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Power Book now and Power Mac later?

MacNoobie

MacNoobie

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 15, 2005
545
0
Colorado
Greetings fellow Mac Enthusiasts.

Power Book 17" on Monday or possibly a Dual 2.5 GHz Power Mac with a 30" LCD. My dilemma starts with I've gone to an Apple store and tried both the PB and the PM and the G5 just blows past the PB when it comes to being responsive and fast heck just working with iPhoto and iDVD I got a sense of it when importing photos and video clips . I've heard Apple is long overdue for a PM upgrade and I know IBM is working towards what I assume will be a 3 GHz G5 which I know runs WAY too hot right now. I'm wondering first off I'm a Windows user this would be my first Mac, would it be better to buy a PB for now and learn the OS and stuff like iPhoto, iDVD, iMovie, etc and iWork and have stuff like Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Illustrator to work with? And just get a PM when they finally decide to update it to something faster I assume around June or so? Also is there any disadvantage to having a brand new system using a new CPU... Meaning if I get a new PM it won’t likely burn the house down to some design flaw that Apple overlooked?

I doubt it'd be that drastic but I read the forums about people having problems with a Revision A product and then down the line a B comes out that fixes some problems and so forth. Also how long does it take for Apple to ship a new product once they announce it and put it up on the web site? I heard some people had to wait 3 months for the Dual 2.5's to ship and it could take more time this time around. My dads not convinced with the PB because of the G4 being 32-bit and wants the G5 even if it’s pricey with the 30” LCD and that’s great and all but I don’t want to buy the 2.5 and 2 months down the road find out that if I had waited 2 more months that I could have had a better system for the same price (or close to it). I also understand that upgrade is inevitable and that Apple will release an update to the 2.5’s and if its heck even 4 or 5 months away I’d still be happy with.

I tend to do quite a bit of web work with Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Illustrator but slowly I’m getting into HD video and I have Mini DV camcorder right now but Premier really sucks to work with so I want to be ready when I choose to buy a Sony HD camcorder (probably the one from the Mac World 2005 video Steve showed off) then I’d be ready software wise and the knowledge of how to use it.

The thing I'm really faced with is I'm honestly fed up with the Windows platform overall and its not the crashing or blue screens or any of that XP has been great to me and its not as though my PC is slow at all a 3Ghz P4 512MB ram 200GB hard drive etc. My beef with Windows and the whole user experience as I call it is with stuff like Adobe Premier its a great piece of software but when I add any effects to it and want to preview it all it wants to do is render the video with the effects which throws my creativity off . Now I understand this is not a Windows problem or a Microsoft thing but the way Adobe setup Premier to do. I'm looking at the videos from Mac World 2005 where Steve shows off what iMovie can do and I've seen videos of Final Cut Pro and Motion and it practically brings a tear to my eye that software like this exists. On top of that it seems like the OS is fantastic and everything just looks beautiful (both hardware and software). I’m very enthusiastic about Apple and I'm finally convinced that Apple can really do well in 2005 and I'm also converting my dad who happens to be a DIE HARD Windows fan, everything has to be Windows otherwise its crap, hates Linux for server use, rather use Windows 2000 Advanced Server for the stuff he wants to do.

I guess long story short is I'll definitely wait for a new Power Mac to come out but I guess I need something to fill the void so to speak.

Thank you for understanding,
Thomas Z
 
Thomas,

I will let the other experienced users answer a lot of this for you, as I'm short on time, but I'm happy to see a film/design enthusiast so excited about Apple. They really are remarkable products, the best in the industry, and regardless of the model you choose or its Revision (A, B, E) you can rest assured it will be mesmerizing to use.

I'm not alone when I say that your first Mac changes your computing experience forever. But enough gushing. :)

It's true that the Power Macs are due for an update anytime now. If it's financially reasonable, I would buy a PowerBook until Apple updates the line. It's likely to be a significant update, not just a "refresh" that occurs more frequently.

Although the PowerBooks are 32-bit and will remain so for quite some time, this by no means limits their performance in applications like Photoshop, Final Cut Pro and Dreamweaver. Look up some benchmarks and you will find it on par with the G5 iMacs. 64-bit computing has a long way to go before most users will see performance gains. Besides that, the current line is almost perfect in terms of performance, value and aesthetics; you really can't go wrong. That way you can learn OS X, play with iMovie, and really convince yourself (and your Dad) how awesome Macs are. The 'Books absolutely kick ass for video in the field. If your Dad still isn't convinced, tell him the G4 has a better implementation of AltiVec than the G5.

I know from working there that the PowerBooks in the Apple Stores are beat to all hell (NEVER buy a demo laptop) and aren't the best for gauging responsiveness and "feel." Most people would say the performance is great, since they are made specifically for the kind of work you do.

Another option would be to buy a PowerBook with the new Dual-DVI and a 30" monitor... that way you would be all set for the new tower when it's announced and enjoy huge real-estate until then.

If you're in college, or almost a college student, remember you get a hefty student discount on almost everything Apple sells.

And despite its speed, the Power Mac will not burn down your house, I promise. ;)

Keep us updated, and welcome! :)
 
I guess I'm fortunate to have a hard working father that's willing to spend so much money on buying a new system and a change of pace I feel because him and my mother both recognize that I'm just a prodigy when it comes to working with computers. Though I can tell you its no free lunch for me my dad seems to think a hard days worth of work from 6am to 5-6pm or longer (been working with him since October of 2004 like this) can be VERY rewarding when it comes time to reaping the rewards for something you feel passionate about.

The Power Book sounds like what I'd want just to get my feet wet with the software and the OS, upgrade my aging laptop which serves me well with my clients designing web sites and doing "odd" jobs (converting something to something else, graphic work, etc).I think it would also make random Windows users at the local Kinko’s here take another look at Apple. :D

Like I mentioned before I have no problem with the Power Mac and I'm sure that the look on my fathers face with the 30" LCD would be priceless (better take a camera to the Apple store or the camcorder LOL) and I'd definitely put it to good use. I guess I feel like I want a system I can actually use, produce some impressive stuff (DVD’s, videos, web sites, desktop publishing) and be able to make money off of all this equipment and software. I guess I just don’t want to be like my father and end up doing manual labor all my life.

Thank you again for the Reply to my post you've made me really feel like Apple is where all the creative sides of me want to be.

Thank you again,
Thomas Z

P.S - Just as a side note I wish ATI supported the 30" LCD, I'm a HUGE fan of ATI just because of the whole Geforce 5800 Ultra fiasco that got me a card that made my pc not even want to start up. Running a 9800 Pro 128MB right now in my PC. :)
 
> P.S - Just as a side note I wish ATI supported the 30" LCD...

The ATI Radeon X800 XT Mac Edition supports the 30", also the 128MB ATI Radeon 9700 in the CURRENT 15"/17" PowerBooks also supports the 30", both cards only support a single 30" though.
 
Wait to get the PM. You won't regret the speed. Trying to compare a dual 2.5Ghz G5 to a single-processor G4 1.67Ghz is pointless. The PM is between 4-10x faster than the PB.

And the price points are too similar. You pay a premium for portability, but you'll find you won't be as portable as you think you'll be.
 
Yeah the PB I wouldn’t need to take with me so much as I'd think, I mean I wouldn't carry it everywhere I go just to Kinko's and back usually and probably do some work at home trying to learn the software, teach my dad how to use iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto so he can use it as well.

Wish me luck tomorrow I’m going down to either one of my local Apple stores (80 miles away) to show my father what the Apple stores are like.

Thomas Z
 
If money was no object, I would consider a 15" 1.67 GHz PB with the optional 128 MB GPU and at least 1 GB of RAM (3rd Party)

This will serve you well if you're heading off to school.

Most of us here are waiting for the next PowerMac revison before
we decide on a tower.
More than likely, the new PowerMacs will offer PCI-e, Tiger and hopefully
the first dual core processors making them well worth the wait.

Right now the best bang for the buck is a refurb 2.0 dual tower
@ $2099 or new education priced @ $2299.

The 30" display is very attractive, but many are opting for the new
Dell 24" HD display @ about $1199. ( education price )

Your dad will be grateful that you've researched your alternatives
carefully.
 
I came on to tell everyone that I'm heading off to the Apple store with my dad. So far the choices are:

Power Book 15" or 17" with a Canon EOS-20D kit
Power Mac G5 2.5 no monitor for the time being
Power Mac G5 2.5 with the 30" Apple Display
Power Mac G5 2.5 with Canon EOS-20D kit

My dad's convinced that the PM is the way to go even if its 2.5Ghz because of the Dual CPU and speed and I agree but with updates coming out soon it might be worth it to get the PB with maybe a digital SLR that I've had my eye on for what seems to be 6-8 months.

I'll update you all when I have everything setup :D
 
Does your dad need any more children?
Because I'm willing to be adopted to a family like
this! :D
 
FFTT said:
If money was no object, I would consider a 15" 1.67 GHz PB with the optional 128 MB GPU and at least 1 GB of RAM (3rd Party)

This will serve you well if you're heading off to school.

Most of us here are waiting for the next PowerMac revison before
we decide on a tower.
More than likely, the new PowerMacs will offer PCI-e, Tiger and hopefully
the first dual core processors making them well worth the wait.

Right now the best bang for the buck is a refurb 2.0 dual tower
@ $2099 or new education priced @ $2299.

The 30" display is very attractive, but many are opting for the new
Dell 24" HD display @ about $1199. ( education price )

Your dad will be grateful that you've researched your alternatives
carefully.
Click to expand...

You can get the 24" for around $900 with readily available coupons right now. Why not have a trip setup of 24" for about the same price? :D

All kidding aside, a dual 24" setup would be cheaper and give you more screen space.
 
Well we took the plunge and got the Dual 2.5 G5 with the 30" display and the 6800 Ultra card. I'm proud to say I'm part of the Mac crowd now, Panther looks freaking unbelievable so I definitely cant wait for Tiger. Safari is actually a pretty damn good browser though somehow I ended up with IE on this machine which is decent. Mail seems basic enough but the one in Tiger looks good. iPhoto is awesome but doesn't support RAW photos off my Olympus E-20 :(

I haven't got to try out iMovie really all that much thats going to be later on, iDVD is yet again amazing, Pages is something I drooled over the MacWorld 2005 video on. Keynotes 2 looks powerful and Garage-band is pretty nice. MSN Messenger (not the ISP service) is really nice.

I must say Apple knows how to build an OS, the apps and seems like the display and the CPU are holding up no weird noises.

I love you Apple!
 
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