How Big Does It Really Have To Be?, what constitutes a 'powerful' Mac? Options

[ofried]

i've been in PC land forever. now, i'd like to try Apple! in terms of buying a system, what do i really need? i've heard everything across the board... can anyone (and everyone!) help me figure out what to configure before i purchase the monster!? i have Digi001 LE. i will be buying a dual processor G4. now, while knowing a week after i buy it it's going to be 'old', what exactly should i get to not have to worry about anything for a while? how much Memory, Hard Drive, and anything else you recommend... and do i need external drives... (i don't even know what firewire is... but do i need it!?!?!) thanks very, very much. sincerely, an excellent musician and an awful technician.

[trippinginthefal...]

I do a lot of research before a purchase. Check out these sites to see how Macs have progressed recently, and you should feel confident with a new G4 purchase.

macspeedzone.com

lowendmac.com

smalldog.com - trusted seller for refurbished macs, they have a special for a 867 g4 with a 17" LCD for 1999. Its no ebay price, but it will have a full warranty.

Pro Tools LE series relies on the host, or the Computer to do most of the work. Pro Tools TDM has dsp cards that do most of the work. If you want to use PT LE, you should consider that every ounce of horsepower you invest in, you might need.

I went for a single processor 867 G4 with 1 gig ram. I will get a dual g4 upgrade if I need to, say around christmas (hoping a 1.42 dual upgrade will be available by then).

Also, buy a used monitor, even a CRT, to spend a little more on the right tower. You can always get a new LCD monitor in a few months if you want to. (Lacie makes excellent CRTs).

Scotty