Questions about G5 Powermacs

[Yoursh]

My G4 Powermac has been a great machine for the last year but I've started to do some video editing and have found it to be too lacking in the processing side of things. Instead of upgrading the processor(I've maxed out damn near everything else in it), I've decided to look in to getting a newer desktop. I was initially looking at getting a Intel mini, but I would like to add a second lcd monitor that I'm not currently using and go dual monitor. I've started to look at the Powermac G5's but I got into Mac's late into their life cycle. Basically I'm not too familar with the product line.

So, I have a few questions for those in the forums who own or regularly use them.
-How do the different rev. compare to each other performance wise
-Are there certain rev.'s to avoid(high hardware failure rates)
-What type of video card upgrade paths do they have in general?
-How much noise/heat do they generate compared to the G4's

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[uaaerospace]

-Are there certain rev.'s to avoid(high hardware failure rates)
-What type of video card upgrade paths do they have in general?

The revision A machines had some problems when they were first introduced (I'm typing this on one), but the kinks have been worked out through software updates.

I upgraded to the ATI X800XT. It has been fine for everything I've thrown at it. I used to play quite a few games and still do video editing from time to time using FCP 4.5.

 

[djbahdow01]

Well I have a Dual 2.5GHz G5 and have had very little problems if any at all. I am currently having RAM issues, which I believe is the stock apple Ram, but then again the ram is also 3 years old, it might just need to be reseated as I moved recently, but other than that no other major problems.

As for video card upgrades there aren't to many. Depending on the G5 as there are AGP versions and PCI Express versions there are a few. As for the AGP your best ones are the ATi x800 and the Nvidia 6800 DDL. Possibly the ATi x850 if you can find it. As for the PCI Express ones I am not sure as I have not used one of them.

Other than that I am very happy with my G5.

One quick question though. Why are you looking to upgrade to a G5 when the Intel's are a little bit more pricey than a used G5. Everything is pretty much gonee universal.

 

[Yoursh]

One quick question though. Why are you looking to upgrade to a G5 when the Intel's are a little bit more pricey than a used G5. Everything is pretty much gonee universal.

Trust me, I've taken a hard long look at the Mac Pro's. It's just they are a little overkill for what I need. Also as I said in my original post I'm looking for a system that can I can hook my 2 lcd monitors into. So that throws the iMac and minis out. I don't need a intel system since I have my macbook to run newer software. I'm just looking for a modest 'bump' is performance. I think a G5 Powermac should fill that role fine.

The only requirements I have are:
-gigabit ethernet
-dvd burner
-dual DVI out(or the ability to upgrade to)

I'm mostly looking at the older G5's, like the 1.6/1.8/dual 1.8Ghz. I'm just unfamiliar with how well they've aged. The G4 I have is overall still a good system, but it's really shows it's age when I try to work with anything heavily video related.

 

[ziwi]

I have a dual 2.0 G5 and it serves my purposes and is a fine machine that has caused no issues. I have added storage and RAM (get an 8 RAM slot G5 if you can - that being said the graphis cards for the older AGP G5's are impossible to find so the newer PCI-e ones may be the better investment.

It is a good machine and runs the noraml ilife and Photoshop and FCE great and with enough Ram it runs quite well. My only concern is how long they will support the G5 and how many improvements are available to the machine to make it last - already can not find graphics cards. Other than that, it is a great machine.

 

[mkrishnan]

So one think I can think of in these cases is the question of eventual failure of liquid cooling... there were several analyses that suggested that eventual failure after a number of years is fairly likely. Is there a simple list that points out which PMG5s are air-cooled and which ones are liquid cooled? I believe that all the dual core and quad core G5s are?

 

[TDM21]

I remember that Barefeats.com would always have recommendations for which PowerMacs were a better value. If you look at the older AGP PowerMacs then try and find one with 8 memory slots. Any of the PCI-Express PowerMacs should be good values as well.

Scroll down to the bottom of this page and check out the table.
http://barefeats.com/quadcore.html

 

[Yoursh]

Scroll down to the bottom of this page and check out the table. http://barefeats.com/quadcore.html

Yeah that's what I was looking for. I'm just trying to fiqure out what G5 has the best performance/longevity for a good price. I'm holding off till after WWDC to see if anything new or interesting is released. Considering all the rumors flying around today about the discontinuation of the mini, I'm hoping there will be an announcement of some sort of new model line. If they announce a remodeled mini with dual monitor support, I'll go with one of those.