Intel vs Power PC

[leaversday]

Much help and advice is needed to make up my mind . I have about $2,800 to spend on a new system and would like to buy another MAC. The problem is Power PC or the new Intel Duo Core.

I would like the new Macbook Pro (1.8 w/ 1 GB RAM) but don't want to be a test pilot for the new platform. Plus the software available seems very limited and will be for some time.

On the other hand is the reliable 2.3 Dual Core Power Mac G5 (2GB RAM). This seems like the logical choice until the intel platform is stable and software is re-written but is this a sinking ship that will be phased out. I don't want to spend $2500 on a computer than will be forgotten in a year once Intel is fully in the MAC market.

Any thoughts on this???

Also, how does the specs of both machines compare to the norm on this site using say the firepod and cubase sx? Is it below or around average for recording 8 tracks at once?

 

[Creamyapples1]

you can build a pc with parts from www.newegg.com that will stand beside damn near any manufactured PC for half the price.




This public service announcement brought to you today by Murf, the letter L and the number 4.

 

[Kasey]

he doesnt want a pc, he wants a mac. psh... who'd want a pc...

 

[dgatwood]

Much help and advice is needed to make up my mind . I have about $2,800 to spend on a new system and would like to buy another MAC. The problem is Power PC or the new Intel Duo Core.

I would like the new Macbook Pro (1.8 w/ 1 GB RAM) but don't want to be a test pilot for the new platform. Plus the software available seems very limited and will be for some time.

That seems reasonable, if only because there are a lot of hardware devices you may want to use that aren't Intel-compatible yet, and because you probably don't want to run a performance-critical app like an audio app in emulation.

On the other hand is the reliable 2.3 Dual Core Power Mac G5 (2GB RAM). This seems like the logical choice until the intel platform is stable and software is re-written but is this a sinking ship that will be phased out. I don't want to spend $2500 on a computer than will be forgotten in a year once Intel is fully in the MAC market.

Well, I can give you my gut feeling. Right now, I'd lean towards the PowerMac for audio, as it gives you a lot more flexibility and the software is already optimized for it. On the flip side, before I got locked into a DAW, I'd contact the company that makes it to be certain that they have a road map for moving to Intel support in the future.

I don't think that the PowerPC hardware will be forgotten in a year by any means. Remember that Apple supportred 68k Macs for 4 1/2 years after the first PowerPC hardware came out, and that was in an era where the OS was mostly written in assembly language. For at least a couple years after that, you could still get a good chunk of software that was built fat for 68k/PPC. It wasn't really until Mac OS X started becoming popular that maintaining 68k support became impractical.

Now that it is relatively easy to maintain software in a cross-architecture fashion, developers could maintain PowerPC support almost indefinitely for little more than testing resources, so long as there isn't some compelling feature that simply can't perform adequately on the older hardware. If history is any indication, it is likely that you will outgrow the hardware long before it is "forgotten" by most software developers.

Personally, I just bought a quad 2.5 GHz PowerMac, and it freaking screams.

Also, how does the specs of both machines compare to the norm on this site using say the firepod and cubase sx? Is it below or around average for recording 8 tracks at once?

Cubase SX? Eww. Jeez, at least use a DAW whose name doesn't describe its quality....

As for the FirePod, you have the advantage of being able to move to Intel hardware as soon as your DAW is native (or before, but performance won't be ideal), since the FirePod uses Apple's FW AVC drivers natively.

I don't know if Presonus has build a universal version of their tool for updating the firmware or their tool for changing the FirePod between internal and S/PDIF sync yet, but if not, I doubt it will be too long. They seem pretty competent.

 

[Tifstorey]

The Intel Macbook are a bit of a let down in my eyes. They say theyre so good, but theres things i dont trust.. Like how they say 2x faster than the G4 powerbook.. Well... The G4 powerbook is using a what.. 4 year old processor? Plus using only ONE processor instead of 2, so yeah.. of course its going to be 2x as fast!

I'm going to be buying a new Powermac later this year, looking at the quad right now. I currently have a dual 1.8 with 3Gb ram which runs perfectly for me, but i've been given the chance to upgrade quite cheaply so im thinking of taking up the offer

Bottom line: Things are always going to be coming out soon which are upgrades - If you wait for the next upgraded machine, your going to be waiting for a long long long time..

 

[altitude909]

Also, how does the specs of both machines compare to the norm on this site using say the firepod and cubase sx? Is it below or around average for recording 8 tracks at once?

Here is a good site for Cubase peformance

http://www.informationarchitecture.it/cubasetest/results.php?order=performance

No Duo yet but Lenovo is already selling windows based laptops so that should give you a decent idea soon.

Your quandery is reasonable though, get the latest and have to wait for native software or get whats on the way out (Jobs said 12 months after the laptops switch, the Ibm 970 will be no more in macs) so its a tough call

 

[Tifstorey]

I was talking to one my mates who works for apple, and he told me something which i think i shouldn't be telling people, but he didn't say anything, and i trust you guys

He said Motorola have invested a hell of alot of money into designing a new processor so they dont have to work with Intel chips. That's all he said.. He isn't really the kinda guy to lie, but i cant seem to believe it for some reason.

 

[altitude909]

He said Motorola have invested a hell of alot of money into designing a new processor

Which they will not be selling to apple. IBM has the nice position of being able to sell alot more ppc chips for the xbox than it ever did to apple, AND be in the partnership with sony for the cell processer (ps3) so the chances of every going back to a low volume company like apple is nill.

 

[Tifstorey]

No, sorry. He said they had given the money to Apple to be invested into designing a new chip.

 

[VSProductions]

go with a Power Mac G5 if you want a desktop. any software you are going to be running for recording is not availible for "universal", the intel macs. for a laptop, powerbooks dont let many people down.. the core duo is 1.1 to 1.3 times faster, it has two cores.. BUT any software that requires using powerpc architecture has to run in an app called rosetta, and it takes 2 to 3 times longer. no good for recording. pick up the new MacWorld, theres a whole lotta stuff on it this month.