Resale value of 2.66 Quad versus 2.26 Octad??

[Luba]

Hi, I was happy with the iMac 3.06 with the ATI Radeon HD 4850 GPU except with the freezing issue, so now I am looking at MPs instead going to down to the 3.06 with the GT 130 GPU.

I am just starting with video editing and Photoshop, nothing professional at this point. I do game though, so getting the ATI Radeon 4870 with the MP is a definite!

I figure the 2.66 Quad is more than good enough for me at this time, but regarding future proofing and lower memory prices (8 slots versus 4 in the Quad) with the 2.26 Octad for $700 more is intriguing option.

In a few years if I decide to sell, would I get more (higher percentage) with the 2.26 Octad or the 2.66 Quad, or perhaps the same? I realize we are trying to predict the future, but what does past data say?

 

[velocityg4]

Given the greater expandability of the Octo versus the quad it will definitely have more value. However this would be nowhere close to the $700.

Just a quick look at the pricing calculator at Mac2sell.net and buy it now items on eBay. A dual 1.8 G5 with 8 RAM slots is worth at be $100 more than a single 1.8 with 4 RAM slots assuming everything else is equal. Though most of the buy it now's do not sell. The actual auction difference is likely less.

If the quad is more than enough then get that. If you can not max out the CPU's in a quad then the octo would be a waste in my opinion.

You would be better served in using that money towards faster hard drives in a RAID 0 array and more RAM to reduce latencies. Also a back up hard drive, which is always a good idea but a RAID 0 doubles the chances of hard drive failure.

That $700 could go towards.
- Two 750GB hard drives 7200RPM, 32MB cache, good reviews for RAID 0 $160
- one 1.5TB hard drive for backups $130
- 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 memory for triple channel $105 (unfortunately server type 4GB modules are still really expensive; come on Apple just do non-ECC unbuffered memory)

the $300 remaining could buy a really nice photo printer, software or pay for most of pretty good 24" LCD with a TN panel. S-IPS and H-IPS panels are much better for serious photo/video work but are also far more expensive.

I just spent $350 on a Hyundai W240D, at Fry's electronics, which has DVI, VGA, HDMI and component inputs. It also has a stand that allows for tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustments. The drawbacks are that it is a TN so it does not have the color gamut of the pricier S-IPS and H-IPS panels. But the picture does look great still and is better suited for gaming as their is no ghosting. It also has a slight light bleed on the borders with a pure black desktop background. Which I can only really see in a dark room.

 

[Mac Husky]

The decision for or against quad/octo Mac Pro is already hard enough.
Including the price for reselling is not not even making it easier
I would try to avoid thinking about that else