Wanted - a new PC

I have to say, the Apple MacPro is almost TOO yummy... If I purchased this Bart, would I have to go out and buy totally new software or could I simply run it as a Windows machine (or have my Windows programmes emulated somehow)? I guess I've invested a fair bit in Astro software that mostly only runs under windows...

It seems heresy to run an Apple as a Windows box - is there emulation software that would still allow my windows software to run in the Apple OS
environment?

You have a few options here and none are mutually exclusive:
1) use Bootcamp to make a dual boot system with Windows and OS X (free)
2) buy Parallels and run Windows natively within OS X. This is not emulation, it is virtualization. You don't get a performance hit as such. What happens is that BOTH OSes are running at the same time, Windows within a window in OS X. It's obviously hard on resources because you have TWO opperating sytems but you can do amazing things with it. It has a thing called coherency mode where your windows programs don't sit in a window anymore but become part of OS X so the two opperating sytems merge. It's well cool. (costs about 80 euro)
3) _IF_ your applications are supported you can use CrossOver to run them straight in OS X. Not all apps work but when it does work it's really cool. You don't need to install windows or anything. This is a good option if you don't have a Windows CD lying around. This is what I use. I don't run many apps in it, just WinRAR and Internet Explorer because they are the only Windows Apps I use. (costs about 50 quid)

So, in shot, yes, you can run windows, no bother at all and you even have some choices

Also, would lower processor speed and more RAM be better than slightly higher processor speed and less RAM?

RAM all the way with me. These modern processors are just rediculously fast, even a 2gig dual core will do just fine. You'll hardly really notice a speed increase with a slightly faster CPU but more RAM you will notice, especially if you go for parallels. I'd recommend 2GB. Haivng said that I use 1GB on both my machines and it works fine and I mutli-task the hell out of them but if you're going for really shinney then at least 2GB. Oh ... and if you plan to run Vista on this baby then you'll need 4GB regardless of what machine you decide to get. But I really wouldn't advise Vista. The best windows out there at the moment is XP service Pack 2.

OK - too many questions... I would definately stretch the budget for this beauty. Oh, and two of those 20" monitors :shock:

that said, I won;t rule out self build - the only reservation there is a warranty. Also, with my electrical knowledge extending to three-pin plugs only, I'd need someone to build it for me.

That's the one problem with self build. I self built a PC for my parents and it went pear shaped and it took ages to track it down and fix it. We couldn't call tech support because there was none for a home made jobbie!

However, I have self build loads of machines for myself over the years and that has worked well for me. When it goes well you save money and get EXACTLY what you want. If it doesn't go well you'll loose time and effort. I guess it comes down to how valuable your time is and how comfortable you are. My last two machines were not self-built because I wanted machines NOW with no hassle and a warranty should they cause trouble.

On a final note, I understand the difference between CRT and LCD. Surely the top end LCD's are very close to CRT performance... Besides, since its mostly science I'll be doing, I'd be happy with mediocre looking pretty pictures.

A high-end LCD is more than up to the job. Mac's main customer base is creative proffessionals and they ONLY sell LCDs. This has not cost them customers because the pros are happy to sit behind their Apple Cinema displays! Sure, a cheap bottom of the line LCD from a cheap bottom of the line Dell sucks but hey, you get what you pay for!

I guess my key requirements, in order, are:

Reliability
Processing speed
Graphics speed (for two monitors - I'm just so used to two monitors...)
Storage capacity

Given the MacPro I configured was just shy of 6K, I guess that's my budget (no point in scrimping eh?)

Cheers
Dave

a 6K MacPro *drools*

That must be some machine ... how much RAM and Disks did you cram into that baby?

A few years back I specked up my dream powerMac (as they were called then) and it came to 15K .... but I think the 4 30" displays may have been over-kill

Bart.

OK, here is what I configured:

2 * 2.0 GHz Processors
2 GB Ram

I got a bit lost on the graphics cards - what would you recommend? I'll probably run two 20" monitors

3 * 500 Gb hard drives
1 * SuperDrive (would you recommend two? - its only 100 quid extra...)

Wireless - I was stumped so I chose both bluetooth and Airport (80 quid)

I didn't bother with the modem or the fibre channel...

I chose the wireless keyboard and mouse.

I kept the OS as is - OS X and didn't bother with the server software.

The only software I added was iWork '06

I chose two 20" monitors and the AppleCare protection plan.

Any thoughts? Given what I will be doing with the machine, is there any over/underkill (other than the price - 5.8k)

Also, another techie question - I'll still have a couple of networked Windows machines - will that cause any problems?

Cheers
Dave

OK, here is what I configured:

2 * 2.0 GHz Processors
2 GB Ram

I got a bit lost on the graphics cards - what would you recommend? I'll probably run two 20" monitors

3 * 500 Gb hard drives
1 * SuperDrive (would you recommend two? - its only 100 quid extra...)

Wireless - I was stumped so I chose both bluetooth and Airport (80 quid)

I didn't bother with the modem or the fibre channel...

I chose the wireless keyboard and mouse.

I kept the OS as is - OS X and didn't bother with the server software.

The only software I added was iWork '06

I chose two 20" monitors and the AppleCare protection plan.

Any thoughts? Given what I will be doing with the machine, is there any over/underkill (other than the price - 5.8k)

Also, another techie question - I'll still have a couple of networked Windows machines - will that cause any problems?

Cheers
Dave

Anything there that strikes me as overkill .... just iWork ... I presume you
have MS Office? iWork will probably be a real office killer one day but I don't think it is yet. It has an excellent powerpoint replacement, a brilliant word replacement but no spreadsheet yet. Also, open office runs just fine on the Mac.

I'd also question getting two 20" wide-screen monitors. One takes up most of your field of view as it is ... and there's no way your field of view is two wide-screens wide! I'd propose one big wide screen monitor not small ones. Have a look at the resolutions, you'll soon see that with one 23" you'll have more screen real-estate than you know what to do with! Even with the 20" you can have two regular width browsers next to each other without any problems so it's already like an old double-headed display.

As for graphics cards, I'm no expert but any card offered with the MacPro will be a good card. Even the base model of these beasts are always very high end. My old one at work was a base model (with some extra RAM added) and it's still an outstanding machine. I'm defintely a power user and I'm still not pushing this thing to its limits!

Also, I wouldn't rule out the 24" iMac and a few external FireWire drives. You'll get a great machine for less money, granted, it won't remain top-of-the-line as long but with the money you save you can upgrade a year sooner and still save money in the long-run!

Having said that, if my budget could stretch to a PowerMac I'd get one in a heart-beat. They are stunning machines. They are also almost silent which is amazing considering their power. Apple went to Lockheed Martin (I think) for the design of the fan blades. The design Lockheed came up with has two fans which are out of phase with each other in such a way that their sound waves cancel out to almost silence! The reason Apple went so mad on keeping these things quiet is that they are often used inside recording studios where you really can't have noisy equipment! That's just one example of the attention-to-detail Apple put into these beasts, if you want to see perfect engineering in practice you should open one up and have a look at how well organised and easy to get at everything is on the inside. This makes upgrading parts later trivially easy. I think even my mum could do it!

I guess what I'm saying is you get what you pay for and perhaps two 20" screens is a wee bit of over-kill.

Bart.

While we're on the subject...
When shopping for a new screen, what does one look for when seeking an LCD screen? Is it image brightness, response time, contrast ratio, or other stuff??

While we're on the subject...
When shopping for a new screen, what does one look for when seeking an LCD screen? Is it image brightness, response time, contrast ratio, or other stuff??

All of the above I guess. I tend to just get a screen that I have seen before and that gets good reviews. Nothing like seeing it in action to make sure it's up to scratch.

So, to get the ball rolling, I've had a Samsung SyncMaster for a while now, not sure exactly how long but it's been a while anyhow, probably over two years. It has never given me even the smallest bit of trouble and things look good on it. A few of my mates have bought more recent veresions of the same model and they too have nothing but praise for it. The great thing is it was one of the cheaper ones available on www.Komplett.ie !

At work I have an Apple Cinema display and all I can say is these guys are the cream of the crop. They are not cheap but they have come down a lot in price so they are now reasonably priced.

I'm sure others will be able to give you recommendations too.

Bart.

1 * SuperDrive (would you recommend two? - its only 100 quid extra...)

Wireless - I was stumped so I chose both bluetooth and Airport (80 quid)

I didn't bother with the modem or the fibre channel...

Also, another techie question - I'll still have a couple of networked Windows machines - will that cause any problems?

Just realised I forgot to answer these points.

I think one superdrive is plenty unless you plan on spending a lot of time duplicating DVDs that is.

You should definitely get bluetooth but I never did see the point in getting WiFi (or airport as Apple calls it) on a desktop. If you have a wired network and this machine will be on it then don't bother. Also, good call on getting Apple Care. It gives you three years peace of mind. I look at my Apple computers in terms of how much they'll cost me per year considering I always get the three years Apple Care with them. So, my nice shinny laptop came in at 1K per year so I thought that was a fair price for the amount of use I'd be getting from it.

Finally, as for your network question. No problem at all. Macs play nice on Windows networks, they even come with Windows File sharing for both sending and receiving files as standard. At work we have loads of Macs on our mainly windows network and you can rest assured, it's not the Macs that cause us trouble!

Bart.