Yes Andy, but your Vaio, while a lovely machine ( I looked at them a long time - Sony has great LCDs) has only ONE microprocessor and I knew I wanted a dual processor machine. If you insist on comparing the Mac to the single processor Vaio why not consider the single processor G5 or an iMac?
I priced a Dell dual Xeon befoe I bought my MAC, and without the monitor, the DELL dual Xeon box was more than a 2 Ghsz G5. I just looked at the Dell website and found a Dell Precision workstation 470 - dual 3.2 Ghz Xeons, 2 Gb ram, 128 PCI video card, 160 Gb sata HD - no monitor Price $3257 Nice machine, but still running Wintel...
For $200 less than that, you can purchase a 2Ghz G5 with 2Gb RAM, 250 Gb sata HD, and get a super drive also and OS X and Tiger ( 64 bit OS) when it is released in the next month or so....
And once again to compare performance between the 2 Ghz Mac and the dual Xeon
Macs REALLY don't cost more when compared to similarly equipped dual processor machines - That's my story and I'm sticking to it
so andy, did you buy a powermac yet? quit screwing around, willya?
"Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk." - Edward Weston "The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."-Hunter S.Thompson
Yes Andy, but your Vaio, while a lovely machine ( I looked at them a long time - Sony has great LCDs) has only ONE microprocessor and I knew I wanted a dual processor machine. If you insist on comparing the Mac to the single processor Vaio why not consider the single processor G5 or an iMac?
I priced a Dell dual Xeon befoe I bought my MAC, and without the monitor, the DELL dual Xeon box was more than a 2 Ghsz G5. I just looked at the Dell website and found a Dell Precision workstation 470 - dual 3.2 Ghz Xeons, 2 Gb ram, 128 PCI video card, 160 Gb sata HD - no monitor Price $3257 Nice machine, but still running Wintel...
For $200 less than that, you can purchase a 2Ghz G5 with 2Gb RAM, 250 Gb sata HD, and get a super drive also and OS X and Tiger ( 64 bit OS) when it is released in the next month or so....
And once again to compare performance between the 2 Ghz Mac and the dual Xeon
Macs REALLY don't cost more when compared to similarly equipped dual processor machines - That's my story and I'm sticking to it
does apple do leasing through their stores? i figure i need about $8k for the system (avec le 30" cinema) $1k for software
................and then there's the litle matter of tiffany's.
I am not certain about leasing - If you are a teacher or a student - and they seem pretty liberal about their interpretation of this - they will discount the hardware - not a lot maybe 5%
Are you really stuck on the 30 in monitor?? - you can save $1700 by going with the 23 incher instead of the 30. If you decide later the 23 incher is too small, you could always add a 2nd 23 incher or even a 17 in LCD for Photoshop palettes and brushes which is what I did on my previous Windows box.
The Photoshop software license can be transferred to Mac - You would not have to buy another license unless you want to keep the Windows version for your laptop. What other softare will you need for ~$1k??
PS is just about the only commercial software I have purchased for my MAC. I have toyed with MS Office but I may just opt for the free Open Office.
I have toyed with MS Office but I may just opt for the free Open Office.
Attaboy, pathy!
"Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk." - Edward Weston "The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."-Hunter S.Thompson
I don't think they lease anymore, but they offer credit through their stores, here. I would think you could get preapproved online and buy it in person. Then again if you have some good credit card offers you can probably beat their financing (they do have 90 days same as cash right now).
need word, excel, powerpoint. need photoshop prolly, becuase i can't find a whole case full of disks, and ps is one of my missing orig cds :cry wonder if adobe'll take my s/n and let me switch? doubt it....
yes, i'm stuck on the 30 incher -- in for a penny, in for a pound. have you ever seen me do anything halfway
that is, *if* i choose mac
i'm still waffling over the whole pc by day, mac by night thang
'course, i could solve that by getting a mac-top and then i'll have it all eh what? i'm in *love* with my sony vaio tr1 laptop - it's so tiny and light - weighs only 2.5 lbs. superb screen.
I am not certain about leasing - If you are a teacher or a student - and they seem pretty liberal about their interpretation of this - they will discount the hardware - not a lot maybe 5%
Are you really stuck on the 30 in monitor?? - you can save $1700 by going with the 23 incher instead of the 30. If you decide later the 23 incher is too small, you could always add a 2nd 23 incher or even a 17 in LCD for Photoshop palettes and brushes which is what I did on my previous Windows box.
The Photoshop software license can be transferred to Mac - You would not have to buy another license unless you want to keep the Windows version for your laptop. What other softare will you need for ~$1k??
PS is just about the only commercial software I have purchased for my MAC. I have toyed with MS Office but I may just opt for the free Open Office.
Hi Fish!! Have you used Open Office? I am just reluctant to add MS Office and return to being an unpaid Micrososft repairman. I prefer being like the Maytag repairman - never getting called!! Looking forward to Tiger also.
All I really need is a Word and Excel clone; I have Keynote to use in lieu of PowerPoint for creating talks and such.
Hi Fish!! Have you used Open Office? I am just reluctant to add MS Office and return to being an unpaid Micrososft repairman. I prefer being like the Maytag repairman - never getting called!! Looking forward to Tiger also.
I've been using OO since I got my first Mac this summer. Before that, I used StarOffice on my PCs. Bulletproof and works very very well. Haven't found an incompatibility with a MS file yet. In fact, my entire company of ~35k people uses either SO or OO.
And btw, screw Maytag and their repairman. I've had major problems with my Neptune washer and drier. There's a class-action suit now and I'm gonna be getting a few hundred bucks back from those hineyholes.
All I really need is a Word and Excel clone; I have Keynote to use in lieu of PowerPoint for creating talks and such.
Easy. Download OO and play around. Costs nothing. Support open source whereever possible!
"Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk." - Edward Weston "The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."-Hunter S.Thompson
does apple do leasing through their stores? i figure i need about $8k for the system (avec le 30" cinema) $1k for software
................and then there's the litle matter of tiffany's.
There is an EASY way to save a lot of money on your purchase. Become an apple developer, silver program. It will cost $500, but you get discount on hardware. I think its one computer how you want it, and a monitor.
Power Mac G5 Dual 2.5GHz
Part Number: Z0AC
56k V.92 modem
Accessory kit
8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
4GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 8x512
Apple Keyboard & Apple Mouse - U.S. English
Mac OS X - U.S. English
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT DDL w/256MB GDDR3 SDRAM
2x250GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
Dual 2.5GHz PowerPC G5
Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel) Part Number: M9179LL/A
I've used this program myself, and its a huge savings. Even better yet, talk to the smugmug team. They may have a discount that they will not use this year, and let you use it.
need word, excel, powerpoint. need photoshop prolly, becuase i can't find a whole case full of disks, and ps is one of my missing orig cds :cry wonder if adobe'll take my s/n and let me switch? doubt it....
I needed WORD, EXCEL and PP too, or so I thought. MS Office for the MAC is $399.
As you can see from Fish and my comments Open Office may suffice for Word and Excel.
Keynote is Apple's version of Power Point and if you have ever seen a talk created with Keynote, it just blows PowerPoint presentations into the weeds in terms of appearance and Professionalism. I was at a presentation last fall and was astounded at what can be done with Keynote. It was very apparent tht the talk had not been created in PowerPoint but a much more sophisticated program. And Keynote is some of that famous expensive Apple only software - $99 installed with your MAC.
I don't really think Adobe wants your Windows XP PS discs back - PS in Windows land has to connect to Adobe because of the activtion codes so they can just turn that off. But you should check with Adobe's support to verify that as I could be wrong.
No activation codes for Photoshop OR OS X on the MAC. Just make a dupe on an external drive and your backup hard drive is ready to rock. Plan on spending $500 for a 500Gb LaCie Firewire 800 external drive - whether you go with MAC or stay in the windoz world. ( You may have to pay extra for a Windoz box with Firewire 800 tho...) As a Pro you need a PRO back up hard drive and that is the LaCie 500GB external Firewire 800/USB2.0
Wow - That sounds suspiciously like mine - altho I went the cheap route and got the smaller 23 in display and the lesser video card than required by the 30 incher. One caveat is that the 2.5 Ghz is water cooled and no one really knows how this will work over the long haul - buy the Apple protection plan for three years.
When I purchased a 2nd Mac for my spouse ( yes it is expensive being married but this is better than trying to figure out why her windoz box is acting up I assure you - time IS money !) I decided to buy the 2 Ghz box and save 500 bucks and water cooling. The 2 Ghz is air cooled and this may be more conservative. Who knows.....
*important question*
can my sony and apple exist on the same lan at home. and can they share the same broadband connection as i do now with a router etc...
can my sony and apple exist on the same lan at home. and can they share the same broadband connection as i do now with a router etc...
Absolutely - No problemo. I transferred all the image files from my XP box to my mac via my LAN I had over 100GB - be quite a bit to transfer by sneaker net.
My wife and my son used XP laptops via the wireless access to my Lincsys router which also connects to my DSL line. Both Macs are hardwired to the router. You will find that the web access seems faster with Safari or Firefox on the MAC than in XP - at least that has a consistent experience of mine.
The Mac will sniff out the Sony and if you have authorized file sharing in windows will connect seamlessly ( at least mine did. ) Macs are better at finding Windows machines than Vice Versa I suspect!!
I still use my XP laptops because they are paid for and they seem to work - the screens are a poor second to a PB but they are OK for now and the connect wirelessly to my net also. Maybe when they introduce a G5 Power book I'll opt for that.
One other thing about OS X - If you can program in Unix, there is a console on the mac that will give you the full power of UNIX. Macs can also run Linux if you would want to. Lots of options. I like options
Absolutely - No problemo. I transferred all the image files from my XP box to my mac via my LAN I had over 100GB - be quite a bit to transfer by sneaker net.
My wife and my son used XP laptops via the wireless access to my Lincsys router which also connects to my DSL line. Both Macs are hardwired to the router. You will find that the web access seems faster with Safari or Firefox on the MAC than in XP - at least that has a consistent experience of mine.
The Mac will sniff out the Sony and if you have authorized file sharing in windows will connect seamlessly ( at least mine did. ) Macs are better at finding Windows machines than Vice Versa I suspect!!
Looks good. But be clear what you're going for. The dual 2.5 IS bleeding edge. Liquid cooled and all that. And the dual 2 isn't far behind it, speed-wise, and would save you $500. It's a decision only you can make. But as far as your shopping cart--no glaring problems. You can save money by getting the dual 2, and you can also save by installing the RAM yourself. All those decisions are about what it's worth to you. I install my own RAM. It's just too damn easy, and if it's going to go bad, it'll usually do it during the warranty period on it, anyway.
I will put in a vote for applecare. Ask lynnsesite about her experience--they really took care of her. Especially for the laptop and the liquid cooled G5. The laptop because it doesn't just sit at a desk, and the liquid cooled because it's newer technology.
You don't have a peecee hiding in a shopping cart somewhere, do you?
Hi Fish!! Have you used Open Office? I am just reluctant to add MS Office and return to being an unpaid Micrososft repairman. I prefer being like the Maytag repairman - never getting called!! Looking forward to Tiger also.
All I really need is a Word and Excel clone; I have Keynote to use in lieu of PowerPoint for creating talks and such.
I try and use OO at work. Most of the time, it's ok. But if you get an excel
spreadsheet with pivot tables or other complex stuff, you're SOL. Same with
Word documents.
In general, creating documents using OO is never a problem for me. It's when
someone sends me an office document. If I get complaints, I always follow up
with "works for me"
Ian
Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
Wow - That sounds suspiciously like mine - altho I went the cheap route and got the smaller 23 in display and the lesser video card than required by the 30 incher. One caveat is that the 2.5 Ghz is water cooled and no one really knows how this will work over the long haul - buy the Apple protection plan for three years.
It was explained to me that the liquid cooling is new for a desktop, but the technology has been used in servers. Anyone know if that is true and if it is a safe (time tested) technology?
It was explained to me that the liquid cooling is new for a desktop, but the technology has been used in servers. Anyone know if that is true and if it is a safe (time tested) technology?
The gamers have used liquid cooling as well as Peltier cooling for quite a while. I just think this is a first for Apple. Time will tell. That's why I bought Applecare though
It was explained to me that the liquid cooling is new for a desktop, but the technology has been used in servers. Anyone know if that is true and if it is a safe (time tested) technology?
Decades old technology at least 2 maybe 3 or even 4. The h/w coverage is good for a year even without Applecare and it is a bit overpriced for insurance
Charles Richmond IT & Security Consultant
Operating System Design, Drivers, Software
Villa Del Rio II, Talamban, Pit-os, Cebu, Ph
Decades old technology at least 2 maybe 3 or even 4. The h/w coverage is good for a year even without Applecare and it is a bit overpriced for insurance
All true, but it is a new model, new to Apple, and should be cause for concern.
You can wait and get Applecare anytime during the year, but just don't do what my friend did, forget and try to get it 10 days late. No go.
It may be a bit overpriced for insurance, but I'll tell you, people I know who've used it have been so happy they had it.
Even me, my powerbrick went out. Got a new one. Sure it's only $50 or so, but I've still got time to go on my contract, and I'm glad I have it.
Lastly, the way Andy's specing out his computer, it's obvious to me that he's more concerned with simple. He's not looking (yet) to buy his memory third party, or his drives--it's custom built by Apple, not the cheapest way to go, but no headaches. Seems like Applecare is a piece of that puzzle that makes sense.
All true, but it is a new model, new to Apple, and should be cause for concern.
You can wait and get Applecare anytime during the year, but just don't do what my friend did, forget and try to get it 10 days late. No go.
It may be a bit overpriced for insurance, but I'll tell you, people I know who've used it have been so happy they had it.
Even me, my powerbrick went out. Got a new one. Sure it's only $50 or so, but I've still got time to go on my contract, and I'm glad I have it.
Lastly, the way Andy's specing out his computer, it's obvious to me that he's more concerned with simple. He's not looking (yet) to buy his memory third party, or his drives--it's custom built by Apple, not the cheapest way to go, but no headaches. Seems like Applecare is a piece of that puzzle that makes sense.
actually, i was pricing ram at crucial.com - can save about $500 by adding it myself
finger hovering over "purchase" button though not committed yet.
Comments
sniff, sniff....
dkapp, our little boy's all grown up!
Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."-Hunter S.Thompson
thanks for the prodding though! i'm still
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Whatever you decide - you've been a good sport with our kvetching
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
does apple do leasing through their stores? i figure i need about $8k for the system (avec le 30" cinema) $1k for software
................and then there's the litle matter of tiffany's.
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This is a proud moment in my life. I'm going to have to print this off and hang it on the fridge
http://www.lifekapptured.com (gallery)
I am not certain about leasing - If you are a teacher or a student - and they seem pretty liberal about their interpretation of this - they will discount the hardware - not a lot maybe 5%
Are you really stuck on the 30 in monitor?? - you can save $1700 by going with the 23 incher instead of the 30. If you decide later the 23 incher is too small, you could always add a 2nd 23 incher or even a 17 in LCD for Photoshop palettes and brushes which is what I did on my previous Windows box.
PS is just about the only commercial software I have purchased for my MAC. I have toyed with MS Office but I may just opt for the free Open Office.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Hi DAD!!
Let it never be said that I am a slow learner!!
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Attaboy, pathy!
"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."-Hunter S.Thompson
I don't think they lease anymore, but they offer credit through their stores, here. I would think you could get preapproved online and buy it in person.
yes, i'm stuck on the 30 incher -- in for a penny, in for a pound. have you ever seen me do anything halfway
that is, *if* i choose mac
i'm still waffling over the whole pc by day, mac by night thang
'course, i could solve that by getting a mac-top and then i'll have it all
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
All I really need is a Word and Excel clone; I have Keynote to use in lieu of PowerPoint for creating talks and such.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
And btw, screw Maytag and their repairman. I've had major problems with my Neptune washer and drier. There's a class-action suit now and I'm gonna be getting a few hundred bucks back from those hineyholes.
Easy. Download OO and play around. Costs nothing. Support open source whereever possible!
"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."-Hunter S.Thompson
There is an EASY way to save a lot of money on your purchase. Become an apple developer, silver program. It will cost $500, but you get discount on hardware. I think its one computer how you want it, and a monitor.
Here is some quick pricing. You can look for yourself online:
http://store.apple.com/AppleStore/WebObjects/ADC?qprm=38839
DP 2.5Ghz base model -> $2999 without discount
DP 2.5Ghz base model -> $2399 with discount
Say you bump the ram, video card & HD, that is all at a discount too.
30" display -> $3299 without discount
30" display -> $2969 with discount
Remember the system you had first put together for $8123? The exact same config w/ developer discount is $6908!
I've used this program myself, and its a huge savings. Even better yet, talk to the smugmug team. They may have a discount that they will not use this year, and let you use it.
Let me know if you need more info.
Dave
http://www.lifekapptured.com (gallery)
whaddya think?
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I needed WORD, EXCEL and PP too, or so I thought. MS Office for the MAC is $399.
As you can see from Fish and my comments Open Office may suffice for Word and Excel.
Keynote is Apple's version of Power Point and if you have ever seen a talk created with Keynote, it just blows PowerPoint presentations into the weeds in terms of appearance and Professionalism. I was at a presentation last fall and was astounded at what can be done with Keynote. It was very apparent tht the talk had not been created in PowerPoint but a much more sophisticated program. And Keynote is some of that famous expensive Apple only software - $99 installed with your MAC.
I don't really think Adobe wants your Windows XP PS discs back - PS in Windows land has to connect to Adobe because of the activtion codes so they can just turn that off. But you should check with Adobe's support to verify that as I could be wrong.
No activation codes for Photoshop OR OS X on the MAC. Just make a dupe on an external drive and your backup hard drive is ready to rock. Plan on spending $500 for a 500Gb LaCie Firewire 800 external drive - whether you go with MAC or stay in the windoz world. ( You may have to pay extra for a Windoz box with Firewire 800 tho...)
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Wow - That sounds suspiciously like mine - altho I went the cheap route and got the smaller 23 in display and the lesser video card than required by the 30 incher. One caveat is that the 2.5 Ghz is water cooled and no one really knows how this will work over the long haul - buy the Apple protection plan for three years.
When I purchased a 2nd Mac for my spouse ( yes it is expensive being married but this is better than trying to figure out why her windoz box is acting up I assure you - time IS money !) I decided to buy the 2 Ghz box and save 500 bucks and water cooling. The 2 Ghz is air cooled and this may be more conservative. Who knows.....
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
can my sony and apple exist on the same lan at home. and can they share the same broadband connection as i do now with a router etc...
Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
Absolutely - No problemo. I transferred all the image files from my XP box to my mac via my LAN I had over 100GB - be quite a bit to transfer by sneaker net.
My wife and my son used XP laptops via the wireless access to my Lincsys router which also connects to my DSL line. Both Macs are hardwired to the router. You will find that the web access seems faster with Safari or Firefox on the MAC than in XP - at least that has a consistent experience of mine.
The Mac will sniff out the Sony and if you have authorized file sharing in windows will connect seamlessly ( at least mine did. ) Macs are better at finding Windows machines than Vice Versa I suspect!!
I still use my XP laptops because they are paid for and they seem to work - the screens are a poor second to a PB but they are OK for now and the connect wirelessly to my net also. Maybe when they introduce a G5 Power book I'll opt for that.
One other thing about OS X - If you can program in Unix, there is a console on the mac that will give you the full power of UNIX. Macs can also run Linux if you would want to. Lots of options. I like options
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
thanks pf - you are a big help.
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thanks dave - i'm checking about the discount thingie right now.
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Looks good. But be clear what you're going for. The dual 2.5 IS bleeding edge. Liquid cooled and all that. And the dual 2 isn't far behind it, speed-wise, and would save you $500. It's a decision only you can make. But as far as your shopping cart--no glaring problems. You can save money by getting the dual 2, and you can also save by installing the RAM yourself. All those decisions are about what it's worth to you. I install my own RAM. It's just too damn easy, and if it's going to go bad, it'll usually do it during the warranty period on it, anyway.
I will put in a vote for applecare. Ask lynnsesite about her experience--they really took care of her. Especially for the laptop and the liquid cooled G5. The laptop because it doesn't just sit at a desk, and the liquid cooled because it's newer technology.
You don't have a peecee hiding in a shopping cart somewhere, do you?
Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
spreadsheet with pivot tables or other complex stuff, you're SOL. Same with
Word documents.
In general, creating documents using OO is never a problem for me. It's when
someone sends me an office document. If I get complaints, I always follow up
with "works for me"
Ian
It was explained to me that the liquid cooling is new for a desktop, but the technology has been used in servers. Anyone know if that is true and if it is a safe (time tested) technology?
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Operating System Design, Drivers, Software
Villa Del Rio II, Talamban, Pit-os, Cebu, Ph
All true, but it is a new model, new to Apple, and should be cause for concern.
You can wait and get Applecare anytime during the year, but just don't do what my friend did, forget and try to get it 10 days late. No go.
It may be a bit overpriced for insurance, but I'll tell you, people I know who've used it have been so happy they had it.
Even me, my powerbrick went out. Got a new one. Sure it's only $50 or so, but I've still got time to go on my contract, and I'm glad I have it.
Lastly, the way Andy's specing out his computer, it's obvious to me that he's more concerned with simple. He's not looking (yet) to buy his memory third party, or his drives--it's custom built by Apple, not the cheapest way to go, but no headaches. Seems like Applecare is a piece of that puzzle that makes sense.
Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
actually, i was pricing ram at crucial.com - can save about $500 by adding it myself
finger hovering over "purchase" button though not committed yet.
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Good call. Save another $500 by getting the dual 2ghz, and you're on your way to Tiffany's!
Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops