[auero]

Well I sold my Powermac G5 a month ago and I miss having a desktop. I thought that I didnt need the power and a mac book pro would fit my needs more but I was wrong. So I'll be ordering...

Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
1GB (2 x 512MB) (I'm buying an extra 2GB else where)
500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s (Somewhere else)
ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (2 x dual-link DVI)
Two 16x SuperDrives (might buy the second drive somewhere else)
Both Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and AirPort Extreme
Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple wireless Mighty Mouse - U.S. English
Mac OS X - U.S. English

Now... the screen.

I can buy 1 30" Dell (3007) or 2x 24" Dell's (2407)

I technically can also get the Apple Cinema Display but I'd have to buy those one at a time.

What would someone recommend for the screen? Space is important to me. The benefit of the 24" is that I can use it as a tv too. I'll just pick up an HD box from the cable company and connect it.

Also, is there stilla delay on the ATI cards?

[dantewaters]

I would definitely go with the 24"
Two would be a great help... Focus on ram if you
can to me that's the utmost important.

[mac128k-1984]

What are you doing that made yuo think you didn't need the horse power and with that in mind any idea of the 24" iMac may suit your needs?

It just seems a little strange to sell the G5 because you don't need the power and then you have a pretty heavy duty configuration going with the MacPro.

A small piece of advice, like the memory, I'd get the hard drives elsewhere. You can get faster drives for less then what Apple is charging.

[auero]

Well what happened was I had my G5 and bought a powerbook afterwards. I rarely touched the G5 after that but I also never got any work done (Graphic Design related). So when I went off to school, I figured I wasn't going to need the Powermac since I was always on my Powerbook and that should be able to handle everything.

Quickly I became frustrated with doing anything on my powerbook. I was used to actually working on my G5 and using my powerbook for web, chat, and time to time work.

Now I'm becoming more interested in audio editing and recording and I might reconsider changing my major back to videography. I was going to buy an iMac 24" when I got to school originally but then I started noticing the things I wouldn't have like for example optical input and output, just little dumb things that I need, want and use. If I purchased the iMac, I'd be maxing it out and then in the couple of months, I'd think the machine isn't fast enough. (I'm very impatient)

I'm probably going to switch those hard drives out and put a raptor in as the OS drive. We'll see. I have money to spend, not 6 grand of course but I'm willing to wait even a month if I have to so that I can get everything done at once.

I'd rather spend more money now at once and have a machine last me longer.

[auero]

I'm reading a lot of crappy reviews on the dell 2407 with bad colors. I'll still be doing graphic work so many the ACD 23" is better in this case?

[mduell]

Google for 23" apple pink

I'd go with the 30" Dell over two smaller displays. I never really liked the dual display thing.

[thebunny]

Yah, one 30'' is better than two 24''. 30'' has 4 billion pixels, one 24'' has 2.28 billion. I think you're better off having all 4 billion pixels on the same display. Plus, the Dell 30'' (3007) is a SIPS display and the 24'' (2407) is a PVA. SIPS is way better than PVA (better colour, better viewing angles, faster...). All Apple displays are SIPS for a reason.

[auero]

Alright I decided on a 24" and if I like it, I'll order another, if not, I'll return it for a full refund.

As far as the Mac Pro I took everyones advice.

Mac Pro
Part Number: Z0D8
Both Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and AirPort Extreme
Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple wireless Mighty Mouse - U.S. English
One 16x SuperDrive
Accessory kit
Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
1GB (2 x 512MB)
160GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
Mac OS X - U.S. English
ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (2 x dual-link DVI)

From newegg, I'll order...
2x 500GB Seagate drives (one which will contain OS X, the 160 that will come with the machine will be for windows or as a music drive)

2x 1GB RAM
1x Pioneer 16x Burner (it's only 30 bucks)

It'll come down to $4512.50 w/ screen

I may still consider just ordering the computer with a 250gb hard drive, getting 1 extra 500gb (when I get close to needing more, I'll order it) and using that money for ram instead.

Does anyone know if this is the right stuff?

Crucial Technology 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail at Newegg.com

and for a hard drive...
Seagate Barracuda ES 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Retail at Newegg.com

[jamito]

Originally Posted by auero 

I was going to buy an iMac 24" when I got to school originally but then I started noticing the things I wouldn't have like for example optical input and output, just little dumb things that I need, want and use.

Hmmm...I think you have already made up your mind, but looking here: Apple - iMac - Tech Specs, I notice that the iMac's do have optical in/out. Just thought I'd point it out.

[auero]

Originally Posted by jamito 

Hmmm...I think you have already made up your mind, but looking here: Apple - iMac - Tech Specs, I notice that the iMac's do have optical in/out. Just thought I'd point it out.

Yeah but take a look at the back of the iMac. I know its digital but it uses an analog jack.

[windows_sucks]

Originally Posted by auero 

Alright I decided on a 24" and if I like it, I'll order another, if not, I'll return it for a full refund.

As far as the Mac Pro I took everyones advice.

Mac Pro
Part Number: Z0D8
Both Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and AirPort Extreme
Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple wireless Mighty Mouse - U.S. English
One 16x SuperDrive
Accessory kit
Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
1GB (2 x 512MB)
160GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
Mac OS X - U.S. English
ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (2 x dual-link DVI)

From newegg, I'll order...
2x 500GB Seagate drives (one which will contain OS X, the 160 that will come with the machine will be for windows or as a music drive)

2x 1GB RAM
1x Pioneer 16x Burner (it's only 30 bucks)

It'll come down to $4512.50 w/ screen

I may still consider just ordering the computer with a 250gb hard drive, getting 1 extra 500gb (when I get close to needing more, I'll order it) and using that money for ram instead.

Does anyone know if this is the right stuff?

Crucial Technology 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail at Newegg.com

and for a hard drive...
Seagate Barracuda ES 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Retail at Newegg.com

Take a look into the Hitachi Drives....I think they are a few dollars cheaper than the Seagate 500Gb..The Mac Pro I ordered came with a Hitachi Drive..its a 500Gb hard drive..though it just depends on your luck what drive is installed...but Hitachi deskstars are quite an impressive drive...If you are doing video editing then I suggest you atleast get 2 Hard drives and put them in a RAID 0 config

[auero]

deskstars? you mean... deathstars... oh man I hope I dont get one...

I had one die on me I think 2 years back.

[trevorM]

Get 1x30" - its the way to go.

I have a 30" ACD and would always prefer that over 2 24's...

The only advantage I think to two displays is when you are running an application like protools that really is suited to 2 displays.

[jamito]

Originally Posted by auero 

Yeah but take a look at the back of the iMac. I know its digital but it uses an analog jack.

Ok...I did notice that. I looked, and it uses a toslink cable to get digital in/out (which you can buy from Apple directly or other electronics stores). From Apple's Support site: iMac (Late 2006): External Ports and Connectors

"Optical audio input is SPDIF format and uses a standard Toslink cable with a Toslink mini-plug adapter, accepting up to 24-bit stereo and 44.1-96kHz sampling rate."

I'm not a audio person, but does that special connection degrade the audio quality?

[jamil5454]

Originally Posted by jamito 

Ok...I did notice that. I looked, and it uses a toslink cable to get digital in/out (which you can buy from Apple directly or other electronics stores). From Apple's Support site: iMac (Late 2006): External Ports and Connectors

"Optical audio input is SPDIF format and uses a standard Toslink cable with a Toslink mini-plug adapter, accepting up to 24-bit stereo and 44.1-96kHz sampling rate."

I'm not a audio person, but does that special connection degrade the audio quality?

No, digital is digital and optical is optical. The audio ports on the back of the iMac are hybrid digital/analog. The digital sensor is at the far back, inside the port while the analog part, like any other headphone jack has the analog connections for L and R channels on the sides. So all you really need is just a physical adapter.

To the OP:
You've got to pick a machine and force yourself to stick with it, otherwise you'll keep upgrading every few months and never be happy with the setup you have. Perhaps a MacBook Pro + external monitor at home would be the best solution. Maybe a Mac Pro.

I know because I'm the same way. I've gone through 5 different systems as my "main" machine during the last 4 years. I decided that I need to stop wasting my time worrying about what I have and what I want and start actually using the computer. Then again, you might have the funds to upgrade every few months.

[Cadaver]

Originally Posted by auero 

Does anyone know if this is the right stuff?

Crucial Technology 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail at Newegg.com

No. That is most definitely the wrong stuff.

The Mac Pro requires fully buffered (FB) DIMMs with a high-capacity heatsink. Check out OWC or Crucial's own website for Mac Pro-specific RAM.