thebiglebowski Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Maybe I really just hate Windows 7. XP was great, and 7 was an improvement, but it's just nowhere near the functionality or level that even Leopard is. Majority of all users use Windows 7/XP with OSX making huge strides. If you compare the two though, OSX is levels ahead! If you want SSH on your PC, you need to download it. If you want it on a Mac, oh wait, it's there. And screen shots? You have to download clunky programs like Snagit to take pictures. I do however think Outlook is 1000x better than Mail, so I'll give PC's that. In terms of programs like Adobe, or film software, I'd say they are pretty similar on each. Adobe products definitely are on par with each other, as are Microsoft Word or Powerpoint. To the OP, if you do choose to get a mac I can help you get Office 2011 and every CS6 Adobe product......... Posted this while I typed my message. No worries for me downloading SSH. Would rather have a cheaper price tag and download programs for free as needed then pay for them to be built into the OS. Not sure what you are talking about with screenshots. I hit "print screen" and then paste it into word or paint. Works fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Avatar Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 all screen shots are autosaved to desktop, and you can select the area that you want to take a picture of. It saves you from having to crop after a screen shot. Say ya wanna email that screen shot? You just drag it onto the mail icon and it will attach it to a blank email. Or drag it on photoshop for it to open up there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kforkevin777 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Windows 7 has that exact same thing. I think it's called Snipping Tool. You select the portion of the screen you want a screen shot of, click save, and be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashhax Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Okay, here's my two cents. The summer of 2011, I spent two months researching components and brands and models, and building different computers on the brands' sites and different computer resellers' sites. I considered a Mac. Until I went to design it. Getting 8GB of RAM, a shitty graphics card, 256GB of SSD storage, 15" display, cost almost $3000. My computer is a MSi, a little known gaming laptop company. It has 16GBs of RAM, a 128GB SSD, and a 500GB HDD, a greatly better graphics card, a 17" full 1080p display, a backlit keyboard, and a badass cooling system. Mine cost me $2100. I just customized two computers online. The first is a Mac. 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, 15" display, an alright graphics card, and a i7 2.7/3.7ghz processor. The price on it is $3,249. The second is a high-end ASUS gaming laptop. It features the same amount of RAM, same size SSD, exact same processor (going from 2.6ghz to 2.7ghz on Mac costs $250, it's a free upgrade on the ASUS), same size, but upgradable, screen, and a much better graphics card, and it costs $2,208. Keep in mind, these are computers made for high-end gaming, editing, and pretty much doing everything possible at once. The point I'm getting at, Mac are overpriced as hell. Yeah, they look cool. Yeah, they have a nice OS, but really? The reason Macs were so much better than PCs for a long time was because Apple had a contract on the technology we now know as Sold State Drives, which makes computers run so much faster. Here's what I would recommend for you. Check out some of the big laptop companies' websites and try and design a few different options. Definitely spend the extra cash and get a Solid State Drive. A 256GB would be preferable. Then, get a 1TB external drive or secondary drive if your laptop supports it. Get 8GB of RAM, get a decent graphics card, and you'll be able to do any sort of editing you want, especially basic things. The processor doesn't honestly matter as much as people think, but I'd definitely go with Intel. As far as the SSD brand goes, I'd go with Intel or Samsung. The SSD and graphics card make the biggest difference in speed for editing and doing basic things out of all the components. The SSDs are pricey, but worth every penny. A regular 7800rpm hard drive can take up to two minutes to boot up. My laptop with an SSD goes from pressing the power button to the desktop in about fourteen seconds, and it's over a year old now. Install all your regular programs (Windows, Word, editing programs, etc) on the SSD and put all your music, games, and movies on your secondary drive. With all that, you should be able to stay under $1300 or so, depending on the brand you go with. If you want, I can help you out. Most of this advice is the same advice I give all my friends. I helped my buddy build his gaming desktop (like actually build, plus picking out the components). I apologize if I come off as a know-it-all or anything. Really wasn't trying to. Was just giving you my advice. Feel free to completely disregard it and go your own way! You only learn by doing, so they say. I know there are probably more qualified people in this thread to be taking advice from, like the guy who said he had been working with computers for ten or more years. I'm just a kid who spends too much time with technology. EDIT: So... I kinda missed a big part of the question. Nowadays, there isn't THAT much software that is specific to Macs, which is helping the whole "Macs work better" myth get disproven. The Adobe Suite is expensive (unless you're like me and torrent everything), but very useful. Photoshop is my preferred method (but GIMP is great for basics). Flash is always fun. Premier Pro takes some getting used to, but is very good for video editing. The. You have all the programs for effects and whatnot. There are a million and one editing programs for PC nowadays. There is nothing little about MSI my friend, second to none next to ASUS. What ever you choose on buying (Hopefully Windows) building is so much cheaper and very easy to do. You can build a better machine yourself for half of what they charge in a retail store and without the bloatware. I will say Final Cut Pro is an amazing application one of the only reasons I would buy an Apple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kforkevin777 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 There is nothing little about MSI my friend, second to none next to ASUS. What ever you choose on buying (Hopefully Windows) building is so much cheaper and very easy to do. You can build a better machine yourself for half of what they charge in a retail store and without the bloatware. I will say Final Cut Pro is an amazing application one of the only reasons I would buy an Apple. I know MSi is big as far as gaming laptop and tech people to, but the average computer user has no clue who they are. I mention my computer all the time and no one has a clue who they are. I agree that they are second to none. I'm not a big fan of ASUS, but I can respect their work, most definitely. I love my MSI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Avatar Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Windows 7 has that exact same thing. I think it's called Snipping Tool. You select the portion of the screen you want a screen shot of, click save, and be done. how do I use this? I have to use 7 at work =[ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashhax Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I know MSi is big as far as gaming laptop and tech people to, but the average computer user has no clue who they are. I mention my computer all the time and no one has a clue who they are. I agree that they are second to none. I'm not a big fan of ASUS, but I can respect their work, most definitely. I love my MSI. Wow you aren't a fan of ASUS? I only buy ASUS parts and the only major problem with them is their customer service it's almost as bad as Mightier than swords. controlthebleeding 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kforkevin777 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 how do I use this? I have to use 7 at work =[ Go into your start menu, click Accessories, and it should be right there. Called "Snipping Tool". Wow you aren't a fan of ASUS? I only buy ASUS parts and the only major problem with them is their customer service it's almost as bad as Mightier than swords. I mean, I don't hate them, I mainly just meant I'm not a fan of their design as far as laptops go. I know they make great boards and parts, and their laptops are good for a lot of people, but when I was buying my laptop, the ones ASUS had were a bit more expensive and not very appealing to the eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashhax Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Go into your start menu, click Accessories, and it should be right there. Called "Snipping Tool". I mean, I don't hate them, I mainly just meant I'm not a fan of their design as far as laptops go. I know they make great boards and parts, and their laptops are good for a lot of people, but when I was buying my laptop, the ones ASUS had were a bit more expensive and not very appealing to the eyes. yea they are a bit overpriced. But i find in general it's hard to get a decent laptop for cheap. Especially if you are looking to get 4+ cores. I was hooked on AMD for the last 8 years or so, only until my last computer build this year did I switch back to Intel I am really enjoying the i5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 yea they are a bit overpriced. But i find in general it's hard to get a decent laptop for cheap. Especially if you are looking to get 4+ cores. I was hooked on AMD for the last 8 years or so, only until my last computer build this year did I switch back to Intel I am really enjoying the i5. Which is pretty much the way it should be. If you are doing work that requires more than 4 cores, you probably need a desktop if not a server. It's like trying to get the towing power of a semi jammed into a sedan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashhax Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=34-230-457&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=3#scrollFullInfo Best one I've ever seen for under $400. Add an ssd and another 4gb dd3 ram you have a $1,000 + laptop. Sold out now though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kforkevin777 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 yea they are a bit overpriced. But i find in general it's hard to get a decent laptop for cheap. Especially if you are looking to get 4+ cores. I was hooked on AMD for the last 8 years or so, only until my last computer build this year did I switch back to Intel I am really enjoying the i5. Ahh, I have a lot more trust in Intel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashhax Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Ahh, I have a lot more trust in Intel. When I was building an 8 core setup, I went with AMD at first with an Asus Sabertooth board. Turns out the mobo wasn't compatible with the 8 core. Asus was sending out chips to bios flash update the board for it. After talking with customer support they sent me a chip from India, took about 2 weeks to arrive. I just sent the board back and went with an intel chip. I'm loving it so far though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kforkevin777 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 When I was building an 8 core setup, I went with AMD at first with an Asus Sabertooth board. Turns out the mobo wasn't compatible with the 8 core. Asus was sending out chips to bios flash update the board for it. After talking with customer support they sent me a chip from India, took about 2 weeks to arrive. I just sent the board back and went with an intel chip. I'm loving it so far though. Yeah, my buddy just built a desktop around an ASUS board and he had an AMD chip and it wasn't compatible so he bought an i7 Intel. I've never had an AMD processor, but I've had AMD GPUs and find them to be way more buddy than NVidia, and Intel has never let me down before. The processor in my laptop is an i7 and my SSD is an Intel as well, which was highly Reccomended over the competitors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shitty Rambo Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I plan on building a tower once I get my tax refund, I believe all of this is compatible (checked out GooeyPC and I'm not seeing a yes or no anywhere), but can anyone verify this? Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite Black Steel with painted interior ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ Black Front Trim HDD: Western Digital WD Green WD10EARX 1TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE 100357LP Radeon HD 7750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply RAM: G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS MoBo: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Processor: Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor OS: Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit Will I have any compatibility issues using an AMD video card with an Intel MoBo? Does this seem good enough to run most games (Sim City, Diablo 3) at decent settings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I can't really answer your main question. I've replaced components but never built from scratch. What is this going to cost you? Nothing you have in there is really high end. I'm wondering if you could have a better computer for less with no assembly required if you just went to ebay? Are you sure you don't want a solid state hard drive? That's the way I'd go. External storage is so cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shitty Rambo Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I'm on a budget so high end is out of the question. Can't really afford an SSD at the moment either but will probably get one later on down the road. Edit: It's about $700 for everything. I would consider this midrange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I would really look hard at what's on eBay. I had a brand new tower delivered to my door for about $450. It's an htpc so solid video card, 8 gigs of ram, 4 processing cores, 1 TB HD. It had a cheap power supply that burned out. Went back and forth with the guy about whether he should send me a new one. Ended up kinda splitting the difference. It was only another $30 or something so no big deal. No other problems over 2 years. I saved a little by going with Linux, so I didn't have to pay for an operating system. I'm assuming with gaming you probably need windows. I use it to code for school occasionally but mostly it is my dedicated PVR. So yeah, I think there are better deals for your money out there than what you posted. I'm not current on pricing for motherboards and video cards and stuff, though. Just saying that based on the stuff everyone always looks at (RAM, processor, etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipsterasfolk Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I had 2x GPUs cost $1300 But I just built a PC for my family and it cost around $700 for case/i7/mobo/gpu/etc. It runs League of Legends like a beast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I had 2x GPUs cost $1300 But I just built a PC for my family and it cost around $700 for case/i7/mobo/gpu/etc. It runs League of Legends like a beast! This makes more sense to me. You should get a computer for $700 that can no question handle everything even an above average gamer could throw at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shitty Rambo Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Do you guys think this is worth a damn?Could I upgrade certain USB ports to 3.0?http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229361 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 That looks like a significantly more powerful machine for a lower price. If you buy from newegg, I think you have reasonable assurance it is reliably built and a good value. Is it 100% the best machine for your money? I don't know. I know how hard it is to make pull the trigger on a computer though. What's the draw of USB 3.0? Just faster? How much? I view USB kinda like HDMI in TVs. It pretty much does everything you could ask for and there isn't a lot of room to be improved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shitty Rambo Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 That looks like a significantly more powerful machine for a lower price. If you buy from newegg, I think you have reasonable assurance it is reliably built and a good value. Is it 100% the best machine for your money? I don't know. I know how hard it is to make pull the trigger on a computer though. What's the draw of USB 3.0? Just faster? How much? I view USB kinda like HDMI in TVs. It pretty much does everything you could ask for and there isn't a lot of room to be improved. Sometimes my sever acts like a bitch, or I want to throw a season of a TV show on a harddrive and would like to not have to wait 10 minutes to transfer a few gigs. More of a convince factor, but I'm more of a 'software guy' so swapping out hardware always seems daunting to me. I'd rather buy pre-built but having a custom PC seems more practical in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefoxUSSR Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 .... you're paying too much for a white computer with a shiny logo. The same goes for the "smart"phones. Apple doesn't make white computers anymore ------------------------------------------ Macs make better portables (software designed for finite hardware components, excellent power management, pricy yet sturdy). Desktops- it's really a wash. Software is equal. Both have freeware & shareware. Viruses: Using a PC with common sense, you're fine. I do professional graphic design work, like them both. I prefer portability, so my notebook is a Mac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.