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jack spade23
06-23-2005, 07:33 PM
I will be attending college this fall. I am trying to decide between computers: either the powerbook g4 or the imac g5. They both have their pros and cons, so i would like any suggestions that would make this easier. The campus is wirless, and the many students i have asked have been about 60/40 in favor of laptops. Also, I am definetly getting a mac, so is there a way i can download partypoker instead of having to play pokerroom? Or does it really matter? Thanks in advance.

-jack

Patrick del Poker Grande
06-23-2005, 07:35 PM
Don't get a [censored] Mac.

2+2 wannabe
06-23-2005, 07:36 PM
virtual pc lets you play pc games on your mac

powerbook >>>>>>> ibook

jack spade23
06-23-2005, 07:45 PM
If i get a laptop, it will be a powerbook. But the imacg5 has the computer in the moniter, so it saves space. Wth a wirless mouse and keyboard, thats a lot less crap on my desk.

Patrick- i am getting a mac because i dont want hundreds of viruses all the time that i would have on a pc, forcing me to by virus protection.

plus, what about dragging a laptop with me wherever i go? sure i can play poker during class, but do i want to lug it with me whenever im not in my room or have it locked up?

BusterStacks
06-23-2005, 07:47 PM
virus protections is free.

Patrick del Poker Grande
06-23-2005, 07:51 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Patrick- i am getting a mac because i dont want hundreds of viruses all the time that i would have on a pc, forcing me to by virus protection.

[/ QUOTE ]
If you're going to buy a Mac just for this reason, then that's just silly. It's not exactly rocket science keeping a PC virus-free. Besides that, it's not as if virus software is expensive in comparison to the computer. It's a wash. This is like saying you wouldn't buy a house with a garage because that's just one more door you have to buy a lock for.

Also, as was mentioned before, you can often get virus protection for free, especially when you're at a university.

stabn
06-23-2005, 07:53 PM
The topic says computer but the post is all about macs???????

jack spade23
06-23-2005, 07:55 PM
huh. i didnt know it was free, i just assumed i would have to pay for it like everything else. Good point. So lets say im not ruling pcs out now. My price range is under 2000 so which should i do? laptop or desktop?

Reef
06-23-2005, 07:55 PM
the only kind of mac worth anything is a big mac

jack spade23
06-23-2005, 07:59 PM
I get off topic easily. I thought i should mention i was leaning towards a mac because i thought pcs constantly had problems (the dells we had in high school did.) but now its all about the laptop or desktop.

Patrick del Poker Grande
06-23-2005, 07:59 PM
[ QUOTE ]
huh. i didnt know it was free, i just assumed i would have to pay for it like everything else. Good point. So lets say im not ruling pcs out now. My price range is under 2000 so which should i do? laptop or desktop?

[/ QUOTE ]
When I was a freshman in college, the year was 1997. It was a different time, a different millenium, a different place. I bought a laptop to bring with me, thinking space would be tight in my dorm room. It was a crock and I ended up selling the laptop in favor of a much more powerful PC that could be had for the same price. Back then, there was no wireless networking and I wasn't about to be hauling that thing around for nothing. The only advantage was it was easy for me to bring with me when I went home for Christmas and whatnot.

That was then, this is now. I think times really have changed. With the advent of wireless networking and the great improvement in laptops, I'd say go for a laptop. You can get a pretty good laptop for under $2k. In fact, I just bought one just for use in my home. It now makes sense to have a laptop, as you can now be truly mobile and effective with one.

What I'm trying to say is get a laptop.

Patrick del Poker Grande
06-23-2005, 08:00 PM
Oh yeah, and if you get a Dell, be sure to Google for "dell coupon" and get a coupon code. It'll save you hundreds.

DemonDeac
06-23-2005, 08:01 PM
Wake Forest gives us IBM Thinkpads with Microsoft Office, and they are awesome. Everything you need in a computer.

I highly recommend it. I have the R40 now but will be upgraded to the R53

fluxrad
06-23-2005, 08:06 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Don't get a [censored] Mac.

[/ QUOTE ]

Meh. OSX is probably one of the better OS'es out there right now. The hardware is overpriced, but they're about to port OSX to Intel, so the last barrier is about to break.

Apple has done a lot to fix what was wrong with the concept of "Mac" in the last few years. To be honest, my resistance to them keeps falling...dramatically.

/unix guy.

stabn
06-23-2005, 08:08 PM
[ QUOTE ]
I get off topic easily. I thought i should mention i was leaning towards a mac because i thought pcs constantly had problems (the dells we had in high school did.) but now its all about the laptop or desktop.

[/ QUOTE ]

For everything besides poker i would say a laptop. But if you plan on multitabling at any point a desktop is superior.

Patrick del Poker Grande
06-23-2005, 08:12 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I get off topic easily. I thought i should mention i was leaning towards a mac because i thought pcs constantly had problems (the dells we had in high school did.) but now its all about the laptop or desktop.

[/ QUOTE ]

For everything besides poker i would say a laptop. But if you plan on multitabling at any point a desktop is superior.

[/ QUOTE ]
I actually prefer the screen on my laptop to my 2001FP for multitabling (4 tables). I got a Dell Inspiron 9300 with a 17" WUXGA screen. 1920x1200 (or whatever it is) is awesome. I can't stress enough how awesome this screen is. If you're going for a desktop replacement and not an ultra-light ultra-portable laptop, then the 17" WUXGA is definitely the way to go.

stabn
06-23-2005, 08:33 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I get off topic easily. I thought i should mention i was leaning towards a mac because i thought pcs constantly had problems (the dells we had in high school did.) but now its all about the laptop or desktop.

[/ QUOTE ]

For everything besides poker i would say a laptop. But if you plan on multitabling at any point a desktop is superior.

[/ QUOTE ]
I actually prefer the screen on my laptop to my 2001FP for multitabling (4 tables). I got a Dell Inspiron 9300 with a 17" WUXGA screen. 1920x1200 (or whatever it is) is awesome. I can't stress enough how awesome this screen is. If you're going for a desktop replacement and not an ultra-light ultra-portable laptop, then the 17" WUXGA is definitely the way to go.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yah those are sweet, but not too cheap. Although with his 2k budget i'm sure he can get one.

Patrick del Poker Grande
06-23-2005, 08:43 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I get off topic easily. I thought i should mention i was leaning towards a mac because i thought pcs constantly had problems (the dells we had in high school did.) but now its all about the laptop or desktop.

[/ QUOTE ]

For everything besides poker i would say a laptop. But if you plan on multitabling at any point a desktop is superior.

[/ QUOTE ]
I actually prefer the screen on my laptop to my 2001FP for multitabling (4 tables). I got a Dell Inspiron 9300 with a 17" WUXGA screen. 1920x1200 (or whatever it is) is awesome. I can't stress enough how awesome this screen is. If you're going for a desktop replacement and not an ultra-light ultra-portable laptop, then the 17" WUXGA is definitely the way to go.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yah those are sweet, but not too cheap. Although with his 2k budget i'm sure he can get one.

[/ QUOTE ]
Definitely. I got my I9300 with a 17" WUXGA for $1491 with a coupon. I didn't price them too hard, but he could probably get an XPS for $2k.

shadow29
06-23-2005, 09:06 PM
The Dell Inspiron 6000 is a cheaper alternative to the 9300. It's smaller, but with a slightly smaller screen. It still has a native resolution of 1600x1200 (which means 4 tabling) and is better for reading the internet.

Make sure you don't upgrade the RAM. Just go with the 256 from dell and then buy a 1 GB stick off newegg (I got mine for $100).

Patrick del Poker Grande
06-23-2005, 09:17 PM
[ QUOTE ]
The Dell Inspiron 6000 is a cheaper alternative to the 9300. It's smaller, but with a slightly smaller screen. It still has a native resolution of 1600x1200 (which means 4 tabling) and is better for reading the internet.

Make sure you don't upgrade the RAM. Just go with the 256 from dell and then buy a 1 GB stick off newegg (I got mine for $100).

[/ QUOTE ]
He's got the budget for a 9300 (or maybe even an XPS), so he might as well get the better machine. Your comments about the aftermarket memory are good, but you should be a little bit careful. I don't know what comes with the 6000, but the 9300 and the XPS come with DDR2 memory. DDR2 memory is designed to be used in matched pairs. That is, you get better performance out of two identical 512MB sticks than out of one 1GB stick. You also miss out on the performance benefits of DDR2 if you, for instance, run one 1GB stick and one 256MB or 512MB stick.

Also, be sure to get a processor fast enough that it has the 533Mhz bus instead of the 400Mhz bus. I think this starts at the PM 1.6GHz chips. If you're thinking about getting the 1.5GHz or whatever the highest 400Mhz chip is, it's worth it to bump up to the next one so you get the 533Mhz bus.

RyGreen18
06-24-2005, 02:10 AM
dell also has those $750 coupons every once in awhile, im waitin to do that before i get my laptop

Patrick del Poker Grande
06-24-2005, 02:11 AM
[ QUOTE ]
dell also has those $750 coupons every once in awhile, im waitin to do that before i get my laptop

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, the code I used was for $750. That was pretty nice.

bronzepiglet
06-24-2005, 02:55 AM
[ QUOTE ]
I get off topic easily. I thought i should mention i was leaning towards a mac because i thought pcs constantly had problems (the dells we had in high school did.) but now its all about the laptop or desktop.

[/ QUOTE ]

My woman has a Mac and two hard-drives (supplied by Mac) died and there have been numerous other hardware problems with it that are unacceptable for the price. I think it's ridiculous how much brand loyalty they have with how much they screw their customers... especially with all the Microsoft BS they pull on their supposedly anti-Microsoft users.

Sorry to jump on the Mac-bashing thing...

YourFoxyGrandma
06-24-2005, 03:10 AM
I bought a g4 desktop right before they went out of style for school. I'm really happy with it, but I use it for some hardware intensive stuff. If you're not gonna be putting your computer to such use, which I'm assuming you're not, definitely go with the laptop. Having a laptop seems like it would be an amazing convenience. Computer anywhere=amazing for college. Plus, if you're bored in class, you have something to do, especially with wireless internet.

Tron
06-24-2005, 04:26 AM
Get the PowerBook, you will love it.

Well, at least I love mine.

Also, make sure you use your educational discount.

bighomage
07-21-2005, 12:19 AM
I know this was done a while ago, but I'm trying to get a computer for college too and I want to get a laptop. My college recommends a Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz with 512MB or memory. I looked on the Dell site, which my college has a deal with, but I could only find desktops with this power. Can I get a laptop with these, or is it not even really necessary to have all that?