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New Mac this year?

O

ohmigosh

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 31, 2005
13
0
Hmmm, so I have a G3 iBook 700 mhz, 640 mb RAM, 20 gb HDD, 10.3.9. Well, it was doing me great until my logic board failed. (I'm sending it to Apple for repair soon). I'm seriously contemplating on getting a new Mac. But there are several issues that stand in my way.

1) Which Mac should I get? Mac Mini, eMac, iMac or Power Mac? I love to make DVDs and do some light gaming, but I mostly do work on the Mac. I would also like easy upgrades and the ability to upgrade in the future. So I'm thinking a Power Mac. But I don't know which to get.

2) Power PC to Intel transition. I'm EXTREMELY concerned about this. I'm afraid that if I get a PPC Mac right now, there won't be any more support for it. I want the computer to last a long time.

3) If Apple does keep supporting PPC, how long do you think? WWDC 2005, Steve Jobs said until 2007 right?

Really, I KNOW the answer, I should go for a Power Mac and wait until Intel comes out, but I want to know what you all think.
 
If you can wait, wait. The PowerMacs will be one of the last to be updated [I think].

If you can wait almost 1 1/2 years do so. But that will be the Rev A's of the PowerMac Intel lines, which could mean, and most likely, there are going to be bugs in the system.

I think the latest PowerMac G5 2.7GHz is a great machine, and I'm sure people like iGary and.... will tell you it's a great machine, the software companys aren't going to suddenly stop selling software for PPCs.
It's your decsion ;)
 
Apple will suport PPC for A LONG time, because it will be many years even after the switch is complete (2007) before the number if intel Macs even reaches the number of PPC Macs in use out there. It would be business suicide for them not to.
 
The decision on what to purchase will depend on how much you want to spend. The lower price like the Mac mini aren't that upgradeable. The Power Mac is easily upgradeable.

I also think that the PPC will be support for a long time to come. If the Power is changed to Intel in 2007. Then Apple will support the PPC probably for another five years.
 
Anyone think its a good idea if I get a Mac Mini right now and then wait a few years to get a Power Mac Intel?
 
I just bought a powermac, like got it in the mail 2 days ago, and i couldn't be happier with it, did i care about the intel switch, not really, because the first ones out will be Rev. A
 
If your iBook G3 has been sufficient for your needs thus far (more or less), then any of the computers you listed would be more than adequate.
If you're worried about the transition (as many people are), then maybe it makes sense to buy something on the lower end now, which will tide you over until the initial bugs are worked out with the Intel switch.
That being said, I do think your suggestion of buying a Mini now isn't an unreasonable one.
The Mini w/SuperDrive will cost you $699 + the cost of a display + mouse/keyboard.
The 17" iMac w/SD will cost you $1499.

All-in-all, the iMac is probably the best bang-for-your-buck, but the Mini could get you up & running for (probably) ~$500 less.

Hope those ramblings help some - good luck!
 
Well, I do have $100 saved up right now. So if I get a Mac Mini w/ Super Drive it'll only cost me $599. I will supply my own display and keyboard. But I want to know is if the G4 is fast. As in, is it noticeable going G3 to G4? I've never used anything higher than a G3.
 
i'm planning to buy a dual g5 2.3 this fall.

i want my software to run smoothly without relying on rosetta. and i don't know if i have to upgrade word, photoshop elements, salling clicker, superduper, apple works, palm desktop and others and pay for the upgrade. maybe some of them never get upgraded and run only quite buggy or not at all.

i also don't expect huge speed boosts just because the macs are dual core or intel. it will be in the 10-20% range at best.

i wonder if i can expect a price drop on the powermacs in the near future.

does apple usually reduce the prices of powermacs mid cycle?

i also hope for a price drop in gpu's because they get old now. on top of that it should be possible to get a cheap nividea 6800ultra. (i'm talking about the version that does not support the 30" display. it should be compatible and as fast as the version that apple sells now, right?)
 
MacSA said:
Apple will suport PPC for A LONG time, because it will be many years even after the switch is complete (2007) before the number if intel Macs even reaches the number of PPC Macs in use out there. It would be business suicide for them not to.
Click to expand...


Exactly. There is no point for Apple to stop support PPC.
 
So I'm want to know... Is there a noticeable difference between a G3 and a G4. And will I feel anything jumping from my iBook to a Mac Mini w/SuperDrive?
 
well...I know this isnt a great comparison, but I was on a ibook 600 for a while...and my dual 867 g4 and powerbook 1.5ghz g4 are alot more snappy...the g4 has alot more power (not just the Mhz...) than the G3...

let me just say this, you will notice a difference with a G4, for starters, it is double the speed..
 
I bought a new Mac Mini! Here are the specs:


1.42GHz PowerPC G4
512MB DDR333 SDRAM
ATI Radeon 9200
32MB DDR video memory
80GB Ultra ATA hard drive
SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
DVI or VGA video output
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth
Optional 56k Internal Modem
Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger"
Mac Kbd and Mouse set.

;) :D :cool: :) :rolleyes:
 
AstrosFan said:
Congrats on the mini!
What display are you running it with?
Click to expand...

I will run it on my Athlon 64 display 18" Sony SDM S81 LCD, and take the Athlon 64 PC on some old 17" CRT. :)
 
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