new computer/opinions

[bobrobot]

I am in desperate need of a new computer asap. I would be interested in any opinions regarding the 2 boxes I am contemplating... (also, I have never owned a Mac, but I am kinda leaning that way cuz all the artsy stuff seems to function far more elegantly.) Oh, & 1 other important factor is that I am a computer idiot, I guess I should take a course or something... I'd appreciate any help I can get here, Thanx.

1. HP TouchSmart IQ770 19" Desktop PC (AMD Turion 64 X2 Processor TL-52, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, SuperMulti DVD Drive, Vista Premium) (http://www.amazon.com/TouchSmart-IQ770-Desktop-Processor-SuperMulti/dp/B000NX1UNU/ref=sr_1_1/102-0174308-0520930?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1180885067&sr=1-1)

or

2. Apple iMac Desktop with 20" Display MA589LL/A (2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive) (http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Desktop-Display-MA589LL-SuperDrive/dp/B000EPNES6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-0174308-0520930?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1180885367&sr=1-1)

[fohat]

Getting a Mac isn't a scary as it used to be, as there are easy ways to run Windows if you still need it for any reason. Macs are great for audio/visual work, and the 20" imac would be a good choice. I'm currently running a slightly older intel 20" imac (2Ghz Core Duo w/ 2gigs RAM) and I've got no complaints at all.

A nice thing about the mac is they come with alot of software out of the box.

A downside is Hardware upgrades; it's very easy to add memory to the iMac, however other upgrades may be more of a challenge. It's not possible to upgrade the video chip, but probably not necessary in the first place.

They do come with a monitor output (requires a 25$ mini-dvi adapter) which allows you to plug in a second monitor which is nice as you can span your screen and get alot more workspace. I've used a 24" dell widscreen next to this, and it is really sweet and the mac doesn't complain at all.

This summer you will even be able to run windows games on a mac without rebooting, thanks to "Parallels" (virtualization software) which i linked in that other mac post recently.

Since OS X is built on top of a Unix type environment called Darwin, you can also run some Linux apps and such (with some software help of course) which are mostly all free.

I would say get the Mac, because you have much more of a choice when it comes to what operating system you want to run (OS X/Linux/Windows).

If you get it and totally can't deal with OS X, you can use what Apple calls "Boot Camp" to load Windows on a separate partition on the Hard Drive, and boot into it instead.

If anything I've said needs clarifying, let me know.

It all comes down to preference. Some people like Windows and some people like OS X. I would suggest staying away from Windows Vista for now if you can help it. If you get a Windows box, try to get it with XP.

[Gvac]

What fohat said.

Bobo, you know I'm a dyed in the wool Mac man, but the fact that you can also run Windows on a Mac (though I have no idea why anyone would want to) makes it a no-brainer.

Go Apple. You're gonna love it, trust me.

[Don Stugots]

i love the apple what we have. it took some getting used to but it is great.

[bobrobot]

Thank yez, I think my tiny li'l mind is done made up.. now I'm thinkin about goin for the 24" screen, just goin' crazy!!!

[patsopinion]

I am in desperate need of a new computer asap. I would be interested in any opinions regarding the 2 boxes I am contemplating... (also, I have never owned a Mac, but I am kinda leaning that way cuz all the artsy stuff seems to function far more elegantly.) Oh, & 1 other important factor is that I am a computer idiot, I guess I should take a course or something... I'd appreciate any help I can get here, Thanx.

1. HP TouchSmart IQ770 19" Desktop PC (AMD Turion 64 X2 Processor TL-52, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, SuperMulti DVD Drive, Vista Premium) (http://www.amazon.com/TouchSmart-IQ770-Desktop-Processor-SuperMulti/dp/B000NX1UNU/ref=sr_1_1/102-0174308-0520930?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1180885067&sr=1-1)

or

2. Apple iMac Desktop with 20" Display MA589LL/A (2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive) (http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Desktop-Display-MA589LL-SuperDrive/dp/B000EPNES6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-0174308-0520930?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1180885367&sr=1-1)

turion sucks
go with the athlon 64

[fohat]

Thank yez, I think my tiny li'l mind is done made up.. now I'm thinkin about goin for the 24" screen, just goin' crazy!!!

That's my only regret, they came out with the 24" model iMac abotu 2 months after I got this one.

Also you can save money by going to the Apple store and asking for a "refreshed" machine, which means someone bought it and brought it back. They check them and make sure there's no problems before reselling them, and you can save a couple hundred bucks. (mine's refreshed and it's fine)

There's also refurbished machines on the apple.com store, just do a search for "refurb (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?find=refurb&btn.x=0&btn.y=0)"

[patsopinion]

the main mistake ppl make when buying is laptop is they think that all hard drives are the same, just vary on space

getting a hd that spins at 7200 compared to one that spins at 5400 is night and day for most media users
that is really important

and the turion blows
if im paying all that money for a top of the line pc why do i want a power saving processor compared to a faster more powerful processor that is usually cheaper?
the difference in battery life is usually negligible

[TheRealEddie]

Bobo you definitely seem like a Mac dude to me. Go for the mac! :thumbup:

[fohat]

the main mistake ppl make when buying is laptop is they think that all hard drives are the same, just vary on space


I agree completely. The great thing about the systems bobo listed is that they are desktop systems so they have nice fast drives. I imagine he will work with audio, and raw audio is rather large file size so fast drive = good

[bobrobot]

That's my only regret, they came out with the 24" model iMac abotu 2 months after I got this one.

Also you can save money by going to the Apple store and asking for a "refreshed" machine, which means someone bought it and brought it back. They check them and make sure there's no problems before reselling them, and you can save a couple hundred bucks. (mine's refreshed and it's fine)

There's also refurbished machines on the apple.com store, just do a search for "refurb (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?find=refurb&btn.x=0&btn.y=0)"

Never knew about the "refreshed" stuff, & I didn't even think refurb, good tips!!! THX again!!!

[RogerPodacter]

If you are looking for a laptop (which i guess you arent) go with IBM Thinkpads. The best out there by far. But they are geared more towards business users, not personal. I use mine for personal though.

[fohat]

If you are looking for a laptop (which i guess you arent) go with IBM Thinkpads. The best out there by far. But they are geared more towards business users, not personal. I use mine for personal though.

You aren't afraid of being spied (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4997288.stm) on by the Chinese government?
*puts on tin foil hat*

[RogerPodacter]

hmmm didnt hear about that. my laptop is 3 years old when it was still just ibm. thats kinda weird though that the government wont use them...

[Ritalin]

Bobo, I haven't worked with a PC in a couple of years so I can't compare one to the other, but the thing I like best about Mac is that it's simple to use. I just bought a new Macbook Pro, and it works like a charm. I want a machine that doesn't make me think a lot about using it. I just want to use it, and this Mac fits that bill.

I plug in external hard drives, external monitors, digital cameras, wacom tablets, and it doesn't give me an ounce of trouble. It's just, away we go.

Like I said, I can't compare Mac to PC, but I really like working with my Mac, for what it's worth.

[fohat]

found a better link for the special deals section of the apple store which includes refurbished items (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?family=CertifiedMac&cid=AOS-US-AFFC-CPU&aosid=p201&cjid=10480985-1308040-)

[bobrobot]

Do ya think the protection plan is a good idea w/ a refurb, or is it as silly as getting one on a new box?

[fohat]

Do ya think the protection plan is a good idea w/ a refurb, or is it as silly as getting one on a new box?

Everything I have read tells me that the plan is worth it if anything should go wrong, especially if it's the only machine you will have.

I've declined to get it on all three of my Mac purchases and am so far not unhappy with that decision.

I did purchase the applecare warranty for each mac I've bought for our Marketing dept. where I work, and the one time I called for something it was a good experience.

I think they come with a 1 year warranty, you may want to check that.

[LordJezo]

DO NOT BUY A MAC THIS WEEK!!!!

The World Wide Developer Conference is next week which means (usually) new products, reduced prices on current products, upgrades to their systems, and other fancy exciting things for the same price that you'll be paying for stuff this week.

For example, people are expecting the iMacs to get a redesign and an internal hardware update:
http://9to5mac.com/Brushed-Metal-iMacs-Dropping-At-MacWorld

Wait a week to find out what they announce. Otherwise you have the possibly of having to kick yourself for buying something that will be outdated in a few days. It also means that the current stock of stuff is heading to the discount pile, if they get a new design they will need to clear the current stuff out. The worst that could happen is that they wont announce anything and you'll be fine getting one. Always check the Mac Buying Guide to see what the expected release schedule is:
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Desktop_Macs

[fohat]

Heya Bobo, just wanted to let ya know that Apple did not upgrade the iMac line (sometimes a rumor is just a rumor). Someone on a thread someplace else on the internets mentioned that Apple tends to be rolling out their hardware upgrades recently as they are ready as opposed to having an event each time. It's still possible that the iMac will get upgraded this year, but sometimes ya gotta bite the bullet.

Let me know if you are going to shop for it at an Apple store, if you want I can come with and help you check it out.

Seeya

[BadGuyDavey]

i just bought a dell xps 710 red... i hug this thing every night before i go to bed

[Nothing Sound]

i just bought a dell xps 710 red... i hug this thing every night before i go to bed

I only buy Dell.
I have 2 laptops and 2 desktops.
Never a problem.

[BadGuyDavey]

im upgrading my pc in july when quad core goes down to 200 something bucks... and im gona get 2 extra gigs of ram to add to my 2 already


my system spec so far is:

2 gig of ram
intel core 2 2.13 ghz
768 mb nvidia 8800 gtx


i need to get a second harddrive because i have a 300 gig hard drive to start... ill probably just get a tera. hd kuz then i wont ever have to worry... or i can get 3 more terabyte hard drives! and then ill be completly insane

[furie]

as a long time Mac guy, I of course advise you to get the new iMac.
The one thing i love about macs (aside from the operating environment) is thier longgevity. I'm running on a G4 with a single 1gz processor and 1 gig of ram. top of the line 5 years ago. i haven't had to upgrade a single thing, and it works just fine. actually i did need to get the OSX 10.4 upgrade, but nothing in terms of hardware. and my old G3 iMac (it was the tangerine one) is still operating on good old OS 8, though i don't use it. I gave it away when i got this mac.

I don't have any intentions on getting a new computer anytime soon. no real need, though looking at the new iMac, i do have the desire....

[bobrobot]

as a long time Mac guy, I of course advise you to get the new iMac.
The one thing i love about macs (aside from the operating environment) is thier longgevity. I'm running on a G4 with a single 1gz processor and 1 gig of ram. top of the line 5 years ago. i haven't had to upgrade a single thing, and it works just fine. actually i did need to get the OSX 10.4 upgrade, but nothing in terms of hardware. and my old G3 iMac (it was the tangerine one) is still operating on good old OS 8, though i don't use it. I gave it away when i got this mac.

I don't have any intentions on getting a new computer anytime soon. no real need, though looking at the new iMac, i do have the desire....

That's recommendation enuff, on top of what I've already had from another friend from here, thx...

<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/bobogolem/imp7b.jpg">

[LordJezo]

Always remember:

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#iMac

[bobrobot]

Looks like tomorow is the happy day!!!

http://static.flickr.com/76/178336544_2dcf4247b3.jpg

[bobrobot]

bobo's new box is tomorrowsville!!! YAY!!!

[patsopinion]

okay so now its pat's new pc turn
im tooking for a top of the line amd processor
2bg ram or over
7200 rpm drive
battery life is not my main concern
and i want a kick ass video cards

can anyone point me in a cheap direction(the one i just built cost 2 grand)

[PapaBear]

okay so now its pat's new pc turn
im tooking for a top of the line amd processor
2bg ram or over
7200 rpm drive
battery life is not my main concern
and i want a kick ass video cards

can anyone point me in a cheap direction(the one i just built cost 2 grand)
I get great deals from Geeks.com. I've ordered quite a lot from them in the past 6 months or so, and have been VERY happy.

[LordJezo]

okay so now its pat's new pc turn
im tooking for a top of the line amd processor
2bg ram or over
7200 rpm drive
battery life is not my main concern
and i want a kick ass video cards

can anyone point me in a cheap direction(the one i just built cost 2 grand)

You want a laptop with a kick ass video card?

[fohat]

I get great deals from Geeks.com. I've ordered quite a lot from them in the past 6 months or so, and have been VERY happy.

I have not tried geeks.com, but I have ordered from Newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com/) in the past and never had an issue. Once I got a bad stick of ram and the return process was very painless and I had a new stick within a week.

kick ass video cards can be really expensive. Depending on what you want, you could end up spending half your money on that one component. For example, I believe the top end Nvidia card is currently the 8800 Ultra series (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=8800+ultra&x=0&y=0) Which are upwards of 700$. I don't know what kinds of things you are going for, but you could probably do fine with an 8600 series card which are more in the 150-250$ range.

I'm not up on my CPU knowledge anymore so I'll let someone else steer you in the direction of a brain for your frankenstein.

[patsopinion]

oh i ment laptop
all that stuff inna laptop

[patsopinion]

im looking to buy a laptop and then upgrade it

in this laptop (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2283300&sku=G153-MX7525)
could i put a faster ram (http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=381&name=Laptop-Memory)
in there?

i want to swap one of the 512 sticks for a gig stick but can i put something faster than the DDR333 (PC2700) that is currently in there

[bobrobot]

I have not tried geeks.com, but I have ordered from Newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com/) in the past and never had an issue. Once I got a bad stick of ram and the return process was very painless and I had a new stick within a week.

I've had good luck w/ new egg too!!! You might say they are "good eggs" over there...

[DolaMight]

okay so now its pat's new pc turn
im tooking for a top of the line amd processor
2bg ram or over
7200 rpm drive
battery life is not my main concern
and i want a kick ass video cards

can anyone point me in a cheap direction(the one i just built cost 2 grand)


im looking to buy a laptop and then upgrade it

in this laptop (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2283300&sku=G153-MX7525)
could i put a faster ram (http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=381&name=Laptop-Memory)
in there?

i want to swap one of the 512 sticks for a gig stick but can i put something faster than the DDR333 (PC2700) that is currently in there

Hey man, I'd avoid the refurbished if you can. When it comes to a laptop when something breaks (sound, video, network interfaces etc..) they are embedded into the motherboard which means that to fix it you have to replace practically the whole computer. It's usually cheaper to make a new one than fix it. Therefore when something's refurbished it probally means that they only patched or applied a work-around to solve the problem. The problem will probably resurface just after the warranty expires, and again with laptops it it'll be cheaper to buy a new one than to fix it.


As far as the specs go, that's not bad for the price. The videocard seems to be your main concern so I'll say that X600 256 mb will run some games but barely run any games in the last 1/2 years. you'll be forced into 640x480 resolution with low settings to play. Great for DVD videos though.

You can get a great laptop that rivals a real fast new PC for under 1000$, but the tradeoff is the videocard. Laptop gaming has come a long way but it's real expensive compared to the desktop equivalent. Same computer but with a good videocard you're looking to add around 400-500$ to play today's games. I recommend a Nvidia 7600 GO or better or and ATI X1600 for games.

Good deals start to appear in the 1100-1300$ range.

1GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220156

with 2GB , 17inch screen great 1400x900 resolution:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834147402

769$, but I never heard of the company?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834280004

If you want 2GB of RAM don't upgrade, get it with the system. You can't buy a different speed of RAM as an upgrade. The motherboard supports only one speed.

2GB is not a huge difference vs 1GB in games. If you do photoshop it'll make a difference but otherwise spend the extra money on a videocard instead.

At Dell you can spend 3000 to get the best videocard/laptop but these laptops will run today's games at great speeds.

Wow this post went on forever.

[patsopinion]

Hey man, I'd avoid the refurbished if you can. When it comes to a laptop when something breaks (sound, video, network interfaces etc..) they are embedded into the motherboard which means that to fix it you have to replace practically the whole computer. It's usually cheaper to make a new one than fix it. Therefore when something's refurbished it probally means that they only patched or applied a work-around to solve the problem. The problem will probably resurface just after the warranty expires, and again with laptops it it'll be cheaper to buy a new one than to fix it.


As far as the specs go, that's not bad for the price. The videocard seems to be your main concern so I'll say that X600 256 mb will run some games but barely run any games in the last 1/2 years. you'll be forced into 640x480 resolution with low settings to play. Great for DVD videos though.

You can get a great laptop that rivals a real fast new PC for under 1000$, but the tradeoff is the videocard. Laptop gaming has come a long way but it's real expensive compared to the desktop equivalent. Same computer but with a good videocard you're looking to add around 400-500$ to play today's games. I recommend a Nvidia 7600 GO or better or and ATI X1600 for games.

Good deals start to appear in the 1100-1300$ range.

1GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220156

with 2GB , 17inch screen great 1400x900 resolution:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834147402

769$, but I never heard of the company?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834280004

If you want 2GB of RAM don't upgrade, get it with the system. You can't buy a different speed of RAM as an upgrade. The motherboard supports only one speed.

2GB is not a huge difference vs 1GB in games. If you do photoshop it'll make a difference but otherwise spend the extra money on a videocard instead.

At Dell you can spend 3000 to get the best videocard/laptop but these laptops will run today's games at great speeds.

Wow this post went on forever.

thanks man those are really good suggestions
but can an amd turion at 1.8 compete with an athlon 64 at 2.2?

[DolaMight]

thanks man those are really good suggestions
but can an amd turion at 1.8 compete with an athlon 64 at 2.2?

Not really, the dual core 2.2 will probably benchmark 3x the score of a turion 1.8 single core. Turions and Celerons are bargain chips. Depends what you need em for.

I'm usally an AMD buyer but the core2duo chips are the best ones goin now and you can pick them up for well under 1000$

[patsopinion]

thinking of owning an intel makes me ill after what they have done to the market but from the looks of it there just isnt a strong amd 64 platform out there

so i think im going with this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16834110257)

and going to put a 7200 rpm hd in it


last question
all the 7200 rpm hds that ive found use ata-6 and the comp has a sata hd?
is there a conversion clip or is this going to be bad?

[patsopinion]

since i cant edit, ignore that last one

[Ritalin]

So, Bobo, which way did you go? Do you have the new ride yet? How is it?

Don't leave us hanging here.

[bobrobot]

So, Bobo, which way did you go? Do you have the new ride yet? How is it?

Don't leave us hanging here.

Naw, not yet, dammit!!! 2 nites ago, I was gonna go get it & we had like a MONSOON here, it was fuckin crazy raining all night!!! Last night I hadda hypnotism show to go to in VA. I am hoping to go today, my daughter's only got a 1/2 day of school & she would really dig coming along, so, hopefully today... Then I'll be an iMac Daddy...


http://www.mashby.com/images/posts/mac_daddy.gif

[DolaMight]

thinking of owning an intel makes me ill after what they have done to the market but from the looks of it there just isnt a strong amd 64 platform out there

so i think im going with this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16834110257)

and going to put a 7200 rpm hd in it


last question
all the 7200 rpm hds that ive found use ata-6 and the comp has a sata hd?
is there a conversion clip or is this going to be bad?

That's very similar to what I have, except mine's a toshiba with a 7600 go.

For the Hard Drive if you got sata ports on you rmotherboard then get a sata otherwise get an ata drive. No real big speed difference. Sata's more for RAID than anything else.

If you want a 7200rpm drive then you'll have to get a smaller drive and you'll pay alot more. I think the buggest 7200 I saw a 160gb. Mines a 4200rpm any it doesn't bother me

[patsopinion]

That's very similar to what I have, except mine's a toshiba with a 7600 go.

For the Hard Drive if you got sata ports on you rmotherboard then get a sata otherwise get an ata drive. No real big speed difference. Sata's more for RAID than anything else.

If you want a 7200rpm drive then you'll have to get a smaller drive and you'll pay alot more. I think the buggest 7200 I saw a 160gb. Mines a 4200rpm any it doesn't bother me

i do video editing and things of that sort so i need as much speed as possible, and then i can use the 200 gb it came with as one of my 2 external drives

[bobrobot]

i got an imac
24" monitor
i upped the RAM to 2 gigs
i got a snowball mic
& an IO box
& a free all in 1 printer (HP Photosmart C4280)
It should be ready today.
Now I gotta learn how to use it...
I am very psyched!!!
I am changing my name to Big Mac!!!

http://www.zoilus.com/documents/mack.jpg

[PapaBear]

i got a snowball mic

You really should have gone for the Snowman mic.:smoke:

[bobrobot]

You really should have gone for the Snowman mic.


How do ya tell a Snowman from a Snow Woman?


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/bobogolem/ImpieMic.jpg

Snowballs!!!

[sr71blackbird]

You will LOVE it bobo! I have the iMac too. Its so sweet. Enjoy!

[Gvac]

Bobo...congratulations!

On this day you have truly become a man!

It's like a second bar mitzvah!

You're gonna love the iMac to death brother, trust me.

[fohat]

awesome bobo, you tore the roof off the sucka
In the immortal words of Frosty the Snowman, "Happy Birthday!"

[bobrobot]

I got my Imac, it's a beautiful thing!!!

[Ritalin]

Happy Day Bobo!

[bobrobot]

wow, I'm having major, major difficulties adapting
I can't figure out how to use
photobucket,
musicmatch,
total recorder,
xm online,
& I think my photoshop doesn't work either...
all things I use on a daily basis

I think i need to read the entire.mac help section!!!

[sailor]

wow, I'm having major, major difficulties adapting
I can't figure out how to use
photobucket,
musicmatch,
total recorder,
xm online,
& I think my photoshop doesn't work either...
all things I use on a daily basis

I think i need to read the entire.mac help section!!!

a world without bobo's photo finds is a sad, sad world.

[fohat]

wow, I'm having major, major difficulties adapting
I can't figure out how to use
photobucket,
musicmatch,
total recorder,
xm online,
& I think my photoshop doesn't work either...
all things I use on a daily basis

I think i need to read the entire.mac help section!!!

Bobo,

Try Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) (you may want to start off with Stable version 1.2.6)
I don't think Musicmatch works on OS X, but Itunes is pretty good if you've never tried it. If there's stuff iTunes doesnt do let me know I can help you find something else. VLC (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) is another good multimedia player
Photobucket (website) works on my mac so gimme some more info about that one if you still have problem.

Photoshop is a sticky one. I'm pretty sure Adobe makes it so you have to buy a whole new version if you switch OS's. There are less savory ways of obtaining said software which I won't go into in a public forum.
A free replacement is Gimp (http://www.gimp.org/macintosh/).
The other thing you can do if you don't want to buy a new copy of photoshop, is to run it in Boot Camp which would involve a little work but not tough to do Orrrr you can invest 80$ in Parallels (http://www.parallels.com/) and run Windows at the click of a button without rebooting, and then you install photoshop and run it in a virtual machine. With the ammount of memory you have, it should run OK but you may want to investigate before purchasing (you can get a trial version of parallels that lasts a month)

Again lemme know if you got more questions budday, because I got the answers!!

p.s. stay away from the safari beta for now, the latest version is crashing on me alot

Edit: I think you can use paltalk inside paralells too

[Ritalin]

Bobo,

Last time I tried, XM online didn't work in Safari or IE. I used to run it in Netscape.

Try another browser. It works on Mac. I know it does because I ran it.

[Gvac]

Bobo, one of your first downloads must be Flip4Mac, (http://flip4mac.com/wmv_download.htm) which allows all WindowsMedia files to be played in Quicktime, Apple's native media player.

If you have any questions, send me an email or PM me.

I'm sure after a few days you'll have no problem adapting. Macs are so simplistic that once you unlearn all of that Windows nonsense you'll be an expert in no time!

[Gvac]

I also highly recommend that you visit MacUpdate (http://www.macupdate.com/macintel.php) on an almost daily basis. There's tons of downloads on there every day; some free, some demos, some shareware, etc.

Also make sure you download OpenOffice (http://www.openoffice.org/). It's free and it can do just about anything Microsoft Office can.

[bobrobot]

Yeasterday I learned this;
Photobucket works fine from Safari
Photobucket doesn't work fine from AOL!!!
I dunno why this is, but I tested it like 50 times (OCD)
& the results were consistant.

http://www.todaysengineer.org/2004/Apr/images/frog-legs-lg.jpg

[bobrobot]

I also highly recommend that you visit MacUpdate (http://www.macupdate.com/macintel.php) on an almost daily basis. There's tons of downloads on there every day; some free, some demos, some shareware, etc.

Also make sure you download OpenOffice (http://www.openoffice.org/). It's free and it can do just about anything Microsoft Office can.

I never knew U were such a geek G,

U just get sexier by the minute!!!

http://img.nytstore.com/IMAGES/NSAPCS6_LARGE.JPG

[furie]

seriously, don't get too comfortable with Safari. Use firefox or Gvac's seamonkey.
it's going to take just a little time to get used to the peculuarities of the OS.
and don't bother with .mac. it's a ip off.

[bobrobot]

seriously, don't get too comfortable with Safari. Use firefox or Gvac's seamonkey.
it's going to take just a little time to get used to the peculuarities of the OS.
and don't bother with .mac. it's a ip off.

can u tell me why to all these admonitions?

[patsopinion]

Yeasterday I learned this;
Photobucket works fine from Safari
Photobucket doesn't work fine from AOL!!!
I dunno why this is, but I tested it like 50 times (OCD)
& the results were consistant.

http://www.todaysengineer.org/2004/Apr/images/frog-legs-lg.jpg

u have aol?
oh bobo...

[SatCam]

mmmmmmmmmbop now its mine

Should be coming in the next few days thru newegg:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane 1.9GHz Socket AM2
ABIT mobo
GeForce 7300 128MB video card
WD 320gig 16mb cache hd
Creative Sound Blaster sound card
Corsair XMS2 1GB ram
dvd-r burner
19" widescreen monitor

I managed to save some money with the video card and the sound card. I may upgrade in the future. I may be overclocking the cpu too. came to under $820 including accessories and shipping.

I also went with a trackball mouse for the first time so we will see how that goes.......

ubuntu will be installed, probably a dual boot with win2k

[JustJon]

mmmmmmmmmbop now its mine

Should be coming in the next few days thru newegg:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane 1.9GHz Socket AM2
ABIT mobo
GeForce 7300 128MB video card
WD 320gig 16mb cache hd
Creative Sound Blaster sound card
Corsair XMS2 1GB ram
dvd-r burner
19" widescreen monitor

I managed to save some money with the video card and the sound card. I may upgrade in the future. I may be overclocking the cpu too. came to under $820 including accessories and shipping.

I also went with a trackball mouse for the first time so we will see how that goes.......

ubuntu will be installed, probably a dual boot with win2k

What year did you buy this? Do they even make generic Sound Blasters anymore?

[SatCam]

What year did you buy this? Do they even make generic Sound Blasters anymore?

now why would you be busting my balls about this? Its a cheap sound blaster because i didnt have enough money to buy a more expensive one. It's better than the onboard one

[klaus_kinski_Jr]

Bobo, one of your first downloads must be Flip4Mac, (http://flip4mac.com/wmv_download.htm) which allows all WindowsMedia files to be played in Quicktime, Apple's native media player.

If you have any questions, send me an email or PM me.

I'm sure after a few days you'll have no problem adapting. Macs are so simplistic that once you unlearn all of that Windows nonsense you'll be an expert in no time!

Gvac beat to the punch about flip4mac. Just make sure to change the preferences to streaming. You will have no problem playing xm on you mac. Instead of having the channel guide you'll just have a small quicktime window.

[bobrobot]

u have aol?
oh bobo...

It's free & I have an ancient email address w/ them that I use for business purposes & I'm terrified to change it!!!

Why am I explaining myself???

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/bobogolem/1JRBobDobbinationGif.gif

[LordJezo]

Bobo's mac is now an antique.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/07/apples-new-imac/

The new iMacs are out as expected. He should have waited :(


Apple surprised no one this morning with brand new iMacs. Built from aluminum and glass, the new all-in-one desktops feature a complete redesign and will come in two sizes: 20-inch and 24-inch. There's the usual compliment of ports like USB 2.0, Firewire 400 / 800, a slot loading SuperDrive, iSight camera and so forth. The new look features a glossy display to match the majority of Apple's consumer lineup, and new keyboards are indeed coming along for the ride -- in an extended wired version as well as a mini wire free model, running the Bluetooth 2.0 spec. Under the hood Apple has up to a 2.4GHz Core 2 Extreme processor, ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro graphics, 1TB of storage, 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.0, with 8x SuperDrives and 1GB of RAM standard across the board. Prices start at $1,199 for the 20-inch, $1,499 for a processor and graphics bump, and $1,799 for the 24-incher. The full rundown of Apple's stock models is after the break.

[fohat]

Bobo's mac is now an antique.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/07/apples-new-imac/

The new iMacs are out as expected. He should have waited :(

Ya but those things have been rumored for over 4 months. Who cares if it's slightly shinier! There isn't a whole lot of difference except for the video card and he doesnt play games probably except for 2nd life.

It's like I used to say. The longer you keep waiting, you'll never get one.

Plus if he really really wants this one he can allways sell the old one for not much of a loss. One great thing about Macs is they tend to keep their value fairly well ;)