A couple of disclaimers: I'm new here (though I have been reading posts every so often), and I'm not here to stir any feathers. If this thread belongs more in the "Windows, Linux, and Other OS" forum, certainly, mods, feel free to move it there. I'm also accustomed to forum regulations, so while I didn't do a specific search for everything on here, I do feel that I've read the bulk of the general answers to my questions elsewhere (such as the "50 reasons to get a Mac" article).
That being said... I do have a few questions remaining about going to a Mac. I'm a mechanical engineering student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and have used Windows machines since 1998, really. Between 1995 and 1998, I used Mac, back when it was running a fantastically crash-prone OS (don't remember which builds... but I wasn't impressed). Moving over to Windows made me like Windows a lot more, mainly because it was far more stable. Now, I'm running my four Dell Precision M60 (bought in January of 2005 with a 2.0 GHz Dothan, 1 GB RAM, and 128 MB nvidia Quadro Fx1000. It's also got the 7200 RPM, 80 GB HD, and in general, I love it. I prefer a stripped-down OS that's compatible with my engineering programs -- mostly Pro/Engineer and Matlab -- and this three year-old machine continues to do a good job with both. This paragraph, in a nutshell, means that I'm relatively good with Windows -- I know how to adjust it, how to fix it, and how to find things (grabbing a Youtube video from the cache, for instance, or tweaking the registry for a faster shutdown). I'm also familiar with the UI.
That being said, my best friend introduced me to his MBP a year ago. At first, I was hesitant to embrace it, but I've since become more attracted to Macs. My lingering question is three-fold: whether to get a Penryn or wait for the Montevina platform; whether the price increase over a comparable Dell is justified; and what advantages Leopard will bring to me, someone who barely uses any features in Windows. I'd appreciate any suggestions you have on this -- particularly the last point. I'll elaborate some more for those of you interested...
1) I don't NEED performance after this semester. I'll be starting grad school in the fall, but I'm fine enough with going to a computer lab to use Pro/E or Matlab if need be (and I can also dual-boot). The main reason I'd want to wait for Montevina is for more USB ports, better battery life, and whatever fun gizmos Apple throws on there. However, the single reason I'm attracted to the [2.4 GHz] Penryn is that the 2.4 GHz Penryn is now $1999 ($1799 with education discount). I can justify this; the $2800 (after tax) 2.4GHz Merom is simply too expensive. If Apple doesn't continue to offer the $1999 price point, a Mac is absolutely no in my near future. A corresponding performance upgrade will therefore be appreciated only if the $1999 price point continues to exist. Again, I'm not looking for performance.
2) Dells have more USB ports and I'm familiar with Windows. This justifies a Dell purchase for me. The XPS 1530 has the same graphics card [256 MB version] as the MBP [256 MB version], and the Precision line continues to offer the workstation-class Quadro graphics cards. Though I won't necessarily need the Quadro, I know that I can get a comparable Precision [to a MBP] for roughly $1,900 after taxes (compared to $2138 for the MBP after taxes) when Dell has its discounts, and the 1530 can be had for around $1,500 when there's a discount (my neighbor has one).
3) The big question is Leopard vs. XP. Like I said, I don't need fancy features; I want functionality. While the glistening Leopard OS does indeed look great, I'd rather have a processor not be stressed 15% of the time than for the native OS processes to consume 15% just to open folders and be fancy in doing so. I also have a fairly long list of applications that might or might not work in Leopard (see below) in addition to other compatability questions:
a) What archiving program do you recommend? I have a bunch of .7z files (akin to .zip or .rar files) on my current machine... i can download certain .7z programs for mac, but i dunno how stable/good they are.
b) I know Macs are supposed to be more secure (due either to their architecture or because there's fewer people with Macs...), but what anti-virus and firewall do you recommend?
c) I run a program called CCleaner -- is a similar application necessary for Macs?
d) Would I need specia codec packs to run, say, DivX? (I use "Cole 2K media" on my current machine)
e) Does Mac come with its own CD-burning program? (I'm using Easy CD creator)
f) I use Foxit Reader to open pdfs. I know Preview does it, but are there any advantages to using Preview? I can annotate in Foxit and love it because it's insanely light and fast.
g) I take a lot of photos and want to start using Google Photos to display them (rather than Facebook). Does iPhoto interface with Google? Or would I still need Picasa?
And I think that's it. I apologize for this hugely-long message. If there are two specific questions I have, they'd be:
1) Given my performance needs and desires, is it worth it to wait for Montevina?
2) Given my familiarity with Windows and my desire to have as streamline an OS as possible, is there any reason for me to switch OS?
That being said... I do have a few questions remaining about going to a Mac. I'm a mechanical engineering student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and have used Windows machines since 1998, really. Between 1995 and 1998, I used Mac, back when it was running a fantastically crash-prone OS (don't remember which builds... but I wasn't impressed). Moving over to Windows made me like Windows a lot more, mainly because it was far more stable. Now, I'm running my four Dell Precision M60 (bought in January of 2005 with a 2.0 GHz Dothan, 1 GB RAM, and 128 MB nvidia Quadro Fx1000. It's also got the 7200 RPM, 80 GB HD, and in general, I love it. I prefer a stripped-down OS that's compatible with my engineering programs -- mostly Pro/Engineer and Matlab -- and this three year-old machine continues to do a good job with both. This paragraph, in a nutshell, means that I'm relatively good with Windows -- I know how to adjust it, how to fix it, and how to find things (grabbing a Youtube video from the cache, for instance, or tweaking the registry for a faster shutdown). I'm also familiar with the UI.
That being said, my best friend introduced me to his MBP a year ago. At first, I was hesitant to embrace it, but I've since become more attracted to Macs. My lingering question is three-fold: whether to get a Penryn or wait for the Montevina platform; whether the price increase over a comparable Dell is justified; and what advantages Leopard will bring to me, someone who barely uses any features in Windows. I'd appreciate any suggestions you have on this -- particularly the last point. I'll elaborate some more for those of you interested...
1) I don't NEED performance after this semester. I'll be starting grad school in the fall, but I'm fine enough with going to a computer lab to use Pro/E or Matlab if need be (and I can also dual-boot). The main reason I'd want to wait for Montevina is for more USB ports, better battery life, and whatever fun gizmos Apple throws on there. However, the single reason I'm attracted to the [2.4 GHz] Penryn is that the 2.4 GHz Penryn is now $1999 ($1799 with education discount). I can justify this; the $2800 (after tax) 2.4GHz Merom is simply too expensive. If Apple doesn't continue to offer the $1999 price point, a Mac is absolutely no in my near future. A corresponding performance upgrade will therefore be appreciated only if the $1999 price point continues to exist. Again, I'm not looking for performance.
2) Dells have more USB ports and I'm familiar with Windows. This justifies a Dell purchase for me. The XPS 1530 has the same graphics card [256 MB version] as the MBP [256 MB version], and the Precision line continues to offer the workstation-class Quadro graphics cards. Though I won't necessarily need the Quadro, I know that I can get a comparable Precision [to a MBP] for roughly $1,900 after taxes (compared to $2138 for the MBP after taxes) when Dell has its discounts, and the 1530 can be had for around $1,500 when there's a discount (my neighbor has one).
3) The big question is Leopard vs. XP. Like I said, I don't need fancy features; I want functionality. While the glistening Leopard OS does indeed look great, I'd rather have a processor not be stressed 15% of the time than for the native OS processes to consume 15% just to open folders and be fancy in doing so. I also have a fairly long list of applications that might or might not work in Leopard (see below) in addition to other compatability questions:
a) What archiving program do you recommend? I have a bunch of .7z files (akin to .zip or .rar files) on my current machine... i can download certain .7z programs for mac, but i dunno how stable/good they are.
b) I know Macs are supposed to be more secure (due either to their architecture or because there's fewer people with Macs...), but what anti-virus and firewall do you recommend?
c) I run a program called CCleaner -- is a similar application necessary for Macs?
d) Would I need specia codec packs to run, say, DivX? (I use "Cole 2K media" on my current machine)
e) Does Mac come with its own CD-burning program? (I'm using Easy CD creator)
f) I use Foxit Reader to open pdfs. I know Preview does it, but are there any advantages to using Preview? I can annotate in Foxit and love it because it's insanely light and fast.
g) I take a lot of photos and want to start using Google Photos to display them (rather than Facebook). Does iPhoto interface with Google? Or would I still need Picasa?
And I think that's it. I apologize for this hugely-long message. If there are two specific questions I have, they'd be:
1) Given my performance needs and desires, is it worth it to wait for Montevina?
2) Given my familiarity with Windows and my desire to have as streamline an OS as possible, is there any reason for me to switch OS?
