Need some advice

B

Basstr0m

Registered
Hey, not sure if this is the right place this should be, I've only put it hear cause of the broad range of topics i'd like to cover.

My names David first time here and what i've seen so far looks great.
Now on to business.

Next year i'm enrolled into a Computer Science course at uni so i'm going to be a poor uni student to start with so i won't have too much free money after i get the machine, also i need dual core which rules out my current computer which is a laptop and i really want a desktop so the computer will be a desktop. These are what i need and want to do.
  • Programming in Java and C++, eventually lead onto Game development for Mac, windows and console
  • Creating movies with DV cam
  • Recoring and mixing music
  • Low cost of these extra programs
  • Some web site development
  • Networking between Linux, other Macs and Windows

What i want to know is how good are the new intel powered macs for my above things. Any help would be appreciated thanks in advanced
 
The intel macs are very fast, so you'll have no trouble creating movies, or recording music. Just make sure you have at least 1 GB of RAM, and 100 GB of hard drive space. iLife comes installed on new macs, so you won't have to pay more to get that functionality. Macs are pretty good with networking - they can share via Samba to Windows machines, and Linux machines can usually read Samba shares as well.
 
Solution:

Any currently available Macintosh - Portable, Desktop, or Tower.

All the intended processes you listed, can be performed with any model Macintosh, out of the box.

Naturally, third party software is also available.
 
Yep, it of course depends on whether you're thinking about specific applications for those tasks. The ones which come with your Mac already do a nice job - but that'd probably mean some adjustments on your side and the willingness to learn a few new tricks and to be open about how things are handled slightly differently in a different operating system. I'd say you're a perfect candidate for such a platform switch, and you should choose the machine that fits you best.

Keep in mind that Apple tends to release new hardware "out of the blue", i.e. you might buy a Mac mini or Mac Pro at some point and be surprised that a newer machine is offered a week later. There's good information, however, as to when such things happen.
A good place to start is, of course, this forum and http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ where you can see when a product was last updated and when it is expected to be updated next. Of course Apple still surprises us a little most of the time. ;)
 
thanks guys looks like i'm gonna be a mac convert, the more i think bout it the more i'm conviced, have one more question though, its to do with the Game Devolopment industry and what machines they use and also the programs and Language.

Thanks again
 
I'd also budget for a copy of windows, as if you are doping a CS course then there will likely be some things you can't run on OS X but you can run via Bootcamp or Parallels. For development I guess you may well want to use BootCamp as its 'full' Windows not an emulated version, plus Parallels costs money plus you have to buy XP, but BootCamp comes fro free so you'd only need XP. You may find your university has a deal on XP as well, check it out.
 
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