Mac G5-is This A Good Time To Buy New?, Is Apple coming out with new g5 soon? Options

[mixfisto]

I'm about to buy a new dual 2.0 g5. Is this a good time (as any) to buy one or does anyone know anything about any new models coming out soon that might have me wait a few weeks/months? (I must buy one within the next 3 months). Also, what might you guys recommend, a new dual 2.0 or the 2nd to last dual 2.3...(haven't quite mastered all the new mac terminology).
Thanks

[Mojave Mark]

If you hold out till later this year the Mac-Intel Macintoshes will be available. You would be "future-proofed" for several years. I have a dual 2.3 G5 and love it but if I were in the market now I think that I would wait a bit.

[mixfisto]

I know that mac will go to the intel chips soon(especially for powerbooks, etc), but i don't think they will be introduced into the g5's (g6?) for at least a year. Is this right or can someone shed some light on this subject???

[deaconblue]

mixfisto,

I think the quote from last year's announcement was that there would be new macs with intel chips starting the summer of '06 but the transition to full intel implementation was going to take a while. Motorola just renewed their contract to supply chips through 2008. So, some will most likely start showing up in 6 months or so...

But who knows. MacWorld is next week. Wait until after those announcements regardless. Always a safe bet. As safe as anything with Mr. Jobs at the helm. He could push the timeline up a bit if the machines are ready to go now. We'll just have to wait and see.

peace,
deacon

[mixfisto]

OK, now that Mr. Jobs has said that all Macs will go Intel by the end of the year, will it be worth waiting to buy? What will the "bang for the buck" be like? And how much faster will they really be. I'm running audio software (Protools LE) to edit and mix with. Basicaly, should I buy now and roll with the punches or hang around hoping for a better "deal"?

Ce message a été modifié par mixfisto - sam. 14 janv. 2006, 03:22.

[fastlanephil]

There is an advantage buying a G5 based Mac VS a new Intel based mac in that you won't have to worry about software compatibility. If you wait for a "Tower" Intel based Mac there is a good chance that your third party software will be updated for it before or soon after but there is the chance that some of your software won't either work or run slower using Rosetta. I have an iMac G5 and I don't plan on going to an Intel Mac for at least a year but I have no motivation to besides the obvious speed increase and monitor options.

[beyaRecords]

In the recent MacWorld, which you can view at the apple website, Steve Jobs said that the entire apple range will be transitioned over to the intel platform by the end of 2006! If I were you, I would wait!!!

I almost bought a Quad G5 in Dec 2005 but i'm glad I didn't now, and if the new MacBook Pro is anything to do by, Dual Core laptop!!, the powerMac range will be awesome when the arrive.

Beya

[mortalengines]

Ah... the wonderful world of computing. If you need a computer now just go ahead & buy it. Sure it will be obsolete in a year but so will the next big thing. If you don't really need a computer (that is, the apps you use seem to run smoothly & you are actually getting work done in a timely fashon) stay with what you got for a while. I have a G4 laptop & yes I drool over the G5s but I don't really need one right now & don't expect to go shopping for one for a year at least.

[deaconblue]

I think mortalengines has it nailed. Or at least 98% of it.

Computers are obsolete the day they are on the store shelves. The next version is already in development with the short life cycle of today's tech market place. The questions that mortal brings up are the perfect ones to ask. Does what you have now meet your needs? Are you looking for a new computer because you don't have one? Or are you looking for one because you have an aging computer that is not meeting your current needs? I run a 2 year on G5 2.0GhzDP and I have yet to use all of that horsepower. However, I don't run a lot of software instruments simultaneously. But with enough RAM and fast enough hard drives, a current quad G5 should meet the needs of even the most intense studio. The DP should be more than adequate for a home recordist' studio.

If you can limp along or your set up is simply getting you by right now, and you have no pressing project that requires the hardware upgrade, then hang tight until the MacMac Pro (usign the new MacBook Pro naming convention) comes out. If you need a machine now, then grab a G5 that fits your needs and stock it with RAM to keep you going through any session you can see yourself engaging in. But, don't let yourself going into buyer's remorse frenzy if SJ ups the timeline and a new Intel tower ships this year.

Bottom line is don't get hamstrung on the technology. Focus on the creativity. The hardware is only a means to an end.

best of luck!

peace,
deacon
(required disclaimer: All opinions expressed are MHO and may be totally full of hot air.)

[lepetitmartien]

Steve was clear at the keynote, all Apple computers will be on intel by december 06, that is sooner than thought before (2007).

On the should I buy or not? Well, as usual if you need a computer now that can do it's work now, it's now. If you can wait a little (especially if you're short on cash) wait a little there will be new hardware (for the adventurous) and old models for cheaper. G5s are good stuff, they will works flawlessly in a pro environment 2-3 years. We'll have the software for G5 til then.

On the macintel themselves we still need the apps (the one we are most interested in) so you can wait a little Ecpecially to wait and se if all is clear and Apple/intel did their job with full marks.

[beyaRecords]

I would inclined to wait and see. For the same money you are paying now, in a few months time, you will be able to purchase a far more powerfull machine. Of course the apps are all important here, there's no point having a nice box with no software. Logic will be ported in the next few months, Nuendo the same (if it hasn't already been done).

This year will be an exciting year computer wise, hold onto your money and wait and see.

Beya

[mixfisto]

thanks everyone, i got my answer. i will be needing either a studio with a g5 (and have to pay for it) or to buy my own in the next month. I figure that the $1500 or so that I save by not renting studio time, will almost buy me a new g5. I figure that by the time apple comes out with the new intel version, and all the apps (PT, etc...) catch up, i will have more than enough use of the g5 to make it worthwhile. Plus, i would bet it will be a while before all the apps and 0s are fine tuned with all the bugs sorted out.
So buy now I will!!!

[gpax]

This is always a tough call, but to put it in perspective, there wil always be some better or best around the corner. Problem is, this time around you actually know what that will look like, and that it will happen for sure in the next year - unlike before when you weren't quite sure when or what the new models would boast.

That said, I bought my dual core G5 this past October when they first came out, fully knowing that intel macs were on the horizon. The immdiate increase in productivity was beyond what I expected, and I turned out my best work yet with all the new "headroom." For me, this is worth the investment, regardless of what happens in the coming year.

On a practical note - I remember waiting about 2.5 years total during the OS 9 - OS X transition for all my beloved apps to port over. There will be some waiting, depending on what you use, though perhaps by the time the intel mace replacement for the G5 comes out, many of these will have been released.

Incidentally, I guess the intel-version of a tower will no longer be a "G5," techincally speaking. I wonder what they'll call it?

pax

[rickenbacker]

The fact that none of Apple's own Pro apps (Logic, Final Cut, Soundtrack) will work with Rosetta until the (paid) upgrade is released in late-February suggests to me that Apple is rushing things a bit. There's also the financial matter of upgrading third-party software. Will it be a free Universal update from all the developers or will it cost "only" £50 or so for each update you need. £50 x a dozen little apps you rely on, well that's a whole lot of extra money you need to be spending, when a G4 or G5 right now won't require any of that money to be spent, ever.

For that reason, I'd either buy what I wanted right now and get to work, or wait at least six months (probably more) for the dust to settle on Rosetta and the Intel Macs generally before considering any purchase. The current PowerBooks are fourth generation, as stable as can be. The G5 PowerMacs have had a reasonable development cycle, too. Personally, I wouldn't want to ride the first wave of Intel Macs, helping Apple work out all the problems!

[lepetitmartien]

The current macintel share the same motherboard and are based on one of Intel already in use so it's not total virgin territory, but there may be some glitches with the OS, you never know.

The apps we need is more the problem, at best we'll start to have stuff available in the next weeks. We can't be sure it'll be perfect from day one, but if you need real work to be done now, the PPC line is the safe bet still for months if you have thing to sort out fast.

Don't expect Rosetta to be of much use for us save maybe the Nord G2 editor and similar things, Rosetta is really picky and save Office stuff…

On the G5 line, avoid only the mono 1.8 revB which was born under a bad star, the quad had some issues too but it's out of reach $$$ speaking anyway. Think about the RAM, you'll need 1GB or more (more is better). To start up a second SATA drive inside will do for audio files.

If macintel and apps come in smoothly and with dazzling power, you'll be able to move up the ladder by that time, and eventually sell the G5. Macs keep usually good resale value save if an earthquake happens.

The name for the towers? MacDesktop Pro !
(please, Steve, this "macbook" "pro" name is just ugly)

[rickenbacker]

Mmm, and if Apple sticks with the software-style naming convention, the next iBook should be the MacBook Express