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MDD or G5?

Goftrey

Goftrey

macrumors 68000
Original poster
May 20, 2011
1,853
75
Wales, UK
Have been on the hunt for a G5 for ages and promised myself I'd get one in April when I have some cash, but I've got £100 in my pocket at the moment and was about to buy a dual 1.8 GHz G5 with 1gb RAM for £120. Then I thought hey, loads of people love MDD's and think they're amazing machines so I had a quick scroll through eBay for them and was shocked at how cheap they are! There's an 867 MHz MDD for £75 on there or a dual 1.25 GHz! for £85!! I'm amazed and shocked at the prices of these. I just want to know, are G5's worth the extra money or should I get an MDD? Thanks. I'm so excited! :D
 
[your mileage may vary]

Depends on what you plan to do with it ....

If you want to use Leopard and other things more modern I'd say the dual 1.25GHz MDD is the pure minimum.

Everything sub 1GHz and/or single-CPU is better left to Tiger.

The only G4 here thats running Leo here is my 5.9PB, maxed out at 1x1.67GHz 2GB RAM and 320GB HDD and it's o.k. for doing small stuff while in a hotel, but for everday use it's just to sluggish.

G5s on the other side are a whole different story.... when my old IntelMini (1.83 CoreDuo) died I migrated for some time to a G5 2x2.3GHz and apart from the power-bill and fan-noise it was absolutly o.k. and could serve as my main system even today.

So if you want to a daily-runner, go with a G5 ( the 2x2.3 is th biggest non-liquid cooled one so I would advise that). If you just want something retro and/or are on small budget go with a MDD but be sure to get one of the better models.

[your mileage may vary]
 
I do prefer the G5's by far but it's price that drawing me the other way. I've heard MDD's are really loud.. Are they bearable? What about the G5's?
 
I've had the dual 1.25 MDD and I'm now running a dual 1.8 G5.
The absolute biggest difference is the noise.
The MDD was annoying enough that I spent much of my time looking for ways to lower the noise level.
Where as my G5 sits up on my desk maybe 30 inches from my ears and I swear the most of the time it is a silent as my G4 cubes. Once in awhile you'll hear the fans ramp up a tad just for a moment or so, it's almost a soothing sound compared to the roars that came from my MDD.
 
For just internet browsing or light work, the MDD fits the bill greatly! The G5 will provide a little more work power, while looking amazing. Seriously the G5 is a piece of art, I find my self constantly staring at it :D
 
I know it's not what you asked, but if it was my 100 I'd spend it on tricking out the hackintosh (unless you actually need a third computer).
 
If you really want a G5 then you should get one, they will run faster and last you longer. I really want one too with a 30" cinema display.
 
jbarley said:
I've had the dual 1.25 MDD and I'm now running a dual 1.8 G5.
The absolute biggest difference is the noise.
The MDD was annoying enough that I spent much of my time looking for ways to lower the noise level.
Where as my G5 sits up on my desk maybe 30 inches from my ears and I swear the most of the time it is a silent as my G4 cubes. Once in awhile you'll hear the fans ramp up a tad just for a moment or so, it's almost a soothing sound compared to the roars that came from my MDD.
Click to expand...

G5s are pretty silent, even under load. The fans are always running on my G5 at work so this is even more impressive I think.
 
Yep, my mind has been made. G5 it is!

For 4 reasons really.

1 being I have always wanted a G5, no matter the specs.
2 being SATA and 4/8gb RAM
3 being they'll out perform the MDD's, even the SP 1.8's
And 4 being they'll run loads quieter than the MDD's (I get annoyed with the noise my eMac makes, so the MDD would drive me up the wall.)

I'm currently looking as well at a dual 1.8 dirt cheap with no HDD or RAM. I can just stick one of my HDD's in there and RAM is relatively cheap now-a-days.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone :D
 
Goftrey said:
Yep, my mind has been made. G5 it is!

For 4 reasons really.

1 being I have always wanted a G5, no matter the specs.
2 being SATA and 4/8gb RAM
3 being they'll out perform the MDD's, even the SP 1.8's
And 4 being they'll run loads quieter than the MDD's (I get annoyed with the noise my eMac makes, so the MDD would drive me up the wall.)

I'm currently looking as well at a dual 1.8 dirt cheap with no HDD or RAM. I can just stick one of my HDD's in there and RAM is relatively cheap now-a-days.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone :D
Click to expand...

DDR isn't as cheap as modern RAM..I paid $28 to $40 per GB all within the last 2 weeks..I paid $80 some time a go for the 8GB of HyperX in my MBP so $10 per gig and I know it's down to $40 for normal RAM $5 per GB.

**edit** looks like Amazon.co.uk has it for 18 per GB and you need to buy in pairs so add 36 to what ever your cost to get it up and running..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000EQ8S...de=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B000EQ8SUE
 
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GermanyChris said:
DDR isn't as cheap as modern RAM..I paid $28 to $40 per GB all within the last 2 weeks..I paid $80 some time a go for the 8GB of HyperX in my MBP so $10 per gig and I know it's down to $40 for normal RAM $5 per GB.

**edit** looks like Amazon.co.uk has it for 18 per GB and you need to buy in pairs so add 36 to what ever your cost to get it up and running..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000EQ8S...de=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B000EQ8SUE
Click to expand...

Yeah, I can get 1gb for £15 so it's not too bad :)

I'll probably get 2gb to start off with and upgrade down the line.
 
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SimonUK5 said:
Quick search on EbayUK shows Dual 1.8 g5's for £99 BIN
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm watching that one too.. From MacKing if I'm not mistaken :)

I'm looking at one with no HDD or RAM at the moment as it's dirt cheap (dual 1.8) If I don't manage to get that one I'll probably go with that one
 
Hey everyone, just an update :D

I've decided to get the G5 in April as I've been planning to do for months. Why? Because I found an 867 MHz 12" PowerBook G4 for £50 ($75). I need a laptop for school and I couldn't have passed this up, its in mint condition in it's original box. I'll have to do with my eMac up until April. :)
 
Great find dude! Get Tiger on that thing and it will run great! :)

Enjoy your new machine!
 
Goftrey said:
Te seller said the battery hold a good 2 hour charge which is good enough for me! I'll have it hooked up to the mains mostly anyway.
Click to expand...

It's more precautionary..who knows when there won't be cheap batteries around or any for that matter...remember it's what 8 years old now
 
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