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$3000 to spend on a new computer
Hey folks, I’m a film student at Sheridan College in Ontario Canada.
Being a student, I have a limited budget. I have approximately $3000 CDN to spend on a new computer that will give me the ability to run some programs I’ve been wanting to learn but have lacked the technical requirements on my G4.
I’ve played around with After Effects over the last few months, and now I’m very interested in learning several new programs such as Maya, particle illusion, combustion, Shake, etc..
Basically, this is what I’ve chosen to get, I just want to know if there’s any other options out there that may be wiser. I definately want to get a Mac, Final Cut and Shake are necessary for me.
Power mac
-Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
-1GB RAM
-250GB Hard Drive
-ATI Radeon x1900 XT 512MB Video Card
-16x Superdrive
-Bluetooth/Wi-FiTotal: $2966.00
I apologize if questions of this nature are not allowed
Thanks,
Adam BAdam Bloemink
http://www.adambloeminkproductions.com -
6 Replies
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Since you’ve already determined you need a Mac you should increase the RAM to a minumum of 2 GB — more if you can afford it. Also you’ll want to add another hard drive for data and backup.
Its not necessary to but a drive from Apple, virtually any computer parts store can sell you a 200 + GB SATA drive for close to $100 Canadian. They are very simple to install yourself in the MacPro — no cables — just slide the drive into one of the open drive bays.
You should be aware that current Mac releases of software from Adobe and Discrete (Maya) are not Intel native and will only run under emulation through Rosetta. Final Cut Studio 5.1 performs well since it is native. After Effects 7 will work but with some issues (search the forum for best memory settings on Mac Intel).
I have the same computer with 4 GB of RAM and 3 SATA drives in it. I am not using it currently to run the Mac OS but have installed Win XP on it. (Yes — I have software licenses for both OS’s and applications).
Adobe has announced that native Mac/tel versions will be coming with their version releases over the next 12 months.
Once the applications are Universal Binary you will see a dramatic increase in performance.
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I agree with Charles. You definitely need more RAM. Even if you only use one program at a time, since it’s a multicore machine it will in many cases use multiple threads and when this is done in 3D programs and too little RAM becomes quite a limiting factor. 2 Gigs is really a minimum, if you can afford it, get 4.
Mylenium
[Pour Myl
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go to sites like http://www.dealram.com to get good ram cheap.
also DO NOT BUY ANYTHING MAC UNTIL AFTER JAN 8TH.
sorry for the caps but macworld is jan 8th and they notoriously put out new merch then which either makes current hardware somewhat obsolete or drops the price decently on older models. do yourself the favor and wait.
j
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I’d advise against cheap RAM for the MacPro. It needs FB ECC DIMMS which are expensive compared to other RAM but worth every penny.
RAMJET will guarantee the RAM but you’ll pay a premium shipping it to Canada.
I agree wait for MacWorld, you could find that you can get an 8 core processor for the same price.
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Thanks for the suggestions.
Macworld? Are you guys talking about the online retailer/reviews magazine?
The computer was to be meant as a Christmas gift. Do you really think an 8-core will be available a few weeks after for the same price, it’s not a problem. I just want to be 100% sure I’m right in waiting.
Adam Bloemink
http://www.adambloeminkproductions.com -
Apple always announces / releases products at the January MacWorld Expo held in San Francisco.
Intel began shipping the 4 core Xeon in November an upgrade to the current dual core Xeon in the current MacPro.
It is a good bet that one of the new systems Apple will announce is an 8 core MacPro.
If you can wait until then you’ll have a faster computer for the same price or the current computer at a lower price.
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