What you're asking makes no sense, since you can't specify hardware in mac anyway; you can only buy what they offer, which is refreshed at least once per year with improvements.

There is no Google Chrome for Mac yet, so that's out, and you're assuming something that's not in evidence: that it will be faster or more compatible than Safari or Firefox, or Camino, or any other Mac browser. You need to abandone the idea of a SSD for storage, since it is unproven technology for long term use, and very few computers have it or offer the option.

You should go to the Apple web site and look at the specs and options for the various Macs and pick one that will do the job for you, without spending for things you don't need. If that happens to be a Mac mini, fine. You're not doing yourself a favor by constantly believing you need to swtich platforms every few years; pick one and stick with it.

posted 4 months ago

To run the sites/apps you listed, what your colleague listed is overkill. An entry level, current generation AMD or Intel dual-core CPU with 2-4 GB of RAM would do the trick. A solid state drive is *absolutely* not necessary, the the 256MB+ video card is purely a nice-to-have.

I agree sticking with Google Chrome, or Firefox would be ideal as they have proven performance over Internet Explorer.

As far as vendors go, I would look (again) at an Apple, then IBM and Toshiba.

posted 4 months ago

The internet connection itself!! Of course! Nothing else matters.

Next of course, you just need a fast computer with lots of memory to absorb all the bits.

That's it really. You have a lot more options on a PC for performance. When was the last watercooled over clocked Mac you saw?

posted 4 months ago

Dell XPS is a high end system that is WAY beyond what you need or even want. You can probably get away with something half the price of the spec your friend recommends, unless you also want to do PC gaming.

For most web apps your machine doesn't need to be very powerful before it is not a performance limiting factor. Bandwidth, OS and browser are more likely to eat into your performance. Aaron's specs should cover the need you listed easily, even if you get stuck running Vista with Areo. I'd advise against getting 64 bit Vista, just because I know people had some problems with it early on.

To give you an idea, I have a 4-year old IBM T43p running at 2GHz with 1G of RAM (memory) on XP with a standard hard drive and it has no problem running all the applications you list with a dozen plus Firefox tabs. I personally prefer Toshiba though I've found Win7 demos on Asus Eee PCs really sexy if you want an itty-bitty laptop.

Links:

• http://www1.epinions.com/cmd-review-242D-A552C34-38E30E7F-prod4

posted 4 months ago

For a robust Internet-enabled business notebook, I would recommend the following specifications:

- Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (dual-core) or higher
- 2GB DDR2 RAM
- Hard drive, 7200rpm is preferable
- Webcam (useful in your line of work for vidcasting)
- DVD-RW drive
- Integrated video is fine (i.e. Intel GMA X4500HD)
- Windows Vista (with free upgrade voucher to Windows 7 on Oct 22nd)

The specs above should serve you well in business for many years to come. The other items recommended to you by your friend are nice to have, but more angled toward the 3D gaming enthusiast and are not required.

SSD vs. HDD: Most inexpensive SSDs are quite slow. Add the other disadvantages SSDs have such as high cost and low capacity, I would recommend sticking with regular HDDs, unless power draw or heavy shock protection is of particular concern to you.

I would personally recommend the Lenovo ThinkPad T400. It is a rugged, well-built machine with little pre-installed "junk" software on it. It is also light, has an excellent keyboard and a bright LED-backlit screen.

As for browsers: you can install Chrome, Firefox 3.5 and Safari 4.0 side by side. Play with each one and make your decision then.

Whatever your choices, enjoy your new computer!

posted 4 months ago

Any modern PC can handle the applications you mentioned. If you will be connecting via ethernet (as opposed to wireless) make sure you get a computer with a gigabit ethernet connector. Wireless is a bit slower so if you're using a lot of online apps you might be happier with ethernet. If you do go wireless, and you go for a Dell, spend a few extra dollars on the Intel wireless card as opposed to the Dell card. It'll be more reliable.

I recommend Dell, but make sure you buy from their business division, not consumer. The quality and customer service are higher. For desktops, many of my clients have been happy with the Optiplex series. For laptops the new Latitudes are very nice and well built.

A solid state drive will boot up faster, but they are VERY pricey and have had some reliability issues related to their newness. I would go with a conventional SATA drive with a speed of 7200RPM.

Most any Intel Core 2 Duo processor will be fine. You don't need to go with the priciest or most cutting edge for your purposes. Just stay away from (the dual core) Pentiums as they are slower.

posted 4 months ago

Hi George,

You are more of Cloud Guys based on the apps you have mentioned. So I would suggest you go in for a Netbook rather then heavy Laptop. It will be light to carry around,will consume less power. There are tons of Netbook hybrids which are getting launched. Check for one which has Nvidia Tegra or equivalent chip graphic in addition to Atom processor. If you are using Linux as base OS 2 GB Ram is good enough however if it Windows 3 GB is decent.

Instead of MS office switch to open office as this will work faster on Netbook and its free.

On Linux Browser is Firefox and its decent however on Windows latest Chrome Beta is much better.

Most of the new netbook hybrids have HDD too for data . Keep the installed apps as low as possible .I use Google Apps and hardly use installed MS Office. Occassionally I use Open Office though!!.

Finally for Browsing apps all that matter is good broadband speed, RAM and a onboard shared graphics helps in case the website have heavy rendering .

Regards

posted 4 months ago

What MacBook Pro do you currently have?
The reason I ask is that you may already have the best machine for the job.
With a Harddrive upgrade (get something running 7200RPM and larger than what you have already they reach 500GB), some more memory(4GB of the fastest you can afford would be a good start), a copy of VMWare Fusion (or Parallels if you prefer) and Windows XP (or Vista if that's your druthers) you could be on the way to a new life with your old Mac with a minimal amount of expenditure on your part.

Links:

• http://www.crucial.com/
• http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=477
• http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/

posted 4 months ago

For fastest web browsing / web apps:
Being on the web and requiring speed would mostly depend on the memory your have: get the maximum you can get on:
RAM & Cashe memory

If you can upgrade your RAM 4+ and follow your friends recommendation I think you should have a great web speed.

Also you might want to check with your local ISP's on any upgrades on the speed they provide!

Best,

Jamal

posted 4 months ago

Dear George,

By considering your requirement to access different application listed and web browsing, you do not need high end speed desktop, laptop or notebook. It’s always good to have one version below to choose with latest configuration available in market. Brand wise everyone has different experience and views. If you are looking for personal use, you may consider your friend advice to go with Dell -- because he might have suggested as Dell service support in good in USA and you are based in USA. Dell still didn’t pick up well in INDIA, due to marketing / sales strategy through phone and email only. You need to come up with your own list what’s important for you - in terms of cost, brand, service support, free OS and software’s etc to take decision. I know situation, when you need to buy for yourself.
If you are not using high end graphics editing, or high end 3D games -- You really do not need to have nVidia card at all. I mean application like Photoshop, Autocad, 3D Max, 3Dsimulation etc. Integrated graphics chip set is more than enough...for DVD and You tube as well. Choosing model with nVIDIA card and higher dedicated RAM cost you additional money from your pocket. Redering graphics for website and non web is totally a separate vast area and it may leads to more confusion .Pictures added on websites are uploaded by web designer based on his expertise of optimization techniques and tools to decide the quality and speed to loading on website for users. You may check am sharing links (not the best one, just found). I worked as Graphic Visualizer, Web designer & Graphic designer in printing industries in past.
I have used all most all brands in previous companies and so many times new packed box from top brands comes as faulty -- after all QA test passed stickers on top of them as well as inside. So it's all your luck!
What is needed for fast browsing requirement for listed apps through Google and some other websites like LinkedIn and YouTube--

1. Good internet broadband speed connection. I am using 8mb at home
2. Fine tuning of OS along with different services running by default and not require.
3. Make use of Google chrome or Firefox -- Some of the sites Microsoft Internet browser works much faster and some sites Google chrome doesn’t work.
4. Use small internet software firewall (Free one) to stop hidden and unwanted traffic
5. Use ad aware / malware to stop bandwidth utilization without your knowledge
6. Use antivirus software and update it regularly
7. Update OS patches regularly
8. Make sure your ISP router/modem and your computer, laptop, notebook network card settings are full duplex mode and confirm it.
9. In case of windows vista which comes by default as OEM pack so several branded laptop / notebooks now a days -- you need to do fine tuning suggested by some experts to get better browsing performance.
10. If you are Wi-Fi user in home, you may not get best performance as compare to LAN cable connectivity.

Above all will not give you 100% guarantee to get fast internet browsing, if website itself have heavy traffic and experience some problem or going through maintenance. LinkedIn itself will be a good example, some time its fast but some time it’s very slow in same internet, same comp, and same settings.

As per my friends experience refurbished items from Apple store is good choice by considering value for money from your pocket. Now you can happily switch to Windows on Apple itself or choose to have dual boot. Hope this will help for you to take decision, or feel free to contact me, I will be glad to help you.

Best Regards
Good learner & helper

Ravi Sharma

--Helping companies in IT Infrastructure cost reduction, customer satisfaction and improving Biz performance.

Links:

• http://www.graphicrating.com/2009/01/03/web-browsers-war-image-rendering/
• http://www.lm.havre.k12.mt.us/teachertools/graphicimages.html

posted 4 months ago

Any current PC / Mac / whatever will do, seriously

Most important part seems quite obvious but this is the _only_ part that you should focus on : the speed of your internet connection

posted 4 months ago

Once you have decided on your optimal hardware configuration, one other speed-booster you may want to consider is getting multiple screens. If you often work with 2 or more applications on the same project, you will experience notably higher productivity. I am not a hardware specialist, but I believe that all laptops are dual-screen ready, and that most desktop video cards have dual screen hookups as well. Once you get used to the convenience and added work speed of multiple screens, you will never go back to single!

Good luck!

posted 4 months ago

Choosing the right network card (if you're getting the system custom built or if you can specify the hardware) and setup (wi-fi vs cable) along with an efficient browser would be the things you'd really be looking at if its just a matter of internet speed. As for working with many web apps at the same time, you'll need a processor that handles multi-threading (not just multi-tasking) extremely well. So lets look at possible configurations.

Intel Core 2 Duo P8500 or over (and a motherboard that works on 1066MHz FSB at least)
2 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 RAM (min)
Built-in network card
ATI Radeon/NVIDIA GeForce 256 MB GFX Card
SATA 2nd Gen HDD
Firefox 3.5

A high performance wifi setup would add additional costs since you'd want to have a 108Mbps link-up with a router with compatible bandwidth. This setup will be further affected by the number of machines connected to the router and your proximity from the router.

Internet speed will also be affected by the number of background applciations and services sharing the connection.

Alternatively, you could go in for a mid spec'ed Mac and work off a hard-wired connection to the router if the only wi-fi card available works at 54Mbps. Given that firefox 3.5 is deemed the fastest browser out there, it should all be fair game.

Links:

• http://www.firefox.com

posted 4 months ago

Personally, if you want the fastest performance without having to deal with bloatware and spyware problems, I would get a Mac. However, if you're set on Windows (i.e., you have apps that are only Windows based), then focus on the hardware and operating system.

If you have Windows XP, you won't need as much memory and processing power vs. Vista. 2 GB should be plenty for what you're looking to do. If you have Vista....stick with 4 GB. Finally, if you're thinking of going to Windows 7....you should also be fine with 2 GB as Microsoft took out all the unnecessary crap that was slowing down Vista.

Don't get me wrong, you should pay attention to all the other specs in the system, but most systems today have enough meat inside them to do what you're asking. So many people are caught up in the graphics/processor/Hard Drive.....but if you think about what you're looking to do, it's really nothing too heavy. Therefore, memory is the biggest thing you should focus on to assure your applications are running quickly. For browsers, the quickest I've seen is Firefox and Safari. If I had to pick one, it would be Firefox.

Hope this helps!

posted 4 months ago

I think everyone in this thread nailed it, so I'm not going to repeat what has already been written.

My question to you, why are you planning on getting a new computer? The specs you currently have are more than enough to run what you are looking for. If you wish to try windows, you can install it on your current MacBook Pro with Bootcamp. I did it on mine, works like a charm.

If you are looking to upgrade out of "want" as oppose to "need", then yes the other suggestions in this post are valid. I think though that you should first try running Vista on your current Macbook Pro.

If you want to buy a new laptop and have the money to spare, power to you. But keep in mind, people got by browsing the internet on Pentium 90's with 8MB of ram... I was one of them! :)

Yes times have changed, technology has changed, but anyone that tells you that you need a high end PC to browse the internet and run online apps is probably trying to sell you something.

Also, since you love changing OS... try dual booting, might satisfy your OS cravings and give you the best of both worlds. That way you can at least try all your options without being forced to use a specific one.

Food for though.

Good luck!
Alek

Links:

• http://www.centremass.com
• http://www.virtualbox.org/

posted 4 months ago

Hey George,
Your MacBook Pro already has very updated specification, enough to run today's modern browser and browser-based apps.

But If you have money, I recommend you definitely look into another Macbook Pro. If switching to PC side, consider Dell XPS series, as this series is made with quality parts (maybe not as good as Apple, but better than most other PC manufacturers). And Dell's service is excellent.

Instead of getting a new laptop, I would recommend you to upgrade your current internet connection to fiber optics (AT&T or Verizon), if available; or, get a cable modem. Since most of your app runs on web, this is going to be the best speed boost investment.

Additionally, since you have a MacBook Pro with 802.11N, consider getting a wireless router that support 802.11N. Apple's airport express or airport extreme. The dual antenna on airport extreme will provide dual channel transmission to your macbook pro, that will help with traffic coming and going from your browser based apps.

posted 4 months ago