[mak_attack]

Hi,

I am a long time Windows user and have decided to switch to Apple as I am using them more and more for my course and work.

I do not have a clue on which G5 Powermac to purchase. I would like to make a good investment and use it for many years to come.

The programs i am most likely to run on a regular basis are Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Final Cut, Maya, Toast, Music stuff and various other multimedia design based software.

I do get an education discount and have been looking at the following specs.

1.
Single 1.8 GHz G5 / 512MB SDRAM / 160GB Serial ATA / DVD-R/CD-RW / ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB, ADC/DVI / Bluetooth Module / AirPort Extreme Card (£1050 ish give or take a few upgrades)

2.
Dual 1.8 GHz G5 / 512MB SDRAM / 160GB Serial ATA / DVD-R/CD-RW / ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB, ADC/DVI / Bluetooth Module / AirPort Extreme Card (£1325 ish give or take a few upgrades)

3.
Dual 2 GHz G5 / 512MB SDRAM / 160GB Serial ATA / DVD-R/CD-RW / ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB, ADC/DVI / Bluetooth Module / AirPort Extreme Card (£1525 ish give or take a few upgrades)

I have set aside around £200 for an LCD monitor so this is likely to bump up the combined cost of what i purchase. I would like to spend a decent/fair amount in order to get a good return of investment.

I am new to macs for homeuse. I would like the machine to run at good performance levels for the mentioned software that i am most likely to use. I would like machine to last for a long period of time.

Can you please help in recommending a system?

thanks in advance for any help given

[Mafia]

whether you get #2 or #3 make sure to add atleast a gig of ram. osx alone uses about 190 megs of ram while idle, your gonna want more then 512 especially running those apps.

[mak_attack]

hi mafia,

thanks for your post.

"whether you get #2 or #3 make sure to add atleast a gig of ram" - I am aware of this but it will add further £ to the total price.

the cheapest i think i can do it is....take the stock 256 for #1 or #2 and purchase 2 * 512 from an online shop for around £100 or for #3 purchase a further 1 gig. For the systems i would then have 1.25 / 1.5 gig and for cost!

this is such a difficult decision to make in choosing the right mac!!!

thanks,

[Appleman]

I would say buy the fastest machine your money can get.

Fastest means Dual 2.5 GHz, 8 GB Ram and two fast harddisks.
Then of course a nice 30" Cinema Display.

If your budget isn't that large, buy accordingly.
Here in The Netherlands, the Dual 2.5 GHz has a back order of a couple of weeks, specially if you want to change the standard config, then it even gets longer.
For me that was the reason to buy the Dual 2.0 GHz, and expand it in the near future.
The basic machine is very fast, only can get better with more RAM and a faster (or one more) harddisk.

This actually makes basic sense, I think there isn't more to say about it. More GHz and more RAM and a better graphics card simply gives better performance.

Good luck with you choice.

[mak_attack]

thanks for your reply Appleman,

well I have money saved up but i dont really want to blow it all on a new computer set up

after reading various websites it is generally considered best to go with a dual g5.

with this in mind i am considering the 1.8 dual. Would i be hindered by choosing this over the 2.0 ghz version?

i am considering running 512 ram for at least a few months.

the 20" lcd also appeals to me as its £600 with discount and would rule out the 2.0 model or i could get the 2.0 and a normal 17/19" lcd.

what are people's opinions on the 1.8 and 2.0 dual models? Should i rule out the 1.8 single?

should i take the 20" imac g5 route? but these seem to be less upgradeable ?

thanks again,

[greenmeanie]

i am in the same boat here.
i know i wont spend the price of the dual 2.5 GHZ machine.

would be nice to know some comparisons between the single 1.8ghz and dual 1.8ghz and dual 2.0ghz.

[Mafia]

i wouldn't buy an imac unless you are looking to upgrade in 2 years. w/ the dual 1.8 or 2.0 as the apps you state above improve you can complement your system with better gpu, faster hard drives, and more ram.

[mak_attack]

thanks for reply mafia,

this investment would be for 3 to 5 years.

you have the 1.8 dual. how do you find it? any regrets? should i save my money and not bother with the dual 2.0? how do you find its performance with multimedia programs?

what is an ideal configuration for the 1.8 dual?

thanks,

[Mafia]

i'll tell you, i've never had one time where i felt that my computer was sluggish in anyway. i've used it for fcp, xcode, livetype, photoshop, maya, as well as converting big media files and never once. i burn dvd's, convert to dvd format, browse the web, listen to music, talk on ichat, and have mail open all at the same time with no slow downs. of course the dp 2.0ghz is faster but i've had no problem w/ my 1.8. i would get a dp 1.8 with 256 apple ram and get another gig from (2 x 512) 3rd party. then get the radeon 9600xt and i'm gonna upgrade gpu around christmas next year when the x800 is cheaper (or the 6800). i'd go ahead and get the 160, or 250 gig hd incase you want to put a small raptor in there for your os partition.

[mak_attack]

thanks mafia,

the spec:
Dual 1.8 GHz G5 / 512MB SDRAM / 160GB Serial ATA / DVD-R/CD-RW / ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB, ADC/DVI / Bluetooth Module / AirPort Extreme Card (£1325 ish give or take a few upgrades)
does seem best out of three taking your advice on board. Fits my needs perfectly?

i think ram upgrade would come further down the line when i start doing multi tasking on a regular basis.

the maximum ram of 4 gig shouldn't be a problem should it over the 2.0's 8 gig? I am unlikely i think to go past 2 gig.

Can you recommend a good reasonable tft to go with this mac? I do have a crt but it puts strain on my eyes when i use it 24/7! I would love the 20" apple but i think i might have more money than sense for that option

thanks,

[MORT A POTTY]

well, the 20" Cinema display is beautiful and will match perfectly...

and it has a built-in USB and FireWire hub...


I'd also suggest a third party mouse. I'm quite happy with my Logitech MX 1000, but if you want a bit cheaper one, Kensington has a nice Studio Mouse and Studio Mouse Wireless. both of those are 40 US dollars at the Apple Store (Online)

the setup looks like a winner. but you might want to get that RAM upgrade a bit sooner than it sounds like you're planning on... we're not kidding when we say you NEED the RAM.

down the road I'd also suggest you upgrade the video card to an X800 XT

[Scotttheking]

I'd go with 2x2ghz, minimal ram, the radeon 9600, and then buy 2x512 from somewhere else. I'd also look elsewhere for the LCDs. One or two 19" LCDs is what I'd go for, but with your budget you limit yourself to a single 17" LCD.
Later, when you have some more funds, you may look into upgrading the ram again if necessary, and video as well, again, if necessary (not sure that anything listed will warrant purchasing a more powerful video card).

[IcedOrange]

I think I would go with the 1.8Ghz Dual and purchase a stick of 512Mb RAM from somewhere else for a total of 768. Then I'd get a Western Digital Raptor to run the OS and main files off of as sort of a compromise for the slightly limited RAM. I know in the U.S. pricewatch and pricegrabber are good sources of price comparisons from different online vendors. As for monitor, I would go for a decent 17" until I saved enough for a 20" Cinema.

[mak_attack]

thanks IcedOrange for your input to this topic,

can you answer the following please IcedOrange:

I'd get a Western Digital Raptor to run the OS and main files off of as sort of a compromise --> i have seen many g5 owners do this. what does this allow me to do? what are the major benefits? easy to install? is it easy to transfer osx on to this hdd? use the stock hdd for storage?

what do you class a good 17" (i have looked mainly @ lg, samsung and viewsonic) i think 19" is pointless becuase of same resolution as 17".

would 768 ram be enough? don't i have to run dual channel so 2 * 512 + stock 256?

thanks,

[Deek]

Originally posted by mak_attack:

I'd get a Western Digital Raptor to run the OS and main files off of as sort of a compromise --> i have seen many g5 owners do this. what does this allow me to do? what are the major benefits?

It's obviously been proven OSX prefers uncluttered HDs compared to "dirty" ones; therefore there is the added benefits of much better performance compared to a near-full 160GB boot drive.

[Mafia]

Originally posted by MORT A POTTY:
Logitech MX 1000

GREAT MOUSE, i absolutely love this thing.

[mak_attack]

thanks for all the help by various people so far

i am still undecided on what to purchase

i don't know wheter to go for a fairly decent loaded single 1.8 and 17" lcd setup for around £1300 / a loaded imac g5 20" for around £1400 / good dual 1.8 and 17" lcd setup for around £1600.

i did spec an excellent 1.8 dual with 20" apple cinema display for £1925 ish but feel this is throwing valuable money away for no reason. i do not want to be a silly skint person after purchase lol

i know i am going to be happy with any of the above purchases but i would like it to be a good investment. last well. perform well for the software applications i will be running.

any more input would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,

[MORT A POTTY]

the better investment would obviously be a dual 1.8 over a single. the difference in performance definitely makes up for the extra cost.

don't skimp on things. you will regret it if you do. it may hurt your wallet (and being a poor college student, I know all about this BELIEVE ME) but it will be worth it in the end when you end up with a great setup.

[mak_attack]

thanks for input MORT A POTTY,

the better investment would obviously be a dual 1.8 over a single. the difference in performance definitely makes up for the extra cost. - SO TRUE

don't skimp on things. you will regret it if you do. it may hurt your wallet but it will be worth it in the end when you end up with a great setup. - AGAIN TRUE

I think i can afford the dual 1.8 with a reasonably good startup spec. it leaves very little money for a 20" apple display (dreams). in order for me to make a sensible purchase i would need to ditch the idea of a 20" in favour of a good decent 17" or good to average 19" lcd.

make sense?

i wouldn't regret not getting a dual 2.0 would i (cant see me affording it) over a decent dual 1.8?

i do not want to use CRT. what tft's lcd's are people using with their g5's? can anyone recommend a good tft to go well with this setup. i will just have to live with 1280 x 1024! I have seen the viewsonic vx715 for 199 / iiyama 431 for 199 / lg 1730 for 225 / samsung 172x for 275.

thanks,

[IcedOrange]

Originally posted by mak_attack:
thanks IcedOrange for your input to this topic,

can you answer the following please IcedOrange:

I'd get a Western Digital Raptor to run the OS and main files off of as sort of a compromise --> i have seen many g5 owners do this. what does this allow me to do? what are the major benefits? easy to install? is it easy to transfer osx on to this hdd? use the stock hdd for storage?

what do you class a good 17" (i have looked mainly @ lg, samsung and viewsonic) i think 19" is pointless becuase of same resolution as 17".

would 768 ram be enough? don't i have to run dual channel so 2 * 512 + stock 256?

thanks,

The WD Raptor is one of the fastest (if not THE fastest) SATA hard drive out there, it's pretty easy to set up I am sure there are directions somewhere around. As far as LCDs, in my opinion Samsung and Sony are top of the class (besides Apple) then followed by the higher end Viewsonics, but I have heard that smaller companies have used quality screens and therefore can offer a good monitor at a lower price (BenQ comes to mind). And you can sell the 17" LCD after saving up for the Apple Display without taking too much of a loss.

[MORT A POTTY]

I personally have an 18.1" Mitsubishi DiamondPoint NX85 LCD. it's a few years old, but at the time it was FANTASTIC quality and at a time when LCds of this size were not cheap, I nabbed it for $699 US dollars. 1280x1024 resolution, DVI or VGA (I obviously use DVI) and great brightness and contrast...

...that being said, when my mother recently brought home her new 20" iMac G5, her display put mine to shame... I can definitely say without a doubt that the 20" Apple Cinema Display is THE FINEST looking display I've ever seen (sans the 30" monster of course) it is indeed pricey though.

[mak_attack]

hi MORT A POTTY,

the 20" imac screen is nice as i have seen it in person, way better than the 17" but i am not really looking at the machine now as i have been advised to purchase the duals.

the apple display is super nice.....but comes at a major cost of £599 that may just be a little too much to seriously consider buying

i have therefore started to look at 17s.

any further input for an ideal system for me is still very much appreciated,

thanks,

[MORT A POTTY]

Originally posted by mak_attack:
hi MORT A POTTY,

the 20" imac screen is nice as i have seen it in person, way better than the 17" but i am not really looking at the machine now as i have been advised to purchase the duals.

the apple display is super nice.....but comes at a major cost of £599 that may just be a little too much to seriously consider buying

i have therefore started to look at 17s.

any further input for an ideal system for me is still very much appreciated,

thanks,

I was only referencing the screen quality, my apologies for the misunderstanding

[mak_attack]

hi,

back again!

what are the major benefits for getting a dual 2.0 over a 1.8?

would i ever need 8 gig of ram or a pci-x card?

would i hinder myself in getting a 1.8?

cost wise there is a difference of around £250 ish

can i have people's views please?

this system is a big investment and should last me around 3/5 years and run 24/7 for personal or work use.

thanks,

[Appleman]

Originally posted by mak_attack:
this system is a big investment and should last me around 3/5 years

3 to 5 years really is not realistic. By that time we are all using G7, and OS "cat-whatever" won't run "snappy" on your G5 anymore.

This is true if you can compare former PowerMac G3 with PowerMac G5: it doesn't matter how fast was the fastet PowerMac G3 money could buy by then, nowadays it simply doesn't do the job anymore, specially not if you want to make it working for you 24/7.

Now just get the Dual 2 GHz and buy your monitor, RAM and video card later when you have again money to spend.
Buying the 1.8 single processor, you will regret later on, the rest is easily upgradable as money gets in

[mintcake]

I'm currently debating the same thing. You have to ask yourself, will you be able to afford more RAM in the next three to five years? How much more? With the four slots on the 1.8DP you could - say - install two times two sticks of a gig each to get four gigs of RAM, meaning you take out the 256mb it came with and the 2*512 you bought and eBay them or something. Are you really going to need/want/afford more than 4 gigs? (And there are even sticks of 2 gigs available aren't there? So you could in theory put the full 8 gigs even in the 1.8 dual? Someone will correct me if I'm wrong.)

Then there's PCI-X. Do a bit of research and see what's out there at the moment that uses the PCI-X interface. Check around on music/video forums to see whether people expect essential upgrades over the next couple of years to use only PCI-X. Personally I can't see that I'll need it but everyone's needs are different.

Don't forget, you're a student not a high-income professional (yet). It's kind of unrealistic to expect a student such as yourself or an amateur such as myself to have the absolute bleeding edge. For me, a 1.8DP is going to be more than a match for my needs over the next three to four years, of that I'm confident. I too will be whacking in the max of RAM I can afford though...

[mintcake]

Originally posted by Appleman:
3 to 5 years really is not realistic. By that time we are all using G7, and OS "cat-whatever" won't run "snappy" on your G5 anymore.

This is true if you can compare former PowerMac G3 with PowerMac G5: it doesn't matter how fast was the fastet PowerMac G3 money could buy by then, nowadays it simply doesn't do the job anymore, specially not if you want to make it working for you 24/7.

Now just get the Dual 2 GHz and buy your monitor, RAM and video card later when you have again money to spend.
Buying the 1.8 single processor, you will regret later on, the rest is easily upgradable as money gets in

I don't necessarily agree. I know professional graphic designers who are still working (and earning good money) using a G3 tower, OS8 and Photoshop 6.

Yes we all want the latest, but it's crazy to throw huge amounts of money at the latest spec machine without expecting to be behind the curve for at least a couple of years of that machine's life. You can't *always* be at the cutting edge in this game, not unless you have a bottomless bank account and no qualms about chucking away perfectly serviceable kit.

If I'm spending that kind of money on a state-of-the-art system I'm going to want to get up to five years' use out of it.

I meet my internal geek's need for a fix by running a laptop on a staggered upgrade cycle. When my laptop begins to chug, it's time for an upgrade to the (by now really prehistoric) desktop. When the desktop begins to stagger, oh look it's time for a new G6 powerbook.

[mak_attack]

thanks Appleman and mintcake for your replies

its true that i do not want to throw money away needlessly.

i have definitely thrown the single 1.8 out of the equation.

this leaves the dual 1.8 or dual 2.0

ram issues - unlikely i could afford 4 * 1 gig for the 4 slots but the 2.0 has 8 slots meaning slowly you could get 8 * 512 etc

i am a student/amateur in the multimedia field and am learning the various software on a regular basis. i just want a machine i am happy with and will offer good performance.

i have no clue whether i need a pci-x slots.

i would most likely stick to 512/768 ram for at least the next 6 months or so.

what makes it worse is i need a new screen as the crt is rubbish as it reproduces very poorly compared to my laptop screen and i have begun to hate the 1024x768 resolution. it gets tiresome moving so many windows etc.

this means i would buy the powermac and tft most likely at the same time.

people using dual 1.8 are you happy with the performance of your system? would you recommend it to me?

the difference between dual 1.8/2.0 is around 250 to 300 dependent on minor changes to spec.

thanks,

[OreoCookie]

Get a dual with high CPU speed, you can add RAM and other bells and whistles later.

512 MB are the minimum to work with MacOS X, though, so you should save money to add enough (enough = depending on what you do, video and large images need more RAM than normal-sized things).

Some of the apps you mentioned need a fair amount of RAM for larger projects, so depending on your situation, getting more RAM is a more (less) urgent issue.

[mak_attack]

thanks OreoCookie for reply

Get a dual with high CPU speed --> what do you consider high and best value ?

the dual 2.5 is a NO-NO its too much of an ask to afford at this point in my life.

the dual 1.8 with a nice tft can be had for around 1450 in the UK while the dual 2.0 with tft is around the 1650/1700 mark

i could scrap the tft but i hate working with my crt screen.

thanks,

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by mak_attack:
thanks OreoCookie for reply

Get a dual with high CPU speed --> what do you consider high and best value ?

the dual 2.5 is a NO-NO its too much of an ask to afford at this point in my life.

the dual 1.8 with a nice tft can be had for around 1450 in the UK while the dual 2.0 with tft is around the 1650/1700 mark

i could scrap the tft but i hate working with my crt screen.

thanks,

The middle model usually offers the best bang for the buck.

A good screen is essential to work efficiently, but all of the applications you mentioned benefit from a second screen. So you might end up keeping you CRT a while longer. 300 € for an LCD is not a lot, to be honest.

The major difference between the CPU speed and other components like RAM is that you can't add a faster CPU later, whereas you can always add more RAM, a DVD burner or another LCD. Use existing hardware to save money. Displays usually have a longer life span than computers (5-7 years in my experience, sometimes even longer).

[Al G]

The only performance difference between the dual 1.8 and dual 2.0 is the 200MHz per processor. That's it, no tricks. For most things, a dual 1.8 is already nearly twice as fast a single 1.8, and if you want to save some money, I can't really see the extra 200MHz (x 2 = 400) of the DP2.0 being an issue. No one who has a DP1.8 complains that it's too slow and "if only I had paid another $500 for that extra 10-20% more speed."

You already know the dual 1.8 has only four RAM slots vs. eight in the dual 2.0. PCI-X is a total non-issue because the number of PCI-X cards in existence is nearly zero.

[mak_attack]

thanks for reply Al G

for the price i think the dual 1.8 seems to be winning my vote. i don't think i would be able to ever have 8 gig of ram as it would be overkill. the only limitation for the 1.8 is i would have to buy 1 gig sticks to fill to full capacity.

what is the recommended ram to have installed to run on a regular basis Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Final Cut, Maya, Toast, Flash, Director, Music stuff and various other multimedia design based software.

i am thinking of staying with 512/768/1.25 for the first 6 months or so untill i could afford more.

thanks,

[Appleman]

Originally posted by mak_attack:
i don't think i would be able to ever have 8 gig of ram as it would be overkill. the only limitation for the 1.8 is i would have to buy 1 gig sticks to fill to full capacity

A famous quote from Bill Gates, former CEO of a software company:

"I really can't see why we need more than 640 KB of RAM in a pc in the future"

...but then again, you are not Bill gates

[mintcake]

Heheh, meanwhile Steve Jobs thinks we may have use for an exabyte of RAM during this powermac generation...

j/k

[mak_attack]

thanks for all help so far,

i am now 80% thinking of just ordering the dual 1.8 as it offers good performance whilst still being quite affordable.

the other 20% keeps thinking the imac g5

so hard making this decision

thanks,

[mintcake]

LOL, join the club! My problem's not so much which one to go for as whether I should wait until the next revision. Which of course is a pure gamble - it could be tomorrow, it could be at the end of June...

[Appleman]

Originally posted by mak_attack:
thanks for all help so far,

i am now 80% thinking of just ordering the dual 1.8 as it offers good performance whilst still being quite affordable.

the other 20% keeps thinking the imac g5

so hard making this decision

thanks,

Go for the PowerMac, it is much faster, much more expandable and therefor will last longer. I have had two iMacs (Bondi and DV SE, and both are more or less as expandable as the current iMacs: harddisk and RAM.
Get a PowerMac.

[MORT A POTTY]

they're still getting caught up on orders for the dual 2.5Ghz, so I'd bet on a revision later rather than sooner.

that being said, me personally, I'd rather have the 8 RAM slots instead of just four... I've used all three of mine in my PowerMac G4 and do wish I had more. but 1.5GB of RAM is enough for now

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by mak_attack:
thanks for reply Al G

for the price i think the dual 1.8 seems to be winning my vote. i don't think i would be able to ever have 8 gig of ram as it would be overkill. the only limitation for the 1.8 is i would have to buy 1 gig sticks to fill to full capacity.

what is the recommended ram to have installed to run on a regular basis Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Final Cut, Maya, Toast, Flash, Director, Music stuff and various other multimedia design based software.

i am thinking of staying with 512/768/1.25 for the first 6 months or so untill i could afford more.

thanks,

512 MB minimum, the rest depends on the actual size of the respective projects. I don't know about Maya, but you can run Final Cut with 512 as long as the project isn't too large. Ditto for Photoshop unless you decide to edit 200 MB pictures (e. g. regular 5 MP pictures from my Olympus E-20 work fine with my 640 MB). If you need more RAM, you can add it later, but you have to install it in pairs.

[mak_attack]

i keep getting different views from various sources on which dual powermac i should get.

i am able to pick up a dual 1.8 / 512 ram / 128 ati card etc etc for around £1200

the dual 2.0 with very similar spec is going to be around £1460

now there is over a £250 difference between the two systems

should i save that money and buy myself a decent tft which i have been after for some time and be happy with a dual 1.8 for my needs?

can any one help justify why i should or should not get the 1.8 dual?

can any dual 1.8 / 2.0 people give thier views on this topic?

once i get the powermac i would slowly build up the ram / get one of those fast hard drives to put osx etc

thanks,

[Appleman]

Originally posted by mak_attack:
i keep getting different views from various sources on which dual powermac i should get.

i am able to pick up a dual 1.8 / 512 ram / 128 ati card etc etc for around £1200

the dual 2.0 with very similar spec is going to be around £1460

now there is over a £250 difference between the two systems

should i save that money and buy myself a decent tft which i have been after for some time and be happy with a dual 1.8 for my needs?

can any one help justify why i should or should not get the 1.8 dual?

can any dual 1.8 / 2.0 people give thier views on this topic?

once i get the powermac i would slowly build up the ram / get one of those fast hard drives to put osx etc

thanks,

If you look at the specs at http://www.apple.com/powermac/specs.html you see there are more differences than only the 200 MHz for each processor.
You simply get a ultimate Mac with the Dual 2 GHz, where the only difference with the Dual 2.5 GHz is the processor and it's frontside bus speed (due to the processors).
The PCI slots are different on a 1.8 machine, as is the initial harddisk and the capability of max. RAM.
Now it's up to you to decide what to choose, but at the end, you will be happy buying a Dual 2.0 for its better possibilities afterwards.

It's a lot of money, so yes, it does hurt to spend it, but the joy and pleasure afterwards is huge.

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by mak_attack:
i keep getting different views from various sources on which dual powermac i should get.

i am able to pick up a dual 1.8 / 512 ram / 128 ati card etc etc for around £1200

the dual 2.0 with very similar spec is going to be around £1460

now there is over a £250 difference between the two systems

should i save that money and buy myself a decent tft which i have been after for some time and be happy with a dual 1.8 for my needs?

can any one help justify why i should or should not get the 1.8 dual?

can any dual 1.8 / 2.0 people give thier views on this topic?

once i get the powermac i would slowly build up the ram / get one of those fast hard drives to put osx etc

thanks,

Well, it's your call. To be honest, if you accept a little less speed, good displays will be a good investment anyway.

One last thing: all the advice in the world won't change that it's your decision to make

[mainemanx]

You should purchase one with liquid cooling, lots of ram, lots of hard drives, a dust filter, a roof, wheels, and most importantly a clear side panel so you can reassure yourself by periodically looking inside... sorta' like those big rig drivers who step out of their cab... walk a few steps and then stop, turn around, and make sure it's still there :-)

[mintcake]

What OreoCookie said. There are pluses and minuses on both sides, just take the plunge, make your decision and place your order. And then enjoy the sense of anticlimax that comes when you've finished the research phase. Next comes the building sense of impatience as you wait for the thing to arrive.

Me, I finally placed my order last night. Except, after all that, not for a G5 at all! In the end, I figured I'd go with a Mini for now, to complement my (still relatively new) powerbook. That way I can afford a cinema display at the same time. I'll upgrade to a G5 (hell maybe G6, heh) tower a year or two down the line.

[Appleman]

Originally posted by mintcake:
I'll upgrade to a G5 (hell maybe G6, heh) tower a year or two down the line.

Rumours are that the brand new G7 will be a 128 bits processor!

[MORT A POTTY]

Originally posted by Appleman:
Rumours are that the brand new G7 will be a 128 bits processor!

been reading MOSR again

[mintcake]

The only use of which will be that it can address a shizzlebyte of RAM.

[mak_attack]

this second hand powermac is advertised for sale that i have been looking at:

# Single 1.8GHz processor
# 2Gb Ram (2 x 1Gb modules - PC3200 DDR400 128-bit SDRAM)
# 160Gb Serial ATA 7200 RPM Hard Drive
# DVD-R/CD-RW SuperDrive
# ATI RADEON 9800 XT with 128MB DDR SDRAM

it is on sale for £925

what do people think of this system.....i do have the money for this one and i could then purchase a 20" apple display for 599 within a month or two of purchase.

I could bump the ram upto 3Gb by buying 2 * 512 sticks straightaway.

what do people seriously think of this system.....will it be capable of running all the software i intend to use. will i be happy with it performance?

thanks,

[MORT A POTTY]

I stress that it is not a dual processor system. Processors are something you can't go back and upgrade later... I'm telling you, a Dual processor system will last much longer than a single.