Interested switcher in need of help...
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Will a 2GHZ iMac G5 with (eventually) maxed out RAM last me like 3-4 years without becoming so horribly outdated?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.
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Will a 2GHZ iMac G5 with (eventually) maxed out RAM last me like 3-4 years without becoming so horribly outdated?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
Is overclocking safe? Does that void my warrenty?
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.
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.
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.
just my thoughts.
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.
Serpent
Get the Dual.
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.
Windows is really not that horrible... it's not nearly as clean and "happy" as OS X
What exactly does that mean?
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.