What Mac To Buy?, I am wondering if a quad intel is necessary or whether a dual g5 can c Options

[JonRaven]

Hello there,

first time visiter, first time poster here...

I am currently using a powerbook 1.25 and I want to move into the ability to use some robust virtual instruments like toon track's "ezdrummer" and spek's "atmosphere", along with interested in the new east west quantum leap app called "gypsy" and the like.

My powerbook just wont cut it of course so I am thinking about getting a desktop mac.

Can anyone tell me from real world knowledge whether I could do everything I want with a used dual g5 or whether I really need to bite the bullet and get the new quad 2.66 intel?

I know ram is a big thing so I will upgrade either machine wiith atleast 4 gig ram.

I will be looking to do realistic backing tracks for my songs with virtual instruments and then adding say 16 tracks of audio tracks as well to the track.

Any ideas? Of course the music stores and the mac store are just out to sell the newest greatest of everything so you can't really get any honest opinions based on personal experience so I came here.

Can anyone discuss this with me?

Thanks and glad to be part of the group.

[JonRaven]

wow you guys are awesome. I am sooo sorry your pre intel quad doesn't do anything for you my friend.

I have a close friend who runs a g5 1.6 and that is a single processor and he says he runs multiple instances of kontakt and multiple instances of eastwest silver and even higher end sample based virtual instruments and he told me tonight he has tried many times to tax his system but it just keeps giving him more and more power. He told me he has 3 gigs of ram and multiple high end libraries and even though he never converts his midi to audio.... he can run multiple instruments in logic and protools and his 1.6 still keeps on spinning away.

Now I have talked with numerous others in the supposed biz and they keep telling me...newest and greatest. They obviously think the newest and greatest are the newest and greatest but not base don actual proof or personal use.

I found out today my "day job" company bought a quad 2.66 intel and maxed out the ram at 10 gigs and so I snuck into the studio and fired it up on my lunch break. It didn't have anything installed really so as the only app I could think of I fired up garageband. It took quite a while and it worried me instantly. I mean on my powerbook 1.25 I can fire up garageband quite quickly...shouldn't I be able to use it on a quad intel wiith heck loads of ram? Once loaded it was ok... I guess... based on my limited testing of apple only instruments installed... but come on... should there be any wait whatsoever?

I want to have 16-24 tracks audio playback that I record in a bigger studio, with a few plugins on each...and then be able to fatten up the mix with some killer realistic virtual instrument tracks. why at this late in the game wiith all the technology we have and the price of the new macs... does this seem troublesome????

Thanks so much for feedback... I think this posting will help a lot of people looking to buy a new production system so everyone please keep adding their thoughts.

Thanks.