the Joy of Macs Recommended Hardware

Recommended

Products:

Note: Amazon offers new & used products from many dealers. New products ordered directly from Amazon typically include free Super Saver shipping. If an Amazon page shows another dealer, click the "used & new" link to find an Amazon-direct page.

Mac mini – lowest-priced Macintosh

If you already have a monitor, a Mac-compatible USB keyboard, and a USB mouse, the Mac mini is your most affordable path to a modern G4 Macintosh.

The basic Mac mini has a 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 GB RAM, a 80 GB hard drive, a Combo drive (read/write CDs, read DVDs), and an Apple Remote (for Front Row). The enhanced Mac mini has a faster 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 GB RAM, a larger 120 GB hard drive, a SuperDrive (read/write CDs & DVDs), and an Apple Remote (for Front Row).

Mac accessories

— — — — — — — — Wired — — — — — — — — — — Bluetooth Wireless — —
 

DVI-to-ADC Adapter

Mac minis and Mac Pros connect directly to modern (DVI) flat-screen monitors and older VGA monitors.

Apple's earlier flat-screen monitors with an ADC + USB connector require this DVI-to-ADC Adapter.

Apple USB Modem

Modern Macs no longer have a built-in telephone modem.

This tiny external model is essential if you have a dial-up ISP or you'd like to dial phone numbers from Address Book.

iMac – affordable all-in-one Macintosh

The latest iMac has an LCD monitor, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 250–320 GB hard drive, a SuperDrive (read/write CDs & DVDs), and an iSight camera in one tidy package, plus a keyboard, mouse and FrontRow remote. Software includes Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and iLife '08.

20" 2.4 GHz 20" 2.66 GHz 24" 2.8 GHz

MacBook – Mac laptops

Apple's MacBook laptops are the basic MacBook, the super-thin MacBook Air, and the powerful MacBook Pro.

MacBook
13" 2.1 GHz 13" 2.4 GHz 13" 2.4 GHz
MacBook Air
13" 1.6 GHz 13" 1.8 GHz
MacBook Pro
15" 2.4 GHz 15" 2.5 GHz 17" 2.5 GHz

External Hard Drives (for Leopard's Time Machine)

Automatic backup by Time Machine is a key new feature in Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5). Simply connect an external hard drive to your Leopard-ized Mac, and Time Machine starts hourly backup of your entire internal hard drive.

USB 2.0, FireWire 400 or FireWire 800?

An external hard drive (HD) can connect to your Mac via USB 2.0 (faster than older USB 1.1), FireWire 400 or FireWire 800. Modern Macs typically support all three connect techniques; older Macs are limited to FireWire 400. USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 are, in theory, roughly the same speed. In practice, FileWire 400 is considerably faster on Macs.

FireWire 800 is twice as fast ... and more expensive. This extra speed is important for some applications like video editing. Since Time Machine's backup happens in the background, the additional speed is not important.

Pre-configured External HD

Other World Computing offers external hard drives that are ready-to-go right out of the box:

Assemble Your Own External HD

Assembling an external drive (i.e., installing a raw drive in an enclosure), has several advantages:

  1. Better hard drive: pre-configured external drives typically use consumer-grade components. Assembling a drive allows you to select a higher quality "enterprise" hard drive.
  2. Longer warrantee: pre-configured drives typically have a 1-year warrantee. An assembled drive has a 1-year warrantee on the enclosure and a 3-to-5-year warrantee on the raw drive.
  3. Higher capacity: most pre-configured drives have a maximum capacity of 500-750 GB. An assembled drive can be up to 2 TB (2 terabytes = 2000 gigabytes).

IDE Enclosures & Hard Drives:

SATA Enclosures & Hard Drives:

APC Back-UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supply

When your Mac loses power, you lose any work in progress. And if a file is being written/copied/saved at that moment, the hard drive is very likely to get corrupted.

An UPS (rhymes with "cups") powers your Mac and selected peripherals (monitor, modem, router) during a momentary power interruption. When the lights blink, your Mac doesn't. In the event of an extended power outage, an UPS gives you time to save your files and do a graceful shutdown.

APC Back-UPS BE350R

Dataline protection: DSL & dial-up

Mac mini + 17" LCD: 6 minutes
iMac 17"/20": 3 minutes

 APC Back-UPS BE550R

Dataline protection: Ethernet, DSL & dial-up

PowerChute computer interface

Mac mini + 17" LCD: 20 minutes
iMac 17"/20": 14 minutes
iMac 24": 9 minutes

 APC Back-UPS BE750G

Dataline protection: Ethernet, Cable, DSL & dial-up

PowerChute computer interface

Mac mini + 17" LCD: 40 minutes
iMac 17"/20": 30 minutes
iMac 24": 20 minutes

Use the APC UPS Selector ("PC or Workstation") to find the right model for other Macs + associated peripherals.

Amazon offers a full range of APC products, with Super Saver free shipping (a big saving for these heavy products).

Enter an APC model number in the search box, or simply click the "GO!" button for a complete list of APC Back-UPS products.
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USB Webcam

Video conferencing over the Internet requires four ingredients:

  • video camera
  • microphone
  • conferencing software (free)
    • iChat – Mac-to-Mac
    • Skype – between Mac OS X, Windows or Linux computers
  • DSL or Cable broadband connection

Modern iMac and MacBooks have a built-in iSight camera and micophone. Older iMacs and iBooks have only a build-in microphone. If you have a Mac Mini, a Mac Pro, or an older Mac, you can add an external FireWire or USB "Webcam" (many with a built-in microphone).

FireWire cameras provide the best video quality. Apple's original external FireWire iSight camera/microphone has been a popular choice, but it was discontinued in December 2006; new and used iSights are still available on eBay at a premium price, often $100 (or more) than the original $150 price. There are a few third-party FireWire cameras in the $125 to $200 range, plus $50 or so for an external microphone.

Affordable USB Webcams are a more popular alternative. From the vast array of vendors and models, I've found two Mac-friendly Webcams with good video chat quality and a built-in voice mike.

The new Creative Live! Cam Video IM Pro (VF0410) has an adjustable focus lens and a built-in microphone.

Notes: The like-named earlier model (VF0320) has no microphone.

The video-effects software is Windows-only.

 The Creative Live! Cam Optia AF has an auto-focus lens, which stays sharp when you move around. The Optia AF also has dual adaptive array microphones.

Note: The video-effects software is Windows-only.

USB Webcams may claim USB 1.1 compatibility. However, USB 2.0 is required for iChat-compatibility on Mac OS X. White iBooks, later model flat-screen iMacs, and all Mac minis have USB 2.0. A USB 2.0 PCI card can be easily installed in a PowerMac G3/G4 tower.

iChatUSBCam is a $10 add-on for iChat that adjusts camera settings (e.g., brightness, contrast) and provides support for a USB 2.0 PCI card.

Cable Modem & Routers

When you subscribe to a cable broadband service, you're given the choice of renting a cable modem (for an addition $3 or so a month) or purchasing a modem. (DSL providers typically provide a modem at no additional charge.)

If you have more than one computer, you'll need a router to connect the computers to the modem.

A Motorola Surfboard Cable Modem connects a single computer (or router) to a cable broadband service. A Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router shares a single Internet broadband connection (cable or DSL) with 4 wired (Ethernet) computers and includes a secure 802.11B/G wireless access point for laptops.
The new Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station supports 802.11N wireless (which is up to 5 times faster and twice the range of 802.11g routers), three gigabit Ethernet ports, and a USB port that turns external hard drives, printers, and other devices into network resources. A Linksys WRT150N Wireless-N Router shares a single Internet broadband connection (cable or DSL) with 4 wired (Ethernet) computers and includes a faster 802.11B/G/N wireless access point for laptops.

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