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colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
so i'm finally thinking of buying a mac smile

i'm looking at an imac g4 (1.25ghz) with a 17" screen:


Non-Https Image Link


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? wink
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


DuncGOLD Member
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom


Posted:
wow this has been here for over 15 minutes and Sym the Mac Daddy hasn't posted yet!! eek I was sure he had Macdar that vibrated in his pocket whenever anything Mac related appeared on earth!! wink ubblol

Let's relight this forum ubblove


SymBRONZE Member
Geek-enviro-hippy priest
1,858 posts
Location: Diss, Norfolk, United Kingdom


Posted:
ubblol

I do, I'm still working on the reply wink

There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees


polaritySILVER Member
veteran
1,228 posts
Location: on the wrong planet, United Kingdom


Posted:
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.



 Written by:



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.



 Written by:



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).



 Written by:



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.



 Written by:



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 smile



 Written by:



how much cooler will my ipod look next to an imac? wink







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 wink



 Written by:



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 wink Take all of it's peripherals away, leave it with just power and network, and use remote desktop from the Mac.



 Written by:



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 biggrin



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 (1143735922)

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.


SymBRONZE Member
Geek-enviro-hippy priest
1,858 posts
Location: Diss, Norfolk, United Kingdom


Posted:
 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 (https://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 wink

 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 smile

 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 wink same goes for anti-virus wink

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 biggrin

hug

There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees


colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
thank-you polarity hug

and mr sym hug

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) smile

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... wink


hug2


cole. x

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood


SymBRONZE Member
Geek-enviro-hippy priest
1,858 posts
Location: Diss, Norfolk, United Kingdom


Posted:
redface

oops smile

Just to let you know that the intel macs come with something called rosetta - it will allow you to run PowerPC apps on the intel Macs. From what I hear, the speed is very good (about 70% I think) but the intel macs are that much faster than the powerPc ones that they end up about the same speed.

There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees


colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
same speed nearly three times the cost? umm

i reckon i'll stick to my cheapness guns for now... wink


cole. x

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood


LoewanBRONZE Member
and behold!
464 posts
Location: Liverpool, United Kingdom


Posted:
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 (1143725398)

Why let your body be a temple? When it can be a theme park?

Wii Console Number: 3294 0297 7824 7498


newgabeSILVER Member
what goes around comes around. unless you're into stalls.
4,030 posts
Location: Bali, Australia


Posted:
The main thing to watch out for with Macs is PC users (particularly on *help* desks)

.....Can't juggle balls but I sure as hell can juggle details....


SymBRONZE Member
Geek-enviro-hippy priest
1,858 posts
Location: Diss, Norfolk, United Kingdom


Posted:
And that smug feeling you get - before you know it you'll be called 'The Mac Daddy' by people who wish they had computers as good as yours wink

There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees


Sporkyaddict
663 posts
Location: Glasgow


Posted:
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 frown 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


Pen DravenUnofficial Lord Of Confusion And Pirate Extrodinaire
1,363 posts
Location: Nuneaton


Posted:
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 smile

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 wink


Sporkyaddict
663 posts
Location: Glasgow


Posted:
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


polaritySILVER Member
veteran
1,228 posts
Location: on the wrong planet, United Kingdom


Posted:
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 wink

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.

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.


[Nx?]BRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,749 posts
Location: Europe,Scotland,Both


Posted:
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 wave

This is a post by tom, all spelling is deleberate
-><- Kallisti


Sporkyaddict
663 posts
Location: Glasgow


Posted:
 Written by: polarity


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.



Getting my iBook G4 apart was 'fun'. The first time I did it waas to replace the power socket (stomped lead that broke it). That was the trickiest thing I've had to do. But once you know where all the screws and cables are its pretty easy to strip it down again. It made me realise exactly how much stuff they actually cram into these machines. It gives you a whole new respect for apple's designers. The worst one to gut though was the G4 Cube. I have never ever been so annoyed by (working) computer parts.

Have faith in what you can do and respect for what you can't


jo_rhymesSILVER Member
Momma Bear
4,525 posts
Location: Telford, Shrops, United Kingdom


Posted:
 Written by: Sym


And that smug feeling you get - before you know it you'll be called 'The Mac Daddy' by people who wish they had computers as good as yours wink




Sym, we're being mean to you for being such a geek hug but yes, your computer is very nice. biggrin

Hoppers are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.


UCOFSILVER Member
15,417 posts
Location: South Wales


Posted:

Non-Https Image Link


ubbangel

PyroWillGOLD Member
HoP's Barman. Trapped aged 6 months
4,437 posts
Location: Staines, United Kingdom


Posted:

Non-Https Image Link

An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind

Give a man a fish and he'll eat 4 a day hit a man with a brick and you can have all his fish and his wife

"Will's to pretty for prison" - Simian


Pen DravenUnofficial Lord Of Confusion And Pirate Extrodinaire
1,363 posts
Location: Nuneaton


Posted:
Polarity,, funilly enough we ripped an ibook apart yesterday morning heheh,, top giggle although not quite as mental as ripping apart on of the 12" G4 lappies smile

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 wink


Sporkyaddict
663 posts
Location: Glasgow


Posted:
The funniest thing I've ever done to a mac was dropped it three stories into a skip while clearing out the physics department of my old school. One of the old all in one performas that hadn't worked in years... biggrin

Have faith in what you can do and respect for what you can't


Pen DravenUnofficial Lord Of Confusion And Pirate Extrodinaire
1,363 posts
Location: Nuneaton


Posted:
oh yeah,, if anyone wants a copy of the latest service source pm me wink

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 wink


Pen DravenUnofficial Lord Of Confusion And Pirate Extrodinaire
1,363 posts
Location: Nuneaton


Posted:
mmmm silicon destruction,, your right spook,, it doesnt get any better does it biggrin

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 wink


SymBRONZE Member
Geek-enviro-hippy priest
1,858 posts
Location: Diss, Norfolk, United Kingdom


Posted:
service source?

There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees


polaritySILVER Member
veteran
1,228 posts
Location: on the wrong planet, United Kingdom


Posted:
Mine's a clamshell G3. Flip the catches on the keyboard, and there's the hard drive, sitting under a little metal cage thing. But you can't get it out until you've undone damn near every screw on the thing, and reduced it to a huge huge number of parts you have to remember how to assemble.



Those colorful Macs looked way better than the boring white plastic lumps the new i/powerbooks are. When I get mine it's definately getting a makeover, warranty be damned.

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.


Sporkyaddict
663 posts
Location: Glasgow


Posted:
I think Pen means the disassembly instructions.

My iBook is covered in Jaig and SuicideGirls stickers and tonnes of soot from being stuffed in a bag with my fire gear (a non-warranty voiding makeover wink )

Have faith in what you can do and respect for what you can't


Pen DravenUnofficial Lord Of Confusion And Pirate Extrodinaire
1,363 posts
Location: Nuneaton


Posted:
Aye i meant All the Apple manuals (being an Apple Engineer has its perks lol)

Ohh polarity didn't know you meant one of those,, i once had to swap the drive from one to another whilst sat crosslegged on the concourse at Heathrow terminal 3,, really bugged the security guards at the time hehehe Much fun

I'd love to be able to respray my 15" lappy but its an office machine frown Have utterly attacked all the ones i have at home though biggrin

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 wink


polaritySILVER Member
veteran
1,228 posts
Location: on the wrong planet, United Kingdom


Posted:
Try carrying 6 hard drives through Turkish customs, stuffed right in the middle of a rucksack and padded with loads of foam. Took me a good 15 minutes to get them out, and another half hour to repack, and held up the entire queue at one of their x-ray machines. The cheapest flights to Japan were with Turkish Airlines, and stopped over in Turkey, but I made sure I paid extra for a direct flight the next time because I don't ever want to go back there after being treated like something you'd find on the bottom of your shoe (not fun after 16 hours on a plane with no sleep). Something tells me most Turks hate anyone who looks remotely like a hippy.

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.


Pen DravenUnofficial Lord Of Confusion And Pirate Extrodinaire
1,363 posts
Location: Nuneaton


Posted:
ouch,, i can see it now... Yeah definitely no fun

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 wink


polaritySILVER Member
veteran
1,228 posts
Location: on the wrong planet, United Kingdom


Posted:
Either that or they were really pissed at not being able to have a smoke (tobacco is illegal in Turkey).

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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