Which powermac should i get?

[mak_attack]

Hi,

I am a long time Windows user and have decided to switch to Apple as I am using them more and more for my course and work.

I do not have a clue on which G5 Powermac to purchase. I would like to make a good investment and use it for many years to come.

The programs i am most likely to run on a regular basis are Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Final Cut, Maya, Toast, Music stuff and various other multimedia design based software.

I do get an education discount and have been looking at the following specs.

1.
Single 1.8 GHz G5 / 512MB SDRAM / 160GB Serial ATA / DVD-R/CD-RW / ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB, ADC/DVI / Bluetooth Module / AirPort Extreme Card (£1050 ish give or take a few upgrades)

2.
Dual 1.8 GHz G5 / 512MB SDRAM / 160GB Serial ATA / DVD-R/CD-RW / ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB, ADC/DVI / Bluetooth Module / AirPort Extreme Card (£1325 ish give or take a few upgrades)

3.
Dual 2 GHz G5 / 512MB SDRAM / 160GB Serial ATA / DVD-R/CD-RW / ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB, ADC/DVI / Bluetooth Module / AirPort Extreme Card (£1525 ish give or take a few upgrades)

I have set aside around £200 for an LCD monitor so this is likely to bump up the combined cost of what i purchase. I would like to spend a decent/fair amount in order to get a good return of investment.

I am new to macs for homeuse. I would like the machine to run at good performance levels for the mentioned software that i am most likely to use. I would like machine to last for a long period of time.

Can you please help in recommending a system?

thanks in advance for any help given

[BroadbandPlacey]

id go for number 2 i think... it seems to fit the bill and youll still have some money for a few upgrades, you might consider doubling the ram for those programs... 512's ok, but 1024 would improve pshop ect quite abit...

[Stoo]

2, then beef up the ram to at least 1GB, and think about putting at least another 160GB drive in as video editing uses lots of drive space..

[Doug]

Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Final Cut, Maya, Toast, Music stuff and various other multimedia design based software.

The single 1.8 will be more than fast enough for Photoshop, Illustrator, Toast , and music apps. Final Cut will like having more ram and will make good use of more horsepower - and Maya's a bit of a guzzler...

So, I'd suggest the Dual 1.8, stock, and chuck in a pair of 512Mb's from Crucial (just under £100)

If you ever fancy using Motion, though, you'll need something a little beefier than that 9600XT (my 9600Pro struggles), but Maya should be happy with it.

[daverobev]

Why not just get the 1.8 iMac? Saves the £200 on TFT...?

IMO, the cost of third party upgrades for macs is huge, so...when its too slow, sell and buy a new one.

Just a thought!

[mak_attack]

hi,

i am now considering the 2.0 dual.

what do people think?

any dual 2.0 owners out there to give more information on the system?

thanks,