Apple Releases New PowerMacs

[Multimedia]

My Educational dual 2.5 GHz G5 Order Plan

Here's the educational route I think is best:

Just the stock 512 MB RAM (2x256) Expand with 1 GB Sticks @ $225 (18004memory.com sells 2 GB kits for $450)

250 GB HD (+$90) Fair difference ($1/GB) to max out that drive.

Combo (-$90) then buy a Pioneer DVR-107 for the saved $90 plus $10, swap them out and put the Apple Certified Combo in a FW Case.

Airport Extreme (+$89)

Bluetooth + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse (+$89) Saves $99 - trade off here is you do not get wired keyboard nor mouse. But I have two extra USB keyboards and use a Kensington Turbo Mouse so I'd like to try the Bluetooth Keyboard to see how it goes.

.Mac Promo (+$69.95) saves $30

APP for PowerMac (+$199) New Liquid Cooler insurance.

$3145.95

Any suggestions?

 

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Any suggestions? Yeah, don't go to a school that costs $40,000/yr like me.

 

[edesignuk]

What's the big deal if the video card isn't right or the hard drive isn't big enough? Just go to Apple's web site and configure it yourself.

Some of you come across as such drama queens! Just go to Apple.com and pick the video card or hard drive you want and be done with it! Such whiners!

I think you're missing the point that you shouldn't have to spec up and pay more for an already very expensive, and pro line machine just to get a respectable amount of RAM and a half decent video card.

Don't get me wrong, I still badly want a dual 2.5, and it would to be very fast, but I would still be pissed at having to buy extra RAM etc. after dropping £2.2k on it!

 

[thatwendigo]

If you want to play games you have little choice than to go pro, you have seen the current state of iMacs right???

Or, you know, spend $200 on a console or $1000 on a dedicated gaming rig... Mac game performance is what I like to call "good enough," and it's really only going to matter if you're a hardcore nut about framerates that go beynd human experience.

If you're one of those... Well, it's silly to be buying a mac. DirectX is the reality, and you need to buy a PC.

 

[ts1973]

Or, you know, spend $200 on a console or $1000 on a dedicated gaming rig... Mac game performance is what I like to call "good enough," and it's really only going to matter if you're a hardcore nut about framerates that go beynd human experience.

If you're one of those... Well, it's silly to be buying a mac. DirectX is the reality, and you need to buy a PC.

Hah, at last some reality, from thatwendigo of course

I still feel a little "ripped off" however on the part of the price of current PM (upgrades or not), for the following reasons :
- RAM (no improvement)
- Storage (no improvement)
- Bluetooth : why not as standard
- Airport ?? Would be an extra promotion for the new airport express if this were standard
- Still video cards : why not 9600xt standard, 9800se and 9800xt as upgrades...
- Overall pricing : dual 1.8 is no more value than it was yesterday... I think we desperately need an updated iMac (G5 or not).

 

[edesignuk]

Or, you know, spend $200 on a console or $1000 on a dedicated gaming rig... Mac game performance is what I like to call "good enough," and it's really only going to matter if you're a hardcore nut about framerates that go beynd human experience.

If you're one of those... Well, it's silly to be buying a mac. DirectX is the reality, and you need to buy a PC.

I have no interest in playing games, but there are a lot of others that do, and want to use a Mac (for some reason), and even if I don't need a fast graphics card the fact remains I should still expect one in an expensive, pro-line machine.

I don't see how anyone can defend/justify putting crap video cards in a pro-line machine, and consumer (at best) levels of RAM

 

[NicoMan]

I have no interest in playing games, but there are a lot of others that do, and want to use a Mac (for some reason), and even if I don't need a fast graphics card the fact remains I should still expect one in an expensive, pro-line machine.

I don't see how anyone can defend/justify putting crap video cards in a pro-line machine, and consumer (at best) levels of RAM

Yo, edesignuk, for the life of me I can't remember the UK prices of the old G5 lineup. It feels that the current prices are lower but I could be wrong. It's an honest question.
Another question: how good is the 9600XT??

The fact that the dual 1.8 has a PCI (aka old) mobo doesn't seem too bad. Apple just wanted to have a low entry point in their dual-G5 range. How many PCI-X cards are there anyway? and 4GB memory will be enough for 95% of users. The only thing that bugs me is the RAM and HD size of the 1.8. How well...

 

[edesignuk]

Yo, edesignuk, for the life of me I can't remember the UK prices of the old G5 lineup. It feels that the current prices are lower but I could be wrong. It's an honest question.
Another question: how good is the 9600XT??

The fact that the dual 1.8 has a PCI (aka old) mobo doesn't seem too bad. Apple just wanted to have a low entry point in their dual-G5 range. How many PCI-X cards are there anyway? and 4GB memory will be enough for 95% of users. The only thing that bugs me is the RAM and HD size of the 1.8. How well...

The 9600XT is a reasonably good card (but 9800, X800 are better), but this is only standard in the dual 2.5, in the others you get the real POS FX5200 And that's the real saw point. I'm pretty sure prices have remained about the same

 

[MacFan26]

Combo (-$90) then buy a Pioneer DVR-107 for the saved $90 plus $10, swap them out and put the Apple Certified Combo in a FW Case.

Airport Extreme (+$89)

Bluetooth + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse (+$89) Saves $99

.Mac Promo (+$69.95) saves $30

$3145.95

Any suggestions?

It sounds good! Although, I myself wouldn't get .Mac, or the Apple Wireless keyboard/mouse, but I think it's all a good price for what you're getting. The education discount definitely helps. Is all of that stuff you're planning on doing with your cd/dvd drive really worth it?

 

[Multimedia]

New ATI Graphics Cards Are 9600XT w/128 MB Video RAM Instead of 64 MB

No, it merely proves that you're clueless about market segmentation.

Old:
Low end - single 1.6 - FX5200 - 4 GB max - 256 MB - $1799
Mid - single 1.8 (later a dual 1.8) - ATI 9600 - 8 GB max - 512 MB - $2499
High - dual 2.0 - ATI 9600 - 8 GB Max- 512 MB - $2999

New:
Low end - dual 1.8 - FX5200 - 4 GB max - 256 MB - $1999
Mid - dual 2.0 - ATI 9600 - 8 GB max - 512 MB - $2499
High - dual 2.5 - ATI 9600 - 8 GB Max- 512 MB - $2999

Looks like an upgrade across the board - as long as you're doing a rational comparison.

You understated the video card difference between old and new. New ATI Graphics Cards Are 9600XT w/128 MB Video RAM - twice as much as the day before yesterday.

 

[mnstr_trd_sd]

ah.....i still love it! I completely agree about the cards and the 1.8's though.
It's still a work of art. *sniffle*

 

[Multimedia]

2 Opticals Are Handy When Backing Up CDs and DVDs. This Gets 2nd Optical Almost Free.

It sounds good! Although, I myself wouldn't get .Mac, or the Apple Wireless keyboard/mouse, but I think it's all a good price for what you're getting. The education discount definitely helps. Is all of that stuff you're planning on doing with your cd/dvd drive really worth it?

2 Opticals Are Handy When Backing Up CDs and DVDs. This Gets the 2nd Apple Certified Combo Optical Almost Free.

The Pioneer DVR-107 is the Apple SuperDrive and the G5 will think so when you swap out the Combo drive for it. My way is simply a way to get two optical drives for almost the price of one.

 

[365]

I have no interest in playing games, but there are a lot of others that do, and want to use a Mac (for some reason), and even if I don't need a fast graphics card the fact remains I should still expect one in an expensive, pro-line machine.

I don't see how anyone can defend/justify putting crap video cards in a pro-line machine, and consumer (at best) levels of RAM

It's easy really, if you really do need the power of this machine then the first thing you will do is fit at least 2GB of memory, the cheapest way to do that is four 512mb sticks so you would have to throw the two stick already fitted, I'd sooner ditch two 128's than two 256's, the 9600XT upgrade is £40 in the UK is that expensive? and you're now only paying £1500 ( inc graphics card upgrade ) for a machine that would have cost over £2000 two days ago and you now get a better graphics card.

ITS A BARGAIN

 

[NicoMan]

The 9600XT is a reasonably good card (but 9800, X800 are better), but this is only standard in the dual 2.5, in the others you get the real POS FX5200 And that's the real saw point. I'm pretty sure prices have remained about the same

~£50 to upgrade for 9600XT is not that bad. I think there are plenty of peeps that don't care about the graphics card. They just want a good/cheap machine to do photoshop/indesign/express work. I think what stinks is the fact that we can't choose anything better than the 9800 and that the price difference in price with the stock cards is that big.

The one thing that strikes me is that there is no real soft spot in that line-up. In the old line-up, the dual-1.8 was the obvious one. Now it depends... maybe the 2.5.

 

[NicoMan]

It's easy really, if you really do need the power of this machine then the first thing you will do is fit at least 2GB of memory, the cheapest way to do that is four 512mb sticks so you would have to throw the two stick already fitted, I'd sooner ditch two 128's than two 256's, the 9600XT upgrade is £40 in the UK is that expensive? and you're now only paying £1500 ( inc graphics card upgrade ) for a machine that would have cost over £2000 two days ago and you now get a better graphics card.

ITS A BARGAIN

i think so too, but you forgot the HD upgrade...

 

[BakedBeans]

The 9600XT is a reasonably good card (but 9800, X800 are better), but this is only standard in the dual 2.5, in the others you get the real POS FX5200 And that's the real saw point. I'm pretty sure prices have remained about the same

YEAH PRICES ARE A LITTLE LOWER FOR THE 1.8 AND 2GHZ BUT THEY ARE LOWER SPEC THAN THEY WERE, AND I DONT AGREE WITH THE POINT THAT YOU SHOULD GO AND BUY A PC OR CONSOLE TO PLAY GAMES ON...I MEAN AT £1900 FOR THE DUAL 2.0.. YOU GET A FX5200, GREAT!

THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT WITH A TOPEND PRO PRODUCT YOU SHOULD GET A TOPEND CARD A TOPEND CPU AND A TOP AMMOUNT OF RAM

1 OUT OF 3 IN MY OPINION

 

[365]

i think so too, but you forgot the HD upgrade...

You've got a spare drive bay in there, get on the internet and go to scan.co.uk, microdirect.co.uk or komplett.co.uk and buy yourself a 200GB SATA drive with 8mb cache and three year warranty for about £90 or a 250GB drive for just over £100.

The dual 2Ghz machine looks like the dog to me now, not a massive performance increase and spec is very mediocre ( 512mb, FX5200, 160Gb ) but it's £400 dearer, that's a graphics card upgrade, 2GB of memory and a bigger drive for the dual 1.8. If you need as much power as possible then you obviously go for the dual 2.5

 

[365]

THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT WITH A TOPEND PRO PRODUCT YOU SHOULD GET A TOPEND CARD A TOPEND CPU AND A TOPEND AND A TOP AMMOUNT OF RAM

The dual 1.8 isn't a top end machine, it's the bottom of the line and costs just £1449.

 

[ts1973]

The dual 1.8 isn't a top end machine, it's the bottom of the line and costs just £1449.

And for a £1449 machine (bottom line or not) you should expect more. (but hey, it's your money )

 

[Nermal]

The Australian store is showing the new ones also.
Under the 2.5GHz there is the following text: "Sale subject to agency approval".
What the **** does that mean?

Says that on the NZ store too.

 

[thatwendigo]

I have no interest in playing games, but there are a lot of others that do, and want to use a Mac (for some reason), and even if I don't need a fast graphics card the fact remains I should still expect one in an expensive, pro-line machine.

I'm sorry, what? You should expect the same card that Dell ships in their top of the line machines? Don't believe me? Dell XPS with 9800 XT card, which costs $220 and doesn't have ADC.

I don't see how anyone can defend/justify putting crap video cards in a pro-line machine, and consumer (at best) levels of RAM

I'll say it again, since I've said it before and it still hasn't sunk in with a lot of people: the PowerPC platform is more expensive overall. This has been proven by the PesasOS people.

YEAH PRICES ARE A LITTLE LOWER FOR THE 1.8 AND 2GHZ BUT THEY ARE LOWER SPEC THAN THEY WERE, AND I DONT AGREE WITH THE POINT THAT YOU SHOULD GO AND BUY A PC OR CONSOLE TO PLAY GAMES ON...I MEAN AT £1900 FOR THE DUAL 2.0.. YOU GET A FX5200, GREAT!

THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT WITH A TOPEND PRO PRODUCT YOU SHOULD GET A TOPEND CARD A TOPEND CPU AND A TOPEND AND A TOP AMMOUNT OF RAM

1 OUT OF 3 IN MY OPINION

OMG, NOT TEH LOWAR SPECS!

Because shouting your post makes it all the more important...

Look, the G5 2.0ghz just dropped US$500 in price, gained an 8x burner instead of a 4x, and only became "lower spec" on a single point - graphics card. Pardon me for my utter lack of caring about such a minor loss, when spending US$50 gets you the 9600XT.

 

[365]

And for a £1449 machine (bottom line or not) you should expect more. (but hey, it's your money )

Perhaps I could buy an equivelant Intel machine, a dual Xeon perhaps? Now how much would a branded one of those cost me, not a cheap throw together.

Actually try www.dell.co.uk, an identical spec dual 2.4Ghz Xeon, Precision Workstation 650 MiniTower, prices out to £1,514.58, that's with 256mb, 80Gb ( which was a £10 upgrade, the standard drive was a 40GB ) but it includes a CRT screen but balance that against the fact that the dual 1.8 G5 is going to walk all over a dual 2.4.

I'd pay a £250 premium for OSX but I don't have to pay any premium because my new Mac will cost less than the equivelant PC, so it's a no brainer for me

 

[edesignuk]

I'm sorry, what? You should expect the same card that Dell ships in their top of the line machines? Don't believe me? Dell XPS with 9800 XT card, which costs $220 and doesn't have ADC.

That system is just $1899 and has a 128mb 9800 Pro

 

[NicoMan]

You've got a spare drive bay in there, get on the internet and go to scan.co.uk, microdirect.co.uk or komplett.co.uk and buy yourself a 200GB SATA drive with 8mb cache and three year warranty for about £90 or a 250GB drive for just over £100.

The dual 2Ghz machine looks like the dog to me now, not a massive performance increase and spec is very mediocre ( 512mb, FX5200, 160Gb ) but it's £400 dearer, that's a graphics card upgrade, 2GB of memory and a bigger drive for the dual 1.8. If you need as much power as possible then you obviously go for the dual 2.5

So true about the HD. (Thanks for the links)

About the 2.0: I agree, it's gotta be either the 1.8 (cheap G5) or the 2.5 (performance).

 

[MacFan26]

2 Opticals Are Handy When Backing Up CDs and DVDs. This Gets the 2nd Apple Certified Combo Optical Almost Free.

The Pioneer DVR-107 is the Apple SuperDrive and the G5 will think so when you swap out the Combo drive for it. My way is simply a way to get two optical drives for almost the price of one.

Ah, I understand now.