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Should I buy a PowerMac?

pianodude123

pianodude123

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 1, 2005
698
0
in the internet
Hello,

Today I learned about the new powermac updates however, I am still in a little dilemma for I dont know when to buy a powermac. I am thinking that they only updated the PM's because they werent getting enough people buying them because they were out of date. However, could it be that in the WWDC, they release the dual core ones? I dont know. Despite the thing saying "buy-now" on the buyers guide, I think that was what apple had in mind to do. Get people to start buying them again for the delay it will take IBM to ship the dual core machines???? Any suggestions. Also, I would like to know how many people have all ready placed an order for the new powermac.
 
Should you buy or wait? That depends on your needs. If you need one, get one. If you don't need one, you can afford to wait I guess.

We can only guess when the next update to the PowerMacs might be. And how much they might cost if they have dual core procs in them.
 
At this point, I would see no reason to wait on a Power Mac purchase. If you need a new Mac now would be the time. Many on this forum have said that they don't expect much from WWDC. There may not be another Power Mac upgrade until MWSF '06, that would probably be the earliest.
 
You could buy now, if you are not looking for the top of the line machine.

If you are looking to buying the fastest PM money can buy, try waiting until WWDC. Apple might come out with an ultra high end mac running at dual 3.0Ghz or possibly even a dual-core dual processor G5 running at 2.0Ghz or 2.3 Ghz. That's perhaps why this update seems so miniscule. They are saving the big one for WWDC and one that doesn't interfere with Tiger's release.
 
Lacero said:
You could buy now, if you are not looking for the top of the line machine.

If you are looking to buying the fastest PM money can buy, try waiting until WWDC. Apple might come out with an ultra high end mac running at dual 3.0Ghz or possibly even a dual-core dual processor G5 running at 2.0Ghz or 2.3 Ghz. That's perhaps why this update seems so miniscule. They are saving the big one for WWDC and one that doesn't interfere with Tiger's release.
Click to expand...

I will be very surprised if Apple updates the Power Mac that soon, it would be less than two months. Unusual for Apple, but lately they have been surprising. Others have said there would be no reason for Apple to hold back newer technology if its available. Nothing would please me more though, have something on hold with a manager at my Apple Store that is good until just after WWDC.
 
wdlove said:
I will be very surprised if Apple updates the Power Mac that soon, it would be less than two months. Unusual for Apple, but lately they have been surprising. Others have said there would be no reason for Apple to hold back newer technology if its available. Nothing would please me more though, have something on hold with a manager at my Apple Store that is good until just after WWDC.
Click to expand...

I agree with that, which is why I'm going to buy one. Just got to decide on the specs and save up some money.
 
pianodude123,

I too thought about waiting for WWDC before ordering. However, I decided that I’ve been waiting long enough, and ordered the following system tonight:

Dual 2.7GHz PowerPC G5
512MB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x256
250GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
16x SuperDrive double-layer
ATI Radeon 9650 w/256MB DDR SDRAM
Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse

I also ordered a Radeon X800XT, Dell 2405FPW monitor, and more RAM from datamem.com (after seeing CanadaRAM/Trevor recommend them numerous times). Should be awesome to use with the new Final Cut Studio!

Side note: If anyone else is ordering the X800XT (or any other graphics card) direct from ATI, use 1010 as the promo code to receive 10% off.

Luckily Macs have a decent resale value, so if something phenomenal is introduced at WWDC, I may end up selling the Dual 2.7 once the new product begins shipping. As others have said, it ultimately depends on your needs. If you can wait, it may be worthwhile; if nothing comes out of WWDC, you just spent a month delaying a purchase that could have been made sooner.

Hope this helps!
Mike O’Neill
 
Well I just bought a dual 1.8 PM today for $1500. I would say go and buy becuase I dont think they would do an update in June and if they did who is to say that all models would get the dual-core. Unless you plan on getting the top of the line model and can wait a few months then do so but Id just get what is out now. No sense in waiting forever.
 
Buy now! Especially since Apple has gone to this insane "just about once a year" upgrade cycle for the Power Macs, do it now. Remember last year, we had people protesting the Dual 2.5 machine because there was no 3 GHz G5, and then deciding to wait until the next revision? Look what they got. 10 months of waiting and 200 MHz. Oh yeah, and lots of hatred for Apple. :)

Michael O said:
I also ordered a Radeon X800XT, Dell 2405FPW monitor, and more RAM from datamem.com (after seeing CanadaRAM/Trevor recommend them numerous times). Should be awesome to use with the new Final Cut Studio!
Click to expand...

I just found this out tonight, I was surprised, and I am sure you will be too:

Since the new Power Macs will ship with Tiger, unless you plan on downgrading to Panther, you won't be able to use the X800XT, since it is not compatible with Tiger yet. Lots of kernal panics apparantly. ATI should have a fix out soon though. Sorry.

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/ for more info.
 
Freg3000 said:
Buy now! Especially since Apple has gone to this insane "just about once a year" upgrade cycle for the Power Macs, do it now. Remember last year, we had people protesting the Dual 2.5 machine because there was no 3 GHz G5, and then deciding to wait until the next revision? Look what they got. 10 months of waiting and 200 MHz. Oh yeah, and lots of hatred for Apple. :)



I just found this out tonight, I was surprised, and I am sure you will be too:

Since the new Power Macs will ship with Tiger, unless you plan on downgrading to Panther, you won't be able to use the X800XT, since it is not compatible with Tiger yet. Lots of kernal panics apparantly. ATI should have a fix out soon though. Sorry.

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/ for more info.
Click to expand...
Great. ;)

Oh well, I suppose I'll just keep the 9650 in there until ATI releases a fix. Thanks for letting me know!

Mike O'Neill
 
CPU advancements are at the bottom of my upgrade list.
I usually end up purchasing the low-end machine anyway, and upgrade it with extra drives and RAM.
I'm waiting for PCI-E video, DDR2 RAM and BluRay optical as standards.
New keyboard (aluminum bezel with back-lit keys, and sleep function key like the Cinema Displays) and 2-button mouse would be nice as well.
 
crap freakboy said:
I always find these "Should I...?" strange. I say throw caution to the wind buy 2 Powermacs, become bi-sexual, dye your hair orange and run for President.
Click to expand...

hahaha
 
Just out of curiosity, what do you plan on doing with your powermac? I know everyone wants the fastest machine possible for their money but unless your a video professional that has to deal with long render times the high end powermac will handle everything you throw at it. And like a previous poster mentioned, if a new dual core powermac is rumored later down the line, just sell before they come out. If you hang around these rumor sites enough, you come to expect what and when Apples plans on releasing before the general public. I say buy now, and enjoy your PM! Just my .02 :rolleyes:
 
Just buy it. You wont be at a loss when the new PowerMacs come out. Even the most optimistic predictions of what the next revisions will bring don't make the current machines pathetic. A current PowerMac really should suffice most users really quite well.
 
No! You should wait! Updates next Tuesday!

:)

Ah.. if you have to ask, you clearly don't need one. Save your money!
 
While I'd love to be wrong, I think that that the idea of Apple releasing new PowerMac tech at WWDC, just *40* days after yesterday's minor improvements is optimistic in the extreme. Additionally, even if that unlikely event did come to pass, I'm envisioning poor availability and long delays before the new machines made it into the hands of average Joe consumers like me.

This bump from Apple is all I needed to see to conclude that early fall is probabably the earliest time we should expect to see new PowerMac tech, and even that is pushing the boundaries of optimism. Apple Paris Expo (September 20, nearly five months away) or MWSF'06 (January 9, next year) sure seems like the most likely times for a big announcement.

Five months as the earliest practical date with the possibility of long delays in shipping? Too much waiting for me.

For me it was a straighforward decision -- I ordered a new PowerMac yesterday to displace my 1GHz TiBook. Saves me buying Tiger and iLife '05 and it'll be a huge performance boost over my current machine.
 
Nugget said:
While I'd love to be wrong, I think that that the idea of Apple releasing new PowerMac tech at WWDC, just *40* days after yesterday's minor improvements is optimistic in the extreme.

For me it was a straighforward decision -- I ordered a new PowerMac yesterday to displace my 1GHz TiBook.
Click to expand...

And yet, the type of update that you describe has happened to you before... with your 1GHz Tibook. We recieved new models, more choices, different sizes to the powerbook lineup then, just (60 days?) after that update.

Who's to say that we won't get a new.. TOP of the line dual, dual core machine at WWDC.

I know it's a big if... but time tables have tricked us before.
 
cr2sh said:
I know it's a big if... but time tables have tricked us before.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and the huge piece of missing information which is the key to everything is the current state of the 970MP within IBM. That's got to be the single largest factor affecting the release schedule. With the release of the 12" and 17" TiBooks (which, you're right, came just a few months after the 1GHz 15" release) there wasn't such a dramatic change in technology as people theorize about a potential SuperPowerMac announcement.

Looking back, the original poster is presently on a 2.0GHz PowerMac, which is no slouch. I doubt I'd be compelled to upgrade now if I were running such a (relatively) recent machine. Heck, a DP 2.0GHz PowerMac exists in the current lineup, it's obviously a perfectly respectable machine.
 
pianodude123 said:
Hello,

Today I learned about the new powermac updates however, I am still in a little dilemma for I dont know when to buy a powermac. I am thinking that they only updated the PM's because they werent getting enough people buying them because they were out of date. However, could it be that in the WWDC, they release the dual core ones? I dont know. Despite the thing saying "buy-now" on the buyers guide, I think that was what apple had in mind to do. Get people to start buying them again for the delay it will take IBM to ship the dual core machines???? Any suggestions. Also, I would like to know how many people have all ready placed an order for the new powermac.
Click to expand...

I DO NOT think that they are going to update them ANY time soon. They've been SLOW on the PowerMacs.
 
Nugget said:
Yeah, and the huge piece of missing information which is the key to everything is the current state of the 970MP within IBM. That's got to be the single largest factor affecting the release schedule. With the release of the 12" and 17" TiBooks (which, you're right, came just a few months after the 1GHz 15" release) there wasn't such a dramatic change in technology as people theorize about a potential SuperPowerMac announcement.

Looking back, the original poster is presently on a 2.0GHz PowerMac, which is no slouch. I doubt I'd be compelled to upgrade now if I were running such a (relatively) recent machine. Heck, a DP 2.0GHz PowerMac exists in the current lineup, it's obviously a perfectly respectable machine.
Click to expand...

You're right on both accounts. The speculation floating around the 970MP comes in beside the news from AMD and Intel. They've got it done, why don't we? We simply don't know but I'm inclined to think (benefit of doubt) that they're coming soon, I hope.

In the end, we agree... now is not the time to update to a powermac for this user. I would argue that this is 100% true if you're thinking of upgrading from a dual 2.0. It would be a solid waste of $3k.
 
i know you really shouldn't dwell on the past, but if Apple had signed a deal with AMD instead of IBM we'd be there by now, IBM and the bloody 90nm is just pathetic now. Also at the time of the deal AMD was nowhere near as big aas they are now and Intel was the main player in the PC world, and we would have been so much better off. God. Motorola, IBM what next??!!
 
Thanks a lot for the advice, i will take it into consideration.

Roz said:
Just out of curiosity, what do you plan on doing with your powermac? I know everyone wants the fastest machine possible for their money but unless your a video professional that has to deal with long render times the high end powermac will handle everything you throw at it. And like a previous poster mentioned, if a new dual core powermac is rumored later down the line, just sell before they come out. If you hang around these rumor sites enough, you come to expect what and when Apples plans on releasing before the general public. I say buy now, and enjoy your PM! Just my .02 :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

It is not so much about the power, I just would hate buying one and then have the price go down (so doesnt everyone!) I am going to wait for the WWDC in case what lacero said is true. I have another PM that is plenty fast enough, but that is for work and I need to buy one with my own funds for home. I am going to wait untill mid june to see...inform you when I get there...if ever
 
cr2sh said:
And yet, the type of update that you describe has happened to you before... with your 1GHz Tibook. We recieved new models, more choices, different sizes to the powerbook lineup then, just (60 days?) after that update.

Who's to say that we won't get a new.. TOP of the line dual, dual core machine at WWDC.

I know it's a big if... but time tables have tricked us before.
Click to expand...


I couldn't agree with you more. The small bump in PMs is so miniscule on Apple's page that I didn't even notice it until 5 minutes ago. It's dwarfed by the release of Tiger and it would be crazy for them to release such a minor revision with nothing to show at WWDC.

The WWDC is the time of unveiling of the next big Mac thing for each year so unless it's G5's in the powerbooks it has to be dual core or breaking the 3.0 barrier. It just seems like a really bad marketing move to release them both now with nothing to come in 2 months. So unless they have something else really big up their sleeves (and powerbook G5's is possible maybe cos Apple always misses out on the back to school window) I would be hard pressed to believe there won't be a better update in June. And that's my .02 copper.
 
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