Posted on 01/26/2005 1:59:43 PM PST by Happy2BMe
I run AMD chips in my machines - just got an Athlon 64 3400+ system - I like it.
What is your point?
BTW: I just got back into PC gaming with my new machine - was thinking of getting Half-Life II but all the bad talk about the Stream system connection has scared me off - what is your option?
I was talking USB, not USB 2. My three year old ThinkPad has USB but not USB 2 - I think I now understand your point (my bad). Like I said, I was just asking questions about FireWire - I was not claiming anything was better than anything else.
Now what if I want to upgrade my harddrive, add more memory, add an additional CDROM, change my graphics card to the latest "whiz-bang" version, add a memory stick reader, install a tape drive, upgrade the sound card, add additional USB/Firewire ports, etc., etc.? I have to pay Apple a king's ransom for the upgrade stuff (not to mention the prices Apple charges for operating systems and software.)
First cost isn't the only consideration.
I think that whatever computer you plan to buy, if you are going to be making all those upgrades you probably are wasting your money. Either get a new machine, or buy what you need up front. In most cases it doesn't make good financial sense to perform massive upgrades on an older machine.
Also, keep in mind that both the cheap dells and the cheap Macs are focused on the consumer market, in which case most buyers rarely if ever upgrade their systems.
No that was in response to another poster on the thread who implied that the programs are failing solely because of the user.
...but the best all around O/S on the market right now is Windows XP Pro,
That's what I'm using in conjunction with 98SE and it's a terrific setup. They compliment each other terrifically and are in my opinion the best of their class... 98SE for the 9x series and XP with NT.
First off - the Dell is cheaper.
Second, the Mini Mac is pretty much a desposible appliance (like the IPOD). Buy it - play with it - throw it away.
Now really - who would ever need to upgrade a Mac Mini? Who would ever need more than 236 MB of RAM or 40 GB of hard disk (that runs at the yesterday's news speed of 5400 RPM) or a video card with more than 32MB of memory? How could any computer user ever need that extreme amount of computing power....
Make that a disposable appliance
Actually, it's a lot closer than many people think. The problem is "familiarity."
It seems that many people have a pretty short memory: Change is always disruptive. I remember hearing people complaining when they were required to switch from DOS/MS-Windows 3.x to Win95. Things were even worse in the OS/2 and NT worlds.
While people complain that "Linux isn't Windows," the only applicable response should be, "Well DUH!"
Linux is terrific for people who have never worked with computers before, since they don't have to "unlearn" anything, just like they had to do when switching from one OS to another.
Mark
It wouldn't pickup the network card on my x86 box. Tried several times. Oh well.
I just thought of something - are you using XP Home edition?
Yeah, using home edition.
The problem, which can occur by itself, can be provoked by turning on the tower BEFORE turning on the MOTU rack unit (connected to the tower via PCI} Do that and it is all over. Windows WILL NOT be able to see the drivers right there in the same registrey. Windows CANNOT be pointed to the drivers by ANY means.
I suspect that if I build a system ASUS/P4 mobo etc it will work but I know if I get a Mac it WILL work. Windows XP is so different from 98 in this respect that I've lost confidence in the OS for PRO Audio. My Gina 20 on my 98 machine is STILL up and runnung without ANY driver updates or installs since the original in 1999.
In the 98 machine if you don't turn on a peripherial before the towere you just restart and it is recognized. With XP It is forever gone untill you reinstall the whole OS system
By the way, if you uninstall the MOTU and reinstall the drivers then plug the PCI card back in and restart the tower the card will work until you turn off the tower. When you turn it on again it will show new hardware (the MOTU) ask for the drivers but will say that the drivers aren't where you pointed (drive D\CD)and that the hardware won't work.
Um.... No.
Installing peripherials in XP is quite easy, if it dosen't install the drivers you want then you just go to the device manager and change the drivers not that hard.
Oh, and yes, the Mac mini comes with Bluetooth or AirPort Extreme--you pick.
No problem.
"....if it dosen't install the drivers you want then you just go to the device manager and change the drivers...."
Won't work. You must uninstall the software and hardware, reinstall the software restart with hardware back in. Will work until tower shut off then drivers will be lost and NOTHING will point the OS to the drivers, (which are where they always were.)
Complete reinstall of OS and programs will work for days or months until OS "loses" the drivers for reasons known but to God.
One day I'll just turn it on and it won't find the MOTU drivers.
I had a modem like that, periodically Windows would just forget what it was. Luckily if I reinstalled the drivers it would be OK again, so I kept my old modem in the computer for the soul purpose of downloading the latest version of those drivers whenever Windows lost the faster one.
Plug and play gets a little wierd sometimes.
I would guess then that that piece of hardware is not fully Windows compatible, have you checked Microsoft's HCL?
Linux has a LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG way to go.
DOS/MS OS/2 C:\bleh
Gimme buttons. It's what my family wants, and I'm sick of the Linux command-line dependency.
Who needs it, honestly? GEEKS!!!!
It's like smokers who still demand non-filtered Lucky Strikes.
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