Should I get a new G5 Mac?

[monolith94]

Expand on it? Ok.

The mac is a very user friendly computer. It has all the applications, all the devices you need in a computer. Communications, stability, creative content, etc. It's easy to network, easy to use... I play Max Payne on mine. OS X is oriented towards making your files easy to manage, with an excellent system of organization.

And a G5 would certainly be able to run any games released for the mac at all.

I'd reccomend going to the nearest apple store if you're serious about this and trying OS X out, and talking with the people who work there about your concerns.

[OzzyKP]

I'm too lazy to track down an apple store, thats why I'm asking you fine people.

[Asher]

I think you'd be better off getting a plastic couch or something.

[Nubclear]

Go with the standard.....No reasons to get a mac over a PC...

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Jack_www
I would say etheir buy a new PC or upgrade. A mac is not very good with games and PC is much faster then macs. I used to like macs a lot untill I started to use PC more and how much more games they have on a PC compared to a MAC. I am glad I have a PC instead of a MAC.

OK - he's being offered a G5, which is probably the fastest home computer you can currently buy. It's also a 64 bit system, which means that it will have a longer useful life than a 32 bit Intel.

If you like Photoshopping then there is no question about it: the G5 will unzip its trousers and piss all over any Windows based computer when it comes to that sort of thing. I did read somewhere that a guy was getting absolutely evil performance out of UT, but I haven't tried it myself.

Games: less games, but pretty much all the good ones.

Viruses: none, nada, zilch. There just aren't any Mac OS X viruses.

Spyware: none, nada, zilch. There just isn't any Mac OS X spyware AFAIK.

GUI: way better than MS's poorly designed and cheap looking interface.

Aesthetics: no contest.

Don't be a goof. If they want to buy you a G5, take it. If you want to keep your PC and upgrade it then save up the cash and do so. Why not have your cake and...

[Drake Tungsten]

Don't be a goof. If they want to buy you a G5, take it. If you want to keep your PC and upgrade it then save up the cash and do so. Why not have your cake and...

This makes a hell of a lot of sense. Suprising, coming from a philosopher.

[Q Classic]

If you like Photoshopping then there is no question about it: the G5 will unzip its trousers and piss all over any Windows based computer when it comes to that sort of thing. I did read somewhere that a guy was getting absolutely evil performance out of UT, but I haven't tried it myself.

adobe's shifted its emphasis to windows systems.
this isn't as true as it used to be~ the only things that mac is still king of, at least in terms of productions, is video, sound, and publications.

Games: less games, but pretty much all the good ones.

and some stinkers too. but also some great classics, like Exile.

Viruses: none, nada, zilch. There just aren't any Mac OS X viruses.

wrong. there are viruses. they're just not very common.

Spyware: none, nada, zilch. There just isn't any Mac OS X spyware AFAIK.

most spyware is ie-tied, which is why.

GUI: way better than MS's poorly designed and cheap looking interface.
Aesthetics: no contest.

this is up to taste. while i usually like apple's aesthetics, i've always hated the imacs: both the old ugly fruit ones, and the new ugly dome ones.
as for interface, that's up to taste. i like 'em all (kde, windows, mac), so.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Q Cubed

adobe's shifted its emphasis to windows systems.

For things like Premiere, because they couldn't compete with Final Cut Pro.

Other than that, they daren't slack off their Mac user base or someone else will just take all that money.

this isn't as true as it used to be~ the only things that mac is still king of, at least in terms of productions, is video, sound, and publications.

It's truer than ever since the G5 came out - there isn't a better desktop for photoshop performance.

wrong. there are viruses. they're just not very common.

I've never heard of an OS X virus. There are about 50 Classic Mac viruses, but no OS X ones I've found. And I've looked around.

this is up to taste.

Ease of use is not a matter of taste.

And I might add - no endless patching to avoid MS security flaws.

It's a wonderful world....

[Q Classic]

For things like Premiere, because they couldn't compete with Final Cut Pro.
Other than that, they daren't slack off their Mac user base or someone else will just take all that money.

they didn't stop development, and i never said they did.
but they're optimizing more for x86 now, rather than ppc.

It's truer than ever since the G5 came out - there isn't a better desktop for photoshop performance.

i'll wait to see the photoshop benchmarks before i judge.

I've never heard of an OS X virus. There are about 50 Classic Mac viruses, but no OS X ones I've found. And I've looked around.

virus writers want to go for the big game. which means windows. that's why windows has so many, and mac has so few: not as many people use osx.
now, to assume that because macs don't have viruses, it means that you don't have to invest in virex or similar software, that would be a great folly. i'm sure there are mac viruses out there: just because you haven't seen them doesn't mean they don't exist.

Ease of use is not a matter of taste.

i don't see why people have so much trouble with KDE or Windows. ease of use depends on what you grew up learning. i grew up learning windows 3.1, so win9x and nt interfaces pose no trouble. from that, i found k's interface hard to master initially, but now that i know how it works, it's simple and easy as pie. same with osx.
"ease of use" here is more illusory than anything.

And I might add - no endless patching to avoid MS security flaws.

like i said, microsoft's security flaws are there simply because it's most used and you have idiot users.
if mac os x were the most used os in the world, you can bet your ass that we'd be hearing of patches from mac every single week.

It's a wonderful world....

for the first time in a while, i can say that too.

[Skanky Burns]

I would say go pc - but then I am a gamer.
Being a gamer, a pc is the only way for me to go.

[OzzyKP]

I like the cake and eat it too idea.

But I'm gonna list off a few programs here that I use on a regular basis. Are there mac versions?

Trillian
Winamp
Word
Excel
Outlook
Adobe Photodeluxe
Winzip/WinRar
Callwave
Audiocatalyst (or other program to make MP3s from CDs)
Kazaa
Print Shop
Wordpad/Notepad
Adobe reader
AOL
IE
IRC/ICQ

Games:
Colonization
MOO1
Civ2
AoE2
UO
Baldur's Gate
Alpha Centuri
CtP
Doom2
X-Wing
NES and SNES Emulators

Hmm, I guess I don't use an extensive amount of programs. I suppose I could find replacements for all the non-game programs I use. My question though is whether files would be compatable from my current versions and a Mac version. I've got a lot of files that I don't want to loose, like Word docs, Excel sheets, MP3s, pictures, movies, especially logs from Trillian, ICQ and IRC.

But yea, I could have both, and it'd be much easier to save up $300 to upgrade my PC than $3000 to buy a Mac. Then I'd have a computer for my office, when I get an office that is.

[chequita guevara]

You could ask your folks to buy you a $3K pc instead. Heck, just ask them to buy yu the aprts. Go pick up a copy of PC Gamer or Computer Gaming World and build yourself a dream machine.

All your Office files would be readable by MS Office for Mac, btw.

[Q Classic]

Trillian -no, but ichat is roughly equivalent.
Winamp -no, but macamp and itunes can do that job.
Word -yes. part of ms office v.x
Excel -yes. see above.
Outlook -yes, but it's called entourage instead.
Adobe Photodeluxe -yes.
Winzip/WinRar -no. use stuffit expander instead.
Callwave -don't know what this is.
Audiocatalyst (or other program to make MP3s from CDs) -itunes.
Kazaa -no. there are several filesharing programs, but i don't know their names.
Print Shop -not sure what this is.
Wordpad/Notepad -yes, but named different.
Adobe reader -yes.
AOL -yes.
IE -yes.
IRC/ICQ -yes.

the only game i know for certain is smac. there is a mac version. some of the older ones might run of virtual pc, though, especially if they don't use directx.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Agathon
Ease of use is not a matter of taste.

Then surely when 95% of people prefer the Windows interface, that should end the discussion right there.

[Q Classic]

Then surely when 95% of people prefer the Windows interface, that should end the discussion right there.

i don't know if its a case of "prefer" based on tastes; it's probably a preference derived from what they learned and what's most common.

and ease of use... sit a windows user in front of a mac. it'll be a while before s/he figures it out.
sit a mac use in front of xp. it'll be a while before s/he figures it out.
both of them will figure it out without any trouble, unless they're complete idiots/tech morons, in which case they shouldn't be allowed to open attachments in email. ever.