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Looking to upgrade my dual 2ghz Powerpc g5...to what is the question

R

rugby06

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 8, 2007
7
0
Name says it all...I hae a dual 2ghz PowerPc g5 that i am looking to sell most likely in order to upgrade to a new intel mac. My question is what should i get? I use my computer for work, i do a bunch of different graphics, flash...you name it it's done on my mac. But i am a big dork and would like to play some of my pc games on my nice fairly new( about a year old) 20" apple display. My original thought was to wait for the new releases and see if maybe i can get a mac mini to run windows on, and maybe to setup as a server or something for all my crap. But i got into looking at the imacs and the new powermacs. so what should i do?

I'm leaning towards the mac mini (possibly if they release core 2 duo version), but what can i get to share my monitor between both computers without having the change the cable everytime? remember it's a mac display, so KVM switch wont work?

Thanks
 
psycoswimmer

psycoswimmer

macrumors 65816
Sep 27, 2006
1,302
1
USA
If you want to play 3D games (windows or mac) the Mac Mini is not for you. It lacks a graphics card, and has the integrated chipset from Intel. If you want to use your 20" ACD, and want a new Mac, I'd have to say the Mac Pro is your only choice.

Edit: The performance difference between Core Duo and Core 2 Duo is minimal. Also, the Mac Pro uses (2) Dual-core Xeon processors.
 
R.Youden

R.Youden

macrumors 68020
Apr 1, 2005
2,093
40
I would suggest getting a 20" iMac and running dual monitors. If you want to play games you should stay away from the MacMini due to the integrated graphics. I think that the iMac is the perfect balance and you can run it as a server and maybe connect to an iTV when they are released.

Can I have a job now please Steve....
 
psycoswimmer

psycoswimmer

macrumors 65816
Sep 27, 2006
1,302
1
USA
R.Youden said:
I would suggest getting a 20" iMac and running dual monitors. If you want to play games you should stay away from the MacMini due to the integrated graphics. I think that the iMac is the perfect balance and you can run it as a server and maybe connect to an iTV when they are released.

Can I have a job now please Steve....
Click to expand...

The iMac's video card is not recent, and the upgrade to 256MB VRAM should definitely be bought. Also, every Mac with wireless can connect to the iTV, so if you plan on doing that, you should get the Wireless & Bluetooth upgrade for the Mac Pro.
 
R

rugby06

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 8, 2007
7
0
re

i never thought to get the imac and run dual monitors...interesting. How would the iMac perform doing my work. I run stuff like photoshop, illustrator, flash, Maya, final cut pro, after effects, etc... Now im not running some huge production company here or anything; my job has me working in photoshop, illustrator, flash...at home i like to mess around in some of the more "high end" stuff.

Is the new intel imacs faster then my old G5?

also, 2.16ghz or 2.33ghz...or does it really matter?
 
psycoswimmer

psycoswimmer

macrumors 65816
Sep 27, 2006
1,302
1
USA
rugby06 said:
i never thought to get the imac and run dual monitors...interesting. How would the iMac perform doing my work. I run stuff like photoshop, illustrator, flash, Maya, final cut pro, after effects, etc... Now im not running some huge production company here or anything; my job has me working in photoshop, illustrator, flash...at home i like to mess around in some of the more "high end" stuff.

Is the new intel imacs faster then my old G5?

also, 2.16ghz or 2.33ghz...or does it really matter?
Click to expand...

It sounds like the 20" iMac with upgraded VRAM will be good for what you want to do. For the price, the processor upgrade isn't really worth it. Also, you should upgrade your RAM before you even think about the processor upgrade.
 
R.Youden

R.Youden

macrumors 68020
Apr 1, 2005
2,093
40
Plus you can now upgrade the CPU on the iMac so go far the GPU and get the RAM from a third party dealer.
 
psycoswimmer

psycoswimmer

macrumors 65816
Sep 27, 2006
1,302
1
USA
I put together some configuartions from the Apple site.

Mac Pro - $3,126
Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
2GB RAM (4 x 512MB)
250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (2 x dual-link DVI)
One 16x SuperDrive
Both Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and AirPort Extreme

iMac 20" - $1,749
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
250GB Serial ATA Drive
ATI Radeon X1600/256MB VRAM
SuperDrive 8X (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Apple Keyboard & Mighty Mouse + Mac OS X (US English)
20-inch widescreen LCD
AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

Well, a big price difference. The Mac Pro I configured (upgraded video card, 2GB Ram) is much more powerful than the iMac I configured (upgraded video care, 2GB Ram). It depends on what you need, really.
 
R.Youden

R.Youden

macrumors 68020
Apr 1, 2005
2,093
40
IMHO it is the iMac all the way. It would be interesting to see some comparisons between the iMac and MacPro as I dont think they are worth the £750 or so. That could be spent on far better things! Also I am sure the iMac is cheaper if you get the RAM after sale.
 
Lord Blackadder

Lord Blackadder

macrumors P6
May 7, 2004
15,669
5,499
Sod off
Wait till tomorrow and see what gets announced.

But my rule of thumb has always been "get the most expensive tower you can afford or are willing to pay for".

I'd say buy a Mac Pro with the best video card other than the Quadro (which is overpriced). So a Mac Pro with the X1900XT is my recommendation, although that may change after tomorrow.
 
R

rugby06

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 8, 2007
7
0
re

well i guess my next question would be is how does the imac compare to my G5?

This is what im running now:
-------------------------------------
Power Mac G5
dual 2 GHz
2gb DDR2 SDRAM
GeForce 6600 256mb
bluetooth and airport
150 gb hard drive
--------------------------------------

I have an idea about what im doing around computers, but im no genius. So how does iMac stack up against this^. If it's better, then my choice is obvious...no need to go for the Power Mac.

thanks

**edit** also you would have to consider the new OS
 
R.Youden

R.Youden

macrumors 68020
Apr 1, 2005
2,093
40
I think that it will be better, especially when all applications are universal (support intel macs). It just depends what you want. I got my PowerMac (see sig) three years ago and there is probably at least another year left in it. If I had purchased an iMac then (I think the G5 iMac had just come out) then that may need replacing now. It just depends what you us it for (from what you are saying the iMac sounds fine) but the iMac would be an improvement from the PowerMac.
 
dollystereo

dollystereo

macrumors 6502a
Oct 6, 2004
907
114
France
I have a G5 2.3 Dual proc, and an imac 2.0 intel Core 2 Duo, and my G5 is faster. In Universal apps and in photoshop (of corse).
I wouldnt change my G5 for the imac, one is a consumer product and in the other hand you have a pro machine.
You can upgrade the Video in the G5 and the ram, and you can keep that killer computer. Add a raptor and a Radeon X800 and you blow away the imac performance.
Good luck.
 
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