#717675 - 30/03/06 10:37 PM
apple mac owners
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big and good
Registered: 29/08/02
Loc: lunn dunn, yoo kay
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so i'm finally thinking of buying a mac  i'm looking at an imac g4 (1.25ghz) with a 17" screen:  i'll be using it for layout and graphics mainly (running quark and adobe cs2) but would like it to completely replace my pc if at all possible. i currently use my pc for video editing, watching videos, watching dvd's, playing music and browsing the net, so i don't think a g4 should have any problems doing all that stuff! the problem is, the last time i used a mac was in 1997 so its safe to say i don't know that much about them... will i need to look out for one with a hardcore video card if i want to edit video? how much memory is sufficient to run say illustrator and quark at the same time with a few files loaded? how easy would it be to replace the hard drive with a larger one? can i convert my current hard drive to a usb external drive and use it? will pc peripherals work with a mac (hp scanner, sandisk card reader, svga monitor/projector)? how much cooler will my ipod look next to an imac?  should i keep my pc anyway cos all my friends have them and its easier to have one around than mess about converting files? can i get good thirdparty software for free like firefox and thunderbird, a download manager, anti-spy/adware, virus checkers and a multi-region dvd player hack so i can play any dvd form any region (this one is *really* important for me)? i'd also like some general advice please, especially anything important that i should look out for when buying a mac. if anyone has any experiences that they'd like to share of going from using a pc to using a mac as their main home computer, i'd love to hear about them too. cheers, cole. x
_________________________
"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood
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#717678 - 31/03/06 12:10 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: coleman]
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Drunken Poi Master
Registered: 16/05/05
Loc: on the wrong planet
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I'm going over to the other side too, but I'd recommend getting one of the new intel ones, as it's likely to have a better lifespan. Eventually they're going to stop making software for the IBM CPUed Macs, so they'll be stuck on old software only. Bit of a bummer on the price front though.
Written by: coleman
will i need to look out for one with a hardcore video card if i want to edit video?
Any graphics card that comes with an entry level computer should be fine for editing video, all the new features graphics cards have got over the past few years are for 3D gaming, so you won't be needing to spend something like £200 on something fancy. The only thing the new cards have that the old ones don't is support for more than one monitor and huge LCD monitors, but most Macs seem to have that built in, as it's expected you'll want to do that.
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how much memory is sufficient to run say illustrator and quark at the same time with a few files loaded?
I'd say 512Mb should be OK for playing with static 2D images. (I've used loads of layers in poster sized 360dpi images in photoshop and most filters ran OK)
For video you're going to want as much as you can get (say 2Gb) as you're working on the uncompressed video it takes up a lot of space in memory.
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how easy would it be to replace the hard drive with a larger one?
From what I've seen of the insides of Macs (G3/4 towers, beige crap and iBooks) I'd say stay away from opening them up, or get someone at an apple store to do it. They're nice to use, look good on the outside, but insides they're not nice at all.
External drives are however very easy to use, and can replace the internal one completely, if you mess around in the openboot firmware (mac equivalent to a PC's bios).
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can i convert my current hard drive to a usb external drive and use it?
So long as you don't mind formatting it, as Macs have a different disk formatting system than windows (read better).
I'd have to recommend firewire over USB, as USB 2.0 is only theoretically faster, as it uses the CPU a lot while transfering, and can also be slowed down by other devices plugged into USB.
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will pc peripherals work with a mac (hp scanner, sandisk card reader, svga monitor/projector)?
Generally so long as it's by a big enough company, but it's a good idea to check up on the existance of drivers.
Monitors and projectors are all the same these days, as Macs have made the switch to the same kind of VGA connectors as on PCs. You could have 2 monitors side by side
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how much cooler will my ipod look next to an imac?
Maybe not as cool as my £60 mp3 player looks next to my huge ,noisy chieftec dragon case (, but that's only because they're both blue
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should i keep my pc anyway cos all my friends have them and its easier to have one around than mess about converting files?
Yep. Make the PC the Macs bitch Take all of it's peripherals away, leave it with just power and network, and use remote desktop from the Mac.
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can i get good thirdparty software for free like firefox and thunderbird, a download manager, anti-spy/adware, virus checkers and a multi-region dvd player hack so i can play any dvd form any region (this one is *really* important for me)?
I use firefox, thunderbird, amule and bittorrent on my macs. I don't need antivirus and anti spyware because fscking microsoft don't have anything to do with it 
If you want region free DVD, the best option is to find a hacked firmware (www.rpc1.com) and put it onto the drive using the PC. then there's no need to run software every time you play a DVD.
Written by:
i'd also like some general advice please, especially anything important that i should look out for when buying a mac.
if anyone has any experiences that they'd like to share of going from using a pc to using a mac as their main home computer, i'd love to hear about them too.
Just don't be surprised when you end up feeling like 'Oh my GOD why the F**K didn't I switch sooner!?'.
Edited by polarity (31/03/06 04:25 AM)
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#717679 - 31/03/06 12:23 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: coleman]
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Geek-enviro-hippy priest
Registered: 28/09/04
Loc: Diss, Norfolk
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Written by: colman
currently use my pc for video editing, watching videos, watching dvd's, playing music and browsing the net, so i don't think a g4 should have any problems doing all that stuff!
I have a G4 powerbook 867mhz with 512mb RAM that is able to cope with Finalcut pro 4, photoshop and many other higher end things. I would like it to run faster, so I think going for a faster processor is a good idea. Macs need a lot of RAM, so get one with at least 512 MB, 1GB is poss.
Written by: colman
the problem is, the last time i used a mac was in 1997 so its safe to say i don't know that much about them...
Right, first off, they are easy to use and you will know your way about it in no time. I know you will have hears this many times before and it’s true. There is the old ‘mouse’ issue – I would advise you to get a mouse that you are happy with. Any USB mouse will work on the Mac, I think the Microsoft make the best mice out there. Same with the keyboard.
Once you have used it for a few days, I’m sure you’ll know your way about it fine. I think every Mac user should get a program called quicksilver (http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/) . I will send some links to good sites with tutorials on it once you have it up and running.
I have had some problems with USB modems in the past. Most ISPs don’t give you very good OS X drivers at all, and the standard response to any problem is 1) use a PC to test the line 2) if that works, your Mac is broken.
I have bypassed this by getting routers – but then I needed them for my wireless connection anyway. If you don’t want one, then I’m sure you’ll be able to get more or less anything to work with enough messing about – again, I’ll help you out if you need it.
Written by: colman
will i need to look out for one with a hardcore video card if i want to edit video?
It wont harm, but as I said, I can edit OK on my powerbook and that’s a lot slower than what you’re looking at. Just beef up the RAM and you should be fine.
Written by: colman
how much memory is sufficient to run say illustrator and quark at the same time with a few files loaded?
See above
Written by: colman
how easy would it be to replace the hard drive with a larger one?
I’m not sure how to fix them. They will be standard IDE drives, but I’ve never had one so I’m not sure. The idea behind the iMac is that it’s for basic home users who wont want to do that themselves, I don’t like this idea, but I see where they are coming from (keep it simple so there is less for the end user to worry about). You can always get a firewire or USB drive.
Written by: colman
can i convert my current hard drive to a usb external drive and use it?
Maybe. NTFS isn’t an open format (I think it’s a MS only thing) so other OS’s find it hard to work with. Some Linux distributions can’t read or write to it, but most can read at least. OS X can read but not write, so plugging in and going isn’t as easy as it should be. You can mount the drive on your OS X system and copy the files over, but the best thing to do is to convert it to FAT32 so OS X can read and write to it. I have used partition magic to do this in the past, and I’ve never lost any data. It’s a very good idea to back up though, as the tables can get messed up if anything goes wrong. Obviously, if you’re using FAT32 at the moment, you can just ignore all that
Written by: colman
will pc peripherals work with a mac (hp scanner, sandisk card reader, svga monitor/projector)?
More or less any USB peripheral made in the last 7 years will work with OS X. I have no idea what the iMac G4 has in the way of outputs, so I don’t know if it has DVI/VGA output. If it doesn’t, you might be able to get a USB device or something, I don’t know.
Written by: colman
how much cooler will my ipod look next to an imac?
MUCH :d
Written by: colman
should i keep my pc anyway cos all my friends have them and its easier to have one around than mess about converting files?
What files do you have? Word documents? Photos? PDFs? Music? More or less every document type is cross platform. You might have a few programs that out put to proprietary file types, but I don’t like the idea of locking my data in to someone else’s format so I try to only use open formats. Keeping a back up is never a bad idea though
Written by: colman
can i get good thirdparty software for free like firefox and thunderbird, a download manager, anti-spy/adware, virus checkers and a multi-region dvd player hack so i can play any dvd form any region (this one is *really* important for me)?
Yes, firefox and thunderbird will work fine. I don’t use download managers, but you can get P2P and torrent software if you like. Anti-spyware: ummm…you really don’t need it dude, when the first spyware product has been written for OS X I’ll let you know same goes for anti-virus
There is a load of great software for OS X – I’m sure you’ll be able to find more or less anything you want.
Written by: colman
i'd also like some general advice please, especially anything important that i should look out for when buying a mac.
I think I’ve covered everything I can, loads of RAM, OS X 10.4 is good…etc…I’m sure if you asked some more specific questions I’ll be able to help.
I hope this has been of some use - at the very least it took up 20 minutes of my working day
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There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees
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#717680 - 31/03/06 12:45 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: Sym]
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big and good
Registered: 29/08/02
Loc: lunn dunn, yoo kay
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thank-you polarity and mr sym that's some great info there which will help me out a lot. i was toying with the idea of getting a g5 imac but, after hearing what sym says a g4 can handle, i realise that it will more than meet my needs for now, and polarity's comments have reminded me that the intel macs will eventually take over so i will probably be looking at upgrading in a couple of years anyway. the choice is definitely a g4 (with the intention of buying as much RAM as will fit in there) the intel macs would really not be of any use to me right now as they don't run the packages i want to use as fast as the ibm based macs do - because there are no native applications for osx and intel processors yet - not to mention i'd have to buy a brand new one when i can barely afford a second hand g4! now i just have to go and hunt down all those missing e's that sym stole from my name...  cole. x
_________________________
"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood
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#717682 - 31/03/06 01:00 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: Sym]
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big and good
Registered: 29/08/02
Loc: lunn dunn, yoo kay
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same speed nearly three times the cost?  i reckon i'll stick to my cheapness guns for now... cole. x
_________________________
"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood
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#717683 - 31/03/06 01:28 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: coleman]
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and behold!
Registered: 11/08/05
Loc: Liverpool
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Wow! Sym have pretty much covered everything but IMO, I would wait about 6 months before getting anything Apple. The Intel CPU is definitely worth getting but its still at its toothing period and there have been looooooads of problems. And there is certainly no point in getting PowerPC because its an outdated model. New softwares will be made to suit the x86 chipset and PPC will be made second class citizens.
Right now, I have a 1.2 G4 ibook and I use iMovie (free) to edit videos, Photoshop CS to edit pictures, design posters and Office to handle .doc and .xml. You get VLC on OS X anyway so thats pretty much type of media sorted.
The best thing to do is to actually make a list of the things you do on your PC and the software you use... then go on Mac forums and ask if there are equavilents. Most of the time, you will actually find a freeware version because the Open Source community is so much better on OS X. As with hardwares, make a list and then google for OS X compatibility.
Edited by Alien_Concept (31/03/06 01:29 AM)
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Why let your body be a temple? When it can be a theme park?
Wii Console Number: 3294 0297 7824 7498
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#717684 - 31/03/06 01:32 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: coleman]
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Carpal \'Tunnel
Registered: 03/03/05
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
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The main thing to watch out for with Macs is PC users (particularly on *help* desks)
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.....Can't juggle balls but I sure as hell can juggle details....
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#717686 - 31/03/06 03:12 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: Sym]
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And George - Formerly known as OFS
Registered: 25/07/05
Loc: St Andrews UK
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lol The iLamp is a fantastic machine (I'm sitting using one right now). I modded mine so that I can bat the screen right the way round. Its so much fun when you're bored. The hard drived and optical drives are easy enough to replace but you'll need to get guides off the internet. The drives themselves are standard ATA-66 drives although they might be a smaller than standard drives to fit in the enclosure (I've not tried to replace the drive yet so I can't tell for certain). RAM and airport are really easy to get at although the graphics card is a chipset if I remember correctly  If you want to run two monitors off it I can get a mod for the OS that alllows for screen spanning (something that the iLamp can't normally do) Oh, while I remember, once you get it got into the system preferences and then to "Energy Saver", "Options" and set the processor performance to "Highest" as the standard (Automatic) setting can sometimes make the computer sluggish at the start of some tasks.
_________________________
Have faith in what you can do and respect for what you can't.
Educate yourself in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!
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#717687 - 31/03/06 03:17 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: Sym]
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Unofficial Lord Of Confusion And Pirate Extrodinaire
Registered: 01/09/05
Loc: Nuneaton
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Oh,, if you've not found out yet,, the Ram.. I'm afraid your stuck with the max of only 2 Gig if your going to get the model listed above,, but thats better than a kick in the teeth eh. And like the guys above have said,, its got a Geforce FX 5200 (64meg) card in it,, non upgradable though, but still for what you've mentioned its fine. And again with the hard drive i wouldn't try to upgrade it as its a knightmare,, just grab a cheap n cheerful firewire one
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Some men see things and say why....
I Dream of things that never were and say Why Not....?
Oh No I'm going to get Shot Alive if he finds out - DA
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#717688 - 31/03/06 03:43 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: Pen Draven]
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And George - Formerly known as OFS
Registered: 25/07/05
Loc: St Andrews UK
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Pen: I've had a look at some of the instructions on the web for upgrading the hard drive and it looks no more of a nightmare than upgrading the G3 iMac or the iBook G4. I've not tried it yet though.
I currently have an iBook G4 1.33Ghz overclocked to 1.5Ghz with 1.25Gb ram, upgraded superdrive and a 160Gb hard disc. If you know what you're doing then they are really easy to upgrade mind you I am looking to become an Apple engineer...
Most of the computers in my house at the moment are modded in some way: the FrankenClassic (a Classic with an LCD and G4 Cube internals), iBook G3 (with a Superdrive) and loads of older Motorolla macs each with some interesting little things done to them.
_________________________
Have faith in what you can do and respect for what you can't.
Educate yourself in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!
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#717689 - 31/03/06 04:00 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: Pen Draven]
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Drunken Poi Master
Registered: 16/05/05
Loc: on the wrong planet
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2Gb for the moment. they may bring out bigger ram chips in future, although it'd be out of spec. According to Apple my iBook is supposed to have a max ram of 160Mb - 32 onboard plus a 128Mb SODIMM - but it's happy with a 512Mb SODIMM, and runs pretty quick If you want something that's easier to upgrade internally you're better off with a tower design. I've gutted iMacs and it's not fun as they aren't designed to be upgraded. You don't even want to know how much you have to take out of an iBook to get to the hard drive. Apples towers are better in that respect, but still have a few glitches (like hard drive mountings in G3/4 cases are too close to the motherboard, so there's not much space for the power connectors). Hard drives are standard parts, and they only come in 3.5" (desktop), 2.5" (laptop) and 1.8" (like in iPods). If it is a smaller laptop drive, they come in up to 160Gb at the moment. They do have lower performance than desktop drives though, as the bigger disks can use more power, move faster, and can get data on and off quicker.
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You aren't thinking or really existing unless you're willing to risk even your own sanity in the judgment of your existence.
Green peppers, lime pickle and whole-grain mustard = best sandwich filling.
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#717690 - 31/03/06 04:54 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: Sym]
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Scoiattolo de mare
Registered: 05/11/01
Loc: Europe,Scotland,Both
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yo Id get 'Brickhouse' too, its a nice firewall, tho if you wanna mess with ipfw direct you can. i think id wait a bit befor shelling your redies too, IM really not sure about intel macs, the dual core isnt living up to its theorys.. and yeah all thast lovely architecture is gone now with a rosseta in the middle, dont like arrangements like this. In fact if I was gonna buy now, Id look for dual processor G5's about 2/3 years old, im sure they are going for a song and should be plenty powerfull enough to run your graphics stuff. and open source programs? they are great, cos its basically a unix box, if you add the developer tools you can compile most unix programs from source and run them in the command line. still, thease days im looking at a PC laptop with windows on one partition and linux on another, but im a geek, with less money. T 
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This is a post by tom, all spelling is deleberate
-><- Kallisti
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#717692 - 31/03/06 09:06 AM
Re: apple mac owners
[Re: Sym]
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Momma Bear
Registered: 10/04/05
Loc: Newbury!
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