Upgrading Macs
in [UK Mac]
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From: T i m on 9 Apr 2010 14:36 On Fri, 9 Apr 2010 18:32:16 +0100, peter(a)cara.demon.co.uk (Peter Ceresole) wrote: >T i m <news(a)spaced.me.uk> wrote: > >> What's that got to do with it? (and I guess you mean 'not updating'). > >No, T i m, I meant exactly what I wrote. Do read it again. Ah 'Not - or' .. gotcha (now ... but still not sure what AV has to do with (not) upgrading. Why not say 'updates' in general?). Cheers, T i m
From: Woody on 9 Apr 2010 15:15 T i m <news(a)spaced.me.uk> wrote: > On Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:31:41 +0100, Woody <usenet(a)alienrat.co.uk> > wrote: > > >>> Unless i enjoy doing it obviously but PC upgrades aren't particularly > >>> interesting, compared to other stuff! > >> > >> Of course, depending on the 'other stuff'. And don't get me wrong (I'm > >> sure you haven't / wouldn't), it's not the actual doing necessarily > >> but the potential to achieve something that you want and may not exist > >> already. > > > >Well, yes, but by buying the ready made / easy thing that works for me, > >I don't preclude having the potential to achieve something that I want > >that may not exist already. > > Ok. But doesn't that original choice have an impact on that potential? No. I wasn't viewing them as the same thing. My choice to go out and get a computer to do a thing doesn't get rid of my choice to make something else *as well*, not to turn that thing into something else. > Like, if it happens to be a big box with empty bays etc? And this is > all assuming we always go out and buy new for exactly what we want > when we want it? Well, I do. I can't speak for others, I am sure some others get the wrong things. > I wonder how many people have found themselves with a > 'spare' computer and wished to put it to different service only to > find out they couldn't without doing some sort of upgrade, am upgrade > that may not have been possible because of limitations not foreseen at > purchase time? I am sure there are some. > Of course we can't predict the future but with a more > open / generic design (and that considered at up front) I would have > thought the options would have been greater? Are they? I bought a windows PC and a Mac that were both over �1300. After 3 years of use, neither of them were any use to me. The PC I basically couldn't give away, the Mac I could sell for �500-600. The PC I could put another mother board / graphics card / processor / memory, the mac probably just the memory and disk. So both have their flexability - the Mac I can sell and get something else, the PC I can gut and put some other stuff in the case. > > It took a long time until there was > >something with the same spec as the mini for the price. > > I bet, especially if you only pay �100 for it. ;-) I paid �412.32 for mine on the 28th April 2005, and it is now running as my home server. I didn't realise it was that old (as you can tell I just looked it up!). Looking at completed listings on eBay, one like mine goes for between �160 and �220. That seems like good value to me. > >I almost got one of those little mini-copy dells recently until I stuck > >the new system on my mini server (which is working really well). > > I considered fixing one of the SX-260's (I think it was, blown PSU > caps I think was their weakness), and was offered it for nowt when I > declined. I didn't want it as I saw it as a liability ('non std'). So it was a liability as a free thing, so you would prefer something you could spend more money on to make something different later, if you changed your mind on what you wanted? > >><snip>Whilst the result is probably > >> bigger than I would like it doesn't even notice in the dark corner > >> behind out TV. > > > >Well, that is good if you have the space. > > Well I don't really but I can't justify any more cash. So yes, the oposite of me, I cant as I couldn't justify the cost in time for something easy to get. > > I could make a machine that was cheaper > >than all my macs if I didn't keep to the same spec! > > Cheaper than all your Macs eh. Is that like John is fat, Fred is fat > but Terry is fatter than both of them put together? ;-) Sorry I have read that several times but it appears to make no sense at all. What do you mean? > >Well, yes, although I don't see why what you have is not like an > >ordinary PC with a quiet fan? or am I missing something. > > No, you aren't, it's exactly that as long as said PC was equally quiet > and only consumed 39W with 3 x 500G drives. ok. > >With the PC you described, if I wanted a WHS I could go to a shop and > >buy one, that would be small and quiet. > > Seriously, I don't think you would get one as quiet or possibly low > power for_the_money. That may not bother you but was part of my goal. Well, I am factoring my time in the for_the_money equation, so I probably could. I have never actually looked at them so I don't know what they would cost, but I would be suprised if they worked out more. > > It would cost a bit more money > >than your solution I am guessing (but how much), but it would probably > >be smaller, would probably look better (obviously subjective) and I > >could go to the shop, buy it, put on on the TV and 5 minutes later I am > >up and running. > > If you could etc (as quiet, as low power, as expandable) yes. On the assumption that such a thing was made, which I am sure it is. -- Woody www.alienrat.com
From: Ian McCall on 9 Apr 2010 16:05 On 2010-04-09 02:48:09 +0100, Colin Harper <colinharper(a)x.com.invalid> said: > I wonder if I'm unusual in upgrading Macs like this? I think I probably am a > bit. I think you are in general, but possibly not unusual in this group. So, thinking about it... Mac Plus - memory Mac SE- memory Mac SE/30 - memory, disk drive LC - memory, disk drive, VRAM ....a brief pause whilst I wander off into PC land... Powerbook 12" - memory, sort of disk drive (thanks JonB) MacBook CoreDuo - memory, drive (several times) MacBook Pro CoreDuo - memory. Horrible piece of 1st gen junk that overheated, whined and was so bad Apple replaced it for free iMac G3 - drive, optical drive (CD-ROM to DVD) MacMini CoreSolo - memory. Considering doing drive and processor as well. MacBook Pro Core2Duo - memory next gen MacBook Pro Core2Duo - memory, drive ....all roughly in order of owning them. Cheers, Ian
From: Jim on 9 Apr 2010 16:21 Ian McCall <ian(a)eruvia.org> wrote: > ...all roughly in order of owning them. In my case it would be something like this: LC475: Memory. 6400/200: memory+hard drive (taking the front panel off that sucker was *horrible*) iMacDV400: Memory+hard drive. G4 MDD 1.25: Memory, hard drive(s), optical drive (replaced the CDRW,DVD Reader with a proper CD/DVD RW) and a USB2 card from Purple World. A Belkin, if memory serves. G3 iBoko: Memory+Airport card G4 PBoko: Memory. 20" Intel iMac: Memory. (incidentally, that's a *nice* machine) Mac Pro 2*2.8: Memory (upped from stock 2GB to 6GB), hard drive (all four bays filled) (and this is an *awesome* machine) Also, G4 Cube: Hard drive+Airport card. (utterly cool machine to upgrade) Common factor seems to be RAM - where possible I've always stuck more in. Also, hard drives are never large enough, but that's generally true anyway. Jim -- "Microsoft admitted its Vista operating system was a 'less good product' in what IT experts have described as the most ambitious understatement since the captain of the Titanic reported some slightly damp tablecloths." http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/
From: T i m on 9 Apr 2010 18:18
On Fri, 9 Apr 2010 20:15:23 +0100, usenet(a)alienrat.co.uk (Woody) wrote: >> >Well, yes, but by buying the ready made / easy thing that works for me, >> >I don't preclude having the potential to achieve something that I want >> >that may not exist already. >> >> Ok. But doesn't that original choice have an impact on that potential? > >No. I wasn't viewing them as the same thing. My choice to go out and get >a computer to do a thing doesn't get rid of my choice to make something >else *as well*, not to turn that thing into something else. Ah. I try (have / like to) to be more flexible than that. When I had choice of a company car I chose the Sierra Estate and my co-workers chose XR3i's. When one of them wanted to move something big they would ask to borrow my car. I would tell them where to go because if they wanted something as useful as my car they should have got one, their car being no use to me (no towbar, no room etc) in the short and especially long term (if they wrote mine off). However, I will and can buy 'specialized / dedicated' things if the need warrants it and if I can afford it (in that order and assuming I can't make them myself of course). > >> Like, if it happens to be a big box with empty bays etc? And this is >> all assuming we always go out and buy new for exactly what we want >> when we want it? > >Well, I do. I can't speak for others, I am sure some others get the >wrong things. ;-) > <snip> > >> Of course we can't predict the future but with a more >> open / generic design (and that considered at up front) I would have >> thought the options would have been greater? > >Are they? I think so (for my understanding of the terms). > >I bought a windows PC and a Mac that were both over �1300. After 3 years >of use, neither of them were any use to me. The PC I basically couldn't >give away, the Mac I could sell for �500-600. Understood (and partly why I didn't mod the Mini into a server), but the point is the PC would actually be cheaper in the first place (to most people). > >The PC I could put another mother board / graphics card / processor / >memory, the mac probably just the memory and disk. Ok. > >So both have their flexability - the Mac I can sell and get something >else, the PC I can gut and put some other stuff in the case. Yes, some Macs can be flexible (the Pro tower things) but the rest (and not including laptops) generally aren't. *Most* (as in quantity sold / out there) are desktop PCs and are flexible that way. > >> > It took a long time until there was >> >something with the same spec as the mini for the price. >> >> I bet, especially if you only pay �100 for it. ;-) > >I paid �412.32 for mine on the 28th April 2005, and it is now running as >my home server. I didn't realise it was that old (as you can tell I just >looked it up!). ;-) > Looking at completed listings on eBay, one like mine >goes for between �160 and �220. Ok. > >That seems like good value to me. If you want to do / include the trading in thing yes, it's better. I appreciate that could be considered an 'upgrade path' but not really in the spirit of this thread (IMO of course). ;-) > >> >I almost got one of those little mini-copy dells recently until I stuck >> >the new system on my mini server (which is working really well). >> >> I considered fixing one of the SX-260's (I think it was, blown PSU >> caps I think was their weakness), and was offered it for nowt when I >> declined. I didn't want it as I saw it as a liability ('non std'). > >So it was a liability as a free thing, Yes, as in a potential use of my time versus predictable outcome / expandability etc. > so you would prefer something you >could spend more money on to make something different later, if you >changed your mind on what you wanted? Yup, in general yes. I enjoy 'versatility', especially where the compromises (and there generally are some) don't distract too much from the primary use. Like I have a 12' folding boat. It folds down to 4" thick and in that form looks like a surfboard. This means I can easily store it in my garage and transport it on the roof of our cars. It's sufficiently rigid_boat_like for the compromises to be acceptable for the conveniences of the store/port-ability. Does it perform like a rigid boat? no, but then I don't have room to store a rigid boat so this means I can have 'a boat'. > <snip> >> > >> >Well, that is good if you have the space. >> >> Well I don't really but I can't justify any more cash. > >So yes, the oposite of me, I cant as I couldn't justify the cost in time >for something easy to get. Understood, horses for courses. > >> > I could make a machine that was cheaper >> >than all my macs if I didn't keep to the same spec! >> >> Cheaper than all your Macs eh. Is that like John is fat, Fred is fat >> but Terry is fatter than both of them put together? ;-) > >Sorry I have read that several times but it appears to make no sense at >all. What do you mean? I meant, John is thin, Fred is thin but Terry is thinner than both of them put together (teach me to type on an empty head). You said 'cheaper than all your Macs' .. ;-) > <snip> > >> >With the PC you described, if I wanted a WHS I could go to a shop and >> >buy one, that would be small and quiet. >> >> Seriously, I don't think you would get one as quiet or possibly low >> power for_the_money. That may not bother you but was part of my goal. > >Well, I am factoring my time in the for_the_money equation, so I >probably could. Ok. > >I have never actually looked at them so I don't know what they would >cost, but I would be suprised if they worked out more. You may well be right (because I don't generally factor in my time ... I just want what I want and will sometimes make it if I can't buy it off the shelf). > >> > It would cost a bit more money >> >than your solution I am guessing (but how much), but it would probably >> >be smaller, would probably look better (obviously subjective) and I >> >could go to the shop, buy it, put on on the TV and 5 minutes later I am >> >up and running. >> >> If you could etc (as quiet, as low power, as expandable) yes. > >On the assumption that such a thing was made, which I am sure it is. I'd be interested to see one (and I did look but could well have missed it). You either get micro media machines that are small but not necessarily cheap, low energy or expandable. You get servers that are expandable but not cheap nor particularly low energy. Most of the really low power boards aren't either dual core, cheap nor have more than a couple of SATA ports. Most of the micro cases don't run a silent 120mm fan nor have the room nor airflow to be passive (and therefore certainly not expandable). What I built is not only expandable but silent, low power and the lowest cost you could find. Plus (and this is a big one for me), the warrantee is on the individual components so there is no waiting in for a courier to take the whole thing away, or try to fix on site etc. As I built it myself I know what could be used as a replacement bit and can often do so out of my own stock or pretty quickly from a local shop. Cheers, T i m |