On The Fence- Single or Dual G4?
I run a small online photo business at school and this summer I am buying a desktop machine so that my Powerbook doesn't get bogged down while I am batch photo processing.
I am looking at a single or dual PowerMac G4 from eBay or a Mac Mini. I can afford a 867-1.25 for the single g4 and 500-867 for dualies.
What configuration would I benefit from the most?
Thanks a lot!
-AWAL
I am looking at a single or dual PowerMac G4 from eBay or a Mac Mini. I can afford a 867-1.25 for the single g4 and 500-867 for dualies.
What configuration would I benefit from the most?
Thanks a lot!
-AWAL
Comments
However, if you don't have all this stuff sitting around, I recommend getting a mini. You'll end up spending a lot more for a g4 tower and little would transfer from this tower to your next computer.
I would also mention (at the risk of getting flammed to death) that if you have access to a copy of your photo tools on windows, that you look at a cheapo- $300-500 PC, even the cheapo PCs have ~80ish gig 7200 RPM HDDs and can accomedate a ton more ram than a Mac Mini so if all you need is cheap raw photoshop power (once you delete all the extra OEM crap), I think a Lo-end PC would beat the Mac mini handely here. Then when business explodes, grab a dual 2.7ghz G5
No matter what you buy, budget in RAM, don't go under 1 gig for OSX or windows...and more is definately better
Originally posted by a_greer
... and AVOId EBAY AT ALL COSTS for hi-end ($$$) purchases.
It seems like this is the general consensus among the AppleInsiders. I am aware of the risk, but I like to try and give the seller the benefit of the doubt. I know there are scammers on eBay and I understand how it would be especially easy to scam selling "lemon" computers.
Anyway, I neglected to mention that I wanted to budget the purchase of my machine and use the rest of my 1500 or so to buy a 20" (unrealisticly 23") monitor- thus having a KVM switch to go between my PB and other machine.
Thanks for the input so far y'all
Originally posted by AWAL
It seems like this is the general consensus among the AppleInsiders. I am aware of the risk, but I like to try and give the seller the benefit of the doubt. I know there are scammers on eBay and I understand how it would be especially easy to scam selling "lemon" computers.
Anyway, I neglected to mention that I wanted to budget the purchase of my machine and use the rest of my 1500 or so to buy a 20" (unrealisticly 23") monitor- thus having a KVM switch to go between my PB and other machine.
Thanks for the input so far y'all
I play ebay like the lotto, dont bet what you cannot loose, and I cannot loose much with my budget these days...
also, if you have the space, look around, talk around, and grab a 21 inch CRT, they are great on color (when tuned properly) and if you go to computer fairs/swap meets/user groups or just talk to Univ. computer admins 2nd hand 20+ inch monitors can be had for free-$150 thus you could get a Apple refurb (discontinued so it is likely overstock of new) 1.8 G5 and likely have cash left to up the system to 2 gb of ram too. (4x 512 = ~$120, ONE 1gb stick = ~100)
Originally posted by AWAL
Anyway, I neglected to mention that I wanted to budget the purchase of my machine and use the rest of my 1500 or so to buy a 20" (unrealisticly 23") monitor- thus having a KVM switch to go between my PB and other machine.
I've tried the same thing with a 17" LCD, sharing it between my Linux box and iBook, but I was disappointed. The $40 VGA switch I used (monitor is VGA only) produced noticeable fuzziness on screen. It bothered my eyes enough that I decided it wasn't practical for regular use. Digital (DVI) KVM switches probably perform much better, but they're quite pricey - it will make a significant dent in your monitor budget.
Originally posted by Towel
I've tried the same thing with a 17" LCD, sharing it between my Linux box and iBook, but I was disappointed. The $40 VGA switch I used (monitor is VGA only) produced noticeable fuzziness on screen. It bothered my eyes enough that I decided it wasn't practical for regular use. Digital (DVI) KVM switches probably perform much better, but they're quite pricey - it will make a significant dent in your monitor budget.
The d->A->D conversion on a cheap KVM is another reason why I recomended looking into a giant CRT 2nd hand. Make sure it can handle at least 1280x1024 at 85hrz, then tweak the hell out of it for color accuracy.
In this day and age, ~1500(not including Photoshop) can put together one really good multimedia setup, Mac or PC, you just have to be a little creative and flexable, it may not look as sexy as the ~$10,000 rig in the Apple store, but it can be nearly as profitable...What I am trying to say is, if you have limited capitol to put into a tool that is the heart of a business, don't waist it on frils that you cannot really afford, put ~1300 into getting the best computer you can and ~200 into some good glass and then when you have a couple grand in the bank, grab a big, beautifull flatscreen. remember, if the business is rendering, the display doesnt make the money, the CPU/GPU/HDD/RAM do. and I would say that a 1.8 G5 equipped with ~1.5 gb RAM will do a hell of a lot more for you than a mini and a 20 inch cinima display, or a dual 800 for that matter.
I guess since I am the web developer AND do the photo rendering, I have to find a the best balance between maximizing screen real estate and computing power.
Luckily, I am not in a huge hurry so I have time to plan it all out. Feel free to give me your $0.0246 CAD (as of 6/7/05) in the meantime.
-awal
Originally posted by AWAL
Thanks all for all the great tips and suggestions...
I guess since I am the web developer AND do the photo rendering, I have to find a the best balance between maximizing screen real estate and computing power.
Luckily, I am not in a huge hurry so I have time to plan it all out. Feel free to give me your $0.0246 CAD (as of 6/7/05) in the meantime.
-awal
Want screen real-estate? check this out: 2048X1536
for ~200
That is but a sample of what is out there, check with your university, talk around...where is all the old computer equipment? think about it, most major universities cycle the labs every 2 years or less, all those old displays (and if you are lucky, a mac or two) are just sitting in a salvage/storage/overstock warehouse...a good many places like this make sales to the general public on a walk-in basis, it is a word-of mouth thing but ask around...
A lot of times it isnt crap in these places, I once saw a hi-end 22 inch CRT go for ~$50, great condition, it had just been replaced with a Cinema display...
Originally posted by a_greer
Want screen real-estate? check this out: 2048X1536
for ~200
I have considered the big CRT's, but my 15incher wouldnt support that resolution...
Originally posted by AWAL
I have considered the big CRT's, but my 15incher wouldnt support that resolution...
I will give you that, hell, I dont think I could see anything that small...
Originally posted by dfiler
I just bought a single 466 off of ebay and threw in all kinds of upgrades from a recently deceased g4. Now it's a dual 1.467 with 1.5 gigs of ram, a radeon 9800 pro, airport, 3 HD, a super drive, 7.1 sound card...
However, if you don't have all this stuff sitting around, I recommend getting a mini. You'll end up spending a lot more for a g4 tower and little would transfer from this tower to your next computer.
I've used a few original AGP G4 PowerMacs that have been upgraded with new new parts. I've also upgraded my old Beige G3 with the kitchen sink.
Overall, system upgrades like these help like a crutch. They may get you by for a few more months, but its not like getting a new system. The upside of a new system is that all of the components are updated, including the motherboard etc.
Based on my last G4 PM upgrade experience, I'd suggest just getting a Mac mini. Your mileage may vary, but I spent months dealing with that last machine. It didn't like any of the CPU upgrade cards I installed... the machine would get very unstable and data on the hard drives would become corrupted. I didn't want to give in, but eventually gave up on it; I wasted so much time on that thing! Oh the agony!
I also used a G4 500 PM that was upgraded to 900 MHz. It felt as good as a stock 800 MHz quicksilver model. But for the cost of all the components and the time spent on the machine, it would have taken less time and money to get a mini and it would have been better.
OK, so this was a bit off topic. Here's where I swing it back on track...
If you do go with the used computer, I'd probably recommend the faster single CPU system. Dual is great (I use dual daily and love it), but dual 500 MHz is not gonna help you as much as a single 1.2 GHz CPU most of the time.
Originally posted by Xool
If you do go with the used computer, I'd probably recommend the faster single CPU system. Dual is great (I use dual daily and love it), but dual 500 MHz is not gonna help you as much as a single 1.2 GHz CPU most of the time.
Thanks- If I were to buy this minute I would probably buy a refurb iMac G5 and a 20" screen for my PB. Then, I could just sync the files over the network using my external FireWire drive. This cuts out the whole need for a KVM switch. If I manage to talk myself out of this, I'll probably get a Mini.
It seems like you have used an array of different processors so in general (I know this is hard to guage) what speed dual processor G4 would perform about the same as a 1.5 single G4?
Depending on your budget, you may be able to find a refurb'ed 1.6ghz G5 Powermac for about $1000. The 1.8 refurbs are selling for slightly more. Heck, my dual 1.8 was only $1500.