Mac Buyers Guide

rs2sensen · Jul 18, 2005

For those of you who have not seen this thread, it originally held a "Macintosh Buyer's Guide" that was written by me, to help solve the question posed by potential "switchers" to the mac, "What Mac should I buy?". This guide still exists, but has been moved off of Mac-Forums.

Buyer's Guide

I have removed the text of the Buyer's Guide and moved it to it's own page. Soon, it will be joined by a much more complete guide, as well as other guides that go into specifics about different Macintosh models and releases.

EDIT: I have put the site on a new server and updated it as an iWeb site. None of the text has been changed, yet. If you prefer the original version, it is available on the main page.

Please continue to comment on the guide, as well as make changes for modifications to it! I hope it can serve this forum community as well as it did in the past.

UPDATES:
1. New iWeb Version Published

BigBear · Jul 18, 2005

Nice post! bump.

rs2sensen · Jul 18, 2005

Thanks BigBear, for saying it's nice, and for bumping

trpnmonkey41 · Jul 18, 2005

Yea I think this should be stuck up top

MadSkillzMan · Jul 19, 2005

lol i knew it, he secretly was going for sticky

rs2sensen · Jul 19, 2005

MadSkillzMan said:
lol i knew it, he secretly was going for sticky

oh, you know it! lol, jk.

nah, I just see a ton of these posts, and they start to get to me, cuz I see too many. Now I can just link this to every one I see (or tell them to flip a coin, or iWhats favorite, ask the trunk monkey). It's different for the comparisons of used ones, but for new, this works.

I've got a few more long ones coming up for posts I see a lot of, lol.

iLEFTOVERCRACK · Jul 19, 2005

cute!!

PowerBookG4 · Jul 20, 2005

good post, i am going to start linking this thread to people who ask those questions... Its very informitive, and really hits the nail on the head.

Odin_aa · Jul 20, 2005

That is helpful, I would add that the biggest difference for me between the iMac G5 and the Power Mac G5 is the iMac is a single processor while the Power Mac has dual processors. That alone should make a huge difference in speed for the power/power users.

rs2sensen · Jul 21, 2005

I added the dual processors to the description above, thanks for pointing that out! I didn't think to put it.

dstopsky · Jul 21, 2005

Thanks for adding this thread. As much as I enjoy giving my input to others it tends to become monotonous when the same question keeps coming up.

bunter001 · Jul 24, 2005

I'd habe the IMAC G5 17" 160GB HD. It has a decent graphics card and does the job 4 me.

macEfan · Aug 14, 2005

Any mac above a g3

BTW rs2sensen ,I like your new avitar!

Discerptor · Sep 10, 2005

I thought I'd point out one error: the 15 inch upgraded is NOT the same as the 17 inch. One overlooked item is that the 17-inch PowerBook is the only one with optical digital audio in and out.

From Apple's webpage on the 17-inch PowerBook:

Audiophiles Rejoice

The new 17-inch PowerBook also includes built-in optical digital audio input and output for connecting to devices such as decks, receivers, digital instruments and 5.1 surround sound systems. Because optical digital audio transmits data as impulses of light rather than electrical signals, it enables true, noise-free, pristine sound — eliminating troublesome ground loops and ensuring higher audio and signal quality.

In addition, the 17-inch PowerBook uses a 58 WHr power supply, as opposed to the 50WHr one used in the 12 and 15-inch, so a 1.67 GHz 15-incher will actually end up with a shorter battery life than the 17-inch model.

Still, your guide is amazing. :headphone

rs2sensen · Sep 10, 2005

Good point on the Audio, I had forgotten about that. However, you are only partially correct on the battery. Although the 15" has a smaller power supply, the battery life is technically the same (actually, I've found the 15" to have a fair amount better battery life than the 17"). Apple says specifically about them:

"50-watt-hour lithium-ion battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 4.5 hours of battery life (15-inch models)" This is the same size as the 12" model, however in the 12", it gives 5 hours of battery life.

"58-watt-hour lithium-ion battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 4.5 hours of battery life (17-inch model)"

Key point in both 15" and 17" models, 4.5 hours.

Thanks for the input though, I'll add in an edit about the audio!

Alcoholica · Sep 11, 2005

You might like to add that the dual processors are only used in applications that support them. All in all, great guide dude.

Discerptor · Sep 13, 2005

rs2sensen said:
Good point on the Audio, I had forgotten about that. However, you are only partially correct on the battery. Although the 15" has a smaller power supply, the battery life is technically the same (actually, I've found the 15" to have a fair amount better battery life than the 17"). Apple says specifically about them:

"50-watt-hour lithium-ion battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 4.5 hours of battery life (15-inch models)" This is the same size as the 12" model, however in the 12", it gives 5 hours of battery life.

"58-watt-hour lithium-ion battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 4.5 hours of battery life (17-inch model)"

Key point in both 15" and 17" models, 4.5 hours.

Thanks for the input though, I'll add in an edit about the audio!

Actually, the 4.5 hours battery life is for the 1.5 GHz version of the 15 inch PowerBook. I was mainly looking at the PowerBook that would be closest to being the "same" inside, which would be the 1.67 GHz PowerBook. The 1.67 GHz 15" PowerBook uses the same battery that the 1.5 GHz one does, therefore in theory shortening its battery life to lower than 4.5 hours. Sorry for the confusion or if my logic is messed up, lol. : P

rs2sensen · Sep 13, 2005

I'll be honest and say that for a while, you totally lost me (even after your most recent post). However, I finally get what you are saying!

I had forgotten that the 15" was available in a 1.5Ghz model. When you hear about getting an upgraded 15", people always mention the graphics card, not the processor. When the processor and video card gets upgraded, the battery does not, which results in a higher power consumption that draws from the smaller battery. Therefore, the 1.67Ghz 15" model has a lesser battery life than both the 1.5 Ghz version of it, and has less than the 17" model, which includes a larger battery.

Thanks for the idea, and if you realize anything, please, continue to give suggestions!!!

rs2sensen · Sep 13, 2005

I may be rewriting large parts of this guide soon, especially the Powerbook section, in order to make it easier to read. Throwing in "EDITS" to the middle of it tends to scramble stuff up, but I don't mind doing them in order to keep the guide accurate. Specific guides on individual mac models, including current and old releases are coming soon.

Discerptor · Sep 14, 2005

I'm glad I could be of help!

Mac Buyers Guide

rs2sensen

BigBear

rs2sensen

trpnmonkey41

MadSkillzMan

rs2sensen

iLEFTOVERCRACK

PowerBookG4

Odin_aa

rs2sensen

dstopsky

bunter001

Guest

macEfan

Discerptor

rs2sensen

Alcoholica

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Discerptor

rs2sensen

rs2sensen

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