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iREZ · Oct 13, 2005, 02:10 AM

I have a powerbook (specs in sig) and was wondering if a G5 is worth an upgrade for somebody who uses the adobe suite mainly? i have a savings account that i put 20 dollars aside weekly to get a nice 1000 bux at the end of the year, and yes...im looking for a new machine. i wanna know if i should go with a mini (the next revs that are gonna be announced), g4 duallie (used), g5 imac, or a dual g5. i dont live off my machine yet, so i dont wanna overkill untill the sucker starts to make me some $$$$. i guess what im trying to understand from you guys is if the adobe apps run sooooo much faster on a g5 or will a g4 handle my creative needs for the next 2 years?

almaink · Oct 13, 2005, 09:17 AM

It depends on what you do. I have both a G4 DP800 Quicksilver and a G5 DP2.5. Both get the job done but the G5 is most definitely faster.

production_coordinator · Oct 13, 2005, 11:14 AM

I generally always buy new. I also NEVER buy the highest end. I generally buy the lowest end PowerMac as my main design system as I like having dual screens. A laptop is GREAT, but I don't know if I would use one as my main system unless I had a great backup system. I generally ad a 2nd HD to the PowerMac and mirror the first in case of failures (I also back up all my projects on CD/DVD)

IMHO, if are starting out, don't worry about the speed of the CPU so much... focus on YOUR design. When you find that your system is hindering you from making money, that's when you need to upgrade.

I think the Mac mini would be fine as a design machine as well.

th3ph17 · Oct 13, 2005, 12:51 PM

my dual 2GHz G5, 1.5 GB ram, is the First system i've ever used that was fast enough in photoshop, and i've been using photoshop for over 10 years, on many different super fast, cutting edge systems.

that said, the focus on your design advice is true. A faster computer doesn't have an great idea plugin.

KeriVit · Oct 13, 2005, 12:56 PM

I tested some files here at work in Photoshop... minor test, but my dual G4 867 was the same as the Dual 2 GHz for opening an closing. That being said, it could also be a network bottleneck.

iREZ · Oct 13, 2005, 01:58 PM

production organizer has it right...but i need a new system and now i see that my G4 is pretty outdated. maybe a refurb g5 imac might do the trick...seeing how it has lots more BUS, almost twice the MHz, g5, faster hard drive, way better and more VRAM, and a superdrive for $750. Curious to see what simac has to say bout this, seeing how he just purchased an imac.

chris v · Oct 13, 2005, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by KeriVit

I tested some files here at work in Photoshop... minor test, but my dual G4 867 was the same as the Dual 2 GHz for opening an closing. That being said, it could also be a network bottleneck.

Yeah, something probably wasn't correct there. I have a Dual 1.0 G4 at work, and a dual 2.0 G5 at home, and the G5 cleans the G4's clock in Photoshop. Launching, opening, saving, filters, adjustments, etc. All of it. I don't even get a progress bar opening & 50 & 60 mb files-- just a spin or two of the watch. There's no comparison.

Also, think about RAM. I've maxed my G4 out at 1.5 GB. I had a client send me a 350 mb layered file a few days ago, and it was like molasses on my G4-- PS hogged all the RAM, everything paged out, and the whole machine slowed to a crawl. I had to log out, and go get a snack, then log back in to get my system back. I've got 3.5 gigs of RAM in the G5, and can work for hours with multiple files open, and never even generate a single swap file.

The G5 dualies are Photoshop monsters.

eyevaan · Oct 17, 2005, 01:55 PM

now that Apple is not selling the single processor G5s I say go for it - they are good [in fact very good but they ain't the DPs...]
chris v's statement about RAM is really important. If you are not prepared to at least take the G5 to 1GB RAM at the purchase date then you are better off just waiting. I initially bought my 1.8 SP G5 [two years ago] with only the factory 512 RAM - and that really had issues. Tossed another 1 GB into it and now it never boggs down - I plan to take that up another GB when the change jar fills up.

Since the question is "for the next 2 years" you won't have to think about the Intel issue that is being rumoured with reference to Leopard and the later OS.

godzookie2k · Oct 17, 2005, 03:56 PM

Usually the higher end you buy, the longer it lasts you. You *will* see a noticable difference between a top end G5 and your laptop. In fact, it'll probably be night and day. I wouldn't waste your dough on a barely scraping by bottom of the line g5 unless your laptop is getting ready to die, but save your money until you can buy top of the line fully loaded.

art_director · Oct 17, 2005, 04:35 PM

When I left agency life five years ago I went to a PowerBook. Started with a 400Mhz. That lasted four months before I upgraded to a 667Mhz PowerBook. Surprisingly the case didn't melt on that old Ti in the year I used it. I then went to a 1.25Ghz PowerBook which was a step in the right direction. At that point I vowed to never again buy a desktop. I've since eaten those words and moved to a Dual 2.5 Ghz G5 with 2.5 GB RAM. Now I can hardly stand using the PowerBook for work, it's just too slow.

BTW, I jammed as much RAM as possible in each of the PowerBooks.

If I were you I'd buy the biggest, fastest machine you can. If the Dual processors are out of your budget then save for a while. You'll be happy you did, trust me.

art_director · Oct 17, 2005, 04:35 PM

Refurbs are a good deal with Apple. I know a lot of people who have bought them, present poster included.

eyevaan · Oct 21, 2005, 11:47 AM

Quad G5s - - - holy smokes!

Chad A Wright · Oct 23, 2005, 03:11 PM

I have been using a 1Ghz Titanium Powerbook for about 3 years now. It works pretty well for production, but it will occasionally bog down badly when I'm working with large files (60MB+). On a recent job each page consisted of a 185MB .psd file and that slowed it down to a crawl.

I also purchased a 1.42Ghz Mac mini with 1GB Ram. It seems comperable, speed wise, to the Powerbook. Which is funny considering the price difference between a $600 mini and a $3,500 Powerbook, but that's the computer world for you.

That said, I am waiting anxiously for my Quad 2.5 G5 I ordered. The mini was just a stop-gap until they released dual-core G5s. I can't wait. I do make my living with the machine, so I can't wait to see how much faster the new machine is. I think it will be night and day going from a 1.42Ghz G4 w/20" ACD to a 2.5 Quad G5 w/30" ACD.

My suggestion for you is to save until you can afford a PowerMac. I suffered through the speed of the mini for 6 months, waiting for new machines. It was worth every day of the wait.

siMac · 04:39 AM

My 2GHz iMac G5 (1GB RAM) runs AI, PS, ID etc fine. It's not a PowerMac and it never will be, but it gets the job done in a rapid fashion. But then I used to run all those apps on a G3 iBook, so it's all relative...

The widescreen is nice because it means I can have a full page on-screen with room for the palettes on the side. I would say if you already have a decent monitor then you'll easily get more power for your money from a Powermac, however if the iMac G5's monitor is better than your existing one then it should be a serious contender.

Hell, if it runs Doom 3 it'll run Photoshop!

Edit: from my experience the iMac G5 is a noisy machine, just so you've been warned.

Randman · Oct 24, 2005, 04:00 AM

Go with an iMac and enough ram (I have 2GB on my PB17 with 85% set for Photoshop on CS2) and you'll be more than fine.

CaptainHaddock · Oct 24, 2005, 10:44 AM

Whatever you get, I'd say the three most important factors (in order) are:

1. Lots of RAM (1 GB for web work, more for print work).
2. A wide-format monitor — it's a lot more convenient for viewing multiple documents and palettes.
3. A G5, for the extra Altivec processing oomph.

iREZ · Oct 24, 2005, 02:46 PM

will a dual G4 run the adobe suite as well as say a single G5 imacs that were recently announced? i have a 20" LCD so i wanna stay away from the imacs but if its a better buy, i guess i could sell my LCD n snag up an imac.

iREZ · Dec 24, 2005, 03:06 AM

got my 1000 bucks!!!! and on top of that, my cousin wants to selll his dual 1ghz 380gb 1.5gb of ram, superdrive, radion 9000 64mb, 4 usb 2.0 ports added along with two more FW 400 ports, machine to me for 600, with a 20" lcd sitting pretty here at home, i think imma go with it applecare or not. i figure it'll hold me over till the new powermacs are introduced and get me through the intel transition. am i right in thinking that a dual 1ghz is on a par with a single 1.5ghz?

Westbo · Dec 24, 2005, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by iREZ

got my 1000 bucks!!!! and on top of that, my cousin wants to selll his dual 1ghz 380gb 1.5gb of ram, superdrive, radion 9000 64mb, 4 usb 2.0 ports added along with two more FW 400 ports, machine to me for 600, with a 20" lcd sitting pretty here at home, i think imma go with it applecare or not. i figure it'll hold me over till the new powermacs are introduced and get me through the intel transition. am i right in thinking that a dual 1ghz is on a par with a single 1.5ghz?

Sounds like a nice offer. And you can use the $400 left for any additional software needs or upgrades. Good luck!

W2