Tyger
03-02-2006, 04:36 PM
Powermac G5 Quad First Impressions
I finally got my Quad after what seemed to be the longest week ever, but it was definitely well worth the wait!
Now I’m not much of a tech savy guy but I know enough to maintain the computer and put in my own hard drives, RAM etc. So these impressions are based on real world usage.
Out of the Box
I was immediately impressed with the design of the Quad G5, though it’s design is not much different from the previous ones released, but coming from a G4 Dual 867Mhz it was a definite change indeed. This beast of a machine is built like a tank and as someone else mentioned before it is quite sexy for a computer. It’s a little taller than the G4 and heavy but you can be confident the casing can withstand some serious blows. I’ve never been a fan of the Apple mouse/keyboard especially that both are white. I switched these over to my old G4 for my wife to use. She likes the Apple mouse/keyboard. I use a Microsoft mouse/keyboard combo that works well and it’s black and silver to match the G5. So far these are my only gripes with the G5.
FireWire and USB 2.0 ports
Ports on the front and back — two FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, and four USB 2.0 — allow you to plug in your choice of peripherals and devices. The included keyboard also has two USB 1.1 ports
Software Package
The G5 comes packaged with quite a few applications like the ilife series with idvd, iphoto, iweb to name a few. The one program that really stands out though is Garage Band. I’ve never used it until now and found it easy to pick up without having to read any tutorials or instructions but then again I’ve used audio apps before so it didn’t take me too long to figure out the basics and how the program works. Now, because I love to play music on my guitar, I enjoyed using this program as you can record your own music, give it effects, add vocals, drum beats etc. It has built in loops and various instruments to choose from. It was very easy to connect my guitar straight to the computer and start recording.
There are tons of other goodies like Spotlight, Dash Board, Automator to name a few but I’m not going to mention those things right now.
Usage
The G5 is quiet compared to the G4, the only thing I hear is the Geforce 7800GT graphic card fan but it’s not an issue at all. Though I didn’t attempt to push the computer to the max I did open up various programs while listening to itunes, surfing, rendering and IMO the Quad was quiet enough for me.
In terms of using the Quad with itunes, internet or office programs it definitely felt snappier. Programs open quicker and using and working with big files is no longer frustrating. What really stood out with the Quad is when using it with programs that are multi processor aware like Cinema 4d. I took a project that I’ve been working on and used the same settings on both the G4 and G5 and the difference was incredible though the G4 had only 1.25gig of RAM. What took me just about 25min to render a 640x480 image on the G4 took only a little over 4min on the G5. However comparing the two is like night and day, but the rendering speeds on the Quad is what all the reviewers have said it to be. Seeing the 4 threads when rendering was something else. This should definitely increase my work production by hours. The same could be said using After Effects and even Adobe Premiere 6.5 (which I still like to use). The programs really make use of the Quad. I would imagine for Final Cut Pro or express to be the same.
Conclusion
All in all I’m very pleased that I went out and got the Quad even at it’s price I personally think it is worth every penny. My main reason for getting the Quad was because I use applications that are multi processor aware so these types of programs will really utilize the Quad to it’s fullest potential. As I mentioned already I’m coming from a G4 867Mhz Dual and I’ve had this machine for about 5 years with no major problems and it is still kicking strong with more years to come. The one thing I really love about Macs are it’s OS, ease of use, stability and if you are the creative type and not too tech savvy these machines require little maintenance. If the Quad is as stable as my previous G4, I’m sure this Quad will meet my needs now and in the future years ahead.
I finally got my Quad after what seemed to be the longest week ever, but it was definitely well worth the wait!
Now I’m not much of a tech savy guy but I know enough to maintain the computer and put in my own hard drives, RAM etc. So these impressions are based on real world usage.
Out of the Box
I was immediately impressed with the design of the Quad G5, though it’s design is not much different from the previous ones released, but coming from a G4 Dual 867Mhz it was a definite change indeed. This beast of a machine is built like a tank and as someone else mentioned before it is quite sexy for a computer. It’s a little taller than the G4 and heavy but you can be confident the casing can withstand some serious blows. I’ve never been a fan of the Apple mouse/keyboard especially that both are white. I switched these over to my old G4 for my wife to use. She likes the Apple mouse/keyboard. I use a Microsoft mouse/keyboard combo that works well and it’s black and silver to match the G5. So far these are my only gripes with the G5.
FireWire and USB 2.0 ports
Ports on the front and back — two FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, and four USB 2.0 — allow you to plug in your choice of peripherals and devices. The included keyboard also has two USB 1.1 ports
Software Package
The G5 comes packaged with quite a few applications like the ilife series with idvd, iphoto, iweb to name a few. The one program that really stands out though is Garage Band. I’ve never used it until now and found it easy to pick up without having to read any tutorials or instructions but then again I’ve used audio apps before so it didn’t take me too long to figure out the basics and how the program works. Now, because I love to play music on my guitar, I enjoyed using this program as you can record your own music, give it effects, add vocals, drum beats etc. It has built in loops and various instruments to choose from. It was very easy to connect my guitar straight to the computer and start recording.
There are tons of other goodies like Spotlight, Dash Board, Automator to name a few but I’m not going to mention those things right now.
Usage
The G5 is quiet compared to the G4, the only thing I hear is the Geforce 7800GT graphic card fan but it’s not an issue at all. Though I didn’t attempt to push the computer to the max I did open up various programs while listening to itunes, surfing, rendering and IMO the Quad was quiet enough for me.
In terms of using the Quad with itunes, internet or office programs it definitely felt snappier. Programs open quicker and using and working with big files is no longer frustrating. What really stood out with the Quad is when using it with programs that are multi processor aware like Cinema 4d. I took a project that I’ve been working on and used the same settings on both the G4 and G5 and the difference was incredible though the G4 had only 1.25gig of RAM. What took me just about 25min to render a 640x480 image on the G4 took only a little over 4min on the G5. However comparing the two is like night and day, but the rendering speeds on the Quad is what all the reviewers have said it to be. Seeing the 4 threads when rendering was something else. This should definitely increase my work production by hours. The same could be said using After Effects and even Adobe Premiere 6.5 (which I still like to use). The programs really make use of the Quad. I would imagine for Final Cut Pro or express to be the same.
Conclusion
All in all I’m very pleased that I went out and got the Quad even at it’s price I personally think it is worth every penny. My main reason for getting the Quad was because I use applications that are multi processor aware so these types of programs will really utilize the Quad to it’s fullest potential. As I mentioned already I’m coming from a G4 867Mhz Dual and I’ve had this machine for about 5 years with no major problems and it is still kicking strong with more years to come. The one thing I really love about Macs are it’s OS, ease of use, stability and if you are the creative type and not too tech savvy these machines require little maintenance. If the Quad is as stable as my previous G4, I’m sure this Quad will meet my needs now and in the future years ahead.