[sktanu]

Hello,

Long time mac user and follower of this forum. Thanks for all the great info. This is my first post.

Currently I own a TiBook G4 667 Mhz with 768 MB memory. I have been using it for the last 4 years and am very happy with it. Since I am a software architect by profession I have been doing design and development work in Java on mac and it is great (esp. the ease of doing UNIX work is great). However once at home I use the other iLife apps quite a bit as I have a 5 year old (we are expecting another one in september), esp. iPhoto, iTunes and iMovie.

I had accumulated a lot of DV footage over the last 5 years (on my external Firewire HD)and was waiting for a chance to make DVD's out of it. Finally I got my chance last month as one of my cousin's bought a new MacBook with the superdrive. So finally ...burnt couple of DVD's and it was great. However the macbook is the base config with 512 MB RAM and encoding stuff from the external Firewire drive was very slow and painful.

Going forward I will be doing a lot more of this stuff (as I still need to burn 3 more years of stuff before I come up to date and get ready for the next chapter) and also plan to do some podcasting and garage band stuff.

I am NOT a gamer. I do not do any Photoshop stuff. I may find a need to run parallel's to run windows (i hate it..but can;t help it some times).

So all I will be doing is lot of iLife stuff.

So I am shopping for a new machine. I would love to buy a MacBook Pro as I love my Powerbook and very happy with it. However budget is a problem as I just bought a new Video iPod and accessories.

Also one imp. note. I am currently living in India (moved here last year) and certainly cannot get these in India as they are exorbitantly priced. So I need to get it from US through some family who will be visiting me. So my options are Mini, iMac and Macbook.

Mini - I do not have a keyboard/mouse/monitor so I need to add that costs. Also not sure if it is good enough for my needs (integrated graphics, weaker processor etc)

iMac - from whatever info I have gathered this would be perfect. But transporting it from US will be a big hassle with all the new baggage restrictions and the size of it.

MacBook - I enjoyed working on the macbook. However the screen real estate is bad, esp. for iLife stuff. Also since I have a Powerbook which I am happy with for my work stuff I am not sure if I need to get another laptop.

My apologies for a lengthy post. However I have been pondering for quite a bit and am unable to make a decision. So please, please help me out.

Thanks.

[mduell]

"slow and painful" encoding on a MacBook sounds strange. The video being on an external drive shouldn't have any impact on it. Either the lack of memory was causing a lot of swapping, or you're not familiar with how long it takes to encode video. I think the Core Duo mini with 2GB RAM would be fine for you, but once you buy that and a display, you're at about the price of the iMac.

I think a refurbished 17" iMac is the way to go. Apple doesn't have any in the online store at the moment, but the inventory changes every day and there should be some soon. As far as transporting it to India, the iMac box should be under 62 linear inches and 50 pounds, so it won't be a problem to check it. Most airlines insure each "bag" for $2500 on international flights, but they should check with their airline when booking the ticket to see what insurance comes by default and what additional insurance can be purchased (it's usually pretty cheap).

[sktanu]

Thanks

[sktanu]

Thanks Mark for a prompt reply.

So from what I can understand a core duo mini with 2GB is good enough. They have one in the refurb section for 699 and if I add a 2GB module from OWC it works out to close to $1000 (with taxes and shipping). And I still have the peripherals to add...Huh...

I agree with you that iMac may work out to be cheaper in that case. But again I probably need to max out the iMac as well with regards to the RAM config. Also the iMacs in refurb section were all G5's and even those were gone when I just checked. they r flying.

Also as far as transportation is concerned can that be carried as a hand luggage? I mean it weighs 15 pounds (I got that from apple web site) which is within the hand luggage limits. However I am not sure how reasonable it is in terms of the size. I am not really comfortable checking it in. Has anybody done that? I saw a post with regards to this iLugger thing to carry your iMac around. Not sure if any one has really carried it on a flight. Also that iLugger will add to the cost.

Will the integrated graphics in mini affect the iLife apps performance? From what I can understand it should be fine. But again want to hear from people who are doing it? Also the parallels stuff. I don't want the boot camp thing coz that way I need to reboot every time. I still like to be in the OS X environment.

Thanks.

[iREZ]

you could get 1gb sticks for your mac mini from outpost.com for roughly $75-$90. why spend 300 bucks for 2gb is beyond me, might as well have apple install their ram.

seems like youre shying away from the imac in favor of the mini, if it were me though...id go with the imac hands down.

[brokenjago]

I work for Fry's, and I would recommend staying away from the cheap stuff on Outpost.com...

[iREZ]

why's that?

[brokenjago]

Because it's made by no-name manufacturers like PQI and GQ who exist solely to supply Fry's with the absolutely cheapest components humanly possible. In some cases, the companies are in fact wholly owned subsidies of Fry's (for instance, GQ is owned by the VP of Fry's.)

They exist so people think Fry's has awesome deals on great stuff like 2GB Compact Flash cards (Only $20! wow!) When they're really getting something that is crap quality and quite possibly unreliable.

If, on the other hand, you get a known brand such as Kingston or Corsair or something, feel free to buy from us. We can have great deals on name brand stuff too .

[sktanu]

OK. Thanks for showing me the light...

I have decided to go for an iMac 17" (20" is very tempting..but except for the bigger HD and screen there is no other advantage..also it is again bulkier to carry as well..last but not least $300 more).

Amazon is offering a new one for 1299 and they have a $100 mail-in-rebate which will bring it down to $1199. Since I am getting it shipped to CA no tax and free shipping. Comparing this deal to Apple's refurb (which they do not have at this time) 17" it will come to 1179. Seems like an Amazon purchase is a no brainer.

Have any of you bought it on amazon and if so any issues that I need to be aware of.

Also the weight differs on Apple site and amazon site. On amazon it says 25 Lbs whereas on apple it says 15Lbs. Just want to know how much will that Apple iMac box weigh.

Thanks.

[brokenjago]

15lbs sounds a little light to me. I imagine it's at least 25.

Also, I've heard nothing but great things from people who've ordered from Amazon. They have a 30 day Money-Back-Guarantee that is basically no questions asked.

[iREZ]

i bought mushkin ram for $75 a pop off outpost.com...granted theyre not the best, but they work fine for me. never heard of pqi or gq. and i bought my imac when amazon had the $125 rebate in feb, and sold it today for $1100 via craigslist. not too shabby .

[sktanu]

Friends,

So I finally made the purchase...but went for a MacBook. Yes. a MacBook. After much deliberation and thought I was running into two problems. One ..transporting an iMac to India. That was becoming a big hassle. The other one was me getting used to the portability of a Laptop for the last 4 years needed that portability. Also I really liked the design of the Macbook. very well designed (ease of expandability wise) and smaller form factor.

So made the purchase on Amazon (along with Parallels software)which is offering a $100 rebate. decided to purchase the Techworks 2GB RAM from OWC. PLease let me know if there are any other sites I need to check out before going for OWC. Also should I shell out some money for an extra hard drive? Saw a Western Digital 120GB 5400 RPM one for 139.99. please help.

An unfortunate incident that happened yesterday was my Video iPod was stolen . Now I am wondering should I buy a new one (may be a refurb) or wait it out. Sorry if I am posting this in the wrong forum. Just thought I would ask you guys for some guidance.

Damn..I want to stick to a budget and it never happens...

Thanks.

[Tuishimi]

Damn..I want to stick to a budget and it never happens...

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

Oh I always stick to my budget... at least with the initial purchase.

Then I end up spending another $800 on all the extras and goodies after the fact!