New Computer - going from PC to iMac

WA Martin said:
I'm a dedicated Mac user although for what little I do it really doesn't matter what machine I have but I was intrigued by an article a while back that explained the reason the prices of Macs and Windows machines differ so much.

In a nutshell and using my own metaphor: getting a $300 Windows whatever is like buying a plain jane Mazda B3000 and comparing it to a nicely appointed Chevy Silverado. Mac just doesn't make a machine as low end as Windows does. If you want to compare a nicely appointed Ford F-150 (how I refer to a Windows machine) to a nicely appointed Chevy Silverado (how I refer to a Mac) then the prices will start to be more in line with each other.

But these days it comes down most to user preference. Something else interesting in the article was that the most well protected Windows user was still more vulnerable to viruses and the like than the least protected Mac user.

All that to say, Congratulations! Judy. I'm sure you will enjoy your new computer very much.
Click to expand...

The analogy is flawed, though. Apple has the same Chinese contractors make their computer hardware as all the other big name companies that load theirs with windows OS. I have a 1st gen iMac G5 from '04. I like it. It still works. Yeah it had a really bad hardware issue that got fixed under warranty (bloated capacitors). It's a decent computer and it worked well for a long while. Still works but it can't properly handle flash video with its old single core processor. Despite my personal experiences with macs, I know they're overpriced hardware made in China in the same factories that make all the other computer hardware out there. There's nothing inherently fancy or superior about Apple computers except they make them look slick and the OS is easy to use. I think they're decent products but I really don't think they're worth 3x what you pay for to get a computer from Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba or Sony.

All that being said, it comes down to personal preference. If you like what a company has to offer and don't mind paying for it, then get what you want.
 
Control + Click isn't the only way to right click on a mac. Not on a mac laptop anyways, all you have to do is put two fingers on the pad and click instead of just one. You can also scroll up and down with two fingers and zoom in and out by spreading your fingers or bringing them closer together.
 
i have a macbook and like it quite a bit. one nice thing with apple is the CS. if you have a problem just call them up or take it in. recently my charger decided to die. brought it to the apple store by me, and they exchanged it no questions asked.
 
SharpByCoop said:
One of the very first things I did was to replace the silly Mac mouse with a programmable Logitech mouse. It has the 'right click' as above, as well as a button to go back a page on the browser and a button to close the program or window.

I found the interface VERY confusing at first, and missed the single program full screen aspect that is predominant Windows, but with enough window expansion you can get around that. That's cumbersome. I don't like all those confusing screens.

(BTW Apple is now going to offer this aspect in the next OS system. Enough input from PC converts must have pushed them over the edge. HOORAY!)

Coop
Click to expand...

Hey Coop,

Do I order just a regular Logitech mouse? Or is the programmable one different? I want to make sure I get the right one. Is it pretty easy to program?

Judy
 
One goofy thing that I noticed is that if you use MicroSquish Word or Expel (chunks), the menus are different between PCc and Macs. All the same stuff is there, but sometimes in a different menu or location/access. It drove me nuts at first.
 
WA Martin said:
I'm a dedicated Mac user although for what little I do it really doesn't matter what machine I have but I was intrigued by an article a while back that explained the reason the prices of Macs and Windows machines differ so much.

In a nutshell and using my own metaphor: getting a $300 Windows whatever is like buying a plain jane Mazda B3000 and comparing it to a nicely appointed Chevy Silverado. Mac just doesn't make a machine as low end as Windows does. If you want to compare a nicely appointed Ford F-150 (how I refer to a Windows machine) to a nicely appointed Chevy Silverado (how I refer to a Mac) then the prices will start to be more in line with each other.
Click to expand...
So even if I try run SLI 3GB GTX590(that's 4X GPUs, not CPU, the graphics card) on Windows, a iMac with a ATI 1gb 5970 is still better for gaming?

The argument of greater quality makes sense for stuff like Surefire flashlights where you're paying for made in USA, but Mac stuff is still made in China....
 
Logitech wireless mouse works great on my MacBook Pro. It has a true "right click" unlike the Apple mice.
I've been a PC die hard fan for years - and only switched last year.... I hate the Finder where you can't "cut and paste" a file... but other than that the system is pretty solid.

The only exception is Lotus Notes for Mac, which sucks big time.... the damn worst piece of software ever imagined which constantly crashes. Blame IBM for that one!
 
Roger999 said:
So even if I try run SLI 3GB GTX590(that's 4X GPUs, not CPU, the graphics card) on Windows, a iMac with a ATI 1gb 5970 is still better for gaming?

The argument of greater quality makes sense for stuff like Surefire flashlights where you're paying for made in USA, but Mac stuff is still made in China....
Click to expand...

Because Macs are built for gaming? I'd guess that 3x SLI computer is gigantic, loud, and has a plexiglass window to show off LED rope lights. I'd bet that out of 1000 generic computer users, only 1 will actually need that graphic power, if that. Gaming PCs are built for a purpose, and Macs are built to be mainstream, quit comparing two completely unrelated machines in an attempt to justify your beliefs.

And does that hypothetical gaming computer you just built in your head include a 27" IPS LED panel? A 27" IPS panel alone is $600+ for a good one. That's when your argument starts to fall apart. My new software upgrades are $70 with no distinction between home, business, or ultimate, Windows 8 ultimate will probably be $350 or more. Factor that in, and you realize the Mac isn't as expensive as you originally thought.

The age old Mac vs PC will never end. There's the Mac people that are eccentric and bow to Steve Jobs, and then there's the PC guys that will attack Macs for being "overpriced" or "the same thing in a fancy case". Both sides have their crazies,

It's not always the specs that matter. For most people, facebook and youtube are the extent of their computer uses. For them, having specs doesn't matter, as long as they can log in to facebook and watch youtube videos they're happy.
 
So with all of your squabbling....now I am questioning whether I should order the iMac. I was hoping that the graphics aspects of the iMac would justify the extra expense instead of just getting a newer Windows PC. I want to conquer Photoshop. I know I can use it with Windows, because I already have it on my Windows PC's (Windows PC clarification is for Rat).

Maybe I won't buy anything and I'll muddle along with my old Dell Dimension 4700 with Windows XP, which I love, and my Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Vista.

Sigh.
 
Switched from a great Sony VIAO PC to an iMac 20 2½ years ago after the VIAO died (lasted 7 years). Do not plan to ever go back to PCs. My wife uses a HP laptop from her work but is looking forwarded to the MacBook Pro I'm getting her next month. [Her HP locks up on a very frequent basis even with running CrapCleaner weekly and she has to pull the battery each time to clear and reboot; she is impressed that our Mac never freezes up and loves the programming.]
 
Totally Judy said:
So with all of your squabbling....now I am questioning whether I should order the iMac. I was hoping that the graphics aspects of the iMac would justify the extra expense instead of just getting a newer Windows PC. I want to conquer Photoshop. I know I can use it with Windows, because I already have it on my Windows PC's (Windows PC clarification is for Rat).

Maybe I won't buy anything and I'll muddle along with my old Dell Dimension 4700 with Windows XP, which I love, and my Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Vista.

Sigh.
Click to expand...

If you buy the 27" iMac with the 2GB 6970M it'll be plenty potent for photoshop assuming you're not editing huge RAR images on a daily basis. The graphics cards he cited in his post are gaming cards, not workstation cards. High clock speed caters to gaming, and high amounts of video RAM cater to large resolutions.

If you already have Photoshop for PC, build a Windows workstation for Photoshop, but if you're only using Photoshop for light duty tasks, you don't need a $2000+ graphics powerhouse. Macs aren't for everybody, if you already have the software for Windows I'd stick with Windows.
 
A_Blade_Afficionado said:
If you buy the 27" iMac with the 2GB 6970M it'll be plenty potent for photoshop assuming you're not editing huge RAR images on a daily basis. The graphics cards he cited in his post are gaming cards, not workstation cards. High clock speed caters to gaming, and high amounts of video RAM cater to large resolutions.

If you already have Photoshop for PC, build a Windows workstation for Photoshop, but if you're only using Photoshop for light duty tasks, you don't need a $2000+ graphics powerhouse. Macs aren't for everybody, if you already have the software for Windows I'd stick with Windows.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm not a gamer. And yes, I already have Photoshop CS5 Extended loaded on my Windows PC's both at work and home. All of my software is for Windows. But I can download the Mac version of Photoshop because I was issued a S/N for the Mac also.

I am sooooo confused..... :confused: :eek: :(
 
A_Blade_Afficionado said:
Because Macs are built for gaming? I'd guess that 3x SLI computer is gigantic, loud, and has a plexiglass window to show off LED rope lights. I'd bet that out of 1000 generic computer users, only 1 will actually need that graphic power, if that. Gaming PCs are built for a purpose, and Macs are built to be mainstream, quit comparing two completely unrelated machines in an attempt to justify your beliefs.

And does that hypothetical gaming computer you just built in your head include a 27" IPS LED panel? A 27" IPS panel alone is $600+ for a good one. That's when your argument starts to fall apart. My new software upgrades are $70 with no distinction between home, business, or ultimate, Windows 8 ultimate will probably be $350 or more. Factor that in, and you realize the Mac isn't as expensive as you originally thought.

The age old Mac vs PC will never end. There's the Mac people that are eccentric and bow to Steve Jobs, and then there's the PC guys that will attack Macs for being "overpriced" or "the same thing in a fancy case". Both sides have their crazies,

It's not always the specs that matter. For most people, facebook and youtube are the extent of their computer uses. For them, having specs doesn't matter, as long as they can log in to facebook and watch youtube videos they're happy.
Click to expand...
The guy said:
WA Martin said:
Mac just doesn't make a machine as low end as Windows does.
Click to expand...
He implies that Windows machines are low end, I gave an example of a high end Windows gaming graphics set up.

As for the price argument, if I go to the Apple store and want to go from 4GB RAM to 16GB RAM (4X4GB) 1333mhz DDR3, I must add $720. 12GB (3X4GB) Kingston 1333mhz DDR3 RAM goes for $115........
 
Roger999 said:
The guy said:

He implies that Windows machines are low end, I gave an example of a high end Windows gaming graphics set up.
Click to expand...

I believe what he meant is that Windows machines are available at a low end, in addition to the machines that are very high end, and also in the middle range.
 
Hmmm. Both the standard Mac Mouse and the Magic Mouse (preferred option) can be configured for right click. Open preferences and customize.

Personally I use a Logitech trackball. Bought a few in case they stop making them...
 
The magic mouse is cool and all, but the magic trackpad is where it's at... It's just like the pad on the macbook pros. all the swipe and pinch and whatnot your heart could ever want :)
 
Had a couple macs (Macbook pro, Mac mini) and never really liked them, but I guess I'm biased because I just don't like Apple. I'm running a custom build that I just made. If anyone is interested here are the specs:

Asus p8p67 Motherboard (revision 3)
Intel Core i7-2600k OC'd to 4.4ghz
12gb 1800mhz DDR3 ram
2gb EVGA GTX 580 Superclocked
Creative X-fi
1050 watt psu
2 TB Caviar HD
MSI dvd
Corsair H50 Liquid Cooling
HAF 932 (i think) case
NZXT 2 meter blue leds
Logitech G510 Keyboard (love it)
Razer Lachesis (love it, used to logitechs, but this is real nice)
Two Acer 22" LED backlit monitors

On Windows 7 ultimate.

That being said, I've never owned an iMac, but I know people love them and they're pretty convenient. If you're okay with spending the money on it by all means go for it. Oh, logitech makes really good stuff btw.
 
I don't know why everyone is worried about the mouse. The mighty mouse's for the last few generations have both a left and right click. It may not look like it but they're hidden behind the shell and you can program them to be whatever you want.

I like Mac's because they're a lot more family-friendly. You don't have to worry about adware/bloatware too much from surfing the web. And they do last a long time because of that. The macbook I'm using is four years old, and the iMac I have is three.

It's weird to see people suggest that Apple computers are over-priced on a forum where 'my first $400 knife that feels like a $400 knife' doesn't raise any eyebrows.
 
Charlie Morris said:
It's weird to see people suggest that Apple computers are over-priced on a forum where 'my first $400 knife that feels like a $400 knife' doesn't raise any eyebrows.
Click to expand...

Touche! I tend not to tell people how much the knife I've lent them costs. They just comment on how sharp or nice it is. They probably think I'm strange enough already, just by having a blade on me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top