G5 still fading away at full price

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Now that I have a MacBook and acquired lots of OSX software I'm sure my next desktop will be a big Mactel box (when they come out) but I just checked... I can't believe Apple is still pushing the G5 at full price! The cheapest one is $1,999.00! ha ha ha
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    shetlineshetline Posts: 4,695member
    The G5 is still a damned fine machine, even if it is nearly the last of a breed, and has an important role to play for those who need high performance with a great deal of not-yet-Intel-ready software out there.



    In fact, since the Power Macs are the only new G5 equipment you can buy (okay, Power Macs and Xserve) from Apple now there's little incentive for Apple to bring down prices yet. I wouldn't expect much in the way of price drops until there's an Intel Power Mac replacement, and even then I wouldn't be surprised if significant price drops were not immediate.
  • Reply 2 of 26
    Quote:

    Originally posted by baygbm

    Now that I have a MacBook and acquired lots of OSX software I'm sure my next desktop will be a big Mactel box (when they come out) but I just checked... I can't believe Apple is still pushing the G5 at full price! The cheapest one is $1,999.00! ha ha ha



    Hey don't be so quick to throw stones... that G5 will slap your MacBook silly for many things, though not all!



    -- Mark
  • Reply 3 of 26
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    OH GOD CAN I PLEASE HAVE MY MAC PRO APPLE PLEASE
  • Reply 4 of 26
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member




    Holy crap someone get Placebo a tall cold one!



    Hey I know how it is...I'm just hoping I get a call tomorrow, get my job, so the second day on the job I can float the "...If I had a MacBook I could work at home on my own time..."
  • Reply 5 of 26
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by baygbm

    Now that I have a MacBook and acquired lots of OSX software I'm sure my next desktop will be a big Mactel box (when they come out) but I just checked... I can't believe Apple is still pushing the G5 at full price! The cheapest one is $1,999.00! ha ha ha



    Apple generally doesn't discount computers until it has a replacement in its niche, or the replacement is very long overdue, such as the later model PowerBooks. The current dual core G5 line is only about seven months old.



    They aren't conventional desktops either, they are a lot closer to workstations, with much greater memory capacity compared to desktops and probably unparalleled I/O bandwidth compared to other workstations.
  • Reply 6 of 26
    idaveidave Posts: 1,283member
    It's pretty silly how some people are dismissing the G5. I'll probably have my dual core G5 for eight or 10 more years. It's a great computer.
  • Reply 7 of 26
    untsiguntsig Posts: 47member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by iDave

    It's pretty silly how some people are dismissing the G5. I'll probably have my dual core G5 for eight or 10 more years. It's a great computer.



    it is a great computer but do you seriously think it'll last you 8-10 yrs?????



    it will be very outdated in less than 4 yrs and considered ancient history in 8.



    just look back at what a 1998 Apple desktop computer was like. it was simply AMAZING at the time. but i look back and laugh at those older Macs. its nice to see how much computers have advanced though.



    again, its a great comp. i just dont see someone holding onto it for more than 5 yrs.
  • Reply 8 of 26
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by untsig

    it is a great computer but do you seriously think it'll last you 8-10 yrs?????



    it will be very outdated in less than 4 yrs and considered ancient history in 8.



    just look back at what a 1998 Apple desktop computer was like. it was simply AMAZING at the time. but i look back and laugh at those older Macs. its nice to see how much computers have advanced though.



    again, its a great comp. i just dont see someone holding onto it for more than 5 yrs.




    One computer I am operating was made in 1998, and it still works fine for office-type tasks. It's not an Apple though.
  • Reply 9 of 26
    untsiguntsig Posts: 47member
    but im sure you've upgraded some if not several parts of it???
  • Reply 10 of 26
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by untsig

    but im sure you've upgraded some if not several parts of it???



    I added memory and a second processor, but that isn't anything special that wasn't already in production when it was first made. The OS is newer, but it's Windows 2000. Maybe the graphics card is newer, but it's an original Radeon. The original graphics card was an Evans & Sutherland model that only worked with NT4.0.
  • Reply 11 of 26
    idaveidave Posts: 1,283member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by untsig

    it is a great computer but do you seriously think it'll last you 8-10 yrs?????



    it will be very outdated in less than 4 yrs and considered ancient history in 8.



    just look back at what a 1998 Apple desktop computer was like. it was simply AMAZING at the time. but i look back and laugh at those older Macs. its nice to see how much computers have advanced though.



    again, its a great comp. i just dont see someone holding onto it for more than 5 yrs.




    We still use a blue & white G3 Power Mac at my office every day and it works fine. That's seven years old. Dare I say that a dual core G5 is a bit more advanced and will probably last longer? Of course software makers will do their best to add bloat so that my G5 will seem slow in eight years.



    The only thing upgraded on the old B&W G3 is to add memory, a second hard drive and a newer OS. Otherwise, it's stock.
  • Reply 12 of 26
    auroraaurora Posts: 1,142member
    G5s aint all that, never were, its why they had to have a car radiator and never made into a book and why Jobs is giving them the big boot.RIP.
  • Reply 13 of 26
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Aurora

    G5s aint all that, never were, its why they had to have a car radiator and never made into a book and why Jobs is giving them the big boot.RIP.



    I don't think that means the chip was bad. The "car radiator" was only on the highest tier models and was not too disimilar from some competing workstations and servers. IBM did eventually release a mobile version, but by then, it was too little, too late.
  • Reply 14 of 26
    idaveidave Posts: 1,283member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Aurora

    G5s aint all that, never were...



    ...as if Intel is so much better (so far).



    My new MacBook is hot enough to turn my legs to crispy bacon in no time and the compatibility issues suck. My G5 is screaming fast, the fans hardly turn on and it runs all of the software I have natively.
  • Reply 15 of 26
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Overall I'd say the Intel transition has proven that PowerPC sucked all along. Simply "teh snappeh" proves this in my opinion; Apple would've never made claims of "4x faster" with a PowerPC speedbump. (I don't care if it's actually two times or even 1.5 times; it still faster than any PPC update)
  • Reply 16 of 26
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    Overall I'd say the Intel transition has proven that PowerPC sucked all along. Simply "teh snappeh" proves this in my opinion; Apple would've never made claims of "4x faster" with a PowerPC speedbump. (I don't care if it's actually two times or even 1.5 times; it still faster than any PPC update)



    "all along" wasn't true, but lately, it's been hurting with Freescale and IBM not delivering compared to Intel's recent advances. I knew people in the avionics industry, and for a long time, the PPC had the highest CPU per watt and that was the major reason PPCs were incorporated into aircraft electronics. With Intel or AMD, you usually don't get those types of speedbumps either, they are usually smaller speed bumps that happen more often.
  • Reply 17 of 26
    joeyjoey Posts: 236member
    I'm curious what 64 bit route they'll go. AMD still beats the pants off Intel with desktop processors. Apple may be waiting for Intel's next 64 bit desktop processor.
  • Reply 18 of 26
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Joey

    I'm curious what 64 bit route they'll go. AMD still beats the pants off Intel with desktop processors. Apple may be waiting for Intel's next 64 bit desktop processor.



    It's called Woodcrest. It's coming out on June 28th. It'll beat the pants off AMD.
  • Reply 19 of 26
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    It's called Woodcrest. It's coming out on June 28th. It'll beat the pants off AMD.



    Apple might use Conroe-based chips for the low end towers, but Woodcrest should be in the top-end unit.



    I'd shy from making performance predictions though it will hopefully be competitive.
  • Reply 20 of 26
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by JeffDM

    Apple might use Conroe-based chips for the low end towers, but Woodcrest should be in the top-end unit.



    I'd shy from making performance predictions though it will hopefully be competitive.




    Conroe had a 25% advantage over the premium Athlon64, with the Athlon64 even overclocked over its default clockspeed. Sure, they were Intel-facilitated benchmarks, but the applications they were in seemed pretty fair.
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