I just purchased a Power Mac G5 with the following specs for $1700.....did I get a good deal?

-Dual 2 GHz PowerPC G5 Processors
-5 GB RAM (PC3200 DDR)
-2 160GB Serial ATA Hard Drives (320GB Total)
-Nvidia GeForce 6800 GT DDL Video Card (with dual display support - ADC and DVI)
-SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW burner)
-PCI Slots: Three open full-length PCI-X slots
-2 FireWire 400 ports and 1 FireWire 800 port
-3 USB 2.0 ports on the computer and 2 USB 1.0 ports on the keyboard
-Built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet and 56K V.92 modem
-Bulit-in 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11g Wi-Fi)
-Optical digital audio in, optical digital audio out, analog audio in, analog audio out, front headphone minijack and speaker
-Mac OSX 10.4 "Tiger" Operating System (Installed)
-iLife '06 Software: Garage Band, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, iTunes (Installed)
-Power Mac G5 Software Restore Disc (v10.2), v10.3 G5 Update Disc


I know the manager at the Apple store so I could have got a brand new base model Mac Pro (dual 2.0ghz, 1gb ram, 250GB hdd) for $2025, but I opted for this G5 mainly because of the 5GB of ram. Did I make a good decision? I hope I did!

Hey Dave,

I'm sorry to say that isn't a very good deal. Especially considering the price for the new Intel version you could have gotten. The dual 2Ghz G5 machine may have 5Gb of RAM but the new Intel machines will still trounce it with intel native versions of Photoshop, etc. The Intel chips simply are a lot faster. I'd take back the G5 and get the Intel Mac Pro instead.

Also, the PCI-X architecture on the G5 dual 2Ghz you have is getting long in the tooth and isn't all that well supported if you want to step up and get a hardware RAID storage solution. I know, I have a Dual 2Ghz G5 with PCI-X and I really wish I had an Intel Mac Pro or at least the Dual or Quad G5 2.5Ghz machine with PCI Express slots.

All the best,

Jeff

Ahh thats just what I did not want to hear! Well I really wanted to wait on getting the Intel Mac Pro because I was going to wait for the new dual quad-core's to come out. When they come out, I will probably sell the G5 and upgrade to the dual quad-core, so this G5 is really just to hold me over until those arrive.

in my opinion you did get a good deal. 1700 bucks? thats awesome. but i do agree, a quad 2.5ghz would run much better, especially considering all the new software coming out (cs3 etc)

i got my quad G5 refurbished for apple, albeit for considerably more than $1700, but i still feel very good about what i got, and i didn't spend $4500 like i easily could have on a Mac Pro. My G5 runs better than any machine I've ever used, and I don't feel the need to buy a MacPro any time soon. It's simply overkill.

So, while you may have gotten a good deal, you may want to look at some other options, if your budget permits that. I bet you could sell that G5 and get a bit more than you paid for it, if you wanted to

I agree with Trevor. I also think you got a good deal.

While $1700 could get you part of a Mac Pro, I think you actually made a better decision to go with the refurb. Instead of getting the latest and greatest only to see it get replaced with the upcoming 8-core monster Rev. A system you're getting a refined product with upgraded internals.

The following items from your computer jump out at me:



You can do a lot of parallel processing with this.



This is a pretty solid card. Fast enough to push Aperture, though Lightroom is...



Saved you some dough. This is a $75 add-on.

mmmmmm hmmmmmmmm :-D

and it will still run CS3 just as well as an intel core system. thats what i LOOOOVVE abut universal software (including lightroom, which simply kicks ass!)

Thanks guys I feel better about my decision now. I will get it home and test it out. If I feel it is too slow for me then I can always sell it for about what I paid.

It won't be too slow.

We have one of the original Dual 2.5 G5 PowerMacs -- complete with the ridiculous liquid-cooling (read: radiator) system -- and it's still very fast for photo work. When the wife needs to batch something she sets it off and then does something else. The 10-20% time savings of a new machine with more processing power isn't worth the $4-5K it would cost to upgrade to a MacPro...

Computers are like cars. It's nice to have the newest, shiniest one but is it worth the payment versus a paid-off one? And does the "clunker" really need to be replaced or does it meet your needs for the most part?

If I were you I'd run that system for quite some time until it's not able to use the latest must-have programs. Macs are great for that, allowing people with systems back to the G4 chip to still do plenty.

agreed with what damon said.

i love macs for that reason... they really do allow you to run them for longer than any PC would hold up. my ~2 year old PC (which i never use anymore, but turned on the other day to find one file) runs like CRAP.... its so slow... ridiculous to think i used to love PCs.

once you go mac, you never go back. ain't that right fellas?

Always love to see that



True indeed.

BOOYEAH!

If you all you had to spend was $1700 for a system then you made good decent decision on the dual 2Ghz G5. However, since you have the hook up for the newer Mac Pro, I'd not let that go. RAM isn't that expensive to add to a new system and you can always add it as you need it. However, you can't 'swap out' the processors on a G5 for faster chips nor can you upgrade the motherboard to give you PCI Express slots. The new Mac Pro will let you stash away 4 hard drives in the case, the G5 only has room for two, etc, etc.. In the long run I still maintain that it's a wiser investment to 'buy in' to the latest technology than to buy a 3 year old machine that has limited upgrade-ability.

While the G5 will serve you nicely right now, it won't seem so 6 months from now.

I'd take the G5 back and get the low end Intel based Power Mac and upgrade it as you have more cash flow. Especially since you can get a good deal on it from your friend.

Technology changes too quickly and time is money to be purchasing an older machine because it was $400 less expensive than a current model.

whatever you do, check out www.transintl.com for RAM and Hard Drives.

I have almost the exact system you got and work with big 5D files-- it is plenty fast enough. After you upgrade the Pro with 3 more GB you are looking at at least $2450 and that is a lot more than what you did pay for a machine that will suit your needs until we are all shooting 20MP cameras.
And who needs 5 internal drives? That's just weird.

9 ghost images, top that!

Yeah i don't like internals... to many eggs in one basket. I've got two internal and 5 external woo hoo I think you did a-ok with your purchase!

EEEK!!! are you quoting apple ram prices? Never buy ram from apple.. it is one of their highest marked up items


you can buy 4GB kit (2GBx2) for $849 at crucial