I am a high school senior, and in one year's time I will be going off to college majoring in sound recording technology. The school doesn't have any requirements for the type of computer students use, and I am exploring my options. I have not yet decided if I want a PC or a Mac, but I am not looking for help deciding between the two. I would be using the computer for DAW purposes as well as everyday surfing, word processing, etc. I am thinking about Logic Pro (if mac), and Cubase SX 3 (these choices might change)
I could buy a 2GHz 20" iMac G5 with 1gig of ram for around the price that I would be paying for super fast PC. That looks very good to me, but I have some concerns about the iMac G5. It looks to me as if there is no way to upgrade the iMac - the two firewire ports are my main concern, will I ever need more? (I know that there is no straight answer to this) One would go to an external hard drive, one to an audio interface. I am not too worried about this handling less tracks than a dual G5 power mac, I have read that the iMac will handle 24 tracks and up, and for now that would work for me.
I would appeciate any feedback about the iMac G5 from experienced users, especially if anyone has had regrets about buying a computer with limited upgrdeability.
Comments
Most firewire devices have an extra port for you "daisy chain".
Most firewire devices have an extra port for you "daisy chain". You could also try something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817111604
Good Luck!
I hear some of the imacs are really noisy and since the monitor
I hear some of the imacs are really noisy and since the monitor is built in that could be a big problem. I have a dual 2.0 G5 and have the tower in a silence case, whic takes care of any noise. that is definitely something to think about, as if its noisy you won't be able to isolate it.
something to consider, the imac you plan to get is her listed fo
something to consider, the imac you plan to get is her listed for $1799- and its only a single processor 2.0
http://
here is a dual processor refurbished tower from the apple store with a full guarantee for the same price- just add any vga monitor you have around- or buy a 19" regular monitor for $100 just about anywhere-
http://
You'll be a lot better off with the tower, twice as fast and no noise
Even when my control room and recording room were one in the sam
Even when my control room and recording room were one in the same the noise was never a problem, compared to my pc its almost silent. I'm not sure what problems the built in monitor causes, its never gotten in the way or anything lol. Yeah the tower is probably a wise choice but for starters the Imac is a great computer and if you're plannin on living in a dorm the extra space saved may actually be something to consider. Also I've heard many many times that the second processor isn't really critical in DAW's but that could all be pc lover BS. Either way go mac and you won't be disappointed.
maintiger wrote: something to consider, the imac you plan to get
maintiger wrote: something to consider, the imac you plan to get is her listed for $1799- and its only a single processor 2.0
http://
here is a dual processor refurbished tower from the apple store with a full guarantee for the same price- just add any vga monitor you have around- or buy a 19" regular monitor for $100 just about anywhere-
http://
You'll be a lot better off with the tower, twice as fast and no noise
great idea!!
jonnyc wrote: Even when my control room and recording room were
jonnyc wrote: Even when my control room and recording room were one in the same the noise was never a problem, compared to my pc its almost silent. I'm not sure what problems the built in monitor causes, its never gotten in the way or anything lol. Yeah the tower is probably a wise choice but for starters the Imac is a great computer and if you're plannin on living in a dorm the extra space saved may actually be something to consider. Also I've heard many many times that the second processor isn't really critical in DAW's but that could all be pc lover BS. Either way go mac and you won't be disappointed.
I've read in the unicornation forum about some imacs having a noise problem- not sure which model- but I sure don't have any problems with my tower G5 :D
uh.. no, that's not true. for now it's safe mode only. but USB
uh.. no, that's not true.
for now it's safe mode only. but USB does work, i don't know about hte firewire,as i haven't tried i t jet.
This is a Devloper release, the final release is not out jet.
maintiger-, the link works fine for me..
another link..
I really like the idea of a refurbished mac. I did not know tha
I really like the idea of a refurbished mac. I did not know that they offered them, and I actually can't find any in the apple store without searching for "refurbished." Any of these would need ram uprgades, but I would be putting that into any new mac. They even have some older single processor G5s that I might consider. And there is also the powerbook.
About the firewire thing. Right after I posted this i discovered that there were firewire hubs. I knew that you could buy usb hubs, but didn't realize that they made firewire ones.
Thanks for all the help.
Its not impossible to upgrade you just gotta open the case up an
Its not impossible to upgrade you just gotta open the case up and you can change the ram and put a bigger hd in it. there are many people the use the imac g5 me included that don't have any problems with only having 2 firewire ports. Mines a great DAW and for a beginner its great. PC's have a lot of advantages but the ease and reliability of a mac sealed the deal for me. One thing to think about, if you're using it for other purposes besides a daw you may wanna stick with mac, using your pc for the web and games and other stuff along with being a DAW could cause problems fast.