Moving from Mac to Windows need help choosing

So, having looked at the YouTube vids there’s no way I’d attempt this myself. The screen is glued on. I know my limitations. So now I’m
getting quotes for a firm to do it. Best so far is £350 inc 1TB SSD
The bastards. One of the few things I really dislike about Apple, is that they have moved towards non-repairable (or at least, not easily repairable) products. The magnets thing was a great idea; stayed in place securely, relatively easy to remove if you needed to get inside. But the newer iMacs screens are still removable, you just need a special tool and new adhesive strips to replace it:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+Retina+5K+Display+Display+Replacement/30518

Still a lot more potential for damage than the old system, but I'd take that on no probs. It's just a bit fiddlier. And you have to buy a special tool and new adhesive strips. But then look how easy it is to get to the HDD. Simply a matter of unplugging it and plugging a new one in. Might not even need a caddy.

Given a new 1TB SSD is £100 or less, £250 or so to lift the screen and bung a new drive in, seems rather steep. That's 30 mins work tops, that.
 
I recently had to update my 2011 iMac to a more modern version - I wouldn't have done if the 2011 hadn't died. It ran from an external SSD and booted swiftly and was very happy with all the MS Office products, Lightroom Affinity Photo etc so wondering why your better spec 2015 appears to be letting you down. Apart from a video graphics issue that happened a few years ago, never had any issues - and even the graphic card was replaced by Apple free of charge.
 
The 2 PC laptops in this house (my partner has to use one for work) won't work nicely with our NAS. I have a little laptop (her old one) which I use just for converting my Nikon Z6 RAW files to .dng, cos my MacPro is too ancient to take a version of Lightroom* that can work with them. If I try to use the NAS, to upload the converted files, it then disappears from the MacPro, and my ipad, and any other Macs that I've used to access it. I have to restart the NAS. Every. Single. Time. Never have a single issue just using the Macs/iPad. Oh and the PCs cant connect with the wireless Epson printer, so any files to print have to be sent to my Mac first. Other issues I can't be arsed explaining.
.

I use a Synology 218J NAS without any issues, it even rebuilt the RAID nicely when I upgraded the HDDs.
I know MS ballsed up the SMB protocol in an update for Windows 10 which meant Win 10 machines couldn't see the NAS on the network but that was easily rectified.
I've installed quite a lot of wireless network printers without any problems over the years so I'm guessing it might be something in your network setup that's causing the issues.
 
Hi all,

My 2015 iMac is starting to run slowly and I'm now thinking of upgrading. Long story short, I'm thinking of moving back to a Windows pc. My current spec of the Mac is:

3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5

24 GB 1867 MHz DDR3

AMD Radeon R9 M390 2 GB

1TB HDD

Plus 27' monitor of course.

I'm looking for a better set up to include a similar monitor and minimum 1TB SSD.

It's been a long time since I used any Windows PC's and I'm very much out of the loop, so any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance,
Nick
I have the exact same spec mac as you and I think mine has slowed over the years.
I too am thinking of going back to windows mainly for ease of upgrades.

My biggest stumbling block has been a decent monitor. I like the 5k mac screen and to get anything comparable is almost the same cost as just buying the latest mac.

I was wondering if I could use my mac as a second screen nailed to a pc somehow?
 
I use a Synology 218J NAS without any issues, it even rebuilt the RAID nicely when I upgraded the HDDs.
I know MS ballsed up the SMB protocol in an update for Windows 10 which meant Win 10 machines couldn't see the NAS on the network but that was easily rectified.
I've installed quite a lot of wireless network printers without any problems over the years so I'm guessing it might be something in your network setup that's causing the issues.
I think it has to have something to do with Windows. The whole network is absolutely fine, then as soon as a Windows machine gets involved, it all goes horribly wrong. What I do now, is just save the converted files to a USB stick and then physically transfer that to the Mac once conversion is complete.

It's as though the Windows machine sends a message to the NAS; 'stop working!' And it stops working. b*****d thing.

I was wondering if I could use my mac as a second screen nailed to a pc somehow?
Nope. I think you can use an iMac as a screen for another Apple device, but not a PC.

https://www.macobserver.com/tips/how-to/imac-secondary-display/

Just get yer iMac sorted. Even if it was £300+, surely that's worth it over spending £1500+ to get a comparitive spec PC, plus screen etc?
 
I think it has to have something to do with Windows. The whole network is absolutely fine, then as soon as a Windows machine gets involved, it all goes horribly wrong. What I do now, is just save the converted files to a USB stick and then physically transfer that to the Mac once conversion is complete.

It's as though the Windows machine sends a message to the NAS; 'stop working!' And it stops working. b*****d thing.


Nope. I think you can use an iMac as a screen for another Apple device, but not a PC.

https://www.macobserver.com/tips/how-to/imac-secondary-display/

Just get yer iMac sorted. Even if it was £300+, surely that's worth it over spending £1500+ to get a comparitive spec PC, plus screen etc?

I'm not sure it can be sorted.
It seems that software and processors have moved on and my system just can't cut it.
As far as I know, the cpu, graphics card and memory speed cannot be upgraded even by apple.

It's a shame the apple upgrade program is so poor otherwise I'd be going that route.
 
Perhaps right now is not the best time to be thinking about a heavy investment in a new mac.
as they are moving away from intel processors to ARM ones. Everything will change as they bring their I phone, tablet and desktops all into line and running the same Apps.
It is a very logical, if brave, move considering their investment in the older technology.

I would be incline to hang on to what I had got, and just clear everything including the operating system and re install on a clean machine. it should then work close to it did when you bought it.. It should be more than good enough for a few more years at little cost. You can then reinvest in the new ARM technology. which could be very interesting indeed.

Like ARM Apple are now largely a research and marketing company. ARM make nothing, they only licence their patents and designs for others to incorporate and manufacture.

However people who do make product for macs, like intel are in for a tough time. as the have already lost nearly all the phone and tablet market and are now losing the Apple market as well.
Perhaps they will have to change their structure and become a foundry for third party ARM silicone.
 
I'm not sure it can be sorted.
It seems that software and processors have moved on and my system just can't cut it.
As far as I know, the cpu, graphics card and memory speed cannot be upgraded even by apple.

It's a shame the apple upgrade program is so poor otherwise I'd be going that route.
That is true, but the hardware is still more than capable, unless you're doing top-end video/FX/3D type work (and that sort of thing does tend to be done using top-end computers like MacPros, proper mental custom PC and proprietary systems. For the vast majority of use, your iMac will be fine for a while yet. Again; my MacPro is 14 years old and still works fine for most things.

Perhaps right now is not the best time to be thinking about a heavy investment in a new mac.
as they are moving away from intel processors to ARM ones. Everything will change as they bring their I phone, tablet and desktops all into line and running the same Apps.
It is a very logical, if brave, move considering their investment in the older technology.
I'm waiting to see what the new machines are like. But it may be 6 months or more before I actually buy anything.
 
However people who do make product for macs, like intel are in for a tough time. as the have already lost nearly all the phone and tablet market and are now losing the Apple market as well.
Perhaps they will have to change their structure and become a foundry for third party ARM silicone.

I'm not sure that's true. Apple have <10% of the computer market. Everybody else has crumbs and M$ is the rest - about 90%. Of that, AMD have about 18% and give or take, Intel have the rest so about 82% of the entire market. Losing Apple will drop them to 72% which still isn't too shabby.

AMD (like Apple) make a lot of noise and their growth has been very fast - but they are still largely an exotic / enthusiast brand. Companies still generally buy Intel because, well, nobody ever got fired for buying IBM :)

I'm waiting to see what the new machines are like. But it may be 6 months or more before I actually buy anything.

I'll bet it's over 6 months before anybody in the UK is able to buy anything.

I wish I understood the ARM thing better - I can't get my head round why it's an advantage to swap the chips of a machine that can run FinalCut/Photoshop/Illustrator/Logic so that it can seamlessly run Angry Birds. Do people want to be able to run phone apps on their computers? I would have thought they just wanted their current software to run fast.
 
I'm not sure that's true. Apple have <10% of the computer market. Everybody else has crumbs and M$ is the rest - about 90%. Of that, AMD have about 18% and give or take, Intel have the rest so about 82% of the entire market. Losing Apple will drop them to 72% which still isn't too shabby.

AMD (like Apple) make a lot of noise and their growth has been very fast - but they are still largely an exotic / enthusiast brand. Companies still generally buy Intel because, well, nobody ever got fired for buying IBM :)



I'll bet it's over 6 months before anybody in the UK is able to buy anything.

I wish I understood the ARM thing better - I can't get my head round why it's an advantage to swap the chips of a machine that can run FinalCut/Photoshop/Illustrator/Logic so that it can seamlessly run Angry Birds. Do people want to be able to run phone apps on their computers? I would have thought they just wanted their current software to run fast.

It is a massive advantage to software designers if they only have to make a one size fits all offering, as it would be for the need for only a single operating system.
However I doubt the ARM chips used in computers will have the same capacity and speeds as those made for phones, even though they will share the same architecture..

As to the problems facing Intel, these are largely of their own making as their latest designs for Apple have failed before they even came to market. They did not work.
However they do remain the worlds largest chip maker by far.... but shrinking not growing.

The advantage of Arm chips with their far lower power requirements will not go unnoticed by Microsoft and it is only a matter of time before PC's go down the ARM route as well. For many manufacturers the fact that ARM chips were designed in the UK. puts them outside the American ban on intellectual property sales to certain countries, as they do not rely on American technology. It puts them outside the unpredictable whims of Trump. The technology can sill be used by Companies like Huawei and their chipmaker HiSilicone.
 
That is true, but the hardware is still more than capable, unless you're doing top-end video/FX/3D type work (and that sort of thing does tend to be done using top-end computers like MacPros, proper mental custom PC and proprietary systems. For the vast majority of use, your iMac will be fine for a while yet. Again; my MacPro is 14 years old and still works fine for most things.


I'm waiting to see what the new machines are like. But it may be 6 months or more before I actually buy anything.
more than that , I would suggest. but the change is coming. It is in Apples interest to be able to continue to have their products made in China ARM chips enables them to avoid USA restrictions.
 
if i were you i would change to linux, its so much easier and if you needed to run windows just get a vm
 
Perhaps things have improved recently, or maybe for internal consumption exact matching was less important than the information conveyed?
Neither of the above. I created or edited the files and my colleagues used them. I retired about eight years ago so this isn't new.
 
if i were you i would change to linux, its so much easier and if you needed to run windows just get a vm
There's always one, isn't there?

You can run Linux on a Mac, actually.
 
And you will be able to on an ARM Mac too.

Windows, not sure. Although Microsoft are writing or have written, an ARM version, I understand.

Back to the original question - your Mac should be fine unless you are wanting to edit 4k video.
External SSD....
 
Just to clear up some inaccuracies.
Intel never really had any of the phone and tablet market, though they did try briefly.

Microsoft have already produced an ARM-based version of Windows, just not particularly successfully:
https://www.zdnet.com/article/windo...-need-to-know-before-you-buy-a-surface-pro-x/

FWIW, I'm very happily running a 2012 Dell PC, which has just had a new SSD, a bit more memory and a newer graphics card. It works very speedily indeed.

Having watched various Capture One demonstrations, which are usually done on a mac of some sort, the difference in performance seems negligible.
 
FWIW I had an Intel chip based phone for a while (RAZRi) and while speed wasn't great, cost was low and battery life excellent.

I've read it's suggested that Apple want to move their market towards tablets and similar devices, and away from conventional computing. Lack of development of professional computers being cited as evidence along with some comments by Tim Cook and the removal of upgradability. They are taking time to switch their market, rather than do it overnight.

Since adopting Intel hardware they've also lacked differentiation - there's no difference running lightroom on a Mac or PC of the same spec. ARM will give that to them. Also remember that Apple tends not to support legacy hardware for long, typically 2-3 years based on past practice, though that may be different this time. I would hesitate to buy a new Apple at this point in time.
 
It is a massive advantage to software designers if they only have to make a one size fits all offering, as it would be for the need for only a single operating system.

Yes - I can see the benefits to developers. But don't entirely get the benefit to consumers of "lowest common denominator". Phones use ARM because ARM uses less power and produces less heat and that's really important in a phone. I used to have a stock liquid cooled Mac because once upon a time, Apple realised that professional users didn't care about battery life or heat - they wanted speed. Then they moved to Intel mostly because of money, now they are moving to ARM mostly for their own benefit.

For many manufacturers the fact that ARM chips were designed in the UK. puts them outside the American ban on intellectual property sales to certain countries, as they do not rely on American technology. It puts them outside the unpredictable whims of Trump. The technology can sill be used by Companies like Huawei and their chipmaker HiSilicone.

That I didn't know - wow. Trump really is an idiot, isn't he?

But yeah, we've digressed - as I said 50 posts or so ago - whack an external SSD in it and watch it fly. If it doesn't maybe look at one of the small form factor PCs velcroed to the back of a massive Benq monitor. It will look about 80% as cool as an iMac for about 40% of the money.
 
The bastards. One of the few things I really dislike about Apple, is that they have moved towards non-repairable (or at least, not easily repairable) products. The magnets thing was a great idea; stayed in place securely, relatively easy to remove if you needed to get inside. But the newer iMacs screens are still removable, you just need a special tool and new adhesive strips to replace it:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+Retina+5K+Display+Display+Replacement/30518

Still a lot more potential for damage than the old system, but I'd take that on no probs. It's just a bit fiddlier. And you have to buy a special tool and new adhesive strips. But then look how easy it is to get to the HDD. Simply a matter of unplugging it and plugging a new one in. Might not even need a caddy.

Given a new 1TB SSD is £100 or less, £250 or so to lift the screen and bung a new drive in, seems rather steep. That's 30 mins work tops, that.
It’s probably to cover the chance of screen damage. But yes, they should have made them more accessible.
 
I think it has to have something to do with Windows. The whole network is absolutely fine, then as soon as a Windows machine gets involved, it all goes horribly wrong. What I do now, is just save the converted files to a USB stick and then physically transfer that to the Mac once conversion is complete.

It's as though the Windows machine sends a message to the NAS; 'stop working!' And it stops working. b*****d thing.

Does the Windows PC see the NAS on the network and is it Windows 10?
Are you running the network as static or dynamic IP?
Apart from the SMB issues with a previous WIN 10 update, I can honestly say I've not had any network problems for years and my network is quite big with a mixture of wireless and Wired devices.
I have heard about an odd network issue when MS decided to remove homegroup from Win 10 and sometimes the residual files need removing via the registry but I've not experienced it myself.
 
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Does the Windows PC see the NAS on the network and is it Windows 10?
Are you running the network as static or dynamic IP?
Apart from the SMB issues with a previous WIN 10 update, I can honestly say I've not had any network problems for years and my network is quite big with a mixture of wireless and Wired devices.
I have heard about an odd network issue when MS decided to remove homegroup from Win 10 and sometimes the residual files need removing via the registry but I've not experienced it myself.
I'm not even interested in why it doesn't work. I just want it to work. I've never, in 20 years, had a problem with any Apple device on a network. Only ever PCs. Ergo, it's Windows. Just one more thing in a long list of reasons not to use it. It's fine, I mainly don't have to.
 
I've not had experience with the most recent versions of OSX, but with 10.5 I found that it needed reinstalling about every 18 months to keep the speed up - presumably down to cruft from updates. If yours is running slower than it used to with the same programs that seemed to be more responsive then it's worth a try. If you have a time machine backup then restoration is normally painless.

This sounds interesting. I'd always assumed that if you restore from time machine, any glitches would just be restored but this sounds like it may be worth a try. What's the best process to follow?
 
This sounds interesting. I'd always assumed that if you restore from time machine, any glitches would just be restored but this sounds like it may be worth a try. What's the best process to follow?
There is a confusion here between 'reinstalling' and 'restoring' the OS. A full reinstallation puts a brand new, virgin OS onto the drive. Restoring simply 'clones' the new drive from the old one. Which is fine if there are no issues, but as you assume, any issues within apps etc, will simply be cloned as well. Time Machine is good for backup in case your main boot drive fails. That's it's purpose. But restoring from it, onto a new drive, won't necessarily solve your problem.

10.5 is a really old OS that came out in 2007. Back then, a full clean installation every so often, seemed to solve a lot of issues. But from 10.7 on, I've never found that necessary.
 
This sounds interesting. I'd always assumed that if you restore from time machine, any glitches would just be restored but this sounds like it may be worth a try. What's the best process to follow?

It's been a while - IIRC last time I ran the install from an optical disc, but these days you can create a bootable installer on a memory stick: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201372

I'd run that, then fairly sure you should get an option to erase disc and install fresh. If you have a spare drive you can use, I'd create a SECOND time machine backup just in case, especially if your were considering upgrading the OS version at the same time.
 
If you have a spare drive you can use, I'd create a SECOND time machine backup just in case, especially if your were considering upgrading the OS version at the same time.
Easier to simply buy a dual caddy, 2 HDD/SSDs, and create a RAID 1 mirrored pair. That way, you always have redundancy.
 
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Easier to simply buy a dual caddy, 2 HDDSSDs, and create a RAID 0 mirrored pair. That way, you always have redundancy.
Correct me if I'm wrong (I've been retired from IT for 15 years) but I thought RAID 0 was striped (for quicker access) and RAID 1 was mirrored (for redundancy).
 
Correct me if I'm wrong (I've been retired from IT for 15 years) but I thought RAID 0 was striped (for quicker access) and RAID 1 was mirrored (for redundancy).
God of course you're right; I've been calling it RAID 0 for ages! :LOL: Yes yes yes. RAID1. Mirrored. Post suitably edited.
 
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So, having looked at the YouTube vids there’s no way I’d attempt this myself. The screen is glued on. I know my limitations. So now I’m getting quotes for a firm to do it. Best so far is £350 inc 1TB SSD

Sounds like a fair price. Does that include migration from the old HDD
 
To be fair, the screen does normally need to come out. Indeed you are able to set the boot disk outside and have an external SSD. I suspect that a large percentage of those 80% have not used a Mac or ever really felt the need to as they use Windows at work. If you need warranty work, Apple are happy to do the work but in this instance it isn’t an option.
 
Nail on the head.....
And at least one person of the remaining 20% has worked in IT since 1978 and swore when he retired that he never wanted to see another Windows machine in his life. :D Not that there’s anything wrong with them ....
 
Nail on the head.....
I've been using Windows, Mac and Unix/Linux in anger for more years than I care to remember and still do. They're all capable of doing more or less anything but they do it in the way the programmers thought was a good idea at the time, so they used to be three very different beasts. Nowadays they've more or less grown together. In fact, the real problem is that it's the tiny differences that catch me out.

To my way of thinking, If you're technically adept and want the biggest bang for your buck, go Linux. If you're not at home with technology and feel happier with the herd to support you, go Windows. If you appreciate glossy simplicity, the Mac is the best.

MacBook and LG17 TZ70 P1030675.jpg
 
I've been using Windows, Mac and Unix/Linux in anger for more years than I care to remember and still do. They're all capable of doing more or less anything but they do it in the way the programmers thought was a good idea at the time, so they used to be three very different beasts. Nowadays they've more or less grown together. In fact, the real problem is that it's the tiny differences that catch me out.

To my way of thinking, If you're technically adept and want the biggest bang for your buck, go Linux. If you're not at home with technology and feel happier with the herd to support you, go Windows. If you appreciate glossy simplicity, the Mac is the best.

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Very nicely put!
 

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80 % are windows users. For a reason.
Indeed. It’s well worth going back in time to see what those reasons are. Dubious practices for the win.
 
Regarding mac vs windows, I dual boot.
Windows is for sure more game friendly.
 
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