just wondering. i'm a graphic designer who primarily uses adobe cs2. i have an old dual 800 g4 quicksilver as my workstation which is bogging me down. i'm interested in buying a mac pro (more future proof), but have found a used dual 2.5 g5 for about $1500. what would you do? thanks.
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Would you buy a G5 now?
- Thread starter ibookhelp
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It would certainly be a step up. You could "rent" the G5 for 6-8 months (or whenever CS3 comes out) and probably only loose a couple of hundred dollars at most. If you are doing work that is processor intensive you could probably make that back in time saved or in billables.
My only question would be how much ram does it have. As we all know Adobe apps love lots of ram. If you have to add ram that is obviously going to be an added expense. But other than that I see little downside.
My only question would be how much ram does it have. As we all know Adobe apps love lots of ram. If you have to add ram that is obviously going to be an added expense. But other than that I see little downside.
For $400 more, you can get this from the apple store (refirb)
Two 2.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
1GB (2 x 512MB) memory (667MHz DDR2 fully-buffered DIMM ECC)
250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200-rpm hard drive
16x SuperDrive (double-layer)
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics with 256MB memory
EDIT: Forgot about roestta emulation though..
Two 2.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
1GB (2 x 512MB) memory (667MHz DDR2 fully-buffered DIMM ECC)
250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200-rpm hard drive
16x SuperDrive (double-layer)
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics with 256MB memory
EDIT: Forgot about roestta emulation though..
I'd make a business case -- similar to what MacAddict said. How long do you think realistically it would make you happy? How much would it be worth at that time? Can you quantify any benefits to yourself that having the nicer computer gives you? Or if not, once you take into account what you'll recoup selling it, is it worth it just for the pleasure?
thanks for the replys. i agree with what macaddicted said about "renting" the G5 until cs3 came out. plus, leopard could be out by then as well. btw - the g5 has 4 gb of ram which is appealing. i'm just not sure if the step up would be worth it from my current g4. i guess i could wait, but that also means loss productivity, depending on speed increase. plus, i have no idea what the resell value could be on the g5 down the road. as you can see, i'm all over the map.
I went from a G4 400 Mhz to a G5 1.6 Ghz about three years ago. I was working primarily as a freelance production artist. It was a significant jump, and your jump will be significant as well. Work that once took an hour took about 20 minutes simply because I could run PhotoShop so much faster. Somehow I forgot to tell my client how much more quickly I was working, so my increased billiables helped to pay for they system.
Since you are still using a slower system I can only assume that you don't feel the need to update often. A G5 system will continue to be a good design system for a awhile. You could easily get a year or two out of it then upgrade to the intel system. When I was running on desktops I would usually buy a step or two below the bleeding edge model. My G5 is actually a refurb.
I would seriously consider the G5, wait until the next generation or two of MacPros has come out and pick up an intel system then.
Since you are still using a slower system I can only assume that you don't feel the need to update often. A G5 system will continue to be a good design system for a awhile. You could easily get a year or two out of it then upgrade to the intel system. When I was running on desktops I would usually buy a step or two below the bleeding edge model. My G5 is actually a refurb.
I would seriously consider the G5, wait until the next generation or two of MacPros has come out and pick up an intel system then.
Sure - it will be worth it for the Adobe stuff - and the cash you save would add Ram to it for the CS stuff.
I may look at the refurbs as well in that range, but the G5 should last for a few years as a useable model.
I may look at the refurbs as well in that range, but the G5 should last for a few years as a useable model.
I think once CS3 comes out, G5s will drop in value dramatically. I think honestly that's the only reason they're holding value...because people in the industry rely on CS2 and it runs better on a G5 than a MacPro for the time being.
I'd say get a G5 only if you're going to hold onto it for awhile and you're not looking to "borrow" it. Because again I think once CS3 is released, you won't see a high dollar value for that G5 that it carries right now. I'm not saying that the release of CS3 spells the end of days for the G5 line, I'm just saying - from a value standpoint - they will most likely bottom out because most people will upgrade to MacPros then.
I'd say get a G5 only if you're going to hold onto it for awhile and you're not looking to "borrow" it. Because again I think once CS3 is released, you won't see a high dollar value for that G5 that it carries right now. I'm not saying that the release of CS3 spells the end of days for the G5 line, I'm just saying - from a value standpoint - they will most likely bottom out because most people will upgrade to MacPros then.
Excuse the newbie question, but surely CS2 isn't the only reason people are still using G5s?
Are all other pro-apps been upgraded?
another question is the only reaon people are gonna buy CS3 because it will run better, or that the app has actually been improved dramatically?
Are all other pro-apps been upgraded?
another question is the only reaon people are gonna buy CS3 because it will run better, or that the app has actually been improved dramatically?
i guess my dilema is buying old technology now, knowing that cs3 is around the corner as well as the next revs (well eventually). however, i don't like playing the waiting game. i don't need cutting edge technology either, but my computer is my livelihood. good point that the g5 will decrease in value once cs3 is released. the question is, by how much? this deal sounded decent, so i wanted to get peoples' thoughts. the bonus is that it still has applecare for another year. i'm not sure of the reputation on the dual 2.5 though. but, knowing (somewhat) what the future instores, i'm wondering if i should just wait & get by with my dual g4. will the g5 be that much faster with my adobe apps to justify it?
Your only problem will be reselling it in the future... PPC macs already had a big price fall (due to not being able to run windows), can't imagine what might happen in the future...
But if you can deal with that, go for it
Edited: And answering the thread question, I wouldn't
But if you can deal with that, go for it
Edited: And answering the thread question, I wouldn't
I would certainly buy a G5 now for the right price. But I don't think $1500 for a dual 2.5 is the right price.
I don't see a problem in getting a Dual G5, it's going to be one hell of a jump up from what you have now.
Thing is, the Mac Pro 2.66 Quad is almost as fast the G5 Quad with Photoshop tests that I've seen. And yes, that Mac Pro is running under Rosetta.
I'd future proof myself and get a Mac Pro.
Thing is, the Mac Pro 2.66 Quad is almost as fast the G5 Quad with Photoshop tests that I've seen. And yes, that Mac Pro is running under Rosetta.
I'd future proof myself and get a Mac Pro.
If you are heavily invested in PPC software, then a G5 is still a great machine
if you find one reasonable enough.
However, I'd try to locate a dual core 2.3 GHz PCI-express model.
and avoid the liquid cooled 2.5 DP or the 2.7 DP
if you find one reasonable enough.
However, I'd try to locate a dual core 2.3 GHz PCI-express model.
and avoid the liquid cooled 2.5 DP or the 2.7 DP
the G5 will last you for a couple of years easily, the jump from a G4 is termendous, im definitely sure it will wow you. 4 gigs of ram is ridiculous, a better video card would be pro. by the time you have to upgrade your G5, you will have gotten so much time and work outa it that you wont worry about the cost. all imo
If the money is right then why not buy a G5? It'll be significantly faster than what you have just now and second hand Apples are always worth something, albeit the price will take a bit of a hit over time. But you'll always find a buyer for something like that.