I have a MacPro (1,1) that's served me well for the past ~3.5 years. I've upgraded it over time (more RAM, more drives, etc.), and I'm now considering upgrading the video card and possibly swapping out some of the smaller drives. Then the question hit me: Is it time to sell this one and get something new?
In the past this has been an easy answer. I have a G3 and G5's are out. I have a G5, and the new, shiny Mac Pro's are out.
This time, it's not so clear-cut. Circumstances have changed: I'm no longer using my home computer to make a living. I have a real job now.
This box has been relegated to iLife duties and my son's occasional World of Warcraft sessions. The most processor-intensive thing I do now is export EyeTV shows to iTunes.
So I'm staring at three options:
1) Sell the Mac Pro and buy a 21.5" iMac at ~$0 cost out-of-pocket
2) Sell the Mac Pro and buy a C2D 27" iMac at ~$200 cost out-of-pocket
3) Upgrade to an HD 4870 or some other flashed card (which is an entirely different topic) primarily to feed my son's growing gaming habit, which at most is $350 out-of-pocket.
I'm leaning toward option #1. With the rumors of the next gen Mac Pros coming, I'm thinking that the resale price on my box is about to drop significantly. I don't deal well with large displays (I had to swap the 30" display at work for 2 smaller displays.), so option #2 doesn't really jump out at me. Also, the i5 version is outside of the realm of the money I want to spend.
I think my hesitation is mostly emotional. Mac Pro -> iMac feels like a downgrade, even though I don't think it necessarily is for my usage. Opinions?
In the past this has been an easy answer. I have a G3 and G5's are out. I have a G5, and the new, shiny Mac Pro's are out.
This time, it's not so clear-cut. Circumstances have changed: I'm no longer using my home computer to make a living. I have a real job now.
So I'm staring at three options:
1) Sell the Mac Pro and buy a 21.5" iMac at ~$0 cost out-of-pocket
2) Sell the Mac Pro and buy a C2D 27" iMac at ~$200 cost out-of-pocket
3) Upgrade to an HD 4870 or some other flashed card (which is an entirely different topic) primarily to feed my son's growing gaming habit, which at most is $350 out-of-pocket.
I'm leaning toward option #1. With the rumors of the next gen Mac Pros coming, I'm thinking that the resale price on my box is about to drop significantly. I don't deal well with large displays (I had to swap the 30" display at work for 2 smaller displays.), so option #2 doesn't really jump out at me. Also, the i5 version is outside of the realm of the money I want to spend.
I think my hesitation is mostly emotional. Mac Pro -> iMac feels like a downgrade, even though I don't think it necessarily is for my usage. Opinions?