Macbook Pro?

Dual-booting also just as easy with a Hackintosh?

Keith, good point, though with how i use laptops, i don't think it would matter a whole lot. Our bargain basement Compaq has held up great.

But the Hackintosh as a desktop is certainly intriguing. There's things i've wanted to get into that are very Mac friendly (graphic stuffs), but if i build a desktop, i'm going to want to be able to game, and have something that can handle all the programs that SWMBO might want to use. Sounds like a Hackintosh desktop would be awesome.

Woody wrote: Every time I need a new computer, I tell myself I'm going to get a Mac, but then after a price check, I just get another PC. It's that time again. Aside from the buy-in expense, is there any reason *not* to buy a Mac?

The reason not to buy Mac is if you work with software that isn't available with Mac (aka CAD, MathCAD, etc).

scardeal wrote: Once, for grins and giggles, I joined an OS X machine to active directory. This was 4-5 years ago. At the time, it was one of the few OS X things that wasn't really for the faint of heart. I'm not sure how well it plays with AD now.

Nowadays they play well together. It even allows "single sign on" by passing your Kerberos credential around, so You can map drives, access folders, access (in our case internal) websites without having to retype your password.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Dual-booting also just as easy with a Hackintosh? Keith, good point, though with how i use laptops, i don't think it would matter a whole lot. Our bargain basement Compaq has held up great. But the Hackintosh as a desktop is certainly intriguing. There's things i've wanted to get into that are very Mac friendly (graphic stuffs), but if i build a desktop, i'm going to want to be able to game, and have something that can handle all the programs that SWMBO might want to use. Sounds like a Hackintosh desktop would be awesome.

Google "Hackintosh builds". there are complete New Egg Purchase lists that work first time "out of the box"

For E36 M3s and giggles, Dell use to make a complete laptop that was built with 100% Apple compliant hardware, not sure if they do anymore.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: What's the difference between a Mac and a Hackintosh running same specs besides price?

You are your own support. It does not come with the OS installed so a bit more of a hassle to get it installed initially. You need to follow some instructions, that is pretty much it.

sometimes, the hackintosh system is just a little bit faster. Part of the MacOS is a check that it is really an apple computer, it looks for a very specific chip on the mainboard. The hackintosh OS takes that piece out of the OS, so it never spends any time checking to see if it is an authentic apple motherboard and you pick up a few clock cycles there. Of course if you ar running an i5 hackintosh and try to compare that to an i7 authentic Mac it will not be as fast, so be sure to compare apples to apples. (lol, get it?)

Moved to Macs almost 5 years ago, haven't looked back.

EricM wrote: sometimes, the hackintosh system is just a little bit faster. Part of the MacOS is a check that it is really an apple computer, it looks for a very specific chip on the mainboard. The hackintosh OS takes that piece out of the OS, so it never spends any time checking to see if it is an authentic apple motherboard and you pick up a few clock cycles there. Of course if you ar running an i5 hackintosh and try to compare that to an i7 authentic Mac it will not be as fast, so be sure to compare apples to apples. (lol, get it?)

Well, the extra performance in my case comes from not needing to compare apples to Apple. Saw what you did there, pole vaulted off it :)

The part I like is that I do not have to constrain myself to what they offer in their box - I just have to make sure there is a kext/support or driver code to compile for my hardware choices available. My motherboard has more cache, faster bus speed and 2 6g/s array controllers. The i7 is the same but I over-clocked it in the bios and added cooling. Because I could. Best of both worlds... slick OS with an affordable, easy to alter platform. Obviously not for everybody - but in this crowd of tinkerers I'm surprised more folks haven't chimed in with their own hackintosh specs yet.

As far as prices on macs go -- yes, they're expensive models, but when compared "apples-to-apples", so to speak, most of them don't really cost all that much more than other brand-name PCs. Pick a mac laptop or iMac, then go to Dell's or HP's web site and look for a same-spec device and compare prices, they're usually within $100 of each other.

The reason the macs look expensive is because Apple only offers a very limited range of capabilities, and in particular they aren't interested in selling low-end devices.

The Mac Pro is the one glaring exception to this -- the pricing on that is just stupid. That's also true of their DRAM upgrades, it's invariably much much cheaper to buy that aftermarket and install it yourself (I like crucial.com for this).

One other thing on the question of value, most people don't think about resale value on computers, but the lack of "low end" machines combined with the "chic" appeal that Macs have to many people means that there is a pretty strong market for used Macs. A 3-year-old used PC is practically worthless, whereas a 3-year-old Mac will sell on CraigsList for 30-40% of its original price.

Agreed, there aren't any bargain basement machines in the lineup.

Can you find a PC laptop that's built like a Pro? Sure, you can find similar specs. But something as solid as the Pro is pretty tough to uncover. That's one stiff chassis. It was the hardware that sold me on it.

From a gearhead geek point of view, one of the cool things about a Macbook Pro is it "is machined from a single piece of aluminum, an engineering breakthrough that replaced many parts with just one. It’s called the unibody."

If they were in the automotive aftermarket industry they would probably call it billet.

This is the guide I used to build my Hackintosh. I upgraded at a few points, but I'm real happy. It builds your magazines, so you probably are, too.

I would not recommend it for someone who's not comfortable doing some level of troubleshooting with Macs and computers in general. The upside is you can build something better than Apple ever intended for less money. The downside is there's no one on the other end of the phone should you need them.

jg

93EXCivic wrote:

Woody wrote: Every time I need a new computer, I tell myself I'm going to get a Mac, but then after a price check, I just get another PC. It's that time again. Aside from the buy-in expense, is there any reason *not* to buy a Mac?

The reason not to buy Mac is if you work with software that isn't available with Mac (aka CAD, MathCAD, etc).

I don't work with software that isn't available on Macs. I work with E36 M3 that's on fire. That actually makes my work life relatively straightforward.

Woody wrote:

93EXCivic wrote:

Woody wrote: Every time I need a new computer, I tell myself I'm going to get a Mac, but then after a price check, I just get another PC. It's that time again. Aside from the buy-in expense, is there any reason *not* to buy a Mac?

The reason not to buy Mac is if you work with software that isn't available with Mac (aka CAD, MathCAD, etc).

I don't work with software that isn't available on Macs. I work with E36 M3 that's on fire. That actually makes my work life relatively straightforward.

Woody's work flowchart:
Is it on fire?

Yes: keep working
No: stop working

My primary development machine from my last job and that I use at home is a 17" MacBook Pro. I do my Linux and Windows development in VMs that run just as fast as dedicated systems. My old Dell Latitude powerhouse laptop was not as fast as Windows running in a virtual on my Mac.

The extra money is worth it.

Plus, if you're into that kind of thing, PCs are only just now starting to look pretty. My Mac Mini and my MacBook are both gorgeous pieces of equipment.

Keith Tanner wrote:

Woody wrote:

93EXCivic wrote:

Woody wrote: Every time I need a new computer, I tell myself I'm going to get a Mac, but then after a price check, I just get another PC. It's that time again. Aside from the buy-in expense, is there any reason *not* to buy a Mac?

The reason not to buy Mac is if you work with software that isn't available with Mac (aka CAD, MathCAD, etc).

I don't work with software that isn't available on Macs. I work with E36 M3 that's on fire. That actually makes my work life relatively straightforward.

Woody's work flowchart: Is it on fire? Yes: keep working No: stop working

I put the wet stuff on the red stuff.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: In this crowd of tinkerers I'm surprised more folks haven't chimed in with their own hackintosh specs yet.

Dell Mini 9 running Snow Leopard 10.6.3. As far as netbooks go, it's a relatively nice piece of equipement. It has magnesium alloy reinforcements. Most of the tech bits you'd want to access can be reached directly under the main cover on the bottom.

That said, it's not nearly the computer that my wife's 4 year old white MacBook is. It cost me much less though.

If I needed a desktop at home, I'd probably do another Hackintosh. Since I'd like the next computer I buy to be a more powerful laptop than the Mini 9, I'm going MacBook Pro. I compare the 17" Dell workstation laptop my boss has to the last 17" MacBook Pro that was available, and I think the MBP was actually cheaper. It certainly would not have the raft of issues that the Dell has had.

By and large, I like OSX much more than Windows. It's cleaner, more intuitive to use, and decidedly better looking than Windows XP, Vista, or 7. I haven't tried 8, so we'll see.

Now that Rhino is moving onto OSX, I can see myself jumping ship from Windows and SolidWorks, particularly if a CAM plugin for Rhino makes the leap to OSX.

93EXCivic wrote:

Woody wrote: Every time I need a new computer, I tell myself I'm going to get a Mac, but then after a price check, I just get another PC. It's that time again. Aside from the buy-in expense, is there any reason *not* to buy a Mac?

The reason not to buy Mac is if you work with software that isn't available with Mac (aka CAD, MathCAD, etc).

As has been pointed out earlier in this thread, all you need for that is either Bootcamp or a VM software like Parallels.

Unless you need specialised hardware that won't work in a Mac, this is not a problem anymore.

And, also as has been pointed out earlier in this thread, the dual boots (like Bootcamp or Parallels) don't always solve the problem.

I have Parallels. Still can't run certain programs.

SVreX wrote: And, also as has been pointed out earlier in this thread, the dual boots (like Bootcamp or Parallels) don't always solve the problem. I have Parallels. Still can't run certain programs.

Bootcamp can and will run anything in Windows, once you boot up in to Windows you essentially have a Windows laptop.

Running Windows in a virtual machine (VMWare, Parallels, etc.) can have issues, mostly with graphical type things, but bootcamp is 100% native Windows.

e_pie wrote:

SVreX wrote: And, also as has been pointed out earlier in this thread, the dual boots (like Bootcamp or Parallels) don't always solve the problem. I have Parallels. Still can't run certain programs.

Bootcamp can and will run anything in Windows, once you boot up in to Windows you essentially have a Windows laptop. Running Windows in a virtual machine (VMWare, Parallels, etc.) can have issues, mostly with graphical type things, but bootcamp is 100% native Windows.

VirtualBox is really good on os-x. I can even do 3D with it. It is free - used to be a Sun product but now under the banner of Oracle. The extension packs (also free) give you USB2, 3D graphics and a bunch more stuff. It rocks.

EricM wrote:

I bow to your superior Macness. I am in the market for a new model to keep up with my simultaneous video editing, photoshopping, design work, etc. I hope to have specs like that soon.

pinchvalve wrote:

EricM wrote:

I bow to your superior Macness. I am in the market for a new model to keep up with my simultaneous video editing, photoshopping, design work, etc. I hope to have specs like that soon.

This is headed for Digital archiving ( I work at the University of Illinois Main Library, they have a number of archivists on staff) It will turn Film into digits and clean it up and compress it and then write it to storage at an alarming rate.

I am waiting for one more license for software to show up, then it leaves my desk :(

e_pie wrote:

SVreX wrote: And, also as has been pointed out earlier in this thread, the dual boots (like Bootcamp or Parallels) don't always solve the problem. I have Parallels. Still can't run certain programs.

Bootcamp can and will run anything in Windows, once you boot up in to Windows you essentially have a Windows laptop. Running Windows in a virtual machine (VMWare, Parallels, etc.) can have issues, mostly with graphical type things, but bootcamp is 100% native Windows.

Yes. I know. Still have had issues.

Sometimes the issues are not direct. For example, one software I have picks up the date stamp incorrectly, and it screws with the program badly. Another needs updates through a browser which is installed on the wrong side of the partition.

There are a lot of proprietary programs which draw info from other programs. The partition needs to be treated like a completely separate computer, and have all the related software on both sides, just like if it was 2 computers. I realize this stuff can be solved, but to the moderately computer illiterate, it can be quite aggravating. Especially when you live in a rural area with no basic Mac support.

BoxheadTim wrote:

93EXCivic wrote:

Woody wrote: Every time I need a new computer, I tell myself I'm going to get a Mac, but then after a price check, I just get another PC. It's that time again. Aside from the buy-in expense, is there any reason *not* to buy a Mac?

The reason not to buy Mac is if you work with software that isn't available with Mac (aka CAD, MathCAD, etc).

As has been pointed out earlier in this thread, all you need for that is either Bootcamp or a VM software like Parallels. Unless you need specialised hardware that won't work in a Mac, this is not a problem anymore.

But that requires know what the hell I am doing. If my computer doesn't work I try turning it off and off again and if that doesn't work, I beat it into submission.

All I know about computers I learned from IT Crowd.

About a year ago, I was in the market for a low-end ($400) PC laptop. I really only use a lappy when I'm traveling, and my needs aren't that robust, except for one game I like to play that would run acceptably on a $400 PC laptop (in 2011).

A co-worker offered me a 2008-model MacBook for the same dough. (For those in the know, it is the 13" unibody MacBook. It has all the specs of a 15" MacBook Pro of the same era, but for some reason Apple chose not to call it a "Pro")

I was a bit reluctant, but I took a leap. Once acclimated to the OS, the lappy does everything I need it to do, and it does it just swell. I did upgrade to a 128MB SSD, but that was more for heat reduction and battery life than for speed.

Buying a 3-year old MacBook... it feels like it will last longer and serve me better than buying a $400 PC laptop would have done.