Does this seem a perfect choice?

[RobHague]

After many threads on this (incase you read a few), since im switching from PC land (offical member since 1992-3ish) and the cost of macs in general its a big step so i hope people understand the need sometimes for lots of 'thinking' on the subject

I definatley think Apple could add a bit more support on their site though, the switch page is all well and good but it would be nice if they had a FAQ on concerns people might have if they have been using PC's for a while like - Alternatives to popular windows software (MSN? Video Chat with Windows Users? etc) - Concerns over teh Intel announcement (comeon thats a no-brainer why wouldnt they assure new customers in some way? Even if they were lieing through their teeh do they WANT to sell computers or not? lol) lists of software titles on PC that are also available on Mac's. Upcoming 'entertainment' software - Real benchmarks for the games would be good too. I dont get all this 70% faster stuff

Anyway, I decided that i should grab a new PC instead. Common sense kicked in and i began to think, if i go PM G5 ill be buying an EOL product - who knows what Apple will have planned - I could get shafted in the longterm and find myself with a worthless paperweight in a year to two years time. Apple are not under any obligation to keep PPC alive, they want it dead right? If the world is a buzz with Mactels when they arrive then PCC will fade. And it could be a lot sooner than later for all we/i know... nothings certain which is part of the problem.

What also concerned me is any software i buy in addition for my new G5, or hardware ect (Periferals, Graphics blah blah) i have purchased - What can i expect to happen when im pressured to 'upgrade'. Will the emulation be sufficiant? slow? incompatible? with some software. Will i need to rebuy some periferals? I'm into entertainment too - The announcement no doubt fired a head-shot at any potential new PC>MAC game titles (worth noting anyway) for a while...

So i priced a system up, £2368.41 for an Intel Pentium 4 840 Dual Core w/ a Geforce 7800GTX..... 20" screen etch, and all the bells and whistles. However i can't do it there isnt anything on PC worth paying that much to play. The only games im interested in playing now on PC are really GTA San Andreas and perhaps Guild Wars (since its free online fun).

Also when it came to deciding on the OS for this superdupa system... im going to be using Windows again. I got rid of my last PC i the hope of breaking free of Windows and Microsoft lol and Linux is too much hassle. I only tried a handful of distro's but they didnt exactley excite me or make me want to use them over Windows (and that has to be bad right ).

Anyhow, against my 'concerns' and feelings that i should dump the cash into another PC ive decided that i should buy the following....

Power Mac G5 DP 2.3GHz PCI-X
ATI Radeon 9600 - 128MB DDR SDRAM 065-5538
Apple Keyboard & Apple Mouse 065-5531
Dual 2.3GHz PowerPC G5 065-5746
250GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm 065-5536
1GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x512MB 065-5701
16x SuperDrive Dual Layer (DVD-R/CD-RW) 065-5537
Bluetooth Module + AirPort Extreme Card 065-5725
Country kit 065-5529
Mac OS X 065-5542
Apple Cinema Display (20" flat panel)
JBL Creature II 2.1 speakers - grey

£2,457.94

I know i should get my own RAM prolly but its less hassle to just get it included with it. Then i dont have to crack the case open on delivery I shall go with the above and upgrade any parts with my needs (a better graphics card or whatever if thats a problem) and just see how i go. Hey well I have Diablo II and Starcraft (Mac/PC versions) on my shelf so if worst comes to worst

So thats about it. I'm going with that system in a week or so. I wish i could order it right now (so i cant think about it anymore ) but i need to sort out my finances etc to pay for it.

Here is hoping that im posting on here under OSX soon

EDIT:

I have considered an iMac G5 but i dont feel it would be expandible enough and i may end up wishing id spent a bit more at a later date for the PM.

 

[lopresmb]

few thoughts

--I don't think I could ever bring myself to spend that kind of money on a windows box, its just not worth the hassles and trouble that come along with it.

--Buy a monitor from Dell (the 20" of 24" widescreen), they are cheaper and of somewhat similar screen quality.

--I wouldn't worry about longevity, the Powermac is a quick machine, and should last you for years (Macs traditionally have quite a longer shelf life anyhow). Not only that, when the new mactels come out, they are going to be the unsuported machines, untill all developers move over to intel + PPC binaries. The PPC should be supported for quite some time (and you won't have to mess with emulation). The only reason I can see waiting for an mactel is if you want a dual boot mac and windoze machine (if that will be possible with the new machines)

 

[RobHague]

Thanks for the added info and no im not interested in running Windows on a Mac. I dont want to duel boot with Windows, im buying a mac to get away from it so if you can run windows on the new Mac's when they arrive i still wont be duel booting lol.

Hmmm i dunno wouldnt i kinda spoil the whole 'asthetics' btw if i have a DELL monitor with my G5 I will look, the 20" from apple is about £555 and i was interested in the 'widescreen' aspect. The DELL displays are black arent they?

 

[CanadaRAM]

Don't buy the RAM from Apple (or Dell or xx manufacturer) Add lifetime guaranteed RAM later from a reputable seller who guarantees Mac compatibility.

Remember, a Pentium or AMD PC is an EOL product too.. in fact every computer made today will be obsolete in 3 - 6 months. This distinction is meaningless, so don't sweat it.

 

[Sttesuhc]

My vote is to have Apple install the ram if it's less than $250. I think it would be $100 in your case. I know I'm in the vast minority by saying that. It's just worth my time and money for the machine to come that way, though I admit that Apple's BTO ram pricing gets steep for bigger memory orders.

Your larger point, though, seems to be that you could be left behind by the pending Intel updates. I think CanadaRAM makes a good point about PC systems also being dead-ends. I don't see any Intel announcement suddenly casting large shadows over previous Apple equipment-- particularly their pro machines like the G5 desktop. Too many people own and use those machines for Apple to ignore their needs on upgrades. I'd be more concerned if I had an iMac.

Frankly, we all assume that the Intel move will reap huge rewards, but, at the risk of sounding pessimistic, I'll believe it when I see it. Yes, the chips are already used by other companies, and unlike the G5s, they have therefore had more kinks worked out. I still think even if the MacTels sell like crazy, Apple is more concerned with making the OS X experience worthwhile for everyone, and that will include G5 users for years to come.

Of course, another issue has to do with psychologically feeling left behind by not having the biggest and baddest. Yes, in one year there's a chance the new MacTels will get all of the spotlight, and G5s might fade away, but they'll still be great machines that will undoubtedly get attention from Apple whenever software updates are planned.

And as for having a "foreign" monitor to go with the machine.... It doesn't bother me too much that I'm using a Compaq 17" CRT to replace my dead Apple Studio Display.

 

[FFTT]

You certainly picked the best overall tower getting the 2.3 G5 dually.

Apple will support PPC for many years to come , so don't worry. One nice added feature in the current
systems is there is no " trusted computing " DRM BS
to worry about.
This may be a factor in the Intel based machines.
The 2.3's are a very well proven workhorse, so you'll be in good shape for at least 5 years.

People buying high end P/C's right now may be in for a real shock when Vista's vaporware doesn't support their machine too. So you're making good choice.

If you have quite a bit invested in P/C Game software, just keep your P/C as a dedicated
OFFLINE gaming machine.

In doing so you can wipe install for a clean machine
and not even bother with SP2 updates as long as you keep your old P/C offline.

 

[Duff-Man]

And as for having a "foreign" monitor to go with the machine.... It doesn't bother me too much that I'm using a Compaq 17" CRT to replace my dead Apple Studio Display.

Duff-Man says...I've no real problem with "foreign" monitors - I use a pair of Samsung's myself and they are excellent....perhaps I am being petty but I will not buy anything from Dell as long as their are good viable alternatives out there (and there are many)...Michael Dell has just said too many negative things about Apple - mostly not warranted either - that I can't bring my conscience to put one penny in his pocket, nor look at that logo anywhere near my Mac(s)....oh yeah!

 

[RobHague]

I had a look at the DELL Ultrasharp 2005FPW and i think i might be warming to the idea of buying one instead of the apple display. Its £411 vs the £555 of the apple display.

Also, if im not mistaken, in the PDF i saw on the product seemed to show that it can rotate! Which is something i would like (like A4 size screen).

Also it has more connections, so i can hook up a console to it easyer it seems. Good stuff


Does OSX support portrait view? I mean i think XP sort of detects it and switchs the taskbar round the right way - OSX offer anything simular?

 

[FFTT]

I had a look at the DELL Ultrasharp 2005FPW and i think i might be warming to the idea of buying one instead of the apple display. Its £411 vs the £555 of the apple display.

Also, if im not mistaken, in the PDF i saw on the product seemed to show that it can rotate! Which is something i would like (like A4 size screen).

Also it has more connections, so i can hook up a console to it easyer it seems. Good stuff


Does OSX support portrait view? I mean i think XP sort of detects it and switchs the taskbar round the right way - OSX offer anything simular?

It seems that you need an ATI 128MB GPU or higher to support portrait mode.
ChipNoVA has more info on this, You might want to PM him

 

[Chundles]

It seems that you need an ATI 128MB GPU or higher to support portrait mode.
ChipNoVA has more info on this, You might want to PM him

Tiger does this through the OS, if I plug an external monitor into my iBook (with the screen spanning hack) it gives me the option to rotate. It doesn't matter what card you have.