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[Blind Buzzard]

I have been thinking about putting together a new box lately. I want something that is fast and has a lot of storage capabilities. The main purpose of this machine is to store large quantities of photo’s, video, and music; while being able to manipulate such data with high quality, memory demanding, software.

My plan for the last two months is to build a box, probably run Fedora as a base (I’m a Linux junkie), and then install VMware since it is now FREE! (Yippee!) My thought was that I could then virtualize a couple different sections so my wife could have a program that she knew how to run, i.e. MS Windows XP. (Ughh!)

I can put together a fast, large PC at relatively little expense. I could use varies OS’s on it, and with VMware I can set aside a platform for my wife to use. Everything works and everyone is happy, right? Well maybe…

Here is my conundrum:

About six months back my wife and I purchased two new iBooks, with a sole purpose of being able to set anywhere in the house and stay connected. Since then, we have both become attached to our new little Mac friends. They are a much used high end commodity in our house, and more and more my PC’s are being pushed aside, and used as nothing more than storage servers.

So here it comes, the other night my wife presented the question, “honey, why don’t we get a new Mac, with the specifications that you are looking for, and then get rid of all those space hogging PC’s?”

There you have it, and the door is open!

Now, being the OS junkie that I am, I know that it is physically and mentally impossible for me to give up my PC’s. But, it got me thinking, and contemplating, and scheming. What if we were to get a new Mac, something that was fast and with a lot of room? This would work, right?

So, here are my questions to the community: Should I just build the box I was originally contemplating? Run Fedora, or some other OS? Stay cheap, and meet all my needs?

Or, should I look into a new Mac? Possibly a G5? Or, how about a new iMac/Intel? OR, what about a Mac Mini, with added external storage, and a huge widescreen display???

The possibilities seem endless……. Yet, I can’t see getting rid of my PC’s!

What do you guys think?

 

[livingfortoday]

Well, I faced the same problem when my Powerbook (see sig) started really showing its age a few months back. My other computers had been mainly powerful gaming PC's, and it was hard for me to justify paying more for what felt like less in a Mac... but I took the dive and got a new iMac anyways. And lemme say, I don't regret it for a moment.

That said, you might want to consider getting a refurb G5 from the Apple Store, or something like that. It'll be very powerful, and yet have tons of storage capacity. You can even put in special kits that hold up to four more SATA drives in it, so you can really go all out. It'll also be considerably cheaper than a new Powermac, while offering a lot more power than something like a Mini.

 

[Blind Buzzard]

you might want to consider getting a refurb G5 from the Apple Store, or something like that. It'll be very powerful, and yet have tons of storage capacity. You can even put in special kits that hold up to four more SATA drives in it, so you can really go all out. It'll also be considerably cheaper than a new Powermac, while offering a lot more power than something like a Mini.

Do you think that it may be unwise to purchase a Mac that is using the PowerPC architecture, when this could be obsolete realtively soon?

 

[livingfortoday]

Do you think that it may be unwise to purchase a Mac that is using the PowerPC architecture, when this could be obsolete realtively soon?

The G5's won't be really obsolete any time soon, it all depends on what you want to do with the computer. The G5 will still pack a really powerful punch, and Apple will continue supporting it for years to come. People are still buying up the Mini in droves, and that's a G4 that's only 1.42Ghz at best, while the G5's are now dual-core and before dual-processor. So it all depends on your expected need.

 

[nbs2]

Do you think that it may be unwise to purchase a Mac that is using the PowerPC architecture, when this could be obsolete realtively soon?

I think the bigger question here is what does really soon mean for you? It sounds like you plan on constantly making changes, and while the G5 won't be useless, it will slowly but surely be outclassed by software that flies on the intel. If you plan on sticking by the high quality software that you get in the next year or two, I think you are just fine with the PM. It really depends on how often you think you will want to upgrade your software. I don't expect to buy any more revisions of iLife until I replace my PB....

On a side note, do you think maybe your wife could talk to my wife....

 

[Seasought]

So, here are my questions to the community: Should I just build the box I was originally contemplating? Run Fedora, or some other OS? Stay cheap, and meet all my needs?

Or, should I look into a new Mac? Possibly a G5? Or, how about a new iMac/Intel? OR, what about a Mac Mini, with added external storage, and a huge widescreen display???

How much space are you looking for, exactly? My vote is for a new 20" Intel iMac with a 500 GB drive. I find myself looking at those more and more everyday...<bites down on mouthpiece and fastens restraints to chair>

 

[Blind Buzzard]

constantly upgrading

It is in my nature to constantly upgrade, as in most tech junkies. So, I can say with utmost certainty that any purchase that I make will have to be upgradeable.

Currently I am running five 250gig HD's in RIAD on my main PC box for storage and integrity. (Could I incorporate this storage facility into a new Mac environment?)

My main issue with going with new Mac OS Hardware/Software are the changes that are being made now and in the near future; possible bugs with the new architecture, and the demise and possible un-supportability with the old hardware and applications. Not to mention the price.......

But I really like the OS and the current application possibilities. Plus it will make my wife happy. (Until she figures out that owning a new Mac will not replace ALL the other boxes.)