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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > Dual Core 2.0 vs 2.3

Dual Core 2.0 vs 2.3 (Page 2)
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Footy
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Nov 6, 2005, 02:36 PM
 
Slim,

It's been extremely stable and very quiet. I did fork out for ECC memory but that's really just a personal preference. The 256 card is ok and it play all my games very well except Tiger Woods 2005, and that's probably more to do with the Aspry port than anything. However I would have preferred a new ATI card and as soon as they release a PCIe card I'm on it.
     
iDaver
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Nov 6, 2005, 03:11 PM
 
Originally Posted by Slimride99
I'm about to pull the trigger on the DC 2.0. Will upgrade the vid card to the 256 meg. Will buy more RAM from Crucial (see...I've been paying attention). How about you guys who have had a DC 2.0 for a little bit now - what do you think? Any problems? Are you crazy happy? I'm a tightwad and need encouragement to part with my money!
I've had my DC 2.0 for over a week now. It's pretty quiet and there are no problems at all. It's very fast. This is way more computer than I need but I'm glad I'll be set for a few years before switching to Intel. I might buy an Intel iBook in the next couple of years just for surfing on the couch, but there's no way I want to upgrade all of my pro software right away. So yes, I'm happy with the Power Mac purchase.
     
sleeper
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Nov 6, 2005, 03:23 PM
 
hi guys..

i just ordered my 2.3 last week.. and now after i read this thread make me think twice 'bout my decision..lol

do you think DC 2.3 with 2gb will come close with the old dual 2.5 with 512mb?? just wondering...

and one more thing.. i read you guys are buying rams from crucial.com.. i'm just wondering what model did you ordered for your new dual core?? DDR4200 or DDR500?

thanx.
     
iDaver
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Nov 6, 2005, 03:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by sleeper
do you think DC 2.3 with 2gb will come close with the old dual 2.5 with 512mb?? just wondering...

and one more thing.. i read you guys are buying rams from crucial.com.. i'm just wondering what model did you ordered for your new dual core?? DDR4200 or DDR500?
Chances are, your big boost in RAM will make the two seem comparable.

I got 4200 RAM, the 1GB kit that Crucial recommended; part number CT479285. Didn't think I'd need more than 1.5 GB for what I do.
     
Slimride99
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Nov 6, 2005, 08:11 PM
 
Originally Posted by iDaver
Chances are, your big boost in RAM will make the two seem comparable.

I got 4200 RAM, the 1GB kit that Crucial recommended; part number CT479285. Didn't think I'd need more than 1.5 GB for what I do.
So Daver, is that what I'll need for a DC 2.0? Are there 4 slots, and the original 512 are in pairs? So if I buy that 1 gb from Crucial and pop them in to get a total of 1.5 gb RAM?
     
iDaver
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Nov 6, 2005, 08:24 PM
 
Originally Posted by Slimride99
So Daver, is that what I'll need for a DC 2.0? Are there 4 slots, and the original 512 are in pairs? So if I buy that 1 gb from Crucial and pop them in to get a total of 1.5 gb RAM?
There are eight slots. So after adding a 1GB kit to the original 512MB (totaling to 1.5 GB) I still have four empty slots for two more future upgrades. This is a big plus over the older four-slot 2.0 GB Power Mac.
     
KarenE
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Nov 6, 2005, 10:00 PM
 
Something to consider:

If you are upgrading the 2.0's video card to the 6600 and the hard drive to match the 2.3's that raises the cost from apple to $2,125. If you are ordering from apple and there is an apple presence in your state, you have to pay sales tax. With tax for me that would come out to 2,231.25

If you order a stock 2.3 from Amazon it costs 2500 and if you order from Amazon by the 8th (IIRC) you get a $200 rebate bringing the cost to 2300 + (for me) $50 shipping, That makes the difference in cost < $120. In that case would the 2.3 be worth it over the 2.0?

- karen
     
iDaver
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Nov 6, 2005, 10:32 PM
 
Originally Posted by KarenE
Something to consider:

If you are upgrading the 2.0's video card to the 6600 and the hard drive to match the 2.3's that raises the cost from apple to $2,125. If you are ordering from apple and there is an apple presence in your state, you have to pay sales tax. With tax for me that would come out to 2,231.25

If you order a stock 2.3 from Amazon it costs 2500 and if you order from Amazon by the 8th (IIRC) you get a $200 rebate bringing the cost to 2300 + (for me) $50 shipping, That makes the difference in cost < $120. In that case would the 2.3 be worth it over the 2.0?
That's a good idea. I might have gone that route myself. I got the Airport/Bluetooth upgrade in mine but from what I understand you can add that yourself after the purchase. I paid just over $2300, nearly exactly the Amazon price you're quoting.
     
golby  (op)
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Nov 6, 2005, 11:17 PM
 
With my dev discount, the 2.0 and the 6600 w/256 came to about $1750, a 1gb stick from crucial and it still cheaper than the regular stock price of the 2.0. Getting this much machine for that price was definitely a great deal and i will have this machine for at least 2 years.
Dual Core 2.0/2.5gb/250gb/160gb/superdrive/6600
C2D Blacbook/2.0gb/120gb
     
KarenE
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Nov 6, 2005, 11:32 PM
 
I expect to keep my new Mac for about 4 years then pass it onto someone else in the family.

Assuming a 2007 for a PM switch to intel, by then the PPC and Dual Binaries will be drying up and the intel macs (and software for them) should have most of the bugs well worked out of them.

- Karen
     
darcybaston
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Nov 6, 2005, 11:43 PM
 
I've had a DC 2 for a couple weeks now and can tell you I'm having a blast! Games are great, writing music in Logic Express and Live 5 is a dream, and converting media (like mpeg1 audio muxed on my Sony cam to MP4) is VERY fast.

I only have the default config too. Once I up the ram to a gig, I'll be cruising even better.

I've had zero problems. Not a single hiccup.
     
Lateralus
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Nov 7, 2005, 12:14 AM
 
I'm surprised so many G5 owners are talking about taking their machine to 1GB or so. Not sure if you guys are noticing this, but RAM prices are at an all-time low. 512MB sticks of name brand DDR are in the $35 range.

If you're going to spend $2,000 to $3,000 on a computer, spend $200 and put in 3GBs of additional RAM.
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KarenE
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Nov 7, 2005, 12:31 AM
 
DDR2 is more expensive than that.

I just ordered 4X512 from Crucial and with tax it came to about $250. That will bring my new (yet to be ordered) Mac to 2.5 GB and I'll still have 2 open slots if I ever need more.

- Karen
     
mduell
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Nov 7, 2005, 12:37 AM
 
Originally Posted by Lateralus
I'm surprised so many G5 owners are talking about taking their machine to 1GB or so. Not sure if you guys are noticing this, but RAM prices are at an all-time low. 512MB sticks of name brand DDR are in the $35 range.

If you're going to spend $2,000 to $3,000 on a computer, spend $200 and put in 3GBs of additional RAM.
Indeed. It amazes me how many people think their CPU is slow while they're sitting there swapping all day.
I try to triple the amount of RAM I have every time I get a new computer. So far it's been 12MB -> 32MB -> 96MB -> 256MB -> 768MB -> 2GB and I can easily see my next purchase in ~3 years having 6GB.
     
Slimride99
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Nov 7, 2005, 01:55 PM
 
Originally Posted by iDaver
Chances are, your big boost in RAM will make the two seem comparable.

I got 4200 RAM, the 1GB kit that Crucial recommended; part number CT479285. Didn't think I'd need more than 1.5 GB for what I do.
Thanks for the info Daver. Weird thing...Crucial has that part # listed as the memory upgrade for a DC 2.3, but not under the 2.0. There they have an identical item for the DC 2.0, part #: CT479251, I printed out the specs and compared. Same price too.

No big deal, but maybe it'll help anyone else who gets confused when go through the recommendation process at Crucial.
     
Slimride99
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Nov 7, 2005, 02:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by Footy
Slim,

It's been extremely stable and very quiet. I did fork out for ECC memory but that's really just a personal preference. The 256 card is ok and it play all my games very well except Tiger Woods 2005, and that's probably more to do with the Aspry port than anything. However I would have preferred a new ATI card and as soon as they release a PCIe card I'm on it.
Thanks Footy, that's what I wanted to hear. I don't think I'll make it through the week without placing the order.
     
Slimride99
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Nov 7, 2005, 02:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by Footy
Slim,

It's been extremely stable and very quiet. I did fork out for ECC memory but that's really just a personal preference. The 256 card is ok and it play all my games very well except Tiger Woods 2005, and that's probably more to do with the Aspry port than anything. However I would have preferred a new ATI card and as soon as they release a PCIe card I'm on it.
Thanks Footy, that's what I wanted to hear. I don't think I'll make it through the week without placing the order.
     
Slimride99
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Nov 7, 2005, 02:03 PM
 
Originally Posted by Footy
Slim,

It's been extremely stable and very quiet. I did fork out for ECC memory but that's really just a personal preference. The 256 card is ok and it play all my games very well except Tiger Woods 2005, and that's probably more to do with the Aspry port than anything. However I would have preferred a new ATI card and as soon as they release a PCIe card I'm on it.
Thanks Footy, that's what I wanted to hear. I don't think I'll make it through the week without placing the order.
     
iDaver
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Nov 7, 2005, 02:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by Slimride99
Thanks for the info Daver. Weird thing...Crucial has that part # listed as the memory upgrade for a DC 2.3, but not under the 2.0. There they have an identical item for the DC 2.0, part #: CT479251, I printed out the specs and compared. Same price too.

No big deal, but maybe it'll help anyone else who gets confused when go through the recommendation process at Crucial.
You're correct, I noted the wrong part number, having looked it up on crucial.com and picked the wrong item, rather than looking at my invoice. I believe the RAM is the same, only difference is the documentation that comes with it. The correct Crucial part number for the dual core 2.0Ghz DDR2 Power Mac is CT479251. Apologies for the error.
     
Lateralus
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Nov 7, 2005, 09:28 PM
 
Originally Posted by KarenE
DDR2 is more expensive than that.
No, it's not. In fact, DDR2 is cheaper than DDR right now.

You just paid out the butt by ordering directly from Crucial. Check with NewEgg and ZipZoomFly. Corsair/Kingston 2x 512MB DDR2 kits are only about $75.
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darcybaston
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Nov 7, 2005, 11:32 PM
 
My user manual says I have to get RAM that conforms to JEDEC spec. What does that mean? And does Crucial offer that in what they're advertising for a DC 2GHz?
     
Footy
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Nov 7, 2005, 11:36 PM
 
Originally Posted by darcybaston
My user manual says I have to get RAM that conforms to JEDEC spec. What does that mean? And does Crucial offer that in what they're advertising for a DC 2GHz?
Read that too and though I didn't see that specific spec on the Crucial site I ordered anyway and things are just fine.
     
iDaver
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Nov 7, 2005, 11:42 PM
 
While it's true you'll usually pay more for memory at Crucial, I think I can safely say they're one of the most reliable memory vendors. If they're recommending a specific product for your computer, they're going to be right. One would assume then, that it meets the JEDEC specification.

That said, on occasion, I've bought the cheapest available RAM from other vendors and have never had any problems. It's a good idea to check the return policy before ordering.
     
Footy
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Nov 7, 2005, 11:45 PM
 
Originally Posted by iDaver
I think I can safely say they're one of the most reliable memory vendors. If they're recommending a specific product for your computer, they're going to be right. One would assume then, that it meets the JEDEC specification.
Exactly!
     
mduell
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Nov 8, 2005, 12:23 AM
 
Originally Posted by darcybaston
My user manual says I have to get RAM that conforms to JEDEC spec. What does that mean? And does Crucial offer that in what they're advertising for a DC 2GHz?
JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) is an industry group that defines standards memory operation, features, and packaging. These standards include DDR and DDR2 SDRAM.
Micron Technology, the parent company of Crucial, is a member of JEDEC and all of Crucial's RAM complies with JEDEC standards.
     
Lateralus
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Nov 8, 2005, 12:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by iDaver
While it's true you'll usually pay more for memory at Crucial, I think I can safely say they're one of the most reliable memory vendors. If they're recommending a specific product for your computer, they're going to be right.
Which is why you use Crucial.com's RAM config and then take the model numbers it comes up with to NewEgg or ZipZoomFly.
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mduell
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Nov 8, 2005, 02:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by Lateralus
Which is why you use Crucial.com's RAM config and then take the model numbers it comes up with to NewEgg or ZipZoomFly.
Buyers should note that neither Crucial nor the vendor will gaurentee compatability if you do this. The only way to get gaurenteed compatability from Crucial is to buy through the memory selector; sometimes this means higher prices than list, sometimes this means lower prices than list.
     
inkhead
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Nov 8, 2005, 05:03 PM
 
lets see.. ram can be added bought cheepier elsewhere later, processors CANNOT be changed. case closed. And yes it does make a noticable difference in speed especially for ram hungry apps like photoshop.

Get the fastest processor you can afford. RAM can be taken out replaced, and bargined at much better prices.
     
Slimride99
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Nov 9, 2005, 12:50 AM
 
I'm deciding what drive to include in my DC 2.0, either the stock 160 gb or upgrade to the 250.

Question: Does using a smaller drive for my system disk result in less lag when spinning up? I have a 300 gb internal in my current G4 and there is a 10 second wait to get that puppy going (the system is on the stock 60 gb internal).

Which leads me to another question: The 300 gb is an Seagate Ultra ATA/100 drive, will I be able to transfer that to the Serial ATA bay in the new computer? Is there a difference? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm sure there must be some difference, but are they compatible?
     
mduell
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Nov 9, 2005, 10:42 AM
 
Originally Posted by Slimride99
Question: Does using a smaller drive for my system disk result in less lag when spinning up? I have a 300 gb internal in my current G4 and there is a 10 second wait to get that puppy going (the system is on the stock 60 gb internal).

Which leads me to another question: The 300 gb is an Seagate Ultra ATA/100 drive, will I be able to transfer that to the Serial ATA bay in the new computer? Is there a difference? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm sure there must be some difference, but are they compatible?
The size of the drive shouldn't have anything to do with the time to spin up. If your drive really takes 10 sec to spin up I'd guess the drives motor isn't so great, your power supply is overloaded, or you've enabled some sort of spin up delay.

An ATA drive can be converted to SATA with a $5-10 adapter... however I've heard that the PowerMac doesn't have enough room internally for the adapter.
     
TimKG
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Nov 9, 2005, 02:10 PM
 
I have beeen reading the posts here about the deals at Amazon with great enthusiasm. With the rebate & no sales tax I can just about afford a DC 2.0.

Here is where things get sticky. I have read over on the Apple forums that in order to qualify for service & repair directly from Apple you must have purchased your Mac directly from the Apple store. Is this true ?

Thanks
Tim
     
mduell
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Nov 9, 2005, 02:52 PM
 
Originally Posted by TimKG
Here is where things get sticky. I have read over on the Apple forums that in order to qualify for service & repair directly from Apple you must have purchased your Mac directly from the Apple store. Is this true ?
Apple should warranty service & repair on all of their Macs, regardless of where you buy them (Apple Store, Amazon, Macmall, etc).
I wouldn't be surprised if they only accepted returns of Macs purchased from them; you'd have to return your Mac to the company you bought it from if you were dissatisfied with it.
     
Slimride99
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Nov 11, 2005, 08:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by mduell
The size of the drive shouldn't have anything to do with the time to spin up. If your drive really takes 10 sec to spin up I'd guess the drives motor isn't so great, your power supply is overloaded, or you've enabled some sort of spin up delay.

An ATA drive can be converted to SATA with a $5-10 adapter... however I've heard that the PowerMac doesn't have enough room internally for the adapter.
Thanks Mark, don't know what the prob w/the 300 is, but either way, I ordered the 250 with my new 2.0. Leaving the 300 in my current machine will just increase the value anyway, and I've got plenty of externals for now.

My new box doesn't ship until (estimated) Nov. 21, aaarrrggghhh! Must....stay.....calm.....

Thanks for all of the advice everyone, Mike
     
darcybaston
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Nov 12, 2005, 12:32 AM
 
Just added a gig of ram purchased from the Apple store (1.5 in the machine now) and wow...this 2GHz DC machine just came to life! Boots super fast, apps launch with great speed and games like Halo play like an even smoother dream. I love it!
     
Slimride99
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Nov 12, 2005, 03:49 PM
 
Originally Posted by darcybaston
Just added a gig of ram purchased from the Apple store (1.5 in the machine now) and wow...this 2GHz DC machine just came to life! Boots super fast, apps launch with great speed and games like Halo play like an even smoother dream. I love it!
Nice to hear. I ordered a gig from Crucial on Wednesday, it arrived yesterday (Friday) - that's pretty impressive service. Now I just need the DC to arrive from Apple so I can wrap it around the RAM.

I'm not a big gamer, but I usually will buy a state-of-the-art game when I get a new computer. Looks like I may have to pop for Doom 3, put the new box through it paces. I would imagine that with my GeForce 256MB vid card it should scream....right?
     
darcybaston
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Nov 12, 2005, 05:59 PM
 
I only have the 128 and I mean to try the demo. Hopefully it will be a nice ride.
     
KarenE
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Nov 14, 2005, 10:27 PM
 
Well I just got my new Dual G5, installed more RAM and an currently running the Extended Hardware test to make sure all is well...

The fans on this thing ARE AWFULLY noisy ... sounds almost like a vacuum cleaner... <sigh>

- Karen ( a VERY disappointed woman )
     
iDaver
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Nov 14, 2005, 10:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by KarenE
Well I just got my new Dual G5, installed more RAM and an currently running the Extended Hardware test to make sure all is well...

The fans on this thing ARE AWFULLY noisy ... sounds almost like a vacuum cleaner... <sigh>

- Karen ( a VERY disappointed woman )
The fans run full blast during the hardware test. You won't hear them much otherwise unless you're really working it.
     
darcybaston
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Nov 14, 2005, 11:41 PM
 
All I got were OS X DVDs. Is the hardware test on one of those?
     
iDaver
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Nov 14, 2005, 11:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by darcybaston
All I got were OS X DVDs. Is the hardware test on one of those?
Yes, boot from the install disc while holding the option key. The hardware test will be one of the boot options.
     
 
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