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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > What would it take for you to buy one last IBM PPC G5?

What would it take for you to buy one last IBM PPC G5?
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booboo
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Jul 4, 2005, 02:09 PM
 
I will buy one last IBM PPC-based G5 if:

• The FireWire issues are sorted out (slow transfers, lost packets when the bus is maxed out)

• The mobo is revised so that digital noise no longer gets on the analogue outs, and to a lesser extent on connected FireWire interfaces.

• There is finally a revision of the PSU that doesn't chirp

• More internal drive bays, or at least a bracket (like the incredibly expensive 3rd party ones) that allows more internal drives even if they're at the expensive of full-size PCI cards.

• The most annoying fan noise is from the two small upper fans which, being identical, beat together in an ever-changing and annoying whine. If these fans weren't identical or ran at different speeds, this would be fixed.

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SSharon
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Jul 4, 2005, 02:24 PM
 
Funny that you don't mention a speed boost as that is the one thing most other people complained about. Also, those are all concerns that will need to be addressed in the intel based pro line when it comes out.
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Lateralus
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Jul 4, 2005, 02:45 PM
 
I'll be buying the final PowerPC Power Mac regardless. I'll be sticking it out with PowerPC for as long as possible.
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Jul 4, 2005, 03:12 PM
 
i will probably just max out my current ibm powerpc and then try to make it until the 2nd or 3rd generation of MacIntel.
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Al G
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Jul 4, 2005, 07:30 PM
 
Since the problems you mentioned remain after Apple has already had two years to fix them, I doubt they will be fixed in the coming year.

Personally, of the problems on your list, I find the chirping power suppy to be the most annoying and have the most "WTF?" factor. At least with the drive bays, Apple can say that there really isn't a demand from most users for more drive bays, or that the audio problems don't affect most users. But there's no way they can claim, "yeah, we meant for the power suppy to make silly noises."
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GSixZero
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Jul 4, 2005, 07:37 PM
 
I'm with Lateralus. I thinking sticking with PPC for as long as possible, or at least 2-3 years into the transition is key.

I think the things you ask for are very reasonable booboo. Basically you're looking for a PPC that isn't any faster, but has all the dumb little problems fixed. While I wouldn't hold your breath for such a machine, as I'm sure apple is pouring every R&D dollar into x86 machines, and redesigning around a lot of these problems is likely very costly (especially the chirping and digital noise on analog). I'd love to see Apple finish the PPC legacy with a really flawless machine.

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d.fine
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Jul 5, 2005, 06:03 AM
 
I'll buy it just like that. Mine has had none of the mentioned issues. I'll ride on PPC as long as I can.

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jcadam
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Jul 5, 2005, 06:31 AM
 
Note: I have a 2x2GHz PowerMac (one of the earlier, non crippled ones with PCI-X and 8GB Max mem), so I'm in a better position than your average, non G5-owning mac user.

As far as shelling out more $$ for another G5 based mac: insanity. It's a dead end people. It doesn't matter if the PowerPC ISA is superior to x86. Even the 68k could claim that. You're looking at another minor speed bump to the Powermac, at most, before the release of the Mactels. The Powermacs have already fallen behind. You want PCI express? You want dual-core? Not till the intel based macs are here.

I suppose if you GAVE me a new powermac I would take it.

Although, I'm sure an Apple cinema display will work with the new machines, so if you feel the need to support Apple right now, go buy a 30 incher instead of a new computer, you'll probably get more mileage out of it.

If you don't already own a G5: buy the bottom of the line PowerMac, or iMac, right now: That should get you about 2 years, then buy a Mactel. The G4 is a bad joke that just isn't funny anymore, stay away; it's the reason I don't have an iBook or PowerBook.
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Jul 5, 2005, 07:43 AM
 
Based on the way the 68K to PPC transition went, I would either buy a new G5 NOW, or not buy one for another 2-3 years.

The problem with having the last G5 is that the software starts dropping PPC support because that is the past. Universal binaries will help, but you can't shake that feeling that you are using a dead platform.

The other problem is that the Intel-based Macs will be slower initially (if not for a while) because of the "translation" required to run PPC apps that aren't switched over yet.

Either way, you have a less than ideal system. One is future-dead (PPC), the other is not quite fully implemented. It's a bad time to be a Mac user.

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Lateralus
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Jul 5, 2005, 10:05 AM
 
Originally Posted by jcadam
Note: I have a 2x2GHz PowerMac (one of the earlier, non crippled ones with PCI-X and 8GB Max mem), so I'm in a better position than your average, non G5-owning mac user.

As far as shelling out more $$ for another G5 based mac: insanity. It's a dead end people. It doesn't matter if the PowerPC ISA is superior to x86. Even the 68k could claim that. You're looking at another minor speed bump to the Powermac, at most, before the release of the Mactels. The Powermacs have already fallen behind. You want PCI express? You want dual-core? Not till the intel based macs are here.

I suppose if you GAVE me a new powermac I would take it.

Although, I'm sure an Apple cinema display will work with the new machines, so if you feel the need to support Apple right now, go buy a 30 incher instead of a new computer, you'll probably get more mileage out of it.

If you don't already own a G5: buy the bottom of the line PowerMac, or iMac, right now: That should get you about 2 years, then buy a Mactel. The G4 is a bad joke that just isn't funny anymore, stay away; it's the reason I don't have an iBook or PowerBook.
Everything you've just said is personal opinion. What gives you the right to state it as fact?
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Jul 5, 2005, 11:13 AM
 
Ya know, our g5 single is perfectly quiet, the only thing remotely "chirping" I've heard from it are the loud CLICK noises it makes when going to sleep (one, sometimes two)... and the audio system does wonky things (it'll output digital and through its internal speaker at the same time).. otherwise it's been VERY quiet and rather capable.. geez I wish my QS was that quiet. Thing is my QS apparently isn't that loud to begin with (but the fans make enough noise that when the case is closed they drown out everything including the HD)
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jcadam
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Jul 5, 2005, 11:32 AM
 
Originally Posted by Lateralus
Everything you've just said is personal opinion. What gives you the right to state it as fact?
Of course it's my opinion. If you are referring to my predition of PCI-E and dual-core CPUs not being available until the intel-based macs arrive, I base that on the assumption that Apple wouldn't go through the expense of coming up with a new motherboard design to support these technologies when they are going to completely change platforms in 2 years time. Their engineers are not working on PPC mobos right now, they are working on intel-based powerbooks and powermacs at this point in time.
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eddiecatflap
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Jul 5, 2005, 01:56 PM
 
a gun to my head

apple really messed up it's timing on this one

i was just about to buy a dual 2.3 etc and the intel bombshell lands

     
Maflynn
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Jul 5, 2005, 03:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by jcadam
As far as shelling out more $$ for another G5 based mac: insanity. It's a dead end people...
If you don't already own a G5: buy the bottom of the line PowerMac, or iMac, right now: That should get you about 2 years, then buy a Mactel. The G4 is a bad joke that just isn't funny anymore, stay away; it's the reason I don't have an iBook or PowerBook.
Not necessarily .

People who are looking at the dual are looking at it for the horsepower and expandability. That said an iMac/mini or PB isn’t going to satisfy that need. The G5 will be a dead end in a few years. While anything can happen in the future if the need is in the present, I say buy it now.

Additionally, since this a bold new move (not sure what chip set/mobo apple will use/develop) it may be prudent to wait until a rev b or even c, is out the door. that means it makes more sense now to purchase a dual G5 now as opposed to an iMac. The higher end machine that you now own gives you the flexability of waiting and choosing when you want to transition over to a mactel. With an iMac you may be pushed to jump over to a mactel sooner.

Finally. For professionals, purchasing an iMac may little sense; time is money and the need to churn out work asap is needed. The Dual cpu really provides some clear cut dividends.

Overall, while I agree with you that the G5 is a lame duck cpu. The need and justification of buying a G5 Powermac is just as strong or more so now then before the mactel news was released.
     
d.fine
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Jul 5, 2005, 04:33 PM
 
I agree. Its the best choice for pro's to bridge that period of certain uncertainty for Apple products, specially the high end PM line, since it is believed that line will be last to be transitioned to Intel, so it is safe to assume it will take some time. The the highest end G5 available now (even tough I do believe we'll see another PM line update before the new line of products) makes sense who need the power and expandability. If we see a 3GHz or higher G5 within the next 6 months or so, getting a new G5 will become a serious option to replace my current 2.0 machine.

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G5man
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Jul 5, 2005, 05:12 PM
 
well I am thinking about getting a PowerMac Rev A or Rev B but what is the difference between the two?
     
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Jul 5, 2005, 06:28 PM
 
As it stands, the dual 2.7 is still the fastest mac available and that isn't going to change overnight. I figure it's going to be a good couple of years, possibly longer until there is an Intel powermac that is a) significantly faster than the current dual G5s and b) matured into the marketplace enough to warrant a a purchase.

Given those assumptions, and that I was in the market for my first mac I wasn't planning to hang around for another couple of years so I ordered one yesterday. Dual 2.7, x850 + 4Gb ram from Crucial.

I reckon that ought to do for a first Mac eh?
     
Chinasaur
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Jul 5, 2005, 06:38 PM
 
1. The cheap price I paid at Fry's for a discontinued Dual 1.8Ghz

2. I'm with Lateralus - purchase a last PPC mac and stay with.
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Lateralus
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Jul 5, 2005, 08:50 PM
 
Originally Posted by jcadam
Of course it's my opinion. If you are referring to my predition of PCI-E and dual-core CPUs not being available until the intel-based macs arrive, I base that on the assumption that Apple wouldn't go through the expense of coming up with a new motherboard design to support these technologies when they are going to completely change platforms in 2 years time. Their engineers are not working on PPC mobos right now, they are working on intel-based powerbooks and powermacs at this point in time.
So you think Apple is going to let sales stagnate until they release the Intel Macs and just run the company on cash reserve? Sorry, but it doesn't work that way.

Apple is already catching enough flack for seemingly overemphasizing on the iPod/iTunes side of the business and not enough on the computing side. So there is already question as to how strong Apple's commitment to the Mac platform is. This is exactly the opposite attitude that Apple needs its user base to have when they're doing something as drastic as a processor migration. And the way that they're going to keep that attitude from taking over is by continuing to push new products between now and the switch. Not only to bolster sales, but to make a stand behind the platform in its entirity.

Hell, Steve already said there are still new and revised PowerPC products in the pipeline and will be for another couple of years? Did you miss that part of the keynote and that part of every major news story?

The dual-core G5 is still coming, it is not vaporware and never was. It is delayed, that is all.

Apple cannot wait two years to transition to PCIe from AGP and PCI-X because by then they will have harmed their pro user base so badly that it wont matter what they release in conjunction with Intel chips because so many potential buyers will have jumped ship. In addition to that, getting a high-end graphics card in AGP form now is already very difficult. It will be impossible within the year. ATI and nVidia have said their focus from here on out lies entirely with PCIe and AGP products will only be released as necessary.

You're all for the switch, that's fine. It's your opinion, though I don't agree. But don't use your own opinion as reason to call into question the sanity of the people who will continue to support Apple with hardware purchases in the coming two years because many of them are far more knowledgeable than you and know fine and well exactly what they're doing with their money, and it isn't pissing it away.
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Jul 5, 2005, 09:11 PM
 
I know I'm NOT buying one since I fear that the PPC models will not have decent resale.
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Luca Rescigno
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Jul 5, 2005, 09:25 PM
 
Yeah, I can see why someone with a dual 2 GHz G5 wouldn't care to buy another PPC Mac (since you'll have a powerful enough machine until after the Intel switch), but it's folly to say that Apple's going to hold off on new technology just because the PPC is hitting the end of the line. Look at the PC side of things. The processor companies are releasing new sockets every year for god's sake! AMD used socket A for a long time, but in the last couple years they've come out with both socket 754 and socket 939, and I'm already hearing about a future replacement for that! Intel is doing that as well, having used four sockets since the Pentium III era.

Not only that, but other stuff is changing too. SATA, new as it is (most people still use IDE hard drives) is already being replaced with SATA II, and DDR is being replaced with DDR II.

In short, the tech industry is moving at a dizzying pace, and holding off on any new technology to wait for anything else is lost profit. The money Apple spends on creating a new PPC motherboard chipset that does SATA II and PCIe and all that good stuff will easily be outweighed by the amount of money they make from selling PowerMacs using that chipset. Just because the Intel switch is in sight doesn't mean they're going to drop everything and just work on developing stuff for x86 Macs now. They have at least another two years of profits to make before they can even think about slowing down on PPC hardware.

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Jul 5, 2005, 11:03 PM
 
Yeah definitely, one of the things that happened a year before the G5 came was known as the MDD, a complete redesign with the FW800 coming right up behind it, and the MDDs still sold for almost a year after the G5s came out due to compatibility...

PCIe, Dual 970MP machines, probably even DDR2 and SATA2 on an apple machine should happen soon enough, as said it'd be pretty dumb to hold their breath all this time, since 2 years is almost an entire product line's life!
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Jul 6, 2005, 12:54 AM
 
I'll be buying a G5 iMac later this year which should do me fine for audio work for around half a decade.
     
d.fine
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Jul 6, 2005, 05:00 AM
 
Originally Posted by G5man
well I am thinking about getting a PowerMac Rev A or Rev B but what is the difference between the two?
There's no real big difference, the things is that a Rev A is the first of it's generation, and problems tend to arise. Since it is the first of its kind, even with thorough testing and research, unforseen things will happen. These machines tend to have "first-gen-diseases", mainly small things, sometimes not so small, but annoying, or even costly.
This is the main reason why a lot of people prefer to wait for a Second-gen, or Rev B machine, where it is likely that the known issues of the Rev A have been fixed. The knowledge of the machine's performance and stability is greater, and therefore we take it that the second revision is a better machine.
With the Intel switch a lot of people will wait for Rev B or even Rev C machines, so that these little 'diseases' or 'kinks in the cable' are worked out, and they can get a good performing and stable machine. And are therefore looking to get the fastest and newest Mac posible, so they can bridge this period of 2-3 years.

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Jul 6, 2005, 05:00 AM
 
The cash. Simple, but true.
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Agent69
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Jul 6, 2005, 07:27 AM
 
I am about the plug the trigger on a close out dual 1.8ghz G5. I have a OEM Radeon 9650 that will replace the nVidia card.

I generally buy a new computer every 18 months or so, and I bought my MDD in January of 2004. I am guessing that by the time the Intel PowerMacs arrive, it will also be close to a new release of Mac OS X (assuming Apple keeps the 18 month schedule), so that will work out good for me.
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Todd Madson
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Jul 6, 2005, 08:07 AM
 
Comments:
I bought a dual 2.5 right after the announcement. My comments to yours:

• The mobo is revised so that digital noise no longer gets on the analogue outs, and to a lesser extent on connected FireWire interfaces.
-I have already completed one musical project and used the analogue outs and have not experienced
digital noise in the analog outs at all. I'm generally pretty anal about audio quality in general and had
heard stories about this. My suspicion is that some machines experience this, but not all. It also may
be certain applications or conditions.

• There is finally a revision of the PSU that doesn't chirp
I don't believe it is the power supply despite what Apple Computer may say - the condition only
occurs when the video card is driven hard (i.e. X-Plane with all video quality settings set to
maximum). Under daily use I never experience this. This is G5 2.5 w/ Radeon 9600 XT.

• More internal drive bays, or at least a bracket (like the incredibly expensive 3rd party ones) that allows more internal drives even if they're at the expensive of full-size PCI cards.
-That would be great but I think the real solution here is LARGE internal drives. And also,
"incredibly expensive" is a relative term considering how expensive the machines are.

• The most annoying fan noise is from the two small upper fans which, being identical, beat together in an ever-changing and annoying whine. If these fans weren't identical or ran at different speeds, this would be fixed.
-I still have yet to hear this. In fact, my machine is so quiet I came home from work one day and asked
if my wife had shut it off it was so quiet compared to my old G4 which was like a windtunnel for NASA.
     
Todd Madson
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Jul 6, 2005, 08:16 AM
 
Another bit - My G4/400 lasted me almost six years. This ought to last at least as long.

As far as software goes? I have all the software I need now so someone decided not to
create a universal binary or not doesn't effect me.


Also, since the Intel high end machines are two years away, I'd say there's at least two
more iterations of the G5 Powermacs.
( Last edited by Todd Madson; Jul 6, 2005 at 08:17 AM. Reason: 1bit.)
     
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Jul 6, 2005, 08:18 AM
 
My G5 was meant to last me 4 - 5 years... so thats until 2007 - 08. So i'll definately buy a InteliMac next

I dont think id buy a PPC mac now, even though I know they will be supported for a few years. Also, my G5 is more than fast enough.
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Anand
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Jul 6, 2005, 10:38 AM
 
I just got a Dual 2.0 and it would "chirp" every 5-10 minutes. After installing the developer tools and the latest CHUD tools, no more "chirps". It worked but I can someone tell me why these work?
Yes, I know I could buy a PC, but why?
     
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Jul 6, 2005, 12:23 PM
 
My G4 can't keep up with video anymore. FCP 5 is going to push it's limits! Plus, I don't want to be caught with a first gen macintel. I don't mind early adopting software and some other hardware, but an entire computer is asking too much. I'll let someone else take the macintel lumps.

As to the addition of new hardware, don't forget, apple has a news conference set for tomorrow to announce something. Doubt it will relate to the PowerMac line, but it should remind us that they are still going to release new product before the switch.
     
Maflynn
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Jul 6, 2005, 12:58 PM
 
Originally Posted by Anand
I just got a Dual 2.0 and it would "chirp" every 5-10 minutes. After installing the developer tools and the latest CHUD tools, no more "chirps". It worked but I can someone tell me why these work?
The chud tool stops the CPU from "napping" or resting inbetween cycles, so in essence its going full bore 100% of the time. While this may not sound bad, the long term effects are not known. the short term effects are increased heat. My perspective is that its not worth possibly shortening the life span of the cpu in order to reduce the chiping sound.


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jcadam
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Jul 6, 2005, 01:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by Lateralus
You're all for the switch, that's fine. It's your opinion, though I don't agree. But don't use your own opinion as reason to call into question the sanity of the people who will continue to support Apple with hardware purchases in the coming two years because many of them are far more knowledgeable than you and know fine and well exactly what they're doing with their money, and it isn't pissing it away.
No need to get condescending, baby. But you raise some good points. I can revise my earlier statement to be that, for me it would be insanity to buy a new G5 in the next 2 years. I used to be a PC FPS junkie spending every spare $ on upgrades to my l33t box (new mobos, cpus, gfx cards, etc.) Now I'm married, out of college (with a CS degree), and I rarely play games. And I have other things to spend money on. I expect a reasonable life span out of my equipment now, and I care about quality (hence the switch to mac and OS X, with it's kick-a$$ dev. tools).

I just don't see any PPC based mac purchased today having a reasonable life-span.
If you make your living (a GOOD living) with your mac, and you can afford to upgrade every year, then go for it. I wish I could develop mac software for a living.

As far as new technology (PCI-e) being put into PPC powermacs, I'm still skeptical.
( Last edited by jcadam; Jul 6, 2005 at 02:00 PM. )
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porieux
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Jul 6, 2005, 02:33 PM
 
...
( Last edited by porieux; Oct 2, 2006 at 07:43 AM. )
     
Al G
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Jul 6, 2005, 02:46 PM
 
It could be as long as two years before we see Intel Powermacs. If you need a high-end Mac, there's no way you'll want to wait two years to buy it.

And in two years, any machine you buy today would be equally obsolete (but still just as useful) whether Apple used Intel or IBM processors.

I bought a dual 2.3 after the annoucement. What was I supposed to do, use an abacus for two years?
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booboo  (op)
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Jul 6, 2005, 06:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by Todd Madson
Comments:
I bought a dual 2.5 right after the announcement. My comments to yours:

• The mobo is revised so that digital noise no longer gets on the analogue outs, and to a lesser extent on connected FireWire interfaces.
Thanks for your reply, but this is news to me.

There was also no revision of the motherboard AFAIK as far as the FireWire issues are concerned - which aren't just my personal experience, they are well documented.

Originally Posted by Todd Madson
• There is finally a revision of the PSU that doesn't chirp
There isn't. You may be lucky and get one that doesn't chirp, but others have not been so lucky. It is documented, and even on this forum people have documented the chirping of their PSU's.

Originally Posted by Todd Madson
• More internal drive bays, or at least a bracket (like the incredibly expensive 3rd party ones) that allows more internal drives even . . .

-That would be great but I think the real solution here is LARGE internal drives. And also,
"incredibly expensive" is a relative term considering how expensive the machines are.
The solution for me is not large drives. I want a separate 'scratch' drive for recording my audio onto, and another separate back-up drive. Perhaps I'd even like a separate RAID setup. This shouldn't be an expensive 3rd party solution in - what you yourself concede is - an already expensive computer

Originally Posted by Todd Madson
• The most annoying fan noise is from the two small upper fans which, being identical, beat together in an ever-changing and annoying whine. . . . .

-I still have yet to hear this. In fact, my machine is so quiet I came home from work one day and asked if my wife had shut it off it was so quiet compared to my old G4 which was like a windtunnel for NASA.
I concede that the G5 is much quieter than the previous G4's, but the ever-changing nature of its noise in some ways makes it equally distracting (for me.) This is all down to the 'beating' of the two identical fans (which, coincidentally was what made the PSU whine from the Rev A MDD's so peculiarly annoying)

If you're not convinced, manually stop one of the fans, and enjoy a far less distracting (ie more consistent) noise from the G5.
     
Crusoe
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Jul 7, 2005, 03:55 AM
 
To answer the thread... A FTSJ (Full time salary job) Contracting is getting old.

I would likely pick-up an iMac G5 on it's current revision. I do some home video editing, light 3D and hobby software dev, none of which I need much power for. A Powermac would be a love hate thing for it's size, I move a lot and have to pay to move back and forth. For now chugging away on my Rev A 17" is fine.

I think the Mactel versions will be as quiet or even more, with better expandability. . . They'll run much cooler than the G5. So there will likely be less fans, smaller heat sink, more slots for hard drives and hopefully a smaller footprint.

For the next revisions of the Powermac, I doubt they'll come out with PCIe or Dual Dual Core G5s nor will they fix any of the current problems you noted. Though a D/D Core would be quite tempting but totally unecessary for me.

Shame the IBM couldn't keep up. Such high potential. Sorry to see the PPC in Macs go out this way.
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jtice
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Jul 7, 2005, 06:32 AM
 
I just don't see any PPC based mac purchased today having a reasonable life-span.
If you make your living (a GOOD living) with your mac, and you can afford to upgrade every year, then go for it.
I do make a living with my computer and I don't have extra cash to throw away. I'm more interested in a smooth running, productive system than being on the leading edge. I'm on a three-year-old+ 1GB dual G4 box now and have a job coming up where I'll likely be pushing 1GB+ graphic files. I was waiting and hoping for something good with the latest Power Mac revision and it didn't happen. Now my choices are to try and get by a few more years with the G4 or upgrade to a G5 with the understanding that it will soon be extinct. I'm tempted to upgrade now––the alternative is to end up with a five-year-old G4 and be under pressure to become an early adopter of the Mactel, possibly requiring all new software upgrades at the same time––something I'd rather avoid. So the question I have is, will the current G5 be well supported by the software companies three years out, or will they be dropping it the second the new machines hit the street? Whadda y'all think... three years of productivity or not?
Now that everyone knows it's just a matter of waiting for 1.20.09.
     
lexhair
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Jul 7, 2005, 11:15 AM
 
I'll be in the market for a G5 within the next couple of months. My Sawtooth with a Sonnett Dual 500 is about played out.
     
booboo  (op)
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Jul 7, 2005, 11:20 AM
 
Well it seems that IBM released the dual core (and low power) G5's today

http://ascii24.com/news/i/topi/artic...79599.jpg.html

I hope they get used in the next G5 revision, but not without a revision of the current mobo and PSU . . .
( Last edited by booboo; Jul 7, 2005 at 11:49 AM. )
     
Link
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Jul 7, 2005, 11:21 AM
 
The problem with this "I Don't see how you could buy a mac right now and have it actually be worth having for the next X years" argument is that ... well.. you have 2 other choices:

1. Stay with an older slower machine that isn't getting any faster
2. Get a PC..

Neither is too attractive, and I can assure you that buying a PC will not get you OS X into the future, whereas there should be at least 2 more major builds of OS X for the PPC machines, that I'm sure of.

So this all comes down to wanting or needing a machine enough to use it, and justifying a high end setup over a lower end one. A dual 2ghz setup should be more than plenty for your needs if you're coming from a g4 and only need it for a year or two, IF you're not going to need more than 4gb of ram --- that or a 2.7ghz processor If the 2.7ghz setup is worth the extra cash, get it, and don't feel sorry.

This whole "OH IN TWO YEARS GAH!!!" crap is ridiculous.
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booboo  (op)
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Jul 7, 2005, 11:42 AM
 
Originally Posted by Link
So this all comes down to wanting or needing a machine enough to use it, and justifying a high end setup over a lower end one. A dual 2ghz setup should be more than plenty for your needs if you're coming from a g4 and only need it for a year or two, IF you're not going to need more than 4gb of ram --- that or a 2.7ghz processor If the 2.7ghz setup is worth the extra cash, get it, and don't feel sorry.

This whole "OH IN TWO YEARS GAH!!!" crap is ridiculous.
Well not really.

As some people pointed out I'm not even asking for a G5 that is faster than the current models - although that would be nice - I just want the stupid issues to be fixed.

In the normal course of events, a revised motherboard would be released to fix precisely these issues, the worry is that PPC-nased mobo issues are no longer a priority for Apple, and the fact these issues haven't been fixed in the last 2 YEARS would seem to corroborate that. We shall see.

I'm aware some people are reluctant to invest in what they see as a dead-end architecture. I understand that. But I'd have happily bought a current - non-crippled - G5 providing the issues were fixed. In fact I bought a Rev B and a Rev C and sent them both back.
     
turk.o
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Jul 7, 2005, 11:46 AM
 
it is interesting to hear peoples' perspectives on this stuff, but i feel all of you who are just going to wait are kind of silly. it is still long way away before x86 in powermacs. i consider myself a power-user, i do dvd authoring, video editing, and lots of print design for a living. i use the apple final cut studio and the adobe cs2 suite exclusively for all of my production work. all this software will support ppcs for a long time after the transition, at least 2-3 years. i currently have a dual-2Ghz, rev. A machine, and have not yet upgraded because of the meager improvements, but if apple comes out with the 970MP with improvements as requested in this thread, i will absolutely buy one.

i figure it will get me to, and well into, the x86 machines era, and without sacrificing performance in any way, and avoiding all the hiccups that early adopters will face. this way i will be able to transition from a VERY impressive ppc, solid, rev. e (or whatever) machine into a rev.b or rev.c mactel machine, and by then all the software i need to buy anyway due to upgrades will be in top form after working all the bugs out. it seems like a flawless transition to me. sure, my ppc computer might have a lower resale value by then, but for all the high-performance work i'll get out of it in those two years, that will hardly matter.

now, on the other hand my old 17" powerbook is getting long in tooth, but you can bet your bottom dollar that i won't be buying anything until the mactel powerbooks come out, and i'll be first in line. you have to remember that the portables were the biggest reason for the intel switch, in the short-term, and if dual-core ppcs come out at all (http://ascii24.com/news/i/topi/artic...79599.jpg.html) and they should, ppc will be right up with the fastest stuff intel is offering currently.

seriously, if you are someone who is waiting 2 years for mactel before getting a new powermac, then you are someone who probably doesn't need a powermac in the first place, because if you did you couldn't wait two years with no performance improvements. anyway, my 2¢

t.o
     
porieux
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Jul 7, 2005, 04:57 PM
 
...
( Last edited by porieux; Oct 2, 2006 at 07:43 AM. )
     
booboo  (op)
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Jul 7, 2005, 05:18 PM
 
Originally Posted by porieux
Yep, that is just a simple fact, not even debatable.

For professionals who need one, buying a new Power Mac now will SAVE us money, even though we won't be using it in 2 years.
There is a reason some of us don't have a G5 already.

This is due to the issues mentioned in the first post, which make a G5 a questionable upgrade over a G4 that doesn't have these issues.

Fixing these issues would be sufficient reason for me to buy a new G5 - even one without the dual core IBM 970 officially announced today . . .
     
porieux
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...
( Last edited by porieux; Oct 2, 2006 at 07:43 AM. )
     
booboo  (op)
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Jul 7, 2005, 07:19 PM
 
Originally Posted by porieux
I'm not sure why you responded to my post since what you wrote has nothing to do with what I said, as far as I can tell.
Because you said

Originally Posted by porieux
For professionals who need one, buying a new Power Mac now will SAVE us money, even though we won't be using it in 2 years.
And I'm saying it's not that simple.

There are plenty of reasons why the G5 is not an adequate upgrade to G4 systems, due to aforementioned issues. I want these issues addressed so I can upgrade.

If I were only doing graphics, it would be a different matter.
     
porieux
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Jul 7, 2005, 07:39 PM
 
...
( Last edited by porieux; Oct 2, 2006 at 07:42 AM. )
     
Superchicken
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Jul 7, 2005, 08:15 PM
 
So IBM announces these new 970s... is this the, they're shipping to manufacturers? Or what? I wonder if we could see these low Power G5s in PowerBooks. I imagine the 1.6Ghz models would be a lot better than the 1.67G4s. Could we see a PB G5, or will Jobs let the line sit idle until they can put a Pentium M in it? I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a PowerBook G5 released and then see it later exist at the same time as the PowerBook Pentium M... dono how they'd brand em though...
     
Lateralus
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Jul 7, 2005, 10:15 PM
 
Originally Posted by Superchicken
I imagine the 1.6Ghz models would be a lot better than the 1.67G4s.
Huh? If anything it'll be slower. You are aware that the G5 is slower than the G4 at the same clock speed in most things right?
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