1ghz or dual 1.25ghz?

[beatle888]

hi people.

my friends brother wants a mac to learn graphics and record music. he looked to me for answers and i set him up with the dual 1.25 system and told him it should last him about 3years before he would want something else. i told him that a 1ghz single processor would probably last him two.

since its new to him he wants to start with the single 1ghz processor system. BUT for five hundred bucks more he can have a DUAL 1.25 :D

so my question is...will he get good use out of the single 1ghz for music (reason2 _ protools LE) or will he need the 1.25 DUAL to be a happy mac switcher? his current system is a four year old pc :D Soooooo do you think he would be happy with the single processor running the music applications?

or should i let him know that for $500 more dollars he could get a way better system....the dual 1.25.

thank you.

[WannabeSQ]

sure he will be happy with the single, but he will be MUCH happier with a dual. Pro Tools LE is fully SMP aware and works wonderfully (so I hear on the digidesign forums) If he doesn't want to front the cash for a dual 1.25 have him look for a refurb dual 1ghz or dual 867, the 867 will kill the ghz for audio.

If you really get him excited and goin for the dual 1.25 tell him that for just $500 MORE dollars he can have the dual 1.42 top of the line model. Then for just $2000 more he can get a 23" lcd.......................

[Sun Baked]

The dual is twice as fast in some of the benchmarks...

Expecially if you're talking any graphics, rendering, and/or crunching operations.

Getting a decent CRT instead of an LCD would be a better cost cutting move than dropping a CPU.

Even using the CRT he probably currently has is an even better cost cutting move.

[MacBandit]

In OSX there is no replacement for a dual. A single cpu doesn't have a chance to compete when you are running mulitple apps.

[Nipsy]

There are some Dual 867s floating around in the $1200 range, which are a better machine than the singe 1Ghz

[BJNY]

Originally posted by Nipsy
There are some Dual 867s floating around in the $1200 range

Would you direct me to where those deals are?
New? Thanks!

[scem0]

OS X + dual = :p (bliss)

try to convince him to get the dual. ;)

[slightly]

Would you direct me to where those deals are?

Try the "Special Deals" of the online Apple Store, for one (link at the bottom left of the Store page). They have a lot of refurbished stuff - no 867s at the moment, though. You can also try dealmac.com, which collates various cheap deals from various places, including Apple direct.

Matt

[Nipsy]

Originally posted by BJNY
Would you direct me to where those deals are?
New? Thanks!

I saw $1249 the other day, I believe on dealsontheweb.com.

I would recommend getting Slashdock, and adding RSS feeds for dealsontheweb, dealspree, and happy deflationist. Of course MR as well.

[Dont Hurt Me]

beatle 888 has made the case, for 500 bucks you do get a better machine by a good margin! not to confuse the issue but if he did go for the single, he could use that for a year or two and then get a upgrade card? even single 1.42 upgrade cards are almost here. either choice is good but if i could afford the dual 1.25 now i think i would get it.

[beatle888]

thank you all for your replies. i have some disappointing news. he wants the single processor to save money, yet he wants to walk into a retail store and buy the computer. i tried to get him to go through macwarehouse to get a printer and a free 512 chip of ram but he didnt want to wait. i see that as waisted money since now, he's gonna have to blow close to a hundred bucks on the chip and about a hundred and fifty on a printer PLUS no tax on the macwarehouse deal he would of saved another fifty bucks or close to it after shipping charges.

all these price hits just to walk into a retail store could of put him closer to that dual. dam oh well. I HOPE the 1ghz doesnt disappoint him.


thanks again everybody, oh and yes, he will be using his old pc monitor. thanks guys/girls.

[alset]

He'll do well, even with a single proc.

Dan

[thekaiser]

I just bought a single processor iMac. My good friend has a dual 867, and I used his for quite some time before I bought the iMac. As previously mentioned the duals balance many programs much better than my iMac. However, I am not at all dissappointed with the performance of my machine. I love it to death. Sure I wait a couple of more seconds for some things. The key word is seconds...plus I am a patient person. I am convinced a person can be happy with any Mac. Just my 2 cents.

[Dont Hurt Me]

Congrats on the new 1 gig imac, its a very nice machine. have you done any gaming on it yet? also is the fan very loud and how hot does the top get. Just wondering i dont have a apple store near me and iam planning on a imac before the end of the year.

[thekaiser]

It is a great machine. I am currently half way through Warcraft III. I run it at full resolution and it does not miss a beat. As for how hot does the top get. It does not get hot. I am currently importing a CD and it is barely warm. The fan is much much quieter than the optical drive. My dell laptop sitting next to my machine is infinetely louder than the iMac. As a switcher I could not be happier. The quality and beauty of this machine astounds me on a daily basis.

[DHagan4755]

Buying suggestion: perhaps the GHz iMac for now, then upgrade to the 970 when that arrives.

[Steradian]

if he hasn't already bought the machine yet tell him he can get a referbuished machine
Power Mac G4 1.25GHz DUAL/512MB/120GB/DVD-R/CDRW/GigE/56K - Refurbished
for $2,199.0

not bad if i say so myself....

[beatle888]

well he got a Dual 1Ghz, yes thats right 1Ghz.

it was left over and they had it out under the single 1Ghz tag. but it was a floor model....still it came with the superdrive, and a two year warrenty, better graphics card, faster system bus all for three hundred dollars more then the single processor 1Ghz. i set it up and he's most likely using it now.

one more switcher:cool:

[WannabeSQ]

Good job man, that was a killer deal to find a dual 1ghz for less than a single, considering all the extras it has on top of the dual processors.

Add one more to our team....

[caveman_uk]

I picked up a dual 1Ghz machine w/superdrive a couple of weekends ago. It cost me £1350 ($1700 when you take the tax off). Found it in the 'Reduced to Clear' section in a department store in London. Not a stellar bargain but £100 less than the same spec'd single 1Ghz machine in the UK :D