A windows version

[RCBH928]

Well thanx every one, it sure was helpful
I decided on getting Windows 7 and joining GOG, I thought I was unable to sign because I am outside the US. I am pretty sure I was going to sign for a similar service but it said it was US only, it was pretty well known too, maybe something like steam as in sells newer games.

Whoever asked as why did I get a mac if I want to run Windows. Truth is I have been rocking a Mac OS since 2002 and I couldn't be happier or more satisfied. The reason i will be getting a Windows machine is to play games(as you know mac sucks in that area) and to run some specialized software here and there like imgburn and disc juggler(for dreamcast )
So thats why.

1 question remains!
Which version of windows 7 to get, I think I will get the 32-bit because its more compatible with stuff(never understood the difference between 32-64 any way), and which is it ? Home version? professional? network? I don't even know their names

[CRTGAMER]

Well thanx every one, it sure was helpful
I decided on getting Windows 7 and joining GOG, I thought I was unable to sign because I am outside the US. I am pretty sure I was going to sign for a similar service but it said it was US only, it was pretty well known too, maybe something like steam as in sells newer games.

Whoever asked as why did I get a mac if I want to run Windows. Truth is I have been rocking a Mac OS since 2002 and I couldn't be happier or more satisfied. The reason i will be getting a Windows machine is to play games(as you know mac sucks in that area) and to run some specialized software here and there like imgburn and disc juggler(for dreamcast )
So thats why.

1 question remains!
Which version of windows 7 to get, I think I will get the 32-bit because its more compatible with stuff(never understood the difference between 32-64 any way), and which is it ? Home version? professional? network? I don't even know their names

Get Win 7 64 bit, might as well get max use out of your new 64 bit computer. If you can afford it get the Pro 64 bit version for all the features. Again for older games not the Win XP compatible pack download but VIRTUAL PC and each complete OS that can be bought cheap used.

Agree, Mac does not have near the selection on games, but there are some good ones. The main reason I like the Mac is for browsing and no need for a bimonthly Spybots scan.

[isiolia]

1 question remains!
Which version of windows 7 to get, I think I will get the 32-bit because its more compatible with stuff(never understood the difference between 32-64 any way), and which is it ? Home version? professional? network? I don't even know their names

For most things, I opt for 64-bit these days. However, your use might be better with 32-bit.

The reason I say that is for purposes of Boot Camp, 64-bit isn't supported by Apple for all models, regardless of the actual CPU inside them (see here). Has to do with what the firmware supports I think.
I've worked around it by tweaking the 64-bit ISO per this.

'course, on top of that, the Boot Camp software won't directly install under Windows either. If it detects a model that isn't officially supported for x64, it'll bitch about it and not run. You can still force it, but it's just not as straightforward a process.

If your particular Macbook isn't a supported model, if you go with x64, you'll need to fuss with it a bit more. On the other hand, if you just go with 32-bit, you likely won't get full access to your RAM. Barring memory tricks/management, 32-bit can access 4GB worth of memory addresses, some of which are used to interface with hardware, so you'd likely wind up with 3-3.5GB of usable RAM. Perfectly fine for your stated use.

There are three main editions that you'd see at retail: Home, Professional, and Ultimate. Microsoft has a comparison chart here.

Home cuts out some features, or makes them harder to get to (have to reboot to Safe Mode for some security stuff, for example) . Some things are likely irrelevant to you, such as the inability to bind to a domain. Others might be. If you do want XP mode, then Pro or Ultimate include access to the XP image.
IMO, the extra few bucks for Professional is worth it.

[Majors]

Whoever asked as why did I get a mac if I want to run Windows.

I was having a bad day at work...I'm IT Helpdesk at an arts school full of hipster idiots with too much money and no computer skills. As long as your playing games, I will just STFU.

Win7 Pro, 32-bit if you want to play it safe but I have not run into any issues with 64-bit OS's after Vista sp1. Ultimate only gives you a shit ton of language options and some (on-one-ever-uses) encryption. Boot camp will definately give you better results over VM, since you'll have real hardware. Read Apple.com for the supported options, like others have mentioned.

[MrPopo]

If you do go 32-bit your Windows install won't be able to access all 6GB of RAM in the system; it'll be around 3.2-3.4GB displayed in your system properties.

[RCBH928]

Looks like 64bit is going to be troublesome for my setup, I guess will go the 32bit way...
3GB RAM should be plenty since I don't do 3D graphics nor video editing(which would work even on 2Gb as far as I understand)

I am guessing it will be enough to play games until 2008(year of my macbook release)
Any additional comments or suggestions are welcome
*******************
I went to check whats the average RAM on today's laptops, I ended up with alienware laptops, those are really mouth watering:
http://www.alienware.com/Landings/laptops.aspx
the $1500 one seems not expensive and extremely powerful, I mean its price is almost that of an average macbook

I also checked the desktop, built the top of the line stuff, it only costs $3880, not bad for a system that probably can produce Toy Story like movie, though I think jeffro11 told me that you can build your own top of the line PC for $550 or so

[isiolia]

Looks like 64bit is going to be troublesome for my setup, I guess will go the 32bit way...
3GB RAM should be plenty since I don't do 3D graphics nor video editing(which would work even on 2Gb as far as I understand)

I am guessing it will be enough to play games until 2008(year of my macbook release)
Any additional comments or suggestions are welcome
*******************
I went to check whats the average RAM on today's laptops, I ended up with alienware laptops, those are really mouth watering:
http://www.alienware.com/Landings/laptops.aspx
the $1500 one seems not expensive and extremely powerful, I mean its price is almost that of an average macbook

I also checked the desktop, built the top of the line stuff, it only costs $3880, not bad for a system that probably can produce Toy Story like movie, though I think jeffro11 told me that you can build your own top of the line PC for $550 or so

Most games shouldn't have issues with 3GB of RAM (or less).

4-8GB is probably the range you'll see these days, though the higher range mostly because RAM is dirt cheap and an easy feature to market.
Alienware actually runs on the expensive side, usually. There have been times when they've represented a decent deal - when my brother got his M11x r2, it was one of the better priced CULV laptops, for example.

If you're purely comparing features, you can usually find an HP with the same/better features of a MBP for less than half the price. For the 15-17" models at least.

Desktops are usually a worse deal, since you can realistically put them together yourself. Best you could do with a laptop is source a whitebox model and add the CPU/RAM/etc yourself (which is all most PC makers are doing anyway, but still).

$550 is a bit low, especially if you're actually buying a legit Windows copy to go with it, and I wouldn't consider it "top end" when you can buy video cards or CPUs alone that cost more.
Still, there's a hefty price premium on their stuff. For example, their $3300 config/bundle for the Aurora has a Radeon 6870 standard. The same card I put in my current build a year and a half ago, that tends to cost around $150 after rebates these days. Couple that with a ~$200 CPU and you'll get approximately the same performance out of it as their machine, since most games will be GPU limited on it. More or less, a sub-$1k machine will game as well.

If you stick to solid price/performance type parts, I'd ballpark a gaming tower in the $800-1200 range, maybe up to $1500+ if you're pushing higher end video cards, SSD, etc. There's very, very little to justify a $3000+ gaming tower short of running an Eyefinity setup with 3 30" monitors or something...and what Alienware offers is not up to that at all (at the $3000ish price point at least).

[Cronozilla]

I suppose I'll be that guy and say you should consider some Linux distributions like Ubuntu (with a tutorial on running Gnome 3 instead of Unity) and running the older games through WINE. There's zero configuration tools for everything and it's all 100% free. You can go try it right now with a live disc to see if it'd work for you even.

Ubuntu: http://www.ubuntu.com/
Gnome 3 Instructions (trust me on this one): http://news.softpedia.com/news/How-to-I ... 4085.shtml
PlayOnLinux (WINE manager and application installer zero-point-configuration): (In ubuntu's repositories. Just search for it through the OS)

And you can check WineHQ for specific issues, which is here: http://www.winehq.org/

Most stuff, especially OLD stuff, will run just as well here as in DosBox. At the very least, this isn't emulation, it's just a compatibility wrapper.

Things that run in WINE with no issue: Quake 3 Engine stuff (even up through Modern Warfare 2), Source Engine stuff, Steam, etc.

A lot of older games (10+ years) actually have some linux binaries floating around out there too, which run very well (Arguably better than on Windows, due to better memory management, amongst other things)

The only configuration you'd need is you'd have to install the nvidia proprietary drivers ... but this is all serviced within the OS.

Give it a try. It's actually more painless than trying to get Windows 95 games running in XP or Win7 and A LOT cheaper. Not to mention Ubuntu is a pretty awesome OS.

For newer stuff: isiolia is correct. Just build your own desktop. $3800 is astronomical in price. Does that come with a 35" monitor!? If not, skip it. (actually even with a large format display monitor it wouldn't cost that much) For $700 you can build a base line computer that will run everything out there very well to maxed (depends on your resolution) Once you get into the $1200 range, you're talking about 2560x1600 gaming with multiple video cards. It would only go higher if you needed things like a monitor or a fancy mouse. It just doesn't cost as much as pre-built manufacturers are charging. (And you can get better components at a consumer level with long warranties)

[RCBH928]

I rather not go with the Linux, but I will play with it in VirtualPC

$1200 for a top gaming PC is NOT bad , not BAD at all!! I always bought my PCs at the $2000 range(last PC bought maybe '99). I guess prices went down. Does that price includes a good screen?

Alienware is overpriced, but nothing beats its damn cool looks!

[isiolia]

$1200 for a top gaming PC is NOT bad , not BAD at all!! I always bought my PCs at the $2000 range(last PC bought maybe '99). I guess prices went down. Does that price includes a good screen?

Alienware is overpriced, but nothing beats its damn cool looks!

The typical cost of a computer has gone down - even moreso if you account for inflation.

What's included could vary. You could fit a monitor into a $1200 build, or you could spend more on other components, depending on what you already have or want. A great 30" screen would likely cost $1200 (or close to it) all by itself. Plenty of people are perfectly happy with sub-$200 22-24" TN panels though. The benefit of building is that you can pick where your money goes.

Personally though, I don't tend to account for a monitor when giving a cost like that. Same as I don't account for input devices, speakers, whatever. Too large a range that those kinds of things fall into to try and account for them, plus there's rarely the need to upgrade them at the same time.


Alienware does tend to get some interesting cases, and custom now I think. There are some pretty nifty looking ones readily available to build into as well, depending on taste. NZXT tends to make cases that'd appeal similarly and aren't especially pricey (example, which is about a $90-100 case).