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New Mac for HS, wait? buy now? any suggestions?

A

applelover462

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 19, 2006
7
0
Okay, so I want a new Mac for High School next year, and am wondering if there are going to be any substantial upgrades in the coming months. Should I wait until Leopard (comes out 6 months after school starts, kind of a long time) because there will be a lot of upgrades? Or just wait until Merom (supposively August)? Or.... should I not wait at all and purchase now...? Please help.... all help is appreciated. :cool:
 
Hey skipskop, thanks for responding. Yes, I currently have an iMac g5 (isight), but those new Macs are certainly making my current mac seem outdated. Umm.... there's no "need" per say to have it, but I would like the convenience of maybe bringing it to the HS for chemistry or other subjects. I would use it for projects..... research etc. during school, and I would love the convenience of having a laptop (Preferably MacBook Pro)
 
applelover462 said:
Hey skipskop, thanks for responding. Yes, I currently have an iMac g5 (isight), but those new Macs are certainly making my current mac seem outdated. Umm.... there's no "need" per say to have it, but I would like the convenience of maybe bringing it to the HS for chemistry or other subjects. I would use it for projects..... research etc. during school, and I would love the convenience of having a laptop (Preferably MacBook Pro)
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So when you say that your going into HS I assume your going into 10th grade? Well I'm one grade younger than you (going into 9th) and I'm perfectly fine with my iMac G5 without iSight. If you have the money, I guess do what you want. But I would just keep your iMac G5.
 
It seems kind of pointless for you get get one now- at least wait for leopard. You don't need it by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, a portable wouuld be more convienent, but if you can hold out you'll be rewarded. I needed a mbp so I got one, but if I didn't need it when I got, I woud wait a while.
 
I guess that would be the best decision since I don't have too much money right now, but anyway thanks for your suggestions.
 
I"m holding out for Merom or the next update. Whichever comes first. I buy a new Mac every year anyways so getting a 2.0 GHz Core Duo 17" iMac right now isn't going to hamper me.
 
Well I'm definitely waiting for Merom, since it's right around the corner. But do you think there will be any updates when Leopard comes out (I don't see any processor from Intel coming out around then), like a 1920x1200 resolution MBP? It would be nice to also have Blu-ray or what not when I buy it to futureproof my purchase a bit. I don't want to wait for Leopard if it isn't going to offer me any substantial upgrade.... I could always upgrade the OS anyway
 
And also.... has Apple dealt with many of the problems people complain about on the boards such as mooing, whining, screen flickering, etc.? I don't want to be spending 2799$ on a MBP and getting a severely bad one... wait until next revision?
 
I am a student and I am working right now :) I'll be entering my junior year of high school and I'm buying a 2.0GHz white Macbook. :D Hopefully it can last me until college :eek:
 
I just buy a new computer every year since the past 3 years I've found people to buy my old one at a $200-300 loss every year. The Macs hold higher resale value then a PC so I just take a small hit to one paycheck and get a new computer. If I can't sell it next year I'll just keep my new iMac.
 
applelover462 said:
Okay, so I want a new Mac for High School next year, and am wondering if there are going to be any substantial upgrades in the coming months. Should I wait until Leopard (comes out 6 months after school starts, kind of a long time) because there will be a lot of upgrades? Or just wait until Merom (supposively August)? Or.... should I not wait at all and purchase now...? Please help.... all help is appreciated. :cool:
Click to expand...

Honestly man, you already have way more computer than you need for high school. What you should do is wait until you graduate high school and then buy a new computer for college. Replacing an iMac g5 with an intel box isnt really going to accomplish anything for a high school student. All you'll need in HS is Word, Powerpoint, maybe Excel(if you take a stats class), an internet browser, and a CD burner.

Btw, most kids in high school do not bring laptops, ever. At most once to twice a year if they have a project to present, even then they usually just burn it to a cd and use an in class computer. Id never think of bringing my computer to high school, no use for it, you wont need it and the teachers will prolly just tell you to turn it off. You wont use it in chemistry either, it's way easier just to do the work on paper.
 
i bought a laptop to class everyday. Although i kinda had to due to my lack of handwriting abilities :D :cool:
 
applelover462 said:
Yes, I currently have an iMac g5 (isight), but those new Macs are certainly making my current mac seem outdated.
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Haha, typical kid "wanting" the newest thing sooo bad. I don't blame you though, I was EXACTLY the same way about getting a PowerPC 7500/100 when I was about to start High School (1995).

Learn to have some patience AppleLover. You're iMac is not outdated (its barely 2 years old). Wait until college kid.

And using a MacBook Pro for HS Chemistry doesn't even make sense. I have no idea what or how you would be using it. And for school projects the iMac will be perfectly fine.

Go ask your Dad about it all and see what he says (thinks).
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
Haha, typical kid "wanting" the newest thing sooo bad. I don't blame you though, I was EXACTLY the same way about getting a PowerPC 7500/100 when I was about to start High School (1995).

Learn to have some patience AppleLover. You're iMac is not outdated (its barely 2 years old). Wait until college kid.

And using a MacBook Pro for HS Chemistry doesn't even make sense. I have no idea what or how you would be using it. And for school projects the iMac will be perfectly fine.

Go ask your Dad about it all and see what he says (thinks).
Click to expand...

Well I asked my dad today, and surprisingly he said he would be willing to pay 1,000$+ (almost half) of the price of the MBP. But, he thinks that I should wait until Leopard because he suspects they're going to add a lot of new upgrades when it is released.
And actually, my iMac isn't even 1 year old (purchased around December '05) :D but I checked out the Intel Macs @ the Apple Store and they're so much faster than my iMac it's not even funny.
I know I need to learn to be patient, but I suck at that. :D
Anyway, if Merom is coming out in August, they'll probably be in Macs October/November, and if they're in them then it would only be a few months to Leopard, so I'd wait for that.
 
To answer the original poster's question: an iMac G5 should plenty for what you use it for.

As far as the "what does a high school kid need a computer for, you use it for email and word processing"

...

Has anyone heard of video games? Some of the Mac ports don't run too smoothly on older proc. Macs... altough a G5 should be quite well enough ;)

I was an active part of the video team in high school, which is 8-15 kids who make their own scripts, film, edit and such. If we hadn't worked to get the tech department to buy new Intel iMacs at the end of the year this year, the team would still be using the 800MHz-1.25GHz G4 eMacs. And let me tell you. Those were not too fun, but they worked.

At home I enjoy computers. I just graduated from HS, but during the past four years I have had older tablets, older Macs (highest until this month was 500MHz), and tribal gods, who knows what else. Its a hobby, something fun.

Now, I have the family Mac downstairs that I occasionally use. Its a 1GHz ZIF upgraded G4... originally a B&W. I want to get my stepmom going with video editing, but MAN, is that beast SLOW. In my room I captured the other family computer -- a 2.4GHz "First Gen" P4 (slow FSB... 133MHz, 384k L2 cache)

Either way, I want a new Mac for college, but I want a new one for the summer... indeed a NEWER one would be nice, but I am very very pressed for money and can't really afford anything right now, other than the DS Lite I blew some dough on.

In conclusion, high school students need computers. And we like speed, too. Newest models help our egos, or our sense of accomplishment if we worked for the money, or if someone died and we inherited money, we know our money went to something we will enjoy. (My grandma bought my insurance for a year that way)

applelover462: If you REALLY want to get rid of that iMac for not a lot so you can get a new one, let me know ;)
 
im_to_hyper said:
To answer the original poster's question: an iMac G5 should plenty for what you use it for.

As far as the "what does a high school kid need a computer for, you use it for email and word processing"

...

Has anyone heard of video games? Some of the Mac ports don't run too smoothly on older proc. Macs... altough a G5 should be quite well enough ;)

I was an active part of the video team in high school, which is 8-15 kids who make their own scripts, film, edit and such. If we hadn't worked to get the tech department to buy new Intel iMacs at the end of the year this year, the team would still be using the 800MHz-1.25GHz G4 eMacs. And let me tell you. Those were not too fun, but they worked.

At home I enjoy computers. I just graduated from HS, but during the past four years I have had older tablets, older Macs (highest until this month was 500MHz), and tribal gods, who knows what else. Its a hobby, something fun.

Now, I have the family Mac downstairs that I occasionally use. Its a 1GHz ZIF upgraded G4... originally a B&W. I want to get my stepmom going with video editing, but MAN, is that beast SLOW. In my room I captured the other family computer -- a 2.4GHz "First Gen" P4 (slow FSB... 133MHz, 384k L2 cache)

Either way, I want a new Mac for college, but I want a new one for the summer... indeed a NEWER one would be nice, but I am very very pressed for money and can't really afford anything right now, other than the DS Lite I blew some dough on.

In conclusion, high school students need computers. And we like speed, too. Newest models help our egos, or our sense of accomplishment if we worked for the money, or if someone died and we inherited money, we know our money went to something we will enjoy. (My grandma bought my insurance for a year that way)

applelover462: If you REALLY want to get rid of that iMac for not a lot so you can get a new one, let me know ;)
Click to expand...
:D funny sig. I don't want to get rid of my iMac just yet since I might not purchase an Intel Mac for a few months. Regarding your computer, they have some eMacs at school, so I know what you're talking about, it's sooooo slow. Anyway, Apple's statements about the Intel Macs now being 2-3x faster is making my comp feel old and outdated, so I really feel like updating, but might not do so for a bit. :rolleyes:
 
I'm confused

I'm looking at a mac for college, probably the superdrive macbook.
I've been trying to answer a lot of the same questions you are asking, however the computer i am replacing will be a 2.4ghz P4, 333bus, 1g ram.
This dosnt stack up against a G5isight at all.
When looking at specs, the "5x" the intel core offers against the G5 is total crap. They just use a program to test the processor, its usually something like Pi to the millionth digit. that isnt actually practical, and you will not turn the computer on and go "wow this is 5 times as fast". Realistically it is maybe like twice as fast at most things.
Whats more, you will have to cope with rosetta. I cant imagine you doing anything more than microsoft office and photoshop, browsing online (use firefox!) and maybe playing some games. I can tell you, intel macs run office at almost half speed. Word takes a rediculous amount of time to load (20-30+ bounces) and this is on the 17MBP at the apple store. You will probably end up with a slower computer at what you do.
As for leopard, its only fifty bucks with student discount.
I honestly wouldnt suggest you buy a computer until you graduate, what you have is perfectly fine until you want to go to college (when you should buy a laptop).
 
Dude, just stick with the iMac, it's more than enough computer for you. I have an iMac G5 and I do video editing and all that processor-intensive stuff and it's enough horsepower for me. BUT if you have the money, go for a maxed out MacBook. I don't think I know anybody that brings a computer to high school, I'd fear it getting stolen/lost/broken.
 
Bringing a laptop to class in HS? I just graduated...and I never saw a single laptop come to a class. I live in a very affluent area, almost every student has his own computer. Many have laptops...but they don't come to school. They sit at home on desks during the day. I completed a very intense internationally-standardized curriculum with an eMac. No problems.

I took three years of chemistry, chemistry is NOT a computer-intensive class. I never needed (or even used, I think) a computer for chemistry, either in class or for homework. It is often even more difficult to type out chemical equations on a comp, it's much faster just to scratch out lab reports by hand. If you're taking first-year chemistry, you probably won't be doing advanced enough material to necessitate a computer, and even if you were, a HS chem lab is more than likely going to have ancient glass thermometers and litmus paper, not high-tech gadgets, if that's what you're thinking.

Point is...there's no hurry. If you're determined to blow the money, wait at least until you can get Leopard. Just think about all the other stuff you could buy with that $1000.
 
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