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Upgrading From PowerPC G5

wacomme said:
I'll be buying a Mac Pro.
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That seems like a good decision. I have an early 8 core 3.0 Mac Pro, a 3Ghz core-dual iMac, and two 2009 4 core Mac Pro. The early Mac Pro still runs circles around the rest of them. When I had a power supply failure on the early Mac Pro, I used one of the 2009 4 cores 2.93 Mac Pros to replace it until I could get the power supply replaced. I swapped the drives and peripherals and I could tell it was really hurting. Lots of beach balls that I seldom see with the 8 core.

I realize that the benchmarks show differently, but for me they don't tell the entire story.
 
You made a very good choice. After the first day using it, you will definitely know that you made the right decision.
 
That's probably the best choice, if you can afford it. That machine ought to last you at least as long as your current machine, if not longer.
 
I can probably buy a new 2010 Mac Pro for about $2200 (base configuration). However, BH Photo has an early 2009 model for $1800. Which is the better deal?
 
chrismacguy said:
For photography work, Id try and get to 12GB or 16GB (thats probably the ballpark, Basically take whats in your G5 and get more than that - but 12-16GB is a sensible amount these days)
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Do I just throw away the 3GB chip the computer comes with? Also, which model computer to buy? 2010? 2009?
 
wacomme said:
Is OWC a good place to buy memory? $225 for 12GB.
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Actually it comes with 3 1GB sticks, and you do have to chuck em :( - Id get the 2010 Mac Pro (Newer, Faster CPU) unless the '09 was discounted from the '10 by more than $300 - OWC is a reliable source of Memory, and if it doesnt work in your Mac, then you can send it back, and they tend to be good about giving you timely refunds and customer service. The only other place I recommend you check out is crucial.com. I use them for RAM, and I havent had a problem yet.
 
chrismacguy said:
Actually it comes with 3 1GB sticks, and you do have to chuck em :( - Id get the 2010 Mac Pro (Newer, Faster CPU) unless the '09 was discounted from the '10 by more than $300 - OWC is a reliable source of Memory, and if it doesnt work in your Mac, then you can send it back, and they tend to be good about giving you timely refunds and customer service. The only other place I recommend you check out is crucial.com. I use them for RAM, and I havent had a problem yet.
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Thanks. I can get the base 2010 model for $2200. I can get an early 2009 model from BHPhoto for $1800 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._A_Mac_Pro_Desktop_Computer.html#ReviewHeader). I'm trying to decide between these two options.
 
wacomme said:
Thanks. I can get the base 2010 model for $2200. I can get an early 2009 model from BHPhoto for $1800 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._A_Mac_Pro_Desktop_Computer.html#ReviewHeader). I'm trying to decide between these two options.
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Id probably get the 2010, as it has much better graphics (ATI Radeon 5770 vs GT120 - the Radeon is a lot more powerful, and has twice the VRAM), a larger drive (1TB over 640GB - and everyone knows RAW files can fill a disk pretty fast), and the 2010 Mac Pro has Airport as standard, whereas the 2009 doesnt (Which used to be annoying). That $400 buys you a machine thats probably 20% faster for Photo Editing on a large screen (The Radeon has no trouble powering a 30" Display, and its certainly better at it than the older Nvidia card is)
 
chrismacguy said:
Id probably get the 2010, as it has much better graphics (ATI Radeon 5770 vs GT120 - the Radeon is a lot more powerful, and has twice the VRAM), a larger drive (1TB over 640GB - and everyone knows RAW files can fill a disk pretty fast), and the 2010 Mac Pro has Airport as standard, whereas the 2009 doesnt (Which used to be annoying). That $400 buys you a machine thats probably 20% faster for Photo Editing on a large screen (The Radeon has no trouble powering a 30" Display, and its certainly better at it than the older Nvidia card is)
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Thank you.
 
wacomme said:
Thanks. I can get the base 2010 model for $2200. I can get an early 2009 model from BHPhoto for $1800 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._A_Mac_Pro_Desktop_Computer.html#ReviewHeader). I'm trying to decide between these two options.
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I'm replacing the same computer as yourself with the base '10 Pro. Have you considered a refurb from the Apple Store?
You can research the threads here on buying one, or I can save you the trouble and tell you everyone says it's fine-- just comes in a different box. Even with your state's sales tax, it should be a little cheaper than even B&H.
 
Photoshopper said:
I'm replacing the same computer as yourself with the base '10 Pro. Have you considered a refurb from the Apple Store?
You can research the threads here on buying one, or I can save you the trouble and tell you everyone says it's fine-- just comes in a different box. Even with your state's sales tax, it should be a little cheaper than even B&H.
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Make sure to get a 2010 refurb and not a 2009 refurb tho, for the reasons outlined above :)
 
I'm sort-of getting cold feet about buying a Mac Pro. Altogether, with discount, third party memory, a mini to dual-link cable, taxes, etc., the Mac Pro will cost me $2500. In the midst of reducing some debt I've incurred, this is expensive. However, my G5 just isn't capable of running some newer programs. I need an Intel Mac. So, looking long-tern, I'm rationalizing that the Mac Pro will serve me better 5-8 years ahead than an iMac or mini. I believe that, long-term, a Mac Pro now will be cheaper than the mini or iMac. Is this a reasonable assumption?
 
I just can't hit the buy button on a 2010 Mac Pro. And I really don't know why. I can rationalize all I want, but in reality, I don't need it's power. What really would fit my needs best is a Mac Mini on steroids. I don't want the shiny screen of an iMac, but the mini seems underpowered, especially in the graphics department. Ugh. I'm really as lost now as when I started my search. I really do need another computer; I need an Intel Mac.
 
wacomme said:
I just can't hit the buy button on a 2010 Mac Pro. And I really don't know why. I can rationalize all I want, but in reality, I don't need it's power. What really would fit my needs best is a Mac Mini on steroids. I don't want the shiny screen of an iMac, but the mini seems underpowered, especially in the graphics department. Ugh. I'm really as lost now as when I started my search. I really do need another computer; I need an Intel Mac.
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If you buy anything but a Mac Pro, you will be replacing it in 2-3 years. If you buy the Mac Pro, you may not replace it for 9. Last time I checked the Pro costs less than 3 iMacs. (My G4 Tower lasted me as my main video editing system from 2000 to 2010). All youd do by getting an iMac is cause massive pangs of guilt for yourself in 3 years when you have to chuck the iMac away and get another one.
 
wacomme said:
I just can't hit the buy button on a 2010 Mac Pro. And I really don't know why. I can rationalize all I want, but in reality, I don't need it's power. What really would fit my needs best is a Mac Mini on steroids. I don't want the shiny screen of an iMac, but the mini seems underpowered, especially in the graphics department. Ugh. I'm really as lost now as when I started my search. I really do need another computer; I need an Intel Mac.
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Honestly, you should get the Mac Pro. Whichever year you want to get.
The Mac Mini will be a great performance boost over what you had, and a 09' Pro will do fine. The Pro will be good for the next 5-7 years. The Mac Mini will be good for now, but not down the road. Its a lot of money up front, but it is worthwhile. I mean, look at your G5. It would still be the perfect machine but its just running on a PPC. Right now, it doesn't look like there are any better processor makers than Intel, so I wouldn't worry about a major architecture change in the future. This machine will last.
 
wordoflife said:
Honestly, you should get the Mac Pro. Whichever year you want to get.
The Mac Mini will be a great performance boost over what you had, and a 09' Pro will do fine. The Pro will be good for the next 5-7 years. The Mac Mini will be good for now, but not down the road. Its a lot of money up front, but it is worthwhile. I mean, look at your G5. It would still be the perfect machine but its just running on a PPC. Right now, it doesn't look like there are any better processor makers than Intel, so I wouldn't worry about a major architecture change in the future. This machine will last.
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Some good points here. Fact is, unless you need the latest versions of available software, a Quad G5 is still a powerful beastie. It's only the architecture change that has shortened the lifespan of the machine - how much is a new, quad core Mac at 2.5GHz with room for two hard disks and 16Gb RAM?

I am planning on continuing to run my G5 as a workstation. Having removed most day-to-day requirements (web browsing, email, gaming) by using an iPad, I can add a Mac Mini to my line-up as a low-powered, always-on, word processor, iTunes server, iPod/iPad manager, torrenting, day-to-day machine, a only use the G5 for actual work. $675 for a base Mini plus some upgrades is a bargain compred to $2,000+ forma new, over-powered Mac Pro.

Later, should I need a new workstation, I will know that the Pro will last a good 5 to 10 years.
 
Seriously, just get the Mac pro.
It's more upgradable and will last you much longer than the iMac, and especially the mini.
I have a 2009 mini that I use for web browsing in my entertainment room and it noticeably Boged down when I upgraded to snow leopard, because it only came with 1gb of ram (get the extra ram).
 
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wacomme said:
I just can't hit the buy button on a 2010 Mac Pro. And I really don't know why. I can rationalize all I want, but in reality, I don't need it's power. What really would fit my needs best is a Mac Mini on steroids. I don't want the shiny screen of an iMac, but the mini seems underpowered, especially in the graphics department. Ugh. I'm really as lost now as when I started my search. I really do need another computer; I need an Intel Mac.
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buy.com just had Quad Core Mac Pro's as refurbs for $899 - http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=219710803

not sure if they will come back in stock but would be a great upgrade over a G5 and with the money left over you can Max out ram and the HD space. Sounds like a mac mini on steroids to me.
 
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