Computer Questions

OK, with my sit down at home job, I need a good computer for the voice over work, and now map design.

The guys in the UK recommend a "Alienware", and one of my friends suggeted this: Apple-iMac 3.06 w/21.5 display

Product Features
Intel® Core™2 Duo processor
With 1066MHz frontside bus, 3MB shared L2 cache and 3.06GHz processor speed.
4GB DDR3 SDRAM
For multitasking power, expandable to 16GB.
Slot-loading DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive with double-layer support
Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media.
21.5" LED-backlit TFT-LCD widescreen display with up to 1920 x 1080 resolution
Features wide 178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles, 320 cd/m² brightness and IPS technology.
500GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 rpm)
Provides plenty of storage for all of your data with fast read/write speeds.
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
With 256MB DDR3 SDRAM shared video memory for impressive images. Mini DisplayPort output. Supports DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI connections via optional adapter (not included).
1 FireWire port (800 Mbps) and 4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
Along with built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) for quick and simple connection of digital peripherals.
Built-in iSight webcam and built-in microphone
For video chatting and Web conferencing.
Built-in stereo speakers with two 17W digital amplifiers
For crisp, clear sound.
Built-in high-speed AirPort Extreme wireless LAN card (802.11a/b/g/n)
Allows you to connect to the Web without cables. Built-in 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector.
Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating system preinstalled
Provides a stable platform for word processing, Web navigation, gaming, media storage and more.
Software package included
With iLife '09 (iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand), iTunes, iChat, Front Row, Photo Booth, Time Machine and more.
Apple, iMac, AirPort, FireWire, QuickTime, iTunes and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. MacBook, SuperDrive and iLife are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
Intel, Pentium, Celeron, Centrino, Core, Intel Inside and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

This iMac has the ability to partitian HD into a Mac OS and a Windows OS
So can run both OS's. Has more power and security than a PC and will run the graphics software I was sent better than a plain Windows PC.

Thoughts?

Alienware makes fantastic laptops, but they're very pricey. It's pretty much the top name brand for gaming laptops. You can probably get equivalent performance to any Alienware at less cost with other brands.

oldsoldier wrote: This iMac has the ability to partitian HD into a Mac OS and a Windows OS So can run both OS's. Has more power and security than a PC and will run the graphics software I was sent better than a plain Windows PC. Thoughts?

Is a Mac less vulnerable to computer spyware, viruses, and the like, if it is running a Windows OS?

As for the graphic software being better on a Mac than PC, that may have been true 15 years ago but that isnt the case today.

Edited by Hades - 30 October 2009 at 7:58pm

If your cool with Audacity or with pirating some other audio editing software, I would say just build your own, or have a service to do for you. You can make a better performing computer for alot less that a Mac or Alienware. Mac's only real upside are the free programs it comes with and that you don't need to spend HD space and memory on anti-virus programs.

Darur wrote: The Apple you listed is pretty disappointing in terms of performance.  The graphics card is crap and would be a major setback for any sort of serious graphics work. Are you looking for a laptop or a desktop?  What kind of programs will you need to be running?  What's you budget for this computer?

I have a 8600GT in my MBP and I've yet to have a single capability issue doing video, 3D, graphic design, etc.

If the program is like Photoshop, there is a high probability it doesn't make use of the video card at all.  Unless it's doing 3D rendering or animations, the likelihood of it utilizing the graphics card is low.

If you own a Mac, you won't need to buy any sort of anti-virus software, the OS X firewall is more than good enough to protect you from the small number of Mac viruses and such on the web.

Personally, I would recommend a PC.  Preferably build it yourself, but if you don't want to go that route, you can get a prebuilt.  I would not go with any of the gaming companies -- Alienware, Vigor, iBuyPower, etc.  They'll rip you off even more than the regular manufacturers.

Upgrading iMacs isn't a problem.  The only difference between an iMac on Intel architecture and a PC is that not all graphics cards are supported by OS X.  A wide enough range are that you shouldn't have problems upgrading, and it looks like we're headed towards someone cracking and releasing the code that all these "Mac Edition" video cards are running on, therefore allowing any graphics card to run in your Mac.

__sneaky__ wrote: Alienware is always the way to go if you can afford it, IMO.

Maybe if you also enjoy pissing on your money then lighting it on fire.

Suggest no macs either.

If you can, build it yourself.