OT: Mac Vs PC

[REMUS]

Right i'm getting pretty pissed with my current laptop and want to replace it, i've been looking at powerbooks and I was wondering what you guys thought of them?

 

Here is the powerbook

 

PowerBook G4 - 866Mhz

640MB ram

60GB harddisk

12" LCD

DVD+CD/RW combo

English Keyboard

Upgraded to MacOSX 10.4.8

all manuals, VGA cables & S-video cable included

 

How would that compare to a 2.66ghz celeron based laptop do you think with 512mb ram?

 

 

 

Also has anyone had any experiance of Powermacs? Particually gaming on them? Since i've seen this for sale and i'm quite tempted:

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=009&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=190081361007&rd=1&rd=1

 

 

Cheers

[i_wanna_les_paul]

If you're asking about gaming on a Mac, I take it you haven't been around computers much

 

I'd be leery of buying a used Mac. It looks like they put Tiger on it, but Apple has a bad habit of abandoning your ass if you have old hardware. And the powerbook G4 better be a cheapass computer, since it's going to be pretty old if it's an 866 MHz machine.

 

I hate to say it but cheap is just something Apple doesn't really do very well. (Now someone will point out the Mac Mini - and for my purposes, my opinion still stands).

 

$.02

 

Dustin

[REMUS]

Never had any contact with a mac, just been told that only blizzard games work on them =[

 

Will windows xp work on the powermac properly?

 

And do you know how that 866mhz G4 will compare to 2.66ghz celeron?

[Anesthesia]

Mac doesn't have directX, so the majority of current games will not work.

 

OpenGL games are fine I think.

[REMUS]

 

Mac doesn't have directX, so the majority of current games will not work. OpenGL games are fine I think.

 

 

If I were to install windows xp would it recognise the 2xduel core g5 processors?

[i_wanna_les_paul]

There are some games that are on the Mac - you can browse titles at Apple.com.

 

You need to ask yourself if you're really ready to make the Mac jump. Things to remember - all your fun little utilities for Windows XP? Some of them don't exist for Mac. There are still cross-platform compatibility issues, even if they have been reduced greatly in years. Your choices for all software is decreased. Also, since Apple went to Intel-based Macs, they have Universal Binary for programs that will work with both PowerPC and Intel-based machines - but I wouldn't put it past them to drop UB if they found something they felt worked better.

 

Windows XP won't run on PowerPC Macs. That's why the move to Intel-based Macs was significant - you can now. Why anybody wants to run XP on a Mac is beyond me. Just because you can doesn't mean it won't run better or that you'll be freed of all compatibility issues. One big push for Apple is they control hardware and software, so there's less variability in systems, and thus, less of a chance for problems.

 

As far as the two processors compare - the 866 MHz processor isn't really fast. I have two Macs at work, one being a Dual-1.25 GHz G4 that runs basic programs very smoothly and would run more complex programs better with more RAM. But if you're looking to do anything that requires a lot of processor power, you may run into issues. I don't know how a Celeron compares, but honestly, I'm not excited about any system.

 

Dustin

[Deep Bass]

 

If I were to install windows xp would it recognise the 2xduel core g5 processors?

 

 

You need a new Mac with an Intel chip in it to if you want to install Windows, a PowerPC won't run Windows natively.

[AntiStuff]

 

Never had any contact with a mac, just been told that only blizzard games work on them =[ Will windows xp work on the powermac properly? And do you know how that 866mhz G4 will compare to 2.66ghz celeron?

 

 

An 866mhz G4 is comparable to a 1.25+Ghz Pentium chip. The processor architecture is different, so it doesn't have to be as fast to to the same work load. I have a 1ghz G4 Powerbook, and it was the top of the line model three years ago.

 

As much as I love Macs,if you want to do some serious gaming, they're not for that. And due to the fact that Mac switched from the Motorola processors to the Intel ones, pretty soon here new software won't be compatable with the G4 or G5 processors at all.

 

If you want to use it for running pro-tools or making movies, that quad G5 would be a good deal.

[Deep Bass]

 

... ... all your fun little utilities for Windows XP? Some of them don't exist for Mac. There are still cross-platform compatibility issues, even if they have been reduced greatly in years. Your choices for all software is decreased. ... Dustin

 

 

Not sure I follow this argument. There are all kinds of Mac utilities. I understand games are another issue, but there's no lack of utility or any other type of software, that I know of.

[i_wanna_les_paul]

 

Not sure I follow this argument. There are all kinds of Mac utilities. I understand games are another issue, but there's no lack of utility or any other type of software, that I know of.

 

No, there are utilities - it just depends if they're the same ones you like on XP. That, and there's not nearly as much software running around for Macs as there are PC's. I've found, much to my chagrin several times, that some program people are raving about isn't available on Macs. For example, I was searching for a color coordinating application and I found a great one - for PC. Couldn't find a Mac or web-based one to do what I wanted.

 

Don't get me wrong - they do have utilities - the question is are they the ones you want.

 

Dustin

[REMUS]

Just found this which was a pretty interesting read: http://www.barefeats.com/imcd2.html

 

I'm really not sure, the only games I want to play are:

 

Hellgate London (which will be out later this year)

Counter Strike Source

Battle Field 2

Warcraft 3

Unreal 2007 (later this year obv)

Quake 4

Starcraft

 

And thats about it, i'll research ut07 and hellgate now.

[SteveyDevey]

 

Not sure I follow this argument. There are all kinds of Mac utilities. I understand games are another issue, but there's no lack of utility or any other type of software, that I know of.

 

Well, i'm not sure if this is exactly what he meant, but it's still true:

 

Most of your favorite utilities for windows do not exist for the mac. Generally, there are comparable ones, but they will not work exactly the same, nor will the be of the same caliber. They could certainly be better, but the point is that there will be some growing pains.

[AntiStuff]

 

For example, I was searching for a color coordinating application and I found a great one - for PC. Couldn't find a Mac or web-based one to do what I wanted.

 

 

Are you talking like a color sync aplication?

Like this:

http://www.macmall.com/macmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=7051382&Redir=1&WTReferer=http://www.macmall.com/macmall/shop/cat/Software/GraphicsDesign/category.asp&wt.mc_id=15198

[i_wanna_les_paul]

Well, i'm not sure if this is exactly what he meant, but it's still true: Most of your favorite utilities for windows do not exist for the mac. Generally, there are comparable ones, but they will not work exactly the same, nor will the be of the same caliber. They could certainly be better, but the point is that there will be some growing pains.

Yes, exactly. My mind is working a tad slow. Naps at 5 p.m. are not a good idea for me.

[i_wanna_les_paul]

Are you talking like a color sync aplication? Like this: http://www.macmall.com/macmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=7051382&Redir=1&WTReferer=http://www.macmall.com/macmall/shop/cat/Software/GraphicsDesign/category.asp&wt.mc_id=15198

No, that's color calibration. I was looking for a program where you put in a Pantone, CMYK or RGB code and get complementary colors to use on a project. I found a great one for PC, but I couldn't find a good one for Mac. Now Adobe has one online, but that was before they put that up.Dustin

[TN.Frank]

I have Direct X and Open GL on my Mac. IIRC. I LOVE my Mac, first computer I've not had any issues with. OS-X is a solid op system and Macs are just plain Cool.

[SteveyDevey]

No, that's color calibration. I was looking for a program where you put in a Pantone, CMYK or RGB code and get complementary colors to use on a project. I found a great one for PC, but I couldn't find a good one for Mac. Now Adobe has one online, but that was before they put that up. Dustin

Yeah, when I read the first half of your post, I thought "Kuler!", then I read that you already know about it.

[REMUS]

I have Direct X and Open GL on my Mac. IIRC. I LOVE my Mac, first computer I've not had any issues with. OS-X is a solid op system and Macs are just plain Cool.

 

So will this allow me to play all games on the said G5, talk to me like i'm 10 years old with this type of stuff please ;]

[Tim in WV]

I have both. I built the PC, but I've built hundreds. PC hardware repair was my paying job at one time.

 

if you want to play games, get a PC. If you want to do anything else , get a mac. Dont get a PPC get one with a intel brain. The PPC has only got about 2 years left before Apple dumps support. Thats when my current dual 1.8 G5 gets upgraded to Mac Pro.

 

and you cant play direct X ( pc games ) on any mac yet. It has to be a open GL game.

[REMUS]

2 Years is fine for me, so I take it TN.Frank can't actually run DirectX on his mac?

 

Might just get a cheap ass pc to play DirectX games on...

[sunburstbasser]

http://www.opensourcemac.org/

 

Lots of usable free stuff for Macs, if you go that route.

 

I use an iBook for recording and word processing. Its an older G4 model, about a year and a half old. I did buy it used, but so far it hasn't given me any problems that required contacting Apple.

[heymelbs]

[AntiStuff]

 

Here

 

 

That's pretty funny considering RedvsBlue uses Macs to edit their stuff.

THey do kinda have a point, but computers aren't for games, consoles are!

[Deep Bass]

 

Well, i'm not sure if this is exactly what he meant, but it's still true: Most of your favorite utilities for windows do not exist for the mac. Generally, there are comparable ones, but they will not work exactly the same, nor will the be of the same caliber. They could certainly be better, but the point is that there will be some growing pains.

 

 

Yeah, you gotta look for the specific application. You can't find a "WinZip for Mac", if you know what I mean. There's always something comparable. I find Mac apps to be of a better caliber anyways.

[sunburstbasser]

Yeah, you gotta look for the specific application. You can't find a "WinZip for Mac", if you know what I mean. There's always something comparable. I find Mac apps to be of a better caliber anyways.

 

I don't know if Mac apps are better, but Solitaire on Mac looks better than on a PC.