dual vs quad, 10.4 vs tiger, leopard

[baseballboy828]

PPC is PowerPC. This is the type of processors that were used in Macs up until January 2006, when Apple announced the transition to Intel processors. Everything needs to be written differently for Intel, however "Universal Binary" apps, which are almost all new apps, work on PPC and Intel processors. Some apps rely on brand virtualization functionality, and run only on Intel-based macs. Such apps include games ported from Windows using Cider and applications designed to run Windows on a mac, such as Parallels or VMWare Fusion.

Dual-core processors are very common today. The main part of the processor is the "core". A dual core processor has two cores. This doesn't equal the performance of two processors, but it adds a significant performance boost. The quad core actually has two dual core processors. The 8 core Mac Pro has two quad core processors.

The deal is pretty incredible on the machine, so I might do it, keeping in mind it may not be a very long term investment (2-3 years at the most). The inclusion of the screens is a very nice bonus. The machine would probably be $3000 new. However, you must consider that a Mac Pro, which is expandable (as is the PowerMac) but could last a long time considering it is Intel based, is $1000 more if you buy a refurb, less if you buy used. If you don't mind buying something you may want to sell in about two years, go with the G5. If you are looking to buy something that will last, a Mac Pro is the way to go.

[freelife2g]

So the Mac Pros are quad core machines and the newest are 8 core? So what do you get in a laptop version? And it looks like that's 1 vote for "buy it".

[baseballboy828]

A low end Mac Pro now has one 2.8Ghz quad core processor. A more expensive one has 8. A laptop will have one dual core processor.

[Yuiichi]

I'd agree with BBB and say buy it if you don't plan on keeping it for more than 2 - 3 years (or don't plan to upgrade). The 2 - 3 year "limit" we're putting on it is merely our estimation of when Apple will migrate over to Intel only versions of Mac OS X and not a limit on it's usefulness. The machine can continue to serve you well after this future period of software obsolescence but you might be hampered in terms of software compatibility (as I'd assume more apps would start going Intel only too).

The one thing in that machine right now that would bog you down with video work is the really old graphics card (an AGP Radion 9600). Personally, I'd swap that out right away with a newer AGP card (as I'm going to assume that's all it supports). Fortunately, they do still make AGP cards, although the technology is really old and kind of done. Unfortunately, they're a little more expensive than PCI-E cards (which is the newer technology that took AGP's place). If you want some recommendations for a new card, I'll give them at your request.

[freelife2g]

Ok lets see if I have this right.
This computer is cool as long as I expect to have to replace it in a couple of years, and maybe throw in a graphics card sometime soon. Plus I'll still be able to use the older computer after they stop support, I'll just be stuck with whatever software I purchased for it up to that time. But if I want newer technology on a budget I should look for a Mac Pro Quad Core, correct? Anything labled G5 will be an older model similar to the one I'm currently considering buying, correct?

[baseballboy828]

Yes, everything you said is essentially correct.