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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > Is this a good deal?

View Poll Results: Is this a good deal?
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yes 10 votes (52.63%)
no 9 votes (47.37%)
Voters: 19. You may not vote on this poll
Is this a good deal?
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branden3112
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Jul 16, 2008, 11:38 PM
 
Is this a good deal?
Listing: This PowerMac has a 2.0GHz PowerPC Dual-Core processor with 4GB of RAM and 800GB of hard drive storage. I've had it for a little over two years and I purchased a MacBook Pro for school and I just don't use the PowerMac any more. Its in great condition and works perfectly. It's running Mac OS X 10.5. It will be wiped of all data and I can install an array of software onto it that I currently have. Its a great machine and it was mainly used for video editing. I will miss it, but it just has to go. Its $1000 and has lots of graphics software on it.

( Last edited by branden3112; Jul 16, 2008 at 11:49 PM. )
     
branden3112  (op)
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Jul 17, 2008, 12:24 AM
 
Is anybody there?
     
auto_immune
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Jul 17, 2008, 08:57 AM
 
After seeing similar machines for sale in that price range on
lowendmac.com, i would say yes.

***If you are including the actual install disks for any non-default
applications installed on the machine, that would definitely be a
good deal - and if you are not including the disks, the apps in
question would be considered illegal copies.....
     
branden3112  (op)
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Jul 17, 2008, 11:15 AM
 
Originally Posted by auto_immune View Post
After seeing similar machines for sale in that price range on
lowendmac.com, i would say yes.

***If you are including the actual install disks for any non-default
applications installed on the machine, that would definitely be a
good deal - and if you are not including the disks, the apps in
question would be considered illegal copies.....
Im gonna buy it. im not selling it.
     
angelmb
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Jul 17, 2008, 11:48 AM
 
I also think it is a very reasonable price
     
REVBCO
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Jul 17, 2008, 02:32 PM
 
I would tell you to stay away from the PowerPC chips. If you are looking at upgrading to any new version of the MacOS or video editing software you will be out of luck. Plus you need to buy a monitor.

Find a used macbook or imac for $900-$1000 and add a 500GB hard drive for $100. You will be better off in the long run plus your electric bill will be less. I had a Dual 2.5 PPC and after I sold it my electric bill went down $10-$20 a month.

MHO

B

EDIT: IF the software disks are not included he shouldn't install the software.
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branden3112  (op)
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Jul 17, 2008, 11:02 PM
 
i want the upgradeablity and i already have a laptop and i already have a 22inch lcd
     
Big Mac
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Jul 18, 2008, 12:00 AM
 
If you recognize the downside of buying PPC going forward (see Snow Leopard discussions), I say go for it. I love my DP 2.0.

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branden3112  (op)
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Jul 18, 2008, 02:50 AM
 
am i write that migration wizard transfers programs as well as files?
     
OreoCookie
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Jul 18, 2008, 03:33 AM
 
Yes, you can use Migration Assistant to transfer data and applications.

But I don't think it's a good buy anymore: the next release of OS X will be Intel-only and cpu-wise, new Intel-based machines (even Mac minis) will be faster. So unless you really need to plug in a few extension cards or significantly more memory than 4 GB, I'd recommend against it. It's not that it's a bad machine, far from it, but the price is comparatively expensive (you can easily get an Intel-based iMac for that) and PowerPC Macs won't be the main focus for developers.
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branden3112  (op)
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Jul 18, 2008, 11:52 AM
 
Originally Posted by OreoCookie View Post
Yes, you can use Migration Assistant to transfer data and applications.

But I don't think it's a good buy anymore: the next release of OS X will be Intel-only and cpu-wise, new Intel-based machines (even Mac minis) will be faster. So unless you really need to plug in a few extension cards or significantly more memory than 4 GB, I'd recommend against it. It's not that it's a bad machine, far from it, but the price is comparatively expensive (you can easily get an Intel-based iMac for that) and PowerPC Macs won't be the main focus for developers.
it would be a starter mac for me and with all that ram and hard drive space its good for that considering im coming from a 1.6 pentium m dual core, 1gb ram, 120gb hard drive, vista laptop. it will still be a major upgrade and im planning on getting a new computer in 1-1.5 years anyway, isnt this more powerful than a 2.0ghz, 2gb, 160gb hard drive mac mini anyway?
     
Abit667
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Jul 18, 2008, 02:16 PM
 
Originally Posted by branden3112 View Post
it would be a starter mac for me and with all that ram and hard drive space its good for that considering im coming from a 1.6 pentium m dual core, 1gb ram, 120gb hard drive, vista laptop. it will still be a major upgrade and im planning on getting a new computer in 1-1.5 years anyway, isnt this more powerful than a 2.0ghz, 2gb, 160gb hard drive mac mini anyway?
$1000 is a lot of money for a computer like that, especially considering that it's got no future have leopard. Sure you can stick with leopard and continue to use the apps you use, but it's something to consider. You're spending 1k on a machine you won't be able to update soon.

And, it's not really any better than the mac mini you mentioned. The core2duo in the mini is going to be a lot faster than the G5, the entire system will be snappier and more responsive. Between 2 gigs and 4 gigs of ram, you probably won't even notice it. It sounds like you're just using this for general stuff so there really won't be a noticeable difference in 99% of the stuff you'll do with it. And the drive space? HD's are so cheap now, throw a 500-750gb external on it for like $120 and you'll have tons of space.

For $1000 you could almost pick up a brand new MacBook...
     
zombie punk
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Jul 18, 2008, 02:24 PM
 
This is not a bad machine, but I agree with the majority of the posters here - stay away - it is near the end of its life and is not really expandable at this point. You can get a more powerful, more upgradable intel machine for less money.
     
osiris
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Jul 18, 2008, 02:32 PM
 
I wouldn't (for the reasons already stated )

The #1 reason for me is it is slow in comparison to the Intel iron. I just picked up an dual quad core Xeon to replace my dual G5 (with 8GBs RAM). Some work I've been doing on it went from 12 hours to 2 hours. I think your $1000 might be better spent on a MacBook (it may be faster than the G5 too!)
( Last edited by osiris; Jul 18, 2008 at 03:39 PM. )
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branden3112  (op)
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Jul 18, 2008, 03:35 PM
 
what about the weak graphics card in the macbook?
     
branden3112  (op)
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Jul 18, 2008, 03:36 PM
 
will the powermac be faster than my vista laptop with these specs:1.6 pentium m dual core, 1gb ram, 120gb hard drive?
     
zombie punk
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Jul 18, 2008, 03:45 PM
 
Probably it would be faster than your vista machine. Re the graphics card question, an iMac would be a better bet if you're worried about that, although frankly, the new MacBooks have adequate graphics cards for most casual users. What are you doing that makes you think the graphics card is going to be a problem?
     
Abit667
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Jul 18, 2008, 03:55 PM
 
Originally Posted by branden3112 View Post
will the powermac be faster than my vista laptop with these specs:1.6 pentium m dual core, 1gb ram, 120gb hard drive?
Could go either way...I have a pc laptop with a single core 1.8Ghz AMD processor and 2 gigs of ram running Vista and it's snappier and more responsive (especially browsing the web) than the dual 2.5 G5's I used. However, if your vista is all bogged down with a bunch of antivirus crap and other bloated crap installed, then the powermac may feel faster.

I would consider this deal if it were say, $500. $1000 is just way too much to spend on something that has no future, and honestly isn't even that quick. Use OSX on a G5 and then on an intel machine, it's like night and day.
     
olePigeon
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Jul 18, 2008, 04:20 PM
 
Can't you upgrade the CPU in an iMac? I don't think it's like the older Macs anymore, you could speedbump your iMac relatively easily in a few years.

I would go with a refurbished 20" iMac.

Apple has a 20" 2.4GHz C2D iMac for $999 with free shipping. Has 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD, and 128MB Video Card. The new iMacs also have FireWire 800.

Or, you can get it new for $1199, but with a free iPod Touch or iPod Classic ($300 value.)
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branden3112  (op)
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Jul 18, 2008, 06:09 PM
 
you cant upgrade the processors in the imac and the free ipod deal is only for college students. i would be using the powermac for video editing and graphics/photo work.
     
zombie punk
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Jul 18, 2008, 06:13 PM
 
Well, what processor are you going to upgrade the powermac to? I'm pretty sure there is no upgrade available for it that will be faster than a modern iMac.
     
branden3112  (op)
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Jul 18, 2008, 06:30 PM
 
i wasnt planning on upgrading the processor in the powermac i was saying that you can tupgrade the processor in the imac because someone commented that you could.

btw: does anyone know how much it costs for the genius bar to put a airport and bluetooth card into a dual2.0ghz g5 that they have to install the airport and bluetooth card in?
     
zombie punk
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Jul 18, 2008, 06:37 PM
 
Sorry! I misunderstood. I don't know how much apple would charge, but it's not a difficult job. You could do it yourself pretty easily.
     
branden3112  (op)
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Jul 18, 2008, 07:53 PM
 
where do i get the airport card?
     
zombie punk
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Jul 18, 2008, 08:17 PM
 
What model is it? Bear in mind that any more recent machine will come with this.
     
branden3112  (op)
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Jul 18, 2008, 09:51 PM
 
its the 2.0ghz from 2005 its the one that apple has to install the airport card that has bluetooth also. it the last one before the switch to intel.
     
zombie punk
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Jul 19, 2008, 12:20 AM
 
It might be simpler / cheaper to get a USB wireless and bluetooth card.
     
mudslide
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Jul 19, 2008, 01:40 AM
 
nope
     
imitchellg5
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Jul 19, 2008, 12:29 PM
 
Too expensive. $800 is about right for those. Maybe $900 with that RAM. Buy a refurb or used Intel iMac.
     
branden3112  (op)
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Jul 20, 2008, 12:12 PM
 
i want to have internal bluetooth and airport in it i dont want to use my usb port on airport and bluetooth. also, does anyone know of any good usb hubs?
     
DCJ001
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Jul 20, 2008, 09:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by branden3112 View Post
i want to have internal bluetooth and airport in it i dont want to use my usb port on airport and bluetooth. also, does anyone know of any good usb hubs?
I got this one:

D-Link DUB-H7 High Speed USB 2.0 7-Port Hub
Price After Rebate: $20.85
Free Shipping

http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DUB-H7-...6603929&sr=1-1
     
Ted L. Nancy
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Jul 21, 2008, 02:43 AM
 
Originally Posted by branden3112 View Post
does anyone know of any good usb hubs?
http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Dom...pd_sbs_e_njs_4
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OreoCookie
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Jul 21, 2008, 05:53 AM
 
Originally Posted by branden3112 View Post
you cant upgrade the processors in the imac and the free ipod deal is only for college students. i would be using the powermac for video editing and graphics/photo work.
Of course you can upgrade the cpu of Intel iMacs, but cpu upgrades have to be performed by an Apple-certified service, otherwise you will void the warranty.

The iMac (the ones with dedicated gpus) will be much faster than the G5 and you get a nice screen with the machine for the price of the G5 alone. If you upgrade the RAM to 4 GB, you should be fine.
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OreoCookie
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Jul 21, 2008, 05:55 AM
 
Originally Posted by branden3112 View Post
what about the weak graphics card in the macbook?
What about it?
It won't make much of a difference now if you only use Final Cut Pro and Photoshop. If you want to use Aperture and Motion, then you should get a machine with a dedicated graphics card.

Since Motion uses the GPU also for encoding media, I suspect that future version of Final Cut will do the same. In any case, the iMac has a dedicated graphics card, so you should be fine.
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branden3112  (op)
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Jul 21, 2008, 11:14 AM
 
well it doesnt matter about the imacs now anyway because im getting the g5 this week.
     
zombie punk
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Jul 21, 2008, 11:33 AM
 
I wish you wouldn't.
     
branden3112  (op)
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Jul 21, 2008, 02:14 PM
 
well i decided to get it and it will be a good upgrde from my laptop and it still has warranty till march. is my money and this is how im choosing to spend it.
     
zombie punk
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Jul 21, 2008, 02:26 PM
 
I'm not disagreeing, just expressing my aspirations.
     
dimmer
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Jul 21, 2008, 05:44 PM
 
You've bought it. Good for you. But as you've gone against almost every comment posted in reply to you, why (add your own TF to that) ask anyway? Sadly, you paid top dollar for equipment that is already almost obsolete (as the posters have already told you) -- good luck with your purchase, and keep in mind that if you didn't get the original CD's, key #'s, and a confirmation that the seller was not using these softwares any more you are in receipt of stolen goods.
     
OreoCookie
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Jul 21, 2008, 06:39 PM
 
Now, now, people, no need to be aggressive here. It really is his money.
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branden3112  (op)
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Jul 23, 2008, 11:55 AM
 
thanks to you guys i changed my mind and i am getting a used 24" imac with xp and leopard and is new as of January it has a 2.4ghz Intel core 2 duo 320gb hard drive and 1gb ram that i will prolly upgrade to 4gb for 100. all that for $1200.
     
OreoCookie
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Jul 23, 2008, 12:48 PM
 
Congrats, I'm sure you'll love the machine. The 24" iMac also has a nice graphics card, so you'll be fine with Motion and the occasional gaming
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branden3112  (op)
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Jul 23, 2008, 06:02 PM
 
it also has xp on it so i can do the occasional windows stuff. can i buy vmware fusion or parelles and use the same windows xp liscence. that for the great great advice all of you. im prolly getting the imac this weekend.
     
dimmer
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Jul 23, 2008, 11:28 PM
 
That kinda depends upon how it has XP installed: via bootcamp, VMWare or Parallels: some of these allow use of XP "partitions" from other vendors, some don't. Do you know how the seller had Windows installed?
     
branden3112  (op)
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Jul 24, 2008, 12:07 AM
 
he has it installed with boot camp.
     
angelmb
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Jul 24, 2008, 02:40 AM
 
You could also check Sun's VirtualBox which is free.

And definitely, get the additional RAM.
     
branden3112  (op)
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Jul 24, 2008, 06:52 PM
 
if i get virtualization software which one can i get thati can use the same windows liscense as in bootcamp?
     
OreoCookie
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Jul 25, 2008, 06:07 AM
 
That depends on the Windows version: with XP, the answer is yes, you can use any version of XP to run it in a virtual environment. With Vista, you officially have to get one of the Professional versions or the Ultimate version (this does not have any technical reasons, just licensing reasons: Microsoft doesn't want to allow users to buy the cheap versions of Vista to run in a virtual environment).

I also second the suggestion to get more RAM (at least 2 GB, preferably 4), RAM is cheap.
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forumhound
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Jul 25, 2008, 06:49 AM
 
imacs rock, especially the new ones. i just got a 20" to replace a dead mbp. love it! and it's crankin in FCP Studio.

Dead MBP 2.2 4gig / New Aluminum iMacs / "Old" iPhones / 1st Gen Ipod Shuffle
     
branden3112  (op)
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Jul 25, 2008, 11:38 AM
 
I actually changed my mind away from the iMacs because i found a 17" 2.6ghz MBP with 4gb ram and a 200gb 7200rpm drive with a 512mb graphics card. its $1350. also it includes vista ultimate, airport express and a second power supply.
     
 
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