Debating on making the switch to mac...

benjevenbenjeven
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I was wondering if ya guys could help me out, I don't know a ton about computers, but I know a little. I produce music, and I currently have a Dell 1.7Ghz. Bottom line, its just not powerful enough for alot of the programs I use. I seriously considering making the switch to a powermac G5, even though Ive used windows for like 10 years about. How fast is a dual 2Ghz g5 compared to a 3.4 Ghz intel P4, everything else being equal?

My main questions to you guys involves compatability issues. I seriously put alot of money into my computer and I was wondering if any of the following hardware would also be mac compatable:



80Gb Hard drive

Audiophile 2496 sound card

Dell computer monitor



I think thats about all the important things off the top of my head, besides audio programs (cubase, spectrasonics, ect. I think they are all compatable though). Last, whats the deal with apple's pricing??? How come the prices for their computers are sooo much more expensive than dell, gateway, ect.? Are they really that much better performers? Thanks for the feedback mates, Im really on the fence about this and I just need some more info before I make a decision

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    A dual G5 is roughly the same as a 3.4 Ghz Intel. Newer 3Ghz G5's will come out later this year if you really want power, but a Dual (what I use) is prettymuch overkill for audio in the first place.



    First, the G5 uses Serial ATA drives. They are faster than common ATA drives which is probably what you have. Your drive is not compatible but G5's have 150GB minimum.



    OS 10.3 drivers for your Audiophile 2496 card



    Third, The monitor probably uses VGA. That is compatible with the G5. Even if it uses DVI or ADC it will still work. (Apple gives you a DVI->VGA converter.)



    Pricing is more expensive because there is more design, testing, and integration involved in apple products. Basically everything just works. this is not your standard off-the-shelf PC parts with a apple logo slapped on the front.
  • Reply 2 of 7
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    well, it's not an easy question to answer. a lot has to do with the apps you plan to run. a bad app on a good computer can make it feel like a waste of money (see: internet explorer 5.2 for mac as a prime example).



    i have to say that my sister-in-law just bought a dell, and not only was it severely underpowered to be running the windows xp system it came with, the ad made the screen look WAY bigger than it turned out to be, and everything about the computer just felt cheap.



    plus, you do pay a premium for running mac os x, which has more flexibility, stability and security than any average windows box.



    finally, i have been a studio systems administrator and grahic/web designer for the past seven years, WITHOUT having to earn a single certificate or degree from a computer company in order to do so.



    why? macintosh.
  • Reply 3 of 7
    quagmirequagmire Posts: 558member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Ebby

    A dual G5 is roughly the same as a 3.4 Ghz Intel. Newer 3Ghz G5's will come out later this year if you really want power, but a Dual (what I use) is prettymuch overkill for audio in the first place.



    First, the G5 uses Serial ATA drives. They are faster than common ATA drives which is probably what you have. Your drive is not compatible but G5's have 150GB minimum.



    OS 10.3 drivers for your Audiophile 2496 card



    Third, The monitor probably uses VGA. That is compatible with the G5. Even if it uses DVI or ADC it will still work. (Apple gives you a DVI->VGA converter.)



    Pricing is more expensive because there is more design, testing, and integration involved in apple products. Basically everything just works. this is not your standard off-the-shelf PC parts with a apple logo slapped on the front.



    In this forum http://forums.appleinsider.com/showt...threadid=40290 , it perdicts the G6 is going to come out in july. Its the newer 3 Ghz G5 but its going to be called the G6
  • Reply 4 of 7
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by quagmire

    In this forum http://forums.appleinsider.com/showt...threadid=40290 , it perdicts the G6 is going to come out in july. Its the newer 3 Ghz G5 but its going to be called the G6



    Pay no attention to this post.



    Pay no attention to any posts in the Future Hardware forum.



    And ESPECIALLY pay no attention to anything from MOSR.
  • Reply 5 of 7
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    Oh no! Changing the name from G5 to G6 will lower my resale value even further!



    EDIT: Whew, thanks Brad. I won't panic. 8)
  • Reply 6 of 7
    ipodandimacipodandimac Posts: 3,273member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by benjeven

    Last, whats the deal with apple's pricing??? How come the prices for their computers are sooo much more expensive than dell, gateway, ect.? Are they really that much better performers?



    after you use a mac for a while, you come to realize why it is worth the money. for starters, no pop-ups or viruses. secondly, the ilife suite and program integration is unbelievable, and windows 'longhorn' wont even come close to matching OS X's ease of use (once you catch on to the basics) or stability. its the whole package you get with a mac that makes it work the money. i promise you wont regret making the switch.



    -ipod
  • Reply 7 of 7
    chaserchaser Posts: 63member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Brad

    Pay no attention to this post.



    Pay no attention to any posts in the Future Hardware forum.



    And ESPECIALLY pay no attention to anything from MOSR.









    That's an understatement! That forums gone mad, and I'm part of it with reading it all the time. I need help, I came adicted to the future harware forum
Sign In or Register to comment.