[Macinposh]

A noob here asking stuff again.




So, in short.

My old workhorse (533 G4 Digital audio) is finally falling apart and im in for a hunt for a new rig.

I work as a photog so the use would be only using the CS 2.

The problem is that i am not too keen on jumping on the Quad G5 boat now, with all the big intell workrigs just behind the corner.

Sooo, i was just thinking of getting the new mini for a short (9month?) replacement untill the Quad Woodcrests (Q3?) or the quad quad cores come out in (Q1?).
Then i could retire the mini to my home media center,wich of i am in need anyway.

1.To make the the mini even somewhat decent, i tought maxing the memory to 2gigs and replacing the 5400rpm hard drive with some 7200rpm.

2.But, i dont seem to find any info on the 80/100 gig hdd´s if they are 7200rpm´s or the slower ones?
If they are the slower ones, well, then i´ll have to replace them myself.
It is a normal 2.5" sata,is it?

3.And for the future, does the future processors,for example, fit and work in the socket? Obviously the heat might be a bit of a problem, but, in general, do the 64bit processors work on this platform?

4.In wich way would the integrated GPU affect my working? Apparently in that kind of work the GPU doesnt play that big role? Or ?

5.Well, how retarded does this option sound in general?


Thanks in advance!

[Banana]

I'd probably just upgrade the G4- add some more RAM and buy a new HD. If its already maxed out, processor should be upgraded as well. Seem to me more cost effective to upgrade a system to use for 9 months than to buy a compartively weaker system.

[chucker]

I'll start with 5. A Mac mini doesn't occur to me like it would be a good option for you. Rather, I would recommend an iMac to you. It solves your hard drive problem, it comes with a replaceable CPU, and it is generally much faster. It also has DVI-out, just like the Mac mini, so if you have some existing screen you want to use with it, go ahead, but you'll probably find that the built-in one is excellent anyway.

That said, here goes for the others, in case you're still thinking about a mini:

4. The GPU won't affect you much at all, especially when you're using CS2 exclusively, which is architecturally so outdated that it doesn't really benefit from GPU acceleration at all. If you use some different photography software, however, such as Adobe Lightroom or Apple Aperture, the GPU will matter, and the Mac mini's GPU will slow you down tremendously, to the amount where you'll just give up on it. The iMac's GPU, on the other hand, will work greatly.

3. I'm not sure if Intel has clarified yet whether Merom, the next-generation CPU for this purpose, will fit into the same socket. That's not for Apple to decide. That said, a higher-clocked Yonah will indeed fit, assuming that the Mac mini uses a socket at all, which I'm not positive about (the iMac does; the MacBook Pro does not). However, there will indeed be heat problems.

2. It is indeed a normal 2.5-inch SATA drive. Apple only offers 5400 RPM ones; putting a 7200 RPM one in yourself is certainly possible, but again, it's going to cause heat problems.

I hope that helps. Generally, if you can't wait for an Intel-based PowerMac successor, I strongly recommend you get an iMac. It's an excellent machine, whether you like all-in-one or not.

[Macinposh]

Thx.

Sorry, i was a bit vague....

Banana, my g4 is just breaking down (main board,propably).No point of trying to keep it alive anymore.
And processor cards are out of question.
I could buy a G5 tower for the same price i´ll get a 2x1ghz...


Chucker, thanks for the info!

imac is out in that sense that i have a exelent calibrated monitor that i want to use (continuity.. with that piece i know what i get,wich is important to me) AND i would like to have the possibility to hide the machine in the livingrooms TV cupboard...
the imac would become useless for me after i would get the "macpro´s".
I just wouldnt have place/use for it.

And in mini it is a socketed processor. Somebody have allready changed it to a 2.0gig without any problems. No apparent heat problems either.

[Banana]

Would you consider a old school PM?

It looks like you could get a Cube for $289, dual cores G4 from 400 to 800.

Will give you more power, and will be a good solution in case Apple's new PM doesn't come on time (unlikely, but you never know), and presumably can put all your upgrades form your system in this one...

Does that help?

http://www.lowendmac.com/ppc/deals.html

[PB PM]

I don't think Dual G4s would fit in a Cube. But you could at least get a 1.8Ghz, and its likely in a few months we'll see 7448 based upgrade chips so that could be interesting.

[Banana]

oops- didn't mean to sound like cube are dual cores- I was referring to another model that uses dual cores g4.

[adamb]

You say your main use is CS2.

A universal binary version wont be available until closer to the end of 2006, meaning you will have to run it in Rosetta, resulting in a fairly large decrease in performance.

Also, you will actually have to buy CS3 when released to get the full potential of the intel cpu, whereas if you get a decent G5 system now (and uninstall CS2 from the current G4) you can just use it running at maximum performance.

[Macinposh]

Originally Posted by Banana Does that help? http://www.lowendmac.com/ppc/deals.html

Thx again!
They only problem for me is that i am on the old continent, and ordering stuff from states is a bit bitchy tax.deduction wise and there is lot of hassle with the customs. I get a full write off of stuff bought from here, so, dang...

Adambrennan.
Yes,i now that the universals (CS3) come out in in the end of Q4 or Q1. So i would have to run CS2 through rosetta untill that,for the next 9 months.
So the replacement would have to do better than my old G4 for that time AND be usefull for me after it get replcaced too...So much demands...
So finding a replacement that could run the CS2,(at about the same speed as G4 AND be usefull for me afterwards..) for 9months would be the thing!


And getting now a G5 is not the best option for the future either. I have a tendency to to work with the same setup for 3-6 years, just to have the continuity in the workflow. So that wise the newer intelstuffs with the quad or quad quads and CS3s would fit the bil, and promise continuity for the next 5 years.



Does anybody have some links where you could compare the iMac and Mini to older modells, perfomance wise to the older models?
Just to make sure that the replacement dont run PS slower than my 5yr old rig...

[trevo]

Originally Posted by Macinposh A noob here asking stuff again. The problem is that i am not too keen on jumping on the Quad G5 boat now, with all the big intell workrigs just behind the corner.

Nothing wrong with buying a 'Quad'