Who's still using a PowerMac G5

[Digital Skunk]

I use my dual processor 1.8 G5 every day. It's my main computer (I dont have any intel ones), and it's still very fast for me! I would never get rid of it I use it for illustrator, photoshop, FCP, iPhone SDK, and just about everything else

Same here, the biggest issue I have is running Motion 3 which is a snail on my tower, and Color which won't even run at all of course.

I looked online for the GFX card upgrade to the PCIe G5s and most places still wanted $350 for it. I could do $200, I can stomach $250, I could even go to $300 after I convince myself it was worth it for an old machine, but $350 not including shipping is a rip off.

I may have to use it through the summer, so there's a chance I might stick more RAM in it (probably go all the way to 16GBs for a whopping $400!) but that's as far as I am willing to go.

 

[Mattww]

My dual 2.5GHz G5 has been a really great machine from 10.3 through to 10.5 and it generally gets used daily. I still find it runs many current applications just fine.

Unfortunately it's really is about time to move to a Mac Pro (if only I could decide between getting an 8-Core or saving some cash and getting a Quad!).

More and more Intel only applications keep arriving or being announced - including most likely Snow Leopard and I also want to store all my video and media in iTunes. H264 encoding (Handbrake/EyeTV) is a long slow process that really limits doing much else for hours which is very frustrating.

 

[Digital Skunk]

My dual 2.5GHz G5 has been a really great machine from 10.3 through to 10.5 and it generally gets used daily. I still find it runs many current applications just fine.

Unfortunately it's really is about time to move to a Mac Pro (if only I could decide between getting an 8-Core or saving some cash and getting a Quad!).

More and more Intel only applications keep arriving or being announced - including most likely Snow Leopard and I also want to store all my video and media in iTunes. H264 encoding (Handbrake/EyeTV) is a long slow process that really limits doing much else for hours which is very frustrating.

Yup I feel your pain. I spent two days converting a movie ripped in Handbrake with MPEG Streamclip. I put my computer to sleep by mistake (since by day two I forgot it was running) and the app froze.

I just transferred the file to the MBP and got it done in about 4 hours. Then, it hit home that I could possibly use a newer machine.... that and the message I get when trying to open certain apps.

I am torn between the quad and octo myself. Knowing that either would be world faster than my G5 only makes it harder. To me, having that ability to shove 32GB of RAM in the octo and having a machine with 8 real and 16 virtual cores is enough to make me drop the extra $800. I'm not going to bash the octo 2.26 which by many reviews has shown to be just as fast as the previous gen 2.8 octo in multi-threaded apps.

$3299 is the most I will pay for the base price of a machine and personally, that's still $1200 too much, but I am a Mac whore.

 

[Mattww]

Yup I feel your pain. I spent two days converting a movie ripped in Handbrake with MPEG Streamclip. I put my computer to sleep by mistake (since by day two I forgot it was running) and the app froze.

I've done similar myself - I put my G5 to sleep because of the fan noise when encoding from Eye TV only to find the whole encode needs starting again when waking it up. Older Macs need a pause button

I am torn between the quad and octo myself. Knowing that either would be world faster than my G5 only makes it harder. To me, having that ability to shove 32GB of RAM in the octo and having a machine with 8 real and 16 virtual cores is enough to make me drop the extra $800. I'm not going to bash the octo 2.26 which by many reviews has shown to be just as fast as the previous gen 2.8 octo in multi-threaded apps.

I'm leaning toward the 2.26GHz Octo now. I wanted a Nehalem based Mac after reading about the architecture. It does mean hoping that software development does move more towards making use of the extra cores during the next few years. Intels roadmaps do suggest clock speeds are going to stay similar in the future and chips with have more cores or be able to process more threads per core - hopefully the single thread performance of a 2.26GHz will not disappoint me.

 

[m1stake]

Still using a G4 733 single core with no L2 cache. Oh how I wish I hadn't been too cheap to get the next step up... Anyway, it's moving on down the line to my dad who can still use it, and I'm picking up a 2.4Ghz MacBook Pro in May (And being cheap again!).

 

[Digital Skunk]

I'm leaning toward the 2.26GHz Octo now. I wanted a Nehalem based Mac after reading about the architecture. It does mean hoping that software development does move more towards making use of the extra cores during the next few years. Intels roadmaps do suggest clock speeds are going to stay similar in the future and chips with have more cores or be able to process more threads per core - hopefully the single thread performance of a 2.26GHz will not disappoint me.

The single threaded apps are the only type of process I am worried about. Things like Safari and iCal and other minor apps won't improve much, but they aren't that slow on my G5 anyway.

The big issue is that an iMac or Mac Mini could do circles around my G5 at any given moment, especially with processor intensive apps.

Knowing that the quad can still get at least 16GB (12 would be preferred due to DDR3/triple channel) makes me want to hold off on dropping the $800 which would do nicely filling my machine up with 2TB drives (8TB total).

I don't know now, but I have time to make the choice since I won't have the cash until mid to late Summer unless I kick the freelancing into gear.

Still using a G4 733 single core with no L2 cache. Oh how I wish I hadn't been too cheap to get the next step up... Anyway, it's moving on down the line to my dad who can still use it, and I'm picking up a 2.4Ghz MacBook Pro in May (And being cheap again!).

There's nothing wrong with that. You went cheap and goy YEARS out of that G4. I went cheap with my tower, and have never bought a new piece of electronics save for minor things like hard drives, card readers, CF cards, etc. The two major toys I got NEW where the 17" MBP (through the job at a discount) and a D200.

Everything else that's major, the tower, D2xs, lenses, flashes, etc, were all bought used or second hand, and I saved $1000s

 

[Toronto Mike]

discount) and a D200.

Everything else that's major, the tower, D2xs, lenses, flashes, etc, were all bought used or second hand, and I saved $1000s

What do I have?, stuff that I actually use for work! Some old, some new, all effective.

I couldn't help but also include your signature at the bottom.

I think this sums it up for people like myself. Keep using what works for you. Not too long ago when all this technology was ramping up, we eagerly awaited the next release of whatever because you could see what more you needed. Now, for most of us the technlogy is getting so good that the gains of real usefulness will become smaller and smaller - thus the need to upgrade becoming less and less desirable. Hopefully the build quality of my G5 will outlast how long I plan to keep it.

I'm now a big fan of waiting for yesturday's latest and greatest to become affordable, or a good deal to swing by. However, it's tricky to make sure your hardware and software choices will be compatible. Apple and Adobe, amongst others, are constantly making sure they leave you behind. When the train finally leaves the station make sure your bags are all packed, and stash a lunch to be sure. You'll need it.

Mike

 

[m1stake]

There's nothing wrong with that. You went cheap and goy YEARS out of that G4. I went cheap with my tower, and have never bought a new piece of electronics save for minor things like hard drives, card readers, CF cards, etc. The two major toys I got NEW where the 17" MBP (through the job at a discount) and a D200.

All told, 8 years is a terrific lifespan for a computer. My only complaint is that it can't do everything I want to do, although now that I think of it, some of those tasks couldn't be done by ANY Mac before the Intel switch and the introduction of Bootcamp. That's why I built a PC instead of replacing my iMac G5 with another Mac in 2007.

 

[voyagerd]

Hey! Where's the option for the Single Chip Single Core 1.8GHz! That's what I'm still using.

 

[Flash SWT]

I'm using a Dual 2.3 GHz G5 (PowerMac7,3) right now in one of our bureau offices. I use it several times a week but will be swapping it with a Mac Pro from a different office when I get a chance. It is still useful for photo editing but it is obviously slower than the Mac Pro.

 

[Digital Skunk]

All told, 8 years is a terrific lifespan for a computer. My only complaint is that it can't do everything I want to do, although now that I think of it, some of those tasks couldn't be done by ANY Mac before the Intel switch and the introduction of Bootcamp. That's why I built a PC instead of replacing my iMac G5 with another Mac in 2007.

Right, this is where I am at too. There are a few games that I would love to run on the 23" but they don't make them for PPC (G5 wouldn't be able to run them anyway) of course can't run Windows effectively on the G5.

I may get a Windows box to run those games some day, but I am trying my best to keep my work place to a 1 tower minimum. If there will be two, it will be the Mac Pro and G5.

I'm using a Dual 2.3 GHz G5 (PowerMac7,3) right now in one of our bureau offices. I use it several times a week but will be swapping it with a Mac Pro from a different office when I get a chance. It is still useful for photo editing but it is obviously slower than the Mac Pro.

Come to think of it, there are plenty of newsrooms that look the same way. Where I am at, everything besides the multimedia stuff (recently bought) is a dual 2.0 or 2.3 or 2.5 GHz PPC. All of them run PS and Photo Mechanic just fine, no hiccups at all.

Most papers I've seen that have all Mac Pros just used their last capital purchase request for a very long long time.

 

[Flash SWT]

That is exactly how our newsroom is. The entire copy desk, sports and I think most of imaging/pre-press are all on G5 towers still. Most of the reporters are on PowerBook G4s. Photo has mostly Intel machines now. We've got a mix of PPC and Intel iMacs spread throughout advertising and online depts. We're also still mostly running Tiger with Leopard only on the newest machines.

 

[Dr.Pants]

Well, as much as I would like one of the new MacPros, I did some budget soul-searching, and found that they are out of my price range (unlss I want to save up for another 3-4 months), but I need PCI-E slots; ergo, I'm getting a G5. Yes, I understand that it probably won't work as fast or as good as the Intel macs, but the fact that I cen feed it RAM to my satisfaction and use expansion cards seals the deal over a newer iMac or MacMini.

 

[Toronto Mike]

Here is the link to a site that offers great advice and ideas for making your mac perform better. Although his emphasis is on the Mac Pro, I think much of what he is saying will apply to a G5.

http://macperformanceguide.com/

If you did get the G5, following some of his ideas you can squeeze out more performance because of the expansion possibilities of a G5 tower. You might be surprised that it is enough for your needs. I am currently using the CS4 Photoshop trial and am pleased that there is no performance hit over CS2. My needs are modest, your situation might be different.

Mike

 

[194567]

My G5 is still my main system....
runs CS4 and FCE nicely

Some things you really shouldn't be doing in CS4 though.
When I bought it couple of years ago I was more leaning to the 1.6ghz G5,
luckily i went with the 1.8 because 1.8GHZ G5 CPU is the min reqs for both
FCE and CS4.

I'll probably replace it in a year or two with a Mac Pro. Seriously an 8 year life span en still running like it's supposed to is amazing. Can't wait for an Mac Pro when i finally be able to run FCP smooth.

My G5 is going to be used as an web/test/media server when i replace it. Probably putting in another 4,5 gb's ram and a big ass hard drive.

 

[Mattww]

All told, 8 years is a terrific lifespan for a computer.

My old Sawtooth G4 turned 10 earlier this year and is still in daily use by my brother. It had a few upgrades whilst I owned it so it has a 1GHz Sonnet processor rather than the 450MHz original, a Radeon 8500 and 1.5GB of RAM. Whenever I get to use it I am surprised it still performs so well for everyday tasks. I wouldn't want to try video encoding or gaming on it given how much work those tasks are for my G5 however.

 

[summitscout]

My thought is that the G5 tower is still a relavant machine to those whose needs are not so intense.

Mike

Agreed. I just replaced my 1.8 SP G5 with a 2009 MP. I used the G5 every day for just about every- graphics, writing, web design, music. Since I have a Core 2 Duo MBP from work, I used to just hand off video tasks to that.

Now my wife and daughter use it for their web browsing and games which should last for years. My wife just stopped using her 2000 iMac DV 400 running 10.4 because the CPU couldn't handle Flash anymore.

BTW, I still use a G3 233. When I bought the G5 five years ago, I never replaced my scanner which has a SCSI interface so the G3 is my scanner workstation. My toddler played games on it until she got access to the G5.

People complain about the price of Macs. The thing I tell people about Macs is that you only have to buy them once. Heck, we still have a 1995 Powerbook 520 running 7.5, Word 6 and Acrobat Reader that we can fire up on the network.

I've rarely gotten a Windows notebook to last more than 3 year.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I've rarely gotten a Windows notebook to last more than 3 year.

There are some people that do get them to run that long, but I just haven't been able to do so either.

The other job I work at has a spreading of PCs and Macs, and a disgusting cluster of PC towers that somewhat functions as a server. The IT guy comes at least once a month to fix all of the PCs that have issues, but not once for the Mac.

I'll stop before I start sounding like a zealot, but it's just what I see.

p.s. I do have an old iMac 233 Bondi as well, the HDD crashed on it about a year ago and I've been dragging my feet to get it replaced.

 

[zmttoxics]

My G5 is the daily surfer. I do some of my programming on it, but most of my programming takes place at the office now with the macbook.

My 2 eMacs (1.25) and sawtooth 400 are still rockin it to. The one eMac is a 10.5 server, the other emac is a 10.5 daily surfer, and the sawtooth is an itunes server with 10.4.11.

 

[TTTT]

I run a multimedia lab that is upgrading to imacs. I recently ran a test render of a Cinema 4D file and my quad core G5 rendered the file in 52 seconds. My MacBook Pro in 59 seconds and a 2.66 imac in 1 minute 30 sec.

For renders which are pretty much pure number crunching and file writing the G5 still will be the workhorse of the lab.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I run a multimedia lab that is upgrading to imacs. I recently ran a test render of a Cinema 4D file and my quad core G5 rendered the file in 52 seconds. My MacBook Pro in 59 seconds and a 2.66 imac in 1 minute 30 sec.

For renders which are pretty much pure number crunching and file writing the G5 still will be the workhorse of the lab.

True, especially if the apps are core aware. I had wanted to upgrade to the quad G5 mainly for that reason and cheap 16GB of DDR2 ram. The only reason I decided not to was for Snow Leopard, running Windows, and the cost of used quads was still near the $1200 for smart sellers and $1500-$1700 for scam artists.

 

[olufsen69]

Still using PowerMac G5 2.5 Quad. Still running great and running Leopard 10.5.6 with no problem either. Know I will not be able to upgrade to Snow Leopard since there will be no support for PPC.
Got the computer with a 250gb hdd but have since upgraded to a 1tb and 500gb (both Hitachi) hdd's and those are only upgrades I have done to it though I have thought about more ram but figure in another 1 - 2 years will be replaced anyway but overall am very pleased with this computer. Over 3 years old and no calls to Apple (fingers crossed)

 

[TrapOx]

- Late 05 dual core 2.3GHz
- 5.5 GB of RAM
- LCD 24" and 17"
- 500Gb WD & 250Gb Seagate
- Two ATI X1900 cards
- two external 1TB storage drives

- 1st generation 450MHz PM G4, upgraded to 600mhz
- 2 GB RAM
- 21" CRT
- Stock 8gb boot HD, 250GB WD from a PCI SATA card
- DVD/CD burner "superdrive", ZIP drive
- 16mb ATI Rage128 PRO
- firewire networked to the G5

 

[voyagerd]

I really need to replace my G5 though, even if it is fine for everyday tasks, I use my Macs for gaming and really lengthy renders that my MacBook Pro is even really too slow to do.

 

[jjhoekstra]

Till one month ago I used a dual 2.5 G5 powermac

I switched a month ago from a dual 2.5 G5 to a 2.26 octo, the extra speed is nice but not earth shattering.