new here and have a question regarding the computer i will be buying

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ozziesironman

New Member
Hi, First of all im Nick, i have been building PCs since i was like 10. i am a mechanic, and live in san diego.
lately i have been sick of Windows crashing on my aging AMD Athlon 64 2.8GHz. so i decided to go the hackintosh route... and i will go into no further detail on that, as i dont know if thats against the rules or not. have been much happier though, i will say that.

anyways, my question is this: should i build another PC, (powered by Intel, of course, im DONE with AMD)
or should i buy the new 27" iMac with the i7?

i know building one myself would be worlds cheaper, but i want a computer i wont have to keep upgrading once a year, hence the Apple. and according to the apple site, the 27" iMac has some very good specs (keep in mind i still think in terms of pentium) (plus im sick of windows... )

for what I will do with it, im pretty sure the iMac would deliver it well. just basic computer usage, itunes, world of warcraft, left 4 dead 2, final cut, toast, windows 7 (for windows games i still play.. unreal series).
but i wonder, 27" and 2560x1440 is a LOT of real estate to power, would the iMac i3, i5, or i7 be the best bet?

for the record: id LOVE to get a Mac Pro desktop, but i have no need (nor desire) for a Xeon processor. plus dont want to spend 3 grand and up for a computer.

here are the specs of the iMac
2.8GHz Intel Core i5 (upgradable to i7)
2560x1440 res
4GB (upgradable to 16GB) (will be getting at least 8)
1TB hard drive
ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB

custom built desktop:
intel core i7 870 2.93GHz quad core
8GB DDR3 memory
Geforce GT 430 1GB
2 500GB 7200 hard drives (western digital)

sorry for the long rant, i guess my main question is for World of Warcraft and Left 4 dead 2, would the iMac perform beautifully? and would the i3, i5, or i7 be better? i have been out of the PC building game for too long. thanks!
 
Honestly, not to be anti-mac, but getting a mac won't solve the issues you laid out

Its the same basic hardware, and will be installed with OSx - but as you know, you'll be running or emulating windows to play games, and you'll have the same issues there (if not more) as running a machine with just Win7.

I recommend the i7-860 system, dual-boot Ubuntu for your day to day stuff if you're really sick of windows.

The Mac is 150%+ over priced, guaranteed, and you'll get the same (if not some lower quality) hardware inside, loaded with software that's great for people who are brainwashed into saying its great.
 
i agree that the Mac is overpriced, but i guess u get what you pay for.
as for my budget... well.. i was getting ready to drop almost 3 grand for a 27" iMac! so.... maybe keep under 2 grand? will be getting this during tax season as a gift to myself from my tax return :) i already have about 200 saved up, anticipating a 1300-1900 dollar tax return. i was on newegg last night speccing it, and heres what i came up with
hopefully the link works for you, its in my shopping cart
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingCart.aspx?Submit=view
if not, basically its an
i7 950 3.06GHz
Asus Sabertooth X58 motherboard
Blue Ray burner :) (hey wy not...)
windows 7 ultimate for system builders (i have never called tech support, so i know i dont need it)
GSkill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4x4GB) 240 pin DDR3 1600
Corsair 850TX power supply
EVGA Geforce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB GDDR5 x2 ( SLI baby OH YEAH!)
500GB Western Digital 7200 RPM

again, im not sure if its allowed to be discussed on this site, but I will want to have a certain UNIX based OS (that is currently tied to Jobsian hardware) installed on it, hence the intel chipsets and such. i went off a compatibility list, and what im used to, in windows, (or the UNIX system) it would utterly annihilate any computer i have ever used in my life. what you guys think for a good build?

Edit: I am not asking if it's compatible with the jobsian os; while it will be installed, my question is about gaming and performance under windows. Just wanted to clear that up. Don't want to break any rules here. Thanks.
 
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im not a huge mac fan. there isnt a whole lot of software that runs strictly on macs. you cannot build your own mac. they are difficult or almost impossible to easily upgrade from one generation to the next. example, if you want to upgrade a PC to the next generation cpu you would change out the motherboard and cpu, other things may or may not need to be upgraded. often times you can keep your PSU, case, sometimes memory, graphics card, ect. you cannot buy a mac motherboard(that im aware of) and if you could, they would cost an arm and a leg.

i dont know if this is still the case, but it was years ago. i will stay away from goofy computer that only have 1 mouse button and use weird networking called appletalk. i would say stick with the PC, at least you know what you are getting into

i also would stay away from intel and buy an AMD instead, generally they are a better value. i have been thrilled with AMD products, and the last intel i have owned was a PII 350, and as we all know thats ancient history.

cpu's i have had
intel 486sx
intel 486 dx2
intel pentium 166 mhz
intel pentium II 350
amd athlon t-bird 700 MHZ
athlon 64 3000+ socket 754
athlon 64 x2 4200 socket AM2
athlon 64 x2 6000 socket am2
 
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