Mac-buying advice - and please don't post without reading

Before you post anything, just know:

1 - I'm not getting it because Ipods are popular or I thinkApple products aresuperior to PCs

2 - I know I could build a PC for half the price that will do the same thing

I'm buying a Mac because I'm an Industrial Design student and I've noticed while browsing for job requirements that some companies prefer or require Mac familiarity. I have decided to spend extra now to have that skill/knowledge in the future.

*I know that performance-wise it doesn't matter, but since I haven't used a Mac since elementary school, I would buy this to run Creative Suite 2 or 3, and get familiar with Macs for the next 3 years until I get my degree. I WILL NOT BE USING IT FOR GAMING.

THAT SAID,

I still don't want to waste too much money. So, here are my two options:

#1 - get a maxed out Mac mini and buy my own 20" WS display off newegg (and mouse and KB)

(1.86GHZ core 2 duo, 2GB RAM, Intel GMA 950 graphics)

$1,249 not including the display or KB/M

OR....

#2 - get a low-end imac with a 17-20" screen size

(2.16GHZ core 2 duo, 2GB RAM, Radeon X1600)

$1674 with everything but Creative Suite

At this point I'm thinking the Mac mini, because it allow me to get a larger monitor without paying for a larger video card or hard drive or slightly faster processor speed. Plus it's somewhat portable so that would come in handy.

SO, what do you guys think --and no, I won't geta PC even though it will hurt my wallet =(

I checked out the macbooks, but I think I want a bigger display...maybe I'm being too picky though, I mean the DELL laptop I have now is 14" screen so a 17" macbook should be plenty big I guess... but I want 20" I'm greedy!

I mostly do assignments on campus anyways... I dunno, I'm torn.

(EDIT - macbook pros are way too pricey - forget them)

You probably won't even notice the lack of an extra two inches.grarap

Tell that to my wife.

[QUOTE="grarap"]You probably won't even notice the lack of an extra two inches.RayvinAzn

Tell that to my wife.

Self-ownage to the extreme. In fact, I'm going to quote that in my sig

Doesn't Apple offer a zero-dead pixel replacement plan on their monitors? That alone is enough to sway me towards option 2. And if it matters, you can pick up a 17" iMac without the X1600 card and a slightly slower processor for around $1300 or so. Just something to think about.RayvinAzn

Wow, that would be a good deal, the online store has pretty limited options, I guess I could just go to a Retail Apple Store to dot that?

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/6854000/wo/U82ESgI8zJcg2zoUc5J24KG1M6S/4.?p=0

It is pretty limited as far as customization goes (just RAM, hardware-wise), but it's a good bit cheaper than the 17" version with the X1600 and Core 2 Duo T7200.

imac, better grafix card,easier to upgrade. wait i just remembered, you can buy a refurb g5 powermac tower for 1500! that would be really good. its uber powerful and made for people like u and is so easier to upgrade, it supports 16 gb of RAM!queenfan66

Does that include the monitor?

Get the mac book pro!!! I have got it 2.33ghz processor (dual core), 2bg ram, sexy look! lol, radeon x1600!! 15 inch screen, 120gb hard drive and all in a laptop on the move! wot more could you ask for?!?!?!

I have never once regreted getting this laptop.....it is so fast and looks so good! TRUST ME!!!! GET IT!

[QUOTE="RayvinAzn"]Doesn't Apple offer a zero-dead pixel replacement plan on their monitors? That alone is enough to sway me towards option 2. And if it matters, you can pick up a 17" iMac without the X1600 card and a slightly slower processor for around $1300 or so. Just something to think about.camzaman

Wow, that would be a good deal, the online store has pretty limited options, I guess I could just go to a Retail Apple Store to dot that?

Or even better go to the Best Buy site look for the 17" iMac WITH a x1600 and get it for $1199.

[QUOTE="queenfan66"]imac, better grafix card,easier to upgrade. wait i just remembered, you can buy a refurb g5 powermac tower for 1500! that would be really good. its uber powerful and made for people like u and is so easier to upgrade, it supports 16 gb of RAM!camzaman

Does that include the monitor?

I think after all your advice and my pondering, I will get:

A 2GB RAM Mac mini after October when Leopard comes out (I'm no expert, but sure it's better and would have to wait until then anyways), and then a DELL ultrasharp 19" or 20" non-widescreen adjustable monitor, and I can get another external hard drive when I need it.

I think that would be best under the circumstances.

Since I really have no Mac experience, this may be a very noobish question, but could you buy the Max OS X software and run it on a PC. Like load it onto another harddrive?JSDempsey

If you were very careful with parts selection and knew how to do some tweaking to the kernel, yes. Extremetech did it a while back.

[QUOTE="RayvinAzn"]

[QUOTE="grarap"]You probably won't even notice the lack of an extra two inches.grarap

Tell that to my wife.

Self-ownage to the extreme. In fact, I'm going to quote that in my sig

wow....hahaha are you thinking what i'm thinking? anyways, if you really need a desktop, i'd go for the imac. if your a design student i'm sure you would appreciate the imacs more powerful GPU. other than that, apples laptops seem to be better than their desktops sometimes. and for whoever asked, you cant install OS X onto a pc (without some hacking:Dillegal).

Since I really have no Mac experience, this may be a very noobish question, but could you buy the Max OS X software and run it on a PC. Like load it onto another harddrive?JSDempsey

OS X uses some encrypted binaries during setup and install for key system files to run. If you're running a PPC Mac with Open Firmware, or an intel Mac with EFI, it would then have no problem decrypting the files upon boot and allowing the OS to run properly. Some people have suggested that the TPM module that started showing up on intel Mac logic boards was what kept the files encrypted/decrypted to run OS X on a Mac (and not an off-the-shelf box), but most further investigation showed that the chip wasn't even used at all, nor was a driver to acknowledge its presence ever installed on OS X. Obviously, if the OS doesn't even acknowledge it, I'd find it difficult to think that they could be using said hardware DRM anyway. Apple could, but currently aren't. Anyway, back to the explanation...

So basically what happens is that with Open Firmware (PPC) or EFI (intel x86/x64), these files then are decrypted and OS X runs as normal.

Some hackers/homebrewers managed to find a way to make OS X install run and install unencrypted versions of these files, so that the whole decrypting step is skipped and would make the OS attempt to install and run on an off-the-shelf Windows box. Apparently, there is code in the OS to be able to work with an x86 BIOS (in addition to EFI). However, there are numerous problems with this:

• Unless you manage to use the exact same hardware that would show up in one of these intel Macs to begin with, the install and usage of OS X on your off-the-shelf Windows box is unlikely to go smoothly.
• OS X for intel was meant to run on an EFI-based system... EFI is technology meant to replace and do away with much of the legacy code that riddles the BIOS even today. So even when it does run, logic dictates it's going to hit performance snags or not run as smoothly as it would if it were on a system that was running with EFI firmware to begin with.
• There are people doing homebrew drivers and stuff, but the "OS X x86"-able versions are generally a few version numbers behind security-wise.
• Some of said "OS X x86"-able install setups are able to work by taking advantage of certain known security holes in the OS, which can also mean that others could take advantage and hack your (hacked) OS X box using same 'sploits.
• At worst, doing so is illegal as the modifications necessary to make OS X function outside of a genuine Apple Macintosh computer would violate the DMCA, and Apple would have every right to sue your ass.