Going From 17" 1.33 PB To A Dual 2.5 G5?

[andym172]

As much as I love my Powerbook, it appears I'm beginning to outgrow it. I've found the limits of the computer on quite a few occasions over the last couple of months or so and am thinking it's time to buy one of the big boys.

I'm thinking of buying a a dual 2.5GHz G5 (200GB, 6800 card, Airport Extreme and possibly 1.5GB Crucial RAM) but wanted to know just how much faster a computer it is when compared to the Powerbook (in particular the 1.33GHz, mine running 1GB RAM).

Have any of you taken this step? If so, what have been your thoughts?

Also, I've searched quite a lot for good/detailed reviews on the 2.5 G5 but am yet to find any. Can any of you guys point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Andy.

 

[hotwire132002]

As much as I love my Powerbook, it appears I'm beginning to outgrow it. I've found the limits of the computer on quite a few occasions over the last couple of months or so and am thinking it's time to buy one of the big boys.

I'm thinking of buying a a dual 2.5GHz G5 (200GB, 6800 card, Airport Extreme and possibly 1.5GB Crucial RAM) but wanted to know just how much faster a computer it is when compared to the Powerbook (in particular the 1.33GHz, mine running 1GB RAM).

Have any of you taken this step? If so, what have been your thoughts?

Also, I've searched quite a lot for good/detailed reviews on the 2.5 G5 but am yet to find any. Can any of you guys point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Andy.

I will say it's definately going to be a huge improvement overall to go from the PowerBook to the Power Mac. You won't regret it!

Only one other comment though--how much do you need the portability? If it's an important factor, the Power Mac is NOT for you!

 

[Jigglelicious]

I think one of the reasons you have not found any reviews of the 2.5GHz PowerMac is because no one has one yet. I don't believe Apple has started shipping them in large quantities, and there are reports from some people here on Macrumors that their orders have been pushed back to October!

Other than that, the speed increase should be huge, especially in apps made to use dual processors. Just curious, but what limits did you hit with your powerbook? We might be able to make a better recommendation based on that.

 

[andym172]

Thanks for the replies

Portability won't be too much of a problem as I still intend to keep hold of the Powerbook

The limits I've met are when I'm running quite a few apps at the same time - I like to do many things at once and so have quite a few open, doing many different things, at once.

The obvious next step is an iMac, but it's not a huge step up and I feel I'd probably need to change again within a few months.
At least with the dual G5's are relatively future-proof for quite a while...

 

[Jigglelicious]

In that case, the Powermac will suit you fine. Remember, in terms of running many apps at once, its just as important to have a solid amount of RAM (at least 1GB) as it is to have a fast processor. The G5 should be able to handle anything you throw at it. And yes, the iMac will be a decent boost in speed, but the Powermac will easily outlast the iMac by like 2 years.

 

[homerjward]

i believe a review can be found here

 

[Corrupted]

As much as I love my Powerbook, it appears I'm beginning to outgrow it. I've found the limits of the computer on quite a few occasions over the last couple of months or so and am thinking it's time to buy one of the big boys.

I'm thinking of buying a a dual 2.5GHz G5 (200GB, 6800 card, Airport Extreme and possibly 1.5GB Crucial RAM) but wanted to know just how much faster a computer it is when compared to the Powerbook (in particular the 1.33GHz, mine running 1GB RAM).

Have any of you taken this step? If so, what have been your thoughts?

Also, I've searched quite a lot for good/detailed reviews on the 2.5 G5 but am yet to find any. Can any of you guys point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Andy.

I went from a 17" 1.33 PB to a Dual 2.0 GHZ PM and the speed difference is like night and day. You will not be dissapointed.

 

[jcru]

I'm doing a similar bump. I've had a 15" 1.25ghz Powerbook for about a year and been feeling sluggish with it recently. Well, yesterday I joined the G5 club. I found a pretty good Educational deal for a PowerMac G5 dual 2.0ghz (RevB) and bought it! Funny thing though....it's still sitting in the box here at home as I type this on my PB. I haven't had the uninterrupted time to unpack this sucka and set it up yet!!!!!! It's killing me. I'm also trying to justify the need for the new $2k machine. I mean the PB gets a little sluggish, but could I live with it as my primary machine a little longer??? Maybe?

So I have the PB 15" and now the PM 2ghz. Can't wait to see the difference in speed. My only dilema right now is to keep the PB or sell it. My gut says to keep it b/c you can never have enough Macs around (haha...) plus I love the PB style and portability (although I don't take it out of the house too often).

 

[hotwire132002]

I think one of the reasons you have not found any reviews of the 2.5GHz PowerMac is because no one has one yet.

Ummm... I'm typing this on a Dual 2.5GHz Power Mac. It came in over a month ago.

 

[26139]

Read it again...

Ummm... I'm typing this on a Dual 2.5GHz Power Mac. It came in over a month ago.

He said large quantities...obviously "no one has one" was not meant to be taken literally.

 

[klaus]

He said large quantities...obviously "no one has one" was not meant to be taken literally.

Well, I think it's safe to say they have been shipping large quantities the past few months, apple stores have them in stock, people can go out and buy one if they need it.

True, there still is a large backorder, and people who haven't received theirs yet, but a lot of people already have.

my 2 cents

 

[andym172]

Thanks for the replies

Today I decided to bite the bullet and go for 2 dual 2.5 G5 (250GB, 1GB RAM, 6800 Craphics card and Airport Extreme).

I phoned Apple, credit card at the ready, specced the machine, asked the delivery time - AT LEAST 6 weeks!!
The lady who I was speaking to then informed me that there are big delays with the 6800 card and that they can provide no sort of guarantee as to when the computer would be delivered.

With this in mind I decided to hold back with ordering the computer, and instead decided to have a dig around on this forum. It appears there are many people in the same boat.

So, I'm now in a quandry. Given that the current G5 line-up is already halfway through it's life cycle before update (according to Mac Rumours), is it worth buying a dual 2.5 at this stage?
I'd be pretty miffed if I ordered it, had a 6-10 week wait and then a few weeks later a dual 3GHz was to be released.

On the other side, I understand Apple have had heat issues with the 2.5 and so it's quite unlikely that they'll be wanting to significantly up the power any time in the next few weeks. Anybody think different?

My final option is to order the G5 but without the 6800 graphics card. This is tempting, but I've been told by a friend of mine that I'd be mad to do so - the 6800 is supposedly a huge leap forward from previous cards offered.

So, what would you guys do? I don't NEED the computer straight away, but I WANT it straight away D).
Patience is a word that's not in my dictionary...

 

[paxtonandrew]

Ii I was in the same position as you were in (and I wish I was...), I would buy the Dual 2.5, and wait until the Graphics card had been released mainstream, before then going back to the Apple store and buying the card, and putting it in myself. This will allow you to get the computer now, and when the card is released that too. Unfortunately for me, I have just bought a house, so the prospect of a G5 is so far off the radar, its not funny.

 

[invaLPsion]

Ummm... I'm typing this on a Dual 2.5GHz Power Mac. It came in over a month ago.

HotWire, you never cease to amaze me.

You're only 15 and your company makes better computers at a better deal than most of the big named companies. Keep it up!

(sorry to change topic)

 

[hcuar]

I think one of the reasons you have not found any reviews of the 2.5GHz PowerMac is because no one has one yet. I don't believe Apple has started shipping them in large quantities, and there are reports from some people here on Macrumors that their orders have been pushed back to October!

I was in the Mac Media store tonight and saw 3 boxes of PM 2.5Ghz systems... Sorry, they are out in the wild. (BTW: If anyone cares... The store is in Glendale Arizona).

 

[hotwire132002]

HotWire, you never cease to amaze me.

You're only 15 and your company makes better computers at a better deal than most of the big named companies. Keep it up!

(sorry to change topic)

Thanks!

(Sorry to keep the topic changed )

 

[wdlove]

In that case, the Powermac will suit you fine. Remember, in terms of running many apps at once, its just as important to have a solid amount of RAM (at least 1GB) as it is to have a fast processor. The G5 should be able to handle anything you throw at it. And yes, the iMac will be a decent boost in speed, but the Powermac will easily outlast the iMac by like 2 years.

I agree that the Power Mac is a long lasting machine. Mine is 4 years old September 2nd and still running strong. As far as waiting, no one really knows when Apple will update the G5 again. If you are in need of a desktop then go ahead and purchase. No matter what you will have an awesome machine to enjoy.

 

[andym172]

I decided to bite the bullet and buy the system today.

Dual 2.5 GHz G5
2 x 512mb RAM
250GB HD
6800 Graphics Card
Airport Extreme Card
AppleCare

Due to be delivered 'On or before: 29/10/2004' (believe it when I see it... ).

Now just need to find a suitable monitor. Won't be any of Apple's as they're just too expensive ().

A friend of mine has just built me the following machine:

AMD 64 3700
Corsair XMS3200 1Gb
Sapphire 9800 Pro 128mb
Liteon 12x DVD/RW
WD 200Gb SATA
Shuttle SN85G4 (see: http://eu.shuttle.com/sn85g4.htm#sn85g4v2)
Windows XP Pro
D-Link Wireless Card
Logitech DiNovo Kb/Mouse
Plus 20" Monitor

All for £2k - be interesting to see how they compare, especially given that the Apple will cost around £1k more...