Post Your Mac Setup: Past & Present (Part 5)

[Mangaroo]

how often do you have to clean your desk?

i was just not totally satisfied with it ..im still not so i keep drawing out plans and testing it out - im liking the whole empty big desk thing though

---oh if you meant because its glass? quite a bit. every few days i just spray here and there and wipe

 

[204467]

I thought that when the second setup thread began, the mods said that after 1000 or so posts, the threads would be split. I'm not asking for it to happen, I'm just confused. It seems like those who run the site have forgotten about one of the most popular threads.

PS: Woo! 30th post!

 

[Jamesfolo]

Please tell me you're not buying a used iMac G4?

I don't see why not? Its very cheap, very stylish and suits my needs i.e a desktop for my bedroom to run Safari and iTunes.

 

[OnTrack Studios]

I don't see why not? Its very cheap, very stylish and suits my needs i.e a desktop for my bedroom to run Safari and iTunes.

i just picked up a 17" g4 imac

if u want one, get one! i get more compliments on my g4 than my MacBook Pro. I show my macbook to people and they're like "so?" lol. I know how great it is but it doesnt have that wow factor. And the g4 is still quite useful. I do graphic & web work on it, use iTunes, browse the net. I have 10.3.9 on it but I wanna upgrade to Tiger so there's more support for newer apps and a more up to date version of Safari. You'll feel a tad behind the times with anything less than Tiger.

 

[NickD]

i just picked up a 17" g4 imac

Great choice. I have a 17" G4 too. It was my first Mac, and I still love it and use it regularly.

 

[lost eden]

I've still got a 15" G4 iMac I found in a skip... Needs a new hard drive but I can't be bothered to fit it yet. Might set it up in the kitchen of the new flat when I move in.

 

[neiltc13]

The iMac G4 is easily the best looking computer Apple has ever released. They have gone downhill with their desktop designs since then landing out with the current ugly as sin iMac. Let's hope they get whoever designed the G4 back on board.

 

[Mangaroo]

The iMac G4 is easily the best looking computer Apple has ever released. They have gone downhill with their desktop designs since then landing out with the current ugly as sin iMac. Let's hope they get whoever designed the G4 back on board.

i think the old designs were too retro, ok for students, not so much as a family computer as it seemed more like a toy if you know what i mean. The new designs look more sleek and modern, but i guess it's all down to personal taste.

 

[appledrone]

The iMac G4 is easily the best looking computer Apple has ever released. They have gone downhill with their desktop designs since then landing out with the current ugly as sin iMac. Let's hope they get whoever designed the G4 back on board.

Correct me if I'm wrong but i think jonathon ives designed the g4 imac and is still head of design for apple

 

[davidjearly]

Correct me if I'm wrong but i think jonathon ives designed the g4 imac and is still head of design for apple

Yeah, you're correct.

In actual fact, the current iMac is much more aesthetically pleasing than any of its predecessors.

 

[Indohottie]

i do love the look of the G4 imac.. but the new iMacs are very slick.. the slim design is very awesome!

 

[QCassidy352]

The iMac G4 is easily the best looking computer Apple has ever released. They have gone downhill with their desktop designs since then landing out with the current ugly as sin iMac. Let's hope they get whoever designed the G4 back on board.

The G4 imacs were a big step up over the G3s, but look pretty dated compared to the Al-iMacs. They're still nice, but to call them apple's best looking computer is more than a stretch.

 

[iCheddar]

The G4 imacs were a big step up over the G3s, but look pretty dated compared to the Al-iMacs. They're still nice, but to call them apple's best looking computer is more than a stretch.

I agree. Though the design of the G4, and everything from the G4 era is beautiful...compared to the modern designs they seem very 'kidsy'.

The current design, especially the aluminum across the line looks much more mature and elegant than the plastic era of Macs. I've always believed that a large reason people make fun of Macs is because of the plastic G4 era.

In any case, despite its shortcomings, the Alu iMac is one of the most beautiful computers I've ever seen...but the G4 would be too...if it were all aluminum too.

 

[pointandclick]

I agree. The current design, especially the aluminum across the line looks much more mature and elegant than the plastic era of Macs. I've always believed that a large reason people make fun of Macs is because of the plastic G4 era.

No, that's because of the fruity G3 era. Which are about the most PITA machines I have ever worked on BTW. I can't get OS 9 installed correctly to upgrade the firmware to install OS X. Wish I would've known about the black display before hand too.

At any rate, the new iMacs are certainly well designed, but I doubt I would ever buy one for anything but to have around. I find I sometimes need more power than my MBP but the iMac is basically the same thing.

 

[tsice19]

Come on.. this thread needs more PPC Macs! The day Apple actually releases a 12" notebook is the day I replace my Powerbook. Otherwise, I am staying in the PPC dark ages. 13.3" and 15" just don't interest me, and desktops aren't practical for college.

PPC, you say?

I have a fully functional Power Macintosh 7500 G3.

It's actually still quite useful, but I post my actual setup once my camera is done charging.

Well the MR upload isn't working today (for me at least) , so here's a link:

<snip>

 

[MacHappytjg]

PPC, you say?

I have a fully functional Power Macintosh 7500 G3.

It's actually still quite useful, but I post my actual setup once my camera is done charging.

Well the MR upload isn't working today (for me at least) , so here's a link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tj.shane/PowerMacintosh7500?authkey=Oxvu0U_C0p8

Cant those things atleast get jag on them

 

[nidserz]

I updated my setup a little. still not 100% satisfied with it, but this is as clean as it is on a regular day... I find corner desks a little small, but my parents won't let me get new desk because I had this furniture shipped from Dubai 2 years ago from my old house. I am hoping to go to Ikea to get a few nice lamps to put on my desk, but am afraid they will take up unnecessary space.

Pictured above in attempt of left to right order:
-Picture frame (on sale for $5.99) with pictures I printed at home (need to find a new place to put this)
-iPhone 3G 16GB White w/ Apple Universal Dock.
-Canon Selphy Compact Photo Printer
-Apple Remote
-2G 4GB Pink iPod Nano in Pink iPod Sock
-Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse (don't use...hoping to sell with a BNIB wireless keyboard on ebay)
-iMac 20" 2.66Ghz|2GB|320GB
-Apple Wired Keyboard
-Logitech V470 Bluetooth Mouse (heavier than WMM, but much easier for me to use...i find WMM shortcut buttons in awkward place for my small hands)
-BlackBerry Crimson 8310
-New York Times Square painting as a souvenier
-lol and a Bingo Lottery card in the right hand corner that won 6$

 

[benthewraith]

Sorry for the crappy, fuzzy resolution. Taken with my cell phone's digital camera. The lighting was kind off too.

 

[desenso]

I don't see why not? Its very cheap, very stylish and suits my needs i.e a desktop for my bedroom to run Safari and iTunes.

If you already have a Ferrari, you don't buy a Yugo for the weekends.

 

[QCassidy352]

At any rate, the new iMacs are certainly well designed, but I doubt I would ever buy one for anything but to have around. I find I sometimes need more power than my MBP but the iMac is basically the same thing.

well, the 3.06 imac is clocked about 25% faster, has a 3.5" HD, and a graphics card that's probably about twice as fast as that in the MBP. So I don't know that I'd say they were "basically the same."

 

[pointandclick]

well, the 3.06 imac is clocked about 25% faster, has a 3.5" HD, and a graphics card that's probably about twice as fast as that in the MBP. So I don't know that I'd say they were "basically the same."

Well if you compare machines in the same generation, the speed differences is only about 15%. That again is clockspeed, that doesn't mean I will shave off 15% of my encode time. 7200rpm drives are available for laptops. The 2600 Pro and 8600GT are actually a pretty close match. I doubt the 8800GS is anywhere close to twice as fast.

The iMacs are, in effect, a laptop in a bigger case. They use mobile processors, but the extra room allows for better cooling translating into faster clocks and the use of 3.5" drives.

For 90% of things you won't be able to tell the difference between any of the Core 2 lineup. For that other 10% throwing around a few hundred dollars for a few hundred mHz that won't make a significant difference in real world performance isn't an option... for me at least.

I love my MBP, and I think the iMac is a perfect example of great design. For a desktop though, it's rather anemic IMO. As soon as a I get 700 bucks or so I will just build a quad core machine to do the heavy lifting.

 

[XnavxeMiyyep]

I use a chair from an entertainment center that I got on clearance at a Jordan's Furniture warehouse. I gradually add mods to it; for instance, I recently clamped my lap desk to my table (which is a slab of granite on two metal shelves) to give myself more air. Soon I intend to get some wooden wedges to tilt the base back, a cooling/heating pad from*coolorheat.com, and vesa mounts so I can tilt the monitors towards me so I won't suffer from computer nerd posture.

The fact that I use a trackball with my right hand and a pen-tablet with my left hand, allows me to make use of the chair having a cup holder on each side.

Attached are some horribly angled pictures that I took (I may take better ones when I return to my apartment; I'm working out of state at the moment). The desktop is my Hackintosh.

 

[Xander562]

Sorry for the crappy, fuzzy resolution. Taken with my cell phone's digital camera. The lighting was kind off too.

Wow that's almost my exact setup. 15" MBP, LaCie external hard drive, logitech mouse, same HP printer/scanner. Except I also have a 24" display and some speakers.

 

[techlover828]

not the best picture, once I get my wires situated I'll get a better one.

 

[Hrududu]

So here is my setup as of 7-26-08.
Pictured:
2.16GHz MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo: Behind and powering the 17" Studio Display
867MHz Powerbook G4 12"
450MHz B&W G3 (with Zip drive)
350MHz B&W
iBook 366MHz in cabinet
Powerbook G3 Wallstreet 233MHz
and finally a Performa 6115 acting as my LocalTalk to Ethernet bridge for the LaserWriter 360 Select.

There are more of my Macs strewn around the house, but its too much work to find em all

The other pic is my older setup consisting of the 450MHz B&W and an LCIII as a stand for the monitor. I can't find any pics of my oldest setups at the moment.