Yowsa! Apple Power Mac G5 specs: Dual G5 2 GHz with PCI-X and 1 GHz bus - $2999 and faster than dual Xeon 3.0 GHz.

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: shuttleteam
PCI-X is coming to P4 Uniprocessor systems though. (Thank goodness!)

That's something good to hear, as I'm planning an A/V workstation, and it will most definitely not be a Mac (the new Macs look like they'll be better in the processor department, but even on the highest-end machines, to have SCSI or RAID requires a separate upgrade - something that's not acceptable to me or my budget). A single processor is all that's needed, but an I/O bus that can handle the speed that the SCSI bus is capable of with multiple drives attached is something that would be greatly beneficial. Do you have any more details on these new motherboards, or when they will be out?

 

[Eug]

The dual 2GHz will probably cost as much as a Dual Xeon with 4 gigs of RAM and a SCSI RAID setup. $5000+ USD is my guess.

That's something good to hear, as I'm planning an A/V workstation, and it will most definitely not be a Mac (the new Macs look like they'll be better in the processor department, but even on the highest-end machines, to have SCSI or RAID requires a separate upgrade - something that's not acceptable to me or my budget).

Power Macs used to all come stock with SCSI hard drives, but they have long since scrapped that. So nobody likes software RAID via Serial ATA?

 

[xype]

I think the 1GHz is FSB and from what I know the memory doesn't really need to have a "compatible" speed, so DDR333 would work.

As for overpricing, the 970 is supposedly cheaper than the G4. The rest of the system, from the optical audio I/O, trough FireWire400/800 and USB1/2, PCI-X, Serial-ATA and the supposedly sexy and cleverly designed case, I do think that a PowerMac does deserve a bit of a price premium (as do many Apple products). It's simply that all the components along with the added special manufacturing cost more.

Now before people start with "software incompatibility" (-Duh! It _is_ a different platform after all, so it won't run on x86 and wont run x86 software) or "Opterons are cheaper and faster for the money" (Do I see Dell selling Opteron workstations? No, the PowerMac is not really a consumer desktop, hence the price) or any other often-heared Apple bashing, because it's, well, Apple I would like to say that I am happy with my PC as I'm happy with my Mac. I can work on both and get my work done and that's important to me. And iTunes is great.

 

[gramboh]

I do not dispute that Macs are great machines and OSX is awesome. I just think the price premium is no where near appropriate for what you get. One friend of mine shelled out $4000 or $5000 CAD for a Ti Powerbook last summer which is already underpowered (in my opinion, 500MHz 512meg ram) and another just bought a 17 inch with a gig of ram recently for something obscene like $6000. Beautiful and amazing machines but that is just an insane premium, especially when you consider how fast the value of technology depreciates. These will be worthless in a matter of years.

 

[xype]

Uhm, look at eBay for Apple prices. They don't decline as fast as x86 prices do. At least not in this part of the world.

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: Eug

The dual 2GHz will probably cost as much as a Dual Xeon with 4 gigs of RAM and a SCSI RAID setup. $5000+ USD is my guess.

That's something good to hear, as I'm planning an A/V workstation, and it will most definitely not be a Mac (the new Macs look like they'll be better in the processor department, but even on the highest-end machines, to have SCSI or RAID requires a separate upgrade - something that's not acceptable to me or my budget).

Power Macs used to all come stock with SCSI hard drives, but they have long since scrapped that. So nobody likes software RAID via Serial ATA?

When you need reliability and ultimate speed, neither software RAID or SATA satisfy.

 

[Go3iverson]

Say what you will about Apple, but they sure know how to cause an entire frenzy over every little thing that they do. This machine is also a huge step in closing the performance gap.

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: gramboh
I do not dispute that Macs are great machines and OSX is awesome. I just think the price premium is no where near appropriate for what you get. One friend of mine shelled out $4000 or $5000 CAD for a Ti Powerbook last summer which is already underpowered (in my opinion, 500MHz 512meg ram) and another just bought a 17 inch with a gig of ram recently for something obscene like $6000. Beautiful and amazing machines but that is just an insane premium, especially when you consider how fast the value of technology depreciates. These will be worthless in a matter of years.

Try pricing some PC laptops with similar specs (except for a faster CPU). It's extremely difficult to get a PC laptop with similar specs (esp. weight) for the same price. In fact, I went looking for an IBM T30 for my boss, and it was CAD$5700.

 

[MacNStein]

Hi Eug. :beer:

Guess I'll be posting here since MacNN is down...

The dual 2GHz will probably cost as much as a Dual Xeon with 4 gigs of RAM and a SCSI RAID setup. $5000+ USD is my guess.

Uh, no. It'll be $2999. That's with Dual G5 2GHz and all the trimmings. Not a better editting station can be had for even close to that price, on ANY platform.

Did I hear someone say "Crapple"?

Grow up.

Will it run Windows fast?

See, that's the problem. Everything runs on Windows. Laugh if you like, but that's the way the big fish with eight figure checkbooks with their pen in hand and my name on the check are thinking. Money talks here.

When will one of these systems be in CompUSSR for a test drive?

You're assuming that everyone WANTS to run Winblows. Everything runs on Windows? None of the software I want runs on it, including OS X. Windows is an ugly joke. If it weren't for the fact that Ma and Pa Kettle can buy a PC at the local swap meet for $400, M$ wouldn't even have a market. You wanna throw flames? I can sling `em with the best. If you want to talk logically and intelligently, then that's fine. But, if you want to talk out of your ass, then this is the type of reaction you'll get. As said earier, grow up.

 

[Eug]

Uh, no. It'll be $2999. That's with Dual G5 2GHz and all the trimmings. Not a better editting station can be had for even close to that price, on ANY platform.

Hi MacNStein.

Dual 2 GHz with all the trimmings? I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if it were under $3500.

Hopefully there will be a dual 1.8, but it doesn't look like it.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: MacNStein
Uh, no. It'll be $2999. That's with Dual G5 2GHz and all the trimmings. Not a better editting station can be had for even close to that price, on ANY platform.

Do you have any evidence of that? I'm just curious why Apple would sell a better computer for that far less than their current computer. For example the Dual 1.42GHz PowerPC G4 costs $3799. Why would Apple sell a much faster computer for $2999? Sure they can do it, but the question is why they would do it.

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: MacNStein
Uh, no. It'll be $2999. That's with Dual G5 2GHz and all the trimmings. Not a better editting station can be had for even close to that price, on ANY platform.

Do you have any evidence of that? I'm just curious why Apple would sell a better computer for that far less than their current computer. For example the Dual 1.42GHz PowerPC G4 costs $3799. Why would Apple sell a much faster computer for $2999? Sure they can do it, but the question is why they would do it.

They've done it before several times actually. What they do is price it, and then leave it that way for months, regardless of what's happening to prices around them. If costs drop a lot, then they lower prices, and sometimes by a huge margin.

However, I don't see that happening this time, since the US buck is doing so crappy, etc.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: Eug
They've done it before several times actually. What they do is price it, and then leave it that way for months, regardless of what's happening to prices around them. If costs drop a lot, then they lower prices, and sometimes by a huge margin.

However, I don't see that happening this time, since the US buck is doing so crappy, etc.

But didn't they just reduce the ultimate price? That would be two price cuts in a short time and a better computer.

 

[lameaway]

So macnstein... you complain about someone saying Crapple, then say Winblows is an ugly joke? Yes... sensible and logical, right. I like to bash Windows in favor of linux/bsd as much as anyone, but XP Pro is a far cry from an ugly joke. Have you ever even used it?

At any rate, i'm not going to argue about the "best editing station" or the intangible value of "something ma and pa can take home in a box". All I can say is that $3000 will buy a frickin boatload of PC hardware (think dual xeon/2 gigs RAM/hardware RAID 5/radeon9700, you name it). All I was saying before the flames started is that from a computer enthusiast's point of view, this box will be no holy grail of performance... anything else is personal preference. For some people this thing will be simply the greatest thing money can buy, but its just not jumping ahead of the PC industry in raw price/performance, not even close.

 

[MacNStein]

Originally posted by: lameaway
So macnstein... you complain about someone saying Crapple, then say Winblows is an ugly joke? Yes... sensible and logical, right. I like to bash Windows in favor of linux/bsd as much as anyone, but XP Pro is a far cry from an ugly joke. Have you ever even used it?

At any rate, i'm not going to argue about the "best editing station" or the intangible value of "something ma and pa can take home in a box". All I can say is that $3000 will buy a frickin boatload of PC hardware (think dual xeon/2 gigs RAM/hardware RAID 5/radeon9700, you name it). All I was saying before the flames started is that from a computer enthusiast's point of view, this box will be no holy grail of performance... anything else is personal preference. For some people this thing will be simply the greatest thing money can buy, but its just not jumping ahead of the PC industry in raw price/performance, not even close.

Yes, I unfortunately have to run WinXP Pro from time to time. *sudder* I've only been a Mac Switcher for less than a year, before then I was a PC user/owner. I had no idea how much better life is on the "Lightside". And I only made that comment in reference to his. Look farther down on my post.

Yes, you can buy a boatload of PC hardware for $3K, but it doesn't matter to me. It won't do what's most important, run OS X.

Eug,

I found out the details on pricing from a pricing matrix from my Rep. The G4s are being completely removed and only the G5 will remain (I guess they'll sell the remaining G4 PMs to schools at cost or something).

Dual 2GHz - $2999
Single 1.8 - $2299
Single 1.6 - $1699

Not the prices I'd like, I'd prefer their existing tiers ($2699, 1999, & 1499) but, it's still not bad.

Yes, the first G5 2GHz dually that I see will be mine. I've been waiting for 6 months to pull the trigger on this purchase.

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: MacNStein

Eug,

I found out the details on pricing from a pricing matrix from my Rep. The G4s are being completely removed and only the G5 will remain (I guess they'll sell the remaining G4 PMs to schools at cost or something).

Dual 2GHz - $2999
Single 1.8 - $2299
Single 1.6 - $1699

Not the prices I'd like, I'd prefer their existing tiers ($2699, 1999, & 1499) but, it's still not bad.

Yes, the first G5 2GHz dually that I see will be mine. I've been waiting for 6 months to pull the trigger on this purchase.

Hmmm... You have pricing already?

Anyways, your price structure with the $2699 or $2999 does not include the top machine. The current machine with all the fixins is $3799.

 

[CrashX]

Originally posted by: MacNStein

Yes, the first G5 2GHz dually that I see will be mine. I've been waiting for 6 months to pull the trigger on this purchase.

It's amazing to me that anyone out there would spend $3000 on a machine. I've spent half that in the last three years upgrading my PC and selling off the parts, and I've always had top of the line. But with a name like MacNStein, I shouldn't be too surprised I guess, Mac fans will spend any dollar amount asked of them if it gets them that pretty Apple symbol on the front.

Originally posted by: MacNStein

Everything runs on Windows? None of the software I want runs on it, including OS X.

Interesting, none of the software I want runs on Mac, including OS X.

 

[addragyn]

Yes that must be it. People who buy something more expensive than what you do are idiots. Without possesions to be righteous about who would we be!?

Reverse snobbery is just as stupid as the real thing.

 

[addragyn]

Applications

Native OS X Applications (list)

Fink: UNIX software for your Mac.

http://www.macosxapps.com/

http://www.insidemacgames.com/

VersionTracker.com (the big kahuna)

http://osx.freshmeat.net/

http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/trove_list.php?form_cat=309

 

[Cadaver]

As someone who uses both MacOS X and Windows XP, I hope these "specs" are close to being true.
Might finally bring the Mac's speed in line with Intel/AMD.
While MacOS X is a slick OS, my AMD machine is much faster...

 

[bigpow]

:disgust:

 

[CaptKevMan]

Originally posted by: CrashX
It's amazing to me that anyone out there would spend $3000 on a machine. I've spent half that in the last three years upgrading my PC and selling off the parts, and I've always had top of the line. But with a name like MacNStein, I shouldn't be too surprised I guess, Mac fans will spend any dollar amount asked of them if it gets them that pretty Apple symbol on the front.

To me, that Apple symbol on the case means I don't have to wrestle with my hardware or OS to get my computer to do what I want it to do. I can't say that about my Windows experiences.

I know there are a lot of people who like to tweak and tinker with their hardware and OS, but I'm not one of them. I think you'll find that most Mac users are that way: screw the "geek factor"...we just want to get stuff done without a fight.

At least, that's where I come from.

 

[addragyn]

Hell of a deal for Shake users *if* you're looking into OS X *and* these new boxes show before 6/30. If you buy Shake 3 for OS X and have a Maya serial the price difference should pay for a very nice box and screen.


. . . . . . . . . . .OS X. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IRIX/Linux
GUI. . . . . . . . $4,950. . . . . . . . . . . . . .$9,900 +$1,485 annual maint.
Render. . . . . .free. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,900 +585 annual maint.

Discount. . . -$2,000 w/ Maya serial. . .NA

http://www.apple.com/shake/



NEED CODE TAGS

 

[BFG10K]

A reason I'm not as suspect of the specs (all though they do seem too good to be true) is that Apple doesn't worry about legacy hardware the way the Windows/x86 world has to.

Legacy hardware has nothing to do with it.

They ditched floppies, PS/2, parallel ports, ect. years ago so I wouldn't be too surprised to see new tech become standard Mac issue before it gets a foot hold in the x86 world.

I would, considering Intel is the one who is designing the technology. And if Intel ain't finished then Apple isn't gonna be using it.

 

[halik]

if the price is 1699,
thats 1650 with educational discoount meaning i will have one as soon as they come out