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Thinking about getting an iMac

3K views 64 replies 30 participants last post by  thecyb0rg 
#1 ·
Ok, I'm not entirely sure if this is the right place but since Macs are now intel lol..

Anyway, anyone who has a mac. How long has it lasted without slow downs, rebuilds etc?

How does bootcamp work? Could I say boot into Windows 7 and play games with the same performance as a comparable PC or is bootcamp more of a VM?

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
 
#2 ·
bootcamp from what i understand of it isn't a vmware, its just a way to allow you to install windows on your mac, it partitions that harddrive and has drivers available for windows when you install it, but it doesn't run side by side with mac, you will have to reboot to get into either one.
 
#3 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evostance;12281052
How long has it lasted without slow downs, rebuilds etc?
They generally don't slow down at all. I've had my OSX install for 3 years now and it's as fine as it was the day I got it.
Quote:
Could I say boot into Windows 7 and play games with the same performance as a comparable PC or is bootcamp more of a VM?
It's not a Virtual Machine. The performance is the same as any other Windows 7 laptop.
 
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#4 ·
I bought a iMac 2006 when they first got core 2 duo's, and I sold it just back in November. It was a decent machine but I was so sick of needing to install a new OS to do anything. Apple software gets better support on windows xp than it does on old OSX releases.
 
#9 ·
I used to use a mac mini "C2D" before I got my new build! used the bootcamp and weird problems starts such as the weak wifi signal "full on OSX" and pretty slow comparing to my old E4500 C2D rig with vista! and you're screwed if you lost your OSX disc, it's like apple convincing me not to return back to windows! I don't know about the rest of bootcampers!

Quote:


How does bootcamp work? Could I say boot into Windows 7 and play games with the same performance as a comparable PC or is bootcamp more of a VM?

you only have to worry about the hardware, I played fallout 3 on medium settings with the nividia 320m
 
#10 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by Captain Razer
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I used to use a mac mini "C2D" before I got my new build! used the bootcamp and weird problems starts such as the weak wifi signal "full on OSX" and pretty slow comparing to my old E4500 C2D rig with vista! and you're screwed if you lost your OSX disc, it's like apple convincing me not to return back to windows! I don't know about the rest of bootcampers!

you only have to worry about the hardware, I played fallout 3 on medium settings with the nividia 320m


Is that good
Im lacking behind on GPU knowledge.

Thinking about getting the 21.5" with the i5 and 5670 with 512MB
 
#11 ·
Macs are alright, but don't forget you're paying a premium price for the looks and brand of it. In all honesty I don't see the point of paying for one if you're thinking of dual booting Windows with it, imo Mac is like a cross between Windows and Ubuntu, you can't get viruses on Mac, it has a better GUI and is more user friendly than Ubuntu, but you still can't get half as much software for Mac as you can with Windows.

If you play a lot of games I'd stay with Windows, you can still use Photoshop etc with Windows of course.
I think Mac is best suited for people who just go on internet and do a bit of photo/video work, which you can do with Windows, but OS X is rock solid, hardly anyone has problems with it and it always runs fine so imo it's a trade off between having a set and forget OS with fairly limited software, or Windows with more software but more possible problems to deal with.

Of course you can use boot camp or whatever but I'm talking about individual OS's- imo it's not ideal to be dual booting, you might as well run Ubuntu and Windows in that case. I think Mac is either love or hate
 
#12 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by DarkEnergy
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Macs are alright, but don't forget you're paying a premium price for the looks and brand of it. In all honesty I don't see the point of paying for one if you're thinking of dual booting Windows with it, imo Mac is like a cross between Windows and Ubuntu, you can't get viruses on Mac, it has a better GUI and is more user friendly than Ubuntu, but you still can't get half as much software for Mac as you can with Windows.

If you play a lot of games I'd stay with Windows, you can still use Photoshop etc with Windows of course.
I think Mac is best suited for people who just go on internet and do a bit of photo/video work, which you can do with Windows, but OS X is rock solid, hardly anyone has problems with it and it always runs fine so imo it's a trade off between having a set and forget OS with fairly limited software, or Windows with more software but more possible problems to deal with.

Of course you can use boot camp or whatever but I'm talking about individual OS's- imo it's not ideal to be dual booting, you might as well run Ubuntu and Windows in that case. I think Mac is either love or hate

Well I think you just swayed me to getting a mac lol.

I don't really play games on PC anymore, got a PS3 - guess I just lost interest over time. Rather jus pickup and play

I do a bit of video editing (which crippled my sig rig) Photoshop, web development, audio editing etc and most of the time browsing the net.

I know it's a premium to pay and windows would only be there if I got stuck on the mac with software etc
 
#13 ·
Like someone has said, the only problems with Mac will be with hardware (or a physical hard drive crash). Their software really doesn't get gummed up like Windows. I work for an authorized Apple (and HP and IBM) repair center and most of the problems I see our Apple tech working on are hardware issues.

I would also advise AppleCare so you get more warranty coverage. Macs have everything except RAM integrated on the logic board (motherboard), and those can run up into the $800 -1000 range (mostly for notebooks) if something goes wrong with them.
 
#16 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by TheSchlaf
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Like someone has said, the only problems with Mac will be with hardware (or a physical hard drive crash). Their software really doesn't get gummed up like Windows. I work for an authorized Apple (and HP and IBM) repair center and most of the problems I see our Apple tech working on are hardware issues.

I would also advise AppleCare so you get more warranty coverage. Macs have everything except RAM integrated on the logic board (motherboard), and those can run up into the $800 -1000 range (mostly for notebooks) if something goes wrong with them.

Yup. If the logic board is bugged and you're out of warranty, it is often "cheaper" to buy a whole new machine than fix the old one.
 
#17 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by Evostance
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Ok, I'm not entirely sure if this is the right place but since Macs are now intel lol..

Anyway, anyone who has a mac. How long has it lasted without slow downs, rebuilds etc?

Implying you can upgrade a mac.

Quote:


How does bootcamp work? Could I say boot into Windows 7 and play games with the same performance as a comparable PC or is bootcamp more of a VM?

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

Why would you do this, if you want windows 7 and to play games then go build yourself a pc and install OSX on it.
 
#18 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by mbudden
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Shame. Spend all the money on something to look pretty.
When you could piece up a rig that costs less.

When you spec a nice monitor it ends up being a wash.

That being said I despise Apple Finder. Finder is even higher on my list of primitive obnoxious file managers than Windows' FM.
 
#19 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by Skripka
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When you spec a nice monitor it ends up being a wash.

That being said I despise Apple Finder. Finder is even higher on my list of primitive obnoxious file managers than Windows' FM.

Of course. But he's looking at the Core i5 or Core i3 iMac's, What a waste.
He could build himself a i7 rig. But whatever, however OP wants to spend his money.
 
#20 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by james_ant
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go build yourself a pc and install OSX on it.

No way is that as easy as it sounds, if you want a vanilla install it's not worth the effort.
I couldn't install vanilla snow leopard cos I have a PS/2 mouse, bought a USB mouse and still couldn't install. Turns out it won't install with a 4870. Not to mention installing it more than likely will mess up your BIOS (reset it)- happened to me.

You can get pre hacked versions but even if you do get it all up and running you have to be careful updates don't screw anything hardware related up, and you need to mess about with kexts etc it's nowhere near as stable as an official Mac and not worth the time imo. The whole point of Mac is stability.

Like I said they are great for set and forget if you're not a gamer, if I bought another 360 or PS3 I'd probably use Ubuntu or Mac (if I had one) as my main OS, but the only thing that would concern me is the upgrades- you pay more for a Mac than a PC you could build yourself (which would be a lot faster as well) and you can still upgrade the PC, easily and cheaply.

If you have money to burn or don't want to upgrade for a long long time then I'd say go for the Mac, if not then just go for a PC with Windows that can do everything a Mac does and more, much more options for programs etc.

I personally can't stand OS X GUI, the built in programs, the whole layout of it but some people do really like it. If I was you I'd have a proper think about it rather than splashing out one and maybe being disappointed.

Windows 7 has worked fine for all my needs, it hasn't ever crashed once and it's running as fast as day 1, Mac doesn't even support TRIM for SSD's, I'm not even sure if you can get SSD for that iMac (or does it come with one? idk). If not then that will be a big bottleneck for the future.
 
#21 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by DarkEnergy
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No way is that as easy as it sounds, if you want a vanilla install it's not worth the effort.
I couldn't install vanilla snow leopard cos I have a PS/2 mouse, bought a USB mouse and still couldn't install. Turns out it won't install with a 4870. Not to mention installing it more than likely will mess up your BIOS (reset it)- happened to me.

You can get pre hacked versions but even if you do get it all up and running you have to be careful updates don't screw anything hardware related up, and you need to mess about with kexts etc it's nowhere near as stable as an official Mac and not worth the time imo. The whole point of Mac is stability.

Like I said they are great for set and forget if you're not a gamer, if I bought another 360 or PS3 I'd probably use Ubuntu or Mac (if I had one) as my main OS, but the only thing that would concern me is the upgrades- you pay more for a Mac than a PC you could build yourself (which would be a lot faster as well) and you can still upgrade the PC, easily and cheaply.

If you have money to burn or don't want to upgrade for a long long time then I'd say go for the Mac, if not then just go for a PC with Windows that can do everything a Mac does and more, much more options for programs etc.

I personally can't stand OS X GUI, the built in programs, the whole layout of it but some people do really like it. If I was you I'd have a proper think about it rather than splashing out one and maybe being disappointed.

Windows 7 has worked fine for all my needs, it hasn't ever crashed once and it's running as fast as day 1, Mac doesn't even support TRIM for SSD's, I'm not even sure if you can get SSD for that iMac (or does it come with one? idk). If not then that will be a big bottleneck for the future.

Got my PS3 for gaming.

I fix computers all day long at work, I'm sick of coming home to find something isn't working, or new drivers are out, or blah blah bluescreen, so and so has stopped working.

I just want something that works without the need to upgrade it or piss around with.

I've tried installing OSX on various PCs. What a ballache.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
 
#22 ·
Go for the Mac then, seems like it would suit you fine. My aunt's PC always messes up and I have to come round to fix it all the time, her b/f keeps on about saving up for a Mac to solve it lol

If you're not using your comp for gaming, then imo it'd prob last a good 5 or 6 years for running general programs anyway
 
#23 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by TheSchlaf
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I would also advise AppleCare so you get more warranty coverage.

This. It saved my butt last summer when the logic board in my early '08 MBP suddenly died. I took it to the Apple store and got it back in less than a week. No additional charge. If you look around on fleabay, you can get AppleCare from a reputable seller for quite a bit less than retail.

As for why I bought a Mac, at the time I was impressed by OS X and Apple's hardware. None of the PC laptops had the combination of features I wanted. I was getting tired of XP, and I was still leery of Vista.

Fast forward to today, and now I rarely use OS X. There's nothing majorly wrong with it, but ultimately you have to choose your OS based on what software you use. On top of that, the same functionality of Expose (one of my favorite features of OS X), is available on Windows 7 via Switcher.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I decide to get a new laptop. I want a 17" matte 1920x1200 display, expresscard, firewire 800, and either dual-link DVI-I or full-size displayport. I'm not sure if anything out there fits those requirements at the moment. The MBP comes close, but don't really care for the direction that Apple is going lately (that's a whole 'nuther can-o-worms that I'm not going to open here).
 
#25 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by Evostance
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Is that good
Im lacking behind on GPU knowledge.

Thinking about getting the 21.5" with the i5 and 5670 with 512MB

You probably should look at a 1Gb version, 512MB is quickly used up in modern games. How much are you willing to spend on the GPU?
 
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