Which Mac?

[The Lone Wolf† 0]

That's what I thought a server was...anyways no, this will only be a home computer that will carry out basic functions such as email, web browsing, a few games (Mostly if not all browser based), and writing up stuff for school.

 

The only real reason I wanted Mac or Linux OS is because of my utter hatred of Windows XP. I kinda had it in my mind that nothing Microsoft related could be better (The reason I use PS3 over Xbox for a game console). However after hearing that Windows 7 is decent from y'all, I may just give that a go before looking into other OS. It's not like I can't come back in a few months and say "Hey, I want a different OS" right?

 

I do like the sound of the VM though.

 

As a side note, you've tempted me to try and get iTunes to work smoothly on a Linux just for the accomplishment

 

I'm thinking I'll ride over to BestBuy and see if they don't have a Lenovo on display I could look at :cool:

[Flechmen 0]

  'foxbunny said:

Bootcamp isn't a virtual machine or emulator. It's a set of device drivers. You boot into windows only' date=' and its on a NTFS partition.

The macbook pro is still recognized as among the best WINDOWS laptops available.

You can get virtual mac software or parallels, but you're better off running native.

[/quote']

 

Hmm, what I saw of bootcamp seemed like a VM, like running Windows Vista in a window that could be minimized and stuff. I know Parallels is made by VMWare and is supposed to be the really awesome VM solution for it.

 

 

  'The Lone Wolf said:

The only real reason I wanted Mac or Linux OS is because of my utter hatred of Windows XP. I kinda had it in my mind that nothing Microsoft related could be better (The reason I use PS3 over Xbox for a game console). However after hearing that Windows 7 is decent from y'all' date=' I may just give that a go before looking into other OS. It's not like I can't come back in a few months and say "Hey, I want a different OS" right?

 

I do like the sound of the VM though.

 

As a side note, you've tempted me to try and get iTunes to work smoothly on a Linux just for the accomplishment

 

I'm thinking I'll ride over to BestBuy and see if they don't have a Lenovo on display I could look at :cool:[/color']

 

BestBuy should have a few Lenovo machines. Check out the ThinkPads (IdeaPads are the more consumerish line) as well. They should have some Macs too, if not you can visit a Mac store.

But, yeah, Windows 7 is a completely different beast than XP. IMO, its a lot nicer and my laptop seems to run faster under 64 bit 7 than it did under 32 bit XP.

[Flechmen 0]

/me nods

Good to know then. I was under the impression you could install Windows directly onto the hardware and set it up much like dual booting Linux.

[Carson Coyote† 0]

I know I'm late to the party, but I'll add my two cents anyway.

 

My first computer was a HP Pavilion dv6000 series laptop. It was nice at first, but quickly went downhill until it burned itself out after 2 years. I now tell everyone I know to stay away from HP/Compaq at all costs.

 

I'm currently using a Toshiba Satellite L655D. It's a pretty nice laptop, especially when you consider that it only cost me $399 dollars! (my HP cost $725) I think Toshiba makes semi-decent laptops, but I'm not sure if they are on the same level as Lenovo, ASUS, and MSI.

 

My Toshiba came with Windows7, which I use most of the time. When I'm not using Windows, I run Ubuntu Linux from my HP's hard drive, which is now in an external hard drive enclosure. Having Windows and Linux separated like this prevents myself from accidentally messing up either of the OS's.

 

Hmm, I've also had good experiences using AMD processors and ATI GPU's. Both of my laptops have AMD processors, but my HP had a nVidia GPU, which actually was the main cause of that computer's death. :/

Both of my sister's laptops have AMD processors, and my family's main PC has an AMD, and all three seem to work quite well. My family's old PC has an Intel, and it just seems like it doesn't even try anymore.

 

Anyway, I guess I didn't really help you that much.:blush:

[The Lone Wolf† 0]

It's always good to have extra opinions

 

@flechmen

 

You say Intel is garbage. The Lenovo uses AMD, and when presenting it to my dad "He's a mechanical engineer and works on control panels for nuclear power plants if I understand correctly so he knows a little) he was surprised at it using AMD but couldn't tell me which was better and said to do research.

 

So, I am bringing my questions once again to you flechmen to ask what makes Intel so crummy, and to ask if AMD is what I want. If so, why?

 

Unless you only meant for graphics and that Intel processors are still good...and if THAT is the case, is AMD any less then Intel?

[Flechmen 0]

I only meant the graphics cards. Intel makes their own graphics cards for lower end on-board video. It's absolutely horrid. Like, marginally good enough to watch a youtube video on full screen.

Intel processors are fine.

 

The AMD vs. Intel debate has gone on for a long time. AMD systems do seem to be more stable from what I've seen and gamers and programers swear by them.

Not to mention, AMD setups are typically cheaper than Intel, even when the end product is of higher quality.

 

The machines you and I picked out are both more than sufficient for your needs, they just happen to use AMD processors. I was sorting by price and the one I found came up on the cheaper end of the scale, without going into the barebones setups. I was looking for things that didn't have crummy video adapters either, and ATi makes rather good graphics cards.

I guess the fact that its an AMD is a plus. The AMD systems I've had and seen have been quite good.

[The Lone Wolf† 0]

Excellent! Thank you SO much, you have no idea the load you have taken off my shoulders. I was really not looking forward to having to shell out $1500 for what I thought was a good computer

 

I think I just might go with one of those two Lenovos

[Flechmen 0]

I'd still encourage you to go down to BestBuy and check stuff out. In the end tho, I think the Lenovos we found were both pretty ok deals.

When you do get your comptuer, you might want to check out VMWare Player. Its a free Virtual Machine software. I use Virtualbox myself because it offers more control.

You can install Linux and probably get Mac OS with a bit of work to run under either.

[The Lone Wolf† 0]

I went to BestBuy and they had several Lenovos on display, and I must say all were quite nice. However the ones there were Intel i3 Processors and if I understood correctly, the ones we found online had better processors in general.

 

I noticed none of them seemed to have wireless internet capabilities, which, while not 100% essential, would be very nice to have. I believe that involves buying a certain chip for the back of the computer, but does that involve upgrading my power supply as well? Any advice on what to get for wireless access?

 

EDIT: Wait I think I missed suppin. Is the LAN Chipset what I want for wireless? It says that's integrated.

[The Lone Wolf† 0]

I know I want wireless cause to not have wireless means I'll have to drill a few holes in our walls... I'm just wondering if either of the computers me and flechmen were looking at come ready to access wireless internet, or if I have to be an extra part for that...and if I have to buy something, what am I looking for?

[Flechmen 0]

Yeah, having wireless integrated or not shouldn't be a deciding factor. Wireless cards are very cheap. Usually around like, $10.

A LAN chipset will usually mean a wired card built in. Basically all computers these days will have that.

A PC can use any generic one. D-Link and TrendNet make fine cards (I would lean towards a TrendNet), don't let a sales person talk you into an expensive Linksys card (they don't work very well anyway). But, yeah, you can find a PCI one which is internal or a USB one which will be external on Newegg for cheap.

 

i3's are newer than Athalons and are more comparable to Phenom processors (also newer than Athalon).

But, the Intel i* is very expensive, and the i3 is the lower end of the spectrum for sure. If you were going for an Intel processor, I'd say a minimum of an i5.

 

But, AMD Athalon is a good processor. I would go so far as to say its superior to the i3. Simply because the i3 is like a Celeron. Cheap and crummy. I think all of the Core series (going back to the Core 2s) is based on the Pentium 3 design (because Pentium 4 is... garbage... Intel knows this).

[The Lone Wolf† 0]

Okie doke. And finally (Lol who am I kidding, it's not finally. I never stop talking ), Is there a differance between the graphics card and a video card or are they the same thing? My dad made a note that the Lenovo has an analog video card and that if I wanted a higher video quality I would need to upgrade that... so, is the video card separate from the graphics card or were we using different words for the same part?

[Flechmen 0]

Different names for the same thing.

It takes data from the processor, turns it into video.

 

Analog just means it only has a VGA out. Which, is totally fine for everything you're doing with it. It's older tech, but it still supports HD resolutions.

Digital would be DVI or HDMI output, which is the newer deal and it can support higher resolutions and arguably lower response times on LCD monitors. Again, VGA (Analog) is totally ok for what you're doing, I use it for everything because I can never find DVI cables.