomorrow. That's what had me looking at Macs, because while you can get a PC for waaaay cheaper than any Mac, to get one that's not just good enough for today's applications but powerful enough to keep up with a few generations of applications, I'd be spending in the $2000 range anyway. So why not look at Macs.

And while it was obvious that the extra $900 for the single proc Powermac over the iMac wasn't going to be worth much to me, it's not so obvious that the extra $1000 for the dual proc isn't. The iMac would certainly serve us well for now, but for how long? Whereas the 2.0Ghz dual Powermac, with its increased expandability would certainly have a significant shelf life.

It's only $1000, right? If that buys an extra year or two, it's totally worth it, right? C'mon, talk me into it.

DisneyFan25863 · 05-23-2005, 06:40 PM

Remember if you buy the dual proc powermac, you will also have to buy a screen for it. Dell offers a 20.1 inch widescreen that is identical (same panel and everything) to the Apple screen for under $400 shipped, however, and it is quite a deal (trying to save up enough money for one myself, but Florida and Tiger are on the tops of my list now).

Remember with the dual proc powermac you also get the faster FSB, a dual layer 16x DVD drive, faster memory, and a better graphics card.

About the iMac's fans: In the 2nd gen (released a few weeks ago), they fixed the fan problem, from what I've heard at least.

If you decide to go with the PowerMac, wait until WWDC (early July). Rumor has it that dual core processors will make their way in to the line, and prices will be cut by as much as $500

Ghoulish Delight · 05-23-2005, 10:11 PM

Good to hear. I've already been looking at monitor elsewhere. Is the Dell one really the exact same monitor? Sweet, because I really like the quality of the Mac ones and was considering shelling the extra $400.

Yes, I'm aware of the faster FSB (as I mentioned above). I'm having another set of dilemnas, though. Where to begin...

1) Graphics card. I'd really like to upgrade to one of the two higher end graphics cards (the GeForce Ultra 3800 or the ATI 800x). I have several questions though that I can't seem to track down answers to.
- Is there a difference between the versions of these cards sold through Apple/Apple resellers vs. the "PC" version generally available? I believe I found that the "only" difference is that the Mac ones are firmware keyed, but that reflashing is a bit of risky business. Is that correct?
- What's the difference between the GeForce Ultra 3800 and the GeForce 3800 GT?

2) I've looked at Mac catalog sites, including macconnection.com. I found something odd. Take a look at this system vs. this one. What gives. Here's what I see:
- System A has a crapier vid card (not a problem since I plan on replacing either of them.
- There's some odd difference between the CD/DVD drives. What's a super drive, is that just a marketing term for a CD-R/DVD-R drive? Is the drive on one of these two systems significantly better than the other?
- The important thing that caught my eye, for some reason system A has the PCI-X and PCI-100 slots that aren't supposed to be with the 2.0 Ghz system, only the faster ones. Whereas system B has only standard PCI slots. (why the heck hasn't Apple graduated to PCIe yet? Anyway) That's nifty, it'd be nice to get that.
- System A seems like the better system (due to the PCI ugrade) for $100 less. Score, or do I lose something I'm not seeing?

I think that's it for now. Mucho thank yous in advance if any of you can decipher my babbling and give me the answers I crave!

Ghoulish Delight · 05-23-2005, 10:15 PM

Wait, where do you see a Dell 20" for $400? I see it for $750.

blueerica · 05-24-2005, 09:39 AM

Two things:

1.) Look for any special rebates if you're looking at buying a mac. I have a bevy of catalogues and resources available to you, if you'd like.

2.) Next time you get a chance (or are in the area) come and play with our variety of macs. New and old. Though there are probably slightly better out there with newer versions than the ones I have, I know that Steve's PM is top of the line, so you should get a good feel with that. And I've never felt "out of date," even with the laptop I bought in Aug of 2001.

Ghoulish Delight · 05-24-2005, 09:58 AM

Okay, figured one bit out. System A above has a "combo drive" while System B has a "SuperDrive", the important difference being that the SuperDrive can burn dual layer DVDs. Hmm, worth it or not?

Thanks, E, I will definitely be sampling the merchandise next time I'm around your way.

Jazzman · 05-24-2005, 01:19 PM

Since everything has been pretty much covered already, I'll just throw in my always leading argument for choosing a Mac.

I'm using an old graphite iMac DV from like, seven years ago? Six or seven, I can't remember exactly. I'm even still using OS9, which is nothing compared to OSX. I've upgraded the RAM, of course, and threw in a much bigger hard drive, but other than that it's pretty much exactly how it arrived from the Mac store, and it still works beautifully. Yes, I drool over the newest iMacs, but that's just from being a Mac geek. I still have all of the capabilities that I need from my Mac now, and will for the foreseeable near future. I know that no other machine would have lasted me this long, and definitely wouldn't still be working well for me now. In fact, in the time that I’ve been using this Mac, my sister and best friend, both die hard PCers, have both gone through three or more machines each just to keep up with technology. So, if longevity is what you’re looking for, you’ve definitely made the right choice, as Macs are far superior to any other machine in that aspect.

05-23-2005, 09:39 AM	#21
Stan4dSteph Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: East Bay Area, CA Posts: 3,156	Silly me, I thought this thread was going to be about Peeps.
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05-23-2005, 09:54 AM	#22
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	Actually, it looks like they've standardized and the the G5 iMacs now have 184-pin dimms just like Powermacs. __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
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05-23-2005, 10:04 AM	#23
Cadaverous Pallor ohhhh baby Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Parental Bliss Posts: 12,364	Many thanks to our Mac community for all the info! You people rock, per usual. __________________ The second star to the right shines in the night for you
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05-23-2005, 03:10 PM	#24
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	Yes, thank you indeed. Of course, after all that, I'm now in the process of talking myself up to the dual proc. Powermac. I had one important goal for whatever we end up with next, and that is that is to make sure it's not obsolete tomorrow. That's what had me looking at Macs, because while you can get a PC for waaaay cheaper than any Mac, to get one that's not just good enough for today's applications but powerful enough to keep up with a few generations of applications, I'd be spending in the $2000 range anyway. So why not look at Macs. And while it was obvious that the extra $900 for the single proc Powermac over the iMac wasn't going to be worth much to me, it's not so obvious that the extra $1000 for the dual proc isn't. The iMac would certainly serve us well for now, but for how long? Whereas the 2.0Ghz dual Powermac, with its increased expandability would certainly have a significant shelf life. It's only $1000, right? If that buys an extra year or two, it's totally worth it, right? C'mon, talk me into it. __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
	Submit to Quotes

05-23-2005, 06:40 PM	#25
DisneyFan25863 Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Stevenson Ranch, CA Posts: 464	Remember if you buy the dual proc powermac, you will also have to buy a screen for it. Dell offers a 20.1 inch widescreen that is identical (same panel and everything) to the Apple screen for under $400 shipped, however, and it is quite a deal (trying to save up enough money for one myself, but Florida and Tiger are on the tops of my list now). Remember with the dual proc powermac you also get the faster FSB, a dual layer 16x DVD drive, faster memory, and a better graphics card. About the iMac's fans: In the 2nd gen (released a few weeks ago), they fixed the fan problem, from what I've heard at least. If you decide to go with the PowerMac, wait until WWDC (early July). Rumor has it that dual core processors will make their way in to the line, and prices will be cut by as much as $500
	Submit to Quotes

05-23-2005, 10:11 PM	#26
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	Good to hear. I've already been looking at monitor elsewhere. Is the Dell one really the exact same monitor? Sweet, because I really like the quality of the Mac ones and was considering shelling the extra $400. Yes, I'm aware of the faster FSB (as I mentioned above). I'm having another set of dilemnas, though. Where to begin... 1) Graphics card. I'd really like to upgrade to one of the two higher end graphics cards (the GeForce Ultra 3800 or the ATI 800x). I have several questions though that I can't seem to track down answers to. - Is there a difference between the versions of these cards sold through Apple/Apple resellers vs. the "PC" version generally available? I believe I found that the "only" difference is that the Mac ones are firmware keyed, but that reflashing is a bit of risky business. Is that correct? - What's the difference between the GeForce Ultra 3800 and the GeForce 3800 GT? 2) I've looked at Mac catalog sites, including macconnection.com. I found something odd. Take a look at this system vs. this one. What gives. Here's what I see: - System A has a crapier vid card (not a problem since I plan on replacing either of them. - There's some odd difference between the CD/DVD drives. What's a super drive, is that just a marketing term for a CD-R/DVD-R drive? Is the drive on one of these two systems significantly better than the other? - The important thing that caught my eye, for some reason system A has the PCI-X and PCI-100 slots that aren't supposed to be with the 2.0 Ghz system, only the faster ones. Whereas system B has only standard PCI slots. (why the heck hasn't Apple graduated to PCIe yet? Anyway) That's nifty, it'd be nice to get that. - System A seems like the better system (due to the PCI ugrade) for $100 less. Score, or do I lose something I'm not seeing? I think that's it for now. Mucho thank yous in advance if any of you can decipher my babbling and give me the answers I crave! __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
	Submit to Quotes

05-23-2005, 10:15 PM	#27
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	Wait, where do you see a Dell 20" for $400? I see it for $750. __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
	Submit to Quotes

05-24-2005, 09:39 AM	#28
blueerica Nueve Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 6,497	Two things: 1.) Look for any special rebates if you're looking at buying a mac. I have a bevy of catalogues and resources available to you, if you'd like. 2.) Next time you get a chance (or are in the area) come and play with our variety of macs. New and old. Though there are probably slightly better out there with newer versions than the ones I have, I know that Steve's PM is top of the line, so you should get a good feel with that. And I've never felt "out of date," even with the laptop I bought in Aug of 2001. __________________ Tomorrow is the day for you and me Last edited by blueerica : 05-24-2005 at 10:07 AM. Reason: I do speak English, I'll have you know...
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05-24-2005, 09:58 AM	#29
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	Okay, figured one bit out. System A above has a "combo drive" while System B has a "SuperDrive", the important difference being that the SuperDrive can burn dual layer DVDs. Hmm, worth it or not? Thanks, E, I will definitely be sampling the merchandise next time I'm around your way. __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
	Submit to Quotes

05-24-2005, 01:19 PM	#30
Jazzman Sax God Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Portland's Tijuana Posts: 510	Since everything has been pretty much covered already, I'll just throw in my always leading argument for choosing a Mac. I'm using an old graphite iMac DV from like, seven years ago? Six or seven, I can't remember exactly. I'm even still using OS9, which is nothing compared to OSX. I've upgraded the RAM, of course, and threw in a much bigger hard drive, but other than that it's pretty much exactly how it arrived from the Mac store, and it still works beautifully. Yes, I drool over the newest iMacs, but that's just from being a Mac geek. I still have all of the capabilities that I need from my Mac now, and will for the foreseeable near future. I know that no other machine would have lasted me this long, and definitely wouldn't still be working well for me now. In fact, in the time that I’ve been using this Mac, my sister and best friend, both die hard PCers, have both gone through three or more machines each just to keep up with technology. So, if longevity is what you’re looking for, you’ve definitely made the right choice, as Macs are far superior to any other machine in that aspect.
	Submit to Quotes