Interested switcher in need of help...

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Hey guys, I'm exteremely interested in switching to Mac becuase I'm just tired of all the crap my pc is giving me (and I bought it less than 2 weeks ago!) it's an HP Pavilion a1012x that run an AMD Athlon 64 processor. It feels so damn sluggish and even skips when I play mp3s! Before I bought it I got to test drive a 12" ibook and I swear to god that thing felt faster. I have got to return this pos windows computer today or else I have to keep it so I want to switch - today. The thing is I've only got about 2000cad to spend and I want to use Final Cut Pro and the rest of the studio so I want as powerful a computer as I can afford for that price. I don't own a lcd monitor already so the 17" iMac G5 2ghz seemed right up my alley but I'm afraid of how long it will be good for because of its limited upgradability because of the programs in the production suite like motion so the only other option is the Powermac G5 1.8, which is weaker and more expensive but more upgradable. I'd be using it with my girlfriend's old emachines CRT monitor that currently lives in her basement. So I don't know which to get.



For those who don't want to read my paragraph I'll simpify it:

Will a 2GHZ iMac G5 with (eventually) maxed out RAM last me like 3-4 years without becoming so horribly outdated?



Or Should I get a 1.8GHZ PowerMac G5 and use it with my girlfriend's old CRT monitor with the hopes that I'll be able to upgrade it slowly?



I definetly don't need a notebook because I'll be getting the cheapest apple one mostly likely in August for school, to this will be my main desktop for editing and all that while the notebook would just be for wordprocessing and school junk.



Quick responces would be great because I most likely will be buying today.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    I'd go imac for sure, the screen is beautiful, and as far as upgrades go, you can increase the hd as big as you want, RAM up to 2GB...unless you want to add analogue video capture cards or something to a power mac, take the imac value and run.
  • Reply 2 of 15
    mattyjmattyj Posts: 898member
    I would buy the iMac. The main obstacle for most buyers stopping them from purchasing an iMac was the GeForce 5200. Now however it is a Radeon 9600 128MB which is pretty powerful (but obviously not the latest and greatest). This card however can be overclocked easily, using ATIcellerator to make the card run at 9600XT speeds.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    eckingecking Posts: 1,588member
    so the un-upgradable video card won't become a big problem in a couple of years?



    Is overclocking safe? Does that void my warrenty?
  • Reply 4 of 15
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Ecking, Macs have a much longer "useful" life than 99% of PCs out there. The iMac will be a nice, hefty machine for you for a good while to come.



    I wouldn't be too concerned about the video card or needing to overclock it. It would only be an issue if you get into major 3D-intensive stuff, at which point you'd probably want something other than an iMac anyway.



    Just my 2 cents.
  • Reply 5 of 15
    mattyjmattyj Posts: 898member
    Overclocking will void your warranty. I've overclocked my ATI 9700 mobility by about 15% (both memory and GPU). I can go higher but it's summer now and laptop cooling isn't ideal for overclocking.



    The 9600 in the iMac however only needs a slight boost to become an effective 9600XT. As mentioned by CosmoNut if you don't use 3D apps (or games for that matter) then you won't really notice a difference.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    I have a 1st gen. 20" 1.8 Ghz iMac. I use FCP HD (4.5) and DVD Stuido Pro 3 a lot. I can tell you that my iMac does just fine. Since I purchased the iMac, my first Mac ever by the way, I have uped the ram to 1.5 gig, increased the hdd to 300 GB (because that was the biggest CompUSA had at the time), and swapped a dual layer DVD burner in (like the one in the new iMac).



    I say get the 17" with big hdd and dual layer burner. Buy your extra ram from Crucial and you are set for FCP and DVDSP.



    I run my processor in reduced mode most of the time in FCP and DVDSP (except when rendering a lot of content). Everything works great.



    Good luck and I hope you have fun, I liked my iMac so much I purchased an iBook as a travel companion.



    I would love to have the Video Card in your machine. I wish I could upgrade because 128 mb card like the 9600 would last me for years.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    macflymacfly Posts: 256member
    dude, get the dual. why is everyone suggesting the imac? he says he wants it to last 3 years and to be able to be upgradable. running final cut will be better on duals and thats where everything will be heading anyway. in a year or two u can swap out the vid card if u care to and basically any other component such as the burner. if u can stomach it go with the dual. u wont regret it like u might the imac which will severly limit your expanison. might do ok now but in 2 years it will be straining.

    just my thoughts.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    macflymacfly Posts: 256member
    there are some great deals in the refurb section on duals and it really just makes more sense if u are going to be doing that kind of work. the little extra money will be worth it
  • Reply 9 of 15
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by macfly

    why is everyone suggesting the imac?



    He is deciding between a single processor power mac and imac and between all that has a budget.



    Besides, I have an iMac and I think everyone else should too.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    serpentserpent Posts: 8member
    does the machine have to be new? why not buy a dual 2ghz offa ebay? you should be able to pick one up for about 1800$ usd. if your weary of ebay I can give you a guy @macmall who'll give ya a nice discount from reg $$$ or a great deal on an "open box". I've bought 5 open box units from them w/no problems. same warratee and 30 day no questions asked return policy and also applecare.



    Serpent
  • Reply 11 of 15
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    It doesn't need to be bough off of eBay. A Dual 2.0 Ghz PowerMac with student discounts costs $1,799.



    Get the Dual.
  • Reply 12 of 15
    joeyjoey Posts: 236member
    Quote:

    I'm just tired of all the crap my pc is giving me (and I bought it less than 2 weeks ago!) it's an HP Pavilion a1012x that run an AMD Athlon 64 processor. It feels so damn sluggish and even skips when I play mp3s! Before I bought it I got to test drive a 12" ibook and I swear to god that thing felt faster.



    I'm all in favor of Macs and prefer OS X way over Windows... but... it really sounds like there was a problem with your HP. Even the cheapest Athlon 64 will happily run just about any PC application. There is actually plenty of good PC hardware out there and the Athlon 64 (and FX) is generally considered one of the best processors for the platform. Unfortunately, you're stuck running Windows or Linux (with a few other less popular options). Windows is really not that horrible... it's not nearly as clean and "happy" as OS X... but it is functional. I haven't seen any Linux releases that are as mature as either OS X or Windows... hopefully in a few years it'll be there.



    Just wanted to put my two cents in there for anyone who is looking for a PC either because they want to... or because they have to. In the long run... you'll be happier with your Mac anyway... so it's probably a good thing that your HP was a lemon. Personally... I like HPs Compaq line of notebooks... but I've never been particularly fond of their desktop systems.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    skatmanskatman Posts: 609member
    Quote:

    Windows is really not that horrible... it's not nearly as clean and "happy" as OS X



    What exactly does that mean?
  • Reply 14 of 15
    joeyjoey Posts: 236member
    Well.. OS X is just fun... especially after coming from the PC world.. .so I just chose to call it "happy".
  • Reply 15 of 15
    futuremacfuturemac Posts: 242member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by aplnub



    I say get the 17" with big hdd and dual layer burner. Buy your extra ram from Crucial and you are set for FCP and DVDSP.







    doesn't the current 20 inch imac have a wider viewing area than the others? (why would anyone buy an imac with a smaller viewing area? just wondering) if so, i would get that if he only wants an imac. but i would think a powermac would be a better choice for 3-4 years.
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