Post: #76

(08-27-2013 09:27 AM)el mechanico Wrote:  So if you were going to get a mini-mac which monitor around 22 inches has resolution like the imac?

no, 27 has new ultra high res only available on more expensive monitors

from site:

"27-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1440 resolution with support for millions of colors"
Most 22 inch monitors you get will be 1900x1080, untill you get over $700 at least ( then it will be a 27 inch+)

The 27" iMac starts at about $1800.

http://store.apple.com/us/mac/family/imac

Slight overkill for you but when I watch cat videos and feminist indoctrination videos it really helps to watch the best.

Post: #77

(08-27-2013 09:53 AM)iknowexactly Wrote:  

(08-27-2013 09:27 AM)el mechanico Wrote:  So if you were going to get a mini-mac which monitor around 22 inches has resolution like the imac?

no, 27 has new ultra high res only available on more expensive monitors

from site:

"27-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1440 resolution with support for millions of colors"
Most 22 inch monitors you get will be 1900x1080, untill you get over $700 at least ( then it will be a 27 inch+)

The 27" iMac starts at about $1800.

http://store.apple.com/us/mac/family/imac

Slight overkill for you but when I watch cat videos and feminist indoctrination videos it really helps to watch the best.

There's no way I'm putting a 27 inch monitor in my office with a giant silver apple on it. How's the 22?

Post: #78

The video card in the computer can handle just about whatever resolution. But make sure you buy a monitor and not a TV. They're not the same thing. A TV will max out at 1080p. Monitor will go higher. Check the max resolution specs on it before you buy. Monitor may not have built-in speakers though.

Post: #79

(08-27-2013 10:05 AM)Parlay44 Wrote:  The video card in the computer can handle just about whatever resolution. But make sure you buy a monitor and not a TV. They're not the same thing. A TV will max out at 1080p. Monitor will go higher. Check the max resolution specs on it before you buy. Monitor may not have built-in speakers though.

Apple doesn't sell plain black monitors? What res am I looking for? Are some of them non compatible with Mac?

Also the mini mac has choices I don't understand.

Post: #80

e-mech- for your usages, Id just get a pre-packaged computer package- monitor, mouse, speakers, keyboard (+printer/scanner_. They have a bunch of these at frys/costco. It seems like you want something that will work for 4-5 years.

^^^This should run you about 600-1000 dollars. Not too fancy of a monitor, standard computer. Perfect for the office.... Personally, Id stay away from the all-in-one, unless you want to bolt it the wall or something. Its too easy to steal.

Heres a 23 inch monitor, dell xps i7 3.4 ghz (almost twice as fast), free 1 year antivirus, windows is already installed (which you have plenty of experience with), 12 gb of ram. Price- 850 dollars.

http://www.costco.com/Dell-XPS-8700-Desk...49265.html

Its going to work for 2-3 years without too much hassle. For the average consumer, this is a great deal cheaper and easier than dealing w/high-end comps.

Post: #81

(08-27-2013 10:39 AM)DVY Wrote:  e-mech- for your usages, Id just get a pre-packaged computer package- monitor, mouse, speakers, keyboard (+printer/scanner_. They have a bunch of these at frys/costco. It seems like you want something that will work for 4-5 years.

^^^This should run you about 600-1000 dollars. Not too fancy of a monitor, standard computer. Perfect for the office.... Personally, Id stay away from the all-in-one, unless you want to bolt it the wall or something. Its too easy to steal.

Heres a 23 inch monitor, dell xps i7 3.4 ghz (almost twice as fast), free 1 year antivirus, windows is already installed (which you have plenty of experience with), 12 gb of ram. Price- 850 dollars.

http://www.costco.com/Dell-XPS-8700-Desk...49265.html

Its going to work for 2-3 years without too much hassle. For the average consumer, this is a great deal cheaper and easier than dealing w/high-end comps.

Thanks dude I'm going to try Mac I think windows 8 is just going to piss me off.

A mini mac. How should I set it up?

Post: #82

(08-27-2013 10:20 AM)el mechanico Wrote:  

(08-27-2013 10:05 AM)Parlay44 Wrote:  The video card in the computer can handle just about whatever resolution. But make sure you buy a monitor and not a TV. They're not the same thing. A TV will max out at 1080p. Monitor will go higher. Check the max resolution specs on it before you buy. Monitor may not have built-in speakers though.

Apple doesn't sell plain black monitors? What res am I looking for? Are some of them non compatible with Mac?

Also the mini mac has choices I don't understand.

Here's my advice to you.

Buy a i5 Mac Mini and up the ram from 4GB to 8GB. Put a SSD disk instead of the HDD it ships with. Note: buy these on your own. Apple RAM and SSD are more expensive and you can get it done cheaper on your own.

Then buy a Dell U2412M/U2413 monitor (The U2412M is good value for money). They have a HDMI cable that will connect to your MacMini and give you a 1920x1200 resolution. You can add another monitor if you wish but its an overkill for your use.

The i7 MM is faster than the i5 MM. Since you are not mentioning any particular use of it, I'd say it's not worth to get the i7. The increase in processing power is useful only for processor intensive applications, nothing the average user gets to use.

Whether you need a MM urgently or later depends on your situation. If you just want a MM for now, buy it now. If you can wait, they might announce (not guaranteed) a Haswell processor change in the MM. If you buy it now, make sure you upgrade to the new OS when it is released in the fall. It has some good updates you might need.

Post: #83

(08-27-2013 10:56 AM)villageindian Wrote:  Here's my advice to you.

Buy a i5 Mac Mini and up the ram from 4GB to 8GB. Put a SSD disk instead of the HDD it ships with. Note: buy these on your own. Apple RAM and SSD are more expensive and you can get it done cheaper on your own.

Then buy a Dell U2413 or U2713HM. These are the best for that range. They have a HDMI cable that will connect to your MacMini and give you a 1920x1080 resolution. You can add another monitor if you wish but its an overkill for your use.

The i7 MM is faster than the i5 MM. Since you are not mentioning any particular use of it, I'd say it's not worth to get the i7. The increase in processing power is useful only for processor intensive applications, nothing the average user gets to use.

Whether you need a MM urgently or later depends on your situation. If you just want a MM for now, buy it now. If you can wait, they might announce (not guaranteed) a Haswell processor change in the MM. If you buy it now, make sure you upgrade to the new OS when it is released in the fall. It has some good updates you might need.

You just made El Mech's eyes glaze over.

Post: #84

(08-27-2013 10:58 AM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(08-27-2013 10:56 AM)villageindian Wrote:  Here's my advice to you.

Buy a i5 Mac Mini and up the ram from 4GB to 8GB. Put a SSD disk instead of the HDD it ships with. Note: buy these on your own. Apple RAM and SSD are more expensive and you can get it done cheaper on your own.

Then buy a Dell U2413 or U2713HM. These are the best for that range. They have a HDMI cable that will connect to your MacMini and give you a 1920x1080 resolution. You can add another monitor if you wish but its an overkill for your use.

The i7 MM is faster than the i5 MM. Since you are not mentioning any particular use of it, I'd say it's not worth to get the i7. The increase in processing power is useful only for processor intensive applications, nothing the average user gets to use.

Whether you need a MM urgently or later depends on your situation. If you just want a MM for now, buy it now. If you can wait, they might announce (not guaranteed) a Haswell processor change in the MM. If you buy it now, make sure you upgrade to the new OS when it is released in the fall. It has some good updates you might need.

You just made El Mech's eyes glaze over.

Thanks but yeah he's right.

I'm going to walk in the store with money and say give me ______ then pay and leave.

I have staples, office depot, and a peach mac store at the mall.

Post: #85

With a Mac, you're paying more for something with less power and less ability to customize.

It seems like your main issues are viruses and having an old ass computer. Most newly bought PCs will come with 6-12 months of antivirus included. First thing you do when you get the thing hooked up is pop in the disk and install it (installation is pretty straightforward). When it expires, pay for it. It is not very expensive and will save you tons of hassle. The free anti-viruses out there simply aren't as good or as easy to setup. I personally use Norton and it just operates in the background and every so often warns me about a dangerous site, etc.

Secondly, don't worry about the screen. This makes no difference for a business computer in a auto shop. You'll probably get transmission fluid and grease from your pork rinds on it within a week anyways.

Your main concerns should be your processor and your RAM. The processor is essentially your engine...you can tweak the rest of the computer to make it faster but in the end, a V8 is stronger than a four cylinder. I would suggest getting at least an i5. Money doesn't seem to be an issue so spending an extra 1-200 on an i7 couldn't hurt. There are different 'generations' of processors but don't worry about that as it will be way too confusing. Just get an i5 or i7 and it will tackle any business or web related task with ease.

Next is your RAM. I'm sure you've noticed that the more things you try to do on a computer at once, the slower it moves. This is where RAM comes into play. I'd suggest 8GB. If you want to spend extra getting more, it can't hurt but 8GB will handle what you'll be throwing at it.

Most desktops come with at least 500GB of hard drive space these days which should be plenty. There are different speeds of hard drives like 5400RPM or 7200RPM. These dictate how fast the hard disk spins. The faster it spins, the faster the computer can access data. This will make a small difference in overall speed but not enough to worry too much about. If you really want to drop some extra bread, getting an SSD drive wouldn't hurt. These are essentially hard drives that don't spin and are therefore faster, more stable, and make less noise. The only problem with these is that the offer much less overall storage space though you can easily find computers that feature both an SSD and conventional hard drive in the same machine. Ultimately, any desktop will have enough storage to do what you need so this isn't worth worrying about unless you just want the absolute best technology.

Everything else is going to be more confusion than it's worth for you, especially for a business computer. Antivirus, processor, and RAM are what you need to focus on. I'm not super familiar with hooking up a credit card machine to a desktop but I'm assuming it shouldn't be a problem and most likely runs through a USB slot which is standard with all desktops.

Post: #86

So something like this would be junk?
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Lenovo-3000-...-p/1178643

Post: #87

No offense to other guys offering advice but doing things like replacing the RAM and hard drive are going to be more trouble for Mech than it's worth. He's gonna save a couple hundred upfront but will then have to learn how to take apart a computer from scratch or pay someone else to do it. Either will be more hassle than it seems he is looking for. A PC or Mac out of the box with a minimum of an i5 and 4-8GB of ram will be plenty for business tasks.

Post: #88

Or you can get something like this: http://www.amazon.com/PX2230MW-Touchscre...003B47BZO/

Touch screen display. Load up Windows 8 on it and ... aw fughettaboudit.

You want plug and play. Touchscreen All-in-One PCs...

Here you go:

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaCentre-...00ASJHO3O/
http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaCentre-...B00CRXZMWO
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-io23...00AM9WEU8/
http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-23-Inch-All...B00CRXZNXC
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-DP700A3D-A...0098NTF8S/

And the touch screen 27-inch monster to rule them all...

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-DP700A7D-S...B0098NTFRO

Post: #89

@Mech: My laptop is more powerful than that computer and I bought it about a year and a half ago brand new from Best Buy for $500. Granted I got a good deal on it but desktops are typically more powerful for the money than laptops. Basically, that particular computer is very outdated.

Post: #90

I'm too late to save El Mech from the mistake he's about to make.

The idea of "Mac" branded computers is that it's an entirely closed-sandbox of software and hardware all designed or approved by apple- so suppositively every piece works together in harmony, and all is well throughout the village. But software is really SLOW to come out on the Mac, and that's just the beginning of your problems. Suppose there IS "darkness in the valley," and something does fuck up, not only is it almost impossible for you to correct the issue (or difficult to learn how), there's very little online help because the user base is so tiny. There will be little to no user coded tools to fix your problem or add functionality. And you have to pay an Apple "Genius" (first, hardly, second, who the fuck calls themselves that) to tell you you'll need a new one. EVERYTHING about Apple is clever, well crafted branding of an operating system architecture that is free (UNIX) and supplemental software that all serves as marketing for their REALLY FUCKING EXPENSIVE HARDWARE.

I can't change your mind El Mech, but when they tell you you have to buy a new one your whole motivation (fucking with this aspect of your office as little as possible) will be totally undermined.

And it's not that windows is great. Mac and Linux just suck.
And now back to Computer Architecture class...

Post: #91

(08-27-2013 10:00 AM)el mechanico Wrote:  

(08-27-2013 09:53 AM)iknowexactly Wrote:  

(08-27-2013 09:27 AM)el mechanico Wrote:  So if you were going to get a mini-mac which monitor around 22 inches has resolution like the imac?

no, 27 has new ultra high res only available on more expensive monitors

from site:

"27-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1440 resolution with support for millions of colors"
Most 22 inch monitors you get will be 1900x1080, untill you get over $700 at least ( then it will be a 27 inch+)

The 27" iMac starts at about $1800.

http://store.apple.com/us/mac/family/imac

Slight overkill for you but when I watch cat videos and feminist indoctrination videos it really helps to watch the best.

There's no way I'm putting a 27 inch monitor in my office with a giant silver apple on it. How's the 22?

imac's the simplest, most elegant solution, the 22 is also a very nice computer. Hundreds of man-years have gone into making the Msc interface comprehensible for normal people. Hundreds of engineer-years have gone into making the PC comprehensible to the computer-oriented , and to the Microsoft engineers that designed them.

Why not go into a Mac store and play with one for a while. Try to create, save and edit a document. Then go into Best Buy or a similar hellhole and try to do anything on a PC. That will be the most realistic preview for you.


Maybe you could tolerate a macbook pro if you want a smaller computer. The portability is a huge added power.

Do you need specialized diagnostic software for engines and stuff to tun on it? If you do you might need a PC, there's more apps like that for PC.

Post: #92

El Mech, this could be your brand new 27" touchscreen display with hand motion gesture technology.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-DP700A7D-S...B0098NTFRO

           


Also, I find the Mac interface utterly retarded and completely frustrating. Yes I have spent countless hours on it unfortunately.

Post: #93

El Mech, based on your intended uses, any computer will do. If you wanna go Mac, get the cheapeast Mac Mini for $599 and be done with it. It's plenty fast. Just buy a monitor, mouse and keyboard of your choice. Macs work best with the Apple keyboard and magic mouse, but these are more expensive.
Apple keyboard, magic mouse and nice monitor - another $300 or so.

Post: #94

Ok I just went to the mall and bought a basic mac mini...

Now for the rest..

I almost got in a fight in the mall parking lot with some dick that wanted my parking spot. There was two spots next to eachother and I moved to the one under the tree because I was in a triple black car. I'm walking to the door and realize I forgot my phone when I looked he was standing in the Captian power pose over my car with his wife and said "you really blew me away man" I said black car dude it needs shade then he said "it's not my fault you bought a black car" I didn't have time for him so I just said "Shut the fuck up before I ruin your day" and walked back in. lol

Post: #95

(08-27-2013 01:11 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  Ok I just went to the mall and bought a basic mac mini...

Now for the rest..

I almost got in a fight in the mall parking lot with some dick that wanted my parking spot. There was two spots next to eachother and I moved to the one under the tree because I was in a triple black car. I'm walking to the door and realize I forgot my phone when I looked he was standing in the Captian power pose over my car with his wife and said "you really blew me away man" I said black car dude it needs shade then he said "it's not my fault you bought a black car" I didn't have time for him so I just said "Shut the fuck up before I ruin your day" and walked back in. lol

You almost got in a fight with Captain Power?

The "Las Vegas guy" from on here?

Post: #96

(08-27-2013 03:29 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(08-27-2013 01:11 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  Ok I just went to the mall and bought a basic mac mini...

Now for the rest..

I almost got in a fight in the mall parking lot with some dick that wanted my parking spot. There was two spots next to eachother and I moved to the one under the tree because I was in a triple black car. I'm walking to the door and realize I forgot my phone when I looked he was standing in the Captian power pose over my car with his wife and said "you really blew me away man" I said black car dude it needs shade then he said "it's not my fault you bought a black car" I didn't have time for him so I just said "Shut the fuck up before I ruin your day" and walked back in. lol

You almost got in a fight with Captain Power?

The "Las Vegas guy" from on here?

No he was like this..
[attachment=14145]

Post: #97

(08-27-2013 03:29 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(08-27-2013 01:11 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  Ok I just went to the mall and bought a basic mac mini...

Now for the rest..

I almost got in a fight in the mall parking lot with some dick that wanted my parking spot. There was two spots next to eachother and I moved to the one under the tree because I was in a triple black car. I'm walking to the door and realize I forgot my phone when I looked he was standing in the Captian power pose over my car with his wife and said "you really blew me away man" I said black car dude it needs shade then he said "it's not my fault you bought a black car" I didn't have time for him so I just said "Shut the fuck up before I ruin your day" and walked back in. lol

You almost got in a fight with Captain Power?

The "Las Vegas guy" from on here?

No he just poised himself in the Captain Power Pose

Post: #98

So I'm going to wrap this up tomorrow. I need a wireless keyboard, mouse and a good monitor with speakers if what I have will support them.

Im open to suggestions

Post: #99

apple wireless keyboard, apple magic mouse, samsung monitor. They are a bit pricy for the apple stuff but for me its worth it to have it all aesthetically matching.

Post: #100

You can use a standard 2 button PC mouse.
The apple mouse doesn't have a right click.