PC guy switching to mac

[stevedresser83]

I'm switching to mac. I've always built my PC's. Where do you go to buy macs? I want a top of the line mac.

[albee1952]

The Apple store, most Best Buy stores, Mac Authority, Guitar Center. Plenty of sources(and all at full retail). Don't expect a sale as Apple limits discounts to 5%.

[stevedresser83]

alright checking out macstore online. With XP there is a 4 gb limit on RAM. Are there limits with mac running the newest OS and protools LE ?

[mhelm01]

Originally Posted by albee1952

The Apple store, most Best Buy stores, Mac Authority, Guitar Center. Plenty of sources(and all at full retail). Don't expect a sale as Apple limits discounts to 5%.

This is not entirely true. If you are a student or work for the government you get a discount. I showed my government ID and got a deal on my new mac pro that worked out to 8% off.

[SpinningDisk]

Macs can take up to 6 Gigs of Ram. It all depends which one you get. You have to think about the future and possible upgrades (G5, iMac, Macbook etc.). They each have their own little personality. Are you doing post production, hobby, serious user? How many drives do you want to run? You need to back up. How many USB and Firewire connections do you need? Good luck and Have fun.

[Dism]

Originally Posted by SpinningDisk

Macs can take up to 6 Gigs of Ram. It all depends which one you get. You have to think about the future and possible upgrades (G5, iMac, Macbook etc.). They each have their own little personality. Are you doing post production, hobby, serious user? How many drives do you want to run? You need to back up. How many USB and Firewire connections do you need? Good luck and Have fun.

Not true at all (at least from a RAM perspective). Plus, G5s have been discontinued for several years now. The new equivalent is the Mac Pro, which can support up to 32GB of RAM. The iMac currently supports up to 16GB. Mac Mini and White Macbook up to 4GB. Macbook Pro up to 8GB. The latest OS (Snow Leopard) is built on 64 bit architecture, which will utilize all the RAM in the system. Pro Tools, however, is 32 bit, which can still only use up to 4GB by itself. It doesn't mean that the rest of the RAM will go unused, though. Having more than 4GB means your OS will operate smoothly behind it, and plenty of VIs and other plugins use resources outside of Pro Tools.

Choosing your Mac will depend greatly on your budget and workflow. Unless you demand a very high track count with lots of VIs, you probably won't need a Mac Pro. Your best bet for price vs. power, would be either a quad iMac, or a Macbook Pro. The best way to buy a Mac, is with the lowest RAM and HD space, but biggest CPU/video you can afford. Macs generally use the same RAM and HDs as most other computers out there, so you can buy them at any computer store and not have to worry about them being Mac proprietary. Plus, it will be way cheaper than what Apple will charge you for the extra RAM and HD space. If you are used to building your own PCs, then stepping up to a Mac really isn't as scary as it may seem. I came from a similar background and once I went Mac, I've been loving it ever since.

I'd recommend hitting up apple.com or find a local Apple dealer and poke around. Do not go to Best Buy unless you like to get ripped off. They tend to try to sell you an extra warranty on top of Apple Care which you don't need imo. You're better off upgrading your Apple Care plan before taking any in-store warranty.

[SpinningDisk]

Your basically saying what I was saying. I was just behind a couple years. Do your homework is what I was saying.

[Dism]

Originally Posted by SpinningDisk

Your basically saying what I was saying. I was just behind a couple years. Do your homework is what I was saying.

It's all good, just trying to stay current.

And you are quite right. Doing indepth research for anything you buy is always the best way to save time and money.

While we're on that topic... the Macbook and Mac Pro lines are due for a refresh. Since Intel has released their new 6 and 8 core processors, it is likely we will see both of these lines get a doubling (or close to) in power. Which will a) give you a better bang for your buck and b) GREATLY reduce the prices of the current line. I find timing is one of the most important factors in buying computers. Mac Pro should be refreshed within the next month, Macbooks should be around June.

[lwilliam]

I recommend www.powermax.com if you're in the U.S. I bought my last two macs there - a real person answers the phone and they always have great service and competitive prices.