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You (yes, YOU!) are going to pick my next Mac
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Ozmodiar
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Apr 22, 2004, 02:24 AM
 
Hi everyone. I'm going to get a larger tax refund than I expected, and coupled with the stipend I'm going to get for being multimedia direct for my university's Student Government I will have some money to throw at a new Mac.

I'm willing to spend up to $1500 (yeah, I know), but that can get me a lot at the Apple Education Store. Right now I have a three-year-old TiBook 400 MHz with a CD/DVD ROM that has 384 megs of RAM. The screen latch is broken and the casing definitely has some wear and tear. My questions are as follows:
  • Since I currently have a portable, should I go desktop?
  • Should I go with anything less than a superdrive?
  • What are the screens like on the 14" iBooks and the eMacs (I've heard some bad things)?

I am currently leaning towards the 1.25 GHz eMac with superdrive. I think I need at least 512 megs of RAM, but that upgrade isn't that expensive. What do you all think? Please feel free to post opinions of your Macs, and any planned upgrades you have as well.
     
Lateralus
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Apr 22, 2004, 02:27 AM
 
Originally posted by Ozmodiar:
  • Since I currently have a portable, should I go desktop?
  • Should I go with anything less than a superdrive?
1) Do you need a portable?
2) Do you need a SuperDrive?
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Ozmodiar  (op)
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Apr 22, 2004, 02:40 AM
 
Originally posted by PowerMacMan:
1) Do you need a portable?
2) Do you need a SuperDrive?
The only reason I would go portable is so I can take it between my home and the office, as my TiBook already has some wear to it. However, I am not adverse to doing all the work on a desktop machine and transferring the files over to my 'Book before leaving my apartment. I would just need to be extra-cautious during the trip.

I think I would go with a SuperDrive because I might need to burn massive amounts of data (>700 mb) and giving those discs out to the multimedia assistants. That's just speculation, though. Also, part of the job description was familiarity with iMovie and I think DVDs would be the proper medium for transporting those files.
     
phoenixboy
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Apr 22, 2004, 02:50 AM
 
well, i just went through a similar process, and decided on a powerbook with a combo drive (which would have been about 400 � more)

why? i really don't do that much with video, and i am a big fan of divx. my stand alone player at home runs cd-rws and mpeg4/divx files. i usually buy the movies i really like.

should i ever really NEED to be able to burn dvds, i can always get an external dvd burner.

i have an extra monitor connected, so doing photoshop, prepress layout and some web design is just a breeze...(i got some extra ram installed to be on the safe side)

so now i have a portable when i need to be mobile, and a workstation as well.

next thing is going to be a desktop machine. i'm not sure what i'm going to buy.

if i were you i'd sell the tibook, and use the money towards getting a 15" pb (if that's in your budget)

So keep on living And don`t start giving The devil good reasons To get you in the seasons of heartbreak Baby are you tough enough?
     
Link
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Apr 22, 2004, 03:23 AM
 
It is true that superdrives are not just really handy for burning dvd projects but moving massive amounts of files to them as well. Either way you might want to look into a high end ibook?
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kiwibabe
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Apr 22, 2004, 05:06 AM
 
My advice is to only buy something that has just been updated, otherwise you will go nuts in a couple of weeks when the thing you brought is not not the fastest.

It happened to me, and it drove me nuts.
     
mitchell_pgh
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Apr 22, 2004, 08:21 AM
 
(OK, I'm $37 over budget, but I'm sure you could pick that up somewhere - but this also included a iPod mini and I don't know if you have one yet. If you drop the mini, I would consider the $140 wireless bluetooth keyboard and mouse from Apple)

$899 - eMac - (education)

$90 - 160GB HD (UPGRADE)

$202 - RAM - (from apple with a full gig)

$50 - Mouse - (M$ cordless mouse)

$49 - eMac Tilt & Swivel Stand

$18 - Apple 8x DVD-R media kit (5 pack)

$229 - iPod mini - Green
     
Ozmodiar  (op)
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Apr 22, 2004, 12:36 PM
 
The $1500 price point was set in case anyone suggested an iMac, but looking again at the Apple Store it looks like the one I would consider is well over that limit (why is there a $500 difference between the 15" w/ ComboDrive and the 17" w/ SuperDrive?).

I'm still leaning toward the eMac. I can get a 14" iBook with a SuperDrive, 512 mb RAM, and an Airport Extreme card for $1,558, or I can get an eMac with a SuperDrive, 512 mb RAM, and an Airport Extreme card for $1,055. Now I just need to decide if I want to spend the extra $500 for portability.

(I like your purchase order a lot, mitchell_pgh - I would like to one day be an iPod owner).
     
Shaddim
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Apr 22, 2004, 01:03 PM
 
I'd go with a loaded 17" iMac 1.25GHz refurb for $1499.
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mitchell_pgh
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Apr 22, 2004, 01:38 PM
 
Originally posted by MacNStein:
I'd go with a loaded 17" iMac 1.25GHz refurb for $1499.
The only reason I don't like the iMac (and the same goes for the eMac) is that if either the CPU or the monitors die... it's basically all junk. So I'm faced with a decision, do I lock in to the more or less expensive. I usually go for the cheaper of the two.

I think you would have people lining up if Apple offered a headless eMac/iMac. (say the price is $850 for a version with a superdrive) and ten I would get a $599 17" studio display to go along with it. Bingo, $1500

The Cube wasn't a disaster of poor technical or design specification.
- It was priced too high for the average consumer.
- The pros would take the dual processor tower for $200 more
- People were still using SCSI for many of their peripherals (back in the turn of the century).
     
Luca Rescigno
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Apr 22, 2004, 01:44 PM
 
$899 - eMac - (education)
Great machine. Definitely worth the money.

$90 - 160GB HD (UPGRADE)
Normally I'd say this is a rip off, but since the hard drive in the eMac is near impossible to replace yourself, it's okay. Still, a 160 GB hard drive by itself (not exchanging an 80 GB for a 160 GB) is worth just a little over $90.

$202 - RAM - (from apple with a full gig)
It's only about $100 to get a single 512 MB PC-2700 or PC-3200 DIMM from NewEgg (good brands like Kingston or Crucial). That's a better deal than $202 for just a little more. I think 768 MB of RAM is probably enough.

$50 - Mouse - (M$ cordless mouse)
Fine mouse, bad price... it's $30 at NewEgg, or $53 for the wireless keyboard and mouse set. Why not get the set? The MS keyboard is better than Apple's provided one. Also consider Logitech's Cordless MX Duo, although it is significantly more expensive ($75).

$49 - eMac Tilt & Swivel Stand
Definitely. This is a must-have for any eMac.

$18 - Apple 8x DVD-R media kit (5 pack)
That's really expensive... $18 for five discs? I got 50 4x Ritek discs from NewEgg (can you tell I like that place?) for $40. 80 cents a disc. I think it's worth sacrificing some burning speed for now in the interest of value. By the way, I have an 8x DVD burner as well - 4x media works fine with it, it just burns at 4x instead of 8x.

$229 - iPod mini - Green
iPods are great, but I'm not sure how it ties in with this guy's computer purchase.

Anyway, I'm not trying to say that you're wrong or anything, mitchell. Just thinking of ways to trim out some extra stuff or reduce cost.

"That's Mama Luigi to you, Mario!" *wheeze*
     
mitchell_pgh
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Apr 22, 2004, 01:53 PM
 
Today, I would buy the eMac...
     
mitchell_pgh
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Apr 22, 2004, 01:55 PM
 
Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:
Anyway, I'm not trying to say that you're wrong or anything, mitchell. Just thinking of ways to trim out some extra stuff or reduce cost.

No problem... I was just ballparking the price from the Apple store.
     
WhaMe
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Apr 22, 2004, 02:28 PM
 
I agree with the eMac recommendations. I use one at work and I also bought one in January to replace my 3 year old iBook. I still use the iBook when I need the portability, but I feel that the price/performance ratio for the eMac is great. Especially with the new specs. I recommend buying RAM upgrades from a vendor other than Apple, you'll save money and the RAM is an easy install. The tilt-and-swivel stand is a nice addition, however, if you have a tall desk, it may not be a necessity. At work, the stand is a godsend, on my taller desk at home, the stand is rather frivilous.

Just my 2 cents.
     
olePigeon
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Apr 22, 2004, 07:05 PM
 
Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:
iPods are great, but I'm not sure how it ties in with this guy's computer purchase.
He can use it as a HD to take his work home instead of lugging his laptop around. Plus, he can listen to his favorite tunes to, at, and from work.
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