I've been thinking about buying a new computer. I already have a handful of Linux machines, and one that I can boot into Windows XP Pro whenever I need a slow, unreliable system, so I was thinking about giving a Mac a try. It's the one operating system that I'm not comfortable in doing day-to-day stuff in.
Anyhow, I'm clueless as to what to look for in a Mac. I'm trying to decide between an iBook/PowerBook and a mini-Mac. I may use it some for a little bit of programming and design, otherwise it would be used for Internet stuff and video/photo editing. I can handle most of my photo editing in the Gimp, but video editing in Linux is more trouble than it should be.
I know some of my readers are Macites (or something along those lines) and would appreciate any feedback you can offer. Moving from a PC to Mac, what are the things that differ that I need to look at? Are there any specs I should keep an eye on?
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Having never owned a PC, I'm not sure what to tell you about the things that differ that you need to look at. I can tell you that all Macs come standard with USB, USB 2 (I think all have at least one 2.0 port now), Firewire 400 (and/or Firewire 800), 10/100 ethernet, modem, 802.11g standard or as BTO, bluetooth standard or BTO.
The big differences between the various models come down to bus speed, and video cards. If you're going to be doing video editing, you probably want a better bus speed and video card, so I'd go Powerbook rather than iBook (although the iBooks aren't bad). Actually, the Powerbook has a better video card than the Mac Mini too.
As for Superdrives - the Powerbook and Mini have 8x DVD+/-RW/CD-RW while the iBook Superdrive is 4x DVD-R/CD-RW. (Assuming you want a Superdrive, this could be relevant.)
System bus on the Powerbook and Mini is the same, iBook is slower. iBook has slower RAM too. The Powerbook can support the most RAM of the three.
So, in my opinion, it comes down to video card, max RAM and $$ - between the Mini and the Powerbook. Whatever you do, don't buy your RAM upgrade from Apple - they do tend to overcharge. Try http://eshop.macsales.com - or any other PC RAM vendor for that matter - but stick to someone who says their RAM meets Apple's standards, because the OS will react to RAM that doesn't meet specs (even if it should work).
Okay, now having said all that - I've known plenty of folks with iBooks that like them just fine. They are "fast enough", pretty enough, strong enough, and gosh darn it, people like them! ;-) I just happen to be one of those who pays extra for power I probably don't really need.
The big differences between the various models come down to bus speed, and video cards. If you're going to be doing video editing, you probably want a better bus speed and video card, so I'd go Powerbook rather than iBook (although the iBooks aren't bad). Actually, the Powerbook has a better video card than the Mac Mini too.
As for Superdrives - the Powerbook and Mini have 8x DVD+/-RW/CD-RW while the iBook Superdrive is 4x DVD-R/CD-RW. (Assuming you want a Superdrive, this could be relevant.)
System bus on the Powerbook and Mini is the same, iBook is slower. iBook has slower RAM too. The Powerbook can support the most RAM of the three.
So, in my opinion, it comes down to video card, max RAM and $$ - between the Mini and the Powerbook. Whatever you do, don't buy your RAM upgrade from Apple - they do tend to overcharge. Try http://eshop.macsales.com - or any other PC RAM vendor for that matter - but stick to someone who says their RAM meets Apple's standards, because the OS will react to RAM that doesn't meet specs (even if it should work).
Okay, now having said all that - I've known plenty of folks with iBooks that like them just fine. They are "fast enough", pretty enough, strong enough, and gosh darn it, people like them! ;-) I just happen to be one of those who pays extra for power I probably don't really need.
Oh, two things I forgot:
1. The iBook's hard drive is 4200 rpm compared to 5400 rpm on the Powerbook - not sure about the Mini, 5400 I think. Anyway, that can make a difference when video editing! (Unless you use a faster external firewire drive)
2. (This one probably goes without saying) - with photo and video editing being an interest - max out the RAM if you can afford to do so - but definitely don't stick with just the standard 256MB of the Mini or the iBook.
1. The iBook's hard drive is 4200 rpm compared to 5400 rpm on the Powerbook - not sure about the Mini, 5400 I think. Anyway, that can make a difference when video editing! (Unless you use a faster external firewire drive)
2. (This one probably goes without saying) - with photo and video editing being an interest - max out the RAM if you can afford to do so - but definitely don't stick with just the standard 256MB of the Mini or the iBook.
Travis -- for a low-investment high-return option, try a Mini. I just bought one to replace my Cube, and it's really nice. 6-inch square 2-inch high footprint, near silent.
Only problem is that the default config is a little low-powered: 256M RAM is enough to get up and walking around, but not enough to really run. Spring for the 512M RAM on the faster processor (1.4 GHz). While you're at it, you will want the Aiport and Bluetooth built in; you can't install them yourself afterwards, I'm told.
With all that in mind, note that the entry-level price of $500 is misleading; you'll spend closer to $900 (and don't forget the taxes) to have a good machine. But man, it's plenty good. I did all my dev work on the Cube, and now it's all on the Mini, plus web and database service for testing.
The real big deal is Tiger (OS X 10.4). As an OS, it's stunning. Add BBEdit for a text editor and you're good to go.
Hope this helps.
Only problem is that the default config is a little low-powered: 256M RAM is enough to get up and walking around, but not enough to really run. Spring for the 512M RAM on the faster processor (1.4 GHz). While you're at it, you will want the Aiport and Bluetooth built in; you can't install them yourself afterwards, I'm told.
With all that in mind, note that the entry-level price of $500 is misleading; you'll spend closer to $900 (and don't forget the taxes) to have a good machine. But man, it's plenty good. I did all my dev work on the Cube, and now it's all on the Mini, plus web and database service for testing.
The real big deal is Tiger (OS X 10.4). As an OS, it's stunning. Add BBEdit for a text editor and you're good to go.
Hope this helps.
I don't know where your thinking is on the price/performance/portability balance, but I was just looking at the specs of the recently updated iMacs - depending where you are on that 3P scale, you might want to consider one of these. Even the "low-end" iMac is a pretty nicely configured machine.
Thanks for the responses guys. Scott, I was thinking about an iMac as well. I figured up what I'm looking at for a Mini and a monitor, and I'm looking at $1,200 versus $1,500 for an iMac with the monitor already included. With the iMac, I do get a faster processor, a video card with more RAM, and a faster bus speed. It also has a dual layer DVD writer and larger HD, both of which are really non-issues for me - I'd prefer to have those as external so I can move them between computers.
Right now, though, I think I'm leaning toward the Mini. I like the idea of being able to take it with me if I need to work with it somewhere else. Actually, a Powerbook would be perfect, but I'm not going to allow myself to talk myself into paying $2k for a computer that's just a want right now. :)
Right now, though, I think I'm leaning toward the Mini. I like the idea of being able to take it with me if I need to work with it somewhere else. Actually, a Powerbook would be perfect, but I'm not going to allow myself to talk myself into paying $2k for a computer that's just a want right now. :)
The Mini is a nice little machine, and definitely more portable than the iMac! The main thing will be to spring for as much extra RAM as you can afford (max it out if you can) - and avoid buying the RAM from Apple... while you'll know it meets spec, you'll pay more than you really need to.
Also, if you have any interest in using the Mac for "entertainment center" purposes, check out the new Open Source project "Center Stage". The project was started in response to the Mini's arrival.
Also, if you have any interest in using the Mac for "entertainment center" purposes, check out the new Open Source project "Center Stage". The project was started in response to the Mini's arrival.
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