Dual 1.8 or Dual 2.0 G5?

dual 2.0, besides the extra speed, has 8 ram slots and PCI-X slots that the dual 1.8 doesn't
whether or not those are worth the extra 500 is up to you i think it's quite a lot extra for very little

Wilson said:

I'm planning to buy a G5 soon but I'm not sure which model to get. I was leaning towards the 1.8 at first but now I have second thoughts. I don't want to get the 1.8 now and later regret that I didn't get the 2.0 instead. My budget right now is kinda tight and I really need a new computer, My G3 iBook is killing me. I'm a graphic design graduate, what would u recommend?

Thanks.

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I would also go with the 2.0. Since it comes with 512megs of ram, and has 6 free slots, you have more options in memory. (like keeping the 2 256's, and adding 512's) The 1.8 only has 256 standard, and two free slots. So you have to get rid of the 128's right away if you want any real memory options, so add some costs there. I think in the end, you will be much happier with the 2.0. Or, find a rev A dual 1.8.

Kimo

As an example, if you put 4 GB of RAM in either machine, the dual 2.0 is CHEAPER than the dual 1.8 because the 2.0 can do it with eight 512MB chips while the 1.8 would have to do it with four 1GB chips. 1GB chips are expensive.

Something to consider.

dual 1.8 is a good value. just go for it.

i think the dual 2.0 is rather overpriced compared to the dual 2.5 model as you get more for your money if you decide to go 2.0 -> 2.5 than you get going from 1.8 -> 2.0

of course, if one NEEDS pci-x then the 1.8 is not an option. but that aside, it is not wise to even argue about the missing four ram slots of the lowend model because you can still fit more than enough memory into one - and let's face it: performance gain from the few hundred megahertz is not going to be worth 500 dollars, is it? performance boost from 2.0 to 2.5 however will be noticeable, so in my book the 2.0 is a no-go and the comparison goes between 1.8 and 2.5 models. if budget permits, the highend model will be awesome, but if money is an issue and the top-notch performance isn't, then the 1.8 model will be great.

that's only reasoning. if you decide based on your feelings, that's another thing. sure, 2.0 gigs sounds better than 1.8 gigs, but that's about it.

You can always try getting the previous model dual 1.8, which would have 8 RAM slots, PCI-X, etc.

kbonnel said:

I would also go with the 2.0. Since it comes with 512megs of ram, and has 6 free slots, you have more options in memory. (like keeping the 2 256's, and adding 512's) The 1.8 only has 256 standard, and two free slots. So you have to get rid of the 128's right away if you want any real memory options, so add some costs there. I think in the end, you will be much happier with the 2.0. Or, find a rev A dual 1.8.

Kimo

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yerp. I third that.

I agree that you should try to find a refurb 1.8 first - it's better than the current 1.8 and likely cheaper. The 'old' 1.8 is a much better deal than either of the 2.0's (old or new). I would have gotten one had I waited until last November to buy.

Otherwise, you can get even the new 1.8 up to 8GB with the upcoming 2GB sticks, which will eventually come down in price. And you should be fine with a gig or more to start with anyway.

One suggestion, though, regardless of what you get if you get a new one: spend the $50 to upgrade from the base video card! Best money you'll spend on it...

However, if it were me, if there were no refurbs, and if I had your budget, I'd get the new 1.8 over the new 2.0. The speed difference isn't all that much, and $500 will likely be more useful to you in your pocket for now.

But as others have said, go with what your gut tells you. From a practical point of view, the performance difference is not worth the cost. The upgradeability is worth it, but, of course, only if you think you'll take advantage of it.

Wilson said:

I just found a Canadian website that sells the Rev A version of the dual 1.8.
http://www.accurate-tech.com/specials.html

It costs 2999 CDN....and the new one cost 2499 CDN with educational discount. Do you think the old one is worth 500 dollars more CDN? The dual 2.0 is 3299 dollars with educational discount...if i were to get the rev A version of the 1.8 dual, I might as well get the new 2.0 dual.

I think the new dual 1.8 is still the best deal out there for me. Any thoughts?

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For those prices, I'd go with the new 1.8 or the new 2.0. I thought the 'old' 1.8 was cheaper - perhaps it used to be but has actually appreciated a bit.

Wilson said:

Yeah I guess I'll stick with the new dual 1.8ghz. That fits my budget the best. Are there things I should upgrade when I buy the machine? I was planning on upgrading the hard drive to 160GB, the video card to ATI Radeon 9600XT and adding the Bluetooth Module. The ram i think I would just leave it with the 256 MB right now and add RAM from Crucial afterwards. Is there a need for the 56kbps modem? I won't be needing it, and if I subtract it, I'll save $41 bucks CDN. I know it isn't much, but if I don't need it, why pay for it. Is there anything else I should look into regarding upgrading the machine?

Thanks.

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Looks like a good list to me. FWIW, if money's an issue, you can add the BT later and likely for less as long as using a USB port doesn't bother you. And no need for the modem unless you plan to send/receive faxes or use your system as an answering machine.

I personally love my dp 1.8 rev a. The machine can crunch any and everything I put at it. If you can pick one of these up and use the extra cash on ram you will be very happy. I personally have seen huge improvements in OSXs performance when I upgraded the 512mb to 1.5gb.

guyute said:

I personally have seen huge improvements in OSXs performance when I upgraded the 512mb to 1.5gb.

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Definitely. And 256MB is useless. However, as has been said many times by many people, be sure the RAM you get is G5-capable! Crucial will serve you fine, as will others, but make sure it's for the G5. Cheaper RAM won't do the trick.

"I'm planning to buy a G5 soon but I'm not sure which model to get. I was leaning towards the 1.8 at first but now I have second thoughts. I don't want to get the 1.8 now and later regret that I didn't get the 2.0 instead. My budget right now is kinda tight and I really need a new computer, My G3 iBook is killing me. I'm a graphic design graduate, what would u recommend?"

No, I would not upgrade the memory from Apple, but directly through Crucial, or newegg.com (buying crucial memory, or other memory that works with the G5). Same thing with the Hard Drive, keep the 80 that comes with it, and buy a new drive from a different place.

As for the 1.8 vs 2.0 thing, here is what I would do. If I were going to by a G5, I would want a minimum of 512meg of RAM, but with prices being reasonable, I would not go with less than 1GB of RAM. With the 1.8 model, I would purchase 2 512meg Sticks from newegg.com (approx. 80bucks each, but call crucial with the newegg.com model number, and they will tell you if it works fine). This would give you 1.25GB ram, which should be enough todo graphic design stuff for now. In the future, you can get rid of the 2 128's, and replace with 512's, or 1GB sticks. I would then, if needed, purchase another SATA drive, so add another $65 for a 80gig (since you want to keep costs down) As most people have said, I would also upgrade the video card. As for bluetooth, it is cool to have, and you can upgrade it later if you want. So, your cost now for the 1.8 is: 2202 (no bluetooth) Now, the 2.0 model already has 512mb of ram, so you would only need to purchase an additional 512mb (in 2 256mb sticks), and the updated video card. Now, I usually don't buy 256meg sticks, but the 2.0 gives you more slots to "waste" if you want to It has double the disk space, so you won't need to upgrade now. The price for the 2.0 is: 2629 So, in the end, you have a $355 difference between the two. Of course, don't forget tax.

Now, what I would really do, is keep my eyes open for a refurb 1.8 rev A from apple.com. I had seen one a week ago, and it was $1799. If I recall, it doesn't have the update video card, but does have 512mb ram, (with 6 slots free), and the 160SATA drive. You have to be good about checking the refurb site on apple.com, as most of it sells quick (mostly to other distributers, who resell it at a higher cost ).

So, that is what I would do.

Kimo

Hi Wilson,

That is a great question. I didn't realize you were in Canada (though I am sure you said). I am not sure how the refurb store works in Canada. I know that in some places it is only open one day during the week. As for the SATA drive, I don't own a G5, but I assume it is just a simple insert the drive into the drive slot. The G5 might have a special carrier that the SATA drive goes into, but I am sure it is not difficult to do.

As for were to go to, I normally buy all my computer equipment from newegg.com, but they do not ship outside the US. I don't really know where to point you, sorry. I am sure that what you find will be cheaper than apple. Apple will charge you $100USD to upgrade from 80 to 160. You can buy a whole new 160 for that. The same thing with Memory, apple charges you $75USD to go from 256 to 512. But, it is well known that buying these things from apple will cost you.

Kimo