Why are you downgrading? The Quad will consume more electricity and still be slower with worse software support?
TL;DR or simply stated, I don't "need" the performance of the Mac Pro. It's definitely helpful and speeds up some tasks but, it sits there unused for much of the time...I've transitioned out of the media industry for the most part, retaining photography as a hobby. So there really isn't many heavy tasks I do.
I contemplated downgrading for quite some time and decided on the PowerMac G5 (quad model). A decent Intel Mac notebook should do the job but I'm looking for a traditional desktop style machine in addition to an Apple notebook.
The Mac Pro has worked great but, I end up actually utilizing the power only when I need to process photographs. When it is powered on though, I tend to be doing light tasks (Safari, Mail, WPX, PNK etc.).
After using Lightroom 2 and Adobe CS4 Master Collection on my PowerBook G4, I don't recon a negative impact on my workflow (aside from the performance). The PowerMac G5 should be able to handle it without a problem.
I'm still holding on to my Mac Pro for the time until it sells (which could take some time).
The dual SSDs must be SATA II or SATA I to ensure compatibility with the G5. eBay is probably going to be the best place to get a new graphics card for that age of a machine. The SuperDrive cover can be replaced but it isn't exactly fun to do since the optical drive has to be removed and you are shoving your hand down in between the drive shelf and the top of the case.
May I ask why you went from a Mac Pro to a G5? Just get a bright light and have a look around the CPUs in the G5. A small LED flashlight will work great here! How much did you pay for this machine?
I should be able to stick the two SSDs in there as they don't require special handling. The drives are the OCZ Agility 3 120GB and the OCZ Agility 4 128GB. Not the best drives but are both SATA 3 and backwards compatible with SATA 2 as being used on the Mac Pro currently.
One of the concerns I have is the number of drives. Once I sell my Mac Pro, I will need to fit in a WD 4TB Black that I use to store all the captures.
Code:
Some of the possible configurations are:
-> Leopard SSD into Bay 1 and WD 4TB into Bay 2.
or
-> Utilize the CalDigit FASTA-4E I have with an external eSATA enclosure to house the WD 4TB. Both SSDs would fit inside then.
or
-> Leave the 160GB and 80GB drives untouched. Connect up the WD 4TB and both SSDs using external eSATA enclosures separately.
I have a CalDigit FASTA-4E which is currently in the Mac Pro, if it works backwards with the PowerMac G5. I could use a different configuration.
As for the SuperDrive cover, the metal component seems just very slightly bent causing it to get stuck when it's open. I will remove the SuperDrive to see if I can get it into place.
I paid around $160 Canadian including cost of gas to pick the unit up. It's a great deal given they're going for around $300 - $500 locally depending on RAM (same price range as Mac Pro '06 stock). This particular unit was upgraded to 8GB (1GB sticks) which is sufficient.
