Allright.............I'll switch!!

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After all my ranting about being a dual user, it is time for me to do the one thing I never quite thought I would ever do: become a switcher. :dummy:

The reason is this last weekend my PC gave me the BSOD and while trying to solve that the PSU shorted. Frustrated after hours of tweaking, I finally tore apart the entire system and am in the process of selling the pieces on ebay!

So here I am, using my current G4 as my primary system. But alas, I crave thigs that are new and cutting edge so I am faced with a connundrum: I want to go Intel on a new Mac so that leaves me the iMac and the Macbook Pro lines.

1. The 20" iMac would fit the bill nicely with a mem increase and the higher end vid card, but that leaves me with no portability.

2. The Macbook Pro 2.0GHz version is quite nice but the price point is a little steep.

Question: If I go with the MacBook Pro is it easy to use it in a base station configuration and hook up and external monitor (Dell 2005FPW), keyboard, mouse and speakers? I would like to mainly use it in this configuration but be able to move it around and take it with me whenever I want.

So anyone got any friendly advice about preferences? (Personal or Professional, I'll take either!)

BTW I use it for email, internet, photowork, website building and other things not yet realized but may try! :spook:
 
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yes you will be able to set up your macbook in this fashion. I believe the macbook will also have the same functionality as the powerbook in that it can run like a desktop with the lid closed aswell.
 
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For starters, the price difference between a fully-loaded MacBook Pro and the 20" iMac Core Duo is about a grand. $3k for the laptop and $2k for the desktop (roughly). The iMac gives you a bigger screen and more hard drive space, but the MacBook Pro gives you portability. You just have to decide what you want more. If I had money to burn, I'd get the MacBook Pro and use your idea of making a home docking station. That way you get the portability with the ability to have a home workstation.

Currently, my primary system is a very nice Gateway 7405gx laptop. It's got a beautiful 15.4" widescreen and the 2ghz Athlon 64 is great for power on the go. When I get home, I plop it on my iCurve from Griffin Technology and hook up my 19" Dell LCD, Microsoft ergonomic keyboard, Logitech mouse, external backup hard drive, and speakers. It's not as nice as having a special dock, but it takes all of 30 seconds to hook together, so it's not a big issue. The iCurve is kind of pricey at $40, but it looks great and works really well. You can slide it around to access the ports easily and it also provides good air flow, which means my Gateway's fans kick in less. It's a really nice setup because I can go to work or school with my laptop and then come home and use all my accessories like a real keyboard and a big monitor. My plan is to finish selling off my PC stuff and save up for a MacBook Pro rev. B and a 30" Apple LCD. That'd make an awesome (and pricey! :() workstation with the added benefit of being mobile.

Speaking from personal and professional experience, I'd say if you need portability at all, go for the laptop. I currently telecommute to work and have school online, so having the desktop-setup with my laptop as the heart of the system is nice for that. However, I do go into work a few times a month for troubleshooting systems and having a laptop is perfect for that; I just unplug everything and away I go. It's also nice if you want to travel; it's a cinch to toss the laptop in my backpack and go on vacation. The downside is that this method costs a lot more (laptop + monitor + keyboard + mouse + accessories), but the upshot is that you're not glued to your house. Also, you can upgrade your laptop in a few years and still use your old monitor, keyboard, and mouse. So there's some food for thought :)
 
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You and a million others are trying to make this decision. I just talked to a switching friend of mine today who was thinking about the same thing. My questions for you are: A. Do you already have a portable? B. What do you/will you use a notebook for? If you already have a PC laptop, and you don't do anything intensive on it, I'd recommend keeping it and getting an iMac for at home usage for a big savings and slightly superior performance. If you don't already have one, or you need it to do everything your desktop can, then just pull the "laptop as desktop" thing; I can tell you from experience that I do this and love it. I would not be at all surprised if I never purchased another desktop.
 
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Well, the iMac is somewhat portable. I mean, you can move it from room to room. Its so much cheaper too. That includes upgrading as well. Much more internal HD space at a faster speed...I wouldnt feel comfortable lugging around a $2500 notebook, ya know? Id rather have the nice computer at home, and take a cheaper notebook with me on the go. Therefore, I am buying an iMac to do all the new things I need to do, and keeping my iBook for on the go demands. I will have an intel and a PPC machine. If you HAVE to have something portable, get the MacBook, otherwise, the iMac is a much better deal.
 
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Get the iMac now, and one of the new iBooks this summer. Youll end up spending the same amount, and youll have 2 computers...eh?
 
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Greenredfield said:
Get the iMac now, and one of the new iBooks this summer. Youll end up spending the same amount, and youll have 2 computers...eh?

that just might fly! lol!

the only PC still functional in this house in my wifes old Sony VIAO POS that rarely works for more than 15 minutes before locking up due to heat problems.

so we currently have my G4 and her mini. (sold the Toshiba laptop to my mother in law a few months ago..........dang it!) my sister wants my G4 for her daughters for school work and such. (don't know how many times I've had to clean out her computer after the girls got done with it)

so i just need something.........newer to use and enjoy.
 
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I agree with Greenredfield. Sounds like you really don't require a super powerful laptop...so I would just purchase the iMac now, and get one of the new iBooks when they come out. That sounds like the best option right now. But if I had to pick out of the iMac and MacBook Pro...I'd pick the MacBook Pro. Even though I have the PowerBook G4..I just love the mobility & they are very powerful at the same time.

Best of luck to ya!!!
 
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I'm actually using my G$ Ti Powerbook in a similar config now, with my Logitech trackball (found out they actually have OS X drivers for it for extended features), but using the KB and monitor on the Powerbook itself. Works great, and I can take it places if need be.
 
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ok, another question:

for the iMac, i know i am going for the 20" model intel since that is closest in screen realestate that i have now.

for the Macbook pro, screen size is not an issue, so what is the real difference for a normal user between the 1.83, 2.0 and 2.16? (normal being surfing, iLife apps, email, light Adobe work, light web work, some gaming)

would i notive much of a difference between the 1.83 and the 2.0 with 1gb of RAM? and does the extra video ram matter much?
 
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scooter said:
ok, another question:

for the iMac, i know i am going for the 20" model intel since that is closest in screen realestate that i have now.

for the Macbook pro, screen size is not an issue, so what is the real difference for a normal user between the 1.83, 2.0 and 2.16? (normal being surfing, iLife apps, email, light Adobe work, light web work, some gaming)

would i notive much of a difference between the 1.83 and the 2.0 with 1gb of RAM? and does the extra video ram matter much?
From 1.83 to 2.16 is a small difference. From 1.83 to 2 or 2 to 2.16 you really won't notice anything at all IMO. The extra video RAM does matter much, especially if you plan to do some gaming.
 
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well, after today's announcement i changed my mind even again and decided to go with the new mac mini core duo.

specs:
Mac mini 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
120GB Serial ATA drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

and all the rest is standard bits

my wife has the 1.25 mini, which i had upgraded the mem to 512 (1 month before it became standard) and added wireless (again i month before it became standard) it is a great little machine that she loves, so i am interested to see what my mini will be like. i already have my 21" dell monitor and keyboard, so i think i shall be good to go. :yinyang:
 
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scooter said:
well, after today's announcement i changed my mind even again and decided to go with the new mac mini core duo.

specs:
Mac mini 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
120GB Serial ATA drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

and all the rest is standard bits

my wife has the 1.25 mini, which i had upgraded the mem to 512 (1 month before it became standard) and added wireless (again i month before it became standard) it is a great little machine that she loves, so i am interested to see what my mini will be like. i already have my 21" dell monitor and keyboard, so i think i shall be good to go. :yinyang:

Holy crud, that's an awesome Mini! Especially tied into a 21" Dell monitor :) I know that high-end Minis are more expensive than the low-end iMacs, but for some reason I think Minis are cooler than iMacs. Don't get me wrong, my wife's new iMac Core Duo is pretty sweet, but I would go with a Mini like yours is setup too :)
 
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thanks!

the only iMac i was interested in was the 20" version with more memory, so it was going to be pretty expensive once i was finished. the 17" iMac would be a step down in screen size and not a lot of gain in other areas. the GPU will be interesting to see how well that works out with the 2gb of RAM. i have my fingers crossed! :biohazard
 
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scooter said:
thanks!

the only iMac i was interested in was the 20" version with more memory, so it was going to be pretty expensive once i was finished. the 17" iMac would be a step down in screen size and not a lot of gain in other areas. the GPU will be interesting to see how well that works out with the 2gb of RAM. i have my fingers crossed! :biohazard

I'm sure your new Mini will be awesome. The integrated video is a bit strange, but Apple must have had a good reason for choosing it (I'm sure it has something to do with HD support), and having a dual-core processor with 2 gigs of ram and a big, fast hard drive will be great.

I'm slowly getting switched over. I started out with a stock G4 Cube last December and started upgrading from there. I recently purchased a 20" iMac Core Duo for my wife. It wasn't cheap and my savings are pretty much drained, but we are both extremely happy with the purchase. I want to add an Intel Mini to the group as a home theater system (and as a basic file server for keeping backups); I lucked out with that because I found out today that my security deposit from my apartment lease will cover one, so I'm pretty excited about that (not until May though). After that, I want to get a MacBook Pro rev. B with a 30" Apple display, but that's a long, long ways down the road since I just blew everything on the iMac. Man, if only college didn't cost $600+ a class :p Anyway, this way, my wife will have her computer, I'll have mine, and we'll have a wonderful home theater Mini. Ahh, I love Apple :)
 

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