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Macs...Help, please!

Mirai 11

Mirai 11

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 3, 2005
332
0
well i've had a PC for years, but i got my first proper one a year back which uses Windows XP and etc, but lately i've been interested in the Macs, but im not sure if i want one. As i live in the UK, i've taken my gcse's and will be goin into sixth form, which is college but at school, and im takin media, and im thinkin that a Mac will help me edit stuff and etc, i know how to use Movie Maker 2 on windows xp but a mac will probably be easier and have more options.
I'm totally not sure about this, im not sure which mac to get, im thinkin of the iMac, but i wanna know a few things:
I've got an ipod, and if i get a MAC, will i have to format it to work on the mac version of iTunes?
I use BitComet for various purposes, and i know that you can use Bit Torrent, but is there other programs that i can use for MAC, like (hopefully) BitComet or another type of bittorrent program?
What is the best IM Client for Mac? i use MSN 7.0 mainly, but ive found that the version of msn thats on Mac barely has the features that are used on the windows version.
Also when ive been lookin at pics on the apple site of the iMac, the thing that bothers me is that there';s the screen, then there's a massive white bit below wiv the apple logo, which seems to jsut about cover as much as the screen does :p
I have a 17 inch monitor now for this PC, so if i got a 17 inch iMac, would i be able to use the reolution of 1280x1024 on it?
Also is there any places which i can see more pcis of the iMac? all of seen of it is just the pictures apple has of it on their site, and i'd like to see people who own them and see wot they're like in a house or sumthin, if u know wot i mean :p
Thanks very much.
 
SuperDA said:
well i've had a PC for years, but i got my first proper one a year back which uses Windows XP and etc, but lately i've been interested in the Macs, but im not sure if i want one. As i live in the UK, i've taken my gcse's and will be goin into sixth form, which is college but at school, and im takin media, and im thinkin that a Mac will help me edit stuff and etc, i know how to use Movie Maker 2 on windows xp but a mac will probably be easier and have more options.
I'm totally not sure about this, im not sure which mac to get, im thinkin of the iMac, but i wanna know a few things:
I've got an ipod, and if i get a MAC, will i have to format it to work on the mac version of iTunes?
I use BitComet for various purposes, and i know that you can use Bit Torrent, but is there other programs that i can use for MAC, like (hopefully) BitComet or another type of bittorrent program?
What is the best IM Client for Mac? i use MSN 7.0 mainly, but ive found that the version of msn thats on Mac barely has the features that are used on the windows version.
Also when ive been lookin at pics on the apple site of the iMac, the thing that bothers me is that there';s the screen, then there's a massive white bit below wiv the apple logo, which seems to jsut about cover as much as the screen does :p
I have a 17 inch monitor now for this PC, so if i got a 17 inch iMac, would i be able to use the reolution of 1280x1024 on it?
Also is there any places which i can see more pcis of the iMac? all of seen of it is just the pictures apple has of it on their site, and i'd like to see people who own them and see wot they're like in a house or sumthin, if u know wot i mean :p
Thanks very much.
Click to expand...

OK, set your iPod to update manually and it will work just fine on your Mac, no need to reformat.

There are plenty of BitTorrent clients for Mac, just have a look for one.

I agree to an extent about the iMac but damn it looks good in the metal, the 20" model looks very nice - more "in proportion" then the 17"

If you are using a VGA cable to your monitor you will be fine with a little help, check out Screen Spanning Doctor - it's a firmware hack that allows you to span monitors (imac officially only support mirroring)

And yes, MSN is a bit crappy for Mac, the IM side of it is fine but the lack of webcam support etc is a bit of a bugbear. iChat is great but your mates need to be using iChat, AIM or Jabber, not very popular outside the US.
 
lol, i know, and thanks for that, but i need answers to the other questions i need, like where can i see pics of it in 'real life' areas instead of a white background? Is the iMac a gud buy for a first time, complete newbie to apple comps? Should i get sumthin like the Mac dual G5? which one will help me most in the media course im takin in sept?
 
a windows formatted ipod will work just fine on a PC or mac (mac formatted ipods only work on macs).

azerus (sp?) is my bit torrent program of choice.

for chatting, ichat works with aol; adium x is popular with people who chat with people on other/multiple chat programs.

the white space below the screen isn't big at all - plus, it has speakers built into it.

the imac is a great first apple computer in my opinion (it was mine back in january).

not sure of the max resolution, but it's up there. that info should be on apple's site.

as for pics of setups, do some searches for this on macrumors. people start threads to show their setups from time to time, so there are a bunch out there. not all will have imacs, but you'll definitely see some...
 
Do you plan on keeping your Windows PC as well?

If so, a possible solution (and hopefully others will tell me if this viable) might be to get a mac mini - that's just the computer itself and doesn't break the bank. You could hook this up alongside your existing pc and use the same monitor/keyboard/mouse and get a switch box so you can use both simultaneously.

Otherwise the iMac seems to be a popular all-in-one choice.

I don't know whereabouts in the UK you live but I'm guessing not London or Birmingham otherwise you'd have gone to see one at the Apple Store! Other Apple resellers include John Lewis, Dixons, PC World, Cancom, MicroAnvika... you'll probably find others if you search the apple site or google. There might even be pictures of some people's setups if you search this forum.
 
well im really not sure, ive only really thought about the mac thing for a couple days now, but when i got the windows pc it was when i was into games and such, but now im more into music and movies, and i think that a mac will do wot i need it to, wiv the power i need, on top of the great design and the near flawness ness of the operating system, im thinkin of sellin it on ebay for around £600, startin bid, and see where it goes.
And i live in Lincoln by the way so i cant try out any of the comps anywhere, besides the ipods that i see in dixons and etc.
Do the macs have a fixed price like the ipods do, no matter wot shops sell them? if they dont i'll be thankful if there's a uk site that offers an imac at a fairly lower price than wot it is for the 2ghz, 17 inch or 20 inch model.
 
Yes the macs are fixed price - all of the UK resellers follow Apple's pricing. There is however an education discount available. I'm not a student so I can't really advise on this but have a look at the Apple site for eligibility - i'm not sure if it's just for university students or for school/sixth form students too.

So if you decide to sell the pc then your best bet is probably the iMac, or you could consider an iBook/PowerBook for portability.

The only other way to buy cheaper is to get a refurbished model. The Apple Store website has a refurbished section that is only open on Wednesdays and they never have anything interesting on there. The Apple Store on Regent St does occasionally sell off refurbs in-store and can be a couple of hundred quid off. If you know anyone in London that could pick one up for you that could be another option.
 
i wont get a powerbook or ibook, i'll get an iMac, but its jsut the white space at the bottom which bothers me, they offer a 17inch but the screen isnt even that, so im thinkin on gettin a 20 inch one, but i havent seen a pic of that, but it must be massive
 
SuperDA said:
well i've had a PC for years, but i got my first proper one a year back which uses Windows XP and etc, but lately i've been interested in the Macs, but im not sure if i want one. As i live in the UK, i've taken my gcse's and will be goin into sixth form, which is college but at school, and im takin media, and im thinkin that a Mac will help me edit stuff and etc, i know how to use Movie Maker 2 on windows xp but a mac will probably be easier and have more options.
I'm totally not sure about this, im not sure which mac to get, im thinkin of the iMac, but i wanna know a few things:
I've got an ipod, and if i get a MAC, will i have to format it to work on the mac version of iTunes?
I use BitComet for various purposes, and i know that you can use Bit Torrent, but is there other programs that i can use for MAC, like (hopefully) BitComet or another type of bittorrent program?
What is the best IM Client for Mac? i use MSN 7.0 mainly, but ive found that the version of msn thats on Mac barely has the features that are used on the windows version.
Also when ive been lookin at pics on the apple site of the iMac, the thing that bothers me is that there';s the screen, then there's a massive white bit below wiv the apple logo, which seems to jsut about cover as much as the screen does :p
I have a 17 inch monitor now for this PC, so if i got a 17 inch iMac, would i be able to use the reolution of 1280x1024 on it?
Also is there any places which i can see more pcis of the iMac? all of seen of it is just the pictures apple has of it on their site, and i'd like to see people who own them and see wot they're like in a house or sumthin, if u know wot i mean :p
Thanks very much.
Click to expand...

use azureus for torrents, use mercury/aMSN for msn, with the imac you can install a firmware patch which allows you to connect your 17" lcd and have stuff on both screens not the same stuff mirrored, the 17" imac dose have a higher res than your 17" lcd and it's widescreen 1400x900.

though if i were you i'd get a 12" ibook and take it to sixth form, thats what i have done for the last three years and it really helps in subjects like media studies and the ibook is perfect for sixth form unless you go to a REALLY dodgy school, someone was stabbed by someone but i have never had an issue with my ibook, just keep it in your bag outside and dont go showing it off in lesson.
 
im not sure, i'll think about that.
Could i get a student discount as im continuin school onto the sixth form? ive seen the price of the 20 inch would be around £1,040 instead of £1200
 
azureus sucks hardcore, get tomato torrent, it is extremely simple, takes up hardly any system resources, and works WAY better than azureus.
 
your ment to be 19 to get a student discount, and they do check you are a student, aka call your school and ask but they dont ask about your age, i and many of my friends have bought stuff with a student discount at the apple online store, or if you get a NUS card then you can get a discount from the regent street store (if you live in london)
 
ah, crap, well im 16 so damn..
here's the specs for the pc im usin:
Windows XP Pro SP2
3.2GHZ HT Pentium 4
512mb 3200 DDR memory
Gigabyte Mainboard
Geforce FX 5600 Ultra
DVD-RW DL Drive
DVD reader
Floppy Disk Drive
120GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
2 speakers with one sub woofer
500w PSU
17 inch TFT Monitor
I'm thinkin of sellin it on ebay for around £600 for the startin bid, and possibly £900 for a Buy it Now option, whaddya think?
 
buffalo said:
Some pics of my 17'' iMac can be found here. It's brand new as of Sunday and it's awesome.

If you want to see a specific shot of it just ask.
Click to expand...


np,
the iMac really is a sweet machine. The only negative is the keyboard cable is short, so i have no slack on it. If you have a large desk consider getting BT keyboard and a mouse, or you'll need a USB extenction cable.
 
yeah im thinkin when i get it is that i'll get the wireless keyboard and mouse wiv it, its a farily large desk but its enough so that the mouse wont stammer cos of the weak connection.
I'm wonderin tho, do u think the screen big enough for you and which 17 inch model did u buy?
im thinkin of gettin the 20 inch as it'll just be big enough as a 17 inch TFT screen is, as the iMac screen ahs that massive white space below
 
i got the 17" superdrive model. for me the screen is enought room for me. This webpage only takes up about 3/4 of the screen and the same it true for word. also remember the 20" white space is much larger than on the 17".
 
buffalo said:
i got the 17" superdrive model. for me the screen is enought room for me. This webpage only takes up about 3/4 of the screen and the same it true for word. also remember the 20" white space is much larger than on the 17".
Click to expand...
ahh yeah, never thought about that lol
i'm not sure then, could i ask a favour? could you take a screenshot of the imac displaying this web page, scrolled down to the bottom, and i'll be able to see a difference between the imac and my tft screen, if u can do that thanx very much.
 
SuperDA said:
ahh yeah, never thought about that lol
i'm not sure then, could i ask a favour? could you take a screenshot of the imac displaying this web page, scrolled down to the bottom, and i'll be able to see a difference between the imac and my tft screen, if u can do that thanx very much.
Click to expand...

ok, well I added two pictures to the ones I already have. The first one is of this webpage using safari on the size it pops up with. The other is of Microsoft Word on the size it opens with (viewing 100%).

If you need anyothers, just ask.
 
cheers for that :D
now that ive seen them pics, i'll get the 20 inch one, if its gonna be me first mac, im gonna get the best imac there is at the mo :D
can the mac play .avi's by the way?
 
SuperDA said:
i wont get a powerbook or ibook, i'll get an iMac, but its jsut the white space at the bottom which bothers me, they offer a 17inch but the screen isnt even that, so im thinkin on gettin a 20 inch one, but i havent seen a pic of that, but it must be massive
Click to expand...

The screen itself is 17 inch. The machine is bigger than 17".
 
SuperDA said:
And i live in Lincoln by the way so i cant try out any of the comps anywhere, besides the ipods that i see in dixons and etc.
Click to expand...

Hmm, does your local Yellow Pages have a section for computer resellers? There might be a local Apple reseller - the population of Lincoln is ... what? ... 80,000? Seems like there should be a couple of resellers nearby where you could try one out.

But then I live in the SF Bay area where we're tripping over Apple shops so I forget what it's like elsewhere.
 
i'll look into that and see wot i can find.
i thoguht the actual screen wasnt 17 inch, but the whole monitor was, and thats y i think it looks so small
 
SuperDA said:
i'll look into that and see wot i can find.
i thoguht the actual screen wasnt 17 inch, but the whole monitor was, and thats y i think it looks so small
Click to expand...

It's widescreen, so it's area is smaller (130 square inches vs 142 square inches) but wider (14.4 inches vs 13.5 inches) than my Dell 1704FPV.

But it's still a 17" screen.
 
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