Buying a Mac - PC advice please.

[jæd]

umm, not sure, I think I'll have to install some IP tools as my Unix terminal skills (and network skills) are negligible. I'm at work now so can't get to my computer.

On the Mac you should have "Terminal" under the Utilities section in the Application folder. This gives you a command-prompt, and all the usual Unix network tools should be included as standard....

From the command-prompt you could try

smbclient -L localhost

To see whats being shared by your computer, and

smbclient -L window_xp_ip

To see whats on the other box.

 

[Structaural]

What router do you have...? I'd guess at something blocking ports somewhere...?

It's a Livebox from Orange/Wanadoo and it does block most ports as default. I can port forward with the utility (if I can find out the relevant ports).

 

[Structaural]

On the Mac you should have "Terminal" under the Utilities section in the Application folder. This gives you a command-prompt, and all the usual Unix network tools should be included as standard....

From the command-prompt you could try

smbclient -L localhost

To see whats being shared by your computer, and

smbclient -L window_xp_ip

To see whats on the other box.

I'll give them a try later, I've all this Unix stuff to learn, cheers Jaed.

 

[Structaural]

Turned out it was the router - had to open a load of TCP and UDP ports and add my Mac ip to the Trusted zone of Norton on the PC. All works fine now.

Cheers for help (I gave up for a while as I couldn't see anyone on the network and just used my jumpdrive).

 

[Kid_Eternity]

We got one of the new iMacs today, first time I've used a Mac in about 8 years, was weird but kinda cool. Fucking nice looking thing though and the keyboad aint too bad either...

 

[Crispy]

http://bestmacsoftware.org/ for the essentials (although transmission is the best torrent app)

 

[Structaural]

I bought xTorrent in the end - only for downloading films, the search function is very good - my gf can get on with it as well and she hates computers and loathes bitorrent sites. I keep forgetting about Transmission...

What's that keyboard like Kid? Looks weird. PM me if you want a pukka mac torrent site.

 

[gabi]

I bought xTorrent in the end - only for downloading films, the search function is very good - my gf can get on with it as well and she hates computers and loathes bitorrent sites. I keep forgetting about Transmission...

What's that keyboard like Kid? Looks weird. PM me if you want a pukka mac torrent site.

I quite like xTorrent too - makes it very easy for the average Mac user who just cant be arsed mucking about with torrents.

Downloaded parallels and XP last night with it, installed them to watch Sopcast (world cup!), and it runs surprisngly well.

Think I need to get a wee bit more RAM though, anyone got any recommendations? I've just the standard setup at present which I think is only 512...

 

[Structaural]

I quite like xTorrent too - makes it very easy for the average Mac user who just cant be arsed mucking about with torrents.

Downloaded parallels and XP last night with it, installed them to watch Sopcast (world cup!), and it runs surprisngly well.

Think I need to get a wee bit more RAM though, anyone got any recommendations? I've just the standard setup at present which I think is only 512...

What mac you got (I was about to start a mac ripoff ram thread)?

 

[gabi]

What mac you got (I was about to start a mac ripoff ram thread)?

Yeh, start a thread maybe..? Ive got an iMac... actually i think its got 1gb, 2 x 512..

ive heard you can buy cheap-ass ram from some of the online stores, rather than apple directly. dunno if theres any reason not to do that?

 

[Crispy]

No reason whatsoever. Go to www.crucial.com and use their selector to find out what sort of ram you need, then go to somewhere like www.ebuyer.com or www.aria.co.uk and buy it for cheap. Get as much as you can afford and remember that the imac only has 2 slots.

If it's one of the recent 'white slab' core 2 duo machines, you probably want DDR2 - 5300. At Aria, you can get 4GB (in 2x2GB sticks) for £135 inc vat. Fuck me, at that price, I'm getting some! 2GB (2x1GB) is only £48 inc vat.

 

[Structaural]

Here's 4gig RAM for a quad core macpro from Apple:

link apple store


and from OWC in the states (who deliver worldwide):

link


I just bought 4gig for 234 euros from them (probably have to pay a bit of import tax), would have cost me 1,200 euros from Apple!

 

[Crispy]

You can't direct link to the apple store

 

[ExtraRefined]

Here's 4gig RAM for a quad core macpro from Apple:

link apple store


and from OWC in the states (who deliver worldwide):

link


I just bought 4gig for 234 euros from them (probably have to pay a bit of import tax), would have cost me 1,200 euros from Apple!

€60 per gig? So even third party retailers still apply the mac tax.

 

[Crispy]

I think the macpro's have uber-RAM, though.

EDIT: Just checked that web page and it's all 'apple certified' as if there's anything special about the DDR2-5300 RAM in apple machines - just get the standard stuff, it'll be fine. You could have bought the same 4GB for £!52 from Aria.

(caveat: with the mac rpo, it comes with ECC memory, but there really not that much advantage to be gained by going with ECC, unless you're paranoid about uptime and error-correction)

 

[gabi]

If it's one of the recent 'white slab' core 2 duo machines, you probably want DDR2 - 5300. At Aria, you can get 4GB (in 2x2GB sticks) for £135 inc vat. Fuck me, at that price, I'm getting some! 2GB (2x1GB) is only £48 inc vat.

Awesome, yeh i think that'll fly on my mac.. now i just need £135 paydays 2 weeks away tho.

is it tough to actually physically install?

 

[Structaural]

€60 per gig? So even third party retailers still apply the mac tax.

Unfortunately 4 or 8 core Mac RAM is really expensive (it's server RAM) plus they need to have Apple heatsinks (or 'apple certified', or 'they're fucking good enough' heatsinks) to offset the amount of heat they generate (as the macpro only has two fans). That's what makes them 'special' and overpriced.

How apple can justify charging over 800 dollars more for the same RAM just shows what a greed-fest Jobs is on (I think he's getting jealous of Gate's billions)

 

[Structaural]

If it's one of the recent 'white slab' core 2 duo machines, you probably want DDR2 - 5300. At Aria, you can get 4GB (in 2x2GB sticks) for £135 inc vat. Fuck me, at that price, I'm getting some! 2GB (2x1GB) is only £48 inc vat.

*sobs* part of me wishes I stuck with an iMac now.

But then I hit render in Cinema4D and remember why...even if I can't afford anything else for it ever.

 

[Crispy]

Awesome, yeh i think that'll fly on my mac.. now i just need £135 paydays 2 weeks away tho.

is it tough to actually physically install?

No, piece of piss. There should be a little instruction sheet that came with the mac. Basically, lie it face down on something soft and unscrew the little panel in the bottom ege, underneath the support stand. The RAM lives in there and can be popped in and out.

Hang on, I think I might have mislead about which memory is correct. One second.

 

[Crispy]

I was right, the recent imac needs SO-DIMMs, and supports a maximum of 3GB (1GB in one slot, 2GB in the other)

apple documentation:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304284

In that case, one of these:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...B+PC2-5300+Signature+SO-DIMM+?productId=27890
and one of these:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...B+PC2-5300+Signature+SO-DIMM+?productId=27891

to make up the 3GB

Actually cheaper, at £113 inc vat

Oh, the 1GB is out of stock. I'm sure
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...ingston+1GB+PC2-5300+SO-DIMM+?productId=23997
would be an adequate replacement

PS: I've checked and the word on the net is that more RAM > matched pairs, when it comes to performance, so stick your dual channel prejudices where the sun don't shine

 

[nick]

Re running XP - a couple of questions:

1) I see that amazon are releasing a copy of parallels 3.0 student edition on Friday for only £33 - any idea what if any the "student" criteria are?

2) anyone know how fusion compares to parallels? (wikipedia says it is faster)

3) Before I get to 1 and 2, I need to get XP workng on bootcamp. I have an old laptop that had XP pre-installed. If I destroy/reformat that laptop is there a problem with me using the HP Laptop restore disk to install XP on the MAcbook pro?, or do I need to buy a fresh copy of XP

 

[jæd]

I have an old laptop that had XP pre-installed. If I destroy/reformat that laptop is there a problem with me using the HP Laptop restore disk to install XP on the MAcbook pro?, or do I need to buy a fresh copy of XP

Restore disks frequently aren't the same as install disks. It will put a restored copy (factory fresh) version of Xp on the MacBook, configured to run on your laptop. It might work. Best try if first, but I think it would be unlikely...

 

[stdPikachu]

Restore discs these days typicaly don't even contain any restore functionality whatsoever - they generally just copy over a partition image from /dev/sda1 to /dev/sda2 - if your hard drive died you're SOL, unless you burned your own recovery recovery disc which contains a restore of the restore image, which'll allow you to restore your ability to restore your machine.

It's dead easy, innit. Just another reason to not accept a computer sans install discs...

 

[Junglist]

Anyone run BF2 with Boot Camp? How does it run?

 

[Structaural]

dunno, but Dirt wouldn't work on mine. I bought BF2 ages ago - I'll try it out and get back to you.

Where in East Anglia are you?

 

[ExtraRefined]

If I destroy/reformat that laptop is there a problem with me using the HP Laptop restore disk to install XP on the MAcbook pro?, or do I need to buy a fresh copy of XP

Install discs from the big OEMs are more often than not locked to that manufacturers hardware - they check the BIOS and if it reports Apple rather than HP or whatever, will refuse to install.

 

[gabi]

Is anyone else on this thread running parallels? If so do u know if i need to install anti-virus software on my copy of XP?

 

[Structaural]

Yeah you do really - it works the same as normal windows. It also has potentially more access to your Mac partitions unlike Bootcamp which is in a protected partition.

 

[gabi]

Ok, what software shall I download? Not too familiar with windows..

 

[Iam]

AVG

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/download-free-anti-virus/us/frt/0