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phansford
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 550
Location: SW Ohio
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 Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 1:11 pm Post subject: Slight OT - PC and Mac Mini or iMac |
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Just ordered PC 8....... drooling has begun in earnest. I am upgrading from PC 6 on my one and only Intel Macbook Pro.
However - EGSW informed me that I will not be able to save back to PC 6 - only to PC 7. Understandable.
Now I am thinking about upgrading one of the other Macs (see signature). Being I want to keep cost under control - I am wondering about using a Mac Mini or an iMac.
SO....... is anyone is running PC 8 (or even 6 or 7) on a Mac Mini or an iMac. Any thoughts - concerns.
EGSW stated they did not know if anyone was running PC 8 on a Mac Mini. They also stated they since they really did not rely on the graphics card at this point.... they did not think it should be a problem.
Obviously - I will take PC 8 once it arrives and head to the local Apple reseller for a test drive..... but that may not tell me the whole story.
Thanks in advance.
_________________
MacBook Pro (2.4 Core Duo/667 MB RAM/256 Vram)
OS X - 10.5.1
Powerbook G4 (800 Mhz/768 MB RAM)
G4 Power PC (Dual 864 Mhz/768 MB RAM)
OS X - 10.3.9
PowerCadd 6.2.1 |
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MikeCharek
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 160
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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I stopped in the new Boston Apple Store last Saturday. One of the sales guys said the new iMacs were pretty powerful machines, something that one might consider rather than one of the towers. Recent MacWorld reportage is in agreement.
We didn't discuss the mini.
The store was pretty cool. A 3-story cube with a glass spiral stair in the center, and an all-glass facade. |
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CJH
Joined: 24 Apr 2004
Posts: 322
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 8:10 pm Post subject: |
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Running PC8 on a Macbook Pro 2.2 with 2Gb ram is just great from a speed and program response standpoint. If PC is not using the graphics card heavily, I would think it would run well on a 2Ghz Mini. There was a noticeable difference when I upgraded the memory from 1 to 2 Gb.
I have a 1.5Ghz G4 mini which while slow, is such a sweet little machine I use it for most e-mail, web browsing and word processing. It's tucked away in a cabinet with no noise or heat. I'm thinking of getting an Intel mini just to have drawings which are currently in construction open on it so that I can quickly respond when contractors call, so if you get one let us know how it is. |
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raleighross
Joined: 12 Aug 2004
Posts: 359
Location: Raleigh, NC
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 3:04 am Post subject: |
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The current 24" iMac can be upgraded to the same video card(s) as the MacPro.
We're looking at switching to future purchases being these iMacs as this will save us $700 or so plus give us a free display.
The downside as we see them are:
1. You will have a 2 year old machine with a great display and maybe feels slow. We'll just have to get over it as the initial saving outweigh the issues of selling off what seems to be a valid machine after 2 or 3 years.
2. 4GB of ram max just now. Which is fine at this point in time for our uses but may be an issue in the future.
At this time we do enough things which do use the graphics cards to make this a very attractive way to go. We've been wanting a MacPro with room for only 1 CDDVD, 1 HD, 1 Ethernet, a dual head graphics card, etc... Sort of 1/2 way between a Mac Mini and a Mac Pro. The new iMac somewhat give us this as the display port can be used for a 2nd display and all CAD users have dual 20" or larger displays.
Anyway we'll be setting up one of these and see how it performs.
David |
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phansford
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 550
Location: SW Ohio
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 4:58 am Post subject: |
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The other option is to go with a refurbished Mac Pro - which is how I purchased the MacBook Pro.
Over the years I bet 50% of my machines were "bad box", refurbs, or returned rentals. Only one machine died - an fruity iMac my son used consistently for well past its expected life. Otherwise - I upgrade hardware before ever having a problem. Plus you can purchase Applecare on these machines.
Then again - I like saving money. 
_________________
MacBook Pro (2.4 Core Duo/667 MB RAM/256 Vram)
OS X - 10.5.1
Powerbook G4 (800 Mhz/768 MB RAM)
G4 Power PC (Dual 864 Mhz/768 MB RAM)
OS X - 10.3.9
PowerCadd 6.2.1 |
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Alfred Scott
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 640
Location: Richmond, VA
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 6:18 am Post subject: |
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I've always bought the 'tower' machines, PowerMac and Mac Pro. We have an aging PowerMac G4 that my assistant uses and we're in the process of replacing it with a 24" iMac. I now only buy equipment from the Apple Refurb department of the Apple Store. Now is a good time to buy iMacs because Apple has just announced a new line and is dumping the old ones. Price is 30% off.
And if an old machine still has value, then I think it makes more sense to sell it on eBay than to keep it around. I got a great price on my G5 PowerMac selling it this way, and I think I'll do the same with the PowerMac G4. It runs Leopard and the only limitation is that it doesn't run some of Apple's latest software, notably Aperture, iMovie and Final Cut Express.
We got the iMac for about $1500 and if we get $500 for the PowerMac, then that's a sensible thing to do.
I can't say enough good things about GarageSale for selling on eBay.
Alfred |
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phansford
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 550
Location: SW Ohio
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 7:37 am Post subject: |
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Alfred - if you are using iMacs than I have to think they have the power to run PC and the typical office stuff (Word, Safari, Mail, and of course iTunes). I typically have all those programs open at the same time.
I seem to squeeze the life out of my machines fairly well. The G4 are 5 yrs old and still ticking just fine......
The need for new hardware is being driven by PC 8.
My old machines typically get traded in for new or I hand them down to my boys or my 76 yr. old mother who likes to email and IM with the grandkids..... one who is in the Air Force and stationed overseas.
_________________
MacBook Pro (2.4 Core Duo/667 MB RAM/256 Vram)
OS X - 10.5.1
Powerbook G4 (800 Mhz/768 MB RAM)
G4 Power PC (Dual 864 Mhz/768 MB RAM)
OS X - 10.3.9
PowerCadd 6.2.1 |
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Jeffrey Jakucyk
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 102
Location: Cincinnati, OH
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 7:56 am Post subject: |
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We've been using iMacs in our office since the days of the "desk lamp" G4's. They're perfectly capable standard workstations, and today's Intel iMacs give more bang for the buck compared to other models than in previous years. They can run circles around my G5 tower, and except in well multithreaded programs (which are still few and far between), they're just as fast as a Mac Pro. We have just one tower for the really heavy-hitting Photoshop and Aperture work, but the iMacs are fine for everyone else.
I wouldn't consider a Mini unless I had a nice screen already, and the person using it really only needed normal day-to-day functionality like e-mail, MS Office, etc. In our office, even the receptionist uses Photoshop a lot (mostly for scanning), so a Mini still wouldn't be a great choice.
The one thing I'd do is make sure the glossy screen of an iMac won't be a problem for you. While I see the benefits of the glossy screen, making it a non-negotiable standard is a really boneheaded move on Apple's part. |
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raleighross
Joined: 12 Aug 2004
Posts: 359
Location: Raleigh, NC
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 9:29 am Post subject: |
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| Jeffrey Jakucyk wrote: | | The one thing I'd do is make sure the glossy screen of an iMac won't be a problem for you. While I see the benefits of the glossy screen, making it a non-negotiable standard is a really boneheaded move on Apple's part. |
Yes. This is a big deal in many settings. If your workspace has a lot of bright light spots behind you or just a lot of high contrast zones, an iMac with a glossy display may not be an option.
David |
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Alfred Scott
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 640
Location: Richmond, VA
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 9:59 am Post subject: |
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Just to be clear, I use a Mac Pro. The iMac is for my assistant who doesn't use PowerCADD.
But everything I know is that the iMacs run PC8 just fine.
Alfred |
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raleighross
Joined: 12 Aug 2004
Posts: 359
Location: Raleigh, NC
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 5:15 am Post subject: |
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| Alfred Scott wrote: | Just to be clear, I use a Mac Pro. The iMac is for my assistant who doesn't use PowerCADD.
But everything I know is that the iMacs run PC8 just fine.
Alfred |
I'm a big advocate of the refurb line also. But if you have applications which could use the new graphics card, well it seems from some benchmarks that a new machine with this upgrade still costs about 1/3 less than a Mac Pro and give about the same performance. The 4 gig memory limit, glossy screen, and 6x3 18bit color depth are the key concerns for some.
David |
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arch_steve_9
Joined: 22 Feb 2008
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:15 pm Post subject: |
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Jeff:
Is your office running 8 yet, or are you still using 7 with your iMacs?
Thanks! |
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Jeffrey Jakucyk
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 102
Location: Cincinnati, OH
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| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| No, we aren't on 8 yet, in fact we're still on 6. |
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CJH
Joined: 24 Apr 2004
Posts: 322
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| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:54 pm Post subject: |
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I just finished setting up a Mac Mini Intel 1.83-often I get calls from contractors while I'm working on other projects, then have to find and open the project file the contractor is calling about. The Mini will have these 'under construction' files open so that I can quickly wake it from sleep to view the files. I put it and my main desktop on a IOGear DVI switch so that the same monitor is used for the main desktop and the mini.
The mini appears to be a really good platform for running PC8-in fact it is much faster than PC7 on my G5 dual 2.7. It only came with 1 Gb of ram which maxes out with about 5 files open, so I'm going to be upgrading to 4Gb soon. Seems almost indistinguishable in performance from the MacBook Pro/2.2 Ghz that I do most of my PC8 work on. |
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phansford
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 550
Location: SW Ohio
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| Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 8:22 am Post subject: |
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As an update to my own question.... I am looking at a 24" iMAC with the vid card having 512 of memory...... this is recommended by Sketchup. The Macbook Pro is slow on redraw or animation when there are complex objects like trees.
Should have the second intel machine in a week or so and then I'll be buying that second seat of PC 8.
_________________
MacBook Pro (2.4 Core Duo/667 MB RAM/256 Vram)
OS X - 10.5.1
Powerbook G4 (800 Mhz/768 MB RAM)
G4 Power PC (Dual 864 Mhz/768 MB RAM)
OS X - 10.3.9
PowerCadd 6.2.1 |
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