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Should I just make the jump from PPC to Intel?

M

mokes

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 5, 2008
9
37
I'm a little frustrated to say the least. Adobe doesn't seem to want to support the PPC G5's with Creative Suite 4, and it looks like Apple's next OS is speculated to be Intel only...

Right now I've got Dual 2.7 G5 PPC, and I've been considering the Mac Pros--but that's another several grand I am not anticipating on dropping on something that isn't really some insane upgrade in speed. I'm a graphic designer, and it is pretty imperative for me to have the latest Adobe software, but sheesh, this is a little ridiculous.

Any recommendations on what to do?
 
Well, really -- you're not in any kind of a rush. You've got at least until the end of the year before CS4 comes out and a bit into next year for OS 10.6. You could just wait and keep what you've got and then use the time to save and you could even get a good Mac Pro used for cheaper when you need to upgrade.

That said, it's be a pretty good performance increase. :)
 
Well, one thing to consider is to see what your current machine would sell for. For whatever reason, Macs (even older PPCs) hold their value to an extreme. So it's not like you'd have to pay the full price.

Other than that, there's not much you can do. The PPCs will become obsolete eventually. Not a matter of if, but when. If it were me, I'd sell now while the PPC will still fetch a good price, then get a Mac Pro.

But I'm sure others will have other good suggestions.
 
It's probably most sensible to sell your G5 (assuming you can get a good price for it) and get a Mac Pro. I think Apple's extremely wary of getting bogged down as Microsoft has been by the need to provide legacy hardware support. They don't make any PowerPC machines anymore, and before too long they'll all be out of warranty too. The roadmap for both software and hardware depends on a decently specced Intel Mac, and the rumours of 10.6 dropping PowerPC support — while possibly pulled out of thin air — are not totally implausible.

Basically, your situation is a little different than most. Emailing, internet browsing, playing music and movies and the odd letter can truthfully be accomplished on machines running OS 8, and many do. For professionals, though, software needs to stay current and eventually old hardware becomes fairly useless. You've got a particularly bad bout of this, being on just the wrong side of an architecture switch, but I would venture that if you were to switch to an Intel Mac Pro it would last a good deal longer than your current machine will. Financially, of course, your G5 is worth (I believe) a decent amount of money at the moment, but a year or two from now? Probably not.
 
mokes said:
I'm a little frustrated to say the least. Adobe doesn't seem to want to support the PPC G5's with Creative Suite 4, and it looks like Apple's next OS is speculated to be Intel only...

Right now I've got Dual 2.7 G5 PPC, and I've been considering the Mac Pros--but that's another several grand I am not anticipating on dropping on something that isn't really some insane upgrade in speed. I'm a graphic designer, and it is pretty imperative for me to have the latest Adobe software, but sheesh, this is a little ridiculous.

Any recommendations on what to do?
Click to expand...

Any Mac Pro will be an insane jump from your G5. The PPC's are snails compared to the new Intel chips.
 
i was in exactly the same situation to you

i ended up selling my dual g5 and picking up a 2.66 quad from ebay and in the end the difference was about (£100 or $200)

i was quite lucky - bought low and sold high
but there are some bargains to be had!
 
Erm.. I think the most important question is, if you're not overly concerned about speed... do you really need Adobe CS4, and Mac OS 10.6?

For 98% of all users, Mac OS 10.4.11 and CS2 are enough. I don't really see the problem with not running the latest software on your computer... what are you expecting 10.6 and CS4 to introduce that you so desperately need?

That's what I don't get. I've used Leopard, and I don't like it. I'm much happier on Tiger. And I've got to be honest, my favorite versions of Photoshop are 7 and 9. I don't use any other from the CS, so I can't really comment on that... but it just seems like you're despairing based on things you probably won't really need. Correct me if I'm wrong :)
 
Firefly2002 said:
Erm.. I think the most important question is, if you're not overly concerned about speed... do you really need Adobe CS4, and Mac OS 10.6?

For 98% of all users, Mac OS 10.4.11 and CS2 are enough. I don't really see the problem with not running the latest software on your computer... what are you expecting 10.6 and CS4 to introduce that you so desperately need?

That's what I don't get. I've used Leopard, and I don't like it. I'm much happier on Tiger. And I've got to be honest, my favorite versions of Photoshop are 7 and 9. I don't use any other from the CS, so I can't really comment on that... but it just seems like you're despairing based on things you probably won't really need. Correct me if I'm wrong :)
Click to expand...

if the OP works in an industry where photoshop is used then keeping up to date is essential
maybe not the latest version straight away but theres a limit to how far behind you want to get...
 
No offence, but really, when you can't use the new software (if you really need it) (CS4, 10.6 etc etc) you will know about it.

Then what are you going to do, the ONLY option is get an Intel machine.

End of story. Sorry to be blunt but thats the long and short of it.
 
Santa Rosa said:
No offence, but really, when you can't use the new software (if you really need it) (CS4 10.6 etc etc) you will know about it.
Click to expand...

No offence, I'm just curious. It's legal in most parts of the world.

sash
 
sash said:
No offence, I'm just curious. It's legal in most parts of the world.

sash
Click to expand...

Haha lol. :D Sorry, you have caught the wrong end of the stick. Its just a way of saying something to someone. Nothing to do with the law :)

netdog said:
If you can wait for Nehalem, you will be really glad that you did.
Click to expand...

Thats a good shout. The benchmarks just done at Anandtech (article here) are very impressive and thats on slightly crippled hardware as well!!
 
Hm... I've just installed Dreamweaver CS4 beta on PPC -- it works. It would be rather strange if the end product was that different from beta -- in terms of not supporting PPC.

sash
 
skyton said:
if the OP works in an industry where photoshop is used then keeping up to date is essential
maybe not the latest version straight away but theres a limit to how far behind you want to get...
Click to expand...

Yeah, "if." And there's truth to that, but that probably isn't the case.

You're right, there's definitely a limit, but then, don't you think, looking over Photoshop releases over the years, that most new releases don't introduce absolutely vital new enhancements?

Many of the new features (cool as they are) are only used extensively by a very small percentage of people.

Now granted, I guess for something like Flash that could be very different, since older versions (Flash 7, for example) simply cease to be supported by anything. I actually know nothing about Flash... I'm just assuming it's used to create Flash content... but yeah, if you can't make things in Flash 9, you're basically screwed.

Anyway, I just thought it was something to consider, and I don't get the need for a new computer now to support software that hasn't come out yet which may or may not support PPC (I expect it probably will, and will be the very last one that does), and which may or may not introduce necessary features.
 
i think youre right about photoshop
its like MS word in that respect
theres really not THAT much that changes from release to release

it almost a status thing
if you know your way around the latest version it makes you more employable
but youre probably not making significantly better work because of it!

flash is a biggie though, like the latest version and actionscript 3, thats a big change!

also i would be very surprised if adobe cut off anyone on ppc machines just yet
from my experience the majority of people who ACTUALLY BUY their software, not copy it, are professionals and studios, many of which are running older hardware

its a big cost for a studio to change all their equipment and i dont know any yet that are running exclusively intel machines, not big ones at any rate
 
skyton said:
i think youre right about photoshop
its like MS word in that respect
theres really not THAT much that changes from release to release

it almost a status thing
if you know your way around the latest version it makes you more employable
but youre probably not making significantly better work because of it!

flash is a biggie though, like the latest version and actionscript 3, thats a big change!
Click to expand...

HAH! I was right. I must be a... genius.. :)

also i would be very surprised if adobe cut off anyone on ppc machines just yet
from my experience the majority of people who ACTUALLY BUY their software, not copy it, are professionals and studios, many of which are running older hardware
Click to expand...

There's a lot of truth to that, and something I hadn't considered. That's a really good point actually... and you're probably right. Let's hope, right? Photoshop does have a pretty good history with supporting older hardware.. I mean, they didn't immediately drop the 68K even though it was grossly underpowered in comparison to the PPC. They only just dropped support for the G3 in this last version, I believe.. G4's still supported, and who knows.... maybe you really could run it on a G3. They're almost identical to G4s... the G4s just have AltiVec and the 604e's FPU.
 
Regarding the original poster's question: I think you should sell the G5 and get the Intel Mac Pro.

You are a graphic professional charging clients by the hour. It's about their perception of what they think they are getting for their hourly rate they are paying you. Practically, it comes down to to a mutual exchange of being able to read each other's files, as well outputting the work professionally. It's also that intangible idea in your client's mind that my, "graphic artist is current". You cannot underestimate the capacity for people to judge you by appearances because it is easier than using their brains - despite the fact that you do good work. Just let them get a whiff that you might be "behind the times" when they are paying you good money - and they start to think, "what am I paying this guy for". After that, it's a short step to not picking up the phone to call you for the next one because Chuck down the street is "current". Yes, it is dumb because the good work you do doesn't look good enough because you are now seen as "backward". Try to argue with, or convince people who think this way when your livelihood is at stake.

I'm an artist (note the small "a" because I can put a real sentence together - as opposed to real Artists who get the big "A" who cannot write their own names). It is my belief that the software tools we now have - that your G5 - is capable of anything you need for professional output. That is not the question. Others, correct me if I am wrong on this point. Your G5 is a fine machine. However, you are a professional who is in business - and you must be current. It's not a question of what your G5 can do today. What will your G5 need to do tomorrow?

It is inevitable that at some point that Adobe, Apple and others will drop their support for the the IBM ppc chip. Right now you can get decent money for the G5 because the buyer knows that he can load current software on it. The moment support for the ppc chip is dropped, the value of your G5 will become almost worthless just at the time when you need the extra cash to upgrade. And upgrading your computer is not the only cost - you need to upgrade the software. Going Intel for some, might require an upgrade to CS3. Why not upgrade at a time when you still qualify for the upgrade prices to the software you own. Leave it too long, and those Adobe pirates will soak you for the full price version. Apple in their cruel cunning forces you to only go forward with current versions of their software. Buy a Mac Pro today, and you'll not be able to load Tiger on it. If a scanner you have can only work on Tiger - and they won't write drivers for Leopard - there is a problem.

Think it through. Plan how you are going to replace your equipment in the manner that is advantageous to your financial situation. These companies have rigged the game. Intel is the new game.

One last thought about selling the G5. One of my own considerations for recently buying a used G5 was that it was all I can afford now. My reasoning is that a major business Recession, with a big "R", is close at hand. This is the best I can do to have a decent machine that can serve my needs for a very long time if push comes to shove in this coming economy. When a Recession does arrive, do you have the tools you'll need at that moment? They are all you might have for as long as it will last. I firmly believe that the equipment we have going into the Recession will be the equipment we will be stuck with until it ends.

Sell the G5 now when the difference of switching to Intel is not as great as it will be. And this is coming from a guy who thinks that CS2/Tiger is awesome for me needs, with a few other small software programs (panoramic stitching) to fill in the holes. I hate the thought of senselessly upgrading and spending hard earned money for eye candy or because these companies force me too. Mechanically, our machines last far longer than the software environment they exist within.

Mike
 
jjahshik32 said:
I say wait until nehalem to upgrade.
Click to expand...

Agreed. That's what I am doing and editing HD on a dual 2.0GHz G5 is CRAZY!

I say get the Mac Pro, but don't sell the dual 2.7 unless you really really have to, or you just don't need it for anything at all.

From what I see on the used market, the smart ones, the dual 2.0 2.3 and 2.7 are going for roughly the same thing, which is barely a thing. About $800 or less.

The Dual 2.3 2.7 late october 2.0 2.3 and quad 2.5 still get up to 16GB of RAM, and RAM can be had for dirt cheap on those systems.

Basically, if you are looking for a second computer, keep it, but if you're a one machine guy then go ahead and make somebody happy.
 
My MBP 2.6 outperforms the dual G5 2.5 towers we have at school by a pretty wide margin in rendering. The new octo-core MP towers are absolute screamers compared to dual G5 PMs.

Go for the Mac Pro, you won't be disappointed.

I just got done with a feature-length film and the editor initially thought that we would be fine cutting the film (shot on the RED One) on his dual G5. Even editing DVCPRO HD (which is about half the bitrate of REDCODE) is not fun on these machines. After some persuasion from both RED's end and mine, $8,000 appeared for a new workstation. :)
 
To the original poster - the future of Apple's computer is clearly the Intel platform, so no doubt at some point there will no longer be new operating systems for PPC machine. That said, you've still got some time until that happens. Your machine is still reasonably fast (no one can claim a dual 2.7GHz G5 is slow), so for now I think you're OK. Start saving up for a new machine now, so when it comes time to make the switch you'll be ready. Plus, Intel's next-gen chipset and processors will be coming at the end of the year, so you've got at least until then.
 
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