PC to Mac how difficult is the change

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whiteflyer

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I guess this is for folk like Marcel who have recently moved from a PC to Mac.

I've been using Window for years (since I sold my Amiga) and am now very seriously thinking of get a Mac. I'd like to ask how hard was the change for other folk.

Is it easy to find your way around and do all the stuff you did on the PC, is there anything you miss from the PC system that's not on the Mac.

Mark
 
it would be the best choice you make this year! ;) nah seriously its not hard at all when you realise how easy a mac is then you just laugh at window's!
 
I've had been using PC's for about 20 years (still remember getting my first 286) when I made the switch 18 months ago. Since then I have replaced all my PC's bar 1 (which is due for replacement shortly) with mac's and so has everyone in my company.

Some things take long to get used to than others (e.g. no maximise to fill screen button on apps - took me 6 months to realise the mac was way actually better), and some little bits of info make life easier (learning how to set up the track pad for two finger right clicks - I now find 2 button track pads really cumbersome).

I can't ever see me going back tbh, OSX is a wonderful bit of software and as they say, everything just works!
 
Ive found it very easy.

At first I left my PC running, so I could replicate settings when I reinstalled software on the mac. After that it became redundant.

The only thing I miss on the mac, is the abundance of software available. Just a few little things that I've been used to doing on the PC with certain software. I know there are alternatives, but sometimes it's not the same.
Little bits of software like ckrename (I just liked the way it worked) etc.

That and drivers for my scanner :p

Apart from that, I'm perfectly happy I switched. Wouldn't go back at all.
 
There is usually a way around scanner drivers using TWAIN, I got it working on my Mum's Mac, but have never needed it myself...
 
using a mac again tonight i found it remarkably frustrating, things being hidden, no default right click, the fact the bar at the top changes whenever it feels like it and so forth

apart from that the fact you normally get shafted on how much you're paying for the equivalent hardware i won't be switching to mac anytime soon.
 
If you can use Itunes, then you're halfway there. The user interface is very similar.

You can also book a 1 hour session at apple stores and they'll show you round the progs etc. Very useful
 
Thanks guys.

So it should be a fairly easy switch then :) . Just have to wait to see if there is any upgrades to mac hardware soon. I don't want to spend a fortune to find a newer version a few weeks later.


Get ready for the "which 24" monitor for a mac pro" thread I'll be posting :lol:
 
Hey mate, I'm in the same boat about to get a new Macpro/imac.

Was looking to spend around £1200.

Speaking to cowasaki (Darren) he's giving me some great advice, even though I've worked with Macs for 15 years.

I gonna go with the Macpro 2.66ghz model quad core (older model) as Jigsaw in Nottingham have a few left and are priced at £1173 inc VAT.

http://www.jigsaw24.com/default.aspx?ITEM=JIGSMA356BA&IP=1WG_DESKSC_APPPL_MACPFC_QUAD2.66CC

I've tried Apple as I could get student discount, but they have no stock of the older model, also tried KRCS they give the same discount as apple, but they also have no stock.

He's says perfromance wise it will be faster than the iMac.

Also for £65 inc VAT you can order a new Samsung 1TB hardrive, or even 2 and RAID them together. Rams cheap too, so for another £100-200 you can get once serious machine that if you get the ram in sets of 4, you will increase your speed by 15% bettering an actual processor upgrade.

So I'm plumping for the Macpro. :D
 
whiteflyer said:
Thanks guys.

So it should be a fairly easy switch then :) . Just have to wait to see if there is any upgrades to mac hardware soon. I don't want to spend a fortune to find a newer version a few weeks later.


Get ready for the "which 24" monitor for a mac pro" thread I'll be posting :lol:
Click to expand...

Well whichever monitor you buy with the Mac Pro, don't fall for the ACD ;) Unless they update it that is, but I gave up on that prospect a long, long time ago.... :(
 
Got a 20" cinema display on my PC at the mo.
 
Hi Mark,

I switched to the Mac four years ago and never looked back. It took about a fortnight to feel fully at home on it, and after a month it feels weird to use Windows again. I know which I prefer.

Take a dive and you won't regret it. Promise :thumbs:

Edit: http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ gives you an idea of when new models should be expected.
 
The thing that always stands out to me is that once I switched to Mac I actually started to *enjoy* using my computer, rather than finding it a chore :)

At the end of the day, a Mac can do everything a PC can, it's just a nicer experience doing it :D
 
Glen said:
Hey mate, I'm in the same boat about to get a new Macpro/imac.

Was looking to spend around £1200.

Speaking to cowasaki (Darren) he's giving me some great advice, even though I've worked with Macs for 15 years.

I gonna go with the Macpro 2.66ghz model quad core (older model) as Jigsaw in Nottingham have a few left and are priced at £1173 inc VAT.

http://www.jigsaw24.com/default.aspx?ITEM=JIGSMA356BA&IP=1WG_DESKSC_APPPL_MACPFC_QUAD2.66CC

I've tried Apple as I could get student discount, but they have no stock of the older model, also tried KRCS they give the same discount as apple, but they also have no stock.

He's says perfromance wise it will be faster than the iMac.

Also for £65 inc VAT you can order a new Samsung 1TB hardrive, or even 2 and RAID them together. Rams cheap too, so for another £100-200 you can get once serious machine that if you get the ram in sets of 4, you will increase your speed by 15% bettering an actual processor upgrade.

So I'm plumping for the Macpro. :D
Click to expand...

My 512MB 2.5 Pentium 4 is getting on my nerves now, so I have set my heart on a Mac Pro :) but my wallet says NO :(. Now as I don't intend to upgraded for many many years this is what I'm looking at at the moment.

Mac Pro
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
2GB plus 4 more from Crucial total 6GB Ram
320GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s in Bay 1
500GB from scan in Bay 2 (for RAW files)
500GB from scan in Bay 3 (for converted Jpegs)
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB

A lot of money :eek: but it should fly and last me for many years to come.
I've set myself a budget of £400 for a 24" monitor which at the moment looks like a Dell or Hazro

There'll be no money left for any software, so it will be Canon DPP and iPhoto for a while.
 
I have considered going from PC to Mac - a couple of weeks ago the power supply went in my home brew PC. It took about 45 minutes and 20 quid to fix it. I figured it would take far far longer (and if out of guarantee) cost far more with a Mac.

I needed to swap out my iTouch recently and the shop (eventually) replaced it. Whilst 'I had the time to wait' in the Apple store I listened to a number of conversations that the Genius had, the most telling I thought was with the guy that had a wireless card, purchased from Apple, to use with his Mac that had Windows installed. He could not get it to work, nor could the Genius - eventually they all gave up and blamed Microsoft for producing a crap OS.

Apple make beautiful products - but in my experience Mac owners spend a whole lot of time kicking MS instead of enjoying them.
 
Marcel said:
Ive found it very easy.

At first I left my PC running, so I could replicate settings when I reinstalled software on the mac. After that it became redundant.

The only thing I miss on the mac, is the abundance of software available. Just a few little things that I've been used to doing on the PC with certain software. I know there are alternatives, but sometimes it's not the same.
Little bits of software like ckrename (I just liked the way it worked) etc.

That and drivers for my scanner :p

Apart from that, I'm perfectly happy I switched. Wouldn't go back at all.
Click to expand...

Marcel,

Which scanner have you got??

There is a superb bit of software you might find useful, its called VueScan by Hamrick Software. It allows virtually every USB scanner to work even if there are no MacOS drivers and it only costs about £20.


http://www.hamrick.com/vsm.html
 
whiteflyer said:
My 512MB 2.5 Pentium 4 is getting on my nerves now, so I have set my heart on a Mac Pro :) but my wallet says NO :(. Now as I don't intend to upgraded for many many years this is what I'm looking at at the moment.

Mac Pro
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
2GB plus 4 more from Crucial total 6GB Ram
320GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s in Bay 1
500GB from scan in Bay 2 (for RAW files)
500GB from scan in Bay 3 (for converted Jpegs)
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB

A lot of money :eek: but it should fly and last me for many years to come.
I've set myself a budget of £400 for a 24" monitor which at the moment looks like a Dell or Hazro

There'll be no money left for any software, so it will be Canon DPP and iPhoto for a while.
Click to expand...

Aria have the Samsumg 1Tb F1 on special offer today for £59 !!!! They are much faster than any 500Gb drive and twice as big...... Buy them whilst you can.

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials...+F1+SATA2+7200RPM+32MB+cache+?productId=30998

If the 2Gb of Ram in your MacPro are 2 x 1Gb FB Dimms then I would suggest just buying another 2 x 1Gb FB Dimms FIRST and trying that for size. You see the best memory setup on a Mac Pro is 4 equal sized DIMMS. 4x1Gb is 15% quicker than 2 x 2Gb and about 5% quicker than 8 x 512Mb. This is due to the channels and latency. I can give you a link if you would like a read but its not that interesting. You could try the 4Gb and look at memory used in the specs as you run your favourite software then IF you don't need more RAM don't buy it. If you do then I would suggest sticking another 4 x 1Gb in - ALWAYS use 4 or 8 sticks if you can.....
 
Mac Pro
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
2GB plus 4 more from Crucial total 6GB Ram
320GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s in Bay 1
500GB from scan in Bay 2 (for RAW files)
500GB from scan in Bay 3 (for converted Jpegs)
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB
Click to expand...
this is similar to waht I was looking at moving up to from a pc, which is fine at the mo but yes, could be faster
dell monitor, better than the rest ;)

there's some upcoming mac machines rumoured around mid-october. no validity to these of course (much the same way as camera rumours are I suppose)
 
shiato storm said:
dell monitor, better than the rest ;)

there's some upcoming mac machines rumoured around mid-october. no validity to these of course (much the same way as camera rumours are I suppose)
Click to expand...

Every year Intel either do a major update of the chipset or processor. This year is the year of the chipset and Montevina is due on your desktop any time now. The new chipset is ready for the new processors which will be released next year but are obviously sill compatible with the current ones. There will be a speed hike and there are some new features but the big step up will be early next year when the matching processors arrive! Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner. Then of course when people are looking at buying one of those during next year people will be talking about the new chipset coming out and how it is best to wait for that so some people will do but then when that one comes out the new processors will be just around the corner.

;)
 
Gazza_DJ said:
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac_Pro

Generally macrumours get it about right, I would wait a little longer and wee what comes out.
Click to expand...

New Macs are the most anticipated machines in the world. I bought a new 17" macbook pro in August having been talking about the new machine coming out imminently for a month. Then of course Montevina was delayed as was the Macbook. Basically nobody ever knows even macrumors and other such sites. Even the staff dont know for sure until a day or so before hand when large pallets arrive with "dont open until ------" on them!

YES the new machine is due out any time and due to the length of time since the last major chassis change it could well be a big update BUT i wouldn't hold my breath. It coud be December or even January before they decide to release them. They have already missed their peak sales time which is the US college return season.

Its one of those things, if you can wait wait but I wouldn't worry too much if you can't. Your machine will still be the same machine it was when you bought it. I'm not crying over buying a D200 :)
 
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