05-08-2012, 03:25 PM

Heya there. Big fan of Apple, yet I don't own one! (gasp!). I'm in graphic design and do quite a bit of freelance work on my Asus X52F laptop with CS5 suite.

I fell in love with OS X (Tiger) when I started working in graphic design. We used PowerPC, air-cooled G-5's, and they were awesome.

...then my company got cheap and bought Dells. Luckily, my publisher let me have one of the "graveyard" G5's... for free! Catch is, it's gutted: no hard drive.

I've been sitting on it for a while, waiting for my tax refund to to spend some money on the various hardware I'd need for it, including a new hard drive. Though I've been reading up and having my doubts. Like, the consideration of how long I'd have before it becomes a dinosaur, and the amount of power it would use (I don't like high electric bills).

Now, recently, a friend of mine has offered to give me his 2010 MacBook 7,1 A1342... for $500 minimum. He'd throw in a legit copy of CS5.5 for an extra $50... which is tantalizing for me. Oh, it also has a Japanese keyboard, but that's fine. Kinda neat, actually.

My only concern is that neither machine would be that much above and beyond my current setup, though it would be nice to have a backup computer (though I would have to get another external hard drive and format it to the Mac).

So what do you think? Where should I put that money?

05-08-2012, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by MondoBoss

My only concern is that neither machine would be that much above and beyond my current setup, though it would be nice to have a backup computer (though I would have to get another external hard drive and format it to the Mac).

So what do you think? Where should I put that money?

Sorry...wrong...the 2010 MacBook is wayyy better than the Powermac G5 you have...do doubts about it. And at $500...that's a very good price as well!!!

Easy answer. Between a Powermac G5 and a 2010 MacBook...you want a Macintosh with an Intel cpu. The G5 does not have a G5 cpu...the MacBook does.

The Powermac G5 is at least 6-7 years old...and actually is sort of a dinosaur at this point. It doesn't have an Intel cpu (all Mac's have had Intel cpu's since 2006)...and at best...it can run OS 10.5.8.

The current latest Mac OS is 10.7.3...and OS 10.8 will be released this Summer.

Given the two choices you mentioned...the $500 2010 MacBook is what you want!

- Nick

p.s. You really didn't say what your "current setup" is...other than saying "current setup". Unless you were referring to the G5. And if your "current setup" is a Windows computer...you really cannot compare a "Windows setup" to a "Macintosh setup"...for the main reason they're not running the same OS.

05-08-2012, 04:02 PM

$500 for a 2 year old MacBook isn't a bad deal. If I was in the market, I'd be all over that.

05-08-2012, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by Stretch

If I was in the market, I'd be all over that.

Absolutely I would be as well...and I'm not in the market!!!

Actually...I'm "always" in the market...if it means a low-cost upgrade path.

- Nick

05-08-2012, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by pigoo3

Sorry...wrong...the 2010 MacBook is wayyy better than the Powermac G5 you have...do doubts about it. And at $500...that's a very good price as well!!!
....

p.s. You really didn't say what your "current setup" is...other than saying "current setup". Unless you were referring to the G5. And if your "current setup" is a Windows computer...you really cannot compare a "Windows setup" to a "Macintosh setup"...for the main reason they're not running the same OS.

Yeah, I should clarify. My current setup is the Asus X52F. I can't argue about Windows vs OS X. X hands-down, even though I tolerate Windows 7 more that Vista. But this baby has a 4 GB RAM and an i3 processor, so it's a tough mudder.

Sounds like I don't want to bother with the G5 then. I wonder how much I could get for it, seeing as it has no hard drive?

05-08-2012, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by MondoBoss

Yeah, I should clarify. My current setup is the Asus X52F. I can't argue about Windows vs OS X. X hands-down, even though I tolerate Windows 7 more that Vista. But this baby has a 4 GB RAM and an i3 processor, so it's a tough mudder.

Sounds like I don't want to bother with the G5 then. I wonder how much I could get for it, seeing as it has no hard drive?

PowerMac G5s tend to sell in the range of $150-200. Missing components, you're probably looking at the lower end of that range.

05-08-2012, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by MondoBoss

Sounds like I don't want to bother with the G5 then. I wonder how much I could get for it, seeing as it has no hard drive?

Agree with "cwa107's" G5 valuation.

@MondoBoss: IMHO...a missing hard drive is not that big of a deal to me. Of course a missing HD also means no installed OS (since there's no HD).

But this could be a BIG DEAL to less "computer savvy" folks who just want a computer to be "plug & play".

- Nick

p.s. G5's are fine to play around with (internet surfing & e-mail)...because they're pretty cheap...and as long as someone has software that is "vintage" to the computer (6-7 year old or older software). Otherwise...you don't want it.

05-08-2012, 04:48 PM

Sounds like a plan, then. My Asus is rockin' for my graphics stuff, but like I said, it'd be nice to have a backup laptop in case this one dies (though I have my stuff backed up on an external hard drive, which is formatted to the Asus. I will have to figure out that situation if I take on this MacBook).

From what I understand, MacBooks have kick-*** batteries too, no? I also write a lot of fiction, and going to parks and coffee shops with my Asus's two-hour battery is admittedly frustrating. This'll be another nice perk, if so.

05-08-2012, 05:09 PM

I fell in love with OS X (Tiger) when I started working in graphic design. We used PowerPC, air-cooled G-5's, and they were awesome.

Well, If they were awesome Then and did what they were supposed to, why not get it? It's free anyway!
I use a G4 for all my graphics stuff; it works pretty well.

One thing I don't seem to understand (not just in the case of your situation, I feel this way with everything) Is how-- If it worked fine for graphics editing a few years ago... what's so different that makes it not? The MACHINE hasn't changed... sure, it can't run the newest products, but if you can find a good program, It will work in the exact same way it did at the time. (Whether that's good or not... your call)

If I were you, I would *personally* take up that Macbook [That's an INSANELY great deal for $500] and use that in tandem with the G5. It depends on your priorities, As long as you know that the G5 won't support the latest software. If you want Support with the "latest and greatest",That's where the Macbook would come in handy.

Of course; If you were to choose only ONE of the two, and you have the cash to spend, you should get the Macbook and sell the G5.

In the end: It's up to you, That's just my suggestion.

05-08-2012, 05:14 PM

I guess I'm just thinking back to when my HP laptop died and I borrowed my friend's e-Mac and it was *useless." I couldn't do anything on the net, and all I could do for my stories was type on TextEdit.

But I see where you're coming from.

I don't got the cheese to spend, so I will probably go for the MacBook. That is, if I can get at least a couple hundred dollars for the G5.

05-08-2012, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by MondoBoss

From what I understand, MacBooks have kick-*** batteries too, no?

The battery runtime on 2010 MacBook with a full charge (under ideal conditions) is 10 hours. This actually is the longest claimed battery runtime of ANY (I mean ANY) Macintosh laptop Apple has EVER made. All other previous & currently available Apple notebooks max. out at 7 hours.

- Nick

05-08-2012, 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by OlderMacUser

One thing I don't seem to understand (not just in the case of your situation, I feel this way with everything) Is how-- If it worked fine for graphics editing a few years ago... what's so different that makes it not? The MACHINE hasn't changed... sure, it can't run the newest products, but if you can find a good program, It will work in the exact same way it did at the time. (Whether that's good or not... your call

You're right. As long as nothing changes...then the same computer, running the same software, the same OS version, working on the same files and file sizes...then that older computer should work just fine.

But in reality things do change:

- folks install newer versions of programs (which are more complex)
- new OS versions are installed
- the internet gets more complex (including online gaming)
- folks want to run newer and more sophisticated games
- file sizes get larger (especially photos and graphics)

...so...newer & faster computers are needed to keep up with changes in the software and internet industries. And vice-versa...when faster & more capable computers are developed...the software & internet industries develop products to take advantage of that extra computing power (which consumers eventually then find they cannot live without).

It's a two-pronged cycle that feeds off of each other.

- Nick

05-08-2012, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by pigoo3

- file sizes get larger (especially photos and graphics)

This especially. Look at the file size difference between iPad graphics and retina iPad graphics.

05-08-2012, 09:32 PM

Also, users get more sophisticated with time. What looked GREAT in Pagemaker a decade ago looks rubbish now, because we have more advanced programs and we've gotten more visually sophisticated.

While the 2010 MacBook battery had a claimed life of 10 hours, don't expect to get that from this battery now -- it's two years older and we don't know how well it has been maintained. BUT having said that I would think five to six hours of normal use with screen not at half brightness should be a very reasonable expectation.

05-08-2012, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by chas_m

While the 2010 MacBook battery had a claimed life of 10 hours, don't expect to get that from this battery now -- it's two years older and we don't know how well it has been maintained.

Yes...I agree. I was going to add that above as well. 10 hours would only be when it was brand new & under the most ideal conditions. Since it's close to a couple years old...it could have a lot of battery cycles on it.

This particular model MacBook (the 2010 MacBook)...the last one...is sort of unusual since it is the ONLY one with a quoted 10 hour battery life. While all other MacBook & MacBook Pros with the non-user swappable battery all have 7 hour quoted battery lives.

- Nick