The New Setup
31st of January, 2008
Last week I upgraded my computer not just with more power or better features but from a notebook to a desktop. From the original Macbook to the latest 24″ iMac. It holds a 2.4ghz Core2Duo and is maxed out to 4GB of RAM, which should always be the first thing you do when it’s only $100. It also packs a ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO graphics processor I don’t know how good that is but I do know it’s my first ever computer holding something resembling a graphics card.
The original plan was to replace the Macbook with a Macbook Pro. I was expecting updates to the extremely overpriced and long neglected Pro line at Macworld a couple of weeks ago. When that didn’t happen I had to rethink spending $2900 on a notebook not significantly better than the one I was already using.
Macbook Pros, since the day they were released have been Apple’s most brutally overpriced computer. I literally don’t understand why people buy them — there’s no compact model, defeating the purpose of a portable computer, the specs are only marginally better than the Macbook’s and they’re almost twice the price. I don’t get it at all.
I saw that the beautiful 24″ iMac is $300 less than the bottom rung Macbook Pro. With the advantage of an enormous screen, faster processor, bigger hard drive, blah blah blah. I had to reassess my need for a notebook, which now comes down to taking notes, email and web browsing while at university — tasks much below the power of a Macbook Pro or even the stock Macbook. I bought the iMac and I’m actively looking for an elusive second-hand 12″ Powerbook before I go back to school in March.
A fast desktop with a small, supplement notebook is the ultimate computing setup for me. If the only option is one computer you’re better off with a well rounded notebook but while the portability is good the temporary nature and constant protection of them can be unsettling.
I love the permanent feel of a desktop computer, the way it’s never moved, the ability to leave peripherals like hard drives plugged in, move the keyboard without moving the screen, the lack of a crude drive noise when waking from sleep, the durable feel, there’s a lot to like. As well as just getting more computer for your money.
It looks great on my desk but the desk might too shallow. I’d love to add the iLift Vesa arm like Paul Stamatiou once had set up on the same Ikea desk as mine.
The big change in the new setup is moving from a dual screen setup with a small screen and a slightly bigger external to a single, huge display. I’m a huge advocate of the dual (or more) screen setup, a second screen adds much more to a computer than faster internals. I did experiment with the same external screen but it’s about 4 years old now and while sitting next to the iMac screen it looks so dull it’s almost unreadable. I think an Apple Cinema Display or the equivalent ultra-sharp Dell is the only option. Even then, I think it may be just too much screen for my small desk. In the meantime 24″ is enough to get by on.
