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First off I apologize if this is not the proper forum but given the options I wasn't sure where this question would best fit.

Secondly, it has been a long, long time since I have been on these forums but based on the past I figured this would be a good place to get some constructive opinions; this post has nothing to do with "this is better than that" and I don't really want to get into that since it isn't helpful.

OK, I have been a Mac user for going on 12 years now and as I sit here in front of my aging 2008 Mac Pro running SL (2x2.8 ghz, 10 gigs RAM, OWC Mercury SSD for OS and apps, various other HDDs for other stuff, ATI Radeon 5770) I am constantly asking myself a question now for a few months. What is going to replace this machine?

I use my machine primarily for work in Photoshop (digital painting, general design, photography), Lightroom, and some occasional HD video editing (Premiere.)

The Pro is still dutifully chugging along but it is getting noticeably slow in some areas, understandably given the age of the hardware. "So...the machine needs updated you say...then just get a new one." Yes, but...

1) I do not like any of Apple's current hardware options; not one bit.

2) I do not like Mountain Lion and more generally the direction that Apple is taking its OS

3) I am perfectly fine with Windows 7; I think it is quite good. While it will be around for some time to come it is not the current MS OS and while I applaud them for being so gutsy with Win 8 I'm not terribly thrilled at the prospect of making that my workhorse OS either. Another very enticing thing on the Windows side is the opportunity to take advantage of CUDA for what I do. This isn't much of an option on the Mac given the lack of high-end Nvidia cards.

I prefer *nix style OS's and Ubuntu in particular but Linux distros don't seem to be a real option either. I might be able to get by on them but ultimately Linux distros lack the caliber of software for what I like to do not to mention relearning all new software.

Basically I have narrowed down my potential options to this:

1) Build a Hackintosh; get the hardware I want and suffer Mountain Lion hoping Apple makes OS X what I used to enjoy again and probably create some headaches for myself with compatibility along the way. Also not have to deal with transferring terabytes of data and possibly re-encoding some amount of it.

2) Build a tower for Windows; get even more options for the hardware I want, move a ton of data.

3) Say screw it and jump headlong into the world of open-source software and see what happens as well as move a ton of data (not really a great option haha.)

Barring complete failure my Mac Pro probably has a fair amount of life left in it so another option could be to upgrade it a bit more with, perhaps, the new Sapphire Radeon 7950 and maybe some more RAM. Then I can observe the computer landscape for a while more. Unfortunately the value equation of putting a few hundred more into my system doesn't make a lot of sense given that the actual value of the tower is very low; by far the worst resale of any Mac I've owned.

So anyway, given these thoughts I would like to hear any opinions as to what they think I should do or what I haven't considered; I would appreciate it.
 

Raz0rEdge

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We do not allow discussion about hackintosh's in the forums, so let's let that be..

From the sounds of it, you seem to be setting yourself up for the route of a high-power generic (or custom built) PC that runs Windows 7..

I imagine that the direction Apple has taken with OS X isn't going to change, and if anything, I'd imagine a lot more linkage between iOS and OS X going forward..

I hear what you are saying about the hardware, but what are your issues with Mountain Lion if you can name a few?
 
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What I don't like about ML is precisely the move to integrate iOS and OS X and I agree, I don't think this is anything that will change, it's exactly where Apple wants to go. Changes to Exposé, notifications, auto-save, hidden library folders. I know I can disable a lot of the things I don't want and bring back functionality of a lot of other stuff but it's more the direction the OS is taking in general. As Apple moves to lock down more and more aspects of its devices from the user I wonder what will follow. Admittedly these are all minor nuisances at the moment. Another aspect of this is I haven't seen anything that I personally view as progress in OS X, rather more gimmickry and consumer-minded features like iMessage and Launchpad. I already have more than enough ways to launch an app thanks. I am under no illusion that consumers are where the money is but that's not what I'm looking for.

Regardless, I guess I shouldn't place so much emphasis on the OS as it stands right now. It's really the hardware options that are the non-starter at this point.
 

Raz0rEdge

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As far as the hardware goes, the Mac Pro hasn't had a refresh for a while and there have been rumors that both it might get updated soon or just killed off, so hard to tell what the new configuration is going to be..

But if you were looking at the iMacs as a potential replacement or something, what about the hardware in particular is going to be detrimental to your use of the applications?

As far as the changes in the OS, yes you are worrying about cosmetic changes but as you mentioned there are ways around it..and frankly, if something like Launchpad is not appealing to you, you don't have to use it, you can continue doing things like you've always done..
 
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The problems with the iMacs boils down to the ability to repair and expand them. On the 21" the RAM is soldered in. Yes, Applecare will cover the RAM but that's only for three years and that's also a trip to Apple to fix something I could do in less than a minute. It's ridiculous to replace a hard drive on either one of them and that is something that definitely will fail. Speaking of storage the options are HDD or Fusion. I want SSD all the way not a half-way approach. The i7 is yet another upcharge when it should be standard. Finally the non-upgradeable mobile GPUs. With Photoshop and Premiere able to leverage the GPU so much I want it to be full-size in a desktop and be able to upgrade it. Honestly this hasn't worked out very well in practice on the Mac Pro either. It's there, it can be replaced, but not with anything all that great. Macs have by and large never been all that easy to work on when needed but in the past two years Apple has pretty much been saying to me that these machines more or less have a built-in expiration date. Are the iMacs powerful enough? For now more than likely but I would like more peace of mind where longevity is concerned for that coin.

I should note that if it were a business machine that I had a large return on then I wouldn't care about replacing the machine every couple years but as of right now they don't pay for themselves so I want to get the longest possible lifespan from them.
 

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The problems with the iMacs boils down to the ability to repair and expand them. On the 21" the RAM is soldered in.

The new 21.5" iMac memory modules are not soldered to anything. As a matter of fact they're fitted into removable slots the same as other iMacs. However, and a big however.... the modules are almost impossible to gain access to. According to take apart instructions, the entire logic board must be removed in order to gain access to the memory slots. So yes, you're correct. They're pretty much impossible to repair DIY.
 
OP
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My mistake, the configuration page on Apple.com stated that the RAM could not be upgraded later so I just assumed it was soldered in place as it is on the rMBP.
 
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Also I want to apologize if it seems like I'm just complaining. The fact is the computer industry as a whole seems to be moving towards a fusion of mobile device computing and "traditional" computing. Shrinking the high end and merging operating systems across devices. As someone who still wants big, ugly hardware for heavy lifting it hardly seems to be the focus of many companies that aren't targeting gamers. The Mac Pro was pretty awesome hardware for the price and whatever Apple's big "pro" announcement is this year I'd be lying if I said I was expecting very much, hopefully I'm wrong.
 

chscag

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No need to apologize. Many "old Apple heads" feel the same way as you do. I personally am not in favor of a disposable or throw away Mac, but it seems that's the direction Apple is taking. Having been in the computer and electronic repair business for many years I'm probably more sensitive to this than most. Also, I don't particularly like the integration of iOS and the Mac OS either but it seems Apple is likewise going in that direction. Maybe I'm just a dinosaur. ;)
 

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No need to apologize. Many "old Apple heads" feel the same way as you do. I personally am not in favor of a disposable or throw away Mac, but it seems that's the direction Apple is taking. Having been in the computer and electronic repair business for many years I'm probably more sensitive to this than most. Also, I don't particularly like the integration of iOS and the Mac OS either but it seems Apple is likewise going in that direction. Maybe I'm just a dinosaur. ;)

Make that two dinosaurs, because I agree.

Also, I haven't been too keen either on the current hardware choices and have been waffling between:

1) Waiting for the Mac Pro refresh
2) Going with a maxed out Mini
3) Getting a new MBP and docking station so it can do dual-duty as a desktop machine
4) Building a custom Windows/Linux desktop

Of the 4 options I am currently leaning toward No.3 as my best choice
 

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Make that two dinosaurs, because I agree.

Also, I haven't been too keen either on the current hardware choices and have been waffling between:

1) Waiting for the Mac Pro refresh
2) Going with a maxed out Mini
3) Getting a new MBP and docking station so it can do dual-duty as a desktop machine
4) Building a custom Windows/Linux desktop

Of the 4 options I am currently leaning toward No.3 as my best choice

Ditto buddy. I am in a similar situation and considering similar options. I won't really be considering option 4 though. The thought of using Linux gives me the hives and Windows makes me want to hurl.
 

RavingMac

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Ditto buddy. I am in a similar situation and considering similar options. I won't really be considering option 4 though. The thought of using Linux gives me the hives and Windows makes me want to hurl.

So that makes three dinosaurs . . . ;)
 

Slydude

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Speak for yourself. I've evolved a bit. Cro Magnon at least. I was thinking homo Habilis but that could take a bit longer.
 

dtravis7


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Like Charlie said the RAM on the 21.5" iMac is changeable, just no access door.

I like the direction of Mountain Lion a lot more than where Microsoft is going with Windows 8. Windows is going all Tablet and phone. Heard Microsoft say that for a while now and if you want to see the future of MS for computing, look at the Surface Pro. People in the know say that is where MS is headed. As long as OSX works like a Desktop OS and there is true hardware out there, I will stick with Apple.

Who knows what Apple will do in even the near future, but so far they have my attention OS wise over MS for sure. I can't stand Windows 8's interface for a Desktop computer or even a Laptop computer. It's great for a touch tablet or phone though.
 

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