mongo Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 [quote name='Elflocko' timestamp='1307116897' post='995871'] The thing [b]you[/b] need to be aware of is the inroads the iPad is making into the business world; even I'm a bit taken aback at how much of a push we're getting to integrate those things into our 90% M$ environment [color="#FF0000"][b](all of the Linux presence here is my doing {insert evil laugh here}[/b][/color]) as upper management (the fuckers that don't actually have to do anything to make them work) have fallen in love with them and think they're the best thing since masturbation. Just be prepared.[/quote] Makes me think of the old Supervillain Steve video [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GO3mccvTCs[/media] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullichicken25 Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 dug up this thread cause i may be making the switch as well. i've had the same dell laptop since 05 when i first went to college and im thinking its time for a new computer. I started thinking about a mac when my fiancee started using one for work. I was very impressed in the little bit of time i used it because my job has me in front of a computer all day, i do most of everything i need to on that. Additionally, my droid has assumed most of the remaining computer requirements i have. That pretty much leaves my home computer with 1 purpose: entertainment. I have my old laptop set up with my 32" LCD as a second moniter. Running VLC player with the droid remote app and it works pretty decent. Handles 720 content pretty solid when nothing else is running, but is loud as fuck and higher quality stuff isnt going to happen. Essentially it gets the job done but it feels almost as if i'm trying to ride moutain bike trails on an old Huffy. I've been doing a lot of reading and am heavilly leaning towards the new mac mini. This thing looks awesome and it seems like its exactly what im looking for. I had been thinking of using an asus nettop with xbmc but i do still want some actual computer functionality (email, web surfing, [i]occansional[/i] office document) and it seems like the mac mini will handle that stuff better. On top of that i just want it to work, and work all the time, and be fast. about a year from now i'm getting married and moving out (how traditional of me) and plan on setting the mac mini up in the living room with whatever badass TV I get and it sounds like the computer and the Plex program function flawlessly with a universal remote (which will be clutch for the wife-to-be) on amazon i've priced the mac mini, wireless keyboard, 8GB ram upgrade, and trackpad (yeah im [i]that[/i] trendy) for about 750 bones w/free shipping comments? suggestions? anyone have one of these little guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 im likely grabbing a mini for my kids after xmas... if you arent going to be doing ANYTHING of serious power, like graphic work or video editng the mini should be perfect.... nice price on it too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 Trackpad rules. I use my mouse for first person shooters, my Wacom tablet for work, and the trackpad for everything else. With the gestures available in Lion, it's a no brainer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vol_Bengal Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 [quote name='Fulcher_33' timestamp='1306029424' post='994067'] To be honest, comparing what I got with the iMac to a PC with the same specs, they were within the same price range. On top of that I'm a school teacher so I got a hundred bucks off with the educational discount. I don't know why Mac has this image of being so expensive. They are no more expensive than a PC of equal quality. MULLY [/quote] I'd been looking for this thread for about a week to 10 days as I priced out 3 different laptops for a lady here at work... priced both 15.6" screens and 17" screens... a Macbook Pro, Dell, and Asus... Gotta know where you boys are pricing a Mac ANYWHERE even close to these other guys and saying "within the same price range"... they weren't even close. I could buy an Alienware, liquid-cooled CPU, 17" monitor, etc., etc., etc. for what apple was selling a 17" macbook pro for... $2500.00 starting??? If someone can point me to a Mac that has value (read: actually within the same price range for like hardware) I'd LOVE to know about it so I can have it for future reference. My jaw almost dropped when I saw the pricing... I can buy a HELL of a lot of hardware on a Dell XPS or Alienware, or super high end Asus for 25 bills. A shitload in fact. Would actually STILL be less than the 17" Macbook. And, yes, it'd last me 8-10 years too at that high end of hardware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 [quote name='Vol_Bengal' timestamp='1314272006' post='1020709'] I'd been looking for this thread for about a week to 10 days as I priced out 3 different laptops for a lady here at work... priced both 15.6" screens and 17" screens... a Macbook Pro, Dell, and Asus... Gotta know where you boys are pricing a Mac ANYWHERE even close to these other guys and saying "within the same price range"... they weren't even close. I could buy an Alienware, liquid-cooled CPU, 17" monitor, etc., etc., etc. for what apple was selling a 17" macbook pro for... $2500.00 starting??? If someone can point me to a Mac that has value (read: actually within the same price range for like hardware) I'd LOVE to know about it so I can have it for future reference. My jaw almost dropped when I saw the pricing... I can buy a HELL of a lot of hardware on a Dell XPS or Alienware, or super high end Asus for 25 bills. A shitload in fact. Would actually STILL be less than the 17" Macbook. And, yes, it'd last me 8-10 years too at that high end of hardware. [/quote] the 17" macbook is on the priceier side.. but youll have to find a low profile built, which is hard enough to even find with a PC, but normal 15" with same specs for a low profile/lightweight option, are within 10%... factor in the 3-5 years of anti virus you may or may not pay for with PC. and a mac may very well be cheaper.. so id be thinking the dell xps 15z is the only low profile seeming device, nice LED screen, with core i7 its $1500... for 15" same/similar macbook pro 15" is $1799, $1699 if you put education discount (anyone can do, they dont ask for any info) not to mention when windows 8 comes out itll cost you $125-200 to upgrade, maybe $200 for the "ultimate" or full version... you have to factor everything.....if you beef up the higher end macbook pro 15" its $1999, still slimmer lighter and factoring in software costs over the life, probably the same cost, give or take $100-150 annnnd not having to fuck with drivers for old printers not working, or drivers for every little thing being up to date, etc... the hassle freeness is worth $100/yr to me... im on year 3 of my macbook pro... not paying for norton or mcafee and no hassles... no optomizing software no directory scanners no BS.... there is huge value in mac ASIDE from the hardware... they charge a premium for hardware... but its rather close... they offer notebooks at dell for $750 for the same price.. but they are large as hell and heavy as fuck.... my sister has one, her husband has one...they had them 9-10 months and they are slow laggy and annoying to use... the value in mac isnt for everyone... most PC users use the pc until its too shitty to use and get a new one.. most mac users keep the mac for 5+ years... i never had a PC over 2 years... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vol_Bengal Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 [quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1314291817' post='1020895'] the 17" macbook is on the priceier side.. but youll have to find a low profile built, which is hard enough to even find with a PC, but normal 15" with same specs for a low profile/lightweight option, are within 10%... factor in the 3-5 years of anti virus you may or may not pay for with PC. and a mac may very well be cheaper.. so id be thinking the dell xps 15z is the only low profile seeming device, nice LED screen, with core i7 its $1500... for 15" same/similar macbook pro 15" is $1799, $1699 if you put education discount (anyone can do, they dont ask for any info) not to mention when windows 8 comes out itll cost you $125-200 to upgrade, maybe $200 for the "ultimate" or full version... you have to factor everything.....if you beef up the higher end macbook pro 15" its $1999, still slimmer lighter and factoring in software costs over the life, probably the same cost, give or take $100-150 annnnd not having to fuck with drivers for old printers not working, or drivers for every little thing being up to date, etc... the hassle freeness is worth $100/yr to me... im on year 3 of my macbook pro... not paying for norton or mcafee and no hassles... no optomizing software no directory scanners no BS.... there is huge value in mac ASIDE from the hardware... they charge a premium for hardware... but its rather close... they offer notebooks at dell for $750 for the same price.. but they are large as hell and heavy as fuck.... my sister has one, her husband has one...they had them 9-10 months and they are slow laggy and annoying to use... the value in mac isnt for everyone... most PC users use the pc until its too shitty to use and get a new one.. most mac users keep the mac for 5+ years... i never had a PC over 2 years... [/quote] As you said... I guess it may not be for everyone. Honestly, I was stoked to get one myself. I wanted to. I've had my dell desktop for 7 1/2 years now... only thing I've done is add 2 memory sticks. AV I've used avast or comodo for all 7 1/2 years and they're free, and every publication I see now with the boom in cult popularity of the Mac units you need to have av software for them too... the target percentage has risen enough to justify virus writers to write code to exploit their vulnerabilities... I'm not discounting what you're saying but when I see people saying they're "in the same price range" these aren't the same things. And, people (not necessarily here) need to be comparing performance of that XPS or whatever that is matching specs of the Mac when doing comparisons... too often, the dumbasses buy the $450 pc and compare it performance-wise to a $1999 iMac. Uh... duh, its gonna be beat on performance. It cost you less than 75%... and, with win 7 I can plug a printer in, at least every printer I've tried so far and it installs without even asking me anything. Within about 20 - 30 seconds its done. Seriously. Heck, maybe people have more issues with a pc than I do. Granted I work in the field but just don't have the problems to justify $4-500 more for computer that isn't going to last ME any longer. Hell, that is a 30% increase! I truly, truly hoped that I'd be able to justify buying one, I really did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 I've migrated to Linux for my desktops regardless of the hardware. When it comes to laptops, however, Apple still makes the best in the business. Sure they're fucking expensive, but the multi-touch scrolling on the trackpads and the fit and finish are second to none, not to mention the backlit keys. [url="http://www.falcon-nw.com/"]Falcon[/url] makes a product that is close, but they're fucking expensive as well. My PowerBook G4 is almost 9 years old and running Leopard. I haven't found another 9-year-old x86 laptop that could run Vista. Just sayin'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vol_Bengal Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 [quote name='Elflocko' timestamp='1314295161' post='1020919'] I've migrated to Linux for my desktops regardless of the hardware. When it comes to laptops, however, Apple still makes the best in the business. Sure they're fucking expensive, but the multi-touch scrolling on the trackpads and the fit and finish are second to none, not to mention the backlit keys. [url="http://www.falcon-nw.com/"]Falcon[/url] makes a product that is close, but they're fucking expensive as well. My PowerBook G4 is almost 9 years old and running Leopard. I haven't found another 9-year-old x86 laptop that could run Vista. Just sayin'... [/quote] I'm not arguing Apple making or not making a great laptop. Their units look really nice. Just haven't seen the justification for the 30+% difference in price is all. I'll look at a decked out XPS or ASUS equivalent for less money first is all. Oh, and I have Win 7 running on my 7 1/2 year old computer sitting at home working like a charm. Come on Elf, don't grab the shittiest OS MS has delivered as the standard-bearer!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 [quote name='Vol_Bengal' timestamp='1314296378' post='1020932'] I'm not arguing Apple making or not making a great laptop. Their units look really nice. Just haven't seen the justification for the 30+% difference in price is all. I'll look at a decked out XPS or ASUS equivalent for less money first is all. Oh, and I have Win 7 running on my 7 1/2 year old computer sitting at home working like a charm. Come on Elf, [b]don't grab the shittiest OS MS has delivered as the standard-bearer!!!![/b] [/quote] I can't help it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullichicken25 Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 [quote name='mullichicken25' timestamp='1314207983' post='1020416'] dug up this thread cause i may be making the switch as well. i've had the same dell laptop since 05 when i first went to college and im thinking its time for a new computer. I started thinking about a mac when my fiancee started using one for work. I was very impressed in the little bit of time i used it because my job has me in front of a computer all day, i do most of everything i need to on that. Additionally, my droid has assumed most of the remaining computer requirements i have. That pretty much leaves my home computer with 1 purpose: entertainment. I have my old laptop set up with my 32" LCD as a second moniter. Running VLC player with the droid remote app and it works pretty decent. Handles 720 content pretty solid when nothing else is running, but is loud as fuck and higher quality stuff isnt going to happen. Essentially it gets the job done but it feels almost as if i'm trying to ride moutain bike trails on an old Huffy. I've been doing a lot of reading and am heavilly leaning towards the new mac mini. This thing looks awesome and it seems like its exactly what im looking for. I had been thinking of using an asus nettop with xbmc but i do still want some actual computer functionality (email, web surfing, [i]occansional[/i] office document) and it seems like the mac mini will handle that stuff better. On top of that i just want it to work, and work all the time, and be fast. about a year from now i'm getting married and moving out (how traditional of me) and plan on setting the mac mini up in the living room with whatever badass TV I get and it sounds like the computer and the Plex program function flawlessly with a universal remote (which will be clutch for the wife-to-be) on amazon i've priced the mac mini, wireless keyboard, 8GB ram upgrade, and trackpad (yeah im [i]that[/i] trendy) for about 750 bones w/free shipping comments? suggestions? anyone have one of these little guys? [/quote] pulled the trigger today and bought it...crazy pumped for it to come on thursday with a little luck, a certain poster wont be using their sunday ticket to go that day and will be kind enough to allow me to stream the game this sunday! also, i instantly feel more intelligent and sophisticated than the average caveman PC user Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullichicken25 Posted September 7, 2011 Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 wow, i got 2 day shiping (free with 1 month trial of amazon prime) and it arrived at my house less than 24 hours after ordering it....cancles out the fact that the dipshit left the $700 computer outside of my house in the rain..luckily everything was fine and i was able to run home at lunch and bring it in got it up and running and so far im very pleased...display looks great on the 32" LCD i have it hooked up to. I'd have to say, this thing is fast as fuck. Granted i've grown acustomed to my 7 year old windows laptop, but the mac mini blew me away with how fast it was. And i haven't even put in the 8GB memory upgrade ($45 extra from amazon, meanwhile apple charges $100 to upgrade to 4GB) The little bit of streaming HD videos from youtube i've done looks flawless so far...im going to install plex tonight and try some other sites (netflix, hulu, nfl...etc) to really see what its got Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 High Five! Is that one of the new Minis with the thunderbolt port? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullichicken25 Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 [quote name='mongo' timestamp='1315475762' post='1027293'] High Five! Is that one of the new Minis with the thunderbolt port? [/quote] yes.... however, i have no idea what that port is for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 [quote name='mullichicken25' timestamp='1315490292' post='1027353'] yes.... however, i have no idea what that port is for [/quote] That port is for badass awesomeness, is what it's for. Aside from the usual stuff, like amazingly fast, external SSD drives, you can set up you Mini as a full on video workstation (or awesome gaming rig). You can have your Thunderbolt connect to an external video card ([url="http://www.tuaw.com/2011/09/07/magma-announces-three-slot-thunderbolt-expansion-chassis/"]or three![/url]), and then link that/those card(s) to multiple monitors. Or, you can connect it to a totally amazing video card, a single external monitor, and probably play all of the best games on high settings (with your memory upgrade, your CPU becomes the limiter in the equation, but should play everything really well). Totally jealous of your new Mini. That thing is way cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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