How to tell when you need a new computer
I received a query last week that surprised me. A reader had purchased what he expected to be a 'super' computer and was disappointed with its sluggish performance.
He bought a new Intel Mac Mini and downloaded everything from his iMac so that both computers had the same software and files. The iMac has a one-gigahertz Power PC processor and the Mini has the 1.5GHz Intel single-core processor, while both have 512 megabytes of RAM, but the problem was the Mini was noticeably slower than the iMac.
My first thought was that something must be terribly wrong with his Mini. If you buy a new computer with all the latest technology - technology advertised as being four times faster than previous versions - you should not get something slower. I did a little research and discovered the problem. This reader had fallen victim to a newer new technology - the technology of smaller and cheaper.
Here's what happened: the Mac Mini is an entry-level machine that uses a number of tricks to keep its price low and size small. But these tricks often bring a disastrous performance hit. The Mini processes video for the monitor display using the machine's RAM, which saves the expense and space of a large video card. It also uses a slow, portable-type hard drive and has a single slot for memory instead of a double slot.
So if you have 512MB of RAM and the system uses at least 100MB for video, another 180MB plus for system overhead and 70MB for each Microsoft Office application running in Rosetta (Apple's emulator that allows Power PC applications to run on Intel processors), you begin to see the problem. When you consider you are also running widgets and dictionaries and a browser that uses another 90MB, you can see how a bad situation can quickly get worse.
The solution was to install all the RAM he could pack into the Mini and swap the drive for a high-speed version. At this point, the Mini stopped being a bargain but it did start being a useful computer.
Here is a brief guide to determine if you need a new computer and what to buy that will be an improvement. If you are running OS X on your Mac and you just use it to surf the web or write e-mail, you probably won't need a new computer for years. The determining factor is the age of the machinery and how much space is left on your hard drive. Don't let your hard drive get more than 80 per cent full because you can start to lose data at that point. If you need more computer, installing a larger, faster, hard drive and some additional RAM will make your machine seem brand new.
If you run graphics, photo editing or video applications, it frequently pays to have the latest and greatest. If you use Adobe professional applications, the fastest machines are the quad processor G5 towers. If you run Apple consumer or Apple pro applications, then the new Intel processors are the best choice. Either way, get lots of RAM and a fast hard drive. If you're cool or fashion conscious and are trying to maintain an image, you'll always need a new computer.
