Switching to PPC from high end workstation. Help?

[MisterKeeks]

Originally Posted by lucasfer899

Likely not, do you think this would be an issue?

It's a liquid cooled power sucker, so maybe.

Originally Posted by lucasfer899

I'm sure I've had/known louder :3

Maybe. Maybe not.

Originally Posted by lucasfer899

Thank you! I never would've found this.

You probably would have. See image.

Originally Posted by lucasfer899

Thank you very much for this too, gotta love a bit of teamspeak, right?

I don't know, I've never used it.

Originally Posted by lucasfer899

Thank you, I'm not bothered which version, as long as it works ^.^

It still does. I'm a little surprised.

[lucasfer899]

Originally Posted by MisterKeeks

It's a liquid cooled power sucker, so maybe.

Maybe. Maybe not.

You probably would have. See image.

I don't know, I've never used it.

It still does. I'm a little surprised.

Thanks for all your help!
Which is the best GPU of which I can put two of in the G5?

Originally Posted by Wildy

What's wrong with the way Windows handles multiple displays? Is it worth buying an entire new computer just because of this?

No, not just for this, it is also because I have always wanted a G5, and am not happy AT ALL with any of my windows experiences.

Originally Posted by rabidz7

It has 2 X4 slots 1 X8 slot and 1 X16 slot. the best card is a flashed 7800 GTX.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Lil Chillbil

what about if someone were to develop a pci card that you could pop a intel core i3 cpu into the cpu slot on the card and then use that to emulate any intel software and the g5 for general power

no. I dont even want to elaborate.

[Consultant]

PowerMac G5 is many years old.

You can get an Intel Mac Pro for not much more than that.

For example, you can get a refurbished Apple Mac Pro Xeon Quad 2.66GHz Workstation for under $600 from a third party computer store when on sale.

[jchase2057]

Originally Posted by Consultant

PowerMac G5 is many years old.

You can get an Intel Mac Pro for not much more than that.

For example, you can get a refurbished Apple Mac Pro Xeon Quad 2.66GHz Workstation for under $600 from a third party computer store when on sale.

I have to agree. A G5 quad is great, but if you need a workstation then a gen 1 mac pro makes a lot more sense. PPC is great for hobbyist or light use. When you want to get work done and be productive then an intel mac or windows is your best bet.

[lucasfer899]

Originally Posted by Wildy

I fee like a pompous arse, but seriously guys, knock it off. This thread has been completely de-railed with talk about whether it's possible to run 10.8 on QEMU - nothing like what the OP asked for. The same has happened to at least two of my threads and countless other's.

If you want to discuss this, set up a controversial discussion thread or something - don't derail someone else's thread.

Sorry for the rant.

Fair enough then. I'm afraid I can't offer much advice on hardware as my G5 got dropped on its head by the delivery man.

Ouch, sorry to hear how ludicrously badly the shipping firms handle our stuff.

Originally Posted by Consultant

PowerMac G5 is many years old.

You can get an Intel Mac Pro for not much more than that.

For example, you can get a refurbished Apple Mac Pro Xeon Quad 2.66GHz Workstation for under $600 from a third party computer store when on sale.

Did you not read my post? Why do people always feel the need to barge into a PPC thread blabbing about intel?


Some people need to be reminded of the rules:

Originally Posted by MACRUMORS FAQ:

Debate

Guidelines: Be willing to engage in fact-based, constructive debate. Look for ways to inform and learn from others.

Rules:

1)Sources. If you make claims of fact but don't cite sources when requested, the posts may be removed. If you started the thread then the thread may be closed or removed.

2)Repetition. If you repeat the same claims without adding new information, the posts may be removed. If you started the thread then the thread may be closed or removed.

3)Trolling. Posts that appear to be designed to cause argument or irritate rather than contribute to a constructive discussion are considered trolling and will be treated as such.

4)Duplicate discussions. If a new thread repeats a topic that has been previously discussed or debated, without basis for a separate discussion, the thread may be closed, removed, or merged into an earlier thread on the same topic. A news report on a previously discussed issue doesn't automatically deserve a new thread.

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Originally Posted by jchase2057

I have to agree. A G5 quad is great, but if you need a workstation then a gen 1 mac pro makes a lot more sense. PPC is great for hobbyist or light use. When you want to get work done and be productive then an intel mac or windows is your best bet.

I see where you're coming from with the whole mac pro thing, but I've always wanted a G5, and if I don't like it I can just sell it, and drop a few more quid on an Intel machine.
However, the G5 isnt great for "just" hobbyist or light use, it is still so much more than that, being very capable of everything a modern machine is capable of (minus a few things, I'll admit), in some cases faster at it, and in some cases MUCH slower.

[jchase2057]

When you title a thread with high end workstation then people assume that you need a machine that will just work without hassle. Obviously this is not the case. If you insist on PPC the quad is fantastic. Specs wise it is very capable. The problem is software and OS support.

[lucasfer899]

Originally Posted by jchase2057

When you title a thread with high end workstation then people assume that you need a machine that will just work without hassle. Obviously this is not the case. If you insist on PPC the quad is fantastic. Specs wise it is very capable. The problem is software and OS support.

In my eyes, reading through this thread, ALL of the things I need and want to do, are possible on a G5, within 10.5, therefore this is quite hassle free.

[jchase2057]

Originally Posted by lucasfer899

In my eyes, reading through this thread, ALL of the things I need and want to do, are possible on a G5, within 10.5, therefore this is quite hassle free.

Then I say go for it. I held onto PPC for a very long time. I have a sawtooth that I have more money in than I'd like to admit. I can do what I need to do on it, but not at the same level that I can on intel. I wish you luck and enjoy seeing PPC being kept alive.

[lucasfer899]

Originally Posted by jchase2057

Then I say go for it. I held onto PPC for a very long time. I have a sawtooth that I have more money in than I'd like to admit. I can do what I need to do on it, but not at the same level that I can on intel. I wish you luck and enjoy seeing PPC being kept alive.

Woo! I have a sawtooth too, and I can tell you now, the G5 quad, and almost any G5 stomps all over the sawtooth. The sawtooth can no way keep up with todays world.

Whatcha mean you have more money in it than you'd like to admit?
Like, you're storing money in there?

[jchase2057]

Originally Posted by lucasfer899

Woo! I have a sawtooth too, and I can tell you now, the G5 quad, and almost any G5 stomps all over the sawtooth. The sawtooth can no way keep up with todays world.

Whatcha mean you have more money in it thank you'd like to admit?
Like, you're storing money in there?

I mean in upgrades lol. I have a 9800 pro, 2 gb ram, currently a 1.4ghz sonnet upgrade, sata pci card with a 1tb drive. Obviously a G5 quad would smoke it, but my point is I'm a big PPC fan. And that a 1,1 Mac Pro will smoke any G5 for not much more money .

[MisterKeeks]

Mac Pros (even the 1,1 models) cost significantly more, so if it meets his needs, no reason to upgrade.

[Lil Chillbil]

Originally Posted by MisterKeeks

Mac Pros (even the 1,1 models) cost significantly more, so if it meets his needs, no reason to upgrade.

yeah but the question is, how long until the g5 doesn't meet his needs vs. the mac pro. He can upgrade literally everything in a mac pro, he is limited by the g5. Its $800 for a mac pro 1,1

if he buys the g5 for $300 and then tries to get it up to similar specs of a mac pro, he could of bought the mac pro in the first place. And the mac pro is still expandable at that level whist the g5 is not

[MisterKeeks]

Originally Posted by Lil Chillbil

yeah but the question is, how long until the g5 doesn't meet his needs vs. the mac pro

Based on his needs, the Quad does everything he needs it too, and will for some time. He will also have the old PC and the Macbook to fall back on.

Originally Posted by Lil Chillbil

He can upgrade literally everything in a mac pro, he is limited by the g5.

Only difference is lack of processor upgrades.

[maflynn]

[MOD NOTE]
Thread closed for review and possible clean up

The thread has been re-opened, now stay on topic.

[lucasfer899]

Originally Posted by jchase2057

I mean in upgrades lol. I have a 9800 pro, 2 gb ram, currently a 1.4ghz sonnet upgrade, sata pci card with a 1tb drive. Obviously a G5 quad would smoke it, but my point is I'm a big PPC fan. And that a 1,1 Mac Pro will smoke any G5 for not much more money .

Oh wow, you really have ploughed some serious money into her. Awesome!

Originally Posted by MisterKeeks

Mac Pros (even the 1,1 models) cost significantly more, so if it meets his needs, no reason to upgrade.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Lil Chillbil

yeah but the question is, how long until the g5 doesn't meet his needs vs. the mac pro. He can upgrade literally everything in a mac pro, he is limited by the g5. Its $800 for a mac pro 1,1

if he buys the g5 for $300 and then tries to get it up to similar specs of a mac pro, he could of bought the mac pro in the first place. And the mac pro is still expandable at that level whist the g5 is not

How long, either way, it will be very long. I don't need insane graphics performance, looking at what I'll be doing, I just need a workstation that can drive a ton of displays, and I can configure a PCIe G5 to drive 8 displays.

Again, 1,1 mac pros are now locked at 10.7, I know you can get 10.8 on them with a bit of twisting, but lets be honest, they've come to the end of the road. I know I could do far more upgrades to a mac pro, but do I need to?! And by the time either of these machines does not meet my needs, (a long time) I will be on less of a budget and will likely be able to drop 3k+ on a setup.

Originally Posted by MisterKeeks

Based on his needs, the Quad does everything he needs it too, and will for some time. He will also have the old PC and the Macbook to fall back on.

Only difference is lack of processor upgrades.

The quad does, so why do I keep being told to go for a mac pro? The cheapest mac pro I can find is £500~ish more than the Quad G5 I'm looking at.

Originally Posted by maflynn

[MOD NOTE]
Thread closed for review and possible clean up

The thread has been re-opened, now stay on topic.

Saw this one coming.

[PowerPCMacMan]

Once again... naysayers are at it again. My recommendation would be a dual-core G5 or the Quad, but be sure its the single pump and not the dual. Others will say dual is better, but from what I have read and researched on Apple's forums, the single pump G5 Quads of May 2006-August 2006 were more reliable.

Originally Posted by lucasfer899

Ouch, sorry to hear how ludicrously badly the shipping firms handle our stuff.



Did you not read my post? Why do people always feel the need to barge into a PPC thread blabbing about intel?


Some people need to be reminded of the rules:



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I see where you're coming from with the whole mac pro thing, but I've always wanted a G5, and if I don't like it I can just sell it, and drop a few more quid on an Intel machine.
However, the G5 isnt great for "just" hobbyist or light use, it is still so much more than that, being very capable of everything a modern machine is capable of (minus a few things, I'll admit), in some cases faster at it, and in some cases MUCH slower.

[Wildy]

Make sure you give it a thorough cleanout when you get it, as many of them have never seen a wash in their lives (figuratively speaking of course). Other than the fact dust can cause short circuits and component damage - everything will be a lot cooler and thus a lot quieter. I'm sure you already knew this though - just be a aware that these things can get really grubby inside if they've never been cleaned.

[lucasfer899]

Originally Posted by Wildy

Make sure you give it a thorough cleanout when you get it, as many of them have never seen a wash in their lives (figuratively speaking of course). Other than the fact dust can cause short circuits and component damage - everything will be a lot cooler and thus a lot quieter. I'm sure you already knew this though - just be a aware that these things can get really grubby inside if they've never been cleaned.

Thank you for the heads up, I am well aware of this however, the condition that some of the graphics cards I've bought in the past from ebay, is at best disgraceful. In the past, I've taken the shroud off, and there's literally 1cm of dust packed against the heatsink.

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Thank you everyone so much for your help, I was wondering however, how does the Geforce 6600 perform? I like the look of it, because it runs two displays and is onely one slot tall, therefore I can pack 4 of them into this system, if I do ever eventually gain 8 displays. (At this rate, very soon)

I am also interested in some sort of external raid, it doesnt have to be the latest thing, nor does it need to have loads of space, but I would like it to be a bit nippy, what kind of expansion card would I need to stick in a PCIe G5, for say, apples xserve raid? Or what are some other good external fiber channel type mass hard drive solutions? Thanks.

I kinda want something that can take a load of drives, however I wont be loading it up straight away, as over time I seem to accumulate more and more HDD's from peoples old systems that they give to me. I get the occasional job lot from some local places.

[Giuly]

Just for comparison.

[lucasfer899]

Originally Posted by Giuly

Image
Just for comparison.

Okay, Imma make up a chart here: I need some major stuff, like support for 4 displays, and I'm ever expanding my setup.

G5:
Support for up to 8 displays: Yep
Native Optical Audio in and out: Yes
Dual Gigabit ethernet (which i need): Yes
Hard drive expandability: Yes
Easy to upgrade major components and not just RAM: Yes
Support for fiber channel: Yes
Supports all the software I need and want: Yes
Superdrive (which I actually use, ALOT): Yes
Security Lock, so I can bolt it to the rafters of my house like all my PC's are: Yes!!!
Firewire400: Yes


Mini:
Support for up to 8 displays: Nope. Just two, and two displays, really doesn't cut it for my workflow.
Native Optical Audio in and out: Hi there, TOSlink.
Dual Gigabit ethernet (which i need): No, however thunderbolt options are available.
Hard drive expandability: No.
Easy to upgrade major components and not just RAM: No.
Support for fiber channel: No, thunderbolt.
Supports all the software I need and want: Yes
Superdrive (which I actually use, ALOT): Nope, £80 please.
Security Lock, so I can bolt it to the rafters of my house like all my PC's are: Nah, who wants to lock their hardware down?
Firewire400: Nope

Okay, so the mini can do all the stuff I NEED it to, but now how I want it to, and the G5 fulfills that nicely, I know you were just putting that there for reference but I prefer to have a proper workstation, supporting everything I need and want natively.

All that geekbench truly does is measures the performance of your CPU and ram.
And here is how the G5 does:

[Giuly]

Originally Posted by lucasfer899

Mini:
Support for up to 8 displays: Nope. Just two, and two displays, really doesn't cut it for my workflow. (Of course it does. Three out of the box via Thunderbolt and HDMI, plus as many as you want via this.)
Native Optical Audio in and out: Hi there, TOSlink.
Dual Gigabit ethernet (which i need): No, however thunderbolt options are available.
Hard drive expandability: No. (Yes, via Thunderbolt)
Easy to upgrade major components and not just RAM: No. (More powerful GPU than the one you can possibly install in a G5: Yes. Hard drives see above.)
Support for fiber channel: No, thunderbolt. (Technically yes, via PCIe cards in a Thunderbolt enclosure)
Supports all the software I need and want: Yes
Superdrive (which I actually use, ALOT): Nope, £80 please. (Get a random $10 USB 2.0 DVD writer)
Security Lock, so I can bolt it to the rafters of my house like all my PC's are: Nah, who wants to lock their hardware down? (It has a provision for Kensington Lock and you can bolt it to rafters as well, including a 'Theft-deterrent locking mechanism')
Firewire400: Nope (Sure, via a FW800-to-FW400 adapter)

Keep in mind that Thunderbolt is just PCIe, attached externally via a cable.

[lucasfer899]

Originally Posted by Giuly

Support for up to 8 displays: Nope. Just two, and two displays, really doesn't cut it for my workflow. (Of course it does. Three out of the box via Thunderbolt and HDMI, plus as much as you want via this.)

Yes, however, still doesn't add up to 8, and performance is seriously lacking.
How two by thunderbolt?

Originally Posted by Giuly

Native Optical Audio in and out: Hi there, TOSlink.
Dual Gigabit ethernet (which i need): No, however thunderbolt options are available.

Using up thnderbolt ports, of which I can't spare, due to monitor restrictions.

Originally Posted by Giuly

Hard drive expandability: No. (Yes, via Thunderbolt)

Again, thunderbolt is tight, because of display.
I know I can daisy chain, but I don't want to have to.

Originally Posted by Giuly

Easy to upgrade major components and not just RAM: No. (More powerful GPU than the one you can possibly install in a G5: Yes. Hard drives see above.)

Intel HD 4000 is no way more powerful than a 7800GTX.

Originally Posted by Giuly

Support for fiber channel: No, thunderbolt.
Supports all the software I need and want: Yes
Superdrive (which I actually use, ALOT): Nope, £80 please. (Get a random $10 USB 2.0 DVD writer)

$10 DVD writer = more mess

Originally Posted by Giuly

Security Lock, so I can bolt it to the rafters of my house like all my PC's are: Nah, who wants to lock their hardware down? (It has a provision for Kensington Lock and you can bolt it to rafters as well, including a 'Theft-deterrent locking mechanism')

I don't want to bolt the mac mini directly to the floor. I use long kensington locks, thanks.

Originally Posted by Giuly

Firewire400: Nope (Sure, via the Thunderbolt adapter and an FW800-to-FW400 cable)

Again, thunderbolt, and two adapters daisy chained?!
There are no thunderbolt hubs/splitters (to my knowledge), therefore I wouldnt even be able to connect all of these devices at once, to even be able to compare up to the expandability of a G5. Also, even one external HDD enclosure with thunderbolt and a substantial amount of drive sleds costs usually more than a G5!

Going the mac mini route would be very messy, and far more complicated then just using a G5.

Those usb DVI adapters aren't that great of a solution, I.E, for 8 displays:
1x Mini displayport into the thunderbolt, 1x HDMI to DVI, 6x USB to DVI. But the mac mini doesnt even have 6 usb ports, let alone would it's tiny PSU be able to output enough power for all of them.

[jchase2057]

Guys, he wants a G5. What we think is the best bang for the buck doesn't matter at this point. With that said, I too say get the single pump quad. More reliable based on all of the ones that I have come across.

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Originally Posted by lucasfer899

Going the mac mini route would be very messy, and far more complicated then just using a G5.

Those usb DVI adapters aren't that great of a solution, I.E, for 8 displays:
1x Mini displayport into the thunderbolt, 1x HDMI to DVI, 6x USB to DVI. But the mac mini doesnt even have 6 usb ports, let alone would it's tiny PSU be able to output enough power for all of them.

If 8 monitors are needed then a full on workstation is a must.

[Wildy]

I am curious - what on earth do you do with your eight monitors?! I most I've ever seen utilized on a workstation was a guy at work who somehow managed to convince tech to give him six monitors.

[jchase2057]

I see it a lot. When doing remote support you can never have too many displays, tracking live feeds of any kind, monitoring security cameras, etc.