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Seeking Power Mac Recommendations?

Posted by Cliff on from the a-nice-blue-juicy-one dept.

Pauly asks: "I'm going to do something I've never done: I'm buying a Mac. I'm a long-time UNIX developer and user for whom the prospect of trading a noisy, heat-spewing workstation or two in favor of a civilized Mac is irresistible. I'm quite used to making x86/*NIX hardware decisions. However, I'm finding myself stumped as I look at the G4/OS X options."

"As attractive as the (i|e)Macs are, I'm pretty certain I'll be getting a G4 tower to re-use my subtantial dual-monitor investment. Specifically, for my needs as a developer and power-user, I wonder:

  • Are modern G4 towers quieter and/or cooler than comparable x86 workstations?
  • Is it wiser to spend money on memory or megahertz?
  • Is it best to buy everything directly from Apple, or just a minimum to be fleshed out with cheaper, after-market add-ons?
  • What's the best video option for dual-head on Jaguar?
  • Does OS X make SMP worth the investment?
  • Is the SCSI performance gain great enough to be worth the investment over IDE?"

1 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. Where to by and what to look for by MrGHemp · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Welcome aboard!

    I've been purchasing Macs for our small company for years. Here are a few tips for getting the most bang for your buck...

    First off I'd like to say that you'll probably be happiest with a tower. Anyone who likes to tinker with hardware should get a G4 tower. iMacs are great little boxes, but they don't leave much room to play around.

    Processor speed increases happen slower in the Mac world than PC, so your not as prone to be left behind if you go with a slower processor. While the higher end models end up costing close to twice the lowest end (like 200mhz is worth it?)... that math for buying a higher end model never paned out for me (unless you have a lot of $$ to burn).

    I usually go to the Apple site to see what the current line up has to offer. Then I call around the catalog resellers (free memory is good) to see what they have available. Quite often they have a model just below the low end (considered hot a few months ago) for a substaintial discount. Or the same things listed on the Apple site, but at better prices... it's rare I can't find a better deal with a catalog reseller. Here are a few companies to look up:

    ClubMac
    MacWarehouse
    MacMall
    Other World Computing (OWC)
    CRW

    PS these guys usually don't have they're best deals listed on their websites.

    Good Luck