Well, graduation is coming up (June 20th), and I have to pick what computer I should get for a present. I want a Mac for various reasons (I don’t have a Mac, less viruses, better bundled apps, etc.), and my limit is around $2500. Here are my choices:
A Pumped Mac Mini With a Monitor. I can afford a very good Mac Mini and the 23″ cinema display.
Pros
- Very small.
- I get a bigger screen (I have a 21″ CRT)
- It’s Intel (can run Boot Camp).
Cons
- Not very fast (1.66ghz).
- No video card (can’t play Uru).
A 15.4″ 2.16ghz MacBook Pro. I can afford this model, and a laptop would be great. The screen size doesn’t really bother me, I can live with a 15″ screen.
Pros
- It’s a laptop! Portable!
- Powerful. 2.16ghz is one of the most powerful Macs.
- Intel!
- Great graphics card. Radeon X1600 with 256mb memory.
Cons
- Overheats quickly (like, really hot).
The iMac 20″ Top-Notch. For less money than a MacBook Pro, I could get a top-of-the-line iMac. Wireless peripherals, 20″ screen, Intel dual core 2ghz, 500gb hard drive, Radeon x1600 with 256mb memory, 2gb ram…All good.
Pros
- It has basically top-notch everything.
Cons
- I really don’t like the design of the new iMac. The whole all-in-one screen thing just bugs me.
Oddly, while writing this post I pretty much decided on the iMac. Still, any opinions/advice on which one to get would be appreciated.(I am getting a Mac, any Mac-bashing comments will be deleted)
I have a MacBook Pro for work and an older PPC mini. I have a hard time buying an Apple monitor when I got a 24″ Dell LCD with many more inputs for $800.
If you have any inkling for a laptop by all means get the MacBook. It has some quirks but I think the heat issue is fixed in the latest hw revisions, but you might know that better than me since you are looking at them now.
The iMac is really cool since it will easily be used for a long time in the future even just as a DVD player plus it is a great monitor and computer in a great package.
I think you are right it is really between the iMac and the MacBook. The MacBook is a quirky but great thing…
If you’re choosing between these, I’d get the MacBook Pro.
But for you, since you use computers so much, you should get the G5 if your parents are letting you spend that much money. Because THAT is a great superpowered computer that would play any game you wanted…and it edits videos and stuff really well. I used it in the store once. It’s amazing. Or you should get the MacBook plain, because it’s very new, it comes in black, and you could get a laptop AND a desktop then with that money. Also it would be smaller and more portable. Unless it can’t be as powerful. Then I take that back ;-).
By the way I have a wordpress now. I think it will make a link when I comment. but if it doesn’t, mine is http://gobacktohighschool.wordpress.com/
[…] while (like, may last year), I posted What Mac? In which I discussed all my options for buying my next computer (sorry all the images are […]