[tskwara]

I have a 1.67 GHz 17" PowerBook G4 and decided to buy some pro applications to expand on a digital photography hobby. These apps include Final Cut Pro Studio, Adobe CS2 Premiere, and now Aperture. The idea was to really "get into it", more as a serious hobby though.

My problem is that I don't have enough time for furthering this hobby, and have a weakness for Apple products, so I keep buying stuff with the slightest amount of justification. So I bought a 30" Apple Cinema Display to help make the Apps more enjoyable. Then after new hardware was introduced, I bought a new Dual Core 2.3 GHz PowerMac, again to make the Apps more enjoyable.

The reality is that I need to scale down and I will put some stuff on eBay. I need advice as to what to keep and what to sell.

I have several thousand pictures on iPhoto and several hundred songs on iTunes, so I need to have a Mac, and it also has the capability to run the Pro apps.

One thought is to sell it all and buy a new iMac 20". Am I insane (again)?
Another thought is to keep the PowerMac and sell the rest.
Last thought is to keep the PowerBook and sell the rest.

Help me before I buy a Quad!!!!

Tom

[billybobsky]

Get slides of all of your images. Burn all of your music to tape. Buy a 1993 vintage sony walkman. Sell all of your computer gear. Move to commune that only has access to AA batteries and a slide projector...

[tskwara]

must...get...to...commune...must...get...help...

Wait a minute - I do have a vintage iPod (3rd gen - but I could update it to a video iPod...)

[psmith2.0]

Jeez-louise, you do need help. Even murbot isn't this nutty with all his Mac buying!



Okay, you want an honest, hardcase assessment and opinion? Well, I'm giving it anyway...grab on to something:

I'm betting - from what I gather - you're pulled in by marketing and specs. The idea of owning a dual-this or quad-that appeals to you more than the actual productivity and usage you'll GET from either.

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But that's kinda how it's coming across...

If I were you, honestly, I'd sell it all - while you still can get a decent price - and get a 20" iMac.

It's a 2.1GHz G5, with great graphics, huge hard drive, built-in iSight, gorgeous display...ah, you know all the rest...and if you DON'T, that might be at the root of this affliction of yours. Maybe you should slow down, do some smart, methodical research and put a bit more thought and care into your purchases (so you're not in this pickle to begin with).



You mention "serious hobby", and that's why I see the iMac being tailor-made for...serious muscle, without all the bulk and expansion of the towers.

Sell all the overkill (which you even allude to that being the case) and get something reasonable, why don't you? Take some of that significant money you'll be coming into and max out the iMac's RAM to 2.5GB.

If that doesn't meet your "hobby" needs, then a) you're not a hobbyist...you've somehow morphed into a demanding professional without knowing it, and b) I can't help you because you seem to have a fever...and the only prescription is more Apple crap.



I can't deal with the perpetually yearning, never-satisfied and the "got more money than common sense" types...so I've done all I can here (but it's a damn good, valid suggestion...give it serious consideration!).

Good luck! You'll thank me at some later point, trust me...

[Dave]

You should immediately buy a Quad G5 with the really good GFX card and two 30" Displays, then send it all to me. This will definitely help with your problem.

[halo1982]

Originally Posted by Dave You should immediately buy a Quad G5 with the really good GFX card and two 30" Displays, then send it all to me. This will definitely help with your problem.

I agree. And while you're at it send me the 2.3 Dual, and I'll send you my iBook!

[chucker]

Originally Posted by tskwara I have a 1.67 GHz 17" PowerBook G4 and decided to buy some pro applications to expand on a digital photography hobby. These apps include Final Cut Pro Studio, Adobe CS2 Premiere, and now Aperture. The idea was to really "get into it", more as a serious hobby though.

Whawhat? You blew well over $3000 on a "serious hobby", then realized you don't have time to "really get into it"?

You need much more than just "purchasing advice". You need to learn to spend money wisely, sparely, efficiently.

Seriously, what were you thinking? You could have gotten the 15-inch PowerBook instead. $500 saved. You could have gotten Final Cut Express instead. $1000 saved. You could have tried with iPhoto before getting Aperture. $499 saved. You probably didn't need the whole CS2 suite.

You could have easily spent half the amount you did and still ended up with an excellent laptop with included software (iLife) that lets you do basic video and photo editing. Once you realized doing that that you wanted more, you could have started to buy software.

What you did was very immature.

[psmith2.0]

And I thought I was laying into him a bit...along comes chucker.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 And I thought I was laying into him a bit...along comes chucker.

With applenut not "around", someone has to take up the job of being the resident asshole little-too-honest person.

[SonOfSylvanus]

[Maciej]

When I first read the title, I though you were going through opium withdrawals...

Now I see it is a much serious problem...

[tskwara]

pscates2.0,

Good advice. I was thinking the iMac was the best move myself. Chucker, the 30" ACD wasn't altogether that insane since I used it once in a presentation that landed me an $18K job. Although I probably would have gotton the job anyway, it was thrilling to see the customer's reaction. I had it connected to my PC using a Quadro FX4000 card and running SolidWorks.

You see, I have been able to play hard because I work hard (insanely hard at times). The beauty of Apple hardwar is that is has such a high residual value and I can simply pay to play. I have been able to recoupe a reasonable percentage of what I paid for this stuff after getting my fix.

Now then, how does the iMac hold up well for running the Pro Apps?

Thanks guys.

[torifile]

I'd recommend getting into credit counseling before this gets too out of hand. (And I say this in all seriousness.) You might also want to talk to someone about it. It sounds like there's more going on than just spending.

[sunrain]

Originally Posted by torifile I'd recommend getting into credit counseling before this gets too out of hand. (And I say this in all seriousness.) You might also want to talk to someone about it. It sounds like there's more going on than just spending.

Unless, he's filthy rich, in which case...can I have some money? I've got some hobbies that need funding.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by tskwara Chucker, the 30" ACD wasn't altogether that insane since I used it once in a presentation that landed me an $18K job. Although I probably would have gotton the job anyway, it was thrilling to see the customer's reaction. I had it connected to my PC using a Quadro FX4000 card and running SolidWorks.

You took a high risk and had a lot of luck. That's great. Don't be surprised, though, if it doesn't happen again.

[tskwara]

I appreciate all the love, I mean I really do. But please don't read too much into this. My question is about equipment consolidation and what to move forward with. There is a Zen to having the right equipment for the job - I just like to take a closer look at all the options. This stuff was purchased with MAD money. That is, money not dedicated to the need to spend it necessarily in a prudent way.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by tskwara There is a Zen to having the right equipment for the job

Sorry man, a $2500 laptop, a $2500 display and another $2000 worth of software are not "the right equipment" for the kind of job you've been vaguely talking about, not to mention you didn't have it at that point.

[atomicbartbeans]

Sell all your stuff (but save the pro apps) on eBay and get an iMac... what Scates said.

The new iMac is more than competent at running all the pro apps (hell, my 1.2 Ghz iBook does a fine job with Adobe CS), and you'll make several people happy with some gently-used Apple gear. Spend all that extra money on Flickr pro accounts for your friends ( ), a gigantic hard disk to store your photos, and a kick-ass SLR camera.

[tskwara]

Just one more thing...

There is nothing wrong with spening money on Apple hardware as long as it is within your budget and everyones budget is different. One might not understand the process of going through a lot of hardware, but you should read the avatars of the PDA people (Palm 1,2,3,4 PocketPC 1,2,3,4, etc.).

Anyway, the experience I have gained from owning many types of Apple hardware make me a better: industrial designer, graphic designer, software designer, electrical designer, and father to my kids whose eye pop when we sit around the 30" ACD for an hour or two laughing at our family pictures in all their glory.

Apple hardware and software provides me with a wonderful experience that has a high value to me. I simply passed on the other things some people spend money on (golf - $60 a round+++).

[Luca]

Selling everything and getting either a 15" PowerBook or a 20" iMac sounds like a great idea. Sell your software, too - even though you've opened the boxes, it's still worth quite a bit (though it'll have less value than the hardware).

Hell, maybe you can even keep the display - if it's within your budget to keep it, do so. It sounds like you really enjoy it. But ditch the PowerMac and the pro software. You don't need it.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by tskwara There is nothing wrong with spening money on Apple hardware as long as it is within your budget and everyones budget is different.

If you had found "nothing wrong", you wouldn't have created this thread to begin with. You comment about how you got nice looks for having a 30-inch display, yet you consider ditching that altogether for a 20-inch AIO display in the iMac. Don't you see a little problem there?

[tskwara]

No I don't see anything wrong. My post to this forum was simply an attempt to get some feedback relating to the consolidation of equipment. While I appreciate the added sidebar on credit counseling, this is not what I planned to talk about. Sorry for any confusion of what the topic was.

[Luca]

chucker, as much as I agree with you that tskwara has some problems, I think you should lighten up a little since he is admitting he has a problem. He's asking for help, people are giving suggestions, and so on. We don't know everything about tskwara's situation so I don't think we're in the position to be quite as critical of him as you are being.

I do agree, though, that you need to do something about your problem, tskwara. Back up your data and put your PowerMac on eBay as soon as you can. Don't put it off, just do it. And if there's anything else about this situation that we need in order to understand it better, please tell us!

[sunrain]

I'd also lose the Final Cut Studio package, since that has nothing to do with your photography hobby. Go grab a copy of Final Cut Express if you want something more full-featured than iMovie and want to play around.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by Luca chucker, as much as I agree with you that tskwara has some problems, I think you should lighten up a little since he is admitting he has a problem.

I'm sorry if my comments may come off as personal attacks. I just very much feel that tskwara has a problem (in terms of spending/valuing money and worth) he has not truly realized. I could be wrong, of course.

We don't know everything about tskwara's situation so I don't think we're in the position to be quite as critical of him as you are being.

Yes, you have a very strong point there. My mistake.

So let's just get back to the thread.

The way I see it, tskwara, you should be more specific on what you actually use your computer for. You have given hints regarding video editing and 3d. For those fields, contrary to what other people have said, an iMac G5 may be too limiting. Not because its hardware is bad, but because its hardware is not (or hardly) customizable and thus not scalable. Then again, neither is the PowerBook you currently have.

So if you need something truly high-end, get something like a Dual-Core PowerMac and a 23-inch Cinema Display. Still fairly high-end but not over-doing things. And once you realize you do need a bigger display, you can always get a second 23-inch ACD (saves you a lot of money!), or replace your the one with a 30-inch again.

You have a PowerBook, but how significantly is portability to you?

[chucker]

And yeah, I forgot to mention; on the software side, I agree with sunrain. You probably want FinalCut Express.

[tskwara]

Thanks for all the feedback (even chucker The plan will be to go forward with a 20" iMac after selling the rest on eBay. I've heard there are some complaints on Front Row. Has the maintenance release addressed the known issues?

[psmith2.0]

tskwara, I think the iMac G5 is your best bet. You never mentioned mobility being a chief concern, and no PowerBook, no matter how tricked-out and BTO'd, is going to come close to the most recent iMac G5.

It's a beautiful, capable machine. I can't think of any reason it wouldn't run the few apps you've mentioned just fine. I think, for your needs, the big towers and so forth is a bit overkill.

Just because you can doesn't always mean you should.

But it sounds like you have a strong work ethic, and like to reward yourself. If you've got the money, that's great. I hate to think you're doing all this without really paying for it (credit and so forth, and just moving it all around).



But I say get the 20" iMac G5 and call it a day. It's what I'd do.

[chucker]

As far as I'm concerned, Front Row is but a toy at this point. That's not to say it's useless, but there really isn't that much you can do with it.

It actually makes me wonder; do Aperture library files appear in it? Wouldn't be surprised if not. It seems to only interact with iPhoto.

[tskwara]

Good question about Aperture integration. I would generally import RAW file into Aperture and JPEGs into iPhoto (JPEG->wife, RAW->me).

You bring up a good point calling the app a toy, as this presents the paradoxical selection of the consumer app vs the pro app. I suppose this is where the express versions kick in.