What mac for a ...mac newbie?

[scawt]

I've been seriously contemplating getting a mac for the past few months, but I can't really decide which one to get.

Basically, What would be the best solution for a windows user with a Pentium 3 866 w/ 512mb ram?

I want atleast a g4, so the ibook is ruled out.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[cubist]

Re: What mac for a ...mac newbie?

Originally posted by scawt

Basically, What would be the best solution for a windows user with a Pentium 3 866 w/ 512mb ram?

I want atleast a g4, so the ibook is ruled out.

Do you need a portable? PowerBook 12" is your machine. Go see it.

You're not going to be happy with a desktop less than 1GHz. And as a PC user you want expandability. So, you should look for a new or used PowerMac dual 1GHz or faster.

With the PowerMac you can use your existing monitor, if you like.

 

[couch potato]

do you have a budget? if you don't, which would be cool, then wait for a G5 they ship in august. but if you dont want to wait, G4 sounds great. what kinds of things do you use ur computer for? gaming, video editing, etc... whatever. it also depends if your big on upgrading. i know the G4 towers are MUCH better for upgrading than the imacs

 

[scawt]

Originally posted by couch potato
do you have a budget? if you don't, which would be cool, then wait for a G5 they ship in august. but if you dont want to wait, G4 sounds great. what kinds of things do you use ur computer for? gaming, video editing, etc... whatever. it also depends if your big on upgrading. i know the G4 towers are MUCH better for upgrading than the imacs

Under $2000. I was looking at the dual g4 1.25 on apple's site.

I think I might get that. Its like $1750 without the super drive and such. I think I want to wait until dvd burning becomes more popular and the technology is better.

 

[iJon]

prices can be bad thing to judge on sometimes. why dont you tell us specifically what you want to do with your computer and what you would hope to do it possible

iJon

 

[tazo]

i recommend the 1.25ghz Powermac. load up on ram somewhere else then apple. it has staying power, will run the next major OS fine, lots of upgradeability and expanidibility. Plus they look very cool

 

[StrongGlad]

I agree with iJon -- what exactly are your intended uses?

That said, if you're willing to spend $1750-$2000, and don't care about the SuperDrive (and don't mind a 4-6 week wait) then I'd seriously consider the low-end G5 as opposed to the Dual G4. If you remove the SuperDrive as a BTO option, you can get the price down to $1799 for the G5. I think that even the slowest G5 is superior to the Dual G4 at most tasks, plus you'll get additional "future-proofing" by way of the 64-bit compatibility.





[edited due to a typo]

 

[tazo]

Originally posted by StrongGlad
I agree with iJon -- what exactly are your intended uses?

That said, if you're willing to spend $1750-$2000, and don't care about the SuperDrive (and don't mind a 4-6 week wait) then I'd seriously consider the low-end G5 as opposed to the Dual G4. If you remove the SuperDrive as a BTO option, you can get the price down to $1799 for the G5. I think the even the slowest G5 is superior to the Dual G4 at most tasks, plus you'll get additional "future-proofing" by way of the 64-bit compatibility.

the guy is looking for a good future proof low end mac I think a powermac 1.25 ghz is more his game. besides with the 500 dollars he saves he can go buy a ton of ram

 

[StrongGlad]

Originally posted by tazo
the guy is looking for a good future proof low end mac I think a powermac 1.25 ghz is more his game. besides with the 500 dollars he saves he can go buy a ton of ram

Perhaps, and I do prefer the aesthetics of the G4 (at least as of right now). Still, I think the advancements in the G5's architecture (true DDR RAM, faster FSB, Serial ATA, 64-bit, etc.) are hard to ignore, and are at least worthy of SERIOUS consideration given the minor difference in price between the Dual G4 and the low-end G5.

Great point on the RAM though -- whichever system he buys, he should make certain to budget for extra RAM (and don't buy the extra RAM from Apple! )

 

[tazo]

Originally posted by StrongGlad
Perhaps, and I do prefer the aesthetics of the G4 (at least as of right now). Still, I think the advancements in the G5's architecture (true DDR RAM, faster FSB, Serial ATA, 64-bit, etc.) are hard to ignore, and are at least worthy of SERIOUS consideration given the minor difference in price between the Dual G4 and the low-end G5.

Great point on the RAM though -- whichever system he buys, he should make certain to budget for extra RAM (and don't buy the extra RAM from Apple! )

I agree the extra G5 features are worthy of consideration. One must note that the only G4 systems apple sells are a 1.25 ghz combo, a 1.25ghz superdrive with a ton of ram, and a dual 1.25 with all the extras. the price jumps from 1299 to 1949 to 3274. So basically he doesnt skip to the G5 platofmr, he sort of falls flat on his face at the g5's door step. It seems Apple is sort of booting people to the G5 platform whether or not they can afford it.

 

[ibookin']

If you buy a G5 something to consider is that the RAM must be installed in pairs due to the dual channel DDR the G5 uses. For example, the base config of the Power Mac has 256MB of RAM on 2 128MB DIMMs. To upgrade it to 512, you can't just stick another 256 in, you have to put in another two 128s.

 

[e-coli]

Buy the G5.

The speed difference will be worth it alone.

I personally wouldn't buy a G4. Very old technology. Just MHO.

 

[scawt]

I looked at the 1.6ghz G5 and I think thats what I'm going to get, minus the super drive and modem.

I figure I can always upgrade to the super drive and I can upgrade the chip later on.

The only thing that bothers me though is I'll have to take out the combo drive when I get a super drive, but I guess I could just get a firewire enclousure or something like that. I still want a read drive so I can make copies of cds.

 

[tazo]

Originally posted by scawt
I looked at the 1.6ghz G5 and I think thats what I'm going to get, minus the super drive and modem.

I figure I can always upgrade to the super drive and I can upgrade the chip later on.

The only thing that bothers me though is I'll have to take out the combo drive when I get a super drive, but I guess I could just get a firewire enclousure or something like that. I still want a read drive so I can make copies of cds.

you should note that in order to use a superdrive, it must be compatible with iDVD and Toast etc. Not all superdrives are! Also, there is no guarantee that you will be able to upgrade the chip on the G5, like you could with the G4. That should also be noted.

 

[coolbreeze]

Originally posted by e-coli
I personally wouldn't buy a G4. Very old technology. Just MHO.

Jeez. I guess I should immediately throw away my ancient 900mhz iBook G3!!!!

 

[scawt]

Originally posted by tazo
you should note that in order to use a superdrive, it must be compatible with iDVD and Toast etc. Not all superdrives are! Also, there is no guarantee that you will be able to upgrade the chip on the G5, like you could with the G4. That should also be noted.

Yeah, I was looking at that and noticed a difference in the ram speed.

Hmmm. Maybe I will stick the g4 and then sell it when g5s are well..more uh...developed?

*shrug*

 

[tazo]

Originally posted by scawt
Yeah, I was looking at that and noticed a difference in the ram speed.

Hmmm. Maybe I will stick the g4 and then sell it when g5s are well..more uh...developed?

*shrug*

Yeah and on the G5 you must buy a pair of ram sticks. so if you see a 100 dollar ram stick, you must purchase 2 of them for $200.

I think your best bet is the 1.25ghz G4. Load it with as much ram as possible. I think that will be a much better experience for you

 

[Gus]

Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com , has a dual 1.25Ghz G4 system for $1599. Can't beat that.

Regards,
Gus

 

[patrick0brien]

-scawt

All these ideas are good. And I tend to agree with them.

However...

Please, please, please, if you have an Apple Store near you - or even not near you, get over there and play.

And chooose what you are comfortable with - what you like, and what you can grow into.

Everything else is academic.