PowerMac G5 Upgrades Announced (Officially)

[wrldwzrd89]

Well i cant see apple keeping the 2.5 in storage till the next Xserve update. theycould have used the 2.3 in the low end, 2.5 in the middle and then used the 2.7 in the high end, that would have made a better update lineup.

I can think of a reason why Apple would be storing it if they're going to put it in the XServe - eliminating the liquid cooling, since that doesn't fit very well in an XServe-type enclosure. If they figure that one out, perhaps they'll extend this to the next PowerMacs too...

 

[lostboy85]

I can think of a reason why Apple would be storing it if they're going to put it in the XServe - eliminating the liquid cooling, since that doesn't fit very well in an XServe-type enclosure. If they figure that one out, perhaps they'll extend this to the next PowerMacs too...

yeah... in another 10 months. which means it wont be another year till i get o use Tiger.

 

[Erik W.]

My new dual 2.0, with an extra gig of ram, is on its way. Like a few others have mentioned here, this is going to be so much faster than what I have been using (and far more ram, storage, etc), that it'll be astounding to me.

Would've liked the dual 2.3, but just outta my range, especially since I had to get some pricey software at the same time.

I'll be using my old crt for now, but hope to have the scratch to get a 20" or 23" display relatively soon.

-erik

 

[Max_Runk]

I waited till the wife was asleep

I've got my 1st Mac on the way. I'm more than a little excited.
I got the Dual 2.0 G5 w/1gig of ram
400gb hd
ATI 9650
b/tooth keyboard and mouse
and the 20" cinema display.
I also got two more gigs of ram from another vendor for cheap. All I need is Mac OS X for dummies or something similar and I'm ready to be confused 😀
My mom has a dual g4 and it sold me on a Mac.
I just do pix and music and surf and email. This rig should last me for alot of yrs.

I had a little help from MS deciding to buy a Mac.When I installed sp2 on my desktop it killed it ...twice. Caught in a restart loop forever.Only way to stop it was put in the OS disc. Reloaded windows and it was slow as hell..10 mins+ to start up. Plus sp2 was part of the way installed but no way to uninstall.
F ME. Lost all my music and pix the 1st time. Then my dumb ass did it again.At least this time I had all my reloaded music on disc.
MS is BS.
I'm sure Steve says thanks Bill.

 

[minimax]

Well i cant see apple keeping the 2.5 in storage till the next Xserve update. theycould have used the 2.3 in the low end, 2.5 in the middle and then used the 2.7 in the high end, that would have made a better update lineup.

I think I said it before in this thread but all processors come from the same line, are being tested and according to their performance (energy leakage) and demand they are clocked. The previous 2.5 needs liquid cooling but probably can run without liquid cooling at 2.3 mhz. Does it make sense to introduce an Xserve with a totally new processor? Of course not! It's the 2.5 without liquid cooling.

 

[AidenShaw]

*want*, not *need*

The previous 2.5 needs liquid cooling but probably can run without liquid cooling at 2.3 mhz.

Apple wanted to use liquid cooling, because air cooling would have needed more airflow and the fan noise would have been too high.

There was no *need* for liquid cooling - just a need to remove a certain amount of heat, and a desire to do it at a certain noise level.

Apparently, today, the 2.3 can be air-cooled at an acceptable noise level.

We don't know if this is due to improvements in the chip (other than the obvious heat reduction due to the slower clock), or improvements in the heat sinks or fans.

Since the XServe is designed for rack-mount cabinets rather than the desktop, noise is not as much of a concern. They have a row of high-speed fans that can spin as fast as needed to keep it cool.

Note that systems like the HP DL360 put dual 3.6 GHz 64-bit Xeons in a 1U with up to 12 GiB of RAM. (The 3.6 GHz Xeon consumes about 103 watts at full load, compared to around 50 watts for the PPC970fx at 2.5 GHz)

Apple would have no problem putting 2.5, 2.7 or faster chips in an XServe (except for chip availability, of course).

 

[Don.Key]

Note that systems like the HP DL360 put dual 3.6 GHz 64-bit Xeons in a 1U with up to 12 GiB of RAM. (The 3.6 GHz Xeon consumes about 103 watts at full load, compared to around 50 watts for the PPC970fx at 2.5 GHz)

Which, let me tell you, causes lots of problems. The 1U units from most PC manufacturers are very sencetive to temperature around them, the tolerance is really low and as soon as you arrive to the upper limit they begin to drop dead.

Unless you have a serious AC Conditioned datacenter or live in Alaska 1U units are no-go. I had three customers which all went thru this, two with HP/Compaq and one with Dell machines.

2U units are much more reliable and tolerant.

 

[Blue Moon]

I've got my 1st Mac on the way. I'm more than a little excited.
I got the Dual 2.0 G5 w/1gig of ram
400gb hd
ATI 9650
b/tooth keyboard and mouse
and the 20" cinema display.
I also got two more gigs of ram from another vendor for cheap. All I need is Mac OS X for dummies or something similar and I'm ready to be confused 😀
My mom has a dual g4 and it sold me on a Mac.
I just do pix and music and surf and email. This rig should last me for alot of yrs.

I had a little help from MS deciding to buy a Mac.When I installed sp2 on my desktop it killed it ...twice. Caught in a restart loop forever.Only way to stop it was put in the OS disc. Reloaded windows and it was slow as hell..10 mins+ to start up. Plus sp2 was part of the way installed but no way to uninstall.
F ME. Lost all my music and pix the 1st time. Then my dumb ass did it again.At least this time I had all my reloaded music on disc.
MS is BS.
I'm sure Steve says thanks Bill.

Welcome to the party my friend. Bar is over there. 😀

 

[woolfgang]

My only complaint is that I was waiting for the Dual 2.0 to come down in price. It did, but without PCI-X slots. So I can't buy the HD card I wanted. Will have to spend the same money anyhow.

 

[AidenShaw]

farcical FUD

Which, let me tell you, causes lots of problems. The 1U units from most PC manufacturers are very sencetive to temperature around them, the tolerance is really low and as soon as you arrive to the upper limit they begin to drop dead.

Laughing out loud....

First of all, 1U rackmount servers *are* computer room systems - they have clearly specified environmental ranges that you need to follow. If the unit is specified up to 35 degrees, you shouldn't put it in a closet that hits 40 degrees.

You should also follow common sense, and make sure that you install the systems for good airflow and cooling. Don't block the back of the system so that the hot air is forced back around the unit to the intakes.

Having said that, I have a number of racks with 36 of the DL360 1U systems (I need to leave a couple of spare spaces for switches and KVM units). In one lab, I got complaints that the fans from the DL360s inside the computer room were so noisy that the people in nearby offices were bothered,

Upon investigation, we discovered that one of the chiller units in that lab was cutting out intermittently. When the chiller died, a couple of racks would get up to 44 degrees. This would cause all the fans to crank up to full speed, and the noise was incredible. After a while, the chiller would start up again, the systems would cool down, and the 1U systems would slow the fans back to normal.

If you're losing systems to high temperature, you should either:

• Check the BIOS settings to make sure that "shutdown on extreme over-temperature" is enabled
• Buy better systems with over-termperature protection
• Follow common sense rules when installing systems to ensure that proper cooling is provided

When I've had A/C failures, I simply need to manually restart the HP systems that have done emergency shutdowns when the internal temperature readings have exceeded the set thresholds for operation.

 

[Blue Moon]

Does anybody who has experience with both the liquid and fan cooled dual PMs have a comparison to give with regards to noise? I do a lot of audio work and I want my studio to be as quiet as possible and I fear I made a mistake not getting the 2.7 over the 2.3. 😕

 

[greenfluke]

Does anybody who has experience with both the liquid and fan cooled dual PMs have a comparison to give with regards to noise? I do a lot of audio work and I want my studio to be as quiet as possible and I fear I made a mistake not getting the 2.7 over the 2.3. 😕

I used a dual 1.8 GHz G5 at work for a while, and a good friend of mine who also does audio has a dual 2.5 GHz. In his studio, I have never heard the fans at all. The dual 2.5 is very quiet. Nothing at all like the dual 1.8, which whenver I was working in dreamweaver doing FTP would cycle up to a roar. The same thing for my old 1.6 GHz single at home. That thing gets pretty loud, not to mention the chirps, etc..... Granted the new FX chips are much better than the old 970s, but (IMO) I still wouldn't want to have anything but the liquid cooled PM if I was doing audio, my friend raves about his, and while using it, it is always fast and quiet, just the way a mac should be

 

[Blue Moon]

I used a dual 1.8 GHz G5 at work for a while, and a good friend of mine who also does audio has a dual 2.5 GHz. In his studio, I have never heard the fans at all. The dual 2.5 is very quiet. Nothing at all like the dual 1.8, which whenver I was working in dreamweaver doing FTP would cycle up to a roar. The same thing for my old 1.6 GHz single at home. That thing gets pretty loud, not to mention the chirps, etc..... Granted the new FX chips are much better than the old 970s, but (IMO) I still wouldn't want to have anything but the liquid cooled PM if I was doing audio, my friend raves about his, and while using it, it is always fast and quiet, just the way a mac should be

Well thank goodness for Apple's leniency with concerns to orders that haven't shipped. I just called them and changed the order to a 2.7 but instead of upgrading the graphics card I just let it be. I actually saved $50 upgrading to the 2.7 that way!

 

[geeyesgee]

I just ordered the PM G5 2.7DP and I am stoked. I've been crawling along lately with a graphite PM G4 and this will be a good upgrade for me. My big decision is, do I put the G5 on my desk so I can stare at it or do I put it under the desk where my G4 used to be? 🙂

 

[Blue Moon]

I just ordered the PM G5 2.7DP and I am stoked. I've been crawling along lately with a graphite PM G4 and this will be a good upgrade for me. My big decision is, do I put the G5 on my desk so I can stare at it or do I put it under the desk where my G4 used to be? 🙂

Its always nice to have an uncluttered desk, if it were me I'd just stick it under the desk. Though it is a great looking specimen, it is hardly the most beautiful enclosure in the world.

 

[isaacwin]

I did It

I finally upgraded I have had a sawtooth 400 MHz machine for far to long so I scraped together literally all of my change, cash and savings and took the plunge for what I believe is the best machine on the planet

Power Mac G5 Dual 2.7GHz 3-5 business day
Dual 2.7GHz PowerPC G5
1GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x512
250GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
16x SuperDrive double-layer (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL w/256MB GDDR3 SDRAM
56k V.92 internal modem 065-5721
Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse - U.S. English
Mac OS X - U.S. English
None
Accessory kit
I am so happy

 

[ryan42]

I finally upgraded I have had a sawtooth 400 MHz machine for far to long so I scraped together literally all of my change, cash and savings and took the plunge for what I believe is the best machine on the planet

Power Mac G5 Dual 2.7GHz 3-5 business day
Dual 2.7GHz PowerPC G5
1GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x512
250GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
16x SuperDrive double-layer (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL w/256MB GDDR3 SDRAM
56k V.92 internal modem 065-5721
Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse - U.S. English
Mac OS X - U.S. English
None
Accessory kit
I am so happy

Total?

 

[quta]

2.7 shipping out yet?

I ordered my dual 2.7 on Wednesday 4/27, but tricked it out a little bit so it hasn't shipped yet...has anyone had theirs ship, or better yet one that has arrived?

Just to make you drool, I'll tell you what I'm getting:

• dual 2.7 Ghz G5
• 250 GB disk
• Nvidia GeForce 6800
• 2.5 GB ram
• Bluetooth + Airport Extreme + Modem
• 20 inch Cinema Display
• Apple Wireless Keyboard

2 GB of the RAM is already here (from Crucial) and I think I'll add another 250 GB disk, as well as a 250 GB Firewire for making a nightly bootable mirror (I'm using this machine for making money...)

 

[ryan42]

I don't know if my opinion will matter in this situation but....

If anyone will recall a lot of people made fun of my decision to get a dual G4 over a G5. The main actual factor that went into my decision was the looks and the ability to have four PATA drives and 2 opticals. It is not the best machine in the world at all, but I still get that tingling feeling every time I sit down at it just as much as when I first opened the box and set sight on my new Macintosh. It's not the fastest Mac, no. Not at all. But if you have a computer so fast then you never have time to go grab a snack in between tasks. 😉

I just think a lot of people who jump to buy newer faster better macs *points finger at those people who just upgraded to a 2.7x2 from a 2.5x2* are only thinking about one thing.

Speed deamon!
Speed deamon!
Speed deamon!
Speed deamon!
Speed deamon!

But that's just IHMO. I realise some people may actually need the power but I am willing to bet that number is far and few.

 

[Blue Moon]

I ordered my dual 2.7 on Wednesday 4/27, but tricked it out a little bit so it hasn't shipped yet...has anyone had theirs ship, or better yet one that has arrived?

Just to make you drool, I'll tell you what I'm getting:

• dual 2.7 Ghz G5
• 250 GB disk
• Nvidia GeForce 6800
• 2.5 GB ram
• Bluetooth + Airport Extreme + Modem
• 20 inch Cinema Display
• Apple Wireless Keyboard

2 GB of the RAM is already here (from Crucial) and I think I'll add another 250 GB disk, as well as a 250 GB Firewire for making a nightly bootable mirror (I'm using this machine for making money...)

Mine has been sent to manufacturing but hasn't actually shipped. Considering the fact I changed my order this morning, I'm impressed. I hope to get it by Friday.

 

[illustratorDavi]

Hi

Has anyone seen any reviews of the new G5s yet - mac360.com hasn't even mentioned it !!

David

(My 2.7 G5 is due to ship on friday)

 

[Erik W.]

Hi

Has anyone seen any reviews of the new G5s yet - mac360.com hasn't even mentioned it !!

David

(My 2.7 G5 is due to ship on friday)

I ordered a dual 2.0 from MacMall, and they and UPS claim it will be here today. However, the packages listed are only a total of 8 pounds... one package at 1.5 and a second at 6.5 pounds. That seems awful light to me... maybe they just sent a picture of it 😕

If not, I'll post my impressions!

-erik

 

[illustratorDavi]

Size and weight
Height: 20.1 inches (51.1 cm)
Width: 8.1 inches (20.6 cm)
Depth: 18.7 inches (47.5 cm)
Weight: Single-processor configuration, 36 pounds (16.4 kg); dual-processor configuration, 44.4 pounds (20.2 kg) (5)

somehow i think those weights they've given you are a little inaccurate 🙂

Personally i'm wondering if my table will take the weight of my new G5 - maybe need a couple of extra legs !!

 

[Erik W.]

Well, the confusion continues, but the PowerMac is here!

Turns out there is after all two packages... one with the PM, the other with everything else. The PM just arrived, but the other box is on a different truck for some reason, and has yet to show up.

-erik

 

[Erik W.]

somehow i think those weights they've given you are a little inaccurate 🙂

Which is exactly what I thought.... either some kind of weird mistake, or, and this was my fear, they didn't actually ship the computer, just the other stuff I ordered (and for some reason in two boxes). Turns out, it was a mistake... one I don't understand, really, but whatever. Here's how it went:

Look up order status on MacMall site. Says shipped, in one box, has link to UPS tracking page.

View UPS tracking page, one box in transit to me, weight 1.5 pounds.

Perplexed, contact MacMall, told in reality two boxes are on the way, second box weighing 6.5 pounds. Confused even more.

Check with UPS, who now says a much more believable story: one box on its way, weighing 56.8 pounds.

Weird, huh?

-erik