If you can get ram for that cheap, and building it yourself is not the issue, then just put that 8 gigs in yourself. Apple ram is crazy expensive. Yikes, you just cut roughly $3500 from the apple system (sub $4650 dropping your config to 512, then buying 8 gigs at your low price for roughly $1000) and it still has 8 gigs.
Apple screws with its timings to prevent you from using anything but specialized RAM, which is only mildly cheaper via 3rd party than the apple store. Truth be told, half the price of the mac is the RAM, and a 'mild' price reduction is probably going to make a big difference. However, it'd have to be 1/3 the cost in order to have the cost usurp my PC's
Plus, $70 for an equivalent case/ps? Not really wanting to debate it, but I'd think at least a ~$150 lian-li and a high quality psu, easily $200.
First off, I said EXCELLENT, not equivalent, I even said it in all caps.. Second, where are you getting your numbers from? I get mine from
http://www.pricewatch.com ... a $200 PSU?? is it gold plated?
Your box also comes with no keyboard and mouse . . . or support and warranty for that matter.
All of those parts have a warranty of some sort. Maybe not as good as apple's included 1 year, and definitely not as good as applecare.
No keyboard and mouse? You want me to include a keyboard and mouse better than the G5's? You think that'd be hard?
http://www.pricewatch.com/1/311/10732-1.htm
$35 Mouse, way more DPI, a scroll wheel, and two buttons
http://www.pricewatch.com/2/310/809-1.htm
$11 keyboard, better make/model than the mac one.
Oh, and your hard drives, like the ram, if building labor/warranty isn't a factor, get the cheapy config from apple, put your maxtors in yourself. This way the system is a solid few grand less than your Opteron.
First of all, like I said, Maxtors suck. Second, the biggest cost of my scenario is the motherboard and processors.
You really, REALLY don't want to compare cheapo systems with PCs. Third, buying 3rd party HDs wouldn't make enough of a difference.
If I didn't want to show a system faster than the G52.5, I could build something slightly slower for $2,500 less.
Also, depending on your measure of speed, I could use the latter system to power DUAL FX6800's, and it'd still be cheaper than the G5.
I just noticed you said you wouldn't be running Linux. Have your priced a four processor, commercial x86 operating system recently?
I never said that, we're talking about hardware, I already said the OS is the only reason I buy mac. Someone said Mac hardware was cheaper/comparable and better, I begged to differ.
Also, please show me a $40 sound card with optical outputs.
First off, I said $45. Second, here you go
:
http://www.compuplus.com/insidepage.php3?refer=pricewatch.com&id=1002397
Where do you get 1GB DDR400 RAM for $126 ???
http://www.pricewatch.com/1/33/5025-1.htm
You always have to pay more for a complete system that is tested and supported by a large company (Apple, Dell, HP, whatever). So it's useless to throw in the cost of individual parts.
So, because mac users have to pay MSRP (or greater) for their computers, x86 users have to pay the same? Nice try, but no, I like my custom system. All the components in my system have been meticulously tested by corporations before they leave the plant.
For the lazy and uninformed, I'll grant you that Macs are comparably priced. But for those of us who can build their own computer, PCs are no contest except in very specific situations.
edit AGAIN! I'm only talking in terms of hardware here, I automatically get to call anyone a jackass who thinks I didn't say the Mac OS makes the PC NOT worth it! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Mid-range? PCs
Ultra-high range? PCs
Between Mid and High? Possibly Macs, Certainly PCs once a new quad Opteron mobo comes out (A dual opteron might have the same power as a dual G5).
