New 1.8GHz vs Old 1.8GHz

[neonart]

After getting to play with one of the new 1.8 today at my friendly local retailer (an Apple reseller, but not an official store), I think I've finally made a firm decision... the new one it is!

It's pretty unlikely I'll ever need more than 2GB of RAM or the PCI-X slots. I'm upgrading the drives (I'm using the money I saved by going with the old model to do a .5TB Raid 0 ) so that doesn't bother me. The big deciding factor was always performance. My big question was "did Apple cripple the performance on the new 1.8 vs the old one?" I'm happy to say, the answer appears to be "no".

I ran XBench (I know, not the best benchmarking tool ever, but when comparing apples to apples [literally!] any significant differences should be apparent) and compared it to a stock old G5. You can check out the results here.

As you can see, the systems ran neck and neck all the way down the page. The total scores were less than 1% apart! Some interesting things to note:

• Processors now identify themselves as "PowerPC G5x2 @ 1.80 GHz" instead of "PowerPC 970x2 @ 1.80 GHz"
• The computer is QUIET! I don't have enough experience to say if it's quieter than the old 1.8, but it sure will be nice to have such a quiet machine!
• The motherboard looks just like any other G5's. There are even solder points for the extra memory banks.

I think the deciding factor is how much you will use what comes with the machine. So your very much right in your choice.
I'm not big into huge HD's, but needed more than the 80 GB in the new model- like the 160GB wich was in the old model. Otherwise I would have spent an extra ~130 for a drive. Then there is RAM- I have 1GB (2x512) on hand and Id like to be at 2GB- with the old model I'll be at 1.5GB now and the next update would be cheap since it's only 2X256 with no waste of the OEM RAM. But most people will do great with 1.25GB or even 512MB.
If the two machines were different chips that would possibly make a real difference. It's just cool that dual G5's are more affordable than ever!

 

[Windowlicker]

I've got a dilemma to ponder. I think 1.8Ghz is going to be my magic number, but which configuration to get? Within the constrains of my budget, I can do either of the following (they are the same price +/- $3):

Configuration 1:
New 1.8GHz G5 (Low end motherboard, no PCI-X, 4 RAM slots)
2.0GB RAM (4x512MB, with stock 256mb left over)
450GB HD (Western Digital 200GB + 250GB, stock 80GB left over)

Configuration 2:
Old 1.8GHz G5 (High end motherboard with PCI-X and 8 RAM slots)
2.5GB RAM (4x512MB + stock 512MB)
360 HD (Western Digital 200GB + stock 160GB)

I don't think I'll add more ram before I get my next upgrade after this, and I can't see myself needing PCI-X. I wouldn't mind the extra HD space, though. My big question is this: Configured identically, will the new 1.8 perform as well as the old 1.8 given it's new, cheaper design? The other question is if I'll miss the extra 512MB in config 2. (I routinely have Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, Internet Explorer, Safari, some variant of mozilla, iTunes, Word, and Mail open at the same time)

I hope to run some of my own benchmarks soon when the Tigard Apple Store gets their floor models in, but any speculation/insight/advice would be very much appreciated.

well, if that matters, i just bought one of those rev a's. waiting to get it home. it's a way better choice than the rev b model! ...unless you have a pirate factory running on your g5 - the 8x superdrive would be essential in that case.

 

[neonart]

Meet Mr. Murphy and his Law!

Well, my DP1.8 (open box) came from MacZones today and I was very excited. I was showing it to everybody at work and took it out of the box and opened it like six times. (These things are heavy!)

It's interesting that on the front upper handle is a sticker that reads "No Power, Brand New". I figured that was something silly I didn't need to worry about. Heck these are, and I quote, "Visual and performance tested by Zones Technicians".

Take it home, put in my RAM. Plug in the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and hit the power button... ... "No Power, Brand New." Also known as DOA.

Crap.

Nothing to replace it with in their inventory so I get to send it back for a refund and Im back at square one...

I'll try to convince my sales rep tomorrow if they'll let go of a new "old model" for the same price- but I doubt it.

So I'll see what happens tomorrow, since for the time being my CC has a $2000 charge that has not yet been credited. I've been waiting since December to get a G5... this SUCKS!

As the spanish saying goes: Lo barato sale caro.