PC VS Mac

Sackboy said:
nVidia GeForce 9400M with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
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Like I said, the GeForce 9400M is the first to use shared memory (DDR3, not GDDR3) BUT it's one of TWO graphics processors found in the MBP. The MBP still has the more powerful 9600M GT with 256MB or 512MB dedicated GDDR3. And this is only in the current one. All previous versions MacBook Pro, and all previous G4 PowerBooks had discrete graphics with dedicated memory.
 
PeterCH said:
My Mac Pro came with a SONY DVD burner, but it was a generic NEC
in disguise. Flashing it to it's RPC-1 NEC variant even unlocked additional
functionality.

They haven't spared any expense with the PRO. I AM surprised to hear it came with a flashable firmware. Apple have always gone out of their way to prevent that.

It depends on what you wanna do. If you want to do high def video
rendering you'll need a Mac Pro with a video processor card like the Kona Aja.
For other things, any Mac will do. For portability a MB would be best.

They say the future is portable, so that's where they should concentrate.

People don't get it that the OS and choice of Apple pro-apps are usually the best reasons to get a Mac.


As I suggested, Apple knows that people want the OS, even if it means losing something else, like on the iMac and Mini (most affordable). And if they want portability, then the books. Leaving out BR was a mistake in my view.
I don't think any hardware buyer wants to feel restricted and Apple has done that with their machines - limiting the choices.
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Sackboy said:
...
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You can buy an internal or external BD writer for the Mac Pro
and USB 2.0 models work with MB(P)s/iMac/Minis.
Toast and Compressor have BD support.

It's also more than just the OS. The actual apps are only available
on the Mac OSX platform and are in fact cheaper than Adobe equivalents.
You actually save money and work using better tools if you invest
in a Mac and use the available software vs a similar spec'ed PC
with Vista and competitor's software which is not as good.

The Mac Pro has a flashable DVD drive, also takes stock HDDs from
PC shops and can use most USB/FW connected peripherals.
 
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The DVD drives in all Mac are ordinary IDE drives. In fact, the one in my MacBook is *exactly* the same as in my old HP laptop. Provided you have a firmware flashing tool that will run on OSX, you can flash it. If you don't, nothing stops you from pulling the drive and putting it in another machine or external enclosure to do it.
 
koffiejunkie said:
The DVD drives in all Mac are ordinary IDE drives. In fact, the one in my MacBook is *exactly* the same as in my old HP laptop. Provided you have a firmware flashing tool that will run on OSX, you can flash it. If you don't, nothing stops you from pulling the drive and putting it in another machine or external enclosure to do it.
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Ijn order to flash a drive, say to make it region free you first identify it, then find firmware for it. When I looked last, there was no flash avalable for the matsush1ta. Few other PC's had it too. I agree you can get the thing out (with some skill required), but then what? Put another in and you could have problems because Apple has restricted drivers for OSX. So that is also restrictive as people trying to run OSX on a PC have found.
 
Sackboy said:
Ijn order to flash a drive, say to make it region free you first identify it, then find firmware for it. When I looked last, there was no flash avalable for the matsush1ta.
Click to expand...

That has absolutely nothing to do with Apple. It has everything to do with Matsush1ta. Matsush1ta drives are used by many manufacturers - they're sold as Panasonic branded drives too.

Sackboy said:
Few other PC's had it too.
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No many PC laptops do, for the same reason that Apple uses them - they're cheap.

Sackboy said:
I agree you can get the thing out (with some skill required)
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If removing the drive is above your skill level, then you really shouldn't be dicking about with the firmware.

Sackboy said:
Put another in and you could have problems because Apple has restricted drivers for OSX.
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Apple gives you windows drivers too - check out bootcamp.

Sackboy said:
So that is also restrictive as people trying to run OSX on a PC have found.
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Are you surprised? The EULA says you're not a allowed to do that. Microsoft doesn't supply drivers to run linux or OSX on the Xbox either - it makes no business sense.
 
Sackboy said:
Ijn order to flash a drive, say to make it region free you first identify it, then find firmware for it. When I looked last, there was no flash avalable for the matsush1ta. Few other PC's had it too. I agree you can get the thing out (with some skill required), but then what? Put another in and you could have problems because Apple has restricted drivers for OSX. So that is also restrictive as people trying to run OSX on a PC have found.
Click to expand...

Matsush1ta drives have no firmware available, but there is no official region free firmware available for any drive out there. It's all based on enthusiasts who have hacked official firmware to allow region changes. You should blame those enthusiasts who are not making region free fw instead of blaming Apple for putting in a Matsush1ta drive and believe me if Panasonic puts them in their own
$3000+ laptops they aren't cr@p.
 
PeterCH said:
Matsush1ta drives have no firmware available, but there is no official region free firmware available for any drive out there. It's all based on enthusiasts who have hacked official firmware to allow region changes. You should blame those enthusiasts who are not making region free fw instead of blaming Apple for putting in a Matsush1ta drive and believe me if Panasonic puts them in their own
$3000+ laptops they aren't cr@p.
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You're proving my point again, and so is the koffie lover :p. Apple puts in cheap drives and charges a premium for the machine, probaby because they spend too much on sexy design and making things thin and light. I think the 'enthusiasts' would make a firmware for these drives if they could, don't you?
 
Sackboy said:
You're proving my point again, and so is the koffie lover :p. Apple puts in cheap drives and charges a premium for the machine, probaby because they spend too much on sexy design and making things thin and light. I think the 'enthusiasts' would make a firmware for these drives if they could, don't you?
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Matsush1ta puts these drives into their premium Japanese designed and assembled Business and Fully toughened ToughBooks (known as the "Let's Note" range in Japan). These laptops retail for more than Sony Vaio's and have build quality like nothing else, no other laptop is designed in-house and built in by a premier Japanese company in Japan with Japanese hands. They would not put cheap drives into Toughbooks. Matsush1ta prides itself foremost on reliability in its Toughbook range and when you make the most popular business laptop in Japan and the US military and paramedic services around the world
are your customer you don't risk your name with junk.

When I said enthusiasts, above, I said people who like to hack firmware.
Why they haven't hacked these drives while hacking much cheaper drives from fully Chinese OEMs I don't know, maybe the FW is more proprietary and
real skill is needed.

Matsush1ta are very good, believe me. My Toughbook doesn't complain.

The Toughbooks have an average annual repair rate of around 3.2%. Panasonic's fully-rugged Toughbooks have an average annualized failure of about 1.5%.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toughbook
 
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Sackboy said:
You're proving my point again, and so is the koffie lover :p. Apple puts in cheap drives and charges a premium for the machine, probaby because they spend too much on sexy design and making things thin and light. I think the 'enthusiasts' would make a firmware for these drives if they could, don't you?
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No, you're still missing the point. You're trying to qualify the merits of the whole machine based on the choice of optical drive.

Stick to PC-land - you're safe there.
 
koffiejunkie said:
No, you're still missing the point. You're trying to qualify the merits of the whole machine based on the choice of optical drive.

Stick to PC-land - you're safe there.
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Lol..

SackBoy... it's simple, buy a Mac.. Then come post here again after using it for a week. None of us here are stupid nor are we filthy rich, yet we still buy them.. You're not going to understand this till you have one of your own.. :)
 
Sputnik said:
I have a mat****a drives in here:

http://www.sun.com/desktop/workstation/ultra40/index.xml

in here:

http://www.sun.com/servers/x64/x4600/

and in here:

http://www.sun.com/servers/x64/x4600/

and in many more pc laptop clients.

It's good enough for me.
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It probably is. Remember we haven't specified a particular model. For all we know, Apple may have had it built for them especially. BTW: Those worksations are "no longer orderable and "end of life". Even if we disregard that, would a typical user mind if they didn't burn at the advertised speed, were very picky about media, were noisy whilst watching movies, unflashable. I think not.

koffiejunkie said:
No, you're still missing the point. You're trying to qualify the merits of the whole machine based on the choice of optical drive.

Stick to PC-land - you're safe there.
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Well it wasn't just the drive. I also mentioned a lack of BlueRay and some other things. The point I was making, which became focused on only one thing, was that Apple's are expensive for the hardware on board and the company was placing far too much value on the OS. I've seen this a lot when Apple rave about the software offered as part of the system. Much of it is quite limited and offers a 'now you've tried this, for the full effect buy that' taster for their professional ware. They even made a song and dance about some game software that really should be classed as SHAREWARE. Again, I see they don't do that anymore, so progress on that front.

VertigoZA said:
Lol..

SackBoy... it's simple, buy a Mac.. Then come post here again after using it for a week. None of us here are stupid nor are we filthy rich, yet we still buy them.. You're not going to understand this till you have one of your own.. :)
Click to expand...
I have used a Mac for several weeks. I've also had one demoed many times. "The cult of Mac" - yep it's turning out to be a fair description.
 
Hi All

I was looking at the Macbook / Pro... wondering if the (lack of) size and price of the thing was actually worth it... getting the demo...

I was impressed by the design... I like the screens... hang, I even liked the feel of the keyboard...

I was buzzing along quite light-headed with the thought of spending hard earned cash on one of these things...

Until...
I saw
the EXCUSE for a dedicated docking station!!

OMG... it was like something kludged together the night before a school project was meant to be handed in. Huge plastic thing with all the LAN, modem and other port things attached to arms that had to line up with the ports on the MacBook and "guided" in. FUGLY FUGLY FUGLY and expensive after thought.

With a (now relieved) THUD... the money hit the wallet and I left the store. I just KNOW the salesrep HATED the "docking solution" with every fibre in his being.

Just take a look at the Macbook... and at the same time glance at the threat of a docking solution... I do not know if I want to laugh or cry!!!!!
 
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Sputnik said:
Sackboy, you're drawing this thread out by such a stretch that I think that Godwin's law might apply soon...
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Thanks. Next time I should avoid all the pointed and leading questions then and risk criticism for that? I find it quite revealing that the people sniping are almost never contributing to the topic :rolleyes:
 
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