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kikkoman · Oct 31, 2003, 12:07 PM

I just placed an order for a dual 2 GHz G5 with 1 GB RAM and Radeon 9800. It was a complete impulse buy. I'm feeling a bit guilty cause I saved up some money to pay off my student loans. But I couldn't resist the price, $2599 from MacConnection! I think it might be a refurb but it doesn't say specifically. It say's it BTO? Search for item #471105.

xylon · Oct 31, 2003, 12:35 PM

Originally posted by kikkoman:
I just placed an order for a dual 2 GHz G5 with 1 GB RAM and Radeon 9800. It was a complete impulse buy. I'm feeling a bit guilty cause I saved up some money to pay off my student loans. But I couldn't resist the price, $2599 from MacConnection! I think it might be a refurb but it doesn't say specifically. It say's it BTO? Search for item #471105.

Hahaha!! Gotta learn to control those impluses, but in this case, it must've been a very very strong one. I hope those student loans don't come back to bite you in the butt later on. Hope you enjoy your new machine.

rhogue islander · Oct 31, 2003, 01:15 PM

$2599 for a Dual G5 with 1GB ram and a 9800 Pro? That sounds impossible!

But you're right, I found the listing:

Apple Computer
BTO PM G5 2.0GHz DP 1gb 160GB SuperDrive ATI 9800 56k Nic $2,599.00
Platform: M Item #: 471105 Mf #:Z07K

all2ofme · Oct 31, 2003, 02:16 PM

Great price! I would do the same if I found it for that. One of them and an iBook G4 would do very nicely thank you

Superchicken · Oct 31, 2003, 02:56 PM

haha student loans or computer... student loans or computer... loans or... G5.... G5!

Tim Kosch · Oct 31, 2003, 03:08 PM

Originally posted by kikkoman:
I just placed an order for a dual 2 GHz G5 with 1 GB RAM and Radeon 9800. It was a complete impulse buy. I'm feeling a bit guilty cause I saved up some money to pay off my student loans. But I couldn't resist the price, $2599 from MacConnection! I think it might be a refurb but it doesn't say specifically. It say's it BTO? Search for item #471105.

First of all let me say THANK YOU! I have been putting off buying one because I really didn't need it with my G3 and G4 but at this price I couldn't resist. I was looking at a similar configuration but using the educator's discount for a better price.

I called and talked to one of the reps and she said that is was a fabulous deal just like it looks. I couldn't believe it.

Tim

Teknesia · Oct 31, 2003, 03:32 PM

Originally posted by Tim Kosch:
First of all let me say THANK YOU! I have been putting off buying one because I really didn't need it with my G3 and G4 but at this price I couldn't resist. I was looking at a similar configuration but using the educator's discount for a better price.

I called and talked to one of the reps and she said that is was a fabulous deal just like it looks. I couldn't believe it.

Tim

BTO = Built To Order - it's a built to order from Apple... but the sales rep could not explain why it was so cheap, but said it most likely is a refurb but not stated on the website... will be getting back to me today. Refurb's only have a 90-day warranty from MacConnection.

lacrymology · Oct 31, 2003, 07:11 PM

Does it come with Panther?

-m

cdhostage · Oct 31, 2003, 07:24 PM

I need to make a LOT of money next summer. Lots of money.

Arkham_c · Oct 31, 2003, 10:25 PM

I just ordered one too. We'll see if it actually ships. I have my doubts, but to save several hundred dollars and get the 9800 machine so cheap is too good of a deal not to try.

If it doesn't ship, I'm going to order a dual G5 with the 9600.

Tim Kosch · Nov 1, 2003, 12:41 AM

Originally posted by Teknesia:
BTO = Built To Order - it's a built to order from Apple... but the sales rep could not explain why it was so cheap, but said it most likely is a refurb but not stated on the website... will be getting back to me today. Refurb's only have a 90-day warranty from MacConnection.

I was curious if you received your reply from the sales rep yet?

My credit card has been charged. Now time to wait.

I looked again at the website and notice some of the listings were for reconditioned machines which I would think would mean refurbished.

Tim

Phrogman · Nov 1, 2003, 12:55 AM

That configuration at the Apple Store is $3599. I doubt they will honor the $2599 price. But if they do, congrats on a great deal!!!!

SeSawaya · Nov 1, 2003, 02:18 AM

hey Tim,
congrats on the purchase. Let me know when it comes in!

Kent

btw: welcome to the forum!

chrisutley · Nov 1, 2003, 04:14 AM

Some resellers buy BTO machines from Apple that didn't sell, say a cancellation or credit problem. Apple cuts the price big time, since apparently "un- BTO'ing" it would cost more.

Powermax.com sometimes has great deals on BTO PowerBooks, but I've never seen them offer BTO desktops. Good find!

Arkham_c · Nov 1, 2003, 07:37 AM

I have a tracking number. So they are sending me SOMETHING. With the free shipping it's an amazing bargain.

Now to go order some RAM.

Arkham_c · Nov 1, 2003, 08:18 AM

Another thing worth noting is that this deal has not only the 9800 pro, but 1GB of RAM. The same machine configured at the Apple store is $3549.

Mine is estimated for delivery on Wednesday with MacConnection's free shipping for orders over $500.

I'm psyched.

kikkoman · Nov 1, 2003, 08:22 AM

My order shipped as well. Doh, I didn't realized I could get free shipping. Oh well can't really complain at this price. Should have it Monday! Wow!

Originally posted by Arkham_c:
Another thing worth noting is that this deal has not only the 9800 pro, but 1GB of RAM. The same machine configured at the Apple store is $3549.

Mine is estimated for delivery on Wednesday with MacConnection's free shipping for orders over $500.

I'm psyched.

PoisonTooth · Nov 1, 2003, 10:06 AM

I just called the sales rep and he told me it's new (probably not a refurb), and it came into their inventory as a result of a cancelled BTO order. He says everything's legit.

I have my doubts. I have this feeling that once you get the box, you'll find it's refurbed or something.

PoisonTooth · Nov 1, 2003, 10:37 AM

Well, I just ordered one. They're down to their LAST unit -- over 5 have sold this morning alone.

The rep I spoke to this time around said, without a doubt, the machines are brand new.

Tim Kosch · Nov 1, 2003, 11:04 AM

Originally posted by PoisonTooth:
I just called the sales rep and he told me it's new (probably not a refurb), and it came into their inventory as a result of a cancelled BTO order. He says everything's legit.

I have my doubts. I have this feeling that once you get the box, you'll find it's refurbed or something.

I agree. I will believe it when I see it. Mine is scheduled to arrive Tuesday.

Tim

nerd · Nov 1, 2003, 11:16 AM

I just got mine last week. Of corse I spent full price ordering from the Apple store. I hate threads like this.

That's a $1000 difference. Oh well, it'll always happen, buy something and see a better deal a week later.

Brad

iXavier · Nov 1, 2003, 12:35 PM

Only slightly similar, I used to work at a Best Buy, doing shipping and receiving, and when we had someone build to order a machine and then decide to cancel it, we got stuck selling it often for a pretty deep discount, but it was brand new.

I figure this applies to your purchase as well. Congrats on the great deal and good luck with your G5!

x.

rambo47 · Nov 1, 2003, 01:07 PM

Not to use dirty 4-letter words, but if you get sudden buyer's remorse you can probably sell it on eBay and make a few bucks to boot. Not that I'm advocating selling a Mac. Perish the thought! Personally, I'm just now getting my mind around selling my last Wall Street PowerBook. The trauma is somewhat mitigated by having a 12" G4 PowerBook and a Ti667 15". But it still ain't easy.

willab · Nov 1, 2003, 06:41 PM

I wish I had the money for one.

Superchicken · Nov 2, 2003, 03:40 PM

I remain envious...

Arkham_c · Nov 3, 2003, 10:34 AM

My G5 has arrived in town according to Airborne and is "out for delivery". When I get home I'll post some pictures if it comes today (which I assume it will).

Tim Kosch · Nov 3, 2003, 10:55 AM

Originally posted by Arkham_c:
My G5 has arrived in town according to Airborne and is "out for delivery". When I get home I'll post some pictures if it comes today (which I assume it will).

Wow, wasn't yours supposed to arrive on Wednesday? Mine is scheduled for Tuesday. I wish it would arrive early. I looked at the ground shipping map and it actually showed only one day for shipping from Ohio to Indiana.

Tim

striker100 · Nov 3, 2003, 11:00 AM

Hey kikkoman you lucky so & So (lol!)
I have one question, how did you find this great deal? I mean did you just do a search for the dual G5 on MacConnections website and this deal popped up!

Your gonna absolutely luv your dual G5 with the ATI 9800 card!!!

-Q- · Nov 3, 2003, 11:32 AM

Wow, congrats on a great deal. I'm amazed that a BTO would go for such a discount...

kikkoman · Nov 3, 2003, 12:13 PM

Originally posted by striker100:
Hey kikkoman you lucky so & So (lol!)
I have one question, how did you find this great deal? I mean did you just do a search for the dual G5 on MacConnections website and this deal popped up!

Your gonna absolutely luv your dual G5 with the ATI 9800 card!!!

I think there was a link on Powerbook Central a few days back on some refurbished G5s. I didn't see the particular system they mentioned but I saw this. I thought it had to be a mistake even for a refurb it's way too cheap but the description did not state it is refurbished. We'll find out soon enough. I should have it in hand this afternoon!

Looks like all these G5s are sold. The item number no longer anything when you search.

kikkoman · Nov 3, 2003, 12:22 PM

Hi Tim I'm in Indianapolis. I called Airborne Saturday hoping it had arrived at the local station so I could pick it up but it had not. I suffered all weekend.

Originally posted by Tim Kosch:
Wow, wasn't yours supposed to arrive on Wednesday? Mine is scheduled for Tuesday. I wish it would arrive early. I looked at the ground shipping map and it actually showed only one day for shipping from Ohio to Indiana.

Tim

PoisonTooth · Nov 3, 2003, 01:43 PM

Originally posted by kikkoman:
I think there was a link on Powerbook Central a few days back on some refurbished G5s. I didn't see the particular system they mentioned but I saw this. I thought it had to be a mistake even for a refurb it's way too cheap but the description did not state it is refurbished. We'll find out soon enough. I should have it in hand this afternoon!

Looks like all these G5s are sold. The item number no longer anything when you search.

Kikkoman, the rep I ordered from (yes, I was lucky enough to nab one of these dirt-cheap G5s) told me that they were, in fact, new machines.

I guess we'll find out soon enough. If they're refurbs, mine's going back. I've never, ever had good luck with refurb machines.

striker100 · Nov 3, 2003, 01:55 PM

I'm quite sure they will be new.
MacConnection part of PC Connection has a pretty good reputation as far as internet vendors go, I'd very highly doubt they would out & out misrepresent what they were selling.
Besides I doubt there would be refurbs with the ATI 9800 card, most refurbs are stock configurations.

Lucky Dudes!!

Arkham_c · 03:45 PM

Originally posted by Tim Kosch:
Wow, wasn't yours supposed to arrive on Wednesday? Mine is scheduled for Tuesday. I wish it would arrive early. I looked at the ground shipping map and it actually showed only one day for shipping from Ohio to Indiana.

Yes, it was supposed to come Wednesday, but my wife called and told me she signed for it and that it's waiting for me. I am thrilled.

Here is what Airborne's site says:

Code:
11/3/03   9:56 am   Delivered.                   Norcross,GA
11/3/03   5:55 am   Arrived at Airborne Station. Norcross,GA
10/31/03 11:59 pm   Picked Up by Airborne.       Shipper's Door

I used the free ground shipping.

-Q- · Nov 3, 2003, 05:50 PM

Originally posted by Arkham_c:
Yes, it was supposed to come Wednesday, but my wife called and told me she signed for it and that it's waiting for me. I am thrilled.

Here is what Airborne's site says:

Code:
11/3/03 9:56 am Delivered. Norcross,GA 11/3/03 5:55 am Arrived at Airborne Station. Norcross,GA 10/31/03 11:59 pm Picked Up by Airborne. Shipper's Door

I used the free ground shipping.

Will your wife be leaving the house any time today Arkham? Just curious...

kikkoman · Nov 3, 2003, 06:39 PM

It's here! The good news, it looks like a new machine to me. Everything came in original packaging. Confirmed it had 1 GB RAM and Radeon 9800 with System Profiler. The bad news is it does not have a modem even though the description on web site implied it did. It's not a deal breaker for me since I haven't used a modem in years but I was suprised. Maybe since these are BTO systems their actual configs vary but I'm puzzled. I comes with Jaguar so I need to install Panther...

Tim Kosch · Nov 3, 2003, 06:45 PM

Originally posted by kikkoman:
It's here! The good news, it looks like a new machine to me. Everything came in original packaging. Confirmed it had 1 GB RAM and Radeon 9800 with System Profiler. The bad news is it does not have a modem even though the description on web site implied it did. It's not a deal breaker for me since I haven't used a modem in years but I was suprised. Maybe since these are BTO systems their actual configs vary but I'm puzzled. I comes with Jaguar so I need to install Panther...

You are making me nervous. Is it "missing" anything else? Did it come with Panther?

Tim

striker100 · Nov 3, 2003, 06:49 PM

Nervous? Do you know how much the modem costs in the G5, a big $29!
I'd still say you got an unbelievable deal, you could actually make money on your machine if you wanted to.

Just consider yourself fortunate and ENJOY IT!

Nadster · 06:59 PM

The internal modem in my G4 system doesn't show up in the Apple System Profiler either. Go to the Network pane in System Preferences and see if it shows up there under Network Port Configurations.

kikkoman · Nov 3, 2003, 06:51 PM

Originally posted by Tim Kosch:
You are making me nervous. Is it "missing" anything else? Did it come with Panther?

Tim

It comes with 10.2.7 no Panther.

Tim Kosch · Nov 3, 2003, 06:58 PM

Originally posted by striker100:
Nervous? Do you know how much the modem costs in the G5, a big $29!
I'd still say you got an unbelievable deal, you could actually make money on your machine if you wanted to.

Just consider yourself fortunate and ENJOY IT!

I will enjoy it, tomorrow, when it comes in.

It didn't arrive early like I had hoped. I did however know the modems were quite inexpensive.

What is the best way to going about and getting Panther, do we qualify for a reduced, upgrade price?

I am actually glad Panther isn't installed. I would like to see if there are speed differences, etc. between Jaguar and Panther. I haven't really used OSX other than playing around with it and with Pro Tools on my TiBook.

I was happy with 9.2 and so were my trusty G3 and G4.

Tim

Nadster · Nov 3, 2003, 07:06 PM

I believe the internal modem is a BTO-only option. If it isn't present, I don't believe you can officially add it later. You may be able to get one off eBay or migrate one from an earlier machine if it is compatible with the G5.

As for Panther, I assume these machines qualify for the "free" ($19.95 for shipping) upgrade. In fact, MacConnection advertises they will reimburse you the $19.95 for all qualified machines that ship with Jaguar. Even though these machines are BTO, the base model still is the stock dual G5 2 GHz, so I'm hoping they are eligible.

kikkoman · Nov 3, 2003, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by Nadster:
The internal modem in my G4 system doesn't show up in the Apple System Profiler either. Go to the Network pane in System Preferences and see if it shows up there under Network Port Configurations.

It's definitely not there, only ethernet. There is no phone jack in the back. Just a plastic plug.

xylon · Nov 3, 2003, 09:03 PM

Originally posted by kikkoman:
It's definitely not there, only ethernet. There is no phone jack in the back. Just a plastic plug.

Did you plan on using the modem? When I was deciding on what computer to get I always configured the desktops without modems. I'm never going to use them again, everywhere I go has broadband.

Oh yeah...and I hate you guys.

Arkham_c · Nov 3, 2003, 09:30 PM

I got mine as well.

It's definitely new. I upgraded it to Panther before even booting it.

It does not have a modem. No matter, I have ways of getting one.

It's really a beautiful machine. I'll post some pictures once I get it configured.

It does definitely have the "chirp" but the CHUD tools fixed it. No OBN here (thank goodness). I am installing Quake 3 1.32 right now as well.

I am so excited I want jump for joy.

kikkoman · Nov 3, 2003, 09:59 PM

It's just nice to know it's there but I haven't used the modem in my G3 for years since I got broadband. No big deal. I installed Panther. This thing flies.

I thought it would be quieter. I can hear the fan for PCI cards or the little fan on the Radeon 9800. It produces the same amount of ambient noise as my blue & white G3. I wouldn't say it's loud, just not silent.

Overall I have no regrets. I'll keeping pay student loan each month like I've been doing all along.

Originally posted by xylon:
Did you plan on using the modem? When I was deciding on what computer to get I always configured the desktops without modems. I'm never going to use them again, everywhere I go has broadband.

Oh yeah...and I hate you guys.

striker100 · Nov 3, 2003, 10:07 PM

Yes, the G5 with the ATI 9800Pro video card is not quite as quiet as the G5 with the stock 9600Pro card.
Play a few games and you won't give a rats a**s!, you'll be thrilled with the conf. you got.
What a system!, what a price!

Arkham_c · Nov 4, 2003, 12:14 AM

Originally posted by kikkoman:
I thought it would be quieter. I can hear the fan for PCI cards or the little fan on the Radeon 9800. It produces the same amount of ambient noise as my blue & white G3. I wouldn't say it's loud, just not silent.

Really? I have a B&W G3/350 and it's louder than the G5 by a significant margin.

Oh well. I love this machine. at 1600x1200 with all options on high I got 167fps on the quake 3 timedemo.

AU_student_iceBook · Nov 4, 2003, 03:43 PM

Originally posted by Arkham_c:

It does definitely have the "chirp" but the CHUD tools fixed it. No OBN here (thank goodness). I am installing Quake 3 1.32 right now as well.

I am so excited I want jump for joy.

Can you explain the "chirp" and CHUD in more detail please?

Arkham_c · Nov 4, 2003, 04:03 PM

Originally posted by AU_student_iceBook:
Can you explain the "chirp" and CHUD in more detail please?

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/G5/G5_noise_tips.html