Which Mac to get?

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pianoman1976

pianoman1976

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Hello friends,

I am building a Mac based home studio. I plan on running Pro Tools LE/M Powered. In addition I'll be using Garage Band, Live and Reason with various sample libraries from NI and Ilio that I will be triggering from my piano controller.

My budget for the computer alone is $1000. A pre-owned iMac seems to be a good fit, but I am concerned about the 2GB memory cap. I've heard these newer samples require a lot of memory.

What is the memory limit on a late model G4? Would this be a better option? Should I consider an early model G5 MacPro? Can I get one of these in the $1000 range?

Thanks,

Ryan
 
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You need to go on eBay and do some research on what these particular models are selling for.

Another possibility would be to go for a new Mac Mini and inexpensive monitor. At this point, you might find it nice to have a new Intel Mac rather than an old G4 or G5. With a new Mac you'll be able to use the newest version of Garageband and whatever plugins interest you.
 
pianoman1976 said:
My budget for the computer alone is $1000. A pre-owned iMac seems to be a good fit, but I am concerned about the 2GB memory cap. I've heard these newer samples require a lot of memory.

What is the memory limit on a late model G4? Would this be a better option? Should I consider an early model G5 MacPro? Can I get one of these in the $1000 range?
Click to expand...

You don't want anything G4-based. They're relatively slow by modern standards. The G5s can still hold their own. A Mac Pro is not a G5. It's Intel-based. The word you're looking for is PowerMac.

What would I suggest you get?

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...browse&mco=2F15A1DE&node=home/macbook/macbook

It's a hundred over your budget (before tax), but that's for a brand new computer with full warranty. ALWAYS buy the extended warranty. I've never had a laptop where the extended warranty didn't pay for itself several times over.
 
I'm clear on the Mac lingo now, thanks.

So with a $1000 budget, which Mac would be best? (aside from the laptop already mentioned) A pre-owned Intel iMac, or a G5 PowerMac tower? Again, I love the Intel iMac, my only concern is the memory cap at 2GB. Is 2GB enough?

Thanks.
 
$1000.00 is clearly a limited budget. You"re gonna have to cut corners somewhere.

2 gig iMac.... I don't believe the Pro Tools core architecture takes advantage of much more than 2 gig. That of course not to say that sample based players might not need more ESPECIALLY as we rocket into the future. The iMac are great machines and at their price points VERY tough to beat as a bargain.

My PowerMac G5 has been a good machine (and it has 4 gig of ram) but seems to have been caught in the whirlwind of Apples move to Intel. It feels decidedly and noticeably slower than my machine...by a long shot.

If I was going native based and my choice was either an old G5 PowerMac or an new iMac (Native based being the key phrase) there is but no question I'd go with the faster (by far) machine with less ram.

IMac
 
I think 2 gig is enough, unless you are planning some really heavy virtual instrument usage. My Mac Pro has only 2 gig in it at this point and I haven't run into any limitations yet.

You definitely want to get onboard with an intel Mac.
 
I just bought an 17" imac c2d refurb off of the apple website. It was $850 and came with 1 gig of ram/160gb seagate hd.

The new version sells for 1199 and has a 20" screen. New imacs will accept up to 4gb of ram.

The last generation (white imacs) will take up to 3 gb of ram.

I upped my ram to 2gb using corsair value select. for about $80 bucks. (less rebate) from newegg.

So if you are in budget mode, I'd suggest a c2d imac refurb.

Actually, if you wait a few weeks, some of the new versions may start trickling in.
 
if you're concerned with having 4 GB RAM, a new Intel iMac (aluminum & glass) will be your best bet. it's a little over your budget, but it makes the most sense.
 
Yeah, as was said the new iMac can take up to 4GB! I just learned this. Very good news! I'll have to do some thinking as to if I really need it or not. If I don't need it, I can save a lot of money by going with the older model. It all comes down to samples I guess.

Thanks for the advice.
 
Mr. Antrobus said:
The last generation (white imacs) will take up to 3 gb of ram.
Click to expand...

I thought 2 GB was the max. Are you sure about this? So there are 3 generations of Intel iMacs, with memory caps at 2, 3 and now 4 GB? If this is the case, how do I decipher between the 2 and 3's?
 
Although my studio is running off an iMac G4, I don't think I will go that route when we upgrade. No PCI expansion (UAD or other HW upgrades) and the memory/cpu upgrades are either a bitch/expensive to install or not upgradeable at all. Definetly the tower route next time around. FWIW.
 
pianoman1976 said:
I thought 2 GB was the max. Are you sure about this? So there are 3 generations of Intel iMacs, with memory caps at 2, 3 and now 4 GB? If this is the case, how do I decipher between the 2 and 3's?
Click to expand...

I believe the iMac G5s that didn't have an iSight built-in topped out at 2 GB (I had one). Every G5/Intel iMac (white) since then could top out at 3GB. Then, they released the Intel (aluminum/glass with Santa Rosa chipset) that will take 4 GB.
 
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