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About to buy a Dual 2.7..what to look out for?
- Thread starter ocbo41
- Start date
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Or There May Not Be...
People have speculated on the new Mac Pro for the past 6 months. It all depends on your timing and budget, but if you need the machine, get it. And the Harpertowns are not going to be night-and-day faster by any means.
A used G5 on ebay may be a wise choice because you are locked into CS2, assuming prices dont plummet on them (for when you ebay again later) Just try to get a non-watercooled, late model G5. (so you get the benefit of faster RAM, PCI, etc)
People have speculated on the new Mac Pro for the past 6 months. It all depends on your timing and budget, but if you need the machine, get it. And the Harpertowns are not going to be night-and-day faster by any means.
A used G5 on ebay may be a wise choice because you are locked into CS2, assuming prices dont plummet on them (for when you ebay again later) Just try to get a non-watercooled, late model G5. (so you get the benefit of faster RAM, PCI, etc)
Yea if I do go with a PPC it will only be for 6mo. or so at the most (assuming I get a pre-pess job jan or feb)
If I hold out then i'm stuck with a PC box, Amd 3000+ , 512mb ram, radeon 9800 pro with photoshop 7.
If I knew that the new mac pro's are coming out in oct. then I would wait and go with them but doens't look like it. I'm afraid I would lose more if I bought a 2.66 with 4 gigs of ram now than selling a PPC 2.7 on ebay and getting a 3ghz+ harpertown when I really need it (and can afford it lol) in march/april.
Thanks guys I really appriciate the feedback keep it coming
Also I realize the most sensible and affordable thing to do is to just wait for new one but I cant wait...and cant bear to spend 2 grand just to see it outdated in a couple months
If I hold out then i'm stuck with a PC box, Amd 3000+ , 512mb ram, radeon 9800 pro with photoshop 7.
If I knew that the new mac pro's are coming out in oct. then I would wait and go with them but doens't look like it. I'm afraid I would lose more if I bought a 2.66 with 4 gigs of ram now than selling a PPC 2.7 on ebay and getting a 3ghz+ harpertown when I really need it (and can afford it lol) in march/april.
Thanks guys I really appriciate the feedback keep it coming
Also I realize the most sensible and affordable thing to do is to just wait for new one but I cant wait...and cant bear to spend 2 grand just to see it outdated in a couple months 
By Spring '08 They Will Be Available On The Refurbished Page For Bargain Prices
Bonus: If you know it will be that long, you can buy it on the refurb page by then for a very good price.
I purchased my 2.7 used for just under 2K, ran it for about a year, and sold it for 1800. Macs do carry good resale, so get a used G5 on eBay or here, and you should still be able to get most of your money back in 6 months. just be sure the machine has a decent amount of RAM coming with it; those things add little to resale value, but will keep you from putting money into the machine that you will not get back later.
Yea i'm going to wait on ebay and snag a good deal....the last one I posted in that link would have been a killer setup for $1500, and warranty to boot, just gotta wait for the right one.
I love the resale on these things, I bought my MBP 2.0ghz for $2000 and sold it for $1500 and its been over a year since purchased...not too shabby considering all the MBP updates.
I love the resale on these things, I bought my MBP 2.0ghz for $2000 and sold it for $1500 and its been over a year since purchased...not too shabby considering all the MBP updates.
Let me put it this way : WTF?
You are a 22yr old dude, who shoots with a 30.000$ Hasselblad,who cant afford a 250$ PS CS3 update for PS, who just sold his MBP to buy a old tech computer to run his CS2?
You got to be ******** me?
First.
If you work in/for a pre-press,why dont you use their computers for all the work? I bet they are well equipped, I mean,they have to for chrissake?!
Second.
The hasselblad is not yours. It can´t be. If it isnt yours,you propably loan it once in a while to shoot your own stuff?
-Can´t you work on your own stuff with the firms computers?
If you cant, then you will get by with a MBP and CS2 just fine. PS CS2 runs just fine on intells too,if you keep the pics under 500MB.
Thirded.
Wtf? You convert a 31mp image to a 16 bit tiff and it would be around 150MB.
Only way they would be under 100MB would be if they would be 8bit pics. Wich would be utterly dumb. It would be like using champagne to wash your porch. Or dumber.
And the stuff that they must be compressed,you must be ******** me?
What on earth are you talking about?
So. Forgive me but I have a feeling you are ******** us and taking us for a ride. Your stuff just dont make any sense at all. It´s like münchausen-esque.
If not,I do sincerely apologise.
In that case,still dont buy a G5.
Buy that MBP back and get the bloody PS CS3 update!
Get a external fw400/800 disk for scratch disk and load the computer with max memory. Sorted. A lot of photogs work with that kind of setup, and not only in field but in studio as well.
If it´s ok for them, I am sure as hell it is ok for you too.
Waiting for a 8 core harpers is useless anyway if you work only with CS3.
The threading in CS3 utterly sucks. Yes it is better than CS2,but the way photoshop is coded,it just dont thread well.
Normal load is around 100-120% (with a 4 core MP) and you can very occasionally se peaks around 250%. I think I never have seen them over 300%.
Why would you wait to buy a 8 core mac when you would end up not using 5 of them most of the time?
Ok,some smart ass is gonna say that Multitasking is the shitznitz.
I say bollocks.
You have your workflow.
1.Import photos to disk:Takes your time even if you have a FW card reader. Uses about 2% of your processor.
2.Import them to LR/Aperture. A 8GB shoot will take about 2-3 mins to get previews. Your procs are around 200-300% that time. In that 2 mins you import a bit more photos form you memory cards.
3.Sort/Edit your pics in LR/Aperture: Your procs run at about 20-250% for that time.
4.Export pics: LR runs at about 200% when doing a 100 pic batch of 72MB TIFFs.It takes 2-3 mins. Meanwhile you can import a bit more pics into LR. And you can read your mails.
5.Then you are sorted for photoshopping.
Video stuff is a different thing,obviously, but in the photo world you will be just fine for the next 18 months with your MBP or MP.
Why 18 months?
Well, photoshop CS4 should come out by then, and if Adobe has totallyrevamped their code, we might get a bit more multicore aware product. Might.
End of rant.
And no offense.
I just run out of coffee.
You are a 22yr old dude, who shoots with a 30.000$ Hasselblad,who cant afford a 250$ PS CS3 update for PS, who just sold his MBP to buy a old tech computer to run his CS2?
You got to be ******** me?
First.
If you work in/for a pre-press,why dont you use their computers for all the work? I bet they are well equipped, I mean,they have to for chrissake?!
Second.
The hasselblad is not yours. It can´t be. If it isnt yours,you propably loan it once in a while to shoot your own stuff?
-Can´t you work on your own stuff with the firms computers?
If you cant, then you will get by with a MBP and CS2 just fine. PS CS2 runs just fine on intells too,if you keep the pics under 500MB.
Thirded.
Wtf? You convert a 31mp image to a 16 bit tiff and it would be around 150MB.
Only way they would be under 100MB would be if they would be 8bit pics. Wich would be utterly dumb. It would be like using champagne to wash your porch. Or dumber.
And the stuff that they must be compressed,you must be ******** me?
What on earth are you talking about?
So. Forgive me but I have a feeling you are ******** us and taking us for a ride. Your stuff just dont make any sense at all. It´s like münchausen-esque.
If not,I do sincerely apologise.
In that case,still dont buy a G5.
Buy that MBP back and get the bloody PS CS3 update!
Get a external fw400/800 disk for scratch disk and load the computer with max memory. Sorted. A lot of photogs work with that kind of setup, and not only in field but in studio as well.
If it´s ok for them, I am sure as hell it is ok for you too.
Waiting for a 8 core harpers is useless anyway if you work only with CS3.
The threading in CS3 utterly sucks. Yes it is better than CS2,but the way photoshop is coded,it just dont thread well.
Normal load is around 100-120% (with a 4 core MP) and you can very occasionally se peaks around 250%. I think I never have seen them over 300%.
Why would you wait to buy a 8 core mac when you would end up not using 5 of them most of the time?
Ok,some smart ass is gonna say that Multitasking is the shitznitz.
I say bollocks.
You have your workflow.
1.Import photos to disk:Takes your time even if you have a FW card reader. Uses about 2% of your processor.
2.Import them to LR/Aperture. A 8GB shoot will take about 2-3 mins to get previews. Your procs are around 200-300% that time. In that 2 mins you import a bit more photos form you memory cards.
3.Sort/Edit your pics in LR/Aperture: Your procs run at about 20-250% for that time.
4.Export pics: LR runs at about 200% when doing a 100 pic batch of 72MB TIFFs.It takes 2-3 mins. Meanwhile you can import a bit more pics into LR. And you can read your mails.
5.Then you are sorted for photoshopping.
Video stuff is a different thing,obviously, but in the photo world you will be just fine for the next 18 months with your MBP or MP.
Why 18 months?
Well, photoshop CS4 should come out by then, and if Adobe has totallyrevamped their code, we might get a bit more multicore aware product. Might.
End of rant.
And no offense.
I just run out of coffee.
No offense take, I found it kind of amusing
1. I wish I could afford a Hasselblad, I just retouch other's photo's...they dont have the time for post so I do it on the side, and have only had one guy with a hassy file, most photographers who work with those kind of guns demand the finest quality and the best retouchers.
I only mentioned the 31mp file because that really took a tax in the MBP. Once you start stacking layers the file size multiplies...dupe a copy of your original to a new layer and your psd is now more than 2x as big (roughly)...I have as many as 20-30 layers at a time...they dont all have as much information as a duped layer but they add up.
I also own a Nikon D80, but thats just a hobby
2. I dont work in pre-press yet but will be. You obviously can't use their property to freelance with I would be fired for that, their mac would be used to retouch their files before it hit the press...then when I get home I can do freelancing from my own computer to get extra money on the side. (and eventually quit the pre-press)
3.
I was referring to the 30mb to the raw file itself, once converted it was around a 215mb 16bit tiff. Their was a lot of black background in the image..which is probably why the raw was so much smaller in size...on hasseys site it lists the .3fr files on average of 50mb.....what on earth are you talking about??
I'm not ******** on anyone, just wanted to have a discussion on what to look out for with the ppc powermacs.
I did think about the cs3 update, would be the cheapest way but I would still have the problem of it getting scalding hot (78-83c avg. even with an active cooler) and it becoming unstable and rebooting, cs2, aperture, in-design...etc My friends newer MBP doesn't get as hot. When it interferes with your work and you have to worry when you will lose your current work thats not good...the Cmd+S was getting a workout.
Also the 2GB is limiting my work, hard to have anything more than just aperture or just PS open....then new MBP have 4GB which would be great.
I would rather have a 4core, will prob. end up getting the 3ghz quad core IF thats what they give us. I didn't realize the threading problems with cs3 though thanks i'll have to check out on that further.
Man thats some caffeine withdrawl
I don't know why you think I was ******** on everyone and taking for a ride...i'm just a (soon to be) college graduate who is starting out in the industry and need something to work on my portfolio and when that gets too slow or hindering for my freelance work I will need eventually need a mac pro.
1. I wish I could afford a Hasselblad, I just retouch other's photo's...they dont have the time for post so I do it on the side, and have only had one guy with a hassy file, most photographers who work with those kind of guns demand the finest quality and the best retouchers.
I only mentioned the 31mp file because that really took a tax in the MBP. Once you start stacking layers the file size multiplies...dupe a copy of your original to a new layer and your psd is now more than 2x as big (roughly)...I have as many as 20-30 layers at a time...they dont all have as much information as a duped layer but they add up.
I also own a Nikon D80, but thats just a hobby
2. I dont work in pre-press yet but will be. You obviously can't use their property to freelance with I would be fired for that, their mac would be used to retouch their files before it hit the press...then when I get home I can do freelancing from my own computer to get extra money on the side. (and eventually quit the pre-press)
3.
I was referring to the 30mb to the raw file itself, once converted it was around a 215mb 16bit tiff. Their was a lot of black background in the image..which is probably why the raw was so much smaller in size...on hasseys site it lists the .3fr files on average of 50mb.....what on earth are you talking about??
I'm not ******** on anyone, just wanted to have a discussion on what to look out for with the ppc powermacs.
I did think about the cs3 update, would be the cheapest way but I would still have the problem of it getting scalding hot (78-83c avg. even with an active cooler) and it becoming unstable and rebooting, cs2, aperture, in-design...etc My friends newer MBP doesn't get as hot. When it interferes with your work and you have to worry when you will lose your current work thats not good...the Cmd+S was getting a workout.
Also the 2GB is limiting my work, hard to have anything more than just aperture or just PS open....then new MBP have 4GB which would be great.
I would rather have a 4core, will prob. end up getting the 3ghz quad core IF thats what they give us. I didn't realize the threading problems with cs3 though thanks i'll have to check out on that further.
Man thats some caffeine withdrawl
I don't know why you think I was ******** on everyone and taking for a ride...i'm just a (soon to be) college graduate who is starting out in the industry and need something to work on my portfolio and when that gets too slow or hindering for my freelance work I will need eventually need a mac pro.
I don't know why you think I was ******** on everyone and taking for a ride...i'm just a (soon to be) college graduate who is starting out in the industry and need something to work on my portfolio and when that gets too slow or hindering for my freelance work I will need eventually need a mac pro.
Let´s put it this way,there were some inconsicties in you writeup...
But,as things are sorted, I would still recommend something other than the G5. Unless you are hellbent on that one. And even then I would recommend something else..
The MBP with 4Gb´s works nicely. I have a collegue that works with one (Eos-1 Mark II Ds) and he havent complained.
The first gen MBPs had heating issues,but they should be sorted by now.
But it sounds like your best shot would be raided up MP.
If your startfiles start to be 150MB and you add 20-30 layers you will end up around what? 2-3 Gigs? Even if you would have 16GB of memory it would be impossible to keep those files in the memory only,so you are about bound to end up using scratch. (the CS3 can utilize max.3GBs of direct memory, and 3GBs more for memory scratch).
Either you have to trim your workflow (many people do use too much layers..) or get a MP.
In that case the MPs 4 (+2) HDD slots come handy.
1 for os. Say 250GB
2 for scratch in raid 0 = Something cheap 2x160GBs?
1 for backup = 1x500GB.
Then an external 500GB for extra backup.
Harpertowns really might benefit you,but not directly..
When they are released, the older quads (2.0-2.6-3.0) are gonna drop their prices in e-bay and apples refurb pages. I could bet that you would score a 2.66 for that 1500€ what you have budgeted for you comp.
Tadaa! Then you would have a good working horse for PS and you could start to make some serious money.
If you would be utterly pissed off about the performance,you would save enough money in few weeks to buy a harper.
So,go for a MP!
I had a dual 2.0Ghz (two CPUs, not dual core) and it was rock solid. You can find parts for the non-liquid cooled G5s all over ebay. So if you need a new fan, new heatsink, etc. you can replace them yourself if you are savvy. I don't know if you can do the same with a liquid cooled box so easily.
I would say get the dual CPU 2.5 model. The fastest non-liquid cooled model, I think.
I would say get the dual CPU 2.5 model. The fastest non-liquid cooled model, I think.
A PPC chip
On the real though. Main thing would be to check that there has been no water coolant leaks. There was a forum post a bit back where someone posted picks of their logic board after a coolant leak. Very good visual to know what to look for.
thanks guys,
synth3tik i'll have to search for that link sounds like a good read.
I rarely start with 150mb+ files, only occasionally, and If I do, I usually trim them down to 8 bit (after tonal + color corrections) Then I have maybe 3 versions of the original, all other layers are mostly blank with the imperfections cloned on that blank layer(s) etc...30 copies of the 150mb background layer would be crazy slugish! I do agree that a lot of people have to many layers, I tend to have more layers unless it slows down the system then I condense them...guess it depends on the project.
I know I should wait to see what the future holds but I just wish we had a set date I would bet after launch the mac-pro's would be $1800, their selling for $2200 with 1GBram now. I was soooo close to puting the extra on a credit card to get a MP but the only thing stopping me was the refresh, and I have to figure in $400 for cs3 suite and $350 for memory...after MP tax it totals to $3200...could knock 200-ish off for just PS cs3 but then still $1500 over my original budget.....damned if I do and damned if I don't haha
I'll defiantly only get one with applecare, I have my eye on a few that are going this weekend...hoping for the best.. I always get sniped by .80 cents
synth3tik i'll have to search for that link sounds like a good read.
I rarely start with 150mb+ files, only occasionally, and If I do, I usually trim them down to 8 bit (after tonal + color corrections) Then I have maybe 3 versions of the original, all other layers are mostly blank with the imperfections cloned on that blank layer(s) etc...30 copies of the 150mb background layer would be crazy slugish! I do agree that a lot of people have to many layers, I tend to have more layers unless it slows down the system then I condense them...guess it depends on the project.
I know I should wait to see what the future holds but I just wish we had a set date
I would bet after launch the mac-pro's would be $1800, their selling for $2200 with 1GBram now. I was soooo close to puting the extra on a credit card to get a MP but the only thing stopping me was the refresh, and I have to figure in $400 for cs3 suite and $350 for memory...after MP tax it totals to $3200...could knock 200-ish off for just PS cs3 but then still $1500 over my original budget.....damned if I do and damned if I don't haha I'll defiantly only get one with applecare, I have my eye on a few that are going this weekend...hoping for the best.. I always get sniped by .80 cents
I've been a little worried about my 2.7, wish I had known abut these issues when I picked it up. But I am covered under applecare until sept/2009. I've also heard that a few are replaced with macpros, straight up. And I'm thinking by the time 2009 rolls around, if I have had any issues, I'll be taking a mac pro from apple. But really, I read about the leaks a few months ago and I open my case once a week to check on it and have had no issues as of yet.