> I'm doing mostly involved photography processing in the HDR area > now ... so speed is a good thing. > > All my applications are 32bit style coding ... will I run into any > problems with G5s in general?
No. I even compile TenFourFox in 32-bit mode for G5s because it has Carbon dependencies. > What about the cooling systems ... didn't some of them have problems > with the liquid cooling idea? > > I have a number of PCI cards that are still good ... what ideas do you > have here? I may just wait for a QS Dual 1GHz cpu to appear, and > consider going with an MDD for increase in speed in the future. > > Suggestions on which ones in the G5 family (and others) to consider > are welcomed. Not too fat in the wallet ... G5s as a whole can be cantankerous and difficult to repair, but well treated they can last for a long time. It helps to buy the right one, though. Personally, I believe the only two worth owning are the dual 2.3, because it is the fastest air-cooled G5, or the quad 2.5, because it is the fastest Power Mac ever and its liquid cooling system is more reliable than previous machines. G5s slower than this are not significantly faster than the G4s they replaced and have more headaches, and the other G5s have various higher than average component failure rates (usually power supply or LCS). In your case, you may need to consider the dual 2.7 because it will still accept your PCI cards; the quad 2.5 will only handle PCIe. However, the dual 2.7 is actually not as fast as the quad (not only cores, but bigger caches), and it has a higher LCS failure rate. I own a quad, and it is a solid machine (and has been for over six years), but it is power hungry and can be noisy. Still, it runs my Power Mac apps like nothing else, and my legacy hardware was all external, so the PCIe slots are now filled with extension cards instead. And interestingly my MDD has failed more times than the G5 (the MDD has blown through two power supplies in its lifetime, while the G5 has never needed any significant maintenance other than cleaning). But the MDD will be cheaper to buy, a bit quieter and less expensive to run and maintain, so given that you have a need to keep your old PCI cards, an MDD may actually be a better option for you if you don't need the "fastest Mac ever." -- ------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ -- Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * [email protected] -- FORTUNE: Today is an excellent day to have a totally rotten day. ----------- -- You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list
