Worth Getting???

Hi All,

ive just joined for some advice and maybe some guidance on the matter.


having spoken to friends about a new computer, every single time i suggest a MAC all i get back is "no there bad" "waste of money" blah blah blah.

so im asking is it worth me buying a MAC
it isnt for any real purpose i just need a new computer and am so sick of the PC.
therefore its main uses would be just games (which ive also heard MAC's cannot handle games well), music, social stuff nothing major you know.

what i would get say i was to get a mac would be

20 Inch Screen
* 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB memory
* 320GB hard drive1
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory
Subtotal A$ 2,369.00

Is this worth it? or should i just stick to the PC if its only for social/gaming use
now the moneys not a problem but i could purchase a good PC for that!
so guys persuade me please
thank you in advance

If gaming is a priority, then you may not be happy with a mac.

For me that imac should be able to handle most games well. But I agree if you want a gaming box a DIY PC might be a better idea. But it's a very slick machine still.

And if you want to save a few dollars. Just get the standard 1 GB ram and buy the 2nd 1GB stick from a non apple store.

Noone here is going to persuade you to buy a Mac. You need to decide if it's for you or not. If you use it for social things mainly (AIM, web browsing, email, chat, ect.), then yes, you'll probably enjoy a Mac. They're extremely intuitive, easy to use, and stable. But if you're concerned with gaming or gaming performance, i'd stick with a PC, as it will save you money.

That iMac is a great machine, and definitely capable of playing games. But Macs just aren't strong gaming machines in comparison to cmoparable PC's. For everyday computer tasks, as a home computer though, they can't be beat, IMO.

-Nick

Two things.

Remember that with Bootcamp, you can dual boot between Windows XP or Vista and OS X. So this would allow you to play your PC games if the hardware (graphics card mainly) is up the game's specs. You would need to supply a proper copy of Windows too.

If you are thinking of purchasing soon, then you might want to wait. The latest rumor puts the latest OS X version arriving at the end of the month. That will include a proper release of Bootcamp which is in beta on Tiger right now and it will expire.

It's not really that a Mac can't handle games (although, you're always [OK, not always] going to get more bang for your buck with a specially tuned "gaming" PC); but developers have thus far been a little wary of the platform. It's getting better, but if gaming is a big part of your computer usage then you'd be better off with Windows PC at the moment.

If you want a Mac, then you could always install Windows on it and boot that up to play games and use OS X for everything else (I don't know what you mean by "social stuff", but I'm sure OS X will offer a nice experience); but that's your choice; you'll probably end up spending more money than you would on a "better" (specifically for games) PC. Bear in mind the amount of design and engineering you're paying for with an iMac; if that's not a high priority then you can spend that money elsewhere.