IRC: I need your tech advice!
- Thread starter bully
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Congratulations on your engagemnet!
I'm a boy, and my name is Jamey Shafer.
Some general advice: There are three things worth spending extra money on right off the bat:
Thanks for digging up that thread, Mr. Kwako. It'll save me some typing. If you're interested in my thoughts on Mac vs. PC, Bully, the post in question is right here. The gist is to say: If you just plain like Apple, prefer Mac OS, or need a specific Mac-only program, then by all means enjoy a mac. From a techincal standpoint, PCs are faster, more cost-effective, implement technology sooner, and run a much larger library of software.
Most of my knowledge is in the high-performance, video-game/multimedia/content creation area. If you're mainly word processing and surfing the net, the advice so far in this thread should help. If you're interested in having a high-end system (playing video games, editing video, modeling in 3-D, etc) I can give you some very specific reccommendations.
Some misc notes:
I'm a boy, and my name is Jamey Shafer.
Some general advice: There are three things worth spending extra money on right off the bat:
- The monitor/screen. It's the peice of hardware which will easily last the longest (it will last you through multiple desktops) and which you have to spend all your time looking at. The Cornerstone p1750 is a great 21-incher for the price. Or go for a 17" if you can handle the laptop size.
- RAM (512 MB, 1 GB, or 2 GB). No single hardware upgrade is more cost affective as a performance enhancer. If you buy a Mac, don't buy the RAM form them- they gouge you on the price. Try www.crucial.com.
- Speakers. Like the monitor for a desktop, your speakers will remain a high-end component through several different computers. There really is a difference in sound quality between what comes standard with a Dell/Gateway/Mac and a serious speaker set. Try the Logitech Z-5500 (5.1) or the Logitech Z-560 (4.1)
Thanks for digging up that thread, Mr. Kwako. It'll save me some typing. If you're interested in my thoughts on Mac vs. PC, Bully, the post in question is right here. The gist is to say: If you just plain like Apple, prefer Mac OS, or need a specific Mac-only program, then by all means enjoy a mac. From a techincal standpoint, PCs are faster, more cost-effective, implement technology sooner, and run a much larger library of software.
Most of my knowledge is in the high-performance, video-game/multimedia/content creation area. If you're mainly word processing and surfing the net, the advice so far in this thread should help. If you're interested in having a high-end system (playing video games, editing video, modeling in 3-D, etc) I can give you some very specific reccommendations.
Some misc notes:
- Serial ATA is now the standard hard drive interface. To be future compatible and receive the speed benefits of S-ATA, don't buy a sytem with only the older Parallel ATA interface.
- PCI-Express has replaced PCI and AGP as the high-speed internal port (this is the slot that add-in cards, like a sound card or video card, plug into). Make sure you get PCI-Express to ensure future compatibility and provice performance benefits (I don't believe PCI-E is available in Macs).
- The next Windows operating system ("Longhorn") will be 64-bit, which means you'll want a 64-bit processor to run it efficiently. You may want to consider the Athlon 64 family of processors.
For PC laptops, check out www.pctorque.com or www.hypersonic-pc.com.
mmmmmmmmmMAC!
My Centrino laptop is quick and georgeous.
My G4 Powerbook is the fastest computer I own. It is my primary computer.
It doesn't crash.
They each have equivalent amounts of RAM.
The powerbook is way quicker than the pentium and somewhat quicker than the Centrino.
I love my VAIOs; I recommend Macs.
If you are in any way shape or form a student or educator, Apple has excellent educational discounts. Proof of status may or may not be necessary; I've always had to show something, but I author web pages for my campus (that list me as an instructor) (which I am!) and that was good enough.
(Full disclosure: I have 1 G4 Powerbook, 2 G3 iBooks, 1 P2 VAIO, 1 P4 VAIO and 1 Centrino VAIO. I don't do desktops though there is a VAIO desktop in the house which I never use, but is a fine machine.)
My Centrino laptop is quick and georgeous.
My G4 Powerbook is the fastest computer I own. It is my primary computer.
It doesn't crash.
They each have equivalent amounts of RAM.
The powerbook is way quicker than the pentium and somewhat quicker than the Centrino.
I love my VAIOs; I recommend Macs.
If you are in any way shape or form a student or educator, Apple has excellent educational discounts. Proof of status may or may not be necessary; I've always had to show something, but I author web pages for my campus (that list me as an instructor) (which I am!) and that was good enough.
(Full disclosure: I have 1 G4 Powerbook, 2 G3 iBooks, 1 P2 VAIO, 1 P4 VAIO and 1 Centrino VAIO. I don't do desktops though there is a VAIO desktop in the house which I never use, but is a fine machine.)