PowerMac G5 for Gaming & video editing?

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Does anybody know how well a PowerMac G5 2.5 Ghz Dual core, would do with some moderate gaming and video editing? I recently found one on craigslist and I'm interested in buying it. For example, I record gaming videos sometimes, using a screen recorder and playing a game at the same time. (Game = Minecraft :p) Would it be able to handle this okay, or would it struggle with frame rate and lag issues?
 

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It probably will do okayish, but you've got to watch out. it runs PPC architecture, and I dont think Minecraft runs on that.

I reckon youll run into problems encoding/rendering. That CPU is old, and slow.

Youd probably have to find old versions of FCP (or whatever video editing you are doing) because the new ones dropped PPC support.

I dont think its worth it personally. Id try and get a newer Mac.
 
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Minecraft does run on PowerPC. I have it on my iBook. :p

I use iMovie HD to edit, I like it much better than using the newer versions of iMovie. But is the processor really that old and slow? I mean it does have 2 of them...
 
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Just be aware the 2.5GHz Dual Cores are liquid cooled and at now some six years of age, many reports of leakage. If funds run only to a G5, look for a 2.3GHz Dual Core which is air cooled, or even better a Mac Pro as Intel machines are far superior to PowerPC.

Leopard OS X.5.8 is the last OS for PowerPC machines and after the release of Lion OS X.7 next month support may well cease for the Leopard system.
 
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Just be aware the 2.5GHz Dual Cores are liquid cooled and at now some six years of age, many reports of leakage. If funds run only to a G5, look for a 2.3GHz Dual Core which is air cooled, or even better a Mac Pro as Intel machines are far superior to PowerPC.

Leopard OS X.5.8 is the last OS for PowerPC machines and after the release of Lion OS X.7 next month support may well cease for the Leopard system.

Oddly enough, I asked him and he says it's fan cooled. I think only the Quad 2.5 Ghz were Liquid cooled. I checked MacTracker to confirm, and I can't seem to find a 2.5 Ghz Dual core. Only 2.0 and 2.3 Dual core. The 2.5 is quad core... I'm not sure if this is some strange rare model, or if it's really a quad 2.5 and he doesn't know it's liquid cooled.
 
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Identify your LCS. Panasonic even after 5+years a flawless LCS with no issues, maybe a few leaker's but hey, nothing perfect in mass production, hence warranty.
In conclusion 2.7 boosted may cut the mustard, memory and video still sickly expensive but depending your original investment and budget, the 2.5 is still usable, if a delphi LCS and not fully leaking by now should run for quite a bit yet.
Punch will come from the DC Quad you should be darn near close to 1.1 Pro with that less the everso popular intel chip, love mine arctic silver ceramique flavored :-D
Any how I have a DC Quad and will keep it for ever, a bench mark in apples acceleration beyond all!
 
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LOL nowhere near a Mac Pro!

Mactracker advises Geekbench on a 2.5 Quad comes in at 3284, on the original 1.1 Mac Pro at 2.66GHz, 4833 a difference of 50%, and add to that add faster memory, graphics and Intel processor not even close. Was also a Dual Core user and lover in fact, but PowerPC architecture is long finished alas. This thread typifies the G5 problems with newer software alas:-


http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/apple-desktops/241192-new-g5-need-load-cs5.html
 
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LOL nowhere near a Mac Pro!

Mactracker advises Geekbench on a 2.5 Quad comes in at 3284, on the original 1.1 Mac Pro at 2.66GHz, 4833 a difference of 50%, and add to that add faster memory, graphics and Intel processor not even close. Was also a Dual Core user and lover in fact, but PowerPC architecture is long finished alas. This thread typifies the G5 problems with newer software alas:-


http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/apple-desktops/241192-new-g5-need-load-cs5.html

Are you correcting me or helping the poster? Said darn near close not even matched? as well yes nearly 50% more as tests would show for the reason apple sold out to intel, PPC just a stepping stone....got them were they are today. Lets give the poster what they need in their budget rather than voice what is not sufficient to another's standards. Thought maybe my opinion would be treated with respect rather than laughed at. I have a small list labeled of my current systems and they are mere toys to yours but I am trying. The G5 quad with the right hardware will offer a good to great experience. Not every one can afford the pro. G5 still decent for those who want the power from a mac with out breaking the bank.

IMG_0144.jpg
 

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I agree with harry. Have a look at the Geekbench thread on the forum.

A Mac Pro 1.1 is on par with around 2010 MBP 15", and the Powermac Quad (the best available) comes in at the same score as a mobile Core 2 Duo chip.

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/lounge/237668-how-does-your-mac-stack-up-geekbench-thread-5.html

So while i don't agree with it being "darn close to the Mac Pro", I do agree it could be a viable solution if you don't need to run intel apps. Its a decent enough CPU score, and certainly a useable one.

but i think buying a PM G5 now is a complete waste of money as a proper computer, because its dead-end hardware. Why limit yourself?
 
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Are you correcting me or helping the poster? Said darn near close not even matched? as well yes nearly 50% more as tests would show for the reason apple sold out to intel, PPC just a stepping stone....got them were they are today. Lets give the poster what they need in their budget rather than voice what is not sufficient to another's standards. Thought maybe my opinion would be treated with respect rather than laughed at. I have a small list labeled of my current systems and they are mere toys to yours but I am trying. The G5 quad with the right hardware will offer a good to great experience. Not every one can afford the pro. G5 still decent for those who want the power from a mac with out breaking the bank.

This sounds a lot like my situation. I'd love a mac pro or an iMac but I can't afford it. Does your G5 play games decently? Say you tried to play a game like Minecraft and record at the same time, would you get lag issues?
 
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Do not think so and a Quad is not cheap and in time you may well regret not putting the cash to an Intel machine. A cheaper Mini or iMac may well be the go and will run Snow Leopard and maybe Lion depending on the specs. The day of PowerPC is over sadly and if Apple follows the usual method of dropping support for an operating system two versions old, the release of Lion may well see no more support for Leopard, the last OS a G5 can run.

Support for Tiger OS X.4 ceased with the release of Snow Leopard, and as time goes by any application, games or utilities for PowerPC architecture will get scarcer.
 
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Do not think so and a Quad is not cheap and in time you may well regret not putting the cash to an Intel machine. A cheaper Mini or iMac may well be the go and will run Snow Leopard and maybe Lion depending on the specs. The day of PowerPC is over sadly and if Apple follows the usual method of dropping support for an operating system two versions old, the release of Lion may well see no more support for Leopard, the last OS a G5 can run.

Support for Tiger OS X.4 ceased with the release of Snow Leopard, and as time goes by any application, games or utilities for PowerPC architecture will get scarcer.

I know. But honestly, from what I've seen there's still a good $300 jump from G5 to early intel, something I just can't afford. Besides, I've looked at the early Intel mini's that aren't too hugely out of the ballpark and their outclassed by the G5 benchmarks still. I'd rather have the extra processing power, than be able to run 10.6 and 10.7. Support may have dropped for Tiger, but I'm still running it with almost no compatability issues so far. I realize this will probably come to an end soon though. :| No OS can stay up-to-date forever.
 
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I know. But honestly, from what I've seen there's still a good $300 jump from G5 to early intel, something I just can't afford. Besides, I've looked at the early Intel mini's that aren't too hugely out of the ballpark and their outclassed by the G5 benchmarks still. I'd rather have the extra processing power, than be able to run 10.6 and 10.7. Support may have dropped for Tiger, but I'm still running it with almost no compatability issues so far. I realize this will probably come to an end soon though. :| No OS can stay up-to-date forever.

That's all nice but when Apps stop supporting the architecture (which is happening NOW) and no longer support your needs, the extra power isn't going to mean a thing. My advice would be to save a bit longer and get a machine that will give you a longer useful life than a G5. Don't forget the early Mini's were single core and were outclassed by the Quad G5s but that didn't last long. I loved my Quad for the 5 years I had it, but I don't regret ditching it when time came. It was deteriorating rapidly and the cost to get it repaired was prohibitive.

That aside, even if you do go with a Quad G5, when they go, the go big and if you sink anything more than a few hundred dollars into one you are likely to end up with a large paperweight sooner rather than later.

It's your money but since you asked the consensus seems to be that the G5 is a dead end, with a few dissensions. In the end though, it's up to you.

Are you correcting me or helping the poster? Said darn near close not even matched? as well yes nearly 50% more as tests would show for the reason apple sold out to intel, PPC just a stepping stone....got them were they are today. Lets give the poster what they need in their budget rather than voice what is not sufficient to another's standards. Thought maybe my opinion would be treated with respect rather than laughed at.

You might want to calm down a bit and relax. I don't think your opinion was being laughed at, I think he merely disagreed with you. It IS allowed here. If you can't deal with a bit of disagreement then you may be in the wrong place (and by that I mean the internet as a whole, not just M-F). Frankly, your previous response was a bit hard to understand. I don't know if English is your primary language but if it is you might want to say want you want simply and clearly, don't try to be fancy, it comes across in an odd way. If English is NOT your primary language then I apologize, but you are a bit hard to understand.

I have a small list labeled of my current systems and they are mere toys to yours but I am trying. The G5 quad with the right hardware will offer a good to great experience. Not every one can afford the pro. G5 still decent for those who want the power from a mac with out breaking the bank.

No, not everyone can afford a MacPro, but a decent second hand C2D Mini will run circles around that Quad G5 and be useful for far longer, as will a lower end new or second hand Intel iMac. Face it, the G5 loses against pretty much everything beyond the CD (the Core "i" CPUs leave it in the dust) and there is simply no going back. It's a dead end, but it's your dead end and if you enjoy it that's perfectly ok.
 
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I appreciate all the advice guys. Unless I can get a really good deal on a G5, I suppose I'll keep saving until I can get an Intel Mac. PowerPC is dead unfortunately, and it's only going to get further and further behind the times. I'd rather have a machine that'll last me another 5 years, than to have one die or become obsolete in 2.
 

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I appreciate all the advice guys. Unless I can get a really good deal on a G5, I suppose I'll keep saving until I can get an Intel Mac. PowerPC is dead unfortunately, and it's only going to get further and further behind the times. I'd rather have a machine that'll last me another 5 years, than to have one die or become obsolete in 2.

It's a very tough decision...but the smart one. I'm not sure how much you have saved so far...but if you really want a Mac Pro 1,1 (1st generation)...I think that you have a good shot at one for around $800-$900.

Thus...if you can get a Mac Pro 1,1 for $800-$900...this means you could certainly get an older Intel iMac for less...and an Intel Mac-mini for even less. And I know from personal experience that a Core 2 Duo 2.0ghz MacBook can be occasionally found for $350-$400.

I know that you don't live near a big city where you would have a better shot getting something less expensive on Craig's List...and the last time I suggested e-Bay...you didn't seem very receptive to that!;) Without Craig's List & e-Bay...this REALLY limits your ability to find less expensive older Mac's.

Good luck,

- Nick
 
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Any how budget counts and I sell tons PM G5 and Pro and have anything you need for your budget. A well Quad G5 will offer years of great experience for the cost. Poster has a budget and I as a seller will encourage what they can afford now. No one wants to wait everyone wants now so in the end you will buy what you can afford and be satisfied. As for the gaming side of it, your video with G5 would be the lag you are trying to avoid as I do not see any 1GB cards for PM but are some powerful 512's available. A gaming PC would be cheaper and offer you the top gaming eperience you seek. If you want an apple and the power then agreed with all other posters that the pro would be your best investment. Hope my English is satisfactory for this post and maybe I can offer you a great affordable machine for your needs in the line up of G5,Pro or PC.
 
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mac mini - complete setup - cheap!!

What do you guys think of this Mac Mini? Would it run games on light settings? Good price? (I won't pay full price obviously) I like it because it has all the original software, and it has monitor, keyboard, and mouse included.

:)
 
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Do not know about games but it would be an improvement over a G5.

At 1.66Ghz it is the first of the Intel models, will run Snow Leopard but do not think Lion will install but wait and see.
 

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That Mini will run newer games like minecraft and Starcraft fairly poorly due to its single core processor and lousy graphics card.
 
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That Mini will run newer games like minecraft and Starcraft fairly poorly due to its single core processor and lousy graphics card.

I realize the graphic card is pretty lousy, but here:

Mactracker: 1.66 Intel Core Duo.

Number of cores: 2

:Confused:

I don't need them to run great, I just need them to run period. I've been playing Minecraft on my iBook with literally 3-5 fps for the past 2 weeks. ;D
 

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