Originally Posted by
ReadyAndAble 
Offended by a Mac, Josh? My whole life runs on OSX and iOS. Your plan for new hardware sounds solid: I actually am contemplating turning an old MacBook into a music/video server. I'd just suggest that before you purchase the new OSX, check the processor and makes sure it meets the requirements... I think the most recent OSX incarnations require the Intel chips that Apple switched to using a couple of years ago...
Kablume and everyone else dealing with medical issues: I hope you guys get clear answers and start feeling better soon.
Thanks for the heads up. I'm pretty sure that it was one of the first macbooks to use the intel processors, so I'm probably ok on that front.
It'd be great to put it to better use. Right now I just have it connected to the stereo and use it as a home sharing hub for itunes on my other computers. It works pretty well like this, but it seems a shame to use a box that cost so much just a few years ago as little more than a conduit for streaming music.
I bought a Mac mini last year for next to nothing and maxed out the ram. I've been using that computer for my home recording and it's surprising to see how much I can actually run on it at once. It's pretty crazy, since when I was in school for audio engineering just 7 years ago you would have had to plunk down $2500-3000 for a similarly equipped machine that would only run half the amount of audio processing you can do on this thing.
Anyways, let me know if you end up going the server route on your macbook; I've always been interested in that concept.