[Moderator]

I'd rather not...but a need a computer..mainly for maya/3d work, this isn't a lifestyle computer its business..Apple just can't compete pricewise. Its not even close.

I'm looking at a Dell 8400 3.2 GHz, PCI-e, a gig of ram, 160 GB HD, and a 17" LCD
Total: $1200

The cheapest G5, 1.8 single proc (which is alot slower), with specs close to the Dell (assuming I get the RAM and display elsewhere)
Total: $2200

$1000 difference for a much slower machine with crappier graphics. A DP which could actually compete performance wise would bring me close to 3K.


I can get the Dell, throw in a 2nd 17" LCD and still come in under the price of Apple's cheapest, base configured PowerMac...which isn't even powerful.

Very dissappointed.

[jeffB]

i heard you get what you pay for

[cenutrio]

Build it yourself.

[MindFad]

Originally posted by cenutrio:
Build it yourself.

Fo' serious.

[robby818]

Apple is selling refurb'd Power Mac single 1.8s for 1300. That is a pretty good price for a power mac. As for dells, I recommend the poweredge 400sc (it may be the 420sc). it's a server but add ram, a graphics card, a sound card and win xp and you have a good looking (imo), very quiet (even quieter than my g5 DP 2.0), and very fast pc for ~$700

[jamil5454]

Another vote here to build it yourself. Although I would go with an Athlon64. Supposedly Longhorn is supposed to be 64-bit so if you ever plan on running that then you'll need a 64-bit processor. But - IMO the Mac is worth the extra price. I would pay $1000 for OS X if I needed to, mainly because of its multitasking ability. If you're only going to be running Maya on it, I guess you don't to multitask then, so a Mac would be pointless.

[jrramsey]

Good Luck with the Dell. Our graphics person is using a P4 3.6 gig/250MB HD, 2Gig RAM, 256MB Graphics cards and it dies regularly when working with larger files. (500MB +) She takes it home to here dual 2gig G5 and it screams. Yes, it's more expensive but what takes 30 minutes to save on the "high-end" PC, takes about 2 minutes. She's using Adobe Creative Suite Premium, Motion, Maya, etc...

I guess this depends on your patience vs. cost quotient.

[Catfish_Man]

Originally posted by jamil5454:
Another vote here to build it yourself. Although I would go with an Athlon64. Supposedly Longhorn is supposed to be 64-bit so if you ever plan on running that then you'll need a 64-bit processor

I highly highly doubt it. It seems much more likely to me that there will be a "Longhorn 64 bit edition" or a setup like Tiger where it can run 64 bit apps.

[Agent69]

Let me say that I think PCs are all right. When people go on about problems with PCs, most seem to be basing their opinions on Windows more than the PC hardware itself (Windows <> PC). In any case, it is really not surprising that the PC would be cheaper. They are manufactured on a scale that simply not there with the Macintosh hardware, which allows a company like Dell to have very slim profit margins. That said, I feel that the Mac is worth the money because you have one company making both hardware and software.

In the end, Moderator, only you can say what is right for you. If you feel the Mac is too expensive, don't buy one. No one will blame you for making that choice.

[Mafia]

yes it costs more but if you want better production you'll have to spend the extra money. its much easier to work with maya/photoshop/motion and very big files on my mac then on my windows machine. oh and it sucks when i'm working on a big 3d model and whoops my windows crashes and i hadn't saved in a few minutes. boy i wish they'd port 3ds max to mac.

[trancepriest]

Originally posted by Moderator:
I'd rather not...but a need a computer..mainly for maya/3d work, this isn't a lifestyle computer its business..Apple just can't compete pricewise. Its not even close.

I'm looking at a Dell 8400 3.2 GHz, PCI-e, a gig of ram, 160 GB HD, and a 17" LCD
Total: $1200

The cheapest G5, 1.8 single proc (which is alot slower), with specs close to the Dell (assuming I get the RAM and display elsewhere)
Total: $2200

$1000 difference for a much slower machine with crappier graphics. A DP which could actually compete performance wise would bring me close to 3K.


I can get the Dell, throw in a 2nd 17" LCD and still come in under the price of Apple's cheapest, base configured PowerMac...which isn't even powerful.

Very dissappointed.

Why are you dissapointed?... go get the Dell. Did you want to spend more money on your Dell?... you should be happy. If you can't buy top end PowerMacs... get a PC and suffer in silence. We don't need to hear your low end ramblings and price comparisons. It seems to me you want pro end PowerMacs... like the DP PM's and you don't have any money to play with... because if you did you would look at other options such as Ebay, and refurbished sytems from Apple. Now if you don't have the money and want to get a DP PM... go talk to a financial advisor or something. Don't cry on here.

[Skip Breakfast]

This thread is a waste of our time.

[macaddict0001]

used single proc powermac gig e+1.6 proc card upgrade=faster than the dell.

[Agent69]

Originally posted by Skip Breakfast:
This thread is a waste of our time.

Yeah, but they are good for increasing our post count!

[Simon]

Originally posted by Agent69:
Yeah, but they are good for increasing our post count!

Right, LOL.

postcount++

[jamil5454]

Originally posted by Catfish_Man:
I highly highly doubt it. It seems much more likely to me that there will be a "Longhorn 64 bit edition" or a setup like Tiger where it can run 64 bit apps.

Actually that's what I meant. Microsoft would be stupid to release Longhorn as 64-bit only. But I'm sure it will have a 64-bit version. Intel is soon releasing a 64-bit version of the Pentium 4 (finally!).

Moderator, If you're only running Maya, why not on Linux? That would be the cheapest/most efficient route. Sure the graphics may be a little slower, but under equal optimizations Linux usually has better CPU performance. Plus you get all that free software.

[tooki]

A little bird told me that a Dell isn't a Power Mac... is that true?



tooki