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I'm pretty confused on buying a Mac...

T

Topono

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 12, 2006
64
0
Hi everyone. I decided that I would come out of Windows and get a Mac. The only problem is I don't know which one to get. The new MacBooks look nice, but after reading a bunch of problems with them(mooing, case issues), I decided not to buy one. So I look at the iMac. It looks very nice, with a dedicated graphics card and everything, but it doesn't look like you can upgrade it easily. So far, it's what I'm leaning towards. The MacBook Pro doesn't interest me at all, and the PowerMac looks really neat, but is a bit expensive. Plus you have to buy a pricey monitor, too. The Mac Pro is what interests me the most, however. It is supposed to be the succesor to the PM, right? Do you think it will be cheaper that the PowerMac right now? I want to buy something future-proof, also. If I decide to buy an iMac, should I get one now, or wait for an update? And I know this sounds like a silly question, but besides a different processor, what advantages does the PowerMac have over the iMac? Can you still use professional software like Aperture and Final Cut Studio with the iMac? Sorry if I sound stupid, I'm just confused :confused: . Any help will be appreciated.
 
Reply

What do you want to do with your computer? Is portability an issue? You menchioned using Aperture and Final Cut Studio. Those are both very heavy apps and you would probably be better off with a Power Mac as they mighty be a *little* laggy with the iMac. The Mac Pro is probably going to be the same price of the Power Mac. If you can wait, then wait. I personally would wait until August to see if Merom ends up inside the iMac. Apple announced that their entire line of products would be switched to Intel by the end of the year. The Mac Pro might come out tomorrow or it might come out in November. So I guess it basically comes down to what do you want to do with your computer. Are you going to just touch those apps or are you going to be using them daily? By the way, if price is an issue then I just wanted to make sure you know that Final Cut Studio is $1299 and Aperture is $299. And, can you wait to see if any upgrades will come soon?

Kevin

EDIT- Plus, if you decide to get an all-in-one then eventually you might be throwing away a perfectly good monitor.
 
With iMac everything is upgradeable except its video system. Its a real gpu but not on a card. Its on the motherboard meaning you cannot upgrade it in the future.
 
I'm not sure about Final Cut Studio, but I do eventually want to work with Aperture and Logic Express/Pro. I would also want to use Photoshop, Quicktime 7 Pro, and Microsoft Office. Would this warrant a PowerMac/Mac Pro? Do you think the prices for the Apple Cinema Displays will go down?
 
If you'd like to save some money, get the iMac and a good amount of RAM (1 GB at least.

Good luck with your decision
 
Might as well mention iMac and a new Powermac will coming out the next couple of months. If your looking for this class of machine waiting a little may pay big dividends.
 
Yeah, I think I will wait. The new iMacs might have the Merom processors, and the Mac Pro might have Woodcrest. One more question. You can easily open up the PowerMac to upgrade it, right? How do you upgrade RAM in the iMac? Since it is an all-in-one device, I would be afraid of opening it to replace RAM.
 
Best of luck with the switch, I don't use either of the programs you're intending getting the machine for so will only offer the advice that the Mac Pro is almost certain to have the best upgrade path over say 5years. 5Years may sound a long time to a Windows user but that's about average for high-end Apple purchasers I think, unless their machine is work critical.

The only other thing I'll say is your post made me laugh.
Topono said:
...I decided that I would come out of Windows...
Click to expand...
 
Topono said:
I'm not sure about Final Cut Studio, but I do eventually want to work with Aperture and Logic Express/Pro. I would also want to use Photoshop, Quicktime 7 Pro, and Microsoft Office. Would this warrant a PowerMac/Mac Pro? Do you think the prices for the Apple Cinema Displays will go down?
Click to expand...

logic express works very well on my macbook pro. i'd guess if you were to get final cut express/studio, you'd need at least a gig of ram for it to function properly.
 
You sound like a Mac Pro kind of person to me. If you can wait until August 7th or so (when WWDC begins), you can go gonzo with your credit card.

Yeah, it's agonizing. I waited all summer of 2004 for the iMac G5 to come out at the end of August. I have to say, it was worth the wait and validated my desire to dump Windows and PCs.
 
You can't really upgrade a laptop. The iMac is pretty easy to upgrade ram wise, but everything else can be a pain. If you want upgradability get a PowerMac or wait for the mac pro to come out.
 
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