[eddiecatflap]

..used to be the 1.8 , i guess it's probably the 2.0 ?

[The Placid Casual]

Hmm, either the new 2 ghz, or one of the old models on discount...

[Mithras]

I thought you said the best 'vim' g5, like the best G5 for running a text editor.
I was going to say, I'm pretty sure any G5 will handle text editing just fine...

[Dennis the Phantom Menace]

I think the 2.0 is the best value. I'd be more inclined to buy the new 2.0 because it might have a newer firmware.

[Busemann]

A top-specced 2ghz is what ill be getting at least..

[chris v]

The "old" 2.0s are on the Refurb list for 1999.00. That's 1000 less than retail. Nearly 1/3 off.

CV

[TiDual]

I have a rev. A dual 2.0, and love it ... glad I bought last year, and didn't wait

But in the current line up, I can't see a reason to spend 500 more, for a 10% faster CPU, PCI-X which most will never use, and 4 extra Ram slot (also most will never use, if they buy their RAM judiciously). And that 10% faster CPU won't translate into 10% visible performance. If I'm missing something, please tell me (I'm about to buy 2 dual 1.8s for my group), but unless you envisage needing PCI-X (aren't most useful peripherals Firewire or USB based now) or over 4GB Ram (!) ... why spend the extra $/� 500 ??

No comment on the 2.5, since it doesn't exist yet (I'd guess shipping in "numbers" will start in Sept). If you really need every ounce of speed then sure ... but it's clearly not a "VFM" machine.

[jay999]

Dual 1.8 no question

[eddiecatflap]

..so , is the whole pci-x thing over inflated ?

..what video cards need pci-x over agp 8 x ??

..if any ??

[driven]

Does the old 2.0 have PCI-X slots?

[lacrymology]

Originally posted by driven:
Does the old 2.0 have PCI-X slots?

From the Apple G5 page:

The dual 2.0GHz and dual 2.5GHZ Power Mac G5 models come with three PCI-X slots, giving you the benefit of the most advanced PCI technology.

[TiDual]

Originally posted by lacrymology:
From the Apple G5 page:

The dual 2.0GHz and dual 2.5GHZ Power Mac G5 models come with three PCI-X slots, giving you the benefit of the most advanced PCI technology.

He asked about the *old* dual 2GHz .. and I believe the answer is no, the old machines are PCI

[eddiecatflap]

..maybe i should stop harping on aboot pci-express

..after reading up on it , it seems to be a bit overblown

..the agp 8 x bus isn't even saturated , why worry about even faster 16 x ones ??

[365]

The new dual 1.8 with 9600XT upgrade, 4 x 512mb stick ( throw the 2 x 128 ), extra 250GB SATA drive and an AppleCare. All for about $100 more than a stock dual 2Ghz.

BARGAIN and don't let the people who keep comparing it to the old dual 1.8 sway you. The new dual 1.8 replaces the old single 1.6ghz, the new dual 2.0 replaces the old dual 1.8. The old one was the mid range machine, the new one is the base model.

Obviously don't buy the extra memory and drive from Apple.

EDIT: Forgot to say, try www.dealmac.com for the best deals on memory and hard drives and you get 12 months to decide if you want the AppleCare. It just gets better all the time

[driven]

Originally posted by TiDual:
He asked about the *old* dual 2GHz .. and I believe the answer is no, the old machines are PCI

Thank you.
Yes ... I asked about the old machine.

[driven]

Originally posted by 365:
The new dual 1.8 with 9600XT upgrade, 4 x 512mb stick ( throw the 2 x 128 ), extra 250GB SATA drive and an AppleCare. All for about $100 more than a stock dual 2Ghz.

BARGAIN and don't let the people who keep comparing it to the old dual 1.8 sway you. The new dual 1.8 replaces the old single 1.6ghz, the new dual 2.0 replaces the old dual 1.8. The old one was the mid range machine, the new one is the base model.

Obviously don't buy the extra memory and drive from Apple.

EDIT: Forgot to say, try www.dealmac.com for the best deals on memory and hard drives and you get 12 months to decide if you want the AppleCare. It just gets better all the time

Most reasonable post that I've seen in a few days. :-)

[pman68]

There are refurb DUAL 1.8's for $1,799.00 at the Apple store.

Can't beat that with a stick...

[Zoom]

I'm looking hard at the (now) old DP 2.0's, too. Any idea how long these will last?

How come the only ones Apple has are refurbs? Or is it that the refurbs are the best deal?

What about other resellers? Can you get a good deal on the old models from MacZone and such?

I guess my question is: where's the best place to buy an old dual 2.0 or 1.8 G5? This would include all aspects of the sale, like free extra RAM or free accessories or whatever. I'm fine with refurb, if that would save lots of money.

Finally, how does the education discount work into this stuff? Can you get that discount through an authorized reseller, or only through Apple? Do they allow that discount on clearance or refurb items?

[driven]

FWIW As of this morning the local CompUsa has all of the old models at their ORIGINAL prices. (even the 1.6 Mhz model!)

[driven]

FWIW As of this morning the local CompUsa has all of the old models at their ORIGINAL prices. (even the 1.6 Mhz model!)

[eddiecatflap]

..i reckon in 6 months time the entire demographic will be radically changed !

..pci express , 3 ghz G5's and Nvidia quatros , man , macs WILL rule , one day , one day !!!

[stuffedmonkey]

Dual 1.8!

The only thing that would make me hesitate is the number of ram slots. I can't see needing pci-x slots any time soon.

[eddiecatflap]

..what aboot thinking a year ahead ?

..if i'm spending 4-5 thousand quid i'd like my investement to last a year or so

..will pc express soon pass pci-x in usefulness ?

[Big Mac]

Originally posted by TiDual:
He asked about the *old* dual 2GHz .. and I believe the answer is no, the old machines are PCI

TiDual, you are definitely mistaken. The Rev. A 1.8 and 2GHz machines do feature PCI-X, driven.

[The Placid Casual]

Originally posted by Big Mac:
TiDual, you are definitely mistaken. The Rev. A 1.8 and 2GHz machines do feature PCI-X, driven.

They did indeed have PCI-X.

[hmurchison2001]

The best Powermac value today is the Dual 2.5Ghz.

To many they want their purchase to last 4-5 years easy. Therefore the amortized cost over say 5 years between the lowest PM model and the highest is a mere $200 per year (someone correct me if I have this concept wrong). And after that 5 years the 700Mhz x2 advantage of the 2.5 will ensure your computer is still as useful in 2009 as possible.

Think about it the average persons cable bill during this same period is $2400-3000 assuming a monthly cable bill of $50. You be amazing at how easy it is to cut your monthly expenditures down to easily cover the cost difference between the PMs

[driven]

Big Mac and Placid, THANK YOU.

I guess the new Refirb 2.0 DP that I purchased has PCI-X then. :-)
(Not that I have any clue what to do with it yet.)

I'm hoping to get 4 years useful life out of this box. I think I'll be ok.