several questons for mac users

[redsox]

I'm thinking seriously about purchasiing a mac, (probably iMac 20") but I am woefully computer ignorant.

So, I have a few questions just to get started:

1) In order to get the configuration I am thinking about, I probably have to order from internet Apple store. This retailer has a poor rating on resellerratings.com. What experiences have forum members had with this retailer?

Are there retailers you can recommend who can give me choices in terms of processor, RAM, HDrive, Sound card, etc?

2) Not knowing much about how to troubleshoot, I am thinking the Applecare service agreement for 3 years would be a good idea. How is Apple to deal with ---- is phone service/troubleshooting based in the US? are the service techs professional and helpful? What feedback can the forum offer me?

3) I hear/read about Macs not getting viruses. Do I need to get security software? I currently use Trend Micor PC-illin on my Dell desktop--- is that program also OK for Mac?

4) I want to go wireless in my home, so from what I gather that means I need Airport Extreme?? Do I understand correctly that airport entails use of a base and an internal card? How would I handle things if I keep my current PC for the kids, buy a mac for myself, and want both to be wireless? Do I need separate hardware and/or connections to cable for both the PC and the mac (and what about my wife's Dell laptop --- how would I add that into the mix?

5) My uses include a lot of photo processing (RAW files using Lightroom with Elem3.0), storing image files, buring images onto CD/DVD, lot's of web surfing with muliple window open, burning music CDs. No gaming.

-- Will the ATI Radeon X1600/128MB VRAM graphics card adequately suit my needs (the alternative is the same card with 265MB)?

As an aside, I've heard folks talk about the expense of macintosh computers. However, once I start putting together a PC system comparable to what I want in a mac, the macintosh does not appear to be out of line in terms of price.

Thanks in advance.

--
Redsox
http://www.blueridge.photoshare.co.nz

 

[Steve Maller]

1) In order to get the configuration I am thinking about, I
probably have to order from internet Apple store. This retailer has
a poor rating on resellerratings.com. What experiences have forum
members had with this retailer?

Are there retailers you can recommend who can give me choices in
terms of processor, RAM, HDrive, Sound card, etc?

I would not buy a Mac from anybody except Apple. If you're uncomfortable ordering over the internet, go into one of their stores. The prices are the same either way. And you might be better of dealing with a human being.

2) Not knowing much about how to troubleshoot, I am thinking the
Applecare service agreement for 3 years would be a good idea. How
is Apple to deal with ---- is phone service/troubleshooting based
in the US? are the service techs professional and helpful? What
feedback can the forum offer me?

Applecare is a good investment if you're not too familiar with the techie stuff. Again, double that if you have an Apple store nearby.

3) I hear/read about Macs not getting viruses. Do I need to get
security software? I currently use Trend Micor PC-illin on my Dell
desktop--- is that program also OK for Mac?

There's really little need for that sort of thing on a Mac. Neither of those programs is available, anyway.

4) I want to go wireless in my home, so from what I gather that
means I need Airport Extreme?? Do I understand correctly that
airport entails use of a base and an internal card? How would I
handle things if I keep my current PC for the kids, buy a mac for
myself, and want both to be wireless? Do I need separate hardware
and/or connections to cable for both the PC and the mac (and what
about my wife's Dell laptop --- how would I add that into the mix?

An Airport Extreme will work fine with both Macs and PCs (at the same time).

5) My uses include a lot of photo processing (RAW files using
Lightroom with Elem3.0), storing image files, buring images onto
CD/DVD, lot's of web surfing with muliple window open, burning
music CDs. No gaming.

-- Will the ATI Radeon X1600/128MB VRAM graphics card adequately
suit my needs (the alternative is the same card with 265MB)?

If you think you might use Aperture, definitely get the 256MB video card. It makes a big difference. You'll probably also want to upgrade to 2GB of RAM, but you can wait to do the RAM. The video card (I think) has to be done when you buy the computer. Bur Aperture is one of the only Apple apps that makes use of the video card. However, it's likely that more software will do this as time goes by. I'd go for it.

--
Steve Maller :: Burlingame, CA :: Canon gear

 

[geoduck]

redsox wrote:
[deleted]

4) I want to go wireless in my home, so from what I gather that
means I need Airport Extreme?? Do I understand correctly that
airport entails use of a base and an internal card? How would I
handle things if I keep my current PC for the kids, buy a mac for
myself, and want both to be wireless? Do I need separate hardware
and/or connections to cable for both the PC and the mac (and what
about my wife's Dell laptop --- how would I add that into the mix?

You don't have to buy Apple's very expensive wireless router. A cheaper 3rd party brand such as Netgear, Linksys, Dlink etc will provide the same or better performance. Wireless routers are generic commodity items these days. If you want the special Apple product look go with Airport Extreme, but I hide my router on a tall shelf.

I believe all Macs come with builtin wirless capability. You would only need an additional card for your PCs that don't already have something. Again, a 3rd party card would work fine. The cabling is the same. Your wife's Dell probably has built-in wireless already if it is under two years old. Otherwise you can use a PC card or usb attachment.

 

[Scott Weierich86292]

Did you see the new Airport Extreme 802.11N releaseed today?

4) I want to go wireless in my home, so from what I gather that
means I need Airport Extreme?? Do I understand correctly that
airport entails use of a base and an internal card? How would I
handle things if I keep my current PC for the kids, buy a mac for
myself, and want both to be wireless? Do I need separate hardware
and/or connections to cable for both the PC and the mac (and what
about my wife's Dell laptop --- how would I add that into the mix?

You don't have to buy Apple's very expensive wireless router. A
cheaper 3rd party brand such as Netgear, Linksys, Dlink etc will
provide the same or better performance. Wireless routers are
generic commodity items these days. If you want the special Apple
product look go with Airport Extreme, but I hide my router on a
tall shelf.
I believe all Macs come with builtin wirless capability. You would
only need an additional card for your PCs that don't already have
something. Again, a 3rd party card would work fine. The cabling is
the same. Your wife's Dell probably has built-in wireless already
if it is under two years old. Otherwise you can use a PC card or
usb attachment.

--
Scott

 

[Tom_N]

4) I want to go wireless in my home, so from what I gather that
means I need Airport Extreme?? Do I understand correctly that
airport entails use of a base and an internal card?

AirPort is Apple's name for their implementation of IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs. Apple uses the 802.11b (AirPort) or 802.11b/g (AirPort Extreme) radio standards in their products.

As far as base station operation goes,

(1) This is the most common means of setting up wireless LANs.

(2) Many 802.11b/g access points and routers (not just Apple's) will work with Macs. There are some that will give you grief; I bought a $20 special from a company that shall not be named to connect a Mac OS X machine, and a Mac OS 8 one. It saw both but never connected them. One day I got tired of this and replaced it with a $100 NetGear. It worked right off. (Guess: there may have been some non-IP protocol that the Netgear had the sense to bridge, and the other device didn't.)

(3) You can configure Macs running recent versions of Mac OS X to act as software base stations. This can save you money (though it would not be the most convenient choice if you expect to have the Mac turned off at a time when other devices will need its services as an access point).

How would I
handle things if I keep my current PC for the kids, buy a mac for
myself, and want both to be wireless? Do I need separate hardware
and/or connections to cable for both the PC and the mac (and what
about my wife's Dell laptop --- how would I add that into the mix?

Wireless router (802.11b/g) connects to cable modem (on the uplink side), and to the Macs/PCs (on the wireless & wired LAN sides). Probably you would want to enable NAT (Network Address Translation) software in the router, so that to the cable side of the network, your household appears to have one computer.

Each computer (Mac or PC) gets a wireless card or wired cable, depending on how mobile it will be, how easy it is to run wired cables, and whether you've filled all (typically 4) wired LAN ports on the router. What you would be looking for is, e.g.,

• AirPort Extreme for the Mac

• Ethernet PCI cards, or 802.11b/g PCI cards, or "PC Card/CardBus" PCI cards + notebook 802.11b/g cards to plug in them, for the PC desktops

• A notebook 802.11b/g card for the Dell laptop (unless that Dell model already has built-in wireless or a dedicated wireless slot)

Permission from the cable company (some might charge you extra for hooking up multiple computers)

 

[ceoyoyo]

I've never had a problem ordering from Apple's online store. Shipping prices are reasonable and shipping is very fast. I ordered a MPB and a mini last year (separate orders) and I had two friends order MacBooks. No problems with any of them.

--
Robb

 

[redsox]

-- Will the ATI Radeon X1600/128MB VRAM graphics card adequately
suit my needs (the alternative is the same card with 265MB)?

If you think you might use Aperture, definitely get the 256MB
video card. It makes a big difference. You'll probably also want to
upgrade to 2GB of RAM, but you can wait to do the RAM. The video
card (I think) has to be done when you buy the computer. Bur
Aperture is one of the only Apple apps that makes use of the video
card. However, it's likely that more software will do this as time
goes by. I'd go for it.

Steve,

thank you for your thorough response --- I need all the info I can get. Good point about growing with video into future.

Kevin

--
Redsox
http://www.blueridge.photoshare.co.nz

 

[Tom_N]

Did you see the new Airport Extreme 802.11N releaseed today?

I checked the Web page now. Apple says the new base station "is based on an IEEE 802.11n draft specification and is compatible with IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, and IEEE 802.11g." Apple also claims that "Most shipping Mac computers ... include support for 802.11n."

As I recall, the IEEE was working towards a specification that would provide an actual (not just nominal) throughput of 100 Mbps. 802.11a and 802.11g have nominal throughputs of 54 Mbps -- but actual throughput may often be somewhere in the low 20s. So Apple's claim of 5x faster speed may not be very far off the mark.

The USB storage and printer support is nice. I doubt if this is the cheapest draft-802.11n wireless router out there, but it looks like it has good value for money.

 

[carmanj]

I just wanted to add to Steve's comment re: video upgrade.

IIRC if you want to get a larger hard drive or upgrade the video to 256MB you'll have to custom-order from Apple's web site. The stores can't do the upgrade.

You might go to the Apple Store online and look at the refurbished iMacs. I picked up a refurb 24" iMac recently for $1699. When I got it, the graphics processor was the 256MB upgrade instead of the 128MB standard. Not everyone gets free upgrades, but some of us are lucky

Good luck!

 

[redsox]

Thanks to all for helping me understand better what is needed viz a viz wireless.

--
Redsox
http://www.blueridge.photoshare.co.nz

 

[redsox]

You might go to the Apple Store online and look at the refurbished
iMacs.

Thanks for the tip, I had not not noticed the reurb link on that site until you pointed it out.
Kevin

--
Redsox
http://www.blueridge.photoshare.co.nz

 

[redsox]

I've never had a problem ordering from Apple's online store.
Shipping prices are reasonable and shipping is very fast. I
ordered a MPB and a mini last year (separate orders) and I had two
friends order MacBooks. No problems with any of them.

OK thanks --- nice to know you've not had problems. There are some irate responses to apple online store on resellerratings.

Kevin
--
Redsox
http://www.blueridge.photoshare.co.nz

 

[Rod Smith]

I've ordered both refurb and new equipment from Apples on-line store without a single problem.
--
Rod Smith
Niceville, FL

 

[Alpha Doug]

I have had no problems with several Macs I have ordered from Apple. However, if you don't need to custom order (for instance, you decide on a model that already has the size disk and the video card you want) you can order from either SmallDog.com (an Apple authorized reseller) or Amazon.com. They have both new and refurbished Macs. I saved almost $300 by ordering from Amazon. At the time I did it, they had a $200 rebate in effect, and I didn't have to pay sales tax or shipping costs. SmallDog is similar, and they specialize in just Macs, and they have official Apple refurbs as well. I believe that if you talk to SmallDog live they may also be able to add more memory or larger drives as well.

--
Only my opinion. It's worth what you paid for it. Your mileage may vary! ;-}
http://www.dougwigton.com/

 

[snickelfritz]

1) In order to get the configuration I am thinking about, I
probably have to order from internet Apple store. This retailer has
a poor rating on resellerratings.com. What experiences have forum
members had with this retailer?

Are there retailers you can recommend who can give me choices in
terms of processor, RAM, HDrive, Sound card, etc?

Go into a bricks and mortar Apple Store.

Not sure why the online Apple Store would have a low rating. (BTW, who rates the rater?)

I usually buy my upgrades from Newegg. Mac-specific upgrades such as the videocard can be found at other world computing.

2) Not knowing much about how to troubleshoot, I am thinking the
Applecare service agreement for 3 years would be a good idea. How
is Apple to deal with ---- is phone service/troubleshooting based
in the US? are the service techs professional and helpful? What
feedback can the forum offer me?

Always get Apple Care when buying a display.

3) I hear/read about Macs not getting viruses. Do I need to get
security software? I currently use Trend Micor PC-illin on my Dell
desktop--- is that program also OK for Mac?

You do not need security software.

4) I want to go wireless in my home, so from what I gather that
means I need Airport Extreme?? Do I understand correctly that
airport entails use of a base and an internal card? How would I
handle things if I keep my current PC for the kids, buy a mac for
myself, and want both to be wireless? Do I need separate hardware
and/or connections to cable for both the PC and the mac (and what
about my wife's Dell laptop --- how would I add that into the mix?

Talk to the rep at the Apple store when you buy the machine. What you want to do is certainly possible and probably very simple.

5) My uses include a lot of photo processing (RAW files using
Lightroom with Elem3.0), storing image files, buring images onto
CD/DVD, lot's of web surfing with muliple window open, burning
music CDs. No gaming.

-- Will the ATI Radeon X1600/128MB VRAM graphics card adequately
suit my needs (the alternative is the same card with 265MB)?

Get the fastest video chipset available and at least 2GB of RAM.

Unlike WinXP, OSX leverages the video chipset to increase GUI speed and render realtime transformations.

Do not underestimate the importance of RAM and GPU processing power with regard to OSX.

 

[redsox]

I have had no problems with several Macs I have ordered from Apple.

Good to hear! and previous responder says same thing.

However, if you don't need to custom order (for instance, you
decide on a model that already has the size disk and the video card
you want) you can order from either SmallDog.com (an Apple
authorized reseller) or Amazon.com.

Yes, and I note that B&H also carries units 'off the shelf.' I've not heard of SmallDog, so thanks for the information. I'll take a look at new & refurb.

--
Only my opinion. It's worth what you paid for it. Your mileage
may vary! ;-}
http://www.dougwigton.com/

--
Redsox
http://www.blueridge.photoshare.co.nz

 

[redsox]

Go into a bricks and mortar Apple Store.

Maybe I will. But easier said than done because closest is 150 miles away.

Not sure why the online Apple Store would have a low rating. (BTW,
who rates the rater?)

Fair question. I'm never sure of the agenda for those rate the level of customer service, but with a large enough sample I would think that a +9.5 rating usually demonstrates a company that delivers more satisfactorily than a company with a +5.5 rating.

I usually buy my upgrades from Newegg. Mac-specific upgrades such
as the videocard can be found at other world computing.

Is the video card upgradable on iMac?

Get the fastest video chipset available and at least 2GB of RAM.

This seems to be a consistent message from all of you on the forum

Thanks for the feedback

Kevin

--
Redsox
http://www.blueridge.photoshare.co.nz

 

[jack1000]

video card. It makes a big difference. You'll probably also want to
upgrade to 2GB of RAM, but you can wait to do the RAM. The video

dunno about US prices, but in the UK, upgrading to 2GB RAM when you purchase is a sensible deal (as you have to replace both 512MB sticks if buying later).

jack

 

[Alpha Doug]

You cannot upgrade the video card on an iMac after the fact. So you must order it with the video card you want, or order the model that includes it. I would leave the memory for upgrading after you have it, since Apple charges about double what aftermarket RAM would cost you. I'm not sure about the upgradeability of the disk drive. It's possible that that could be upgraded after the fact. It's just hard to get the case open without damaging it.

--
Only my opinion. It's worth what you paid for it. Your mileage may vary! ;-}
http://www.dougwigton.com/

 

[TraceyS]

It probably is here too - it's $575 to do it from Apple. It all depends on finances at the time of purchase

I'd rather get the max on the video and processor, and then upgrade the RAM when the husband recovers from the computer purchase

OK, now I just saw the price for the 2gb chip. Hmmm, ok, i'll get it at the time! LOL!!

Oh to be married to a geek instead of a mechanic -
Tracey