I am considering replacing my PowerBook with a G5. Is there much of a speed difference between the dual 1.8 and dual 2.0, and is it worth the extra $500? I found a refurbished dual 1.8 G5 for $1699 so I was wondering if the 2.0 was that much better. Thanks
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G5 1.8 vs. G5 2.0
- Thread starter xgsrpg
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everything that I have seen indicates that the difference is exactly equal to the 11% that the processor clock speed difference would suggest. That is, if it takes the dual 1.8 X seconds, the dual 2.0 does it in .89X seconds. Assuming its a task limited by the processor, of course. So decide if that matters to you.
if the refurbed one comes with PCI-X and 8 RAM slots, get that, unless you're doing a lot of processor intensive tasks. With my Dual 2Ghz I don't really notice much difference in normal usage (web browsing, emailing, IMing, word processing), then my old G4 Cube. It's only when I am doing a lot of processor intensive things at the same time (like video encoding, mp3 playing, and folding) that it really shines
CPU speed can just be a marketing ploy to get you to pay more. Just buy $500 dollars worth of memory instead and it will perform better than the 2 Ghz. Just don't buy the memory from Apple because they won't give you a lot for $500.
For some reason 1.8 sounds so slow compared to 2.0 but it isn't. Having said that, I purchased the G5 2 Ghz when they came out because it was the only Powermac G5 that had 2 CPUs. It was so fast that they introduced the machine again the next year.
For some reason 1.8 sounds so slow compared to 2.0 but it isn't. Having said that, I purchased the G5 2 Ghz when they came out because it was the only Powermac G5 that had 2 CPUs. It was so fast that they introduced the machine again the next year.
Thanks for the suggestions. I plan to get around $2500 for my almost-new PB, so it looks like the 1.8 might win for me because I want to have extra cash to get GPU + RAM upgrades. I'm not going to be using an FX5200 that's in my dad's $800 Compaq in a ~$2000 machine. It looks like the refurb is gone from Apple Store now but it seems they come and go..
BornAgainMac said:
yeah, he's right about that. Unless you're using applications which seriously tax the CPU, you might not notice any difference between the 2 at all, whereas the extra RAM will always make a difference, no matter what you're doing.
get which ever you can afford and then get as much ram in it as you can afford.
if you can get the refurb 1.8's that is. the new ones personally i don't like - being basically the old 1.6's.
just one question - what would you be using the machine for? graphics, video, surfing the net?
as the type of work you do on it could have a major impact on the performace increase you see
if you can get the refurb 1.8's that is. the new ones personally i don't like - being basically the old 1.6's.
just one question - what would you be using the machine for? graphics, video, surfing the net?
as the type of work you do on it could have a major impact on the performace increase you see