New PC/Mac - Recommendations?

[Flushdraw]

I'm pretty sick of working on my laptop at the moment and I'm going to splash out on a nice new desktop. Anyone have any advice on particular models at the moment? I'm also considering a mac - I don't want this thread to turn into a heated Mac vs PC debate but if someone has had experience of owning or working on both and can list some pro's and cons, I'd like to hear them.

Requirements - Decent spec, doesn't have to be super state of the art but I'd like something that isn't going to be outdated next week. I'd also like a very nice and clear monitor - The mac monitors seem to be awesome compared to most PC ones I've looked at in PC World.

Looking to spend no more than £1000

Thanks
Rob

[MJ]

Can't go wrong with an Imac all in one desktop man.

[Flushdraw]

Can you upgrade ram/harddrive etc easily enough with all-in-ones?

[MJ]

Ram yes, internal hard drive? Not sure honestly - don't see the need as 240 gb is plenty for me and I use wireless hard drive backups via time machine automatically which gives me 2tb more.

[nikolayjs]

I would go for the iMac too.

[PTC]

I used to be a Mac user. A lot of the old issues I had have been solved. I still suspect that many poker rooms do not offer software that is mac compatible and this was a huge issue for me. Can't get paid at some sites if you can't login to your player account to cashout. There was also no ability to run microsoft access on a Mac a few years ago, a quick google search and it looks like this is still the case. The main microsoft products are available for mac, but not all of them. Im sure there are comparable products for mac that will work fine, they just dont work in academia when you are taking a class about microsoft access databases.

[GoodKarmaKid]

My Advice

Spend less on the mac/pc and more on Monitors.

Get dual 24 inch or better and you will be happier than a clam.


Increased monitor sized and dual/triple monitors has been a major productivity enhancer for me. Downside is I can't even work on a laptop anymore, just to frustrating.


Jason

[Flushdraw]

That's what I've been looking at the last few days Jason. Thinking of just running my laptop through a nice monitor with a USB keyboard and mouse.

A lot of the monitors in the shops don't seem to look very sharp but some led ones on the net get good reviews.

Any recommendations for a kick ass monitor?

[GoodKarmaKid]

Any recommendations for a kick ass monitor?

I personally use 3 24 inch Dell ultrasharps. Mine have multiple inputs on them: DVI, Display Port, HDMI, VGA, etc

If you hook them up right and use the different cable options, you could use one for a desktip computer, one for a laptop that sits on your desk, one for Cablebox or boxee, or whatever depending on where you use it and other things you like to view on monitors.

The regular price is a little spendy, but sign up for their edeals email, a few times a month they are a couple hundred off regular price with free shipping.

I see that your in England, don't know if you have big discount clubs there, but Costco here in the US carries a 24 inch dell that looks good:

Costco - Dell 24" Full HD Widescreen LED Monitor HDMI, DVI, VGA Anti-glare, Slim Bezel, Tilt Adjustable


Most monitors these days are pretty decent.

But if you decide to go with a Mac , I'd get the matching Mac Monitor as many monitors have subtle differences in color, glare, etc and it just looks cooler to have the same exact monitor.

[mindfreak]

Mac
Great operating system, better online security, less chance of a virus, great media set up with itunes, imovie etc. brilliant free software pre-installed, easy to use, great network support for wireless, printers etc., brilliant design. why not? Put a pc next to an imac and you can instantly see why