Mac Pro g5's...

eeloe

Hey, sorry for asking this if the topic has already been asked...

I currently use a windows PC for production, and it's getting a bit sick..so i've been thinking about moving to mac.

I've spotted on adverts there's a mac pro g5 for sale...here's the spec
1.8ghz PPC g5
4gb ram
GeForce 6800 Ultra
AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth
400GB
80GB
Mac OS X 10.5.8

Would this be up to the task of running ableton without calfing, or would i be better off saving up some more money and buying myself and iMac?

woodsdenis

eeloe wrote: »

Hey, sorry for asking this if the topic has already been asked...

I currently use a windows PC for production, and it's getting a bit sick..so i've been thinking about moving to mac.

I've spotted on adverts there's a mac pro g5 for sale...here's the spec
1.8ghz PPC g5
4gb ram
GeForce 6800 Ultra
AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth
400GB
80GB
Mac OS X 10.5.8

Would this be up to the task of running ableton without calfing, or would i be better off saving up some more money and buying myself and iMac?

This one is the first gen PowerMac. Not Intel so wont run a lot of current plugins and by any of the current crop of Macs standard its very slow. I think you would be frustrated very quick with this.

I know its all about money but he new Macbook pros are super fast and portable and the top end iMac i5 are really quick. Dont forget iMacs are due for a upgrade soon check this link. When a new model comes out check the Mac store for ex stock or refurbs.

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

GTE

As what was said here since its a PowerPC (PPC) it is old tech and wont run very many things that you would need.

I know you said you want to use Ableton and I think that works better for Mac but just for the other users and newbies who look at this thread I would seriously advise against buying a Mac just because you have a slow PC. In reality the assumption that Mac is better then PC for audio is wrong by today's standards and I question if it was ever really right in the first place.

I would advise people to take a look at what programs you are using and then choose Mac or PC. It seems like you have already done that, which is what you need the Mac, though Ableton is not a program I know well so it may work just as well on Windows.

If you are new to music production/tech then the move to a Mac and the programs that run on that will be easier. Having said that with the advent of 64 bit Windows 7 machines there is a much more careful choice to be made.

I have a PC with Cubase and Pro Tools 8. Both programs are cross platform but from what I read they run less smoothly on Mac and Windows respectively, something to do with what they were initially designed to work on. I would really use "what program do you wish to use" as a serious consideration.

Anyway, since most of that, I think, does not apply to the OP Ill go back on topic and finish with that Mac you listed would be muck and an Intel Mac would be what is needed.
If money is an issue you could wait for a new upgrade for a product and then buy the older version for a similar price.

I know someone with a MacBook which is speced similar to what the old MacBook Pro was and it was a fair whack cheaper then what it used to when it was a MacBook Pro.

flyswatter

Windows 7 is a massive improvement so I'd say save your money for a good PC build.

That Mac is a few generations old I reckon and the lack of an Intel processor is a serious drawback for modern DAW's.

You can get a great PC for way less than even a basic Macbook let alone an Imac.

woodsdenis

bbk wrote: »

I have a PC with Cubase and Pro Tools 8. Both programs are cross platform but from what I read they run less smoothly on Mac and Windows respectively, something to do with what they were initially designed to work on. I would really use "what program do you wish to use" as a serious consideration.

We are certainly not getting into a Mac vs PC thread here but I really have to correct you on an inaccuracy here. PT8 was beta tested and coded for a Mac first, the Windows 7 version was put on hold for a considerable time due to various issues and was subsequently released a lot later. Protools like many other programs has issues, nobody can deny that, the reality is that 90% of Protools HD systems run on Macs. Protools is invariably
coded for Macs first, Windows second. The issues that Avid has, like everyone else is that Apple upgrade hardware and software pretty regularly thus making it a race to keep up. The only one that has access to the Apple masterplan is Logic, which of course is an Apple product.



Now if the OP question was which is the best computer to run Ableton on then
certainly it may, or may not be a PC or a Mac, I really dont know, however I would check out the extra plugs I would want to install and make sure they were AU/VST or Snow Leopard/Win7 compat. You dont want to get bitten down the road to find your fav plug is AU only when you have a Windows machine:(

GTE

woodsdenis wrote: »

We are certainly not getting into a Mac vs PC thread here but I really have to correct you on an inaccuracy here. PT8 was beta tested and coded for a Mac first, the Windows 7 version was put on hold for a considerable time due to various issues and was subsequently released a lot later. Protools like many other programs has issues, nobody can deny that, the reality is that 90% of Protools HD systems run on Macs. Protools is invariably
coded for Macs first, Windows second. The issues that Avid has, like everyone else is that Apple upgrade hardware and software pretty regularly thus making it a race to keep up. The only one that has access to the Apple masterplan is Logic, which of course is an Apple product.

I dont get the jist of what you are saying and how its correcting something I said, unless I have a typo I keep missing.

I said that from readings and peoples experiences, including mine, PT runs less smoothly on a Windows and Cubase less so on a Mac which I put down to what OS they were originally written for.
From that I believe that if you are a lover of Pro Tools go for Mac and if you love Cubase/Nuendo stick with Windows 64bit.
Also the OP mentions would that computer he speced be up to running Ableton, so without clarification from the OP I am assuming that will be his main DAW.

woodsdenis

bbk wrote: »

I dont get the jist of what you are saying and how its correcting something I said, unless I have a typo I keep missing.

I said that from readings and peoples experiences, including mine, PT runs less smoothly on a Windows and Cubase less so on a Mac which I put down to what OS they were originally written for.
From that I believe that if you are a lover of Pro Tools go for Mac and if you love Cubase/Nuendo stick with Windows 64bit.
Also the OP mentions would that computer he speced be up to running Ableton, so without clarification from the OP I am assuming that will be his main DAW.

Apologies bbk I misread, senility has set in. My little one was 3 today, theres nothing like a toddler party to great havoc in ones head:) You are of course correct in your assumptions.

eeloe

Yes ill be running ableton 8 suite solely on the machine.

My current windows machine is quite highly specced, so I might just jump to a 64x version of windows 7, and stick in some more ram?

GTE

woodsdenis wrote: »

Apologies bbk I misread, senility has set in. My little one was 3 today, theres nothing like a toddler party to great havoc in ones head:) You are of course correct in your assumptions.

No bother, I confused myself with the "respectively" when I wrote it anyway!
Happy Toddler day to the 3 year old!

unclebill98

Keep an eye on the mac refurb site. Great bargains to be had if you act quick.

DrBass

unclebill98 wrote: »

Keep an eye on the mac refurb site. Great bargains to be had if you act quick.

Agreed:

999 euros & supports up to 16GB RAM

Refurbished iMac 21.5-inch 3.06GHz Intel Core i3 processor

Originally released July 2010

21.5-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display

4GB memory

500GB hard drive

8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics with 256MB memory

PMI

nothing worse than getting non intel processor found cannot install program