Worth upgrading to new Powermacs?
Ok I know you guys hate these kind of questions but I was waiting for the next revision of the Powermacs to finally make the jump up to a dual G5 from my dual 1.42 G4. I was hoping they would get it up to a dual 3 Ghz and am not that impressed by the .2 Ghz upgrade. I want to upgrade but I am afraid of getting the dual 2.7 and then having them announce something much better this summer. I bought my dual 1.42 a few years ago in March and then they came out with the G5 that same summer and that didn't feel too good so i want to avoid that. Part of me says that the jump to a dual 2.7 from what i have is so big that it doesnt matter what Apple comes out with next cuz I should be good for a while. The other part says that I have waited this long, maybe I should wait til the next big revision.
Comments
Originally posted by Hisham Samawi
Ok I know you guys hate these kind of questions but I was waiting for the next revision of the Powermacs to finally make the jump up to a dual G5 from my dual 1.42 G4. I was hoping they would get it up to a dual 3 Ghz and am not that impressed by the .2 Ghz upgrade. I want to upgrade but I am afraid of getting the dual 2.7 and then having them announce something much better this summer. I bought my dual 1.42 a few years ago in March and then they came out with the G5 that same summer and that didn't feel too good so i want to avoid that. Part of me says that the jump to a dual 2.7 from what i have is so big that it doesnt matter what Apple comes out with next cuz I should be good for a while. The other part says that I have waited this long, maybe I should wait til the next big revision.
As always, if you NEED it, get it - you won't be disappointed in performance. If you just merely WANT it, then wait. 970mp-based Power Macs will be more impressive and may offer (finally!) PCI-Express graphics.
You still have a good PM in a Duallie 1.42. I wouldn't upgrade personally to the new Macs unless the DP 1.42 wasn't addressing my pain points well enough.
Let's say you have to wait another 6-8 months. If you can still get your work done then that's a bearable wait. You gotta think that this is the last hurrah for the current motherboard technology.
Normally I'm not a guy that recommends waiting but it's not like you have a G3 and are just crawling along.
Keep waiting.
If you're on a dual 1.4 GHz G4 and you don't need to upgrade, then a dual 2.0 G5 will floor you. But since you own a dual 1.42 GHz G4, you obviously like to have the very bestest Powermac! If so, then wait. This recent update was just a stop-gap measure to last <6 months for when the dual core Powermacs arrive. Save up your money for the dual cores if you want the best.
Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg
This recent update was just a stop-gap measure to last <6 months for when the dual core Powermacs arrive. Save up your money for the dual cores if you want the best.
Keep in mind that a 6 month stop gap really means, 1 year before new powermac are released.
If you need the power or PCI-X get it. If you can live with what you have...
Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg
If you're on a dual 1.4 GHz G4 and you don't need to upgrade, then a dual 2.0 G5 will floor you. But since you own a dual 1.42 GHz G4, you obviously like to have the very bestest Powermac! If so, then wait. This recent update was just a stop-gap measure to last <6 months for when the dual core Powermacs arrive. Save up your money for the dual cores if you want the best.
Photoshop just loves the dual G5, if that is what you are using it for. 3D, eh...
JYD, ya think we'll see a demo G5MP at WWDC? I know it is only 39 days away (more if you count whatever delayed this release - remember TS swore by an April 1st release date) but they usually save the pro stuff for WWDC. PowerBooks could use a MP too, but I think we all know the G5 isn't in the cards, unless there is some kind of heat-reducing majik fairy dust sprinkled on them.
One more thing, will Tiger make my dual 1.42 work faster or do you need a G5 to really appreciate it?
Originally posted by Hisham Samawi
One more thing, will Tiger make my dual 1.42 work faster or do you need a G5 to really appreciate it?
Dear God I am still using a Dual 533 for most stuff at home. Have used G5s in a work environment and they were quite fast. Don't do music production, however, so I am clueless on that software.
If anyone cares, Apple has (well, not advertised it yet, but...) posted the PDF specs on the new Power Macs here.
The other option is to consider a dedicated PCI card for processing, I know TC make one. That would give you a big plugins boost at much less cost than a new Mac.
If you don't make a living from it but can still afford it, I say, go for it now. Let face it, Dual-core PCI-E superMacs are going to be a while..... If you can't afford/justify it now, than wait for the next update and dont look back/change your mind. I am waiting, my 1.2Ghz G4 DA will have to see me through.
Originally posted by the cool gut
Here is a question - are the liquid cooled Macs really a bad idea in terms of their life span, or was that just a myth?
Supposedly, the manufacturer of the cooling systems, Delphie IIRC, rates the systems with a two year lifespan. Pretty lame, IMO, since most Mac users I know have at least one system that's >5 years old and still going strong.
Even worse, if the cooling system springs a leak, it could potentially damage quite a bit inside the Powermac, and even stuff outside, like carpeting. Applecare is definitely indicated for a liquid cooled Powermac.
Unless I needed the performance, I'd stay away from liquid cooled systems, but I tend to hold on to computers for a while.
Originally posted by Hisham Samawi
Ok I know you guys hate these kind of questions but I was waiting for the next revision of the Powermacs to finally make the jump up to a dual G5 from my dual 1.42 G4. I was hoping they would get it up to a dual 3 Ghz and am not that impressed by the .2 Ghz upgrade. I want to upgrade but I am afraid of getting the dual 2.7 and then having them announce something much better this summer. I bought my dual 1.42 a few years ago in March and then they came out with the G5 that same summer and that didn't feel too good so i want to avoid that. Part of me says that the jump to a dual 2.7 from what i have is so big that it doesnt matter what Apple comes out with next cuz I should be good for a while. The other part says that I have waited this long, maybe I should wait til the next big revision.
I am in the same boat. I need a new computer but the latest update is sad. I don't feel like paying good money for a somewhat old technology.
I guess I'll wait until WWDC and see if they will announce a PowerBook G5 there. Then I think I'll consider my options.
Too bad Apple, I was ready to give you all my money for a killer computer. But you failed to introduce something cool.
Originally posted by gugy
I am in the same boat. I need a new computer but the latest update is sad. I don't feel like paying good money for a somewhat old technology.
I guess I'll wait until WWDC and see if they will announce a PowerBook G5 there. Then I think I'll consider my options.
Too bad Apple, I was ready to give you all my money for a killer computer. But you failed to introduce something cool.
PBG5s and Dual-core PMs will be available by September.
Originally posted by DCQ
PBG5s and Dual-core PMs will be available by September.
Man I hope so.
Mmmmmm let's dream
Dual 970MP 3GHz
10.4.2
1GB of RAM
16x DL DVD Burner
400GB hd on 3Gbps SATA connection
Dual Gigabit(TOE) ports
PCI-Express 16x,1x, PCI-X 133(x2) HT 2.0 PCI-Express Bridge
ATI-X8xx 256MB 256-bit graphics
2x FW400/FW800
One external eSATA port
HDMI with audio and DVI breakout adaptor
4 Internal Bays(yeah!)
$3499
Originally posted by DCQ
PBG5s and Dual-core PMs will be available by September.
Inside information or swag?
Originally posted by hmurchison
Man I hope so.
Mmmmmm let's dream
Dual 970MP 3GHz
...
$3499
:-o Wow, most expensive Mac in years... but I agree, mostly. What's HDMI, an expensive proprietary connector like ADC or that stinker on the first PMs? I hope not.
Anyway I've realized the way to get the best deals: Wait for a new model to come out, then buy the previous midrange model at the refurb store. Always avoid the low-end, because it's crippled, and the high-end, because it's too expensive. Right now people are getting dual-2.0's for $1600. So, I've decided I'm going to wait for the next model and then get a refurb dual 2.3.
Originally posted by cubist
:-o Wow, most expensive Mac in years... but I agree, mostly. What's HDMI, an expensive proprietary connector like ADC or that stinker on the first PMs? I hope not.
Anyway I've realized the way to get the best deals: Wait for a new model to come out, then buy the previous midrange model at the refurb store. Always avoid the low-end, because it's crippled, and the high-end, because it's too expensive. Right now people are getting dual-2.0's for $1600. So, I've decided I'm going to wait for the next model and then get a refurb dual 2.3.
Hell give me a SuperPowermac so that I know what's going to trickle down. Here's my reasoning for some of the stuff.
Dual 970MP 3Ghz -
Hell you got an OS that can handle it. Bring it on!! Now that QT7 is shipping reality is hitting about the processing requirements for encoding AVC. Need...more ...power.
Dual TOE Gigabit ports-
Overtoasty had a thread on TOE Nics. I have never heard about them before but evidently they are the next thing in performance. TOE NICs pull the processing requirements for I/O crunching from the CPU and handles it locally. I didn't think this was a big thing until I called a network vendor of ours and she said in some networks I/O transactions can consumer over a quarter of your CPU cycles!! I'd like to reclaim some of that CPU back.
HDMI -
HDMI is a new interface that is on any DVD player over $150 today. Why is it set to replace DVI?
1. It handles uncompressed multichannel audio on the same cable that handles video.
2. Longer cable lengths can be achieved without repeaters.
3. Smaller connector. It's barely larger than a FW connection.
HDMI is going to be on all current HDTV gear. It's due to start making inroads into PC markets. Have a DVI monitor? No problem as HDMI supports the same DVI signal meaning you simply get a HDMI-DVI cable and voila it works but you still have the advantage of longer cable lengths.
eSATA-
This technology is much cooler than I thought. SATA speed has doubled to 300MBps. No more 1 controller for 1 drive limitation! You can hook up a Port Multiplier to a controller and run multiple drives or the reverse run two controller to one drive. NCQ organizes the data on a hd more efficiently(Like SCSI) so multasking performance improves. That's why Apple only needs to have one eSATA port. You might see Lacie ship a Big Disk Extreme with a built in Port Multipier hooked to 4 internal drives. Yet externally the device is connected with ONE cable and the drives spin up in a sequential order to prevent strain to the power supply.
Apple will likely have some sort of surprise in the next hardware. It seems that Hypertransport 2.0 stuff is readily available.