Buying a new Mac/PC, advice?

[Wormsie]

I've been thinking of buying a new PC/Mac. Here's my wishlist - if you have any suggestions, please tell me.

- It should be relatively small, and take only a little space. That's why I've been thinking of a laptop or a mac mini/iMac. My current PC with its CRT monitor uses up a whole table in my apartment.

- I don't need it for gaming. Well, if it runs DOSBox and ScummVM, it's good enough for me. :-)

- Now that I have switched away from Windows, I don't want to go back. So it's either Linux (okay, I admit it, perhaps with a tiny Windows partition in case I ever want to replay Gabriel Knight 3 or any other Windows games - and to those people who talk about VMWare or Wine, no, I have't got them working and have only the slightest clue of what they are about) or, possibly, a Mac.

- Portability would be a nice additional feature ( = laptop)

- A large 19"-20" widescreen would also be a nice additional feature - which rules out laptops (19" laptop is no longer portable, I'm afraid). This because I will be using it for watching DVDs, possibly with friends, and for that a 12"-13" is too little. I could, of course pay 200-300 euros extra for a widescreen TFT monitor. Either that or get an iMac or a mac mini (mac mini is perhaps too slow for me - or rather, I'd want to invest in processor speed a little so that my computer isn't left behind too soon.)

More specific questions: Is the MacBook (not the Pro, just the plain version) durable or does it break apart in a few months?

Some people have recommended Lenovo laptops. Any other small, durable, laptops in the ~ 1500 EUR pricerange?

What about external USB hard drives, are they reliable or not? I've heard that it is possible to connect an existing hard drive to ... something and that to a USB module. Is that a better solution? I already have a hard drive I could use for that, and salvaging it would save me a little money.

Thank you.

[vimes]

Don't bother getting a Mac : now that all of these are Intel Powered you can find patch version for MacOS that makes it run on any PC.

If your budget is around 1600 € and you don't care about a graphic card here is what I suggest you :

ASUSTeK F3Jp-AS011P

with this Acer 20' screen

But I suggest that you spend a bit to get the same version of this laptop but with an ATI X1700.

As for HD : I've been using 3 desktop HDs with those things for two years and no problem so far.

[Wrestlevania]

You can certainly mount a traditional desktop 3.5" hard disk in a USB caddy, which allows you to plug the drive into any other machine and write to and from it. As for buying a 'sealed' external USB drive, the 2.5" based units under 100GB are very cheap at the moment.

With regards to getting an Apple Mac; it's relative to just how simple you want your computing experience to be. Mac's take some adjustment to get used to, but the dozens of IT/Design professionals I work with who've switched all swear by them. You do obviously pay a premium over an equivalent-spec PC, and Mac's aren't the most reliable machines if you believe everything you read. Still, it's not something to dismiss out of hand, nor is it something to leap at without actually trying one for a decent amount of time. If someone you know can lend you an Apple, do that for a couple of days -- you should know if they're for you or not by then (assuming you use it constantly and try doing everything you would on a PC). I'm not aware of any DOS or SCUMM emulators on Mac personally, so that will also need some investigation.

As an alternative to ASUSTEK or Lenovo, you could do a lot worse than having a look at the many different models Acer offer.

[Marek]

Don't bother getting a Mac : now that all of these are Intel Powered you can find patch version for MacOS that makes it run on any PC.

Does that actually work well though? Everything in MacOS is geared towards running seamlessly on a few specific systems. Although another laptop may also have an Intel processor, there's a billion things that are still different about it that could end up causing problems. Did you try this yourself?

[vimes]

As an alternative to ASUSTEK or Lenovo, you could do a lot worse than having a look at the many different models Acer offer.

I own an Acer as my laptop [which is also y only PC right now] and after a year or so (gee, just after the end of the normal gaurantee, go figure ) it began to break down randomly.

So, even if I subscribed to a 3 year guarantee so I'm covered and even if I quite like it, I wouldn't recommend this brand over an Asus anymore.

[Wormsie]

I'm not aware of any DOS or SCUMM emulators on Mac personally, so that will also need some investigation.

DosBox for Mac and ScummVm for Mac

Some friends of mine have Macs and from what I've tried and heard from them, they are quite cool. However, I don't like iTunes and the software that comes with a Mac - the only good things about getting a non-free OS would be the ability to run non-free professional applications, in my case something like Cubase or Finale. Installing Linux on a MacBook would be one extreme option.

BTW, an ATI graphics card is something I would't want to use - Linux [/url] has trouble with hardware acceleration with ATI cards (again, due to closed source drivers). Nvidia works better. (And I want to use Beryl! )

[loonyboi]

Get a Mac and use Boot Camp with XP.

I have both a Windows machine (for gaming and apps that don't run on Mac) and a Mac machine (an aging G4 tower, as well as an even older G3 iBook) and I love it. Using OSX is (for the most part) a frustration-free experience.

Macs are better at everything except games. If you use Boot Camp that's not as much of an issue anymore.

So just get a Mac.

[vimes]

Did you try this yourself?

I must admit I didn't try it on my PC but I messed around with it a couple of hours on a friend's computer and it worked really well.

[Marek]

Just get a Mac. It's really easy to type shifty eyes on them. ¬¬

[Spaff]

Beware of bootcamp, it doesnt work on current mac book pros, and possibly a few others... they need to fix it to add support for the I/O mode that the mac book pro uses - until then it is uselessly slow for gaming.

when that's fixed though it will be awesome.

[lobotomy42]

Regardless of Mac or PC, I would say the advantages of a laptop over a desktop (even a small one) are enormous. It's so nice to be able to have your computer available with you at *all* times, I can't imagine going back to a desktop for my primary usage.

If you're concerned about screen size, I find that it's more worth it to just invest in some good output cables for whatever laptop you choose, and then just use your existing TV set / monitor / whatever as the viewing platform when friends are over.

[Jayel]

I want one of those

http://store.shopfujitsu.com/ca/EcomCA/buildseriesbean.do?series=P1610

8.9" screen. Less than 1kg.

It's so ultra portable you could accidentally inhale it.

[Marek]

Gotta agree with lobotomy.

When I visit my family, I take my laptop with me and I'll just have all my files, programs, music, etc. in my bag with me. So easy. It's also great simply when you're on the road. But I use its portability mostly inside the house. I can put the laptop on my desk, or sit in my beanbags, or browse the web while I'm lying in bed, or take it to the kitchen (where it serves as a jukebox and IM terminal while I'm cooking). In fact I'm typing this message from the toilet.

OK that last bit was a lie. But holy shit you can take it anywhere. And if I want to watch something on a big screen, I just connect it to my TV.

[BigJKO]

You asked if the regular MacBook's break easily. I have to say, and this is coming from a man who's dropped his two times and once stepped on it, it doesn't. I mean, sure you can just about barely see that the cover has moved a little bit from the drop and it isn't as easy to pop DVDs in the cd drive (still easy, though), but it still works like a charm.

And before you start rampaging about my clumsiness with hardware, both instances happened because I walked into an ethernet cable, lying around the living-room, that was connected to the computer. So, kids, use wireless. Except for the power cord, of course, which just pops out in case of tripping (genius invention, BTW.)

[Wormsie]

It's so nice to be able to have your computer available with you at *all* times.

On the other hand, that does sound kinda scary. Perhaps I should just completely rid myself of all computers...

[Wormsie]

Beware of bootcamp, it doesnt work on current mac book pros, and possibly a few others... they need to fix it to add support for the I/O mode that the mac book pro uses - until then it is uselessly slow for gaming.

when that's fixed though it will be awesome.

Damn.

EDIT: Oh wait, I was getting a MacBook... well, perhaps I should wait until Leopard (or whatever the latest version was) is released anyway? Or is there a specific reason not to?

Because - correct me if I'm wrong - if I now buy a Mac with Tiger, updating to Leopard would cost extra, right? How compatible is Mac software with older versions of its OS?

[Erwin_Br]

Windows is more backwards compatible with their stuff than Mac. It's one of the reasons why Mac's are generally more stable. The other significant reason is because it doesn't need to run on a zillion different configurations.

--Erwin

[Kolzig]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qKXDCXLu5Yw

Now this is cool.

What the hell is this Parallers? It's like the sweetest thing ever.

[elmuerte]

What the hell is this Parallers? It's like the sweetest thing ever.

Just some virtualization software (like the many others out there).

[Wormsie]

OK, so I got myself a MacBook. Will be delivered here in about two weeks (it's holiday season here in Finland afterall). I decided not to wait, as I hope this way I can avoid possible problems with the new OS/hardware - and having to wait for yet another x months after the relase of the new systems (I usually don't buy stuff that is brand new).

In related news, my iPod refused to start today, and just flashed the Apple logo. It's battery was really low. But eventually I got it to start in disk mode, and I hope it is happily recharging itself and has not exploded and set fire to my apartment.

Since I have had slight issues with the iPod (such as not wanting to shut down and having very short battery life), I think I should try to have it changed, before the warranty expires. Did I tell you my iPod shuffle also broke after a year?

So why am I buying Apple hardware, exactly?

[Wormsie]

And thanks for the comments everybody, you convinced me to get the 2 GBs of RAM

[Wormsie]

For some reason the guy deleted his post.

Hmm.

Anyway, I would have wondered about how fast Psychonauts would run on a Macbook, is it possible at all? Not that I liked Psychonauts that much.

[toblix]

[...]Not that I liked Psychonauts[...]

You are so fucking banned.

[Wormsie]

The demo was fun, but I couldn't bring myself to play from that point on. But I'm thinking of trying again...

[Wormsie]

But in the beginning, for example, I found all the characters and puzzles by accident, and voilá, a whole system that I understood nothing of and which made no sense was revealed to me. And the bear, why was there a bear runing around terrorizing me and possible others too.

I felt kinda lost in the game. Lost and without direction.