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Thread ID: 29966	2003-02-07 06:58:00	Advise	Millsie (3111)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
119027	2003-02-07 06:58:00	I presently own a iMac which is starting to play up (like all computers do I suppose) I have had a quote to have it over-hauled, but being an Apple, its going to cost near on an arm and a leg. I am thinking along the lines of replacing it with a PC, but have no idea really what I should go for. I mainly use the computer for email / games / photographic work and the download of mp3s. My reasoning of switching to a PC is because of the much wider range of programs for the Windows type computer Can someone give me some advise as to what I should go for and what it would pay me to steer clear of - brand wise. My budget is around $3000 and I do not need scanner or printer. Regards Millsie p/s: I live in Dunedin	Millsie (3111)
119028	2003-02-07 07:13:00	Hi Millsie, Welcome to F1 :) Basically I would suggest that you steer clear of a name brand computer ie HP/Compaq and the like. The main reason I suggest that is if you are wanting to do image manipulation you would most likely need a high end Graphics card which name brands don't often have. The main hassle with looking at non brand machines is who to get the computer from! Perhaps The PC Company (http://www.thepccompany.co.nz) does machines with high end graphics ?:| They do at least do package deals which appears to be what you are after. Another supplier is of course Dell (http://www.dell.co.nz) who's site definitely gives you the ability to select a package that will meet your needs. Be aware that both of these companies have had a few people that haven't had a good deal, but so often you are more likely to hear bad news than good ;)	Gorela (901)
119029	2003-02-07 07:30:00	I've found nothing wrong with my Hp for everyday computing (pics included), which cost only $2000 and had a scanner and printer with it. So I think you could get a decent one for $3000 without the extras, even if you had to buy a graphics card to go in it! Having said that I have noticed that some people building their own can get a better (cheaper) deal, if your up to it... I would think, 1300mhz chip or more, 256Mb ram or more Xp home or pro and listen to it running to get an idea of how much noise it makes, fan wise! and maybe some one else will fill in the gaps...?	Trev0 (1995)
119030	2003-02-07 07:44:00	$3000 should get you a beast....have a look around at your local PC shops to see what they can do for you...but make sure they service the computers they sell themselves, because you don't want to be without your PC for days/weeks while they send your computer away to be fixed.	promethius (1998)
119031	2003-02-07 08:03:00	Hi Millsie An iMac is not all that old and there is no good reason for an "overhaul" to cost an arm and a leg. Macs are no different to PCs in that respect, in that they need to have their desktop "rebuilt" and have the detritus left over from years of use cleared out. In PC language, this is deleting redundant and temp files, clearing out temporary internet files and defragmenting the hard drive. Sometimes it is necessary to reformat the whole hard drive and reinstall the operating system (the Mac OS) and programs. It is difficult to say what might be wrong with your computer without more information, but unless you have loaded all sorts of programs over the years it proably needs no more than a freshen up of the hard drive contents. Post some details of the problems you are experiencing and one of the MAC experts here might be able to offer advice. Personally, I'd get a second or third opinion on your machine before you decide that its useful life is over. Not that I wouldn't want to see another Mac user come over to PCs of course, but you shouldn't set out to spend $3000-odd unless there is very good reason to dump your iMac. If it was coping with your work up until now, it could probably do so for a year or two yet. Cheers Billy 8-{) :D	Billy T (70)
119032	2003-02-07 08:34:00	Billy T has made some good points, what exactly is the Mac doing or not doing. If you are into photography you would probably miss using the iPhoto iMovie software as there is no equivalent the in the PC world that is as good or as easy to use as these programs and Macs come with the specs to run them.	Jim B (153)
119033	2003-02-07 08:50:00	The main problem with the iMac is its lacking in what they call grunt. Whenever I have more than a couple of things open, it just runs slow. It has 64mb of memory and will cost to have this increased. There are heaps of things I would like to have. Incredimail (for the wifey) there is also the lack of voice messaging (I use Yahoo) spartan p2p download sites - has anyone compared Limewire to WinMX or Kazaa. There are lots of other things that aren't available with Apple, which are available with Windows. I intend to hang onto the iMac as I have a few proigrams that I still would like to be able to use, but have decided on a PC as I am envious of some of the things that are available to Windows users. Millsie p/s: I have cunningly told Mrs Millsie that she can be in charge of the iMac when the PC arrives	Millsie (3111)
119034	2003-02-08 00:53:00	Hi again Millsie That makes more sense now, but memory is cheap and I seem to recall seeing a post in the recent PF1 thread about Mac hard drives that said normal PC memory was OK . Once again, for their limited market share it probably wouldn't be economic to manufacture special memory just for Macs . By all means go and buy a PC, but investigate memory options and get the HDD tidied up before letting the iMac loose on Mrs Millsie or she might want to play on your new PC instead . The slowdown may simply be HDD clutter as I mentioned in my earlier post . The first option is to rebuild the desktop and I think you do this by restarting the computer while holding down the Command and Options keys, then selecting that option from the on-screen menu . This only takes a few minutes to run but could take a little longer if it hasn't been done for long time . It is the most common cause of MAC slowdown over time . Investigate your memory options carefully . A lot of Mac specialists seem to price their services on Mac mystique rather than the realities of compatible hardware prices . A company that services Macs and PCs might be more likely to offer reasonable pricing . Phone calls are cheap . Cheers Billy 8-{) :D	Billy T (70)
119035	2003-02-08 05:04:00	Thankyou everyone for your excellent informative replies. You have given me food for thought. Especially in regards to the "mystique" comment. Thankyou again	Millsie (3111)
119036	2003-02-08 05:16:00	You can get 128Mb of memory for less than $100 Don't forget the Virtual Memory option in Control Panels/Memory It should be turned on as programs use less memory this way, and also if you are running short increase the Virtual Memory here and this will allow you to have more programs open at once, although it is better to install more actual Ram virtual memory is very effective. Also remember OS 8 to 9 does not allocate memory automatically to programs and you may need to increase this for any program by selecting the program application icon with the program closed and going to File/Get info and increasing the preferred size for the program	Jim B (153)
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