Power Mac G5...to get or not to get?

[Mac_Maniac]

Hi folks.


I currently have a PC that has:

AMD64 3800+
ASUS K8N-E Deluxe Nforce 3 mobo
1GB PC3200 RAM
100GB HDD
Geforce FX 5700 256mb video card

I have really considerd getting a mac G5 for some time now. My uncle just got one, looks nice. I want to do somthing with computers as a career. I want to offer a business to people and have clients. I really want to get into something that has to do with 3D. I want to do 3D Animation, video editing, web design, music, stuff like that. I hear Mac's are for creative people. So I want a:

MAC G5
Dual 2.0ghz
1GB DDR PC3200 RAM
16X super drive
OS X Tiger
Radeon 9650 256mb video card
160GB HDD space
Bluetooth

Somthing amongst that. It has alot of power. I would use a KVM. It would switch my mouse, monitors, keyboard, and audio, between my pc, and the mac. Plus I could have them networked to store files and share a printer. I love computer games. But I would use my PC for that. There are some good games for the mac as well don't get me wrong. I think Mac's are sexy and creative. I really want one. Should I get one?

-Ross

 

[ClarkeB]

(there's no apostrophe unless there is a possessive or if there is a contraction)


Definitely get a Power Mac G5...they are totally brilliant machines!

 

[dmw007]

(there's no apostrophe unless there is a possessive or if there is a contraction)


Definitely get a Power Mac G5...they are totally brilliant machines!

I'll second the notion- buy a PowerMac G5.

 

[MacTruck]

Yeah get the G5, just don't use the "free shipping".

 

[Dreadnought]

MacTruck, we get your point! Get the Mac, get it!

 

[Tilmitt]

Yes get the PowerMac!

 

[crazzyeddie]

Don't give him blind advice here... specifically don't get the Dual 2.0ghz. It is a crippled motherboard. It only has 4 RAM slots (instead of 8) and it has no PCI-X slots. If you find yourself doing alot of 3D, it is much better to have 8 slots. Even though you might not need 8GB of RAM, its half the price to get 4GB in 512MB sticks than in 1GB sticks. Also, PCI-X is very important for adding external/internal SATA storage, which you will need if you seriously get into video editing (HD footage basically requires a fast RAID setup).
Don't waste your money on the 9650. It actually benchmarks slower than the 9600 because it is clocked slower (the extra VRAM doesn't help at all, either). You might want to consider paying extra for a nice graphics card for 3D work. Take a look at these benchmarks comparing performance of the graphics cards. http://barefeats.com/rad9650.html Note: the pro app benchmarks are at the bottom, but 3D rendering is very similar to 3D gaming, also. Also note the "iMaginator" benchmark. That illustrates the difference those graphics cards will have in OS X's Core Image technology that draws the entire screen (even 2D), something Windows doesn't have.

 

[biohazard6969]

if you have the cash to spare i'd go for it. i know if i had a couple grand lieing around i would

 

[aussie_geek]

Don't give him blind advice here... specifically don't get the Dual 2.0ghz. It is a crippled motherboard. It only has 4 RAM slots (instead of 8) and it has no PCI-X slots. If you find yourself doing alot of 3D, it is much better to have 8 slots. Even though you might not need 8GB of RAM, its half the price to get 4GB in 512MB sticks than in 1GB sticks. Also, PCI-X is very important for adding external/internal SATA storage, which you will need if you seriously get into video editing (HD footage basically requires a fast RAID setup).
Don't waste your money on the 9650. It actually benchmarks slower than the 9600 because it is clocked slower (the extra VRAM doesn't help at all, either). You might want to consider paying extra for a nice graphics card for 3D work. Take a look at these benchmarks comparing performance of the graphics cards. http://barefeats.com/rad9650.html Note: the pro app benchmarks are at the bottom, but 3D rendering is very similar to 3D gaming, also. Also note the "iMaginator" benchmark. That illustrates the difference those graphics cards will have in OS X's Core Image technology that draws the entire screen (even 2D), something Windows doesn't have.

I agree - go for the 2.3 or even better, you can get one of the older 2.5's like I have. There are some sweet deals on the older models. The radeon 9600 is actually a better card than the 9650. Have a look at
this reseller. They have 2.5's for sale for $2268 US - cash.

aussie_geek