Considering going back to a Mac


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Hi,

Last year I got a second hand iBook G3 500 (66mhz bus) with 384mb RAM from eBay as my first Mac... I really liked it but sold it on only a few months later as it was too slow. I've now got a PC, and i'm thinking of returning to the Mac world. :) I would probably get an eMac 1ghz/256/80gb/superdrive, as this seems like a very good value for money machine. Ideally I would have liked an iMac for the TFT screen, but I really need a resolution of 1024x768 or bigger, the 17" iMac is too pricey, so the eMac seems like the best option. Just a few questions:

  • Will the eMac be a LOT faster than my old iBook was?
  • Have there been any significant improvements in Flash and Java technology on Mac's since last year? I ask this because I noticed Flash was a little slow on my iBook (although this may just have been because the iBook was slow in general). I'm studying Computer Science at University, so will need to develop in Java... I assume with a Mac i'll be able to Java program everything I could program on a PC?
  • Does anybody here have an eMac? Is the screen crisp and clear on the maximum resolution of 1280x960?

Cheers,

Nick

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Hi,

Last year I got a second hand iBook G3 500 (66mhz bus) with 384mb RAM from eBay as my first Mac... I really liked it but sold it on only a few months later as it was too slow. I've now got a PC, and i'm thinking of returning to the Mac world. :) I would probably get an eMac 1ghz/256/80gb/superdrive, as this seems like a very good value for money machine. Ideally I would have liked an iMac for the TFT screen, but I really need a resolution of 1024x768 or bigger, the 17" iMac is too pricey, so the eMac seems like the best option. Just a few questions:

  • Will the eMac be a LOT faster than my old iBook was?
  • Have there been any significant improvements in Flash and Java technology on Mac's since last year? I ask this because I noticed Flash was a little slow on my iBook (although this may just have been because the iBook was slow in general). I'm studying Computer Science at University, so will need to develop in Java... I assume with a Mac i'll be able to Java program everything I could program on a PC?
  • Does anybody here have an eMac? Is the screen crisp and clear on the maximum resolution of 1280x960?

Cheers,

Nick

Good for you :)

Some answers:

1. I haven't used any other Macs than my own so I don't really have anything to compare to, so I'll leave that for someone else to answer.

2. Don't know about Java, but the newer Flash versions are much faster than they have been before, especially when using Safari.

3. I have the 700mhz eMac, and the screen is fantastic. One of the sharpest non-professional screens I've used. The only thing is that the actual screen is quite far behind the protective glass, so sometimes reflections can cause a form of 'ghosting', but as long as you're not using the screen with it turned towards a window you should be alright.

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1) Emacs are on a 100mhz bus, and you'll have a G4 processor so things will be noteably quicker but nowhere near fast (as compared to a DP-G5). Buy more ram: another 512mb stick will speed things up considerably and they're fairly cheap too.

2) Flash has been incrementally updated and is faster than a year ago. I can't say I have any problems with flash performance on my iMac at 1ghz so I assume the emac would be about the same.

3) The eMac screens are sharp and I really have no complaints except that it's a CRT (with all of those benefits and draw backs).

If you can get some extra cash you should really consdier going for the powermac.

With the developer discount it costs <$2000 cdn (+$100 to enroll in ADC as a student).

That's only 850 GBP - which is exactly the cost of the emac you're buying anyway.

(I just converted pricing from Canadian dollars on the ADC canada store to GBP -> I can't confirm that's the exact price you'll pay).

I know you'll be missing the screen - but because you're planning on using a CRT anyway you can either:

1) Use the one your already have (with a KVM switch so your PC and Mac can be plugged in at the same time)

2) buy a discount CRT from Pricewatch or it's Uk equivilant. You can find 17" CRT monitors for under ?50.

I think if the ADC price for a G5 is that good in the UK you'd be crazy to trade in the G5, Better video card, faster bus, serial ATA drive, and upgradeable monitor to save ?50 (or nothing if you recycle your existing monitor). If ADC pricing isn't that nice in the UK I'm sorry for getting your hopes up.

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