Hi all-
My current computer is a G5 PowerMac -- 1.8 GHz DP, 1.25 GB of RAM -- that's getting somewhat long in the tooth. I'd sort of dreamed of getting a tricked out 8-core Mac Pro, but it's becoming increasingly clear to me that (a) I won't be able to afford that anytime soon, (b) since I don't use any computationally intensive apps, I don't need such a thing, and (c) it would actually be pretty convenient to me to get a laptop. So, I'm thinking of getting a MacBook -- the 2.4 GHz model, RAM-ed up to the max and with the larger hard drive.
I'm wondering if anyone has made a similar transition and can comment on to what extent the clock speeds for the G5 and Core Duo chips are comparable. Will I be getting the 33 percent boost that the numbers would lead you to believe? More? Less? How does dual core processing stack up against a true dual chip? And to what extent is any of that going to be relevant to me, who mainly uses the machine for Web surfing, email, and word processing?
Also, I hadn't really taken a close look at laptop specs since the Intel transition, and I was sort of shocked by how little difference there seemed to be between the MacBook and MacBook Pro, considering the fairly substantial gap in price. As near as I could tell, the biggest difference (other than 200 MHz of processing speed) is the size; I don't mind the smaller screen, since 90 percent of the time I'd still be connected to my current keyboard/monitor combo, and the rest of the time smaller would be better anyway. Other than that and the backlit keyboard, is there some distinction I'm missing?
Finally, I wonder just how slow and/or buggy Rosetta really is. Most of the apps I use are Universal, but I still have Office 2004 (and really don't feel like shelling out for '08), Adobe Photoship CS 8 (which I use for optimizing graphics for the Web, nothing too intensive), and an older version of Quicken. I'm willing to bear with a performance hit on these, but really hope they don't crash all the time.
Anyway, I know this has been kind of rambling, but I'd just love to solicit opinions from anyone who's made a smiliar transition and has experience to share.
My current computer is a G5 PowerMac -- 1.8 GHz DP, 1.25 GB of RAM -- that's getting somewhat long in the tooth. I'd sort of dreamed of getting a tricked out 8-core Mac Pro, but it's becoming increasingly clear to me that (a) I won't be able to afford that anytime soon, (b) since I don't use any computationally intensive apps, I don't need such a thing, and (c) it would actually be pretty convenient to me to get a laptop. So, I'm thinking of getting a MacBook -- the 2.4 GHz model, RAM-ed up to the max and with the larger hard drive.
I'm wondering if anyone has made a similar transition and can comment on to what extent the clock speeds for the G5 and Core Duo chips are comparable. Will I be getting the 33 percent boost that the numbers would lead you to believe? More? Less? How does dual core processing stack up against a true dual chip? And to what extent is any of that going to be relevant to me, who mainly uses the machine for Web surfing, email, and word processing?
Also, I hadn't really taken a close look at laptop specs since the Intel transition, and I was sort of shocked by how little difference there seemed to be between the MacBook and MacBook Pro, considering the fairly substantial gap in price. As near as I could tell, the biggest difference (other than 200 MHz of processing speed) is the size; I don't mind the smaller screen, since 90 percent of the time I'd still be connected to my current keyboard/monitor combo, and the rest of the time smaller would be better anyway. Other than that and the backlit keyboard, is there some distinction I'm missing?
Finally, I wonder just how slow and/or buggy Rosetta really is. Most of the apps I use are Universal, but I still have Office 2004 (and really don't feel like shelling out for '08), Adobe Photoship CS 8 (which I use for optimizing graphics for the Web, nothing too intensive), and an older version of Quicken. I'm willing to bear with a performance hit on these, but really hope they don't crash all the time.
Anyway, I know this has been kind of rambling, but I'd just love to solicit opinions from anyone who's made a smiliar transition and has experience to share.
