Starting to computer shop in earnest

[dvandom]

Today I hit the computer store in the student union and poked at their Mac display. Yes, I want a new Mac to replace my 6 year old iLamp.

Based on my physical usage needs (i.e. both ergonomics and space limitations), I've decided on the 20" screen iMac. The union store has the 2.66 GHz version (2GB/320GB base) for $1400, +$50 to crank the RAM up to 4GB (which I would definitely do), and another $59 for iWork or $99 for Office:mac. There's also a rebate of $30 on iWork if bought at the same time as a Mac, so I'll likely be going with that. So, all told plus tax I'm looking at about $1600, assuming I don't need to (or decide to) replace any peripherals. Assume no matter where I buy the new machine I'll need to spend some money on upgrading some of my other software (mostly upgrades I've been putting off). I haven't decided if I want to try installing a second OS on it, but probably not. Anything I might need from Windows exists in a Mac version or can just be converted or even directly read by iWork.

The Apple.com store can get me the same thing for over $200 more, list price. Granted, that doesn't include educational discount, which probably accounts for most of the price difference, but the main point is it ain't gonna be cheaper. I'll check Best Buy to see if I can do better, but it looks like I'll be going to the student union just like I did for my current computer lo these six years past.

The Plan is to wait until the closing date on my credit card, so that my CD will have matured by the time the bill is due. Then I'll set the new machine up over in my craft area while I get everything configured, or at least everything I can configure without having the peripherals plugged in (i.e. I may have to wait and install drivers and suchlike after I physically swap the machines). Then, hopefully, I can get everything moved around in a half hour or so (mostly for moving all the desktoys) and spend minimal time finishing setup. Not sure what I'll do with the old iLamp yet...I still have the laptop (G3 Wallstreet) it replaced sitting in a closet, haven't even booted it up in four or five years.

Comments

[misanthrope1.livejournal.com]

Macs are terrific!

[warpticon.livejournal.com]

Meanwhile, I'm considering the logistics of quad-booting or even quint-booting (Windows XP, Leopard, Windows 7, Ubuntu, OpenSuSE)

[thandrak.livejournal.com]

Remember, you get new mac, you get City of Heroes! From me!

[grant-p.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'd definitely go for as much memory as you can. Fifty bucks is cheap, considering, and it's not like having more is any kind of problem (unless you want to run an old DOS game, but that's what VirtualBox is for.)

There are probably any number of students on your campus who might like an older computer. I myself keep cannibalizing things to play with, and I don't really understand how the things work at all, so in the computer science department there's probably interest.

I'm proud to say my 286e Supersport laptop (which weighed 15 pounds) is now on display in Pembroke's computer department, after they saw it and asked if they could have it. Apparently they'd never seen a laptop that heavy before.

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

Well, it's a trust issue. There's bound to be stuff on the hard drive I don't want to give to just anyone, and wiping completely is very hard to do unless you know a lot more than I do. I'll probably hold onto it as a backup until I'm sure I'm past the front end of the "bathtub curve" for the new machine, tho.

[diosoth.livejournal.com]

There are no doubt commercial programs that can do multiple-formats on the hard disk itself. Maybe even freeware.

As for the old computers, they tend to be worth very little so don't count on selling for cash. If you can format them to a satisfactory point, just give the oldest away so some poor kids and sell the current one for maybe $150.

[grant-p.livejournal.com]

Good point...I format anything I get out of paranoia for that very reason. Though my 286e donation was largely risk-free as the hard drive had been destroyed. No issue, they just wanted to stick the computer under glass.

Have you considered, if it has a compatible drive bay and the extra space, pulling your old hard drive, putting it in the new system, and using it for extra storage? That way you keep any data risk to yourself, and have a dump for mp3's or the like.

[gatac.livejournal.com]

I recommend this:

http://www.heidi.ie/node/6

The security threat of hardware reconstruction is somewhat overrated. A single pass of any of the algorithms on there will erase your data very securely - the NSA recommendations are mostly due to a) their need to have data be absolutely, 100% not reconstructable under any circumstances and b) the specs stemming from drives with much lower data density, which are consequently easier to reconstruct.

Format, wipe once with Eraser, and you're good.

[zqadams.livejournal.com]

I don't think you're gonna get a better price from Best Buy, if your local even sells Macs (not all of them stock 'em anymore). You may be able to get long-term financing (18 months no interest), but I don't expect you'll beat the actual price you can get at the school.

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

They do have Macs now, and I agree the price is unlikely to be better, but I have a week or so before the closing date on my credit card, so I might as well do due diligence and check all possibilities. :) Not worried about financing, I'll just dip into the CD that's maturing later this month.