I want a new computer.
Apparently, that's a lot harder of a choice than I had previously considered. I'm not a computer expert by any means, which complicates things even more. I've used Apple computers in the past and absolutely loved them, but their higher cost might be prohibitive. I had previously considered looking for a gaming-quality PC, but other than The Orange Box, I can't really think of any game I actually want for the PC; the only other computer games I play are Flash games and stuff like that.
If I were to go with a Mac, what do you guys suggest? I was looking at the Mac Mini, but I am NOT paying $500 for a monitor, I don't care if it's made with diamond-dust. Are there some good, NON-Apple monitors that look good with the Mac Mini?
PLZ HALP OH GOD HOW DID THIS GET HERE
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The games situation is a bit of a bummer, but you can still play any Blizzard game (WoW, Diablo II, Starcraft, etc). Also, all Macs come with Boot Camp, which allows you to partition your hard drive and install a Windows OS on it as well. This way, you get the best of both worlds. Especially since Windows XP runs better on my Macbook than I ever had it run on my PC.
@Koobert
Yeah don't try upgrading your RAM from Apple whatsoever. They charge outlandish prices. Just go to like Microcenter. I bought 2 GB of RAM for like 100 dollars and installed it myself.
Or, if you have Windows XP with SP2, get a Mac with Leopard (don't they all have that now?) and use BootCamp to play Orange Box on Mac.
It all depends on how much money you have and what you will be using it for. And also your hobbies...
However, if you don't want to let go of the Mac Experience, you may want to consider a "low end" iMac, which is going to include your monitor (duh), and have a decent little bit of processing and graphics power. There's this thing called "Boot Camp" packaged in with new Macs that's allegedly good enough to run PC games. And further more, it'll have plenty of power to run not-ROMS.
Mac mini's suck at gaming. They suck at gaming.
I'll type it out again so you can grasp this.
Mac minis suck at gaming.
Do not buy a mac mini if you want to play games. You might as well insert needles into your peehole. Both will be equally painful to experience. The Mac mini can't handle it.
The iMac is your cheapest option at $1200 roughly.
I bought a 20" iMac and I love it.
Basic computer design aside. You're looking at OSX versus Vista. Vista is shit. Sorry, I said it, I know it angers some, but it's terrible. I hate it.
If you've been using a PC all your life, getting a mac is a breath of fresh air. Everything seems more fun and open on a mac. I use windows at work and feel constricted. Let loose those chains buddy!
I'd go with PC. Just alot of hardware fine tuning you can do on a PC than with a Mac.
Quake runs fine in OS X.
I've got a Sammy.
go with a PC. Besides, you can easily and cheaply upgrade your pc if you decide you want to turn it into a workstation. not so with a mac mini or imac
That line of crap is utter bullshit nowdays. I can run any OS on my iMac I choose. Try that with your PC without modifications.
I can run any application, any OS, anything.
PS - it ain't 1997 anymore so OSX is actually MORE useable than the competing MS product.
@Tragic
It's a rumor. Virus writers (hackers is a scare tactic term for social engineering, not computer attacks.) are going to continue to attack the MS platform by a wide margin so long as MS keeps their margin. These people look to take down market share for several reasons. Resentfulness against MS being one, another is being able to take advantage of a zombie PC for spam. A PC is far more common and more familiar to someone writing a zombie style worm, and thus more likely to appear than one for a decidedly different OS.
It's what I use, and it's ace because I get the Mac OS and stability, and when I NEED to use mah PC, I just reboot into Windows XP.
Prollem solved.
Can anyone who is actually familiar with the Mac line verify this?
Not to mention that macs tend to not expire the bell curve so quickly. I'm still using my G4 I bought in 1997 for a lot of work at the house; and my MacBook on the go. I upgraded to 2 GB of ram in it, and although mine has shared memory for graphics on the PC side, it still runs COH at max res with good framerate, which is all I need it to do.
Also, I plan on using this Macbook (that I got last year) for the next five to seven years. The OSX architecture is pretty dynamic, and I've had no problems maintaining the system for that long without having to reinstall.
Plus, it's not Vista.
To check out the ones I'm talking about, check here:
http://www.apple.com/store
You can put a $600 card in there if you wanted.