Another question...Don't Shoot!

[dwd3885]

Ok, so don't get mad at me. I at least haven't bought a computer in the past two weeks! but i'm still deciding between the Mac and the PC. The thing is, I don't think I can afford the $1699 dual core refurb. Is the older technology on the Mac still ok? Because I was looking at a $1299 dual 1.8g5 or the $1449 Dual 2ghz G5 (the good one).

Now what do you do on the Mac? When I've had a PC, I've gamed, recorded tv via pvr. But on the Mac, I can't do any of that (within a reasonable cost. Sorry, $300 for a PVR is way too much). So what can I do if I get the Mac?

I was planning on spending $1100 on a custom built pc and so I'd just be spending a bit more to get the Mac, and to me, it might be worth the extra $300 more for it. But not unless I can do something worthwhile you know?

I do like to edit photos, video, ipod stuff. dvd encoding and all that. And I find it more enjoyable on the Mac. But should I get it if I can't do two of the things I do most on it?

Thanks for the help!

 

[yoda13]

Sounds like you are intrigued with going Mac, but really want the PC.

The Mac excels at all the tasks you do, but there are fewer games, and you say you don't want to spend that much to PVR, so it sounds to me like you already know what you should do and you just want someone to talk you out of it.

 

[ieani]

Get the custom PC and then a cheap PPC mini to satisfy your mac intrigue.

 

[powerboy]

I say get the Mac - I don't think you will be disappointed. I have a Power Mac Dual 1.8 and I absolutely love it. I guess the only question is how important the DVR functionality is to you. I have a Dish DVR (used to have TiVo) and that does the job for me. Macs are great for music, movie, and photos.

 

[Eniregnat]

Don't Shoot

Dick Cheney isn't a member yet. We won't shoot. I heard he likes FPSs.

It reads as though your a PC person. I wouldn't get a Mac unless your really sold on changing. Otherwise it looks as though it's going to be a bad experience for you.

I'm a Mac person, but I use PCs and other computer systems at work. Mac's aren’t the best tool for every task or every person. I like the robustness of Apple's os, the interface, and it's versatility. I like how it's integrated with the hardware. I also think they are quality machines with great style, but style is the last thing I'm looking for.

If your looking for a tower Mac, I would wait for the Intel’s and then wait until a referb goes for sale on the main site.

 

[mustard]

You can get an Alchemy TV DVR card for under a hundred bucks used or $150 new.

 

[jsw]

I have a dual-2.0 with the Alchemy TV card, and it works great.

I'm selling mine shortly, but, with the extra RAM (3.5GB) and disks, it's out of your price range. Still, the refurb dual-2 (or a dual-1.8) would be fine systems.

Get the custom PC and then a cheap PPC mini to satisfy your mac intrigue.

Or this iMac: thread.

I have the 17" version, and I know that one will run Tiger just fine. Get it and a PC and you'll be fine as far as playing with OS X is concerned, but you'll also have the games you want on the PC.

 

[mustard]

I have a dual-2.0 with the Alchemy TV card, and it works great.
....

Is yours a Rev A if so I have the exact same system myself (6Gb ram though) and totally love the DVR quality/capabilities.

 

[dwd3885]

Is yours a Rev A if so I have the exact same system myself (6Gb ram though) and totally love the DVR quality/capabilities.

does that work as good as the eyetv? I'm fearful because I think it might use up too many system resources while watching tv or recording. Is that accurate?

 

[jsw]

Is yours a Rev A if so I have the exact same system myself (6Gb ram though) and totally love the DVR quality/capabilities.

Same!

does that work as good as the eyetv? I'm fearful because I think it might use up too many system resources while watching tv or recording. Is that accurate?

If you're recording full-res into H.264, then, yes, it uses a lot of CPU. Less powerful compression (yielding larger files) and/or recording at 320x240 makes it easier.

I don't have the FW version of the EyeTV, but the card is better than the USB version.

The software sucks a bit, but works, and the card is great.

 

[miniConvert]

It sounds to me like you should really get a good PC and then one of the new Mac mini's with a KVM switch for rapid access to them both. That's pretty much what I've ended up doing. Sure, I want to learn about OS X, to start moving my 'personal' computing over to it, but there's no reason to cut-and-run, especially now the new mini's are out.

There's no reason why it has to be one or the other anymore.

 

[dwd3885]

It sounds to me like you should really get a good PC and then one of the new Mac mini's with a KVM switch for rapid access to them both. That's pretty much what I've ended up doing. Sure, I want to learn about OS X, to start moving my 'personal' computing over to it, but there's no reason to cut-and-run, especially now the new mini's are out.

There's no reason why it has to be one or the other anymore.

i would love to have both. but getting both kind of defeats my financial situation. If I spent $1,000 on the pc and $500 on the mini, that's still 1500 and I'd almost rather then just get the Dual 2ghz $1449 and get a gamecube to satisfy my gaming for cheapo. Maybe if I just sacrifice a bit and build up enough money to get the eyetv, it would be ok?

 

[asencif]

i would love to have both. but getting both kind of defeats my financial situation. If I spent $1,000 on the pc and $500 on the mini, that's still 1500 and I'd almost rather then just get the Dual 2ghz $1449 and get a gamecube to satisfy my gaming for cheapo. Maybe if I just sacrifice a bit and build up enough money to get the eyetv, it would be ok?

If you can game on a console(which I prefer) then that's one less reason for the PC. That leaves cost and PVR as the issue for not getting the Mac. However, the alchemy card as others have stated above works great and it's half the price of an EyeTV 200. If you can save for an EyeTV then go for it, since the software is amazing and the PVR device works great. Maybe you can get one used or one on sale with rebate. It is a great experience. You can do almost anything on a Mac if you really put your mind to it and ask questions, ask for solutions, search forums, etc.. El Gato has made the Mac a great PVR solution and I think the old DP 2.0 is a great bargain machine with lots of expandability and barefeats tests show that this mac with a great ATI card can be a powerful bargain gaming machine.