Debriefing > Off-Topic Lounge
Should I get an iMac?
DaDude:
Well, I have made even more decisions. Apparantly, I should stick with Pro, as an iMac itself is not the best choice, as you can get a PC running iMac. I'd like to run an iMac that's very good. I thought my current PC would be nice, but it's starting to show it's age. I want to sell it while it can still get some money. I'll post my current PC soon.
For RAM, you are correct, RAM is getting cheaper by the year. I am still going to get 2GB for now, but I will upgrade to 4GB later (or more, if it gets even more cheaper).
For the CPU, I'm going to buy the second one, as it should do everything I want no problem.
I'm probably going to buy a 23" Monitor from Apple. However, I might buy one from somewhere else instead though.
I'm a little worried on the video card. I don't know whether to buy their ATi 1900, as while it runs all games on high right now, there are "better" cards out there I believe. So I might buy the ATi 1900 if I get lazy.
For Audio, I agree. I will look around for that. If Bass can't reply, I'll get my other good audio friend to help.
I'll post an update on what I should buy. Only Pro specs now.
CPU: Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Ram: 2GB, upgrade later
RAID Card: None
Hard Drive 1: 500GB
Hard Drive 2: 500GB (for Time Travel)
Graphics: ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (2 x dual-link DVI). Might purchase the nVidia 7300, and then get a better card from somewhere else.
Display: Apple Cinema HD Display 23"
Second Display: None
Optical Drive: Still unsure, going to research
Wireless Options: Yes to WiFi, no to BlueTooth. Not 100% decided.
Fibre Channel Card: None
Modem: None
Keyboard & Mouse: Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse
Mac OS X Language: U.S. English
Mac OS X Server v10.5: None
iWork 08: Yes, apparantly very good.
Aperture: Not needed.
Logic Express: None, but I'm getting Logic Pro from somewhere else.
.Mac: None, if I want it, I should subscribe later.
APP: Yes
I will also need:
- High Quality Headphones, maybe also 5.1 Surround System Speakers.
- Audio programs, such as Logic Pro, Reason 4 (the new one is out already?), ProTools. All of them? Also, is Cakewalk needed?
Or really go deep and get some hardware like a mixer and midi input keyboard. This is really Bass's area, so hopefully he'll comment on that.
Side question: Can iMac play more than one region DVDs? I have quite a few UK DVDs (Region 2, PAL, whatever).
Thank you very much so far. Anyway for me to help you in return? :D
Edit: Also, how good would my current setup be able to play Crysis? And what Video Card do you advice if it was a seperate purchase?
EduCatOR:
--- Quote from: Shaken not Stirred on November 24, 2007, 02:19:28 am ---iMac is for the casual audience. It may excel in ease, but when push comes to shove, PC is going to suffice.
--- End quote ---
PC's will suffice...but if you plan to do any kind of creative work other then coding, Mac's are the industry standard. Any professional "creative" work you see is most likely done on the Mac.
Polizei:
i saw a lady making a magazine page on a mac the other day so does that mean macs are better ??? ??? ??? i need 2 know
ps it was a cooking magazine if that hepls
Konrad Beerbaum:
--- Quote from: EduCatOR on November 26, 2007, 07:17:24 pm ---PC's will suffice...but if you plan to do any kind of creative work other then coding, Mac's are the industry standard. Any professional "creative" work you see is most likely done on the Mac.
--- End quote ---
Heh, not really. That might have been true 10 years ago, but it isn't now. While macs are common in audio, graphic design, and some video editing, it certainly isn't "industry standard" and 3D work and game design is overwelmingly pc.
For someone focusing on audio, yea a mac would probably be better because of certain software and hardware accessories that are available (this is what i observed in school, and from my roommate who was an audio engineer), but for graphic design and video editing it doesn't matter which you go with (unless you want to use final cut pro). For 3D and game design, I would definitely go with the pc because of the software and versatility that is needed.
Konrad Beerbaum:
Basically how I look at it is that if you are focusing on audio a mac would probably be the better choice. For anything else though, you will be able to get significantly better parts/performance for the same price with a custom built pc. Sure you can dual boot the mac if you want to, but you will also be paying a bit more for a bit less performance. There is also the gaming issue, and well, gaming is crap on a mac. You'll have to dual boot.
Video card wise, the Nvidia 8800 series is the way to go. ATI is unfortunately inferior when it comes to 3d software. I have an ati card, so i'm not biased, but the ati drivers just don't work as well for 3d. For example, I can't view normal maps in realtime in Maya because of driver issues, while nvidia cards work just fine. In addition Nvidia just has better cards out right now. Nvidia just released the 8800GT, which is a $250 card that performs almost as well as their $500 card. That would be my recommendation. At this moment, its pretty scarce due to the huge demand and low availability, but it seems to be worth waiting for.
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