Am I making the right choice? (Mac Pro) Life Span issues

[Brindlebutt]

I have gone through some of the iMac vs Mac Pro threads here, and found them very interesting and very useful as I make my own agonizing decision.

I am a digital artist. I own both a G3 and a G4, which I have meticulously taken care of, and which I have upgraded to the max. I do medical and science illustration, which is very exacting, plus I do graphic design, major photo-editing, Flash, and web design.

I loved the iMac 24" 2.8GHz I saw today. I know it can handle anything I need it to do -- at present.

But what bugs is that life-span is very important to me. I've had my G3 since 199? and still adore it and use it -- same with G4. I don't like to, and generally can't afford, to purchase every 4 years or so. People here keep saying the iMac has a 4 year life span -- that creeps me out. I want a long-term commitment

I also love to get under the hood -- can't do that with iMac.

I'm thinking -- go for the Mac Pro, 2.66, 2GB RAM -- what I can afford now, which is 99% probably of my current needs, and expand it in parts over time. I can't anticipate today what my future needs will be (I've been out of geek circulation for 5 years due to serious family illness) and honestly am not sure what people in the trenches now need (I used to follow every detail!) -- but it seems that whatever they might be, I can grow my Mac Pro around them.

Am I making a good decision? As beautiful as the iMac was, would I probably be regretting purchasing it 2 years from now?

Let me conclude with a stupid question: does the Mac Pro require special types of hard drives? I have some young ones I recently piggy-backed to my G3 & G4 -- can I stick them in one of the Mac Pro's bays?

Thanks so much to all who have bothered to read yet another iMac or Mac Pro post, truly.

 

[ricgnzlzcr]

The mac pro is probably the best for longevity. Looking at it differently though, why don't you buy a 20 inch imac now and 4 years from now buy another with the money that's left over? Hell, you could even sell your 4 year old imac then and have extra.

I'd still personally get the mac pro now just because I've always wanted one.

 

[suneohair]

I think it is a poor decision to buy a Mac Pro now. We can probably expect an update before years end.

The drives in the Mac Pro aren't special, they are SATA. G3/G4s use IDE. You could stick an IDE drive in the vacant optical drive bay.

 

[sblasl]

Based on your previous purchases and your enjoyment/desire to "tweak" your systems, I think you would become frustrated with the inability to upgrade your system if & when you see the need. You are definitely a Mac Pro kinda guy/gal.

The Mac Pro uses eSATA drives, you would not be able to use them in the Mac Pro. You could purchase USB/FireWire external enclosures & use your hard drives that way.

Good luck!

 

[Brindlebutt]

Thanks

I think it is a poor decision to buy a Mac Pro now. We can probably expect an update before years end.

The drives in the Mac Pro aren't special, they are SATA. G3/G4s use IDE. You could stick an IDE drive in the vacant optical drive bay.

I have been kind of rushed because I had two computers go out at once (weird weird problems). Since no explanation made sense regarding what was happening (grey screen at startup/prohibitory icon with CD bootup) -- I have since learned that this might be caused by power fluctuations in the house -- we had major electrical stuff done just prior to my problems. Hmmm. I better fix that before I do anything! I am purchasing two "bare bones" to put the drives in to see if I can get up and running again. If so, I will not have pressure to buy a new computer right now. That way, I can heed your advice and cool my heels until the update arrives.

Thanks.

 

[Brindlebutt]

You understand me

Based on your previous purchases and your enjoyment/desire to "tweak" your systems, I think you would become frustrated with the inability to upgrade your system if & when you see the need. You are definitely a Mac Pro kinda guy/gal.

Absolutely true. I'm the same way with cars. I like to buy well and then hang on to it.

The Mac Pro uses eSATA drives, you would not be able to use them in the Mac Pro. You could purchase USB/FireWire external enclosures & use your hard drives that way.

I've never heard of these before. Good idea. I also like the previous poster's suggestion about placing them in the optical drive. Nice.

Thanks.