New iMac: Nvidia GeoForce GT 130 -or- ATi Radeon HD 4850?

[Jack Flash]

You are still comparing Apples and Oranges (nyuck nyuck) here. A noisy, 40lb desktop tower with separate monitor and an all-in-one PC are completely differently priced and we both know that the iMac is an all in one which by itself commands a price premium.

The implication that people here don't have the skill to do their own builds is laughable, and it's long been the running joke in the PC world that Apple peeps are 'idiots' and such statements just try to reinforce that claim.

The reality is that some of us have done plenty of home builds but are looking for more out of these computers. Having something sitting in front of you that's dead quiet, uses very little energy and works correctly out of the box without spending hours updating BIOS, drivers, etc, is well worth it for quite a lot of folks.

It's also important to note that one man's "bargain" is another man's "waste of time".

My time is far too valuable to screw around with a Hackentosh. I have plenty of my own projects that actually generate $$$ to screw around with a DIY Apple rig.

Again, you fabricate. I'm not pretending that this was difficult or that it's the same thing as an iMac. Someone in this thread commented about how I was waiting for my 4850 iMac to work to which I replied wasn't the case. Another person questioned my honesty about the parts so I clarified.

I didn't implicate that users of this forum don't have the skill to build their own. It took 20 minutes to put the parts together and another 30 minutes to get Leopard installed and fully functioning. (20 of those minutes were taken up by leopard's disc installer)

The iMac does use little energy but I will contest that it is anything but dead quiet. Unless you want sky-high temperatures (I didn't when I had mine) you will need to set smcFanControl up 1000k+ RPM for each fan and you're going to hear it.

Well enjoy the same saved. For the hour I spent of mine I'm really enjoying the extra $1,500 in my bank account while using the same OS we both love.

 

[GonzoRob]

It's also important to note that one man's "bargain" is another man's "waste of time".

Agreed. When I was a poor student I built and used Linux PC's out of bailing twine and sticky-tape. I thought they were awesome at the time…

Now I work, I prefer to spend my money on something a bit more refined.

 

[Jack Flash]

Agreed. When I was a poor student I built and used Linux PC's out of bailing twine and sticky-tape. I thought they were awesome at the time…

Now I work, I prefer to spend my money on something a bit more refined.

To each his own. I would never built a bargain-bin computer because you're likely to have a bargain bin experience with it. By selecting good parts I've had a good time with this Hackintosh.

 

[jmpage2]

Again, you fabricate. I'm not pretending that this was difficult or that it's the same thing as an iMac. Someone in this thread commented about how I was waiting for my 4850 iMac to work to which I replied wasn't the case. Another person questioned my honesty about the parts so I clarified.

I didn't implicate that users of this forum don't have the skill to build their own. It took 20 minutes to put the parts together and another 30 minutes to get Leopard installed and fully functioning. (20 of those minutes were taken up by leopard's disc installer)

The iMac does use little energy but I will contest that it is anything but dead quiet. Unless you want sky-high temperatures (I didn't when I had mine) you will need to set smcFanControl up 1000k+ RPM for each fan and you're going to hear it.

Well enjoy the same saved. For the hour I spent of mine I'm really enjoying the extra $1,500 in my bank account while using the same OS we both love.

Your PC, if it had a comparable display would be about $400-$500 cheaper than the Radeon 4850 iMac I'm running right now (under $1900 shipped). $500 isn't that big of a deal to me, although everyone has different thoughts about such things.

Also, I've been building systems for 15 years and have never built, or seen someone build a system in an hour. If you add up the time spent ordering parts, unboxing components, assembling, installing software, etc, it usually is quite a bit more than an hour that's involved and that's assuming that you don't run into a single problem during the build such as a faulty component, etc.

Anyways, caveat emptor as they say. I am just trying to keep it real here, there's not much comparison between a Hack with a 22" display and an iMac all-in-one with a 24" IPS screen.

 

[Jack Flash]

Your PC, if it had a comparable display would be about $400-$500 cheaper than the Radeon 4850 iMac I'm running right now (under $1900 shipped). $500 isn't that big of a deal to me, although everyone has different thoughts about such things.

Also, I've been building systems for 15 years and have never built, or seen someone build a system in an hour. If you add up the time spent ordering parts, unboxing components, assembling, installing software, etc, it usually is quite a bit more than an hour that's involved and that's assuming that you don't run into a single problem during the build such as a faulty component, etc.

Anyways, caveat emptor as they say. I am just trying to keep it real here, there's not much comparison between a Hack with a 22" display and an iMac all-in-one with a 24" IPS screen.

Your iMac is not normally $1,900 shipped. It's normally $2,000 + taxes. If I wanted to substitute a 24" IPS display I would add $200 to my total price bringing me up to $1,150. That's almost a grand cheaper than what Apple is offering. To me the hour (yes, hour) from opening the boxes to logging on to MR in Safari was worth that.

To each his own, though. I'm quite content with the performance I get for the dollar I paid.

Actually, make that add $140 for a 26" IPS display.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824185010&Tpk=doublesight

 

[VulnoX]

I expect you're referring to me even though I didn't once say 'lol' That's unimportant, save for that it discloses that you're someone predisposed to fabricating information favorable to your defense. Since you're interested, I will tell you how much each part cost.

Dell 2209WA - $228.96. Purchased @Dell. (8% sales tax, free shipping)
Antec Three Hundred - $48.59. Purchased @MicroCenter. (8% sales tax, no shipping)
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P motherboard - 80.00. Purchased @eBay. (No sales tax, free shipping, not used)
Intel Q9400 - $194.39. Purchased @MicroCenter. (8% sales tax, no shipping)
8GB RAM - $43.19 Purchased @MicroCenter. (8% sales tax, no shipping, $40.00 rebate)
22x Samsung Lightscribe DVD drive - $21.99. Purchased @NewEgg. (No sales tax, free shipping)
Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB - $79.99. Purchased @NewEgg. (No sales tax, free shipping)
Lepoard Retail DVD - $60.00. - Purchased @eBay. (No sales tax, free shipping, not used)
XFX GTX 260 Core 216 - $129.99 Purchased @NewEgg. (No sales tax, free shipping, sold two included games for $20 a piece)
Antec NeoPower 500 - 40.00. Purchased @eBay. (No sales tax, free shipping, not used)

Total: $927.10. Did I have to shop around? Yes, I did. Did I already own an Apple Aluminum Keyboard and MX Revolution mouse? Yes, I did. But don't you accuse me of lying to this forum or stealing my software. I'm not a 'hobbyist' and I didn't run into any headaches building this machine. I built it because my iMac was losing value rapidly at each product release while Apple simultaneously was barely upgrading the new models.

You will complain that it isn't a 1:1 match for the iMac. 802.11n? Add $25. 24" IPS monitor? Add $250. Bluetooth? Add $2. (Yes, $2.00) I will protest, however, saying that I have three year or greater warranties on any individual part. You have to add AppleCare to the Mac's cost to match the coverage. It's difficult to get a genius bar appointment these days (I had a Mighty Mouse with my iMac and getting it replaced required waiting until midnight to pounce at reservation slots) so I don't believe Apple has a distinct advantage there.

Having switched from an iMac and I understand the aesthetics. I suppose the fair comparison would be to a Mac Pro but all the same, I decided that vanity wasn't worth the opportunity cost of this machine. I haven't looked back. I used to run my iMac with smcFanControl to keep it cooler than stock. (Simply too hot to be running 24/7) This new box is quieter than that iMac ever was.

I'm sorry you had difficulty building your computers and I'm sorry you didn't get the best prices you could but your experience certainly doesn't speak for me.

EDIT: I realize I misspoke about the cost of my computer earlier. I had said it cost under $900. This was true at my original purchase before upgrading my video card from a $95 ATI 4850 to the GTX 260. Wanted to add that clarification.

I had to read my stuff again, because you said I called you a liar and I don't see that anywhere. No you weren't the lol guy either.

But anyway since you joined in...

First off, good for you for building your computer, its a lot of fun. Second, what I said, and when I read it again I thought it was pretty clear. I said match the quality and have at least equal (meaning basically 1:1) parts to what Apple put in there and have it be aesthetically pleasing.

Part of the reason my computer cost as much as it did is I had to find good quality memory, not just whatever was the cheapest. I went with matching LED's if parts had them, good cabling so there wasn't an air flow restricting mess in my case, etc, etc. All things Apple, Dell, Falcon Northwest, and so on do for you when you buy a computer for them which is part of the added cost. Also as I said, form factor is huge here. Putting all those parts in that small iMac case takes a lot of engineering. You and I had Mid or Full Tower cases to work with.

The point of my post was to say that its stupid to compare an iMac to a PC you built yourself in cost because you can't win, since almost no single builder has the individual resources needed to make something like that, and to get those resources will put you well over the $2000 mark.

So as I said, build a good looking PC that matches the iMac's specs, throw in some money for warranty, and whatever else, and then come back. Also, the Genius Bar thing is pretty relative, every Apple store I have been to in almost four states has had no problem from what I saw dealing with customer service issues, and its still a hell of a lot faster than shipping parts back to NewEgg.

Also, the attacks against me about me having problems building my stuff or whatever isn't necessary, I didn't have any problems with my computer and its running very well. My point is that the chance of issues are just as much there as when you buy any computer, but its a lot easier to let someone else handle them than to deal with tracking down the actual problem, then taking out the part, being without a computer for up to or more than two weeks, and then putting it back in.

For example. You built the computer you listed, and it won't boot. It gives a solid tone every 1 and a half seconds. You now have to hope that tone's code is in the manual (if its not just a PDF which they seem to love doing now), or hop on a computer and find the answer. Maybe you get it right away, its the processor, the motherboard can't detect it correctly. So you pull it out, check everything, put it back in, still nothing.

So you send it back, get a replacement, same problem. You find out, weeks later, that its the cheap ass power supply you bought that doesn't have stable enough voltages on the rail. Wow, what a fun month you just spent tracking down and replacing parts instead of using your computer.

Is that a common scenario? Hell no. But it happens, its possible, and its one of the things you have to take into consideration when doing price comparisons.

Nothing I said was an attack, its me, as someone who has as I said done this for a long time and seen it all, saying that you CANNOT just flat out say one way of doing something is hands down better than another without backing it up with some solid evidence. And since nobody can guarantee that a hobby built computer like yours or mine will run flawlessly the first time, everytime, its just not a fair comparison.

That was all I was saying. I am very happy for you and your computer. If I just went by the parts you listed than my computer was about that much too, but I had to have the damn Logitech G15 keyboard, speakers, the other stuff that adds to the cost (and with the exception of the actual Logitech keyboard comes with the iMac).

 

[definitive]

Your PC, if it had a comparable display would be about $400-$500 cheaper than the Radeon 4850 iMac I'm running right now (under $1900 shipped). $500 isn't that big of a deal to me, although everyone has different thoughts about such things.

Also, I've been building systems for 15 years and have never built, or seen someone build a system in an hour. If you add up the time spent ordering parts, unboxing components, assembling, installing software, etc, it usually is quite a bit more than an hour that's involved and that's assuming that you don't run into a single problem during the build such as a faulty component, etc.

Anyways, caveat emptor as they say. I am just trying to keep it real here, there's not much comparison between a Hack with a 22" display and an iMac all-in-one with a 24" IPS screen.

a $2k hackintosh beats any imac hands down. it's a fact. you'll have a greater selection of cpus (some of which would reach speeds of mac pro's), and for the screen you can put a 24" dell ultrasharp , and you'll be good to go. only reason i haven't went this route myself is because i don't want to have to deal with editing files, etc., though i've read that there's much less stuff to edit with new vanilla installs, so it works same way as the real thing.

lol @ "keeping it real" on the internet.

 

[jmpage2]

a $2k hackintosh beats any imac hands down. it's a fact. you'll have a greater selection of cpus (some of which would reach speeds of mac pro's), and for the screen you can put a 24" dell ultrasharp , and you'll be good to go. only reason i haven't went this route myself is because i don't want to have to deal with editing files, etc., though i've read that there's much less stuff to edit with new vanilla installs, so it works same way as the real thing.

lol @ "keeping it real" on the internet.

Yes, because you guys comparing your giant noisy ugly cpu towers to an iMac are anything but realistic.

You also run the risk of any given software update, or new load not working on your Hack. This might not be a big deal to some of you, but what happens when an update to Aperture, etc, requires a certain patch and it won't work on the home brew machine?

These are all things to weigh in making a decision on building a Hack vs buying a Mac.

 

[definitive]

Yes, because you guys comparing your giant noisy ugly cpu towers to an iMac are anything but realistic.

You also run the risk of any given software update, or new load not working on your Hack. This might not be a big deal to some of you, but what happens when an update to Aperture, etc, requires a certain patch and it won't work on the home brew machine?

These are all things to weigh in making a decision on building a Hack vs buying a Mac.

noise levels depend on the kind of cooling you use. there are quiet, large fans, there's water cooling, there's passive cooling, and there are noise reducing cases. take whatever works best for you.

yes, running the risk of not being able to install the updates is why i didn't go with the hackintosh, though there are certain installation methods that allow you to run updates without a problem (at least for the time being). i'm waiting for apple to fix their 4850 imac's, so i could buy that. if i'd had an extra grand or two to spend (which i find ridiculous), then i would go straight for the mac pro and probably wouldn't have to worry about the system freezing.

 

[jmpage2]

noise levels depend on the kind of cooling you use. there are quiet, large fans, there's water cooling, there's passive cooling, and there are noise reducing cases. take whatever works best for you.

yes, running the risk of not being able to install the updates is why i didn't go with the hackintosh, though there are certain installation methods that allow you to run updates without a problem (at least for the time being). i'm waiting for apple to fix their 4850 imac's, so i could buy that. if i'd had an extra grand or two to spend (which i find ridiculous), then i would go straight for the mac pro and probably wouldn't have to worry about the system freezing.

You won't get much argument from me on the stupidity of Apple not offering a mid-size option such as a mini tower, placed between the iMac and the Mac Pro.

 

[VulnoX]

You won't get much argument from me on the stupidity of Apple not offering a mid-size option such as a mini tower, placed between the iMac and the Mac Pro.

Ugh, thank you. I don't know why a company that normally has such great ideas cant get on board with a very simple one. I have a monitor that I love, I have a lot of things that I don't want to get rid of, just let me buy a good looking, well equipped, $1300 Mac Desktop. I have read a lot on the Hackintosh stuff, I just don't want to deal with that possible headache. I have seen one where a guy built two machines that were identical, and one ran fine with OSX, but the other had all kinds of problems.

I love working out computer problems, but sometimes, I just want it to work. Generally the computer problems I like to work out are other peoples, because then I know even if they need a new part, I still get to go home to my fully working system, Windows or OSX.

 

[bajee]

Just a correction for jmpage2

You also run the risk of any given software update, or new load not working on your Hack. This might not be a big deal to some of you, but what happens when an update to Aperture, etc, requires a certain patch and it won't work on the home brew machine?

Nah you're not doing you're homework, you can now use vanilla kernels that can be updated, this means you are installing 100% legit, unmodified leopard installer disk. and update them real time

Yes, because you guys comparing your giant noisy ugly cpu towers to an iMac are anything but realistic.

Ever heard of SFF? small form factor? you can get a sg31g2, for what? 150$ or something? They are super quiet believe me since I have one .

And again you can never compare iMacs really coz they use mobile parts. Not desktop parts. So its like comparing chocolate with *****.

-----------
guys, why are you so combative in nature? Some even call names, very constructive "the lol guy" huh? And statements like "duh", just makes you more.. nevermind ..

If you just read definitive Jack Flash statements, they make sense. Its not that they wanna shove you with hackintoshes, they're just correcting most of your false statements

-----------

NEWSFLASH:
have you guys saw the front page yet?

5-Fold Increase in Video Encoding with OpenCL CUDA technology. Uh wait, the 4850 doesn't have Opencl CUDA, coz its only available to Nvidia... what???? OMG, you're killing me for real?

pardon my sarcasm, Hope you guys get the point, its not about ooh I'm more l33t coz my computer has this shiny IPS screen. It's about what is better to buy for now, GT 130 or the problematic ATI HD 4850.

Hope we get back on topic. Cheers!

Pardon my typo, if there's any, I'm too tired to check, I'll just take my power nap ciao

 

[VulnoX]

Just a correction for jmpage2



Nah you're not doing you're homework, you can now use vanilla kernels that can be updated, this means you are installing 100% legit, unmodified leopard installer disk. and update them real time



Ever heard of SFF? small form factor? you can get a sg31g2, for what? 150$ or something? They are super quiet believe me since I have one .

And again you can never compare iMacs really coz they use mobile parts. Not desktop parts. So its like comparing chocolate with *****.

-----------
guys, why are you so combative in nature? Some even call names, very constructive "the lol guy" huh? And statements like "duh", just makes you more.. nevermind ..

If you just read definitive Jack Flash statements, they make sense. Its not that they wanna shove you with hackintoshes, they're just correcting most of your false statements

-----------

NEWSFLASH:
have you guys saw the front page yet?

5-Fold Increase in Video Encoding with OpenCL CUDA technology. Uh wait, the 4850 doesn't have Opencl CUDA, coz its only available to Nvidia... what???? OMG, you're killing me for real?

pardon my sarcasm, Hope you guys get the point, its not about ooh I'm more l33t coz my computer has this shiny IPS screen. It's about what is better to buy for now, GT 130 or the problematic ATI HD 4850.

Hope we get back on topic. Cheers!

Pardon my typo, if there's any, I'm too tired to check, I'll just take my power nap ciao

You should point out what he has shot down, because he never really did. Also, the iMac does not use mobile parts. Its a 3.5" Hard Drive, a desktop processor, desktop video card (They may underclock it slightly, but I have not seen evidence of that), sure is a desktop LCD, a desktop keyboard, a desktop mouse, probably a small form factor motherboard, but not mobile. Seems like they use SO-DIMM's, so there ya go, a "Mobile" part, even though its really just sized down RAM chips.

It seems to ME, that you guys keep coming in here spreading FUD for no reason. So it doesn't do OpenCL, if I got it to do video encoding I would care. This thread, most of your replies, have been about video game performance which the 4850 is better at.

Now you bring this up, which isn't a concern to most 4850 owners, and its NOT EVEN OUT YET. So you are saying in your wonderful smiley faces and apparent flawless logic that if I want a Mac that can play video games the best, that I made a mistake by getting a 4850 instead of a 130 because video encoding is faster on the 130?

Oh wait, yeah, two different things.

Seriously, your threads are nothing more than back handed insults and smiley faces. Its old, its not helpful, and its rarely correct. Just because you say it is, doesn't make it so. I have been to the forums for Hackintosh's, and I have seen way more issues on there from all the people asking for help for many different reasons than just a 4850 video card issue that may or may not even happen to more than 10% of users.

If you are happy with your computer, then leave it at that, but these are still completely different beasts we are talking about with completely different designs in mind. Even if you have the smallest form factor PC in the world, its still another box and not built in, its still more cables running somewhere that not everyone wants.

ITS NOT THE SAME, WHY DON'T YOU GET THAT?

 

[bajee]

You should point out what he has shot down, because he never really did. Also, the iMac does not use mobile parts. Its a 3.5" Hard Drive, a desktop processor, desktop video card (They may underclock it slightly, but I have not seen evidence of that), sure is a desktop LCD, a desktop keyboard, a desktop mouse, probably a small form factor motherboard, but not mobile. Seems like they use SO-DIMM's, so there ya go, a "Mobile" part, even though its really just sized down RAM chips.

It seems to ME, that you guys keep coming in here spreading FUD for no reason. So it doesn't do OpenCL, if I got it to do video encoding I would care. This thread, most of your replies, have been about video game performance which the 4850 is better at.

Now you bring this up, which isn't a concern to most 4850 owners, and its NOT EVEN OUT YET. So you are saying in your wonderful smiley faces and apparent flawless logic that if I want a Mac that can play video games the best, that I made a mistake by getting a 4850 instead of a 130 because video encoding is faster on the 130?

Oh wait, yeah, two different things.

Seriously, your threads are nothing more than back handed insults and smiley faces. Its old, its not helpful, and its rarely correct. Just because you say it is, doesn't make it so. I have been to the forums for Hackintosh's, and I have seen way more issues on there from all the people asking for help for many different reasons than just a 4850 video card issue that may or may not even happen to more than 10% of users.

If you are happy with your computer, then leave it at that, but these are still completely different beasts we are talking about with completely different designs in mind. Even if you have the smallest form factor PC in the world, its still another box and not built in, its still more cables running somewhere that not everyone wants.

ITS NOT THE SAME, WHY DON'T YOU GET THAT?

Sorry to burst your bubble friend, but you are wrong there, iMac does use mobile parts, ram, gpu (graphics card), cpu (processor). The only desktop component is the hardisk. Its basically a laptop with a big monitor. That's the primary reason why it was still using a core 2 duo rather than a quadcore, first was the availablility of mobile quads, and second was because of the heat that it will generate if it were to use a desktop class cpu processor. Don't get me wrong there, I still love the iMac.

Oh here's a confirmation of the 4850 being a mobile gpu card:

iMac on a mobile ati 4850

Okay, people keep saying that getting a 4850 card will be more future proof. I brought that news since the upcoming Snow Leopard will use that technology.

I guess you didn't get my post, I did say it was purely sarcasm. I apologize if you feel that way. I just want to bring this thread back to topic, since this is becoming more like a PC vs Mac thing, which shouldn't be. It supposed to be a discussion on the pros/cons on having a 4850 or gt130 configuration. From what I see, people keep on attacking each other, very combative in nature. That's why I used sarcasm, to show how ugly this thread is heading.

So everyone, hope we get back on topic again and not sound like a 13 year old whining.

 

[RobLS]

If people remember back when Aluminum iMacs were introduced, there was a huge drivers issue with NVIDIA's graphics. I was one of those people. It drove me up the wall and finally got to the point where it would freeze upon startup. I lasted about a month before I said hell with it and returned it. Well two weeks after that, an update was released and then people loved them. Give it time. If you waited this long, whats wrong with waiting a little longer. I wish I still had the iMac, but now I am saving to get another. It will get better.

*edit* And there were a few updates before the 'big' one. just an fyi

 

[LagunaSol]

Well enjoy the same saved. For the hour I spent of mine I'm really enjoying the extra $1,500 in my bank account while using the same OS we both love.

Methinks someone is laying it on a bit thick here. I've built my own PCs. And unless you have the ability to bend time, there's no way you're assembling a PC in 20 minutes. Heck, it takes 20 minutes just to get all the components out of their packaging.

And if you do it right, you're going to spend quite a few hours researching all your components. You know, which mobo works with which processors and which RAM, blah blah blah. Then, to top it off, you need to figure out which components are Hackintosh-ready.

When all is said and done, you're left with a Frankenbox covered under a dozen different manufacturers' warranties (better hope none of those components arrive DOA, or you have a glorified paperweight while you work out an exchange through the mail). And then you're hoping and praying that the next Apple system update doesn't neuter your Hackintosh into a Windows-only affair. *shudder*

Not to mention even when everything does work, you still have a ghetto looking box junking up your space. I don't care what case you buy - they all look like cheap crap. Believe me, I've shopped them all (I did like the Coolermaster Wavemaster, back when they still made them).

Yes, you're saving money. But you're not saving $1,500 by doing a simple hour's work. I guess it makes a nice story, but that's all it is - a nice story.

With the money you do save, there are definite downsides. And for my money, I'm not dealing with building my own ghettoboxes any more. I'm buying Macs. And not regretting a single penny of it.

YMMV.

 

[mstam]

Well, I was about to purchase the 24" 4850 Mac, my first Mac, until I read about the issues. Freezes, disconnecting BT mouse, noisy fans and that for $2300 for a 2.93GHz notebook CPU?? I always loved OS X and the designs of the Macs, but the h/w was always out of spec, especially the video cards, lack of eSata on the iMac, hard to change HD and so on.

So just for fun, 2 days ago I gave iDeneb, a trickled OS X 10.5.6, a try on my PC, P35 chipset w/ 4GB ram and a C2D E6850 @3.6GHz. The install took me 30 minutes and it took me an other 2 hours to get the onboard ALC888 audio and my ATI 4850 video card working. Now I have dual display support, optical 5.1 S/PDIF out, Logitech web cam, mouse, and keyboard are working fine, BT is working, actually everything is working very smooth, so smooth that in stead of the iMac I'm considering to get an uATX mobo in a nice brushed alu case w/ the Intel 920 Core i7 quad CPU that can be easily overclocked to 3.6-4GHz, 6GB DDR3 memory, a 160GB OCZ Vertex SSD and a 30" LG S-IPS monitor mounted w/ a VESA mount. Total cost $2300, same as the iMac, at least 3x more powerful and quiet.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005115

Because I expected to have the iMac by now, I already purchased the Icy Dock external HD enclosure w/ a 1TB WD Green HD for my movies and a 640GB HD to put in my Gentoo Linux box for network Time Machine backups. I installed Netatalk and Avahi and everthing is working well. The Hackintosh thinks I have a X-serve in the network

 

[jmpage2]

How many times do we have to explain to you guys that this;

Does not equal this;

Go play around in your Hackintosh forums, I'm sure they luv you long time over there.

 

[bajee]

If people remember back when Aluminum iMacs were introduced, there was a huge drivers issue with NVIDIA's graphics. I was one of those people. It drove me up the wall and finally got to the point where it would freeze upon startup. I lasted about a month before I said hell with it and returned it. Well two weeks after that, an update was released and then people loved them. Give it time. If you waited this long, whats wrong with waiting a little longer. I wish I still had the iMac, but now I am saving to get another. It will get better.

*edit* And there were a few updates before the 'big' one. just an fyi

I do hope apple fixes the problem. Kudos to the 4850 peeps. That's the only thing that's holding me back. If its still not out around 1st week of May, I might end up with the gt130

----------
Damn, iMac is so sexxxxxxy! love the pic

 

[mstam]

How many times do we have to explain to you guys that this;
Go play around in your Hackintosh forums, I'm sure they luv you long time over there.

Go play around w/ your freezy Mac, but haha you're absolutely right, however like I mentioned, I wanna get the 24" iMac and pay the extra price but of course not when it freezes, makes noise and has BT issues. I use computers on a professional basis and I have not even had 5 lock-ups on my PC in the last year. So what is it gonna be? A sleek looking iMac that freezes or a nice 3x faster clone w/ a 30" S-IPS monitor that doesn't? I need something that works.

I'll wait another 1-2 weeks to see what solution Apple comes up with before I make a decision

 

[Jack Flash]

With the money you do save, there are definite downsides. And for my money, I'm not dealing with building my own ghettoboxes any more. I'm buying Macs. And not regretting a single penny of it.

YMMV.

Tell that to 4850 iMac owners.

 

[gianly1985]

From a OpenCL/Snow Leopard point of view, is it right to assume that gt130 is better than ati4850? (let's forget about freezing issues)

I mean, OpenCL is mainly NVIDIA stuff, right?? So, even if less powerful, gt130 will do OpenCL better than ATI?

 

[Jack Flash]

Methinks someone is laying it on a bit thick here. I've built my own PCs. And unless you have the ability to bend time, there's no way you're assembling a PC in 20 minutes. Heck, it takes 20 minutes just to get all the components out of their packaging.

I'm not sure if you only buy components packaged in uranium plating but mine came in cardboard boxes with one, sometimes even two pieces of tape I had to cut. I wasn't trying to savour the experience and didn't waste any time. Granted, the 20 minutes I was referring to was after I opened the parts but all the same, plugging in a motherboard and these modular parts isn't difficult. Took 20 minutes.

And if you do it right, you're going to spend quite a few hours researching all your components. You know, which mobo works with which processors and which RAM, blah blah blah. Then, to top it off, you need to figure out which components are Hackintosh-ready.

Just followed a guide and bought exactly what i was told to. Download the pre-made CD of setup files and had the device completely operation within an hour of popping open the computer case. I wasn't going to fool around with things that didn't work and wasn't going to spend my own time researching the parts when others have spent countless hours doing that for me.

When all is said and done, you're left with a Frankenbox covered under a dozen different manufacturers' warranties (better hope none of those components arrive DOA, or you have a glorified paperweight while you work out an exchange through the mail). And then you're hoping and praying that the next Apple system update doesn't neuter your Hackintosh into a Windows-only affair. *shudder*

If you want to talk paperweight when it comes to a dead part let's talk the iMac. In the event your iMac breaks (any part of it) you're SOL until a technician can see to it, repair it and return it to you. If my power supply burns out I can walk into Best Buy, maybe even a Walmart for ubiquity's sake and buy a new one.

I've been through a repair process with an iMac before. My DVD burner died. It was 4 days before I got an appointment at the Genius Bar and another 3 before they had it back to me. This was one of the main reasons I sold my iMac and built my own machine.

Also, by default my motherboard, graphics card, processor, RAM, and HDD have a three year warranty. The optical drive is warranted for only two. Apple only offers one year of complimentary warranty. Without adding in the cost of AppleCare it's impossible to make a direct comparison between the 'service' our machines have available.

Not to mention even when everything does work, you still have a ghetto looking box junking up your space. I don't care what case you buy - they all look like cheap crap. Believe me, I've shopped them all (I did like the Coolermaster Wavemaster, back when they still made them).

It's not a Mac Pro but it's far from hideous. If I wanted to, I could have spent some more money on a Mac Pro housing and built my Hackintosh inside it. I didn't. Sits in the corner under my desk where it isn't seen anyway. I, of course, bought an IPS monitor.

Yes, you're saving money. But you're not saving $1,500 by doing a simple hour's work. I guess it makes a nice story, but that's all it is - a nice story.

My machine cost $927 with a 20" IPS display. If I had opted for a 26" IPS display I would have spent around $1,070. The cheapest 4850 equipped iMac is $2,000 before taxes and is around half as powerful. The cheapest Mac Pro is $2,500 before taxes. It is marginally faster than my machine.

I don't go around the forum recommending Hackintosh to anyone and everyone and I never intended to make a sales pitch for it in this thread. When I see someone, however, who could benefit from the greater performance I do offer a suggestion with part list and installation guide. My hope is that Apple will get the picture and offer their own headless Mac that does not have the Mac Pro's markup.

Quite frankly, if Apple would sell me what I want I would buy it from them.

 

[GamaFu]

From a OpenCL/Snow Leopard point of view, is it right to assume that gt130 is better than ati4850? (let's forget about freezing issues)

I mean, OpenCL is mainly NVIDIA stuff, right?? So, even if less powerful, gt130 will do OpenCL better than ATI?

I think you're probably mistaken OpenCL with CUDA. OpenCL is not a Nvidia thing, it's initially developed by Apple and then Khronos Group did the rest to finalize it. Khronos Group is also maintaining OpenGL. Both Nvidia and ATI support the framework, so even though one might perform better than the other due to the different approaches in designing GPU architecture and implementing driver, you shouldn't assume one will be better than the other until we actually see it.

 

[archipellago]

I'm not sure if you only buy components packaged in uranium plating but mine came in cardboard boxes with one, sometimes even two pieces of tape I had to cut. I wasn't trying to savour the experience and didn't waste any time. Granted, the 20 minutes I was referring to was after I opened the parts but all the same, plugging in a motherboard and these modular parts isn't difficult. Took 20 minutes.



Just followed a guide and bought exactly what i was told to. Download the pre-made CD of setup files and had the device completely operation within an hour of popping open the computer case. I wasn't going to fool around with things that didn't work and wasn't going to spend my own time researching the parts when others have spent countless hours doing that for me.



If you want to talk paperweight when it comes to a dead part let's talk the iMac. In the event your iMac breaks (any part of it) you're SOL until a technician can see to it, repair it and return it to you. If my power supply burns out I can walk into Best Buy, maybe even a Walmart for ubiquity's sake and buy a new one.

I've been through a repair process with an iMac before. My DVD burner died. It was 4 days before I got an appointment at the Genius Bar and another 3 before they had it back to me. This was one of the main reasons I sold my iMac and built my own machine.

Also, by default my motherboard, graphics card, processor, RAM, and HDD have a three year warranty. The optical drive is warranted for only two. Apple only offers one year of complimentary warranty. Without adding in the cost of AppleCare it's impossible to make a direct comparison between the 'service' our machines have available.

It's not a Mac Pro but it's far from hideous. If I wanted to, I could have spent some more money on a Mac Pro housing and built my Hackintosh inside it. I didn't. Sits in the corner under my desk where it isn't seen anyway. I, of course, bought an IPS monitor.



My machine cost $927 with a 20" IPS display. If I had opted for a 26" IPS display I would have spent around $1,070. The cheapest 4850 equipped iMac is $2,000 before taxes and is around half as powerful. The cheapest Mac Pro is $2,500 before taxes. It is marginally faster than my machine.

I don't go around the forum recommending Hackintosh to anyone and everyone and I never intended to make a sales pitch for it in this thread. When I see someone, however, who could benefit from the greater performance I do offer a suggestion with part list and installation guide. My hope is that Apple will get the picture and offer their own headless Mac that does not have the Mac Pro's markup.

Quite frankly, if Apple would sell me what I want I would buy it from them.

really great post.

I'm running a 2007 mac mini, Leopard external HD etc.. but also have sundry Dell's and other stuff floating about.

when this 'expires' I may look at the Hackintosh route myself. Could you link me or PM me the install guide/part list?

To be honest (having played around with the beta) once Win 7 Ships I may just go down that route.

Hand on heart I have had more hardware problems with Apple hardware than anything else..... HP, Dell, Compaq etc. which is crazy given the price of the stuff and my investment in Apple overall.