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What Would You Do (G5 Purchase ?)

S

Semperfiero

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 16, 2004
17
0
Current ideas for G5 purchase, what would you get and why?

Option #1
Dual 2.5
1 GB Memory (2x512)
6800 Ultra
BT mod and AE
20" Apple LCD
$4400 (Developer Disc.)

Option #2
Dual 2.0
2 GB Memory (4x512)
6800 Ultra
BT mod and AE
20" Apple LCD
$4280 (DD)

Option #3
Dual 2.0
1 GB Memory (2x512)
9800 XT 256
BT mod and AE
23" Apple LCD
$4550 (DD)

This will mostly be used for Programming, Maya Apps, and the Production sweet. Oh and with DD the RAM price difference is neglegent so buying separately is pretty pointless.
 
#1.

A faster G5 will insure that you computer will be a big preformer longer.
 
I would go for the wireless keyboard and mouse deal.

• Dual 2.5GHz PowerPC G5
• 1GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x512
• 160GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
• NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL
• Apple Cinema Display (20" flat panel)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• 56k V.92 modem
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse - U.S. English
• Mac OS X - U.S. English



Subtotal $4,190.00

option 1 how did you get 4400? is that with tax?
 
I'd go for #3, unless you're a big time gamer (which it would appear you are not). Why? As a video person, the 23" screen would be a necessity for larger images. I doubt you will see a huge difference between the 9800 and the 6800 in your apps (could always upgrade in a few years), and you can add memory later as well. Yes, the 2.5 is nice. But the 23" screen is nicer.

Option #4:

Dual 2.5
2 GB Memory (4x512)
9800 XT 256
BT mod and AE
CRT until you can afford the 23".
Price: unknown (no DD for me)

Edit: I agree: wireless mouse and keyboard deal - only $50 more than BT alone.
 
jsw how is that 2 gig ram? 2 x 512

• Dual 2.5GHz PowerPC G5
• 2GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 4x512
• 250GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
• ATI Radeon 9800 XT w/256MB DDR SDRAM
• Apple Cinema Display (20" flat panel)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• 56k V.92 modem
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse - U.S. English
• Mac OS X - U.S. English



Subtotal $4,390.00



• Dual 2.5GHz PowerPC G5
• 1GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x512
• 250GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
• ATI Radeon 9600 XT w/128MB DDR SDRAM
• Apple Cinema HD Display (23" flat panel)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• 56k V.92 modem
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse - U.S. English
• Mac OS X - U.S. English



Subtotal $4,540.00
 
mikeyredk said:
I would go for the wireless keyboard and mouse deal.

• Dual 2.5GHz PowerPC G5
• 1GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x512
• 160GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
• NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL
• Apple Cinema Display (20" flat panel)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• 56k V.92 modem
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse - U.S. English
• Mac OS X - U.S. English



Subtotal $4,190.00

option 1 how did you get 4400? is that with tax?
Click to expand...

Sorry I forgot to mention all of these include Applecare :eek:
 
So far I am leaning toward option #1. I will take the advice on the wireless keyboard and mouse. I am going to need this system to last me atleast the next 4-6 years. I would love to justify a 23" but if screen real-state becomes and issue for $600 or less I could pick up another 17" LCD and span screens. The G5 will be used mainly for work (apps listed initially) and school projects. I have way to may consoles for gaming. But just out of curiosity what would be the consequences of playing games like WC3, UT04, D2, or SC on a 23". Would it just look really odd?

Thanks for all the input.
 
#1, another reason, because of the 6800 card. That machine is SOTA. The others are a little less than SOTA, but you don't save any significant money.

Get Applecare too, tho; that liquid cooling system worries me a little.
 
Catfish_Man said:
I'd go for 3. I've found a nicer screen to be the single most noticeable upgrade possible.
Click to expand...

I have to agree. I use my G5 for development and the dual 2.0 is plenty fast, but sometimes I wish that I had popped for bigger than my 20" cinema display.
 
Why do you need...

Buy a refurb 2 GHz dual from apple for $2000.

Buy a 1GB (2x512MB) PC3200 G5 memory kit from transintl.com for $159 to augment the 512MB already installed.

Buy a nice 3rd party (Samsung, Viewsonic) 20" or 21" LCD for $850-$1000, or for maximal color accuracy, a 22" Lacie Electron Blue CRT for $700.

Buy an external firewire hard disk to back up your work.

Take the $1000-1500 you saved and pay off your credit cards or go on a vacation.
 
No need to buy refurb. With Student ADC a DP 2.0 is $1999 and RAM price is comperable to anywhere else. I am just not impressed with other monitors that I have looked at so far plus I will be hanging the monitor with the mount to save deskspace which makes a CRT is not an option. I was going to buy a 10K Raptor as a boot drive and I have an old G3 iMac I was going to use to store all my music and misc stuff so I really wasn't planning on investing in a external HD for awhile. Thanks for the advice though.
 
Option 1 is probably the best because you can always get another screen to improve your computer experience while you cant upgrade the CPU/bus speed.

downgrade the video card, useless for your need and its upgradable anyways.

As for the 23" screen, I think that you never have enough room. But for programming, 20 is way enough. For maya, you can always use a second monitor to put the palettes as you stated.
 
I'd go for 3

I have the 23" it is fantastic. Unless your time is for paid work and you really are time constrained then the extra size just makes thing soeasy to use - the resolution is not that much more than you get on large laptop screens, but the sheer size makes things clear and easy to use at good distances (you may not need that).

Memory you can add later, a graphics card can be changed, but if you go for a 20" you are unlikely to upgrade to a 23" , unless you win the lottery.

Also bear in mind that it sounds like when Tiger comes along and the improved gcc compiler is used everything should get a good speed boost on all (certainly all new) macs.
 
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