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<blockquote data-quote="the8thark" data-source="post: 1039009" data-attributes="member: 26315"><p>My opinions are:</p><p></p><p>If you want to play hardcore cutting edge games on ultra settings, best make your own PC tower. So you can upgrade the gpu as often as you want. Also PC's tend to be cheaper to purchase/run initially. But they can have a decent maintenance cost though. But a good user will make sure this is kept to a minimum. And yes W7 is a nice OS. It's 100x better then the POS vista. Sure it's no OS X but it will get the job done.</p><p></p><p>But for everything you stated a mac pro would fit your needs perfectly. But for a cheaper alternative I'd look at the imacs. They can do plenty what you need. And if you insist on having oodles of ram and cpu grunt (I can't see the need even for what you said), but if you want to then the best 27 inch imac can hold 8GB ram and an i7 cpu. And that would just just slaughter photoshop work. Even with 100gb+ raw files. Just remember to get a portable hard drive for a scratch disk and you're all set to go.</p><p></p><p>With the Mac Pro's at the end of their refresh cycle I think the best imac is a better bet. But it's totally up to you. Sure it has little upgradability but I don't think you'll need it really. And in 5-7 years time you'll get a new mac and the old one can be a 2nd computer for you still very useful.</p><p></p><p>And if you choose a decent graphics card on your mac you'll be able to play many many good games. And with steam coming to OS X soon, you'll have even more choice for games. Also there is DOS Box/scummvm for the really old dos games, as well as bootcamp (windows natively on the Mac). So most of your gaming needs are forfilled on the Mac.</p><p></p><p>And there is an extesion that has drivers on it for most logictech and other PC mice. So you can use them with OS X. I forget what it's called. I'm sure other people will chime in and tell you what it's called. A lot of people here love their non Apple mice and happily use them with OS X. In saying that for 99% of general computing the Apple Magic Mouse works. And it's multitouch capabilities are really nice too.</p><p></p><p>And there is as many PC/windows fanboys as there is Apple fanboys. There is hype on both sides if you listen out for it. So there's no need to say Apple has more hype then any other PC out there. Cause it does not. It has the same. (So no need for the penis comment, it can make you sound like you are a git when you are not one. Just a friendly word <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> ).</p><p></p><p>And lastly if you really want to learn about OS X there is a book worth looking at. Well 2 actually.</p><p><a href="http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596153298" target="_blank">Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual - O'Reilly Media</a></p><p><a href="http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596804268" target="_blank">Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Snow Leopard Edition - O'Reilly Media</a></p><p>Just look into them both and pick the one that best suits you. They are about the latest version of OS X and have a lot of useful information in them.</p><p></p><p>So after all of that my advice is:</p><p></p><p>A Mac Pro will do everything you want. One of the 8 core ones will just zip along with heaps of HD space/RAM. But it's really expensive. Too expensive in my opinion. And also it's been a while since the Mac Pro's were refreshed too. So they might get a refresh soon.</p><p></p><p>A 27 inch i7 imac with maxed (8GB) ram, a good gpu (you can opt for a non standard better one) and a few external hard drives for backups, scratch disks and more storage space is another option that will do everything you need. Negatives here are No real opportunity to upgrade the computer. Not that you need to. I'm sure in 5 years you'll be able to work with the latest applications still. Just some people don't like all-in-one computers.</p><p></p><p>The PC alternative you mentioned. If made by you, I'm sure you could make a good one for a cheap price. And it's do everything you want it to. But then you'd miss out on being able to use OS X, OS X only applications etc.</p><p></p><p>All 3 would get the job done. But the real clincher for me is OS X and price. Take a trip down to the local Apple store/reseller and take a look at OS X. And the Macs there. And if you like what you see, you can get a Mac and if not you can get your Windows 7 box you mentioned in your post.</p><p></p><p>And one thing you failed to mentioned is fun. Sure all 3 options I mentioned will get the job done. But which is more fun and less frustrating to use for you? That is a major issue, well to me it is anyways. Also the time os money issue. What OS do you find more efficient to use? OS X or W7? I'm sure a trip to a few local stores will answer that question for you too.</p><p></p><p>*****************</p><p></p><p>And OS X is not perfect. it can crash too. Just in rarely happens. Very rarely. This crash is called a Kernel Panic.</p><p></p><p>Lastly but most importantly Apple's customer service is 2nd to none. So if you have an issue with your Mac let them know about it by phone or instore (via a genius) and they will take a look at it and most times fix for free under warranty. No more hassling the PC companies that will not fix what is covered by their warranties. Apple is not like this. Apple is better. And if you're spending lots of money on a computer, in my opinion customer support is one of the first things I look for.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="the8thark, post: 1039009, member: 26315"] My opinions are: If you want to play hardcore cutting edge games on ultra settings, best make your own PC tower. So you can upgrade the gpu as often as you want. Also PC's tend to be cheaper to purchase/run initially. But they can have a decent maintenance cost though. But a good user will make sure this is kept to a minimum. And yes W7 is a nice OS. It's 100x better then the POS vista. Sure it's no OS X but it will get the job done. But for everything you stated a mac pro would fit your needs perfectly. But for a cheaper alternative I'd look at the imacs. They can do plenty what you need. And if you insist on having oodles of ram and cpu grunt (I can't see the need even for what you said), but if you want to then the best 27 inch imac can hold 8GB ram and an i7 cpu. And that would just just slaughter photoshop work. Even with 100gb+ raw files. Just remember to get a portable hard drive for a scratch disk and you're all set to go. With the Mac Pro's at the end of their refresh cycle I think the best imac is a better bet. But it's totally up to you. Sure it has little upgradability but I don't think you'll need it really. And in 5-7 years time you'll get a new mac and the old one can be a 2nd computer for you still very useful. And if you choose a decent graphics card on your mac you'll be able to play many many good games. And with steam coming to OS X soon, you'll have even more choice for games. Also there is DOS Box/scummvm for the really old dos games, as well as bootcamp (windows natively on the Mac). So most of your gaming needs are forfilled on the Mac. And there is an extesion that has drivers on it for most logictech and other PC mice. So you can use them with OS X. I forget what it's called. I'm sure other people will chime in and tell you what it's called. A lot of people here love their non Apple mice and happily use them with OS X. In saying that for 99% of general computing the Apple Magic Mouse works. And it's multitouch capabilities are really nice too. And there is as many PC/windows fanboys as there is Apple fanboys. There is hype on both sides if you listen out for it. So there's no need to say Apple has more hype then any other PC out there. Cause it does not. It has the same. (So no need for the penis comment, it can make you sound like you are a git when you are not one. Just a friendly word :) ). And lastly if you really want to learn about OS X there is a book worth looking at. Well 2 actually. [url=http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596153298]Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual - O'Reilly Media[/url] [url=http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596804268]Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Snow Leopard Edition - O'Reilly Media[/url] Just look into them both and pick the one that best suits you. They are about the latest version of OS X and have a lot of useful information in them. So after all of that my advice is: A Mac Pro will do everything you want. One of the 8 core ones will just zip along with heaps of HD space/RAM. But it's really expensive. Too expensive in my opinion. And also it's been a while since the Mac Pro's were refreshed too. So they might get a refresh soon. A 27 inch i7 imac with maxed (8GB) ram, a good gpu (you can opt for a non standard better one) and a few external hard drives for backups, scratch disks and more storage space is another option that will do everything you need. Negatives here are No real opportunity to upgrade the computer. Not that you need to. I'm sure in 5 years you'll be able to work with the latest applications still. Just some people don't like all-in-one computers. The PC alternative you mentioned. If made by you, I'm sure you could make a good one for a cheap price. And it's do everything you want it to. But then you'd miss out on being able to use OS X, OS X only applications etc. All 3 would get the job done. But the real clincher for me is OS X and price. Take a trip down to the local Apple store/reseller and take a look at OS X. And the Macs there. And if you like what you see, you can get a Mac and if not you can get your Windows 7 box you mentioned in your post. And one thing you failed to mentioned is fun. Sure all 3 options I mentioned will get the job done. But which is more fun and less frustrating to use for you? That is a major issue, well to me it is anyways. Also the time os money issue. What OS do you find more efficient to use? OS X or W7? I'm sure a trip to a few local stores will answer that question for you too. ***************** And OS X is not perfect. it can crash too. Just in rarely happens. Very rarely. This crash is called a Kernel Panic. Lastly but most importantly Apple's customer service is 2nd to none. So if you have an issue with your Mac let them know about it by phone or instore (via a genius) and they will take a look at it and most times fix for free under warranty. No more hassling the PC companies that will not fix what is covered by their warranties. Apple is not like this. Apple is better. And if you're spending lots of money on a computer, in my opinion customer support is one of the first things I look for. [/QUOTE]
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