Need help... powermac G5 dual 1.8 or dual 2.0 GHz

[joseprieto]

Hey guys, Im so glad that I found this web site before I bought it. First let me tell you that you guys are great, the answer to the other peopple helped me alot and will help me in the future.

Well like I said.... Finally I have the money ($2700) to get my desktop (powerMAc) and I was ready to ordered yesterday at like 2 am (iguess that was today) but I couldn't decide between the standart dual 2.0 with 512MB RAM and 160 GB on the HD and the 64 Megs video card that comes with it. or a upgraded Dual 1.8 with 1 GB RAM and 160 GB on HD, the ATI 128 MB video card, and some more like bluetooth, and airport extreme. is about the same (dua. 1.8 is still cheaper) and I can save the rest to get a nice monitor in the future.
I mean I can really spend it all on the dual 2.0 and try to upgraded like the dual 1.8 I just tought.. do I really need the extra 0.2 GHz. I know tha the frontside bus is 100 MHz difference, but... I dont know... I really wanned to buy something yesterday, but I'll wait until today or the beggining of next year is you guys think that is really gonna be a big difference on the 2005 G5's models.
Well, thanks for taking your time and read this. I'll wait for your help.

Jose

PS Im a Graphic desing student, so Im gonna use the regular programs thateverybody uses, Photosho, illustrator, quark, flash, and I do some home recording too... just letting you know.

 

[Converted2Truth]

I would get the 2.0. It will allows for more upgradability (8GB max RAM), has twice the ram, and twice the HD space. Upgrade to the 9600XT for sure. That 5200 Ultra is a very crappy card. That config comes to $2344.00 USD w/EDU discount (add tax to that).

That being said, I've got a revision A dual 1.8 and i can tell no difference in speed. In fact, mine loads everything faster (RAID 0 baby). But the only reason i bought the dual 1.8 was because it had 8GB max/PCI-X... all the same features of the dual 2.0. Now the story has changed.. they've kinda handicapped it.

 

[joseprieto]

so you're saying...

you would get the 2.0... but you have a 1.8 dual and you see no difference?????? then I think the 1.8 will be better with more ram and better video card...


Jose

 

[barrettd]

I've pretty much decided on getting the dual 1.8 as well, but I'm going to wait until January 10th to see if any changes in the PM line are announced. I'd love to get a dual 2.0 for the current price of the D1.8, but am doubtful we'll see that. In any case, I'm waiting just to make sure.

 

[Converted2Truth]

you would get the 2.0... but you have a 1.8 dual and you see no difference?????? then I think the 1.8 will be better with more ram and better video card...

I recommend the 2.0 because it is more upgradeble then the 1.8. (when i bought my 1.8, they were both equally expandable)

Expandability is important, especially on Macs. Notice the Ram requirement on a mac is twice what a PC running XP requires (in new games like World of Warcraft, etc). Currently, when all my G5 is doing is folding and running services, i'm left with about 400mb of ram. OSX is a serious memory hog. Memory is the best thing you can do for your machine. OS X.4 is going to more of a memory hog, both system RAM, and VRAM. Currently the 1.8 restricts you to 4GB max.

Just my 2c 2oo

 

[Converted2Truth]

I recommend the 2.0 because it is more upgradeble then the 1.8. (when i bought my 1.8, they were both equally expandable)

Expandability is important, especially on Macs. Notice the Ram requirement on a mac is twice what a PC running XP requires (in new games like World of Warcraft, etc). Currently, when all my G5 is doing is folding and running services, i'm left with about 400mb of ram. OSX is a serious memory hog. Memory is the best thing you can do for your machine. OS X.4 is going to be even more of a memory hog, with both system RAM, and VRAM. Currently the 1.8 restricts you to 4GB max.

Just my 2c 2oo

 

[Converted2Truth]

whoops, i meant to press edit. [the 'quote' is edited... lol]

 

[Mantat]

Here is how to buy a PM:

no ram upgrade
no HD upgrade
downgrade SuperDRive to Combo
remove modem (unless needed)
Get the 9600 video card (or the 6800 if you need it)

What ever the model, these are the things to do.

Once you get your machine, you buy either 2x512meg or 2x1024, dont get the stupid dual box package. Just grab 2 Kingston dims and you are set. It will save you a few $.

For the HD, with the money you saved, you can buy another HD and your total availlable storage size will be bigger. Suggestions: Maxtor D10 200 gig or same as the one provided and RAID-0 it.

If you really need to buy DVD, buy a dvd burner (pionner) and replace it yourself, wou will save 50$ easy. Sell the combo to a friend so he can watch DVD with an external encoluse. Or sell on eBay.

All of these mods will reduce the total cost of your machine while making it 'better'.

Now 1.8 vs 2Ghz... If you dont plan to use PCI-X cards (most people dont) you shouldnt bother too much about the 2Ghz. A lot of people will talk about the 4 slots or ram but you can always put 2Gigs stick in it eventualy so you will have 8gig if you need it (need to confirm this but I dont see why you couldnt).

As OSX games taking more ram than pc for games, thats not really true. The game take about the same amount of ram, its the OS that need a bit more, not the double.

As for people who are waiting for the conf to get a rev c (d?) PM, I think you are wasting your time. Unless you really dont need a computer right now, you shouldnt wait. Missing 1 month just to get a computer sligtly faster doesnt worth it, and thats IF they ship the same day and we know Apple about that...

I think we will have to wait for automn 05 to see a real improvement in the PM line: PCI-E, dual core, etc.. The next rev will simply be a small speed bump I cant see any new options added to it, the timeframe isnt right.

So, if you have the money and need it now, get it now! Just think about the guide lines I have said at the start of the post.

 

[risc]

I waited until the Revision B Power Mac G5s were released and in the end I settled on a Dual 1.8, Radeon 9800 XT, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB HDD, BT this came in to just a little more than the stock Dual 2.0 here in Australia. I looked around to see if I could find a reseller selling a PCI-X card I may be interested in getting and couldn't find 1, so the lack of PCI-X means nothing to me. I love this machine, and the savings versus the extra stuff I got worked out perfectly for what I wanted. Personally I don't understand the crippled argument, it only makes sense if there is something you actually needed. I'm more than happy with my purchase.

Now if you had of asked about the 2.5 versus the 1.8/2.0....

 

[Jigglelicious]

I recommend the 2.0 because it is more upgradeble then the 1.8. (when i bought my 1.8, they were both equally expandable)

Expandability is important, especially on Macs. Notice the Ram requirement on a mac is twice what a PC running XP requires (in new games like World of Warcraft, etc). Currently, when all my G5 is doing is folding and running services, i'm left with about 400mb of ram. OSX is a serious memory hog. Memory is the best thing you can do for your machine. OS X.4 is going to more of a memory hog, both system RAM, and VRAM. Currently the 1.8 restricts you to 4GB max.

Just my 2c 2oo

Do you really think that you'll be adding 4GB of RAM, let along 8GB of RAM to your Powermac before its obsolete? 1GB is more than enough for just about anyone today unless you are doing some VERY serious photo/video/sound editing. I honestly can't see myself using 4GB of ram in 2 years. And by the time 8gb becomes standard, that dual 2.0ghz PowerMac is going to feel as slugish as a 300mhz G3 does today.

I'd say go for the dual 1.8, upgrade the video card, and save your money. The extra 4 RAM slots (which will probably never be used) are not worth the extra money, imo.

 

[barrettd]

As for people who are waiting for the conf to get a rev c (d?) PM, I think you are wasting your time. Unless you really dont need a computer right now, you shouldnt wait. Missing 1 month just to get a computer sligtly faster doesnt worth it, and thats IF they ship the same day and we know Apple about that...

I was thinking of waiting to see if the price will drop on any in the dual line. I'm planning on getting the D1.8, but if I can get it for less, why not wait?

I may break down and just buy it anyway.

 

[Mantat]

I was thinking of waiting to see if the price will drop on any in the dual line. I'm planning on getting the D1.8, but if I can get it for less, why not wait?

I may break down and just buy it anyway.

Does 1-2month without computer worth 100-200$ to you? To me, not having a computer for more than 2 straight days make me lose more money than what any price drop could be...

Basicaly, it comes down to the point: buy what you need. If the current system fit your needs, why wait?

 

[barrettd]

Does 1-2month without computer worth 100-200$ to you? To me, not having a computer for more than 2 straight days make me lose more money than what any price drop could be...

Basicaly, it comes down to the point: buy what you need. If the current system fit your needs, why wait?

Oh, I have a computer right now. I'll be upgrading with this purchase, so I can wait a bit if it looks like I might save some money. This isn't going to be a computer for business, either. I basically agree with you, though. Like I said, I probably will want to get it sooner than later. I haven't even heard any rumors about PM updates in January anyway.

 

[barrettd]

If you really need to buy DVD, buy a dvd burner (pionner) and replace it yourself, wou will save 50$ easy. Sell the combo to a friend so he can watch DVD with an external encoluse. Or sell on eBay.

Forgot to ask you about this one. Is there a list of DVD writers that are/are not compatible (aside from Pioneer)? Thanks!

 

[Mantat]

Forgot to ask you about this one. Is there a list of DVD writers that are/are not compatible (aside from Pioneer)? Thanks!

Dont know by model but take a look at the english vesion of http://www.macbidouille.com (I think its hardmac.com), they talk about it often. If I remember rigth, pioner 107 or 108 would do.

And you can keep the combo drive inthe bay and buy an external burner + enclosure for less than the money you saved with the SD->Combo downgrade. Its kinda ridiculous. Especialy since I am sure it cost them more to do the change than just sell the SD model since they have to custom built it!

Also, you might invest in BT since its a BTO option, not upgradable later unless you use an external BT module.

 

[mocman]

I was in your shoes a while back and went for the Dual 1.8 Powermac. I went to the Apple site and got the refurb for $1900.00. It has the 160g and 512mb ram with pciX and 8 slots for ram. Saved a TON.......Sweet

 

[destroyboredom]

I'm in the same situation. I've decided on the DP2.0, because of the RAM slots and when you consider the bigger HD and more memory you get when going to the DP 2.0 that lessens the real price difference by about $100. If you get the 2.0 you can upgrade RAM more gradually, instead of going and buying 1GB right away, and then probably having to sell sticks that are in there already because you need to free up the slots.

I probably will never have more than 2GB of RAM in that computer, but I would like to keep the option open, should I need it down the road. Especially since I lan to keep this system for a long time. (4+ years)

 

[believo]

I'm in the same situation. I've decided on the DP2.0, because of the RAM slots and when you consider the bigger HD and more memory you get when going to the DP 2.0 that lessens the real price difference by about $100. If you get the 2.0 you can upgrade RAM more gradually, instead of going and buying 1GB right away, and then probably having to sell sticks that are in there already because you need to free up the slots.

I probably will never have more than 2GB of RAM in that computer, but I would like to keep the option open, should I need it down the road. Especially since I lan to keep this system for a long time. (4+ years)

I was in the same situation a few months ago and went for the DP 2.0 for the same reasons. As far as the processor speed I don't notice much difference, but I rarely use all my processors' speed anyway but in the future maybe they'll be more of a difference. I'd go with the DP 2.0.

 

[cmvsm]

1.8 versus 2.0

I was in your shoes not too long ago. I went with the dual 2.0 for a few reasons. As someone has already said, the additional bus and horsepower may be utilized in the future. Plus, when you do upgrade again in a few years, you'll probably get more for the machine. Think about it...I'm selling a 1.8...or I'm selling a dual 2.0??? Just the sound of the dual 2.0 means more resale cash. On the initial purchase, always focus on buying the hardware that you can't upgrade later such as CPU's and in this case, the 9600XT or 9800XT, as it is only available from Apple as a BTO. Everything else you can get as you need it. As it stands now, the dual 2.0 is the "sweet spot" in the G5 line and seems to have had less issues than the 2.5 and 1.8. I haven't had one issue with mine (knock on wood of course!).

Now, if you are still dead set on the dual 1.8, I have found a place that I believe still has the revision A with all the bells and whistles in terms of 512K, 160GB Hard Drive, and 8 slots of available memory. You won't however be able to upgrade to the 9600XT or 9800XT, you'll have to get the 3rd party 9800 Pro which is a hell of a card and probably more than you need. Last time I checked, a month ago, they had a few of these G5's left and still might. Give this website a try and give em a call.

http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-APP-DG51.8X--d-2.html

Hope that helps..

 

[absolut_mac]

My 0.02c

I mean I can really spend it all on the dual 2.0 and try to upgraded like the dual 1.8 I just tought.. do I really need the extra 0.2 GHz. I know tha the frontside bus is 100 MHz difference, but... I dont know... I really wanned to buy something yesterday, but I'll wait until today or the beggining of next year is you guys think that is really gonna be a big difference on the 2005 G5's models.

I was in the Santa Monica store on Sunday and played around on both the dual 1.8 and the dual 2.5.

IMHO on most apps I felt that my custom built home PC was zippier than the 1.8 (3.06 Pentium P4 dual CPU with 1Gig Rambus RAM), but felt that the dual 2.5 was quite a lot faster than mine. I don't remember how much RAM was on the 1.8, but the 2.5 had 2Gig installed. Note that these were not multi-tasking tests.

So if I were you I would definitely go with the dual 2Gig G5 and add more Ram and better video card as funds allow.

Either way, I would wait until January before making a decision. That way you might get a small hardware upgrade and/or price drop. We should also see what Apple's plans are for Tiger's debut.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

[risc]

IMHO on most apps I felt that my custom built home PC was zippier than the 1.8 (3.06 Pentium P4 dual CPU with 1Gig Rambus RAM), but felt that the dual 2.5 was quite a lot faster than mine. I don't remember how much RAM was on the 1.8, but the 2.5 had 2Gig installed.

I use Pentium 3.06 GHz boxes at work daily and they can't compare at all to feel of speed I get from my 1.8 with 2 GB of RAM, now I'm not denying the dual 2.5 is a kick ass box I use these at work all the time too, but are you sure the speed difference you mention doesn't have more to do with RAM? I've used a G5 with 256 MB of RAM before and that was just plain awful.

 

[absolut_mac]

A little bit clearer

I use Pentium 3.06 GHz boxes at work daily and they can't compare at all to feel of speed I get from my 1.8 with 2 GB of RAM, now I'm not denying the dual 2.5 is a kick ass box I use these at work all the time too, but are you sure the speed difference you mention doesn't have more to do with RAM? I've used a G5 with 256 MB of RAM before and that was just plain awful.

Your mileage may be different to mine, but I use PS Elements 3 and MS Word at home, and that's what I used at the store. Both were noticeably slower, both to open up and in use than my home machine. Remember that I'm using Rambus RAM and not the slower DD RAM that everybody is now using these days.

Also, I forgot to check how much RAM was installed on the dual 1.8, but because the dual 2.5 was so much faster than my home PC, I made a point of checking out exactly how much RAM was installed.

 

[gost8go]

Here is how to buy a PM:

no ram upgrade
no HD upgrade
downgrade SuperDRive to Combo
remove modem (unless needed)
Get the 9600 video card (or the 6800 if you need it)

What ever the model, these are the things to do.

Once you get your machine, you buy either 2x512meg or 2x1024, dont get the stupid dual box package. Just grab 2 Kingston dims and you are set. It will save you a few $..

Solid advice. I went through this same decision process over the summer until I got real and admitted I really needed a laptop instead and went for a loaded powerbook 17".

You show that with a little smarts you can get more for less. Like bringing your own wine to a restaurant, the little extras are where the bill adds up.

 

[Rod Rod]

I chose the dual 1.8 PCI-X

When I bought mine, there was a $400 difference between the PCI-X DP 1.8 and 2.0, so I went with the 1.8. The reason is I had other things to budget for, such as my D-VHS deck and 1TB hard drive.

Both the dual 1.8 and 2.0 should hold their resale value similarly. Even today, 3-year-old G4 towers are fetching a disproportionately high amount relative to the price / power ratio available on current models.

 

[barrettd]

Here is how to buy a PM:

no ram upgrade
no HD upgrade
downgrade SuperDRive to Combo
remove modem (unless needed)
Get the 9600 video card (or the 6800 if you need it)

I bit the bullet and BTO'd a DP1.8 last night. I followed most of your advice except concerning the Superdrive. I'll be burning DVDs and the few dollars I'd save on an aftermarket drive wasn't worth the hassle. I can always upgrade it later if something revolutionary is released. I got rid of the modem and added bluetooth (for future use. I have no BT stuff right now). I also got the 9600XT upgrade. I've got a 120GB SATA drive I'll add, as well as 1GB memory I'm hoping will work.

Thanks for all the info in this thread.