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ibookin'

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 7, 2002
1,164
0
Los Angeles, CA
I would like to buy a Power Mac at some point to replace me AMD Athlon 1700+ with 768MB DDR 333, GeForce 4, etc. I do not need the Power Mac immediately, but have been wanting a desktop mac (I have a 500Mhz IceBook) and Altivec/Quartz Extreme, etc. I would also like the machine I buy to last 2.5 to 3 years, as I will probably spend $2500+ on the thing.

I have two questions:
1. Should I buy a Power Mac now or wait for the PowerPC 970-based Macs to come out?
2. How will the current Power Mac compare to my Athlon? Will it feel as snappy just running the OS? My iBook cannot touch my PC in terms of resizing windows, scrolling, and other UI elements.

Your comments are appreciated.
 

Tiauguinho

macrumors 6502a
Mar 5, 2002
647
0
The Netherlands
Hmmm... Thats a very good question. These new PowerMacs are a very sweet machine and probably very but very powerfull. If you dont have any need to go for a Powermac now, then i would wait for the PPC970, but you have to think that this new chip will probably just arrive in 6 to 7 months... Im a very proud owner of a QuickSilver DP 1Ghz and I found my machine to be very fast! You have to see what would be the best buy for you (to wait or not to way, that is the question...), but the new PowerMac is a wonderfull Machine!
 

Bear

macrumors G3
Jul 23, 2002
8,088
5
Sol III - Terra
How far are you from an Apple Store? Or some other store that carries Macs?

I would recommend going to an Apple store and playing with a machine there.

This will answer your questions about snappy-ness.

The question on whether you should wait depends on how long you're really willing to wait for a PowerMac.

Based on what we know, the 970 based PowerMacs will probably be introduced late summer - maybe as late as October. Then add another month or two of leadtime before they ship based on past announcements. They may ship almost immediatly, but who knows.
 

ibookin'

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 7, 2002
1,164
0
Los Angeles, CA
Originally posted by Bear
How far are you from an Apple Store? Or some other store that carries Macs?

I live in Los Angeles. There are four Apple Stores within the area (Glendale, The Grove, Pasadena, Northridge). I'll have to go check out the machines.
 

MacFan25

macrumors 68000
Jan 5, 2003
1,624
0
USA
I think that if I were you, I would wait until the 970. But the only thing is, will the 970 PowerMac be more expensive than the G4 PowerMac. I am guessing that the 970 will be more expensive. So, do you think you could wait until the 970 comes out?
 

Chad

macrumors member
Jan 20, 2003
39
0
I am replacing a 1700 also and havent had a mac in a long time
as I have been working with PCs in a PC world ;)

my wife works in a mac world though

the price has come down enough for me to get one

yes I will take a performance hit but it will be fun to drive ;)

I will also build another box in the next few months for the pc side in the form of a dual xeon there are some programs for raw camera files only on the PC
yes I am sure the PC will be faster but for doing some work I dont care ;)

if you wait for the next thing you will always be waiting

the Macs hold there value so well, even with jumps in chips etc... its a safe bet to buy then resell a bit later and get the new chip when it comes out

other reasons I am getting one I miss the old mac days
I am burnt out on puters I am 39 and still have a few puters to tinker with but just want to have a nice computer nice interface etc...

also MS is getting out of hand with there products and what they are doing to other companies etc....
there talk of making the re OS and office subscription base etc... are scary ideas
the way they have to try to spy on you and gather info is scary etc...


I have been fighting some weird probs with my main PC and windows with its horrid DLL ideas and coruption of programs etc...

I ghost off images etc.. to have fresh installs every few months
but I hate trying a program deciding I dont want it then it never really removes out of my registry or has hidden files in places etc..
after a while the PC runs like crap etc....

I expect PCS to crash as I expect Macs to crash or lock up

no big it happens once in a while

what I dont like is the way windows falls apart on itself

I am a pro photographer and use computers and just got out of doing webdev for 6 years

time to sit back and drive a nice car (Computer)


my thoughts ;)

get it enjoy it then sell it when the new chips come out ;)
 

GeneR

macrumors 6502a
Jan 2, 2003
708
0
The land of delusions, CA.
I think you need to go visit an Apple Store.

I agree with the above quotes... why not go to an Apple store and check out the different models? It might make the difference between "If" "Now or Later"... take a lot of the confusion out of it.

P.S. Isn't your girlfriend, ubergeek? If so, shouldn't you ask her? Don't want you to start a three-way-triangle thing here with you, her, and the macrumors people. j/k! :D

Check out the Apple Stores... They're fun.
 

ibookin'

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 7, 2002
1,164
0
Los Angeles, CA
Originally posted by Chad
yes I will take a performance hit but it will be fun to drive ;)

That is the same way I feel about my iBook. It is not as fast as my desktop PC, but I like it a lot more because it is simply a better-designed computer.
 

Chad

macrumors member
Jan 20, 2003
39
0
Originally posted by Kid Red
Wait for the next update this fall

I would say if you have a mac now then yes if you dont then jump in and get going now

you will always be waiting for the next new thing if you wait by the time they come out then we will know what is around the corner so then wait again and so on and so on
 

janey

macrumors 603
Dec 20, 2002
5,316
0
sunny los angeles
Originally posted by ibookin'@mwny


I live in Los Angeles. There are four Apple Stores within the area (Glendale, The Grove, Pasadena, Northridge). I'll have to go check out the machines.

God, Josh. You live in Los Gatos not Los Angeles ;)

Don't buy one. I got you a nice 1.42ghz Power Mac with your favorite 23" Cinema Display for our two month anniversary :rolleyes:
 

rainman::|:|

macrumors 603
Feb 2, 2002
5,438
2
iowa
Originally posted by Chad


I would say if you have a mac now then yes if you dont then jump in and get going now

you will always be waiting for the next new thing if you wait by the time they come out then we will know what is around the corner so then wait again and so on and so on

Normally, i'd agree with you, but in this case... we're talking about not just a chip revision, or speedbump, but an entirely new chip, so it might actually be worth the wait. i got an iMac not long before the G4 was released, and i wished i had waited...

it all comes down to whether or not you're happy with the performance of the current line. let us know what you think of the new ones. if it's faster than your current machine, go for it. if it feels sluggish enough that you're uncomfortable with it, perhaps you should wait. you're going to be using this machine for a while, so you have to make sure you won't regret the purchase and replacement of your current machine...

pnw
 

Chad

macrumors member
Jan 20, 2003
39
0
very true about the new chip
but they are not even built yet ???
even they say maybe 3rd quarter ???
we may see it we may not
how long have the G5 rumours been floating ???

on a chip that is not out yet that is a long wait bargain

again if you have a mac and are happy then wait if you dont have a mac and want one then jump in

I worked for HP as a marketing and trainer for stores such as CompUSA etc....
I was playing with stuff 4 years ago that is now coming out

if the new chip was there and they were ramping it and people had working models of it to test etc.. and they said we will have them by 2nd quarter I would say wait
the fact is they say MAYBE 3rd quarter which means end of the quarter so I could be wrong but we may not see them until next christmas ???

again just my perspective from beeing in the know in the past with issues etc..

and I do respect your opinion and think its good to hear both sides ;)

I also might be coming from a dif point

Imac type home users etc.. I would say sure wait no prob

the towers are for a dif kind of person where money is time etc...

again just a dif perspective :)
 

BWhaler

macrumors 68040
Jan 8, 2003
3,788
6,244
This is a tough question to answer since your purchase seems more desire based than you have a specific need which is not being met. Technically, you can wait for some time, but being a switcher myself, I understand the desire to change.

The only thing I would throw into the mix for your consideration is the reminder that there has been zero--absolutely no--confirmation from Apple that they are moving to the 970 chip.

The Mac boards take this CPU change for granted, and only debate the "when." It wasn't too long ago everyone was frothing over the move to AMD.

Yes, Apple needs to do something to get their hardware to the next level and for some parity with the PC world, but the 970 is only our collective best guess--a guessby people who don't work at Apple.

Have you considered a more middle of the road path, and considered the IMac? It should be upgraded within 4-6 weeks, and will cost you about half what a PowerMac will run you. This way, you can have the Mac desktop today, plus some money left over for a future PowerMac purchase based on the 970 chip--or whatever the next generation is--in the next couple of years.

Don't know if this was any help, but good luck with your decision.

--BWhaler
 

MacsRgr8

macrumors G3
Sep 8, 2002
8,283
1,749
The Netherlands
Same problem...

I face the same problem... I currently own a G4 400 (lots of RAM and a good grfx card) at home, and I use a dual 533 at work. I notice a major speed difference between the two, so I am thinking about buying the new dual 1.25 for at home.
BUT.... If the 970 comes out in about 6 months, then I really would be kicking myself!
The problem is that we don't actually know if and when Apple will be using thes procs. And if Apple did sell them, will these new PM be affordable? I'm thinking about this purchase because these new duals are pretty cheap, and I'm tired of waiting for .... well.... maybe nothing. Maybe MWSF 2004 will be the time and place for PM 970, and maybe only the top model will use it for a stunning $ 5,000.
So, hell with it.
I'm going to buy me one this weekend, and I'm gonna enjoy it for the coming 6 months!
 

neonart

macrumors 65816
Sep 4, 2002
1,066
67
Near a Mac since 1993.
Two things I think are slightly important:

First, I think this new Powermac lineup is definitely an indication of the PPC970 on the way. Apple has lowered prices, making it very tempting to hold back. This way sales are not reduced by people thinking of the next best thing, and they feed the need to release revisions.
Second. Some of you have noted how these PC's feel snappier than iBooks and other machines. Weird thing is that Windows in general will always "feel" faster than OSX. Windows has a lot less of the fluid feel os X making feel snappier, but X feels pleasant to use and inviting. Test application performance, not window resize performance or other OS based tests that don't make the machine actually faster. Run the Apps you want on both and see if that's ok.
Check the Apple store. I was blow away by how fast DP1.25's were last time I went.
 

superfula

macrumors 6502
Mar 17, 2002
319
2
Originally posted by Chad
very true about the new chip
but they are not even built yet ???
even they say maybe 3rd quarter ???
we may see it we may not
how long have the G5 rumours been floating ???

on a chip that is not out yet that is a long wait bargain

again if you have a mac and are happy then wait if you dont have a mac and want one then jump in

I worked for HP as a marketing and trainer for stores such as CompUSA etc....
I was playing with stuff 4 years ago that is now coming out

if the new chip was there and they were ramping it and people had working models of it to test etc.. and they said we will have them by 2nd quarter I would say wait
the fact is they say MAYBE 3rd quarter which means end of the quarter so I could be wrong but we may not see them until next christmas ???

again just my perspective from beeing in the know in the past with issues etc..

and I do respect your opinion and think its good to hear both sides ;)

I also might be coming from a dif point

Imac type home users etc.. I would say sure wait no prob

the towers are for a dif kind of person where money is time etc...

again just a dif perspective :)

I agree. Who knows when the 970 chip will come in Pmacs. I would bet there is another G4 update in the PMac line this year (august), then 970 will be release at MWSF next Jan. Just a guess. But you can bet if Steve doesn't announce anything at MWNY this summer, there will be no 970 chip in anything this year. As big of a release as this is, you can bet he will do a speal on it at a MW.

So, the question is, do you need it? I'm buying now, and I don't really need it. I just need to get rid of this blasted pc. And if the 970 does come out in August, I'll be keeping a bit more in savings so I can sell the new pmac I'm getting next week and go for the 970. But I really don't see the 970 happening until next Jan/Feb.
 

syco

macrumors member
Jul 31, 2002
69
0
Here's my dilemna. I currently own a Beige G3/233 MHz that I've been upgrading for a while. Its got a CDRW SCSI drive, 544 MB of RAM, an IXmicro graphics card, and a USB card. Just one week ago, I added an ATI Radeon 7000 and a DVD drive. I've been getting money from a job I have, and I have about $700 saved up. I want the DP 1.25 GHz G4 and a 22" Cinema (yes 22", not 20"). I'm thinking about getting an RMA from OWC for the DVD drive and Radeon, getting about $130 back. Then, I'll sell my G3 and 17" Multiple Scan on eBay for the $400 or $500 I'll get for it (any offers, email: syco@wonderwarp.com). Then, my parents'll loan me the money for the remainder.

I'm not waiting for the 970, because 1) there isnt confirmation that it actually is coming, 2) the last time Apple debuted a new chip, there were problems with speed and pricing, and 3) I want Jaguar now. :D
 

MacsRgr8

macrumors G3
Sep 8, 2002
8,283
1,749
The Netherlands
Originally posted by syco

I'm not waiting for the 970, because 1) there isnt confirmation that it actually is coming, 2) the last time Apple debuted a new chip, there were problems with speed and pricing, and 3) I want Jaguar now. :D

Go for it, friend! And enjoy!
 

syco

macrumors member
Jul 31, 2002
69
0
W00t!

I have a thread in the "For Sale/Thread" advertising my Beige G3 if anyone wants to go see it. Don't hesitate to buy it. :D :D
 
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