How good is a Dual 1.8 G5 3.5gb ram ++

[Appleboy1717]

Hey all.
So, back again.
I upgraded the ram on my G5.
Fry's had 2x1gb corsair ram for $69.99 with $30 rebate.
So, how good is a dual 1.8ghz G5 with 3.5gb ram, stock 5200 card and 1.5tb storage. It seems to be as fast or faster just messing around online and itunes and stuff compared to my NEW 2.66ghz macbook pro???
How do these G5 processors manage to be so fast. I mean just because of the two cpusss.
I know they take way more power than say the macpro..like half actually but why not keep making them. What made them fast than the intels before??

 

[Hellhammer]

Even Mac Mini should be faster than G5...

 

[Appleboy1717]

Even Mac Mini should be faster than G5...

what? The G5 also runs 7200rpm drives...not sure if the mini does that.
It just sure did seem fast to me and was only like 25 points off on benchmark compared to my macbook pro.

 

[chrismacguy]

what? The G5 also runs 7200rpm drives...not sure if the mini does that.
It just sure did seem fast to me and was only like 25 points off on benchmark compared to my macbook pro.

It all depends on which model of mac mini you have, and whether youve upgraded the HDs. Id still take any Intel mac over a G5- purely for 10.6 and future compatability (even if I want a G5 too - just for OS 9 software).

 

[Appleboy1717]

It all depends on which model of mac mini you have, and whether youve upgraded the HDs. Id still take any Intel mac over a G5- purely for 10.6 and future compatability (even if I want a G5 too - just for OS 9 software).

Yes, 10.6 is nice and the intel programs
sorry I'm totally into input here. Wasn't getting mad.
As for mac mini. I'm not into small apples. I've had an iMac, 2 iBooks, and 3 macbbok pros all die for logic boards and all the desktops I've had or known people have had been very reliable. All of the ones I had ran hot, and the desktops have more air and run cooler. I like that fact if the g5 and it's a pretty solid machine.
But mainly curious on how it outran and 3ghx when released and Now being 6 years old still kicking very fast.

 

[splitpea]

It was all very technical stuff, but basically, a) it had a very fast bus, eliminating one of the major bottlenecks for CPU usage, and b) the PPC instruction set was more efficient than the x86 instruction set, taking fewer clock cycles to perform the same calculation in many cases. Plus OS X was apparently engineered to use dual CPUs more efficiently than XP could.

Those dual G5s were awesome computers when they were new, and even now, they run like modern computers and are almost competitive with the low-end of what's available new. I wouldn't buy one as a primary machine now simply because of the architecture switch, but the one you have still has a lot of life in it, is still just fine for consumer-level photo and graphics work, and should last several more years as a server or email/word processing/browsing machine.

 

[arri]

G5 Dual 1.8 PCI-X matches a 1.8 core duo pretty even

i had a dual 1.8 G5 with 3.5 gigs of RAM. i also have an hp 1.8 core duo laptop. the G5 was more responsive, and multitasked far, far better than the 3 year old laptop running win xp, better than my win xp quad 2.66 desktop too. but in Cinebench multicpu render the laptop would just barely beat the G5, 505 to 500. of course the G5 was a 2004 machine, and the laptop was 2007. the G5 actually seemed more responsive than my mac pro, but gets its a** kicked in renders of course. i used to click on a folder on the G5 and it would open immediatly. my mac pro will pause a second or two sometimes. it was also a space heater, but so is the 2009 Mac Pro with Radeon 4870 to a lesser degree?

 

[splitpea]

i had a dual 1.8 G5 with 3.5 gigs of RAM. i also have an hp 1.8 core duo laptop. the G5 was more responsive, and multitasked far, far better than the 3 year old laptop running win xp, better than my win xp quad 2.66 desktop too. but in Cinebench multicpu render the laptop would just barely beat the G5, 505 to 500. of course the G5 was a 2004 machine, and the laptop was 2007. the G5 actually seemed more responsive than my mac pro, but gets its a** kicked in renders of course. i used to click on a folder on the G5 and it would open immediatly. my mac pro will pause a second or two sometimes. it was also a space heater, but so is the 2009 Mac Pro with Radeon 4870 to a lesser degree?

This is what makes me nervous that even now I'd have to buy a high-end desktop (quad core iMac or Mac Pro) to get something new that's much of an upgrade over my 5 y/o PowerMac.

 

[Appleboy1717]

i had a dual 1.8 G5 with 3.5 gigs of RAM. i also have an hp 1.8 core duo laptop. the G5 was more responsive, and multitasked far, far better than the 3 year old laptop running win xp, better than my win xp quad 2.66 desktop too. but in Cinebench multicpu render the laptop would just barely beat the G5, 505 to 500. of course the G5 was a 2004 machine, and the laptop was 2007. the G5 actually seemed more responsive than my mac pro, but gets its a** kicked in renders of course. i used to click on a folder on the G5 and it would open immediatly. my mac pro will pause a second or two sometimes. it was also a space heater, but so is the 2009 Mac Pro with Radeon 4870 to a lesser degree?

Wow.
That's pretty impressive hearing it take down a duo and a quad and seem faster than a mac pro.
I feel you their. My MacBook pro with a 2.66ghz intel and 4gb and a 7200 drive seems slower/less responsive than the g5. Yes on benchmark the intel beats it, but for everyday use, thr g5 still holds it's own.

 

[Appleboy1717]

This is what makes me nervous that even now I'd have to buy a high-end desktop (quad core iMac or Mac Pro) to get something new that's much of an upgrade over my 5 y/o PowerMac.

That says a lot. Not too many computers that can make you not need to upgrade 5 years later...let alone last that long.
Yeah? The g5 is very warm. I had a space heater in my room and have yet to turn it on since I got the g5. I thought the mac pro would he cooler having less fans and half the watage.

 

[chrismacguy]

Wow.
That's pretty impressive hearing it take down a duo and a quad and seem faster than a mac pro.
I feel you their. My MacBook pro with a 2.66ghz intel and 4gb and a 7200 drive seems slower/less responsive than the g5. Yes on benchmark the intel beats it, but for everyday use, thr g5 still holds it's own.

Well much as I love defending PPC machines - Ive found my MacBook is ever-so-slightly faster than a Dual 2.0 G5 (Mine is a 2.1 MacBook - so thats about as close a comparison as I can make - they both had 4GB RAM). However I would still take a G5 as a Desktop to replace my ageing G4/450 xD

 

[splitpea]

Wow.
That's pretty impressive hearing it take down a duo and a quad and seem faster than a mac pro.
I feel you their. My MacBook pro with a 2.66ghz intel and 4gb and a 7200 drive seems slower/less responsive than the g5. Yes on benchmark the intel beats it, but for everyday use, thr g5 still holds it's own.

That's just... depressing. I'm going to be replacing the G5 (dual 2.0 / 4GB RAM / 256MB graphics) with an MBP this spring, for the sake of a) portability, and b) Intel, but it hurts to spend that much money for a questionable or incremental speed increase after so much time.

Honestly, I'm rarely waiting for my computer anyway except for opening large files... or batch conversions that run in the background anyway, so benchmark improvements aren't really a big deal to me. I'm much more concerned about graphics memory (current hardware struggles redrawing palettes with too many Adobe apps open) and general responsiveness.

Do you find the MBP feels faster than the G5 for graphics or media work (outside of benchmarks)?

 

[Appleboy1717]

That's just... depressing. I'm going to be replacing the G5 (dual 2.0 / 4GB RAM / 256MB graphics) with an MBP this spring, for the sake of a) portability, and b) Intel, but it hurts to spend that much money for a questionable or incremental speed increase after so much time.

Honestly, I'm rarely waiting for my computer anyway except for opening large files... or batch conversions that run in the background anyway, so benchmark improvements aren't really a big deal to me. I'm much more concerned about graphics memory (current hardware struggles redrawing palettes with too many Adobe apps open) and general responsiveness.

Do you find the MBP feels faster than the G5 for graphics or media work (outside of benchmarks)?

I do a lot of Photoshop, just have ye to do any on the g5. Just got it last week. I think it will be as I stalling things and doing applejack on the mbp was much faster, however photshop makes the MacBook pro hot as hell. Well anything that makes it think does actually, but photo and video really make it hot. Just for warning you on that one. It's snappy but hot. Not sure of how much faster it would be, but I'll check it out when I get back home tomorrow.

 

[splitpea]

I do a lot of Photoshop, just have ye to do any on the g5. Just got it last week. I think it will be as I stalling things and doing applejack on the mbp was much faster, however photshop makes the MacBook pro hot as hell. Well anything that makes it think does actually, but photo and video really make it hot. Just for warning you on that one. It's snappy but hot. Not sure of how much faster it would be, but I'll check it out when I get back home tomorrow.

Thanks, Photoshop is my most frequently used CPU-intensive app, so I'd love to hear your comparison.

 

[Appleboy1717]

Thanks, Photoshop is my most frequently used CPU-intensive app, so I'd love to hear your comparison.

I'll let you know.
Don't get me wrong. I love my MacBook pro. It's fast, great screen, small, a great computer. They Judy really heat up, and a ton when you do photo and video stuff.-

 

[chrismacguy]

I'll let you know.
Don't get me wrong. I love my MacBook pro. It's fast, great screen, small, a great computer. They Judy really heat up, and a ton when you do photo and video stuff.-

My MacBook is the same, which is why I have it sat on an Griffin Elevator stand when Im not using it on the move. Using it to do videos and photos on your lap is a bad idea - I think my record for my White MacBooks CPU temperature was 102 degrees C - but its normally 50-60 (All My G4s are like 20-30 degrees C).

 

[Appleboy1717]

My MacBook is the same, which is why I have it sat on an Griffin Elevator stand when Im not using it on the move. Using it to do videos and photos on your lap is a bad idea - I think my record for my White MacBooks CPU temperature was 102 degrees C - but its normally 50-60 (All My G4s are like 20-30 degrees C).

Yea, they get hot. I've actually had apple replace a few because they got too hot.
One the logic board died, one thr battery got fried (no clue but wouldn't hold a charge at all) and one the display died. That was all the first gen style before the unibody. Cool this is, I have the new 2.66 and paid for the original 2.16. Score!!! Like this one, a little cooler.
How do you like your 2.0 ghz g5?

 

[Appleboy1717]

Thanks, Photoshop is my most frequently used CPU-intensive app, so I'd love to hear your comparison.

Guess I should reply to the poster. Lol.
How do you like your 2.0 g5? Seems like similar specs to my 1.8. Thr 4gb of ram help it a lot??

 

[Dane D.]

It all depends on which model of mac mini you have, and whether youve upgraded the HDs. Id still take any Intel mac over a G5- purely for 10.6 and future compatability (even if I want a G5 too - just for OS 9 software).

No G5 ran OS 9, that OS ended with the MDD G4 models in 2004. It was the last unit to boot into OS 9. As for thinking a G5 is fast, they are not. We have a Dual 2GHz model with 4GB of RAM, and run CS4 apps. Sorry guys it is no match to the Intel units, even MacBooks blow it away in terms of real world usage. Nothing wrong with having it as a second computer. A plus if you live in cold climates is they produce a lot of heat.

 

[splitpea]

Guess I should reply to the poster. Lol.
How do you like your 2.0 g5? Seems like similar specs to my 1.8. Thr 4gb of ram help it a lot??

Oh, I love it. Really have gotten attached to it over the years. I upgraded the memory from 2.5GB last spring, and it does make a difference -- gives me just the right amount of breathing room. I also upgraded the graphics card as a BTO option for the original purchase, and I think that makes a difference too.

I use it for web development primarily. It's a dream for most web-type Photoshop work (graphics rather than photography; not very high resolution; tons of layers and effects); slow but usable for Illustrator (doesn't take much complexity to make it start to drag). The most demanding use it gets is typically building a complex Flash animation while also building graphics in Photoshop and Illustrator -- at which point the video memory is stretched and sometimes palettes fail to redraw properly. It always shows free memory, but can drag at context switching with all of that open.

Sadly, over the past year or so it's become a bit less reliable (kernel panics and trouble sleeping or waking). I've been told to reinstall the OS, but have so much custom-compiled software installed (using MacPorts) for my development server that it would take weeks to recompile, let alone figure out how I got it configured properly in the first place. I'm also increasingly finding software I'd like to be able to use but that's only available for Intel.

Basically, I love this computer, and could make it work for another 2-3 years if I had to, but I'm looking forward to getting a laptop and being on Intel for the sake of compatibility.

No G5 ran OS 9, that OS ended with the MDD G4 models in 2004. It was the last unit to boot into OS 9.

The G5 runs Classic flawlessly, though.

 

[chrismacguy]

No G5 ran OS 9, that OS ended with the MDD G4 models in 2004. It was the last unit to boot into OS 9. As for thinking a G5 is fast, they are not. We have a Dual 2GHz model with 4GB of RAM, and run CS4 apps. Sorry guys it is no match to the Intel units, even MacBooks blow it away in terms of real world usage. Nothing wrong with having it as a second computer. A plus if you live in cold climates is they produce a lot of heat.

Actually I just meant Classic Support. The only software I have that ever needs me to boot into OS 9 is a very outdated version of Final Cut Pro, which Ive replaced with Final Cut Express 4. I just dont like the hassle of having to use SheepShaver which is a less elegant solution.

 

[Appleboy1717]

Oh, I love it. Really have gotten attached to it over the years. I upgraded the memory from 2.5GB last spring, and it does make a difference -- gives me just the right amount of breathing room. I also upgraded the graphics card as a BTO option for the original purchase, and I think that makes a difference too.

I use it for web development primarily. It's a dream for most web-type Photoshop work (graphics rather than photography; not very high resolution; tons of layers and effects); slow but usable for Illustrator (doesn't take much complexity to make it start to drag). The most demanding use it gets is typically building a complex Flash animation while also building graphics in Photoshop and Illustrator -- at which point the video memory is stretched and sometimes palettes fail to redraw properly. It always shows free memory, but can drag at context switching with all of that open.

Sadly, over the past year or so it's become a bit less reliable (kernel panics and trouble sleeping or waking). I've been told to reinstall the OS, but have so much custom-compiled software installed (using MacPorts) for my development server that it would take weeks to recompile, let alone figure out how I got it configured properly in the first place. I'm also increasingly finding software I'd like to be able to use but that's only available for Intel.

Basically, I love this computer, and could make it work for another 2-3 years if I had to, but I'm looking forward to getting a laptop and being on Intel for the sake of compatibility.



The G5 runs Classic flawlessly, though.

yeah. My MacBook pro has been my primary machine, and my buddy owed me some money so he gave me the g5 and a 19" synchmaster. He owed me 300 so I got a pretty good deal since it cane with a 500 and a 1tb seagate 7200 drives.
I just use it when I'm at home for the web, homework, photoshop, and storing and watching movies and stuff.

 

[Tel Fraser]

ppc for me

I have two G5s both 2.0 dual one a 7,3 and the other a 11,2 they don't run Premiere and After fx cs4 but they do run Final Cut Studio 3 with ease. They're great and I have three other different systems to compare them to. It is true that advances will render them obsolete but I believe it won't happen until Apple part from intel (the ipad used an apple developed chip) as I believe intel as much as Microsoft are the great limiters of personal computing speed at this time. I think Apple are taking their eye off the ball Final Cut studio 3 was built as a Universal which suggests it wasn't a new build just an update. I've always thought Apple build a great operating system (with the exception of Snow Leopard which could easily be their Vista - as it seems to fufill no purpose and is bloated)and then just buy well for the rest.
Back to the G5s a 1.8 for software upgrading purposes it's already finished - unfortunately 2 dual is the new low - however if a system does the job why get rid of it just get more ram

 

[Appleboy1717]

I have two G5s both 2.0 dual one a 7,3 and the other a 11,2 they don't run Premiere and After fx cs4 but they do run Final Cut Studio 3 with ease. They're great and I have three other different systems to compare them to. It is true that advances will render them obsolete but I believe it won't happen until Apple part from intel (the ipad used an apple developed chip) as I believe intel as much as Microsoft are the great limiters of personal computing speed at this time. I think Apple are taking their eye off the ball Final Cut studio 3 was built as a Universal which suggests it wasn't a new build just an update. I've always thought Apple build a great operating system (with the exception of Snow Leopard which could easily be their Vista - as it seems to fufill no purpose and is bloated)and then just buy well for the rest.
Back to the G5s a 1.8 for software upgrading purposes it's already finished - unfortunately 2 dual is the new low - however if a system does the job why get rid of it just get more ram

Yeah, they may be out of date for some things, but for messing around, homework, some Photoshop and uploading videos and watching movies....it's fine for me. Think 3.5gb ram will make it pretty quick?

 

[wpc33]

I have never even had a computer fast enough to spoil me, and I have hated both my G5's.

Go to the quicktime site and try to play some HD on your PPC.
Not to mention the awfully loud old fans in this pig.