i need a new computer...damn!

back alley

back alley

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last week, my doctor told me that my body was like an old car...my parts are getting old and wearing out! damn!
and it seems the same is true for my computer...the old macbook is getting long in the tooth and starting to do some strange things. apple wont even let me upgrade the ios anymore...damn!
so i need to put some cold hard cash together for a purchase...selling some things and saving where i can....who knew growing old and having a diminished earning potential would be such a pain? damn!
 
Put one together joe. I built a killer rig for $600 a couple of months ago. Would have cost me close to $1.5K if I was buying the same rig from a store
 
stompyq said:
Put one together joe. I built a killer rig for $600 a couple of months ago. Would have cost me close to $1.5K if I was buying the same rig from a store
Click to expand...

i have no talent for such things...it took me a week to set up a small home theatre kit.
 
So far I have been avoiding Macs for both personal and business laptops. But I expect (next year) to meet a client who would pay us to build a system that includes the iOS platform, then I had no choice but to get a Mac.

Anyway, my advice is to find a gently-used top-tier Lenovo *business class* laptop, then wipe out the drive and install the latest Ubuntu Linux.

Why top-tier business-class? Because they are built very well and the spare parts are available.
 
FEAR=False Expectations Appear Real
It ain't rocket science Joe.
Back in '92 when I got laid off I didn't know a thing about computers. Got a broken down 286 from an in-law and went to town learning about them. I figured out how to run AutoCad on a 386DX40 with only 2 mb's of RAM and 9" monochrome monitor.
You can do it. Just use common sense when handling the electronics. It's kind of fun when you turn it on and it works, knowing you built it or put it together.
 
I would not recommend Ubuntu to just about anyone that is not a computer nerd. Even setting up simple filesharing with another Windows computer is a daunting task.
 
The problem with Linux, Ubuntu included - no LR or PS. And GIMP sucks.
The problem with most PC laptops - not usable for photography graphics card and not upgradable. You have to look for specific model which has advance dual mode graphics card.
I wouldn't mind Apple at home with LR and scanner software. But it is expensive.
 
AlwaysOnAuto said:
FEAR=False Expectations Appear Real
It ain't rocket science Joe.
Back in '92 when I got laid off I didn't know a thing about computers. Got a broken down 286 from an in-law and went to town learning about them. I figured out how to run AutoCad on a 386DX40 with only 2 mb's of RAM and 9" monochrome monitor.
You can do it. Just use common sense when handling the electronics. It's kind of fun when you turn it on and it works, knowing you built it or put it together.
Click to expand...

were you around here when i took apart that lens for cleaning?
 
basic mini is 549....mid level mini is 749. cdn $$...
i could live with the basic but would prefer the mid level...thinking of selling my second xe1 body to swing it...
 
Hi Joe

What is the spec and or year of your macbook? If you were running snow leopard you can upgrade directly to Mavericks with anything 2008 or later.
Mavericks then can upgrade to Yosemite if you like.
It really should not be an issue.
Snow Leopard disc will cost you $25 and then upgrading will be free. Assuming your machine is 2008 or later.
Since you use an iPad I don't recomend leaving the apple ecosystem.

Another suggestion if you are set on buying is looking for a 2nd hand iMac on CL or Kijiji.

I gave my 2008 iMac 24" to my mom which got my brother interested in finding one for his house.
He found a 2011 27" with 8g Ram for $400 on CL. It's in perfect condition.
I helped instal Mavs on it and thing thing runs like new.
There are great 2nd hand iMac deals out there. Probably mac Minis too.
Laptops I'm less enthusiastic about used.
 
iirc it's from 2005 or 2006...
i think it's behind about 2 upgrades on the os...
been looking on kijiji but mostly older laptops, cheap laptops for sale.
also looking at apple canada for a refurb but no minis there.
 
Well... after christmas is a great time to find used anything electronic. Hang in there a week or two if you think used is an option.
My brother looked once a day for 2 weeks and found a gem! Just saying :)
 
I built my first computer in 8th grade.
It's like LEGO. It's really easy.

My current computer that I built two years ago (still running like a top, same as the day I turned it on, w/ Win7) cost $1100 in parts. For fun I actually spec'd out a Mac with the same specs at the time and it clocked in at almost $6k.

If you really, really like the "Mac experience" (which in my opinion is "shiny toy that costs an arm and a leg to buy and/or fix and is un-intuitive in every respect") go for it. Have fun. But if you just want to get work done and not show off your shiny case, build a computer. Put Windows on it or Hackintosh, whatever floats your boat. If you want a laptop get a Lenovo as suggested, they are very good.
 
Joe,
For 10 years I been using a Compac computer, well it just gave out last month
and after two rebuilt's just gave up and got a IMac. these guy's only last so long.

Range
 
Ko.Fe. said:
The problem with Linux, Ubuntu included - no LR or PS. And GIMP sucks.
The problem with most PC laptops - not usable for photography graphics card and not upgradable. You have to look for specific model which has advance dual mode graphics card.
I wouldn't mind Apple at home with LR and scanner software. But it is expensive.
Click to expand...

I don't know about LR or PS, but many programs will work with Linux using WINE. Since both would be graphics intensive, you would want enough horsepower and graphics to support some extra cycles. But Linux tends not to use as many cycles as Windows. I don't know about Macs.

With Laptops, it depends on what's under the hood. I have a new W8.1Pro laptop with 16 gb on the motherboard and 4 gb on the NVidia card. I don't expect much of anything to slow it down. Of course it cost almost $1000 US, which sounds like more than Joe wants to spend. Also, it is not a Mac. He won't want to switch from that any more than I would want to switch to it.
 
I wanted to get a mac mini until I saw how puny the specs of the new ones were for the money, and ended up building a simple pc with the latest i7-4790k processor and 16gb of fast memory, a 256gb SSD drive and a 3tb storage drive for about $750 (with holiday discounts from amazon). Built-in intel graphics are good-enough for Lightroom and Photoshop. That's a lot more of a system than a mac mini that I was considering. Plus, now I can upgrade the memory to 32gb and add a nice graphics card if I want. Took me a day to put it together and install everything (after I downloaded drivers from the motherboard manufacturer website). Easier to do than you think. All you need is a little time to spec the system you want and the rest is very easy. Let me know if I can help you navigate the process if you decide to go that route.
 
Go to the Apple website, go to the store, and see if there are any suitable systems available refurbished.

My photo processing computer is a Mac mini (mid-2012 generation) with i7 2.7GHz Quad cpu, 16G RAM, and an (aftermarket) 960G Crucial SSD installed. I use it outfitted with an Apple wired keyboard, Apple wireless trackpad, and Apple Thunderbolt Display 27". No, I don't remember how much it cost me. I do remember that it cost nothing in time to set up and maintain; it's fast and useful, runs the latest software, and has enough processing and memory overhead to keep me happy for a while to come.

G
 
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