N
nork
Guest
I see there are a few threads similar to mine but our needs differ, so here goes.
I know nothing about Mac computers ( is it ok to call them Mac pc's?). Been a windows user for about 7 yrs, fairly competent at windows machines but zero in the Mac arena. I've built many windows systems but i dont know what is involved in building a mac system.
Is it wiser to learn about macs before deciding to build a mac system? Is building a mac about the same as building a windows system?
I'm guessing it's wiser to buy a used system and learn a bit first? I'd likely buy thru a forum as i've traded with forum people for years and dont trust ebay, unless i happen to find one locally at a good price.
But what do i look for? What do i want?
I want a system that is fairly new, not the latest and fastest but i do want the ability to upgrade. I dont want a unit that wont run the newest Mac os, or do I? What is the minimum system i should be looking for? Are things the same in that you have a mobo, ram, vid card or vid built in, sound card or sound built in, usb, firewire, add in os, add drivers and progs and go?
I imagine the minimum specs as far as what computer to look for would change if i wanted to have the ability to be able to dual-boot to windows?
As far as what i'd do with the mac, with my pc i use the net, email, do some audio work, collect mp3's and convert back and forth between wav and mp3. Same with video, convert back and forth between dvd and avi. I do word processing as well. I do have a tv tuner and a bunch of usb and firewire drives that i use to store music, movies, and other video. I download a lot from the net, with the exception of porn. Im not into heavy-duty audio or video editing. I use my burner for archiving, burning music and some movies. I do a fair amount of printing of family pictures. I like having the ability to scan docs and family pics as well. I realize this has to do with peripherals and not the main computer.
Thats about it. I dont see me moving over to a mac instead of a pc as my main computer, but you never know! I dont like the microsoft eulas and the way microsoft does business and overcharges (only my opinion) for their os's, but i do feel that the win 98se and win xp pro (site license) os's that i have are good and do the job.
I can do without some of the abilities i have with my pc, but if you are going to give me advice you need to know what i do on my pc, hence the long story here. Any advice you can give me would be appreciated.
What version mac os and what hardware should i avoid, what mac can i run with what version of the mac os, what mac os do i need to be able to dual boot mac\windows, is dual-booting so important when i mainly use a pc anyway, and i have more than one pc in my possession? All these questions and i dont really have any answers, that is where you come in. Of course, there are also issues i havent touched on as i dont know of them yet. Again, this is where you people come in.
Any help, advice, info, opinions, will be appreciated. I dont expect to be starting a war over Mac vs pc, just looking for info to make an informed purchase soon.
thank you very much.
I know nothing about Mac computers ( is it ok to call them Mac pc's?). Been a windows user for about 7 yrs, fairly competent at windows machines but zero in the Mac arena. I've built many windows systems but i dont know what is involved in building a mac system.
Is it wiser to learn about macs before deciding to build a mac system? Is building a mac about the same as building a windows system?
I'm guessing it's wiser to buy a used system and learn a bit first? I'd likely buy thru a forum as i've traded with forum people for years and dont trust ebay, unless i happen to find one locally at a good price.
But what do i look for? What do i want?
I want a system that is fairly new, not the latest and fastest but i do want the ability to upgrade. I dont want a unit that wont run the newest Mac os, or do I? What is the minimum system i should be looking for? Are things the same in that you have a mobo, ram, vid card or vid built in, sound card or sound built in, usb, firewire, add in os, add drivers and progs and go?
I imagine the minimum specs as far as what computer to look for would change if i wanted to have the ability to be able to dual-boot to windows?
As far as what i'd do with the mac, with my pc i use the net, email, do some audio work, collect mp3's and convert back and forth between wav and mp3. Same with video, convert back and forth between dvd and avi. I do word processing as well. I do have a tv tuner and a bunch of usb and firewire drives that i use to store music, movies, and other video. I download a lot from the net, with the exception of porn. Im not into heavy-duty audio or video editing. I use my burner for archiving, burning music and some movies. I do a fair amount of printing of family pictures. I like having the ability to scan docs and family pics as well. I realize this has to do with peripherals and not the main computer.
Thats about it. I dont see me moving over to a mac instead of a pc as my main computer, but you never know! I dont like the microsoft eulas and the way microsoft does business and overcharges (only my opinion) for their os's, but i do feel that the win 98se and win xp pro (site license) os's that i have are good and do the job.
I can do without some of the abilities i have with my pc, but if you are going to give me advice you need to know what i do on my pc, hence the long story here. Any advice you can give me would be appreciated.
What version mac os and what hardware should i avoid, what mac can i run with what version of the mac os, what mac os do i need to be able to dual boot mac\windows, is dual-booting so important when i mainly use a pc anyway, and i have more than one pc in my possession? All these questions and i dont really have any answers, that is where you come in. Of course, there are also issues i havent touched on as i dont know of them yet. Again, this is where you people come in.
Any help, advice, info, opinions, will be appreciated. I dont expect to be starting a war over Mac vs pc, just looking for info to make an informed purchase soon.
thank you very much.