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PowerMac G5

lol...let the power pc defenders flame

no-one in their right mind would buy a ppc as anything but a plaything now...

nothing new is being developed for the ppc's so it's got a very definite lifespan


As said before 'save your pennies' and buy an intel mac of some kind
 
Genghis Khan said:
lol...let the power pc defenders flame

no-one in their right mind would buy a ppc as anything but a plaything now...

nothing new is being developed for the ppc's so it's got a very definite lifespan


As said before 'save your pennies' and buy an intel mac of some kind
Click to expand...

Our "playthings" put together six 500-page books with charts, photos and a load of graphical elements every year. Running all the current industry standard (publishing) software.

If the OP can find a nice dual-processor machine for the right price, it's a viable alternative.
 
iGary said:
What a completely useless response.

Depends on the Power Mac G5 you get (and price), but any of them will do what you are describing fine. We still have a single 1.6 and a dual 2.3 in heavy production use, and while they can get a little frustrating at times, they're just fine. We've been phasing out the Power Macs for iMacs.
Click to expand...

I really don't think so. If he wants to be able to use any future version of Photoshop, he'll need the newest OS. To run the newest OS, he'll need Intel.

Genghis Khan said:
lol...let the power pc defenders flame

no-one in their right mind would buy a ppc as anything but a plaything now...
Click to expand...

I'm feeling this, too... :p
 
Genghis Khan said:
lol...let the power pc defenders flame

no-one in their right mind would buy a ppc as anything but a plaything now...

nothing new is being developed for the ppc's so it's got a very definite lifespan


As said before 'save your pennies' and buy an intel mac of some kind
Click to expand...

Even when the day comes that new software isn't coming out for PPC machines anymore, that doesn't mean that they'll instantly become useless mate. They'll still be just as useful as they were when they were new :) I'll stick with my PowerBook for a while yet; I hope to get another two years or so out of it, and it's a single-core 1.5GHz G4 :D

That said, for a new Mac user without the library of PPCtastic software, I would suggest they go for an Intel.
 
Genghis Khan said:
lol...let the power pc defenders flame

no-one in their right mind would buy a ppc as anything but a plaything now...

nothing new is being developed for the ppc's so it's got a very definite lifespan


As said before 'save your pennies' and buy an intel mac of some kind
Click to expand...

Right now, I'm typing on a 1 GHz PowerBook. You'll note that it does even less than the G5s due to the lack of 64-bit process support. You will also note that it still works after six years and four days. I still have copies of OS 8.6, 9.0, 6.0.8, 7.5 and DOS in emulation because they are useful. Leopard won't be any different ten years from now.

That statement that nothing new is being developed is not true in the least. I myself have written and maintained an application compatible with back to OS 10.1.4. Apple's iTunes update yesterday works on my PowerBook, so it should be obvious that even Apple is maintaining support for it.

If you have the library, you could save your pennies and get a $300 PowerBook similar to mine versus a minimum of a $700 refurbished Intel Mac. Naturally, if you don't have a software library built up, it would be better to go with an Intel, but if you do have that library, a G5 is a very good deal.
 
PPC's were okay.
PPC G5's were fine.
PPC G5 Quad was gr8!

But, investing money in a machine which you know won't be supported in future software isn't a good idea.

IMHO, if you get the best PPC ever (aka: G5 Quad, > GeForce 7800 GT, > 4 GB RAM, etc.) you probably are stuck with this list:
- Mac OS X 10.5.x
- Adobe CS 4
- Final Cut Studio 2
- Aperture 2?
- iLife / iWork 09?
.... you get the picture.

Buying a Power Mac G5 (Quad) gets you stuck in the past. It might have been a superb machine, and pretty fast too!
But, a Mac mini Core 2 Duo with nVidia 9400 M is a far better buy. You know you can get Snow Leopard, and the future cool software.
 
IMHO, if you get the best PPC ever (aka: G5 Quad, > GeForce 7800 GT, > 4 GB RAM, etc.) you probably are stuck with this list:
- Mac OS X 10.5.x
- Adobe CS 4
- Final Cut Studio 2
- Aperture 2?
- iLife / iWork 09?
Click to expand...

Hmm... If that list was supposed to deter people I don't think its going to work. At least not me.
 
Genghis Khan said:
lol...let the power pc defenders flame

no-one in their right mind would buy a ppc as anything but a plaything now...

nothing new is being developed for the ppc's so it's got a very definite lifespan


As said before 'save your pennies' and buy an intel mac of some kind
Click to expand...

I stuck my foot into the intel stream once this year with the Unibody MB.

2.4ghz/4gigs of ram.

Useless. I sold it and bought another 12" Powerbook 1.5ghz. It runs about the same for me and the Flash problem is the problem for ALL MACS not just PPC ones.

Fix the Flash problem and PPC machines will have even more of a lifespan
 
California said:
I stuck my foot into the intel stream once this year with the Unibody MB.

2.4ghz/4gigs of ram.

Useless. I sold it and bought another 12" Powerbook 1.5ghz. It runs about the same for me and the Flash problem is the problem for ALL MACS not just PPC ones.

Fix the Flash problem and PPC machines will have even more of a lifespan
Click to expand...

If you don't do anything except email and browsing sure it'll run about the same. Good luck watching a hd video on youtube though.

Why on earth was it "useless"? Do you have only ppc software? Why is a laptop that is almost as fast or even faster at some tasks than your quad G5 useless?
 
chaosbunny said:
If you don't do anything except email and browsing sure it'll run about the same. Good luck watching a hd video on youtube though.

Why on earth was it "useless"? Do you have only ppc software? Why is a laptop that is almost as fast or even faster at some tasks than your quad G5 useless?
Click to expand...

The no fw, the screen sucked.

It did not seem that fast to me at all.

The quad is faster... granted I have 14gbs of ram and a Quadro card, but there was also something 'flourescent" and off putting about the MB unibodyscreen that made me not like it.

Like the sickly greenish blue glow you get from florescent lights in a hospital?

I just didn't like it. I don't know what i'm going to do except try to stuff a SSD in the powerbook.
 
California said:
The no fw, the screen sucked.

It did not seem that fast to me at all.

The quad is faster... granted I have 14gbs of ram and a Quadro card, but there was also something 'flourescent" and off putting about the MB unibodyscreen that made me not like it.

Like the sickly greenish blue glow you get from florescent lights in a hospital?

I just didn't like it. I don't know what i'm going to do except try to stuff a SSD in the powerbook.
Click to expand...

I can understand the screen and fw issue. One of them has been solved... we can only hope for matte screen options in the future. I guess a classic 15" would be too big for you?

I upgraded my 1,67 ghz G4 pb to a cheap leftover classic mbp last october and never looked back. I need/want the 15" screen though.

300D said:
Is it? Please share your bliss with the rest of us.
Click to expand...

I still have a working C64 around that's faster than all these new ppc and intel crap out there. :)
 
California said:
The quad is faster... granted I have 14gbs of ram and a Quadro card, but there was also something 'flourescent" and off putting about the MB unibodyscreen that made me not like it.
Click to expand...

I think that made a huge difference, but in the OP's case, the machine is probably not that upgraded.

Look, the point is that the G5 is dead - like it or not. It will never be updated, and newer computer technology always surpasses older technology in speed.

For the OP, if the price is right, go for it - it's a good machine. Just know that its life is limited to software currently available. You most likely won't be able to run the latest and greatest when it comes out next year.
 
wow....i've had 4 people reference me on one page...and claim my ignorance


well...i've just thought of something!

all here defending ppc...you are now restricted to using powerpc forever...enjoy yourselves in your apparently satisfactory world :)
 
Well, ...

... the Powermac G5 Quad shows an overall Geekbench score of 3244, as of right now. Compared to Intel variants, anything beyond Core 2 Duo 2,5Ghz is getting faster than this, with muuuuuuuch less electricity to consume. That´s pretty obvious.

The Powermac Quad used prices are insane for consumers: They only make sense if you are a professional, who needs one specific application to earn your living, but for nothing else.

I would say a US$300,- limit on a used G5 purchase is the absolute maximum, after that any used core (2) duo based mac will deliver you much more for less money. Save the money, ask for donations from your grandparents/friends, and buy a used Mac Pro instead, if you need PCI-express slots; buy an iMac or Mac mini, if you don´t.
 
giffut said:
... the Powermac G5 Quad shows an overall Geekbench score of 3244, as of right now.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure that Geekbench score on the quad only had 512mb of ram installed? And I've yet to see a used Mac Pro at G5 prices. How is ram pricing on MacPros these days?
 
California said:
Pretty sure that Geekbench score on the quad only had 512mb of ram installed? And I've yet to see a used Mac Pro at G5 prices. How is ram pricing on MacPros these days?
Click to expand...
Exactly! The G5 is actually affordable, while the Mac Pro is still far out of reach for a lot of people. I am yet to see a working Mac Pro sell for less than $1500 used. Thats for an old 2006 2.6GHz model. You can pick up a quad G5 for half that.
 
I remember recenlty somebody on here got a first-gen MacPro for around $1300 - my G5 cost $1200. Of course, a slight nudge up with a 7800GT.

But as Hrududu said, affordable; just be content with PPC applications.
 
michael.lauden said:
a quad 2.5GHz G5 is still slower than a Mac mini?
Click to expand...

apart from the quad g5, the mac mini is faster than all ppc's.........but you get the point of how far we've come?



While I understand that many people here still love their G5's, but you cannot recommend it to someone who is buying a primary computer.
 
Actually, I would recommend a G5 as a comparatively cheap alternative to a newer system if you only need it for light to medium jobs, or medium-heavy duty if you buy a Dual 2.7 GHz or Quad. Just be warned that Snow Leopard will only work on an Intel. My primary computer (sig) is slower than a G5 and still can do whatever I throw at it. My backup is a 867 MHz Quicksilver G4.
 
The G5's are also all getting to the age where you will begin to see bigger system failures as components wear out.

And if you see a liquid cooled G5, just turn around and walk away. Those things notorious for leaking coolant.

Might as well buy a new machine. You'll have a warranty, it'll run the latest software, and it'll be faster.
 
goMac said:
The G5's are also all getting to the age where you will begin to see bigger system failures as components wear out.
Click to expand...

Besides the liquid cooling, I don't know from where you get such an idea. My Cube is 9 years old.
 
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