Considering switching to Apple Pro from Windows PC, but have questions.

Question

Repost from the MacbookPro forums (erroneously posted it there first).
Hi all,
I'm currently a Vista PC user who has a long time history in PC usage. I'm an old timer who even used the very first PCs, among which were Tandy TRS80, Commodore, Synclair, PCM, etc. I'm very familiar with lots of different OSs due to my IT background (was a system's admin and a programmer for quite some years), so I know my way around in different systems (IBM, HP-Unix, Linux, etc.).
Needless to say, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty when needed and am one of those computer users who likes to do things himself, just because I rarely trust the tech guy from the store, who I usually end up explaining how systems work instead of the other way around.
Now I know nothing about Macs. Only dealt with them in one company where I didn't have to work with them at all. So I'm completely new to this matter.
I'm considering a Mac mainly because I'm tired of the whole Windows scene and because Linux is not mature enough yet and lacks Windows compatibility. So a Mac would be a logical next step. Plus I refuse to pay another $500 for an operating system that never left its beta stage. Anyway....
Here are the things that I am wondering about but haven't been able to find clear information about:
1) If I were to buy a Mac Pro, can I upgrade/change it to my hearts content? Or am I limited to Mac hardware only? Let's say I want to upgrade the processor and maybe I want to put a different (read better) cooling fan and body in there, can I do that?
2) Is PC hardware compatible with the Mac? With that I don't just mean printers and monitors, but also HDDs, video cards, sound cards, etc.
3) For those of you who made the switch recently, is it an improvement in your experience over Vista/XP? And why?
4) How well does Windows software run on a Mac? Can I just run any type of Windows software on the Mac if I want to?
5) I'm a big MMO fan, so play one at any given time as a hobby. Do these kind of games run well in a Windows emulated environment on a Mac (provided a Mac version doesn't exist)?
6) I'm reading in the forums that new models might be announced soon. Is there any place where I can find information on that?
That is about what I had in mind after having browsed a bit and read the forums here.
Thanks in advance for any replies. I have to admit that the costs of a Mac system are what are holding me back still. But my current system is going to need replacement in the next 6 months or so, and building a new one from scratch is probably going to cost me almost as much as a brand new medium range Mac Pro. Hence the reason I'm considering making the switch.
I'm looking forward to your ideas and experiences.
Marc

Answer 1

1) If I were to buy a Mac Pro, can I upgrade/change it to my hearts content? Or am I limited to Mac hardware only? Let's say I want to upgrade the processor and maybe I want to put a different (read better) cooling fan and body in there, can I do that?
You are able to change RAM, HDDs and PCI Hardware (must be Apple Versions most the time (eg. graphics) afaik). Everything else will propably void your warrenty (don't know about optical devices...
But you will propably not not want to change the fans oder body as the Mac Pro is extremly well engineered. You will notice that after changing the harddrives and compare that to a standard PC procedure.
2) Is PC hardware compatible with the Mac? With that I don't just mean printers and monitors, but also HDDs, video cards, sound cards, etc.
As stated above, all the internal stuff will not be so easy (as Video cards, sound cards ...) (except RAM and HDDs). External Hardware like Printers, Monitors, etc. will propably work ootb without even thinking about installing drivers. Some though need some (e.g. Logitech mice) for full functionality.
3) For those of you who made the switch recently, is it an improvement in your experience over Vista/XP? And why?
I switched about a year ago to a Mac Pro having quite a similar background (IT) as you. And I didn't regret it. The OS is just like it should be and in 99% of times the slogan "it just works" really is true. (My "wow" moment was syncing my mobile with iSync and Bluetooth wich took me (alone for the bluetooth installation) about 2 days in Windows))
I think Mac OS is - especially if you have an IT background - the better choice over Windows because of its rock solid unix foundation and well-thought-through-ness . At first it was a little bit as if I was in a cage as I didn't know how to do some things but knew how I would do it on Windows but after a (very litte) while I just relaxed and everything now works for me. It sometimes even a bit boring as things just work out as they should and you don't spend hours of setting up the system.
4) How well does Windows software run on a Mac? Can I just run any type of Windows software on the Mac if I want to?
In Boot Camp yes. It makes your Mac an ordinary Windows PC. There is also virtualization software that make you able to run windows and mac apps side by side but there will be much slower performance and no usage of all 8 cores the mac pro has and 3d wont run well too. But nice if you lets say have one piece of software that has no mac equivalent and you just want do use it quickly without rebooting (wich is needed for Boot Camp).
5) I'm a big MMO fan, so play one at any given time as a hobby. Do these kind of games run well in a Windows emulated environment on a Mac (provided a Mac version doesn't exist)?
Emulated they wont work well I guess but in Boot Camp no problem. I myself played Wow for quite some time (in mac os with great performance) and now play Warhammer in Boot Camp with all settings maxed out 1920x1200 even on 2 gb of ram no problem at all.
6) I'm reading in the forums that new models might be announced soon. Is there any place where I can find information on that?
No. If Apple didn't announce them its all rumors. Macrumors.com though has a "buyers guide" where you can see how long the hardware has been without updates which is a good indicator for updates.
hth, scurra