[Divergex]

Forgive me if this is in the incorrect forum.

I may be completely switching to macs soon. However, I will have a hard limit of $1,000 to spend. I would like to get a desktop mac, say a G4, and a notebook, also G4 or better (unless a G3 iBook's performance with 10.4 is acceptable). I would like to run 10.4 or possibly 10.5 if feasible. I have a display/keyboard/mouse for the desktop Mac, so all I will need is the Mac itself. I also have 10.4 if it needs to be installed.

I am looking for suggestions for how to get the most bang for my 1,000 bucks. I will use the desktop Mac for 95% of my work: Word processing, accounting, spreadsheets, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, remote access of client PCs and Macs, Ruby on Rails programming, scanning, etc.

The notebook will be used when I need to travel, for logging into a citrix server (via ICA client) at work and for light web surfing and email. I will also use it for quick site updates in Dreamweaver and very light Photoshop work. I am not concerned about screen size.

My biggest concern is reliability, as the purchases will need to last about a year before I can buy completely new Macs, so I need machines that have a good reliability record.

Suggestions?

[Luca Rescigno]

Do not waste your money on a G4. It will suck terribly and you will hate OS X if you use one. I learned this the hard way and it turned me into an OS X to Windows switcher.

Get a white MacBook. Just today, Apple silently upgraded them to the GeForce 9400M graphics chipset. They're pretty good for $999, and the extra $300 to move up to an aluminum MacBook only buys you the flashy new enclosure and a little extra hard drive space. If you wait a little while, you should be able to get a refurb for ~$100 off.

EDIT: Or, like OreoCookie said, just look for a slightly older used or refurbished MacBook. You can probably pick one up for $700 or so and it'll be great.

Not sure why you want to go with a two-computer setup. There are very few advantages if you have a low budget cap. You can get a $500 laptop for mobility and a $500 desktop for power, but a newer, $1000 laptop will easily outperform a $500 desktop and provide equal or better mobility than a $500 laptop. Plus you have the added hassle of synchronizing data.

[OreoCookie]

Don't waste your money. Either get a (used?) Intel-based iMac or MacBook. They will be several times as powerful as a used G3 or G4, tower or not.

[Divergex]

I thought about a MacBook, but if I get one used or refurbished, I would need to get AppleCare, correct? Or do you think a used/refurb MacBook's reliability is good enough for a year? I ask because I have clients with white MacBooks, and all have had to take them to Apple for one problem or another (loose wireless antenna, case cracking/chipping, refusing to take a charge with a relatively new battery). I absolutely cannot afford a new Aluminim MacBook and AppleCare.

[OreoCookie]

With notebooks from any manufacturer, you should get the extended warranty.

[Divergex]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

With notebooks from any manufacturer, you should get the extended warranty.

I agree - but where can I get a MacBook + AppleCare for $1,000?

Or, if I get a refurb MacBook from Apple, how long do I have to buy AppleCare? I ask because after getting the MacBook and transferring my data, I plan to sell the PC equipment I have.

[Luca Rescigno]

If you get a refurb from Apple, you get the exact same warranty as if you had bought the computer new. So you have one year from the purchase date to buy AppleCare, and the warranty lasts for a year from when you buy it.

Unfortunately, at the moment, there aren't any white plastic MacBooks for sale in Apple's refurbished section, so you'll have to buy used. You should be able to get a used MacBook that is less than one year old for $700 or so. As long as it's been less than a year since the original purchase date, you can buy AppleCare. If the original owner already has AppleCare, the plan will transfer to you.

[OreoCookie]

One thing: Apple Care is registered to the machine and you can check whether it has been registered by phone. (BTW, that's very similar to, e. g. HP. My sister has a HP laptop which looks like a (very sturdy) brick. She was very glad she had extended warranty when in the middle of writing her thesis, her power brick broke.)

[Divergex]

Thanks for all the suggestions. A couple final, miscellaneous questions:

1 - Any idea of who is the best source for used macs, considering service and price?

2 - The display I will be connecting to has VGA and DVI with a resolution of 1440x900. Which MacBook display adapter should I use for the best image, or is there really a difference? Right now I use it with VGA on my PC, and it's perfectly sharp.

[Luca Rescigno]

Originally Posted by Divergex 

Thanks for all the suggestions. A couple final, miscellaneous questions:

1 - Any idea of who is the best source for used macs, considering service and price?

2 - The display I will be connecting to has VGA and DVI with a resolution of 1440x900. Which MacBook display adapter should I use for the best image, or is there really a difference? Right now I use it with VGA on my PC, and it's perfectly sharp.

1 - Apple is #1, obviously. I'd seriously consider waiting for more cheap refurb MacBooks to show up in the refurbished section, if you are able to wait. Also, visit an Apple retail store. Sometimes they'll have their own individual stock of refurbs and open-box returns available for purchase at a discount. Otherwise, I'd go eBay or Craigslist. Just make sure you get one that either has AppleCare still or was purchased less than a year ago. Look at completed listings on eBay to get a sense of how much they're worth. If you go Craigslist, make sure no one screws you. People on CL are very fond of listing the original purchase price of items (a useless statistic for things that depreciate as quickly as computers). Just use the eBay completed listings as a guide and don't stand for any BS.

2 - DVI is inherently much better. If your monitor has DVI, go for it. The only time I'd go VGA is if the monitor doesn't have DVI or if you're already using the monitor's DVI port for a different computer.

[Divergex]

I've bought and sold tons of stuff on Craigslist, so I know some of the tricks that are pulled. I think I will keep watching Apple's online store and call my local store to see if they have anything.

Thanks to everyone for their responses! I'm sure I'll be back when I need help with OS X stuff.

[anthology123]

Bankruptcy auctions, maybe good deals. Never bid more than 25% of an items retail value. Check your local papers and do some legwork. If cost is that big of a concern. However, if you want some guarantee or warranty, you get what you pay for.

[SierraDragon]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

With notebooks from any manufacturer, you should get the extended warranty.

I disagree. Note that Applecare does not cover fire, damage, theft that a laptop may be more vulnerable to.

Applecare overall is not a life cycle cost effective purchase, anecdotal reports notwithstanding. Most repairs occur under free warranty during year one. At US$249 for a $999 MacBook just to cover 13-36 months, one is paying a lot (25% added cost, up front) just to deal with potential future hardware failures on a box after it is old enough that its value has already depreciated greatly.

At a minimum, buyers should wait 11.5 months to even consider Applecare; at that time spending $249 on an aging box (the box is no longer worth $999, so Applecare probably costs about 40% of the box value!) may not seem like such a good idea (unless one bought a lemon that has repeatedly been to the shop already). Don't worry, Apple will remind you by sending multiple emails begging you to buy Applecare as you approach 12 months because the profit on Applecare sales is huge.

Buying Applecare is like playing a perverse reverse lottery, and like a lottery the math does not even remotely compute, but obviously it makes some folks feel good. Giving one's $249 to Apple a year in advance of coverage is even less logical. Personally I think everyone but me should buy Applecare so Apple makes lots of unearned money and can keep prices down for the rest of us...

-Allen Wicks

[OreoCookie]

@Sierra Dragon
That's why I wrote extended warranty, not insurance.