The Official Guru3D Mac Thread

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by orenda635, Sep 20, 2006.

  1. orenda635

    orenda635 Ancient Guru

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    *Warning* All off topic, flames, or Mac vs PC posts will be deleted by a moderator.

    Back in 1984, the computer world was turned upside down. With the image of an athletic woman tossing a sledghammer into the "big brother" face of IBM, the world was introduced to the Macintosh. This new computer was leaps and bounds ahead of the compatition. It introduced an easy to use GUI based operating system in a small package. Most IBM PCs at the time were still running the cumbersom DOS and Windows 1.0 was still a year away. Today, the Mac has remained true to the original. An easy to use personal system in one convinient package.

    The Mac has had more than it's fair share of criticism from the PC enthusiast crowd. However, there seems to be many more people who are curious about these misunderstood computers. Rather then let Justin Long tell you, lets start by looking at some frequently asked Mac questions.

    The Guru's Mac FAQ

    Q: So-and-So tells me that Macs are inferior to PCs. Is that true?
    A: Macs are different from PCs but they are not inferior. They are fairly equal in terms of functionality. After that, it all depends on personal preferances.

    Q: Do Macs cost more than PCs?
    A: Depends. Base systems tend to be a little more, while higher end systems are actually cheaper than Apple's cheif competitors, such as Dell. Prices start at $599 US for a base model Mac Mini.

    Q: Who are Macs for?
    A: Macs are usually marketed towards home and business users. The consumer level iMacs and Mac Mini are excellent for those who don't know much about computers. The MacPro is for the business and enthusiast crowd who needs a lot of processing power.

    Q: I hear Macs don't get viruses or spyware, is that true?
    A: Macs can get viruses and spyware, just like PCs can. However, there are far fewer Macs in the world, thus far fewer malware is written for them. Today's malicious hacker wants to do as much damage to as many systems as possible so Macs tend to fall off their radar screen. Only 800 or so malware applications have ever been witnessed. More than twice that number appear for Windows XP on a monthly basis.

    Q: Can I play games like Quake 4 on my Mac?
    A: You sure can. Many of the most popular PC titles are available for Mac. Many users complain about the lack of games and slow release of titles on the Mac platform compared to PC. This is due to porting issues and the lower install base. Thanks to the new x86 based processors now in Macs, porting issues will likely become a thing of the past.
    Check out Apple's Games page for info on all available games for Mac.
    http://www.apple.com/games/

    Q: But don't Macs have inferior graphics processing capabilities?
    A: Macs use the exact same GPUs as PCs do. Macs use OpenGL over Microsoft's DirectX due to licencing issues but the GPUs in Macs are technically capable of using both rendering methods.

    Q: Can I run Windows XP on my Mac?
    A: You sure can, thanks to Boot Camp.
    http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/

    Q: What if I want to run Mac OS X on my PC?
    A: You can. The OSx86 project has created a series of hacked DVD ISOs that allow OS X to run on AMD and Intel based PCs. However, you cannot expect 100% compatibility. It may also be illegal and you'll receive absolutely no support from Apple. I'd strongly advise against doing it. I have decided not to provide instructions on how to install it and I will not post links to ISOs, either on the forum, through email, or through PM.
    If you want to learn more, visit
    http://www.osx86project.org/

    Q: Can I upgrade my Mac?
    A: Depends. Consumer systems are geared towards simplicity. However, they are quite easy to upgrade. With the MacMini and iMac, you'll be limited to memory, CPU, and hard drive upgrades. The MacPro can be upgraded in the same way as any tower PC can. The new Intel Macs use Intel's standard Socket M (MacMini, iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro) and LGA771 (MacPro). The CPU can easily be removed and upgraded in the same way you can with a PC.

    Q: Can I mod my Mac?
    A: Definately. You can do case mods, custom water cooling, overclocking. OCing a Mac is a little harder once again because they are designed for a home user crowd who will not likely be doing that. They can be OCed through volt and pin mods.
    Check out some of these Mac Mini case mods under "Big Ideas"
    http://www.apple.com/ca/macmini/

    Q: Is it easy to share files between a Mac and a PC?
    A: Yes, Mac OS X provides an easy to setup network interface. Many common programs use the same file types on Mac as they do on PC so file sharing is a breeze. Mac OS X is a Unix like operating system and therefore is ideal for servers.

    Q: Why is there so little software available for Mac?
    A: Macs have a lower install base then PCs so they tend to fall off developers radar just as they do off a hacker's. Mac OS X comes with all the programs that most people would need including email, browser, DVD player, audio player, photo editor, datebook, and even a couple games. If you can't find what you need in a store, there is a thriving freeware and open source commnity. It's possible to own a Mac without ever having to buy a single piece of software.

    Q: How does Mac OS X compare to Windows XP? What about Vista?
    A: The main difference is the Aqua GUI. It has a more streamlined user interface and is easy to use for computer newbies. You also get features such as the Dashboard, which can be loaded with useful Widgets. Spotlight allows you to seach your desktop quickly like Google Desktop. Programs are functionally the same.
    Vista is fundamentally similar to OS X. In fact, many criticize it for being too similar. The features are virtually identical except for Vista's 3D windowing. OS X requires less system resources than Vista does.

    Q: Why did Apple switch from AIM PowerPC processors to Intel ones? Why not use AMD?
    A: The likely reason why Apple moved to Intel's x86 based processors was likely to increase flexibility. It's easier to port applications from Windows PCs to Macs because the codes are now written in the same language.
    As for why Apple didn't go with AMD, here's a full analysis from Macworld.
    http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/09/15/intelvsamd/index.php

    Stay tuned for more Mac guides and FAQs.



     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2007
  2. Marley

    Marley Don José Cuervo

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    Please discuss your mac issues, questions, and tips here....

    Yes this is offical Glidefan :), I would have taken care of it sooner but Guru was down when I tried.
     
  3. Infested Nexus

    Infested Nexus Ancient Guru

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    It's actually not overwhelmingly difficult. You may want to include a link to the OSx86 Project.

    TransGaming's Cider may be worthy of mentioning.

    A nicely written analysis of the decision can be found at Macworld.
     
  4. orenda635

    orenda635 Ancient Guru

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    Updated. Thanks for the info.
     

  5. orenda635

    orenda635 Ancient Guru

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    The Apple Buyer's Guide

    So you've decided to buy a Mac. Macs are great on their own but can also make an excellent companion for a PC desktop or laptop. Lets take a look at what's currently on the market.

    Mac Mini:
    The Mac Mini is Apple's SFF (small form factor) system. It has a square footprint of 6.5'' and is 2'' tall. This is roughly about the size of two average CD wallets stacked on top of each other. This makes it one of the smallest desktop systems. The Mini comes with either a 1.66ghz or 1.83ghz Intel Core Duo "Yonnah" processor, 512mb or PC2-5300 DDR2, and Intel GMA950 64mb graphics.
    The Mac Mini is not a high end system, obviously. It fits well with somebody who needs the system for work or web browsing. It's small size, DVI output, and Front Row software and remote would also make it at home as an HTPC in a small space such as a bedroom. The Mini starts at $599 US. Monitor and input devices are extra.

    iMac:
    The iMac is Apple's middle of the road consumer system. It is an all in one system. It is actually a better value than the Mac Mini if one does not want to use their own monitor. The iMac comes in four models, two with 17'' screens, a 19'', and a 24''. All screens are in a 16:10 aspect ratio. The iMac comes with the new Intel Core 2 Duo "Merom" processor with speeds ranging from 1.83ghz to 2.33ghz. For GPUs, you get your choice of Intel GMA 950, Radeon X1600, Geforce 7300GT, or Geforce 7600GT, depending on the system model. The iMac comes with a minimum of 512mb PC2-5300.
    The iMac is good for computer noobs. It's ideal as a family computer. The larger 24'' would be a decent HTPC for a small space. All include the Front Row software and remote. This system will allow some light gaming too. Prices start at $999 US.

    MacPro:
    The Mac Pro is Apple's high end system. This computer is a beast by anybody's standards. It boasts two dual core Intel Xeon "Woodcrest" processors with speeds ranging from 2ghz-3ghz. You get a minimum 1gb PC2-5300 DDR2 with it, with up to 16gb. The base model comes with a Geforce 7300GT, with either a Radeon X1900XT 512mb or Quadro FX4500 512mb. There are four SATA2 ports and up to two high speed DVD+/-RW drives. There are also digital audio inputs and outputs.
    This system is for serious power users. Those in math and science fields and hardcore Mac gamers. The power comes at a price. Prices start at $2499 US.
    Now available is an 8-core model which features dual quad core "Clovertown" Intel Xeon processors running at 3ghz. The 8-core model starts at $3997 US.

    MacBook: The MacBook is Apple's base model laptop. It replaced the old iBook G4. The MacBook is small and lightweight and has a 13.3'' 16:10 screen. It is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo "Merom" processor, your choice of 2.0ghz or 2.16ghz. You get Intel GMA 950 64mb graphics and 1gb PC2-5300 ram (up to 2gb). The MacBook comes in three models, a 2.0ghz, 2.16ghz, and special Black model. The Black model is the same as the 2.16ghz model, but has an 160gb HDD, double what the base model comes with. You get 5-6hrs battery life.
    The MacBook is for anybody who needs a laptop with a lot of portability. The base model starts at $1099 US.

    MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro is Apple's business line of laptops. There are two models, a 2.16ghz and a 2.33ghz Core 2 Duo "Merom" with 15'' and 17'' 16:10 screens respectively. Improvements over the MacBook include Radeon X1600 256mb dedicated graphics and a minimum 120gb 5400rpm SATA HDD, up to 200gb. You get between 5 and 5.5hr battery life.
    The MacBook Pro is meant for business users but will also tolerate some light to moderate gaming. Prices start at $1999 US.

    Apple TV: The Apple TV is a media server that allows you to stream pictures, videos, and music on your computer to any TV in your house, wired or wirelessly over LAN. The Apple TV has a foot print of 7.7''x7.7'' and is 1.1'' high. It has a 40gb HDD for local storage, an Intel processor, and a cut down media version of OS X. The Apple TV supports JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and PNG formats for photos; AAC, MP3 Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV formats for music; and H.264, MP4, MOV, and M4V formats for video natively. It features HDMI, Component, optical audio, and RCA ports for connecting to your TV, as well as 100mbps LAN, wifi, and USB2.0. It supports all TVs up to 1080i. It works with both Windows and Mac computers. Price is $299 US.

    iPhone: The iPhone is Apple's attempt at a cell phone. Think of it as Apple's take on the Blackberry. No detailed tech specs as of yet, but it does have all the features of an iPod Video, widescreen with touch capabilities, a 2.0 megapixel camera, and a portable version of Mac OS X running it. The screen is 3.5'' and the iPhone has 4gb or 8gb of onboard storage. It is not yet for sale in most markets.

    iPod Video: If you don't know what an iPod is, you're living under a rock. It has a 2.5'' full colour screen with either 30gb or 80gb of storage on a micro sized HDD. It supports AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV audio formats; for video it supports m4v, MPEG-4, and MOV formats. Battery time depends on the model. Between 14-20hrs audio playback. The iPod Video can also display photos in a variety of common formats. The iPod Video, since it has a mechanical HDD, is best suited for those who will not be using it in high impact environments, such as at the gym. It comes in either black or white. The 30gb mode retails for $249 US, while the 80gb is $349

    iPod Nano: The Nano is smaller than the Video, and only has a 1.5'' screen. It has the same features as the iPod Video other than video playback. At only 1/4'' thick, it's small and light and easy to transport. People on the go will like the Nano. The Nano uses flash based storage so it won't be effected by being moved around a lot. Models are available with either 2gb, 4gb, or 8gb or storage. Apple claims the battery gets up to 24hrs of playback time. It comes in a variety of colours. The 2gb model comes in only gray. The 4gb model comes in gray, green, blue, pink, or red. The 8gb model comes in either red or black. Red is a special edition. Proceeds from the sale of red units go to AIDS research. The 2gb model retails at $149 US. The 4gb at $199US. The 8gb will cost you $249US.

    iPod Shuffle: The Shuffle is the smallest iPod of them all. In fact, it's not much bigger than a postage stamp and it's barely wide enough for the 3.5mm audio jack. The shuffle supports all Audio formats that it's bigger brothers do. It does not have a screen, just standard interface buttons. The Shuffle has 1gb of flash memory on board and it's super small lithium polymer battery gives it 12hrs playback on a full charge. It comes in gray, green, blue, pink, or orange. This iPod is for people who want something small and cheap. The shuffle is the cheapest iPod, retailing for $79 US.




     
    Last edited: May 16, 2007
  6. orenda635

    orenda635 Ancient Guru

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  7. SirLink

    SirLink Ancient Guru

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    Good idea Orenda!!! I will be sure to add anthing if I think of something... I use Macs mainly at work, so my perpective of them is more of a management senario... :p
     
  8. aircool

    aircool Don Aircooleone Staff Member

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    has anyone tried unbutu on the power pc cored ibooks???

    cos i got one off ebay (i was lookin for a project at school)
     
  9. orenda635

    orenda635 Ancient Guru

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    Can't say I have. I don't think you can dual boot though so I'm not about to erase my hard drive to try.

    Finch might have. He's been oddly absent from this thread. :confused:
     
  10. SirLink

    SirLink Ancient Guru

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    Yeah, it's probably do-able, but you would definatly have to blow the drive away...

    Have you guys played with bootcamp yet? (sure you have)... I have got Vista RC2 running on my iMac at work... Very Nice!! :D
     

  11. vbetts

    vbetts Don Vincenzo Staff Member

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    I don't know if it was just me, but Unbuntu wouldn't boot up on a Clamshell Ibook. It'd sit there trying to load.
     
  12. orenda635

    orenda635 Ancient Guru

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    The coloured clamshell design was discontinued six years ago. Depending on which model you have, perhaps it's just too slow or doesn't have enough memory. I couldn't find the system requirements for Ubuntu.

    I haven't tried BootCamp myself because I have a PowerPC iBook.You need an Intel one for that.
     
  13. aircool

    aircool Don Aircooleone Staff Member

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    going back to what i sed about ubuntu, it works a treat
     
  14. aircool

    aircool Don Aircooleone Staff Member

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    eh-hem tap C a few times through boot up youll see it
     
  15. SirLink

    SirLink Ancient Guru

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    do you guys know if many games out now are in a hybrid format?
     

  16. aircool

    aircool Don Aircooleone Staff Member

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    hybrid meaning one set of discs that installs on both winxp and mac or do you mean mac port overs??

    Wow can be installed on both
     
  17. SirLink

    SirLink Ancient Guru

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    That can be installed on both...
     
  18. orenda635

    orenda635 Ancient Guru

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    The only such hybrid game that I know of was Titanic: Adventure out of Time. That was 1996. Good adventure game actually. The game's visuals were accurate enough that they're still used in Titanic documentaries.

    There are always emulators such as Virtual PC, but they're too slow to be of any real use.
     
  19. scoutingwraith

    scoutingwraith Guest

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    Here is a Question i have been meaning to ask.

    I know you can run Windows Vista (RC1 and RC2 though) on a Macbook Pro. The thing is i am wondering on whether you can use it fully and there are no issues about it and can play games or you will need a way to adapt all of those things.

    I am asking this because i am seriously thinking on getting a macbook pro and make a Dual-boot between OSX10 and Vista (Or XP if worth it)
     
  20. aircool

    aircool Don Aircooleone Staff Member

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    you get the same functionality if there is something post it here or either at a mac forum
     

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