Apple just keeps on rockin’ and rockin’ harder

[Jeff Carpenter]

Answer this question for me:

What will you be using this hypothetical Mac for? What programs do you want to run?

I mean, I know you’re a video person, but do you want to use iMovie for home projects? Final Cut Pro for big projects? Final Cut Express so you can log at home and take the file to work? Motion or Garage Band so you can make elements to take to work? Would you own your own copy of Photoshop?

Fill us in a little on what you’d do with this machine and I can offer far more detailed advice than I could at this moment.

[Wreck Gar]

Final Cut Pro HD

Combustion

Motion (still learning)

Live Type

IDVD, but trying to convince the office we need DVDSP

Those are all the programs I work with at work. So I’d want the similar system for my personal use. Similar strength that is, or more with the Intel chips. I already have people asking me to make commercials for their local companies too.

As far as audio programs go, I do not have any experience with them.

Thanks,
WreckGar

[Wreck Gar]

And yes, I’d also buy Photoshop . . whatever the latest version was when I decide to buy one soon, or wait till the intel chips hit.

[Jeff Carpenter]

This is just my opinion, but it’s what I’m doing myself so I believe in it.

I’d suggest jumping in and just buying a Powermac now. Even the lowest Dual-2.0 model should do you just fine. (Get the 2.3 if you plan on lots of DVD projects over 1 hour in length. Compressing takes time.) Add a second SATA hard drive yoruself, upgrade the graphics card for $50 from Apple, and buy 4 GB of RAM from someplace like crucial.com and put that in yourself.

That will give you a nice solid system to use over the next 2 or 3 years. In that amount of time you can watch as the Intel machines come out and every software company updates their products bit by bit. Then, you can switch to a new Mac at a point when you feel that all the software you want has new versions that are optimized for the Intel Mac and that any small bugs have been worked out of the Intel machines.

Apple says that software written for the G5 will work on the Intel Macs but I’m sure there will be a performance hit to doing that. I’d rather wait until I can just jump to a total Intel-based system instead of moving inch by inch.

I’m going to hang onto my (now 1.5 year old) G5 for at least another year. Once the majority of the “switch” has taken place I’ll upgrade all my pieces at once. The next version of OS X will probably come out near the end of next year…I’ll probably start thinking about upgrading at that point.

Cutting-edge technology sure is fun to look at, but I usually like to buy about 6-months behind the curve when it comes to computers. I think I usually get a better value on a safer, more stable system.

Like I said, that’s just an opinion. We’re getting close enough to Intel Macs that I know quite a few people are just going to wait for them. But those are mostly people who already HAVE G5 machines. If you have no Mac at home then I think owning a G5 for the next 2 years is better than owning no Mac for 1 year and an Intel Mac for 1 year. You may have the most advanced Mac next year by going with the waiting-plan but you give yourself less play-time than if you just buy now and hold off on upgrading to Intel for a little while.

That’s totally up to you to decide, but hopefully you can see why I think the way I do.

[Matthew Giffin]

Yo, Jeff… That’s a really useful post! I’d like toget one of those G5 Quad dealies… I had been thinking and wondering if I should wait until the Intel macs come out… but then backtracking because I have a feeling there will be ‘issues’ for a good little while. Plus, there could be problems interfacing with clients that may have a either G4’s or current G5’s.

So I found your post helpful. I think I’ll go ahead and get one now, then get an Intel Mac in a few years when all the bugs have been cooked. In the meantime, I’ll have a rockin’ system that would put my current one to shame. A G4 733 mhz. It’s been great for the last four years… never a single problem. But time to move on!

Thanks!

[Mitchji]

[Matthew giffin] “Yo, Jeff… That’s a really useful post! I’d like toget one of those G5 Quad dealies… I had been thinking and wondering if I should wait until the Intel macs come out… but then backtracking because I have a feeling there will be ‘issues’ for a good little while. Plus, there could be problems interfacing with clients that may have a either G4’s or current G5’s.

So I found your post helpful. I think I’ll go ahead and get one now, then get an Intel Mac in a few years when all the bugs have been cooked. In the meantime, I’ll have a rockin’ system that would put my current one to shame.”

Hi,

Another strategy would be to get a less expensive G5 (maybe discontinued or refurbed) and not wait as long to update to an Intel Mac.

Best Wishes,

Mitch

[Gunleik Groven]

The dual 2,7 is a good bargain at the moment and still has the pcix slots if you need them.

DEFINITELY buy RAM and a second HD from someone else than Apple. Way overpriced stuff, but go with Crucial or some other brand RAM. (I’ve ended up with only Crucial after some non-brand problems). Samsung should be good, too, as that what Apple is mainly putting in.

For uncompressed work I’ve built an external SATA RAID in a PC-Box with the Rocket RAID 1820A card as a basis. 8×400 SATA disks makes the world spin faster. And an internal 2×400 RAID…

If you’re picking up a second hand machine, get one with eight RAM slots and as many PCIX slots as possible. (This differ a bit from model to model)

And get a good videocard if you’re working with motion. (I think Shake also is affected by this)

An advantage with the PCI-E macs (apparently) is that some of (or all) the rendering – not only previewing – in Motion is done in the GPU.

That’s worth a lot of hours, if true.

Apparently the 7800 GT is the best price/performance buy. (And it doesn’t steal two of your precious PCIE slots)

If possible, I’d buy the quad. My experience is that buying the “top” machine gives a considerable longer lifespan that more than pays for the extra $$$.

Gunleik
(Formerly owner of SE/30 – / 9600 / B&W 400 1st ed
Currently running a Dual G5 2Ghz 1st ed/6 GB RAM/FCP studio/Cubase SXC3 + a TiBook 667/100Gb HD/1Gb RAM)

[Mitchji]

[Gunleik Groven] “An advantage with the PCI-E macs (apparently) is that some of (or all) the rendering – not only previewing – in Motion is done in the GPU.

If possible, I’d buy the quad. My experience is that buying the “top” machine gives a considerable longer lifespan that more than pays for the extra $$$.”

Hi,

There has been speculation that in the future with PCIe the GPU will be able to perform the rendering.

As fast as computers improve getting a longer lifespan is not necessarily the strategy. Another option is to purchase a less expensive model initially and upgrade more frequently.

Best Wishes,

Mitch

[Gunleik Groven]

[MitchJi] “As fast as computers improve getting a longer lifespan is not necessarily the strategy. Another option is to purchase a less expensive model initially and upgrade more frequently.”

Agreed! Just my two cents thus far… Bying highspeced machines has this far saved me a lot of cash. And the Quad definitely seems to pick up som of the lag the nonexisting 3Ghz G5 created.
And the upgrade expendses are more than the $$ for the machine. You have to take into consideration all the transitional costs (if you are not in a big shop) of moving all your setups from one machine to another.

Still just my two cents -;)

Gunleik

[Alexander Serpico]

Another bit of advice for now is to not rush to FCP 5….

Ive been a mac user since i had an LC, and always a pusher.

Recently as ive learned to know this system and FCP inside and out,
any problems are now gaping holes and glaring errors.

This is very frustrating because this system can be a rock on one hand,
but on the other can frustrate to such a level….

While FCP has stepped forward with its capabilities with its move to version 5,
it has stepped backwards with its stability… which is even more important.