Old G4 dual 800mhz, or new 1gig dual

[russiver]

I'm a PC user converting to my first mac and would like to get a power platform on which to build. The question is do I opt for one of the few remaining G4 dual 800's, available at heavy discount, or, opt for the new 1 Gig dual.
With the introduction of the G5 seemingly less than a year away the 800 dual would seem to offer excellent value. Can anyone convince me otherwise?

 

[evildead]

your probably right

The G5 is going to be a MAJOR upgrade... I wouldnt go out and spend too much on a Mac now. The G5 is going to support DDR, USB2.0, FireWire2.0, faster bus, etc... plus the CPU. I wouldn't spend too much money now...


btw... congrats on becomming a Mac user. One more convert!!!

 

[atomwork]

how much is enough?

you have to ask you when enough is enough. I will get the dual 1GHZ now. Its so blazing fast from my workflow that there is no need later again to upgrade to a G5.

I mean. For print and web it really ain't matter anymore. May be for video i would get the cheaper one and later stock up.

 

[Beej]

I guess it would depend on the price... what can you get the dual 800 for?

 

[dougie]

When was the last MAJOR (ie dramatic) performance increase? Never... G3 to G4 with just about none available, about a 20% clock speed improvement...
To go from 1.0 to 1.6 Ghz, a 60% jump: everybody talked as if it were the obvious thing in early Jan. HA! Mark this: It will not happen! If history is a guide...a G5 will at most be a 1.4 and likely be bumped to $3500 again. So a Dual 1 is probably fine to jump in with as speeds will always (graadduuaallyy)
get better.

 

[lewdvig]

Forget the G5

Its gonna cost a bundle!

I am in the same boat and here is my plan:

Find a good deal on an DP 800. Use the money saved to fill it with Ram and a couple more drives. Swap out the video card for a Radeon 8500.

 

[lewdvig]

Plus, resale value

Macs hold their value. If you decide to upgrade this fall, you will get top dollar for your DP.

Check our eBay - where idiots buy used DP machines for more $$$ than a new one costs.

 

[russiver]

Thanks for the replies. It would seem opion is 50/50 split. Dual 800's in the Uk are now very thin on the ground with the remaining few being sold off for around £2150 ($3000). Taking the point that macs are a bit like Mercdedes benz in terms of depreciation, think I'll opt for the dual 1 gig which hopefully will serve me well into the future.
Still hope the G5 when released is revolutionary, further swinging the scales in the Mac/PC battle.

 

[AlphaTech]

How about spending a bit less and get the G4 933MHz model?? opt down to the Radeon card (save a few $$) and then use the money you saved to increase the memory, get a Radeon 8500 video card, and as many hard drives as you want.

I will probably be getting a new Mac tower after MWNY this year, and will go for the fastest single processor and then 'tweak' it.