New computer & broadband

[cainchapman 0]

As I'm finishing work tomorrow and losing the laptop and my new job has a desktop.

I finally have to buy my first computer.

So, which is it?

I only need to get internet access, e-mail and get photos off my digital cameras and maybe play about with the odd video (nothing flash).

Then as I will also lose my company paid broadband. Suggestions for a plan and provider for the above usage would also be appreciated.

Cheers, Cain

[Gus 5]

i cant stand macs...they are good but just so difficult to use after using a windows comp....but i am sure our resident apple fanboys can persuade you otherwise

[martyyn 2]

Macs are pretty good but are massively overpriced, especially for what you want to do Cain.

I used to work for Dell and have used Dell laptops for work and at home for over 10 years now without any problems. They often have some good deals on their website, but customer support is a phone line to India so if something does go wrong it can be very frustrating getting it sorted.

I dont know if thats a priority for you or not, but worth knowing about.

As for broadband Im with telstraclear as part of a phone/tv/dsl package and its 170 (I think) for all three (incl sport) and I have 10Mb connection and a 40Gb cap, I doubt you will find all three together for cheaper. But again that speed and cap is way more than you need.

[Driftit 1966]

I agree with Penry. A cheap Dell laptop would be a better option. The base model will have everything you need. But yes the support centre is horrible!

You dont even need to purchase a new laptop for what you need. But then of course you have no warranty.

[cainchapman 0]

I agree that Apples are not cheap, but an BMW isn't twice the car an equivalent Toyota is and yet we still buy them.

Personally, I was bought up on Apple as Dad used to work for them IIC was my 2nd computer at home, then onto Macs. I love them, and they don't crash and crap out.

Lucky bugger, but Telstra have the best network in the country in WLG (thanks to Saturn). So not a great comparison to Auckland.

Keep it coming. Obviously, I use a Windows based machine each day and Gus has a point that they are different to operate. However, if I get an iPhone and iPod Touch, then having an Apple is better.

[bravo 34]

I've used macs in the recent past and love them, except, nothing less than mac book pro is any good - you miss out on so much. The problem is there isn't a mid-level mac product between a $2-3k mac book and a $5-7k mac book pro. This rules them out in my book and is why I bought a windows based machine a couple of months back.

Don't buy a desktop, unless you need the mind-blowing performance advantage, or want to go very cheap, or plan on expanding the machine alot, being tethered to a desk blows. The mobility of the laptop is worth the pitfalls.

my 2c.

Edited September 17, 2007 by bravo

[Andrew 30]

You pay for what you get - and Apples are better - from laptops, to desktops, to server equipment - nothing even comes close.

I disagree with Graeme - an iMac or iBook (both which have been recently updated) will more than do what you need them for.

Granted they take a bit of getting used to - but things just...work. Which is a nice feature.

[Andrew 30]

Since when did a MPB cost 7 k either? They top out at 4300

[Gus 5]

but why are they just better? when i was using my cousins one i just found it frustrating to use, has some cool little features but nothing that blew my mind and made me wish i had one. windows has its foibles but nothing terrible i find.

i am interested too as i would consider a mac in my upcoming purchase, however for the cost i just cant see what is so great about them, and i did research a bit and use one for two weeks

[Andrew 30]

I should point out i'm biased hah

Everything is just easy gus (when you get used to the UI) it isn't just a few nifty features.

Hardware:

Everything is better - fullstop. I'm not going to bother getting technical.

Software:

OS X has problems - but not as many as Vista. Spotlight is miles ahead of Vista. Things just - work, the magic is in the details.

Design:

From the glow in the dark keyboard to magnetic power supply. It pwns.

[Gus 5]

what sort of graphics card does the macbook pro come with? to at the price of the 17" pro, i can get an alienware SLi with 2x 512mb cards

[tibbs.james 1]

I think whatever you look at be it Windows/Mac/Some variant of GNU linux

Don't let some git talk you into a whole bunch of bullshit that you don't need.

and again whichever variant of hardware you choose good quality well priced gear will always treat you well.

just my 2c

same as buying anything really i have not used mac but after getting used to ubuntu i would not hesitate to try it

[kiwi535 538]

i have used dell desktops at two work places with no problems(well i did lose a hard drive onceand one was stolen).I bought a laptop for Mary through the dell site and had no problems.I have no problems with windows but my mate at works has an apple and just about went crazy trying to set up a windows laptop for his wife...said the mac you just plug in the device(whatever it is) and as Andy says..it just goes.no wrestling with wizards or IPs or ........Value for money i think Dell is good.Most people i talk to say that xtra and paradise are the pits.i have no complaints,my laptop is bloody slow at times but i Think it is more windows/hardware than xtra broadband.If you arent actually gonna do much just get the cheapest net/tv/phone line option you find.

[cainchapman 0]

I agree Paul, there is nothing major wrong with a Windows based system. I have a brand new Dell Latitude D630 (less than 2 months old) and it is constantly sending error reports and giving me the 'blue screen of death'.

Windows is a poor copy of the Apple OS. You would have thought they'd have got it right by now. I guess that the problem when marketing runs your company, not Engineering.

I guess the poll result reflect what I expected. I'll have to go and play with a Mac Book and iMac seriously. I would like the Mac Book portability, but don't really need it and the 20" screen on the iMac is Awesome.

Thanks for the suggestions. See you next month when I next get some computer.

[E30-323ti 66]

I have a MacBook and love it, have an old eMac at home too which has been faultless for 5yrs now (but is slow now compared to the macbook).

For a home computer, the bog stock out of the box Mac just blows your socks off in terms of ease of use, stabilitly, managing things like your photos, music, video and overall performance etc...

Takes about 20s max to boot up, log in, and get BS up!!

The best thing is, connecting the MacBook to the the 42" plasma & using frontrow to show your photos and has a funky little remote, none of this huddling the family around PC.

Battery life is pretty good I feel, being my first laptop I wouldn't really know but I have no complaints.

Will do ~4hrs surfing the net with the wifi going & itunes cranking.

The MacBook pro's while offering bigger screens I don't think would benefit me any more, thus I'm not a pro that needs the "extra" out of them.

Once you go Mac you never go Back!!!

My 2c

[Carl 3]

It doesn't matter what OS you go for they ALL have software that will meet your needs, it's just a question of what you actually want to do with it. I use Windows and Ubuntu at home and while i've played with Macs I don't find any compelling reason to choose one over the other as they all have their pros and cons, I tend to Windows for personal use simply because of the abundant choice of software especially games but I wouldn't call myself a MS camper - everyone is different, go with what you feel like you'll be the happiest with.

[E: @glenn] As far as connecting to tv's, I use Ubuntu to connect to my TV and that works a treat, esp using WiFi to access our network server files, also the MVP's and Media toys are also cool. So many options 

Edited September 18, 2007 by Carl

[StylesM5 0]

The only info I can add is that if you are going to run Windows Vista, you need a minimum of 2GB ram.

[Andrew 30]

Ubuntu and Linux in general is still not fit for desktop use.

Windows and OS X are far superior.

OS X is better at everything BUT file management.

Hopefully Leopard will address some issues - MS Office 2008 (Due Mid Jan 08 after nearly a year of delays) will fill lack of good office productivity tools for Mac.

[E30-323ti 66]

Ubuntu and Linux in general is still not fit for desktop use.

Windows and OS X are far superior.

OS X is better at everything BUT file management.

Hopefully Leopard will address some issues - MS Office 2008 (Due Mid Jan 08 after nearly a year of delays) will fill lack of good office productivity tools for Mac.

What do you mean by file management Andrew?

I find that is more a function of good user habits than the operating system, but you may be talking about something different??

And I have no idea what carl was talking about, I just plug the macbook into the TV & it goes, finds the type of tv and adjusts the res etc... to suit. Easy for the non computer geeks to handle

[Carl 3]

And I have no idea what carl was talking about, I just plug the macbook into the TV & it goes, finds the type of tv and adjusts the res etc... to suit. Easy for the non computer geeks to handle

Was just saying that it's not specific to Mac's to be plug and play with tv's, both my XP and Ubuntu plug and play with my 32" LCD no probs although it's my Ubuntu that uses it and I use that to watch and view stuff off our local network. My point is that regardl

ss of what OS you use you can always do what you want, it's just a case of choosing which you like the best.

E: My Opera is having issues with replying today

Edited September 18, 2007 by Carl

[Andrew 30]

Was just saying that it's not specific to Mac's to be plug and play with tv's, both my XP and Ubuntu plug and play with my 32" LCD no probs although it's my Ubuntu that uses it and I use that to watch and view stuff off our local network. My point is that regardl

ss of what OS you use you can always do what you want, it's just a case of choosing which you like the best.

E: My Opera is having issues with replying today

But what Glenn means is you don't get a remote + mean software (owns media center) to use while connected to your TV

[325_driver 422]

if you only want a laptop for the simple stuff internet emails etc

just stick with windows, sad to say

1st of all, if some thing goes wrong its relatively easy to fix or get some one to fix

2nd of all, better off program wise, windows os has a lot more support for software since every one uses it, and drivers etc

stick with windows xp,

in my experience, waiting atleast a year after a new OS comes out e.g. vista, before upgrading, there are alot of holes and flaws that need to be soughted

if you were getting a machine biased towards media, video editing and image ect i would definately vote some thing mac, their operating system is a lot less fuel guzzling, and will run high demanding editing programs no problems.

[Andrew 30]

1st of all, if some thing goes wrong its relatively easy to fix or get some one to fix

2nd of all, better off program wise, windows os has a lot more support for software since every one uses it, and drivers etc

I take it you've never fixed a mac then. It is easier.

Software support - for what? Millions of people (and increasingly more) use Apple.

[Gus 5]

i still dont understand why they are better....i can understand the whole drag n drop thing is cool and handy, but not really that ground breaking. hard to change if your using to ctrl x ctrl v. and windows hardly seems as bad as everyone makes out...vista will only get better too. might take some time to develop but it will improve. havent used it yet however so cant judge. and gaming is easier with windows...you can game on a mac but the macbook pros have average vid cards and you need boot camp. along with being many ££ more...

are their servers more stable? or something? that would help i imagine....we occasionally have server issues at work, however these comps are kinda sh*t anyway.

i do like the idea of an apple network that just works, i can remember countless issues andy and i have had with PCs getting a network setup.

[Driftit 1966]

I have never seen whats so great about a Mac ether. Not worth the extra $$ to me. I still play alot of games though. And bang for buck a pc will kill a Mac in performance when gaming.

But I also wish pc networks worked easily. Trying to connect my mates Vista lappy to my XP network was a very stressful day. It just would not detect the network computers. Then after NOT touching a thing! 3 hours later it just worked. I did not touch a thing. I think it was just testing to see if it could cause someone to kill them self over it.