Power Mac G5, 1.8 Ghz, 4 GB, 230GB

[psymas]

I'm considering to purchase this Mac Pro second hand and use it as a server in my office. We are 2 photographers sharing files mostly pictures. We also share office documentation like invoices etc. So basicly we like to:

-share file via a shared drive on the server

moreover, we like to:

-run a small website from the server, if possible?

-run and FTP server for our clients so they can download their pictures

-use it for general backup of our macs in the office

-use it for book keeping

-using it for our customer database

-using it for invoicing

A friend of mine adviced me to purchase a NAS device instead.

I'm not that much into the pros & cons comparing to a NAS server.

I'm looking forward to your comments.

THOMAS

 

[beto2k7]

Imho the drive is quite small. and the ram too little.

 

[psymas]

CPU/Mainboard, the things you can't change

Thx. What about the CPU/Mainboard, the things you can't change?

Is it a problem that it is a G5 compared to an Intel CPU?

I can pop in an extra disk no problem. I guess I can expand the RAM as well.

 

[gullySn0wCat]

Won't power consumption be crazy on a G5? Something you have to consider if it's going to be on 24/7

 

[goodcow]

Just buy a Mac Mini Server. It's going to be faster than the G5 and use at least 10X less power.

 

[ActionableMango]

Really need to know what price you are paying before advice can be given.

If it's dirt cheap, it'll do the job. If it's anywhere near the price of a Mac Mini, I'd take goodcow's advice and just get the Mini.

If you can wait for OS X "Lion", it will come with Lion Server for free and you won't need to buy the more expensive Mac Mini Server.

Of course, you don't really need the Server OS to host a small website and FTP server anyway, so a current Mac Mini with Snow Leopard would be fine.

 

[al2o3cr]

+1 on the Mini - the MP is going to be loud + power hungry compared to one, and you've got the additional hassles of being on a platform that's already considered "obsolete" (can't run 10.6) and will be hard to source replacement parts for.

Another option worth considering would be a Time Capsule - you get the backup features, you can use it as a basic file server, and it's cheaper than the Mini.

As to the FTP and web server part, I'd *highly* recommend that you go with some kind of real hosting (shared or VPS) instead of trying to host things yourself. Your clients will get far better download speeds (unless you've got CRAZY bandwidth to the office), and you won't have to worry about your site vanishing if the power to the office fails. You can also host all-static sites on Amazon's S3 directly, which may be enough for a basic portfolio site.

 

[300D]

Just buy a Mac Mini Server. It's going to be faster than the G5 and use at least 10X less power.

It will also have 1/3 the graphics processing power. The ATI X1900 in a G5 will run rings around a Mini's Nvidia 9400M.

FYI, A G5 isn't a Mac Pro, its a Power Mac.

 

[psymas]

Thx. for all replies

After reading all the different replies here I can see that I need to find another solution than the one I thought was the way to go.

I probably get myself a Mac Mini as soon as I spot the right one (price...)

Thx. a million for your replies.

Best regards,

Thomas