New Dualcore 2.0 or a refurbed dual 2.0

[myca]

yeah I just ordered a Dual 2.0 Powermac on the refurb site, cost under a grand over here in england, just want opinions on if I should cancel the order and splash a bit more out on the new models. It gonna replace my old emag G4 800 mhz in my home studio, the main reason I wannted this model is because it has PCI, so I can use UAD1 cards, and maybe stick a couple of TC Powercores in there also.

You see with this PCI-express update I don't wanna wait around for the audio cards to catch up to this standard, I want to put them in as soon as they arrive.

 

[FF_productions]

I'd wait on those refurbed g5's. I think more refurbs will be coming, and they will be a better deal than the dual 2.0 you bought (meaning, cancel the order).

I would go with the dual-core if you can afford it though.

 

[myca]

Hmmmm I can't see them dropping much lower than 30 percent though, apple refurbs aren't normally that genorous (sic), yeah I'd love them to drop 45 percent off the price of the dual 2.0 but I just can't see it happening.

 

[Ryan T.]

My friend went to the Apple store with me today, and she walked out with a Dual 2.0. They knocked the price down $200, then gave her a student discount on top of that, so the DP was $1699. That's $1000 cheaper than the Dual Core, for what I feel may be a better "out of the box" computer.

 

[Makosuke]

Important question: Is the refurb dual 2.0 you're talking about one of the old, "good" ones, or one of the newer "iMac in a tower" ones? The former have 8 RAM slots, PCI-X, and a faster motherboard, while the latter have only four and some other more iMac-y components.

If it's one of the 4-slot 2.0s you're comparing, I'd get the new one it a heartbeat--it's got a full compliment of pro features with no skimping at all, and the dualcore should, in theory, be just as fast (if not faster, due to the better other components). If it's one of the "good" 2.0s, it's sort of a tossup; the improved subsystems will probably make the new dual core 2.0 a bit faster, but currently there's nothing available to take advantage of those PCI-e slots, so if you're not buying for the farther future, the old one is probably a better deal in the short term.

 

[myca]

It's one of the newer dual 2.0, the reason I wanted one of these in the first place was to do with the fact that it had PCI and not PCI-X slots, cause the UAD1 DSP card doesn't work well with the PCI-X macs, something to do with the amd pci-x controller chip. All things considered I think I'll stick with it, hell its a lot more powerfull than my eMac and is costing me the same as my snow G3 iMac cost me a few years ago.

 

[FFTT]

Absolutely go for the new dual core 2.0.

I can't advise this more strongly.