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tafticus · Mar 18, 2004, 05:33 PM

So here's the situation. My university is selling Dual 2.0 G5s for $2099 (base config). I'm in the market for a Mac at about that price. Do you think that after the speed bumps, I will be able to get a G5 for about $2000 that will have more horsepower? Assuming that I can get about a 20% discount off retail through the university...

If they weren't likely to update the line soon, I'd snatch one of these puppies up, because it's a great deal. I spend a lot of time in Final Cut, so I really need the fastest Mac I can get.

Turias · Mar 18, 2004, 05:34 PM

People have been talking about upgrades for months. No one knows when they are going to be coming.

That's a pretty sweet price, too...

daiSho · Mar 18, 2004, 05:40 PM

that is a damn good price, i'd jump on that myself... who knows how many updated G5's will even be available for immediate shipping once their finally announced..?

kpne1home · Mar 18, 2004, 05:49 PM

If you're not gonna use it buy it and sell it on ebay or these forums.

tafticus · Mar 18, 2004, 07:20 PM

I think I have to sign something that says I won't resell it for a certain period of time, like a year...not sure though.

rhogue islander · Mar 18, 2004, 08:40 PM

buy! buy! buy!

i love my dual 2.0

boatrower1 · Mar 19, 2004, 09:06 AM

Originally posted by tafticus:
So here's the situation. My university is selling Dual 2.0 G5s for $2099 (base config). I'm in the market for a Mac at about that price. Do you think that after the speed bumps, I will be able to get a G5 for about $2000 that will have more horsepower? Assuming that I can get about a 20% discount off retail through the university...

If they weren't likely to update the line soon, I'd snatch one of these puppies up, because it's a great deal. I spend a lot of time in Final Cut, so I really need the fastest Mac I can get.

It depends on if you need a new moniter. If you are, then I would wait and buy the revised machines with a new aluminum display. I am sure, if your university is anything like mine, they have bundels where you can save even more money when you buy the new machine with a moniter.

If you don't need a new screen, then it is a tough call. When did your school drop the prices to 2099? If immediately sold them for those prices, then you can assume that they will sell the new revisions inexpensively as well. If it took 6 months, then they probably dropped the prices in anticipation of new machines.

If the latter is the case, then buy the new G5 now, if not, wait and see. Your school will probably still sell the dual 2 after the updates, but for even lower prices.

Zach

The Placid Casual · Mar 19, 2004, 09:27 AM

Personally, I'd wait.

Eug Wanker · 04:52 PM

Dual 2.0 for $2099 for the base model? What is the base model?

Cuz an edu stock config is $2699 for the dual 2.0, and $2299 for the dual 1.8.

Even if new dual 2.5 GHz machines came out on March 30, the dual 2.0 for $2099 would be reasonable. As it stands right now, the $2099 deal is absolutively a killer deal (unless it's missing a the Radeon 9600, some memory, and SuperDrive, and it's an open box or something).

If you've got $3000 you can afford to spend on a dual 2.5 in April, then fine, wait, but if I were in your shoes I'd probably buy right now. By all accounts, the dual 2.0 is great for FCP, and it's not as if you're gonna get a dual 2.25 GHz machine for $2099 either.

BTW, what university, and is there an online store? (I'm not buying, but I'm interested anyways because a $600 price differential from the usual Apple edu price is huge.)

King Chung Huang · Mar 20, 2004, 12:46 AM

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
BTW, what university, and is there an online store? (I'm not buying, but I'm interested anyways because a $600 price differential from the usual Apple edu price is huge.)

See http://cgi.www.umich.edu/showcase-bi...ay_item=993021

Looks like a standard Power Mac G5/2Ghz dual processor to me, but at a great price!

Eug Wanker · Mar 20, 2004, 01:19 AM

Originally posted by King Chung Huang:
See http://cgi.www.umich.edu/showcase-bi...ay_item=993021

Looks like a standard Power Mac G5/2Ghz dual processor to me, but at a great price!

Dual G5 2.0
160GB Serial ATA-7200RPM
Superdrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
512MB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) 2X256
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro
56K internal modem
M9032LL/A
$2099.00

I'll repeat... Holy crap that's a good price.

The Ancient One · Mar 20, 2004, 05:35 PM

Wonder if they know something's coming?

s0litude · Mar 21, 2004, 11:55 AM

I'm tempted to call the store and see if they'll sell to someone that's not a Michigan student. Does it count that i went there for a campus visit for undergrad??

tafticus · Mar 21, 2004, 11:57 AM

Good luck...they do seem pretty desperate to sell them. I'm pretty sure they're strict about to whom they sell, though. I decided to wait because I want to see what Apple does in the next revision, and maybe buy the mid-line rev B G5. It was really hard to turn down this deal, though...

Eug Wanker · Apr 21, 2004, 01:17 PM

Originally posted by King Chung Huang:
See http://cgi.www.umich.edu/showcase-bi...ay_item=993021

Looks like a standard Power Mac G5/2Ghz dual processor to me, but at a great price!

Hmmm... The University of Washington has them for the same price.

Why are these universities getting such killer prices? That's $600 off the educational price, and $900 off retail!

BrunoBruin · Apr 21, 2004, 01:23 PM

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
Why are these universities getting such killer prices?

The fact that they're "while supplies last" makes me think new stock must not be far off.

<-- runs away to campus computer store to demand pricing

Turias · Apr 21, 2004, 01:26 PM

I'm pretty sure they work out a deal with Apple and buy them in bulk, along with the hundreds of computers they purchase for the labs.

Eug Wanker · Apr 21, 2004, 01:28 PM

Originally posted by BrunoBruin:
The fact that they're "while supplies last" makes me think new stock must not be far off.

<-- runs away to campus computer store to demand pricing

Well, this thread began in mid-March.

BrunoBruin · Apr 21, 2004, 01:31 PM

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
Well, this thread began in mid-March.

Yes, but the U of Washington info says "revised 4-19" so I assumed their pricing was new.

The Placid Casual · 09:56 AM

Well. $2099 puts a new slant on it.

That is very nearly a deal too good to miss out on even if there are new machines around the corner.

Lateralus · Apr 22, 2004, 01:23 AM

Originally posted by The Placid Casual:
Well. $2099 puts a new slant on it.

That is very nearly a deal too goo to miss out on even if there are new machines around the corner.

Agreed.

A win-win situation.

Eriamjh · Apr 22, 2004, 06:10 AM

Well... did he buy it? I would have!

GoGoReggieXPowars · Apr 22, 2004, 08:55 AM

Don't forget it's also the end of the school year, so any excess inventory counts against them over the summer. I know a few U of T bookstore staff

Eug Wanker · Apr 22, 2004, 09:11 AM

Originally posted by GoGoReggieXPowars:
Don't forget it's also the end of the school year, so any excess inventory counts against them over the summer. I know a few U of T bookstore staff

Can I be your friend?

Seriously though, are you saying that U of T will have special deals on overstock hardware at the end of the fiscal year? If so, when does their fiscal year end?

GoGoReggieXPowars · Apr 22, 2004, 09:51 AM

Not fiscal year, but they don't want to have excess/outdated inventory at the end of a semester, same as most businesses and their year-ends.

A lot of Canadian universities have their online computer stores through a third party and their current Apple prices haven't changed: http://www.campuscomputerstore.ca/ut...inanceinfo.php

As usual, the words Canada, Mac, and bargain do not appear in the same sentence.

BrunoBruin · Apr 22, 2004, 11:49 AM

My campus computer store has no special deals on G5s. They had a good price on the remaining single-processor 1.8GHz models when they still had some in stock, but that's it. Bah!

Back to waiting for me. Curse you, Apple!

tafticus · Apr 25, 2004, 10:47 AM

For those of you who were wondering what I did...I was going to buy one, but I got in a car accident the day before and totalled my car, and so I had to spend money on a new car instead. (I didn't have collision insurance, just PL&PD.)

It is a good deal though.

The Placid Casual · Apr 25, 2004, 04:41 PM

Originally posted by tafticus:
For those of you who were wondering what I did...I was going to buy one, but I got in a car accident the day before and totalled my car, and so I had to spend money on a new car instead. (I didn't have collision insurance, just PL&PD.)

It is a good deal though.

Wow, sorry to hear it. At least you seem to be OK though...

tooki · Apr 26, 2004, 03:02 AM

Sometimes, Apple just randomly gives schools (and any students who are aware of the offer) great deals. For example, they were selling single-CPU 1.25GHz Power Mac G4's for $899.

tooki

piracy · Apr 26, 2004, 08:10 AM

Originally posted by tooki:
Sometimes, Apple just randomly gives schools (and any students who are aware of the offer) great deals. For example, they were selling single-CPU 1.25GHz Power Mac G4's for $899.

tooki

It's not really random...in this case, the schools that got this deal, such as Washington and Michigan, purchased 100 systems. Any other education reseller could get the same deal.

tooki · Apr 26, 2004, 10:23 PM

I meant by "random" that there was no specific event causing the sale.

tooki

Todd Madson · Apr 28, 2004, 07:36 AM

These deals are smokin' as they say in the parlance of our times.

I'll have to wait until fall. The wife just got her iMac replaced
and assorted blingy items surrounding it (she's incredibly spoiled).

I'll be waiting for the new ones I guess. By the time I can
afford it the newer ones will likely be out.