when to upgrade?

[Bryan Cook]

the guy i work with needs to upgrade to HD (currently on OS9 with 3card mix+)... but the intel desktops are supposed to come out soon. so do we buy the new towers when they come out and all the cards, apogee ad/da16s, etc, and hope whenever PT is adapted for intel that is purely software and no hardware changes?

also, could you even run PT in a non-native situation using rosetta? (or whatever that emulation application is)

updating PT software and plugins would be inconvenient but re-buying the cards and hardware for intel would be even worse.

thoughts/opinions?

[Craig F]

lets put it this way,

I don't trust Apple to stick w/ a hardware plan

[Andre Knecht]

Nor do I trust the first generation “anything” by Apple.

[ddayson]

I have a friend in the same boat, and the concensus so far is...

a) If you'll ever want to run any "Classic" apps then get the best G5 you can and go for it (their prices will fall when the newest desktop Macs are intro'd as well).

b) If Classic compatability is not an issue, then perhaps the latest greatest is better, though you'll be exposed to the bleeding edge in this case as well, which can be a deal breaker etc?

the guy i work with needs to upgrade to HD (currently on OS9 with 3card mix+)... but the intel desktops are supposed to come out soon. so do we buy the new towers when they come out and all the cards, apogee ad/da16s, etc, and hope whenever PT is adapted for intel that is purely software and no hardware changes?

also, could you even run PT in a non-native situation using rosetta? (or whatever that emulation application is)

updating PT software and plugins would be inconvenient but re-buying the cards and hardware for intel would be even worse.

thoughts/opinions?

[JFreak]

I'd say the current Quad will be the best bet during the next 12ish months. Intels should be released in early August, but hardware availability has never meant that the software is ready to go. I can see Intel-based trouble for at least half a year from the day Digi releases an Intel-mac compatible HD version, and even that is my optimist estimate.

[cajonezzz]

agree with the last poster- I'd go for the latest greatest solid G5 when they drop due to the intel desktops, and just rock the system during the following shakedown of the intel machines.

[Bryan Cook]

I'd say the current Quad will be the best bet during the next 12ish months. Intels should be released in early August, but hardware availability has never meant that the software is ready to go. I can see Intel-based trouble for at least half a year from the day Digi releases an Intel-mac compatible HD version, and even that is my optimist estimate.

I agree with you in theory. But the rub is if we don't want to buy anything again for a few years, 2 or 3 years.

As bad as it is to say, perhaps we are destined to be an early adopter and deal with the pain of 1st-generation products? Its that, or stick with our current setup for a year and deal with OS9 instability and the incompatibility issues that come along with that setup? both options aren't good. <sigh>

[Chief Technician]

Look at your options from a different perspective. You can buy a G5 the day the Mac Pro is introduced for a few hundred dollars less (since it will be obsolete) and know that when you put the system together it will work right away. You could also buy the Mac Pro the day it is introduced and know that you have the newest Mac. Keep in mind that it took Digidesign nearly 5 months to release an Intel compatible LE software version (7.1.1). If it takes Digidesign that long to release an Intel compatible HD software version, and HD does not operate with Rosetta, then your newest Mac is a doorstop for 5 months. Which risk are you willing to take? I would take the G5 in your quandry.

[Tony Shepperd]

I would not wait for the new Intel machines. Buy a used Dual 2.5 or Dual 2.7 for about $2,000. If you can find the PCIx cards.
If not, then get a Quad and go PCIe. But your swinging a lot on the hope of either side. Hoping the Intel's will ship and everything will be fine or hoping your system 9 will make it through another year. Take the sure bet and get a stable Mac now that will last you for another 3 years.

[thin ice]

Tony's advice is best if you have to upgrade. Buy used. Who knows where apple are going exactly. Software and hardware are constantly changing for now, so don't invest heavily.