XP machine near death, now considering Apple iMac

2gumby2 · « **Reply #20 on:** 3 Apr 2014, 04:16 pm »

I forgot to mention that there are no Apple stores anywhere near where I live so if I go iMac, I'll probably purchase from the Apple Store on-line.

Doublej · « **Reply #21 on:** 3 Apr 2014, 06:02 pm »

For what you want to do with it, you need only spend $300-$400 ($150 if you want to buy a refurbished Dell) for something like this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-3000-series-desktop-4gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive/2999138.p?id=1219085625387&skuId=2999138#tab=specifications

I have a both a PC and an iMac (given to me by a friend). Last night I was using the iMac and was getting frustrated at the cursor lag in Firefox. I'kk have to figure out why it is happening.

I like the PC better but I like that fact that the Mac doesn't get viruses. Th Mac keyboard I have sucks but I replaced it with an old IBM keyboard and PC mouse with a scroll wheel. It made a big difference in usability of the Mac for me.

Neither is a bad choice.

Windows 8.1 is not so bad but if you have any frustration with it you can install Classic Shell freeware which makes your Windows 8 machine look more like a Windows 7 or XP desktop.

2gumby2 · « **Reply #22 on:** 4 Apr 2014, 11:23 am »

I was speaking with a salesman at the local electronics store telling him of my interest in buying a new computer. He introduced me to one of their computer repairmen that builds PCs in his off hours. I told him what I am looking for and he is working up a labor estimate for a custom build. He will provide me with a parts list for me to purchase on my own and he will then build the computer. I'll see what he comes up with. He provided me with references so that I can check the quality of his work from some of his other customers. This might be a good route.

srb · « **Reply #23 on:** 4 Apr 2014, 12:57 pm »

Not sure I understand "working up a labor estimate"? The labor for assembly of parts into a case is pretty much the same. Yes, I might spend an extra two or three minutes plugging in a discrete video or network card beyond having or using those components integrated into the motherboard, but the main variability of cost in a custom PC is in the cost of the selected components.

I've built a number of PCs over the years and though I always got the exact selection of parts I wanted, if I used brand name parts the cost always ended up being more than an off the shelf manufactured PC.

Steve

Scotlynn · « **Reply #24 on:** 4 Apr 2014, 01:21 pm »

I work for an organization that uses a mac-based system and they provide me with a new macbook pro every two years - just got the latest 15 inch retina in january. But for home computing I've always relied on a PC-based system. I know I'm likely in the minority, and maybe I've just had bad luck with my macbooks, but I find PC's to be a much better experience and would never buy a mac for home use. I find the PC's I've owned to be better operating, more expandable and easier to use. I find many mac programs (mail, calendar, preview) to be so much worse than those I use on my PCs (I know I could download and use them on my mac except for company policy, but I still don't like these mac programs at all.)

The important part of your decision, I think, is your planned use of the computer for word processing and web browsing. If that's your use, you don't need any powerhouse processor, or high speed graphics card. I just replaced my 6 year old Dell by going to the local Staples last week and finding a clearance HP on display that had 4 gb of RAM and a 500 gb hard drive. It cost me $171. I bought another 4 gb of ram, plugged it into the motherboard and hooked up my 3TB external hard drive and I figure I'm set for another 5 years. If I get motivated, I can always grab a better video card in a month and plug it in myself, but don't see any need atm.

My advice would be to save yourself some money and buy more music!

macrojack · « **Reply #25 on:** 4 Apr 2014, 01:26 pm »

Quote from: 2gumby2 on 4 Apr 2014, 11:23 am

I was speaking with a salesman at the local electronics store telling him of my interest in buying a new computer. He introduced me to one of their computer repairmen that builds PCs in his off hours. I told him what I am looking for and he is working up a labor estimate for a custom build. He will provide me with a parts list for me to purchase on my own and he will then build the computer. I'll see what he comes up with. He provided me with references so that I can check the quality of his work from some of his other customers. This might be a good route.

If you do this, you will have fallen a long way off the Apple cart. Just imagine getting the same offer from a random tech concerning the build of speakers or an amplifier. These companies buy parts for a tiny fraction of what Mr. Workbench is going to pay. There's no way in hell he can provide a comparable value. Then there's the question of whether he even knows what he is talking about ............ and how about your warranty? How will that be enforced?

I prefer Apple myself but I would urge you to buy Dell before considering this computer store option. I bought my son an all out gaming machine some years ago under similar circumstances. It was nice for awhile but soon started having problems with overheating and shutdowns. Subsequent repairs never fixed the problem and ultimately my man went out of biz and took a tech job at the hospital. We ate that computer and got him an HP, the only non-Apple in our extended family.

Of course, it's your money but you are asking for advice and experience. Don't present yourself to well meaning victimizers.

Don_S · « **Reply #26 on:** 4 Apr 2014, 03:07 pm »

Quote from: 2gumby2 on 3 Apr 2014, 04:16 pm

I forgot to mention that there are no Apple stores anywhere near where I live so if I go iMac, I'll probably purchase from the Apple Store on-line.

Not even a Best Buy with an Apple sales area inside? There is a full Apple store in my local mall and across the shared parking lot is a Best Buy with Apple products sold by Apple-trained associates.

I have always had great luck and longevity from my HP desktops and my only laptop. I have never needed any repairs. They just keep chugging until they get too outdated as software gets more demanding. Or, for instance, my W98 machine could not handle the upgrade to DSL and now XP is no longer supported. But now computers have advanced so far (chip power and RAM cost) that one purchased today is not likely to get outdated for quite a while. I bought my last HP from HP directly. That way I could get it configured the way I wanted but there are always deals available on custom or pre-built computers both from HP online and office stores. Do you ever get the Sunday newspaper ads?

For what you use a computer for an inexpensive HP would be more than adequate. HP is also working on improving their support program and bringing a lot of tech support back to the United States. Yes, they took some flack for poor service and now they are trying to turn that around.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

spudco · « **Reply #27 on:** 4 Apr 2014, 03:39 pm »

For what it's worth, I just finished helping a friend make a decision to purchase an imac, airport extreme and appletv. He is very excited.

Don_S · « **Reply #28 on:** 4 Apr 2014, 03:53 pm »

I forgot to mention that, due to popular demand, HP has "reintroduced" W7 desktops.

They are available at the HP online store.

geowak · « **Reply #29 on:** 4 Apr 2014, 04:31 pm »

Im a Mac guy for many reasons, mostly I find them easier to use. Keep in mind that by buying a Mac, you are buying the possibility to HAVE BOTH PC and MAC. It is very easy to load both Windows and OSX on the hard drive and use your computer as MAC operating system/ environment and all it's apps or PC's operating system environment and all is apps. The downside is the startup procedures for either one, and on the PC side you open yourself up to many, many more viruses while on the internet. MAC gets them sometimes, they show up as an Icon on the desktop that you throw in the trash.

I had a Macbook Pro loaded with OSX and MS7 for years with no problem at all. It ran just fine. I was in the Army and loaded the aluminum laptop in my rucksack flat against my back. Between my body armor and the MBP, I had a little more ballistic protection from small arms fire that could come from my rear. Another benefit of MACs!!

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #30 on:** 4 Apr 2014, 07:53 pm »

Quote from: srb on 4 Apr 2014, 12:57 pm

Not sure I understand "working up a labor estimate"? The labor for assembly of parts into a case is pretty much the same. Yes, I might spend an extra two or three minutes plugging in a discrete video or network card beyond having or using those components integrated into the motherboard, but the main variability of cost in a custom PC is in the cost of the selected components.

I've built a number of PCs over the years and though I always got the exact selection of parts I wanted, if I used brand name parts the cost always ended up being more than an off the shelf manufactured PC.

Steve

In my country is always the contrary, the cost mount a PC with new parts is between 30-40% less than a Dell.

So you have a idea from how much they profit here...

2gumby2 · « **Reply #31 on:** 5 Apr 2014, 12:40 pm »

Quote from: srb on 4 Apr 2014, 12:57 pm

Not sure I understand "working up a labor estimate"? The labor for assembly of parts into a case is pretty much the same. Yes, I might spend an extra two or three minutes plugging in a discrete video or network card beyond having or using those components integrated into the motherboard, but the main variability of cost in a custom PC is in the cost of the selected components.

I've built a number of PCs over the years and though I always got the exact selection of parts I wanted, if I used brand name parts the cost always ended up being more than an off the shelf manufactured PC.

Steve

I'll do the math once I get the estimate and then compare it to what I can get commercially. I've also considered the fact that there will be no warranty which is certainly a consideration. I did check with some of the folks that he did work for from his reference list and all were very happy with his work and the results they got from his recommendations. I'll also give HP a closer look as I'd heard about their poor customer service in the past. Still leaning toward PC though. Fear of change and the fact that I'm already familiar with windows is leading me in that direction. I do value the advice I'm getting here.

Phil A · « **Reply #32 on:** 5 Apr 2014, 01:14 pm »

I have an old (Dell) XP Machine in the bedroom which is still running fine, however with the XP support going away I'll be doing something. I have an old Mac G5 Tower next to it which is running fine and I rotate old machines. The PC in the office is Windows 7 Pro. Have an old laptop (gets used every couple of years with a colorimeter) with Vista too. I have a hard drive with almost all of the files on the XP machine backed up. After the XP, I used the Mac and then the Windows 7 machine (my music server has Windows 8 ) as the main PC. Once I get set up more (just moved not long ago), I'll likely be using the Mac again more to surf the web and do something with the XP (perhaps linux). Here's one recent thought on the issue - http://www.zdnet.com/why-linux-mint-is-a-worthwhile-windows-xp-replacement-7000027858/

Doublej · « **Reply #33 on:** 5 Apr 2014, 02:06 pm »

Linux Mint is interesting but I could never figure out how to install a printer. Good luck finding Linux device drivers for all of your toys that you plug into your computer. Does my Dragonfly work on Linux? Ditto on the millions of special applications that have been written for Windows.

Perhaps the end of XP and Microsoft's stupidity will lead to a large surge of Linux improvements and applications but for now 99.99999% of the population will be much better off spending $200 to get a new machine with Windows 7 or 8 on it. You'll get a blazing fast machine with much improved graphics capability, support for a million devices and applications and you'll be able to print!

Windows 8 is fine once you realize it's actually two "operating systems" installed on one machine. There's the traditional desktop in which applications work like Windows XP/7 and then the surface applications which behave like an Apple or Android tablet.

For example many people don't realize that your Windows 8 machine come with two different Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers, both called IE. The desktop IE runs flash whereas the surface one does not. Go figure.

With Windows 8 make sure you are running the latest version i.e. Windows 8.1. If you are still frustrated install Classic Shell which is free. If you are still frustrated get a Mac and be frustrated in a different way or be happy and never look back.

Whatever you buy use a credit card that doubles the warranty. Desktops parts failures are rare after initial burn in but disk drives do die on a regular basis. A free second year warranty is nice to have.

And back up your data as a practice. I know too many folks that have ignored BACKUP until after their hard drive crashed or their kids downloaded the latest and greatest malware onto their machine rendering it useless.

HT cOz · « **Reply #34 on:** 5 Apr 2014, 02:48 pm »

I'm a build my own computer guy for the last 20 years. So I just bought a decked out IMac

Intel i7 huge hard drive, graphics upgrade. Top of the line. Why,,, I'm done with MS, Windows 8 is an abomination. What the heck, I upgrade to it and my family no longer knows how to use the computer. It literally gets infected with something called Adbull in the first week and I spend hours trying to get it removed. I'm not an idiot and I know how to use a computer but this malware was horrible. I have young kids and trying to fix a computer for hours is not something that I want to waste my time doing.

So I bought the Mac installed Parallels and a fresh copy of Windows 7 64bit. The hardware is nice and you can have your cake and eat it to. Need to learn a new OS, get stuck, no problem Windows 7 is a click away.

Microsoft you keep messing with core products... Upgrade to Excel 2007, and wow everything is different. Learn it and get really good at it, ok I like it, then upgrade to Excel 2010 and now we are back to the old style 2003 layout. What is wrong with you Microsoft. Lets make our PC look like tablet,,, Why I'm at my desk for reason, I have a tablet and I've chosen to sit down at a computer. I want Desktop Bling, not an 8bit looking OS... Don't even get me started on Xbox, of which I've owned every version.

I'm by no means a Mac Fanboy but MS drove me to their ecosystem and products. I hope the new CEO can turn this around.

Phil A · « **Reply #35 on:** 5 Apr 2014, 03:02 pm »

Quote from: Doublej on 5 Apr 2014, 02:06 pm

Linux Mint is interesting but I could never figure out how to install a printer. Good luck finding Linux device drivers for all of your toys that you plug into your computer. Does my Dragonfly work on Linux? Ditto on the millions of special applications that have been written for Windows.

Perhaps the end of XP and Microsoft's stupidity will lead to a large surge of Linux improvements and applications but for now 99.99999% of the population will be much better off spending $200 to get a new machine with Windows 7 or 8 on it. You'll get a blazing fast machine with much improved graphics capability, support for a million devices and applications and you'll be able to print!

In my case I'm fortunate that the Mac G5 Tower (which is a secondary machine) is right next to the XP machine so I really don't need to print. The XP Machine works fine, otherwise I'd just scrap it. I did that do a Windows 98 machine that was still running (but not all that great) right before my move several months back. If the XP machine went in my case it would be fine as I have most of the files (and none are all that essential) on a hard drive), I'd destroy the hard drive (like I did on the Windows 98 machine) and recycle it. I'd like to play with Linux as my laptop is Vista and I just use it for the colorimeter basically (have an iPad mini for the music server or if I want to take it somewhere) and I'd expect that Vista support is not all that far behind XP with lack of support. I'd use the XP machine as a learning experience more than anything.

2gumby2 · « **Reply #36 on:** 19 Apr 2014, 12:30 pm »

The computer repairman that offered to build a computer for me wanted to charge me $150 in labor for the build. I declined and ended up ordering a custom build from Mythlogic in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Their warranty was the best I that I found and included lifetime tech support which I found value in. Thanks for all the great input and recommendations.

bladesmith · « **Reply #37 on:** 19 Apr 2014, 03:29 pm »

Get the most powerful mac you can afford and make life simple for yourself. It's worth the money. I fooled around with MS for decades, not going back to windows OS, ever. IMHO.

mca · « **Reply #38 on:** 27 May 2014, 09:58 pm »

I am in the same boat as the OP. My home computer runs XP and I am looking to replace it. I have not been impressed with any of the Windows machines I have looked at locally. I have been very tempted to try a Mac Mini but have the following concerns:

I run Logitech Media Server which streams about 3tb of flac files to to my Logitech Touch. I can't figure out if a Mac can run Media Server or if it can even handle flac files?

I use Exact Audio Copy to rip and make flac files and know it's not available for the Mac, if I can run flac files, what program do people use?

JohnR · « **Reply #39 on:** 28 May 2014, 12:33 am »

Quote from: mca on 27 May 2014, 09:58 pm

I run Logitech Media Server which streams about 3tb of flac files to to my Logitech Touch. I can't figure out if a Mac can run Media Server or if it can even handle flac files?

I don't have any experience with LMS but there is a download for a mac version: http://www.mysqueezebox.com/download

Quote

I use Exact Audio Copy to rip and make flac files and know it's not available for the Mac, if I can run flac files, what program do people use?

I'm using XLD for ripping, and Audirvana Plus or JRiver for playback.

Just thinking you may get more info on FLAC on Mac if you started a separate thread about it.