Intel iMac

[Neusch]

I have successfully installed XP and WBXP on my new iMac.

Im available for testing is yall need. I posted some initial FPS tests on the Mac forum on iEN site.

[samart]

So what are your initial findings Neusch?

[Neusch]

The old system I was using is a Dell 8100 PIV 512mb and ATI 128mb card (forgot which one).

The old dell FPS results over Dover (F1) on the Blitz map, default high video settings (roads on) was ~23-26 FPS with valleys as low as 14 and peaks up to 28.

The WB v.OSX on the new iMac, same video settings and roads on is around 15-18 FPS.

The WB v.XPiMac FPS was (for me) a staggering 52-60 FPS.

Boot times for OSX was about 35 seconds. Boot into WinXP ~50 seconds. WB launched on both OSes was about the same and both way less than 1 minute.

I'll get some hard numbers and comparisons up later (probably not until next week).

Many, many thumbs up to Apple for this logical step after diving into Intel. XP launches nicely, no hiccups or even finger crossing. But as I use XP more on this Mac, I'll let yall know of any issues. My experience with XP on Dell's and home builts, has taught me that the more you use XP the slower it becomes. I hope this isn't the case here.

[samart]

I tell you what, this is really making me think about getting a MAC for the next computer. Best of both worlds (PC programs but MAC video capability).

[Target]

Ditto. My only problem is the "break the box" issues. I'm not sure how much twiddling you can do in terms of hardware upgrade on a Mac notebook. Makes me nervous.

[Neusch]

Yall both know, if you wait for the latest and greatest, more is just around that corner.

I plunged in right now because the price point (education) and features matched or bettered my expectations AND my G3 300 (from 1998) was on its last respirations.

I wouldn't expect any significant Apple improvement in models over the next 3 months, because they just finished the release of the larger Powerbook.

You can expect something in late summer and the rumour mills churn with talk of the Intel Mac in a Tower. Target, this may be what you'd need if you wanna tweek the innerts, which you can not do in the iMac.

As for me, the iMac was spot on.

[Webs]

Ditto. My only problem is the "break the box" issues. I'm not sure how much twiddling you can do in terms of hardware upgrade on a Mac notebook. Makes me nervous.

Macs are no less upgradeable than PCs for the hardware you'll fiddle with most, RAM and hard drives. Motherboards are the only real difference, although the video card market tends to lag and be more expensive for Macs. Then again, maybe that has changed/will change with the move to the Intel-compatible mobos.