I'm seriously considering getting into the Mac world now. My wife still tells me I don't need another computer. Of course she's right, but I'm trying to convince her otherwise. I'm looking at either the G5 or G4. My main use would be for Photoshopping (I'm deep into still photography now), DVD making out of home DV movies, video editing and, of course, browsing. Here are some questions for you. 1. I think I brought this up before, but is there really no place to get a "deal"? From the research I've done it seems the Apple site has the lowest prices. I've check CompUSA, MicroCenter and Best Buy. Are the prices at the Galleria Apple store the same as on-line? 2. Souped up G4 or low end G5? Do I really need the dual processors the G5 offers? 3. What is the best forum/bbs for Mac users? 4. Best Mac magazine? (I'm a magazine junkie.) I'll probably have more questions later. Thanks.
I found this forum when i was considering a Powerbook a while back: http://www.macworld.com/forums/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?Cat=
MacAddict and MacWorld are both excellent magazines for Mac users. www.maccentral.com is a good site for Mac users with links to other sites as well.
I, personally, would look for a re-furbished deal. Go to the Apple store and scroll down the page to "Hot Deals." They basically take computers that are returned - almost all unused - and re-install system software, wipe the hard drive, etc. You can almost always save a few hundred bucks. As for stores locally, I always go to MicroCenter. They seem to have the best deals and the best selection. CompUSA is second. The Apple Store rocks but everything is straight-up retail there. You can't really get deals. I can't see the need for a G5 unless you are really doing a lot of high-bandwidth stuff. My guitarist has a nice G4 you can get used now for around $800 and we can get probably 48 tracks of the highest quality audio you can imagine with no glitches and that's in OS 9. I can't imagine how well it would run in X. The MacWorld forums are definitely the best. MacWorld is the best. The reviews are tremendously helpful. MacHome is good but has a lot of beginner stuff. If you are into graphic design, MacDesign is a must-have. Here are some cool online Mac stops: http://www.pure-mac.com/ http://www.sitelink.net/ http://www.thinksecret.com/ http://www.woz.org/ http://www.macwindows.com/ http://www.macobserver.com/
I'm willing to bet you that your wife will be wanting to use your Mac once you get it. Just wait... I'm serious! She'll want an iMac for herself, and her first words will be "It's so cute!" Perfect! Mac are best used for professional graphics work. That's what they are good for. See links... http://www.apple.com/pro/filmvideo/ http://www.apple.com/pro/archive/index.html#prophoto Since Mac are new to you. It's best that you buy one from a place you can go get professional assistance from. Talk to the guys at the Apple Store in the Galleria. They have pros there that can help you for any questions you may have. They will even give you their email address. If you want to save some money...note this...RAM (PC3200) and Hardrives (ATA 7200 rpm) can be purchased on-line (amazon.com) for a lot cheaper than you can get it from Apple. For example. I would buy a G5 with minimum RAM/Drives, then later buy my own from amazon.com (or any other on-line store). It's cheaper that way. Same with hard drives. I recommend IBM or Western Digital Drives (internal ATA). G5 is the only way to go! Why? Because the G5 chip architecture is optimized for dual processing at 64bit (You never know; might use it later). The G5 uses the latest RAM chips, PCI-X Expansion Slots, support for USB 1.1, 2.0 and FireWire 400 and 800. Audio connects are both Digital Optical and USB! See link: http://www.apple.com/powermac/expansion.html The G5 also has a Frontside Bus Up To 1.25GHz! Intel systems only have around 167Mhz, 256Mhz, 512Mhz system buses...the G5 has an advantage there! The G5 screams! Hmm, well the one that use for questions/technical is the Apple Discussion Group at http://discussions.info.apple.com/ You'll need to create an account. It's free. Mac Home Journal Magazine (www.machome.com) - Easy to read for beginners Mac Addict (www.macaddict.com) - Intermediate; alternative; edgy journalism Mac World (www.macworld.com) - Advanced; professionals How good are the G5 chips (IBM)? Both Sony and Microsoft has signed contracts for IBM to manufacture those chips for their next generation game consoles! Yes, they are that good! These IBM G5 chips rock!
Jeff, I went by MicroCenter yesterday and the prices there were hundreds more than the on-line Apple store as far as the G5's are concerned. From what I could tell the displays are the same price. Man, those 23" cinema screens are so sweet...and expensive. I'll probably go with the 17".
Last night she told me "maybe Christmas". I told her it would make a much better fathers day gift. At least there is some progress.
If you want a larger monitor then you may consider going with a third party. You could easily get a sony or samsung 19" for the price of the Apple 17" and i imagine that the quality would be similar.
Interesting. I'm buying a refurbished 20" iMac and it is quite a bit less through Apple than anywhere else. Also, just saw your thing about making DVD's and doing Photoshop stuff. For digitial imaging, video and audio, Mac is the machine of choice. I've worked in recording studios, for example, all over the place and I've seen maybe 1 that used PC's as their primary recording environment. Same goes for video editing. And 80 percent of the graphic design market and something like 70 percent of the magazine and newspaper market belongs to Mac as well. So, you're getting the right machine for that.
I just pulled the trigger on a refurbished G5 1.8ghz from the online Apple store. And the good news is the wife is ok with it. (I just won't show her the final total price.) Thanks for the input here fellas.
That is a decent machine. I think you'll be very pleased with its performance, and the overall Mac OS X experience too.
Unless you're a professional video editor or graphic artis there is absolutely no reason you need a duall prrocessro G5, or even a single processor G5. It's pure overkill.
I have the ability to do some professional editing jobs on the side and will take advantage of what the G5 can offer. I think the G5 is just what I need.
Who cares if it is more than you need? I'm getting a 20" flat screen monitor with my next machine. Do I really NEED it? No. But, it sure as hell will make my life easier and that's all that really matters!
