[ Mac] New Users

[JP]

I've been thinking about moving from PC to Mac for some time now and I think I've almost 100% convinced myself to do it in the next 2 or 3 months.

I've had a proper look into it but want a few bits of advice from people on here who actually use them rather than reading info on FAQs somewhere else.

I did mention a few things in this thread but don't want to get in the way of that discussion any more.

What I'll be using it for is general browsing, email, music storage and I want to encode some of my DVDs to get them across to my PS3's hdd. I want to really avoid the bigger machines so I'm really looking for a Mac Mini or one of the laptops. I think that I'm leaning towards the Mini as I think it'll do everything I need of it.

1. I'd prefer to be using the latest OS (Leopard?) so I think for that I'll be needing 2GB of RAM?
2. Is the RAM proprietary Apple RAM and how can I tell which will is compatible or is it just a matter that any Apple RAM will work.
3. What sort of processor speed should I be looking to buy?
4. Due to really wanting to save space I'm seriously considering using mu HD TV via DVI/VGA. Do people have any feelings about doing this bearing in mind what I'll be using it for?
5. Are all the Minis wireless enabled out of the box as I could do without the cables all over the floor?
6. I don't have to use a proprietary external hdd with them do I? Is there any advantage to Apple branded hdds?
7. I'm thinking of going for the wireless mouse/keyboard and does anybody know if these would also be compatible with my PS3 so I can minimise the clutter as much as possible?
8. I may also start streaming between the PS3 & Mac at some time, has anybody done this and what were the results?
9. For what I'm going to be using it for can people recommend any other software that I'm going to need to buy or does iTunes cover everything that I need?
10. I very occassionally so some design using Photoshop for work, I believe that Photoshop runs on Bootcamp but how much of a performance hit will it take running like that as work only has licenses for the PC version?
11. There seems to be a few different models of laptop available (MacBook/Air/Pro), which type would people recommend for what I'm trying to do? With a laptop, I'd probably use it's screen instead of the TV so I'd be looking for a 17" or slightly bigger screen.
12. Where is a good place to buy Macs used as I don't feel that I need to have a brand new machine and how much should I be paying for what I'm after?

I've had a good look around the Mac sites and I think that these questions cover everything but if anybody has any advice or suggestions at all then please post here for me.

I'll probably add more questions that I think of as I get closer to buying one.

Cheers!

[Vince]

As far as Minis go they are seriously overdue for an update. I've been wanting to buy one since April but have been waiting for them to revise them, but they still haven't yet, the last revision was over a year ago. I don't know the answers to all your questions but i do know the mini has wireless included and that it can use any external usb drive but they have to be formated in fat32 i believe rather than ntfs.

[Howiee]

I'll have a stab at answering most of these. I made the switch in Nov 07 and it's been the best computing decision I've ever made. I've a MacBook and a 360 so I won't be able to answer all your questions.

1. Yes 2gb of ram is highly recommended for future proofing more than anything. I upgraded mine from 1gb to 2gb when I bought it from Apple for £60ish.

2. No idea!

3. As fast as you can afford. Mine's a 2.16 Ghz, boots up in 10 seconds and effortlessly runs multiple applications at once.

4. I play macmame on my HDTV. A DVI/VGA adaptor will cost £10ish (bit cheeky) but provides an excellent picture. The mac even takes you through the setup process.

5. Mine was. Got Bluetooth too. If you buy one that isn't wireless enabled you'll have to buy and install an airport card I believe.

6. It'll take any brand of external HDD but I think it'll have to be formatted to your mac and not interchangeable with a pc. Not 100% on this though.

7. Not sure.

8. Not sure but I use the wireless connection on my mac to get my 360 online.

9.By encode, do you mean author? iDVD does all that. To rip DVDs you'll need mac the ripper (free download). Disc Utility (built in) is also a pretty powerful dvd copying and burning tool but it can't shrink a DVD9 to DVD5. For that you'll need DVD2oneX but it's not free.

10. Not sure. Is photoshop not bi-platform? I'm completely detoxed of all things PC so I can't ever see a time when I'll even use Bootcamp.

11. The MacBook Air is beautiful but very expensive and I'd worry about it getting damaged. My MacBook is a real tropper and I've used it for DVD authoring and (extensive) video editing with Final Cut. Not once has it crashed. Unlike my many PCs before it and their "blue screens of death". However, only the MacBook Pros have 17 inch screens.

Apple themselves are the best bet for buying. They do a refurbished range too. A decent MacBook should cost you £700ish, top of the range Pro or Air about £1200.

Make the switch and never look back! Unless you don't want something that's reliable, powerful, funky, virus free and holds its price. Oh, and as I type this now, I'm just putting the power cord in after 4 and a bit hours of continuous use

Hope that helps

[Ginger Tosser]

Fitting memory (I got mine from Crucial) into a MacMini isn't easy, requires the use of a putty knife. Still I've done 3 of them now and it does get easier.

It's been 2 years since I switched. Very glad I did.

[JP]

Thanks,

With the DVDs I mean that I've got quite a few sports events on DVD that because they probably aren't considered to be anything special by most people so they've never had an official release on DVD. I was thinking about possibly ripping the matches from the DVDs and encoding them in a format that the PS3 could play then either storing them on the PS3 hdd or on the Macs.

I'm not actually sure if Photoshop is dual format. When I used Macs in college a few years back it was always a touch better on the Macs but I don't know if they would be seperate to the PC version or not.

I think I'm looking more towards the Mini because although it would be nice to have a portable Mac on very rare occasions I'm really looking for something that doesn't get in the way at home. Also, if I'm using my TV there's quite a difference between the Mini without the screen and the laptop with a 17" screen when it comes to price.

Vince, to be honest I'm not thinking that that an updated version will really offer anything that the current ones do which I'll need to get. I suppose newer models would make the older ones a bit cheaper to buy if 2nd hand though.

I know that it's basically the faster the better but does a 2.0Ghz processor sound OK for what I'm looking to do? The PC I've got at the moment I've had for years as I'm not the sort of person who needs to keep it at forefront of technology, at the moment I'm using a PC with a P4 1.8, only 640MBs of RAM, XP with Service Pack 3 and it's absolutely fine for me apart from encoding videos which pretty much kills it.

I'm not looking to have something that is suddenly 10 times as powerful as I really don't have any need for it and I've had that PC for years without it restricting what I want to do.

If I was to buy a brand new one directly from Apple I could get this...
Specs
1.83Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB 667Mhz DDR2 SDRAM
Mac OSX
80GB Serial ATA Drive
Combo Drive
...for ?450 with a bit of play if I was to upgrade the hdd and stuff like that. I really don't want to be paying any more than that for one and would happily buy a used model as long as it was in good condition.

I've got a mint Wii here with about 30-35 games and loads of extra stuff for it which I've finally convinced myself to trade/sell to put towards this and that will help with some of the costs anyway.

EDIT:

Fitting memory (I got mine from Crucial) into a MacMini isn't easy, requires the use of a putty knife. Still I've done 3 of them now and it does get easier.

It's been 2 years since I switched. Very glad I did.

That sounds promising, I do know my way around the inside of PCs as I've built a few over the years so I'm not expecting to struggle with Macs really.

Lol that's a nice collection of Macs you have there!

Why so many?

[Richard.John]

Have you at least considered an iMac? Very good computer for what it is. Wire free, all in one solution. I am with the others though, buy a Mac and you will never go back. Enjoy.

[ne0star]

I bought a MacBook Pro for home a few months ago, best decision I ever made and I'm a windows developer by trade.

I have the 1.83ghz version and its way faster than my 2.2ghz work dell laptop.

As of CS3 i'm pretty certain Photoshop now runs natively on OSX intel machines without the need for the Rosetta emulation. I use it and it runs fantastic with zero messing around.

BootCamp is the app that lets you dual boot windows on your intel Mac and runs very well I have to say. In fact my Macbook runs Vista better than my Work Dell.

My Macbook Pro has bluetooth built in and I am using a Microsoft Bluetooth mouse which even came with proper OSX software.

A mac can read a Windows partition fine out of the box, but not the other way round.

You will find hardware spec is less important on a mac for general activities. Their OS is heavily optomised so a Mac from 4-5 years ago seems to be able to run the latest OS without any trouble.

Oh I also have MS Office 2008 and I like using it better than the PC version. Its file format is also exactly the same as the PC version.

[Ginger Tosser]

Why so many?

MacMini on the left is my original (Core Duo 1.66ghz 2gb) and was my desktop and webserver. Now it's just my webserver. The Mini on the right (Core 2 Duo 2ghz 2gb) is my new desktop.

The MacBook is for using out and about, also the missus uses it.

I would hold off getting anything new at the moment as they normally announce new kit around September. You'll probably see a fair bit of kit in the refurb channel around that time. I was quite lucky with my 2ghz Mini as I got it in the John Lewis clearance for ?399

[Howiee]

With the DVDs I mean that I've got quite a few sports events on DVD that because they probably aren't considered to be anything special by most people so they've never had an official release on DVD. I was thinking about possibly ripping the matches from the DVDs and encoding them in a format that the PS3 could play then either storing them on the PS3 hdd or on the Macs.

Yeah that's not a problem. I burn my raw video files stored on my macbook HD (and also ripped matches of other DVDs) to a DVD disc using iDVD (very, very simple to use). They then play on my 360 or any stand alone DVD player. I'm sure that's also true for a PS3.

You will need a Super Drive to burn DVDs though. A combo drive will only play DVDs and burn cds from what I understand.

A 2.0ghz processor sounds great - only a fraction less than mine. I'm not sure how they compare to PC specs though or even if they're measured in the same way.

[Number45]

I hate threads like this. Why is it when someone posts asking about something that I haven't tried, I instantly start investigating pricing and the like?

[VR46]

Must admit over last ten days I've also been think about the Mac route, and the Mini seems ideal (and it's a decent price point). It was having to do a fresh install of XP a couple of weeks back that got me starting thinking though.

[ne0star]

I hate threads like this. Why is it when someone posts asking about something that I haven't tried, I instantly start investigating pricing and the like?

I'm the same. A lad at work brought is Macbook in one day, 2 days later I had a 2nd hand but mint condition macbook pro winging its way to me.

Thats why the missus bans me from going within 10 feet of the Technology section in John Lewis.

The thing I really like about Mac's is its so quick to turn it on carryout a task and turn it off again. There is no messing around, its such a streamlined experience.

I also have an iphone for the same reasons

[Garf]

I bought a 20 inch iMac a few months ago, and if I am honest, I seriously regret getting it.















I should have bought the 24 inch instead

Absolutely great piece of kit, and love using it - so simple and elegant..

I was going to get a Mini, but at the time, Apple were selling refurb'ed iMacs not much more money, so snapped one of them up instead.

[JP]

Have you at least considered an iMac? Very good computer for what it is. Wire free, all in one solution. I am with the others though, buy a Mac and you will never go back. Enjoy.

I just hadn't thought about them as I thought they were really old models? I'm in work so can't really look around properly but I certainly wouldn't rule them out, do they all include the Mac hardware inside the monitor or do they have standard desktop cases too?

Oh I also have MS Office 2008 and I like using it better than the PC version. Its file format is also exactly the same as the PC version.

Is the PC version compatible with Macs are or you using a native Mac edition?

I would hold off getting anything new at the moment as they normally announce new kit around September. You'll probably see a fair bit of kit in the refurb channel around that time. I was quite lucky with my 2ghz Mini as I got it in the John Lewis clearance for ?399

Didn't realise that was happening then but I'd wait as hopefully new models will eb announced which drop teh price for me. I can't believe you got that Mini for that price.

You will need a Super Drive to burn DVDs though. A combo drive will only play DVDs and burn cds from what I understand.

A 2.0ghz processor sounds great - only a fraction less than mine. I'm not sure how they compare to PC specs though or even if they're measured in the same way.

I was wondering what the difference between a Combi & Super Drive was. DVD burning isn't a big issue for me but I imagine I'll miss it if I don't get a Super Drive.

I had a look at the memory on Crucial and it seems quite bit cheaper to buy 1GB Ram and upgrade yourself so I may do it that way. Are you able to upgrade the drive & CPU in the same way?

[Garf]

I just hadn't thought about them as I thought they were really old models? I'm in work so can't really look around properly but I certainly wouldn't rule them out, do they all include the Mac hardware inside the monitor or do they have standard desktop cases too?

The iMacs are bang up to date, and as you say, contain all the hardware in the screen - really nice piece of kit

Not the best picture, but gives you an idea of what the current model looks like..