What would you pay for this PowerMac G5 I want to buy?

[mrzeve]

Mod's edit: This post is from the buyer's perspective, not a seller's.



General spec here for 1.8ghz with exceptions shown below. http://support.apple.com/kb/SP96

No keyboard or mouse included. OS/X Leopard, latest upgrade. Original disks, manual, keyboard and mouse.

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: Power Mac G5
Model Identifier: PowerMac7,2
Processor Name: PowerPC 970 (2.2)
Processor Speed: 1.8 GHz
Number Of CPUs: 2
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 2.5 GB
Bus Speed: 900 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 5.1.4f0
Serial Number: XB3471K3QES

Disk Capacity: 149.05 GB
Partition Map Type: APM (Apple Partition Map)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Verified

Graphics NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200:
Bus: AGP
ROM Revision: 2060

Wireless Card Type: AirPort Extreme (0x14E4, 0x4E)
Wireless Card Locale: USA
Wireless Card Firmware Version: Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (4.170.25.8)

Bluetooth via USB included
FireWire Bus Maximum Speed: Up to 800 Mb/sec

PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-106D:

Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +RW
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO

[tMac85]

i would think maybe 750... maybe?

it has a good amount of ram, and it does look just like a MacPro.

You could probably fool a few on craigslist. with honestly of course.:D

[mrzeve]

i would think maybe 750... maybe?

it has a good amount of ram, and it does look just like a MacPro.

You could probably fool a few on craigslist. with honestly of course.:D

I currently use a 2.4ghz and 4gb ram intel iMac at work. What kind of speed difference am I going to see with this G5?

[Aea]

I currently use a 2.4ghz and 4gb ram intel iMac at work. What kind of speed difference am I going to see with this G5?

It'll be a fair bit slower, maybe 33-40% in my opinion. It would be a great machine if you need multiple monitors (plus you can add/upgrade the GPU), the ability to upgrade the HDs (add a lot more storage), etc. Don't expect it to be too great at number crunching though. Personally I would spring for another iMac unless I needed to drive multiple monitors from one machine.

[coledog]

I would think you could get 900-1100 on Ebay.

[OrangeSVTguy]

In this reality, only $500-600 if you are lucky. One thing you should mention is is this an early or late 2004? They came out with 2 versions of the 1.8 dual, the latter having 8 memory slots and I think PCI-X? The earlier one (like mine) has PCI and only 4 slots.

Oh and looking at the model identifier, it appears that yours is the same as mine or earlier as mine is 7,3. You also have the stock optical drive and video card. You mention no keyboard and mouse included but in the same line you mention the original CDs etc and keyboard and mouse are included?

[SuperCompu2]

In this reality, only $500-600 if you are lucky. One thing you should mention is is this an early or late 2004? They came out with 2 versions of the 1.8 dual, the latter having 8 memory slots and I think PCI-X? The earlier one (like mine) has PCI and only 4 slots.

Yeah, this would really mean the difference between a 500 dollar and a potentially 900 dollar machine.

Think about it, 8 RAM slots and PCI-X, a lot more expandability and potential for the future. I think there was some sort of LB defect in the earlier one too, but I'm not 100% sure. (I might be mixing it with the B&W G3s)

I would personally pay about 600 bucks for this unit. Granted I had the need for it, didnt have my other macs, and couldn't justify a brand new machine.

*edit* looked up the PowerMac7,2 designation. This is the PCI 4 slot version.

[mrzeve]

There seems to be some confusion here. I am the buyer, not the seller! Haha, thanks for the input thus far guys, keep it coming.

[OrangeSVTguy]

There seems to be some confusion here. I am the buyer, not the seller! Haha, thanks for the input thus far guys, keep it coming.
That woulda been nice to put that in the OP :p. Anyways I'd offer $450 for it if you are buying it locally.

[coledog]

I reread the specs and mistook the (2.2) as the clock speed...saw it was 1.8, I'll update my guess to 500-700.

Is this a Craigslist listing or a buddy? Make sure if you buy it to test it out before handing out cash if it's Craigs, etc...

[Tastannin]

Yup, test, test and test! Honestly, if you are going to buy it for close to 750/so, why not go for a Macbook or even an intel iMac? Much better performance, and from previous experience, the G5 Powermac requires special brackets (if they are even still made) to install more than two (?) hard drives internally.

Still, if you are wanting the G5 for 500-600, you can get an intel Mac Mini for that price, and it'll still spank the G5. The only reason I can think you'd prefer the G5 is if you need the expansion and video card. Nothing you can get today that's considered standard for gaming (GeForce 8800 / Radeon 3870) will fit in the G5 anyways.

Save up for a Mac Pro if you can. You'll get better mileage out of it.

[coledog]

Much better performance, and from previous experience, the G5 Powermac requires special brackets (if they are even still made) to install more than two (?) hard drives internally.

Yea, they do require these little black "feet" that screw into the sides and then slide in the chassis. You can get them off Ebay easily.

It's a good idea to look for an iMac or Mini, most programs being written are for Intels and aren't compatible with the PPC Macs. Also there is no real gaming on the PPCs as there weren't many games written for them.

[mrzeve]

Is an intel mini really better then the G5? I feel like the slow drives in the minis kill the speed. Unless they upgraded them, I had a mini back when it was a G4.

I'm interested in a G5 cause I would be able to dual, and upgrade if need be. Or atleast, I thought so.

[Tastannin]

Yea, they do require these little black "feet" that screw into the sides and then slide in the chassis. You can get them off Ebay easily.

It's a good idea to look for an iMac or Mini, most programs being written are for Intels and aren't compatible with the PPC Macs. Also there is no real gaming on the PPCs as there weren't many games written for them.

The brackets I'm actually talking about are here (http://www.g5drivebracket.com/)

http://www.g5drivebracket.com/images/bracket-2.jpg

and here (http://www.wiebetech.com/products/G5Jam.php).

http://www.wiebetech.com/fonts/thumb.php?h=350&w=350&sf=/images/products//G5Jam_TM//&pic=1-G5Jam_Internal.jpg

I had the first one in my G5. Was very nice, but I think the Mac Pro's solution is more elegant (of course!).

[Tastannin]

Is an intel mini really better then the G5? I feel like the slow drives in the minis kill the speed. Unless they upgraded them, I had a mini back when it was a G4.

I'm interested in a G5 cause I would be able to dual, and upgrade if need be. Or atleast, I thought so.

Dual - dual processor? Dual drive? All new intel Macs sold by Apple today are dual processor. The only intel SP mac was the low end Core Solo 1.5 mini when it first went intel. Any Mac can have dual or more drives via Firewire/USB.

Intel Mini's are pretty fast. It's simple to open up, and trival to get an SATA cable plugged into the drive port so you can run it off an external 3.5 SATA drive. Even a 3.5 firewire external is faster. I don't know if anyone has put a Velociraptor 2.5 10k rpm drive in a Mini, but that'd be fast too. :)

I was very happy with mine, but sold it to build a quad core Hackintosh, LOL

[mgridgaway]

Is an intel mini really better then the G5? I feel like the slow drives in the minis kill the speed. Unless they upgraded them, I had a mini back when it was a G4.

I'm interested in a G5 cause I would be able to dual, and upgrade if need be. Or atleast, I thought so.

As far as video options go, certainly not. But the CPU is faster, and if Apple actually took a little interest in the Mini and upgraded the thing, I have no doubt that it would be almost completely superior to a G5... and probably cheaper.

I would consider against buying a PPC mac in general. You can probably get a decent deal, but PPC Mac's are quickly turning into dead technology, especially if the rumor holds true that Snow Leopard will be Intel only. Anything over $500 is a lot to spend on a desktop that is almost obsolete in the computing realm.

If you really want a new computer, I would suggest waiting until MacWorld and seeing if they have any good news.

And, to answer your question, I wouldn't pay a dime over $500.

[Tastannin]

As far as video options go, certainly not. But the CPU is faster, and if Apple actually took a little interest in the Mini and upgraded the thing, I have no doubt that it would be almost completely superior to a G5... and probably cheaper.

[...snip...]

If you really want a new computer, I would suggest waiting until MacWorld and seeing if they have any good news.

And, to answer your question, I wouldn't pay a dime over $500.

I agree with you here. I'm really hoping Apple will give us a new Mini at MWSF with the Nvidia 9400 integrated graphics and an eSATA port. Now that'd grab everyone's attention. :rolleyes: I can dream, can't I? I could go on and on ... LOL