NEW POWERMACS!!!!

[John H]

1Ghz - 1.42Ghz

entry level only $1,499

new 20" Cinema display, lower prices on older models.

check out the apple site.

The one negative thing is that the entry level model is only a single cpu model.

[GORILLA]

Pretty cool!!! That 20" not only looks nice, but in reach now!!
Hey, did you see the Digidesign section on the expansion page? Cool! So if I bought the HD3 I can put all the PCI cards in the Mac? Someone told me once before I'd need the 7-bay expansion unit. Just curious... believe ME!!

[Duardo]

New monitor pricing is pretty cool.

The computers themselves don't seem to be a huge step up...nothing wrong with baby steps though.

-Duardo

[where02190]

All well and good, but if these are a continuation of the mirror door models, they don't play well with Protools.

Hope this is helpful.

[prepre]

The one negative thing is that the entry level model is only a single cpu model.[/QB][/QUOTE]

Lets hope these are not plug and pray as for compatibility and they don't sound like my girlfriend's hair dryer.

The new display lineup is WONDERFUL. I just dumped my dual apple 17 LCD pair and have made arrangements to replace them with two of the new 20s. I too fell for the 22 cinemaw display and bought the two 17s some months ago. Didn't see the awful off axis color shift in the 22 at apple store. Gear lust made me blind.

[where02190]

Originally posted by prepre:
Gear lust made me blind.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Ain't that always the way!!!!!

[jgehring]

Okay guys, this just sucks but I guess it's a nice problem to have. As of last night I was planning to pick up a PM G4/450 from a guy tonight for $650. My whole plan was to get accustomed to it & then try PT6 when it's released. For $650 though I can consider it a toy if I have to.

I look at the Apple site today to find that I can now get a new one for $1500 that's probably at least 3x as powerful! So, while I'm guessing the 450 will run PT6, now I don't know if I should just spend the extra $850 to know I won't have to concern myself with processing power for the forseeable future (please correct me if I'm wrong on that). But, for $1500, it's a committment.

What would you guys do?

[jgehring]

Also, I'm aware there have been architecture issues with the newest Macs, but I'm assuming if they're not rectified already they will be soon. Please let me know if I'm being naiive on that too...

[John H]

Okay guys, this just sucks but I guess it's a nice problem to have. As of last night I was planning to pick up a PM G4/450 from a guy tonight for $650. My whole plan was to get accustomed to it & then try PT6 when it's released. For $650 though I can consider it a toy if I have to.
I look at the Apple site today to find that I can now get a new one for $1500 that's probably at least 3x as powerful! So, while I'm guessing the 450 will run PT6, now I don't know if I should just spend the extra $850 to know I won't have to concern myself with processing power for the forseeable future (please correct me if I'm wrong on that). But, for $1500, it's a committment.

What would you guys do?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Here's why you made the right decision :

100% compatability vs flakey compatability/no compatability, the DDR models are poison, everyone knows that by now. I can't see these new models being any different.

A 450Mhz G4 is more like half the speed of a 1GHz G4, G4s over 533Mhz have less performance per clock cycle than the cpu in you're model has.

You can actually boot OS 9. Unless you've got $2,500 to spend, no new DDR G4 will boot OS 9. Even that one isn't technically new, it's the previous top of the range DDR model.

All you need to do to boost up that 450Mhz G4 is add a 1Ghz cpu upgrade. There's one you can buy for just under $550 made by a company called Giga Designs that got very good reviews on Xlr8yourmac. Review

In this Review on another site, the Giga upgrade reliably overclocks to 1.1Ghz on the older G4 models that only had a 100Mhz bus speed. It also has a 2Mb L3 cache which should add a little extra performance over the entry level G4.

You can cheaply upgrade the RAM on the older models, the CPUs in the DDR models take absolutely no advantage from the DDR memory and SDRAM is typically half the price.

[Hillbilly Pav]

The new machines apparently are not booting into OS9, so you better be ready for PT6 and OSX with no chance to go back to "safe ground" if things aren't working right away.

Get you plug-in update money ready!

Otherwise, looks like a small but welcome bump up.