[trion]

I know this message will sound a little dumb but I have to come clean and admit I am not the most up to date user out there so please forgive my ignorance.

Am currently using a 1st gen G4 with superdrive and am considering updating it to a G5. Why? cos the 733 is a bit slow for what I use it for which is mainly iMovie, iDVD, FCP, Indesign, office and some (very limited) photoshop and as much as I hate to admit it, the occasional game.

Question is not sure which G5 to get. Initially was dead set on a 1.8 but the local techie here told me that for what I do I really need the 2.0DP.

The new machine will have to last me at least 4 years before I can afford the next update and a student budget means every cent counts. Basically, which will give me most value for the $$ cos I don't want to end up buying something that I will not be using the full potential of.

Any advice or information will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Eug Wanker]

Well, for video, a dual 2.0 would be nice, but with your budget I think the 1.8 would be best.

[xanderwilson]

Max out the RAM in your current machine and wait for the next rev of the G5s. Yeah, you'll notice improvement by trading up now, but your current machine is pretty good for what you're doing. And saving your money now means you'll be able to afford a top-of-the-line dual processor in the future, which is where you'll likely notice the most difference in speed in FCP and Photoshop. Not sure about games, but I don't know any with requirements above what you've got.

Alex.

[businezguy]

If you go for the G5, I'd recommend the Dual. You'll get the longest life out of it.

[Hydra]

If you really must have a new computer that will last for 4 years then the dual 2.0 is the only way to go. Look back 4 years ago and pick a mid-line Mac and see how it compares to todays machines. If that 4 year old machine seems inadequate then you have your answer. The dual will age much better - esp. w/ OSX. Over 4 years the price difference from the 1.8 to the dual 2.0 will only be $150/year. FCP loves dual CPU's.

If you play the occasional game the dual is a better choice not because of the SMP but the video card is much better than the 1.8. I have a feeling that people who buy the single G5's may be upset in 6 months after IBM PPC970's are rolling off the lines and Apple has a dual 2.5 as the top and a dual 2.0-2.2 as a mid level model.

-Jerry C.

[Eug Wanker]

If you play the occasional game the dual is a better choice not because of the SMP but the video card is much better than the

? The card is a $50 upgrade on the 1.8. To get the dual is another $550. $550 ain't chicken feed.

However, I do like the suggestion by someone to wait for Rev. B.

[awcopus]

You're price conscious. So wait at least until the machines ship with Panther pre-installed, and then bust a move on the 1.8. It will be SO much faster than what you're using right now. You seem like a guy who holds onto a computer past the point of it making sense to sell it. You're not looking for resale value down the line, you're looking for major performance gains NOW at a reasonable price.

I am a professional video editor and I would never use anything but a dual now, but that doesn't mean the 1.8 isn't going to be terrific for this work...it just means the dual will be faster. Duh. Don't sweat it if you can't afford it. Spend the money you save by getting the 1.8 on maxing out the RAM as thoroughly as you can and invest in a big serial ATA HD.

The 1.8 was made for you. Once it ships with Panther, bust your move.

[Xaaron Swiftblade]

As a student you'll get educational discounts (which are higher on the dual) and you might consider signing up for the developer connection, giving you an additional $200 off (might be slightly less on 1.8, no biggie though). I feel either the dual or the 1.8 is a good choice. If you need it sooner rather than later, go for the 1.8. If resale value is important, go for the dual 2. Either is a good choice, but the dual 2 gives u the bigger bang for your buck, although ram wise they're equally expandable.

[NYCFarmboy]

Originally posted by Xaaron Swiftblade:
As a student you'll get educational discounts (which are higher on the dual) and you might consider signing up for the developer connection, giving you an additional $200 off (might be slightly less on 1.8, no biggie though). I feel either the dual or the 1.8 is a good choice. If you need it sooner rather than later, go for the 1.8. If resale value is important, go for the dual 2. Either is a good choice, but the dual 2 gives u the bigger bang for your buck, although ram wise they're equally expandable.

My advice: wait You already have a superdrive, so you are doing pretty good now and would only be spending a lot of money for a faster processor when you already have very good hardware.

I'd at least wait until Panther ships with G5's...but if you really can't wait, try to get a dual 2 ghz...I think it will be a good machine for many years, especially with all the video work you are doing.

Also: something kinda in the background. I believe Sony came out with a Blue Laser DVD burner this past year that burns over 20 gigs per DVD. (compared to the limit of 4.6 now).

Does anyone think that Apple will be putting that new blue laser DVD burner in Macs anytime soon?

[NYCFarmboy]

I wanted to add: the speed differences between a 1.42 dual and the 400 mhz g4 are not overwhelming from my own experience.

Apple is coming out with a Dual 3 ghz G5 next year, I'd try to wait for that one.

Your G4 you have now is a very good computer.

[DrBoar]

Yes the dual G4 feels less impressive than the combined clock speed would indicate. Going from a 7300/200 to a B&W G3/300 was a like entering a new era. Going from a G4/400 to dual 1.25 felt more like "more of the same" than an insane speed gain.

Now the dual 2.0 G5 offers the most bang for the bucks and it is the model that will age best. If you can not afford the dual start saving money for the dual midrange or perhaps even low range tower that hopefully appear next year. If you suffer badly ( ie no L3 cache) then get a 1.2 GHz G4 upgrade for less than 400 dollars and extent the lifespan of your current computer

[RevEvs]

You say you want it to last 4yrs - so id go for the Dualy, you will be happy in a few years that you made that choice.

revs

[trion]

A big Thank You to all those that posted replies. The information and suggestions were helpful.

awcopus is right in that I generally tend to keep a machine for as long as I can. The main reasons I am currently thinking of the change is I had one of my FW ports die last week (things like Hds, camcorder ect no longer respond) and the other one is starting to play up. The techie who looked at it said it needs a motherboard replacement to restore the FW ports. Currently using a borrowed PCI FW card that seems a little flakey too.

I would love to wait for Rev.B but I am a little reluctant to hold on to the G4 for work as it is because if anything else fails on it then I will be seriously in the cr@% as it is my primary machine and adding additional ram and Hds that will not be transferable to the new machine is a little too costly for me. Would rather pass it down to the folks so they can retire the LC 630 cos they will have no use for FW or bigger drives.

Eug Wanker has a point that the 1.8 could very well blow my mind and be sufficent but Hydra's comments also are true cos I will need it to last as long as possible. Price sensitivity is a major factor but if at the end of the day the DP is being fully exploited then I'll bite the bullet and starve to pay it off but it would be a terrible waste to blow summer's savings on a machine that I will not be using to it's full potential (hate buying something and not getting maximum milage out of even if it is at Edu pricing).

That's why I am not considering the 1.6 cos I think it is not as future-proof as the rest unless all I was doing was using Office and surfing.

Sorry for the long follow-up but any additional insight or suggestions will again be most welcomed. If someone wants to say "enough, get the DP and leave us alone damn you" that's fine as well with the caveat that you really think it is what I need and will fully use.

Thanks again.

PS
will iMovie and iDVD benefit from a DP or are they not DP optimised apps?

[RevEvs]

From the design of the G5's its pretty easy to see that the Dual is not just a short term thing, the case is designed for it and the next speedbump will probably be duals accross the whole line. So id guess that software will start to take more and more advantage of the multiprocessor machines.

I Ordered a Dualy, not that i need it, at least not now, but im intending on keeping it for 4/5 yrs, so by then i think ill be happy that i spent that little extra.

Go for the dualy - you know you want to

revs

If you can wait though, Id wait for the B rev. as then you could get a dual 1.8 or whatever comes out for the price of the current ones.

[dfiler]

When I bought my dual 450, it was an additional $600 over the single processor model. I think I made the right decision in opting for the faster machine. However, at this point, that $600 would get me pretty close to a nice dual gig upgrade card.

It's all about when you have the money to spare and when your software and tasks need the most speed. Since I haven't upgraded my software and haven't started working in a different manner, it has worked out nicely. However, If I were to start using iMovie and iDVD, then it would have been better to live with less power before and instead have an updated machine right now. Sometimes, it's your software or task update cycle that dictates the optimal price point.

[Eug]

I wanted to add: the speed differences between a 1.42 dual and the 400 mhz g4 are not overwhelming from my own experience.

Hmmm... A single 400 MHz G4 is a tad slow IMO. A dual 1.42 blows it away, just even in OS responsiveness (at least from my experience of a G4 450 a friend has, and a dual 1.42 in the store).

For video, the difference would be night and day.

That said, a G4 733 is much more tolerable than a G4 400, particularly if the computer has a nice video card and lots of RAM.

So yeah, I echo the sentiments of some of the others. Wait for a rev. B and buy a 2.25 GHz single or else a dual 2.5 GHz dual when the time comes, and get Panther thrown in for free.

[NYCFarmboy]

Originally posted by Eug:
Hmmm... A single 400 MHz G4 is a tad slow IMO. A dual 1.42 blows it away, just even in OS responsiveness (at least from my experience of a G4 450 a friend has, and a dual 1.42 in the store).

Yes, there is no question, the 1.42 is much faster, however if you are burning DVD's presently on a G4 tower I don't see a big reason to upgrade until the new blue laser DVD burners come out which will burn over 20 gigs on a DVD.

It really is a limitation, only being able to burn 4.6 gigs onto a DVD. You have to start compressing to get more than 60 minutes of playback currently and that result is playback on a television that looks similar to a VHS cassette.

But maybe this blue laser Sony DVD burner is a few years away, but I'm HOPING it comes out on the G5 dual 3 gig next year.

from another website: The $3,500 Sony Blu-ray disc recorder, meanwhile, can store about five times the information of current DVD recorders. To record data, it uses a next-generation blue laser instead of today's red laser.

Analysts say the Blu-ray stands a better chance once digital broadcasting becomes widespread.

[Commodus]

If you're going to have to stretch your money, get a dual-2.0 or hold off until the G5 gets refreshed (presumably early next year). Everything I've seen suggests that the fastest G5 is significantly faster than the other two models.

You might actually save yourself quite a bit of money in the process if you do hold off. You won't have to pay $129 to get Panther, for example. You may also have the opportunity to get a dual-CPU system in the middle of the range instead of having to go with the high-end system.

[Cadaver]

By the time Dual 2.0's ordered today ship (ordered BTO yesterday & is listed as "on or before 10/16"), Panther may very well be included.