G5 iMac
 

Excellent. Thank you. The info about the memory is interesting, and shows Apple is learning on this point. But the theoretical maximum is just that - theoretical - if Apple builds a form factor that (for example from prior Macs, but not necessarily here) only allows a single memory chip expansion, or requires a special half height memory chip that isn't used in any other machine, Apple or otherwise, or is otherwise difficult to get in four years. Hard drive upgrade availability would also be nice.

I, too, like the pizza box idea, even though the Mac with the compatibility problem in my past was an LC.

G5 iMac
 

True, although I believe all of the macs of late have used fairly standard memory. the real problem is that the memory cos. keep upping the specs and changing the design. I'm pretty confident that no one will ever install a 1TB chip in a currently existing PowerMac.

G5 iMac
 

A heck of a lot sweeter looking than anything previously depicted. Wow. $1299 to start.:

http://images.apple.com/imac/images/...op20040831.jpg


Apple iMac

G5 iMac
 

Damn, you beat me to it... :-)

G5 iMac
 

You're right. Each mobo sets it's own RAM limits, but most of them are far in excess of 1 GB.

And four years? Fuck, I've had 1 GB in my PC for over three years now. Among most "enthusiasts" these days, 1 GB is the baseline.

G5 iMac
 

a) The new G% is schweeeet.

b)
Sure, but it's still quite a few dollars. I'm not an enthusiast. I want to be able to do the same thing to the computer I buy in the next six months that I did with my last two computers: eeek out an extra year of servicability by installing some extra dirt cheap RAM in four years. GB memory chips are readily available now, but in four years they'll by $20 each, and it'll take four to get my machine up to minimum spec to run Winbloat 2008 / Mac OS XIV.

At any rate, it should be the case that the new G5 will allow this type of memory expansion at least. But anyone who likes to tinker with their hardware at all (new soundcard, new graphics card, new whatever technology they think of next I can't live without) is going to have to go for Macs in the more traditional seperate box.

G5 iMac
 

it takes 2GB on two slots. I'm reasonably confident it would take more than that once 2GB chips start coming out.

I costed this out (or at least played with numbers) on an iMac vs. a powermac a couple of years ago. In the end, I concluded that the lack of upgradeability probably took one to two years off the useful life of the machine, but a) those 1-2 years would require some sort of upgrade anyway, at some expense and b) the significant savings meant that the per-year cost, even for a shorter life, was about the same. And I'd rather buy a whole new computer, with all the bells and whistles, in three-four years, rather than have to piece together a bunch of upgrade tidbits to make it somewhat comparable to a new machine.

Now, I didn't do this CBA for a PC vs. powermac, and I'm sure it would be different. But realisitically, the lower-end PCs, while upgradeable, will need a whole lot of new bits in a few years as well. Apple simply doesn't sell the really low-end machines that Dell, Gateway, et al. do. So, it's kind of hard to compare those scenarios.

G5 iMac
 

I was just looking at the specs for the new G5 and noticed the base model comes with 256M RAM. Do Macs still run on less RAM than PCs? I'm seriously considering which to buy, but I can get a Dell desktop with a 17" flatscreen, twice the RAM, twice the hard drive and a second CD-Rom drive for the cost of the base G5. Setting aside the cd-rom, is the Apple nonetheless realy a pretty comparable machine, based on use of RAM and HD (I recognize that Windows sucks RAM and HD space up like crazy, I'm curious if Mac OS does too. It would be a shame. I remember when the Mac OS fit on a single 400KB floppy, with room to save other documents as well.

Also, re: memory slots. I noticed that Apple charges twice as much to add 512K on one slot instead of two, the difference being that adding the memory on one leaves an open slot for later expansion, while upgrading now on two means you have to pull some memory to expand later. I can understand a differential, but the $250 extra just seems like exploitation. What's the aftermarket like for Mac memory? Should I get the stripped down model and order memory somewhere else?

G5 iMac
 

I just bought a 15" powerbook and it came with 256mb standard, which I promptly upgraded. Buying RAM from Apple is not very cost-effective. I suggest Crucial (a division of Micron), which has great prices and makes terrific memory products. As for whether Mac OS X runs better on less RAM, I am not sure that is necessarily the case. Then again, I have never tried to run OS X on a low-RAM box. I think it will run om 256 MB, but I would want at the very least 512 MB.

G5 iMac
 

Pretty sure you'll want at least 512mb, particularly if you run iMovie.

It's not clear whether both slots are user-accesible. On the G4, only one wa s easily accessed, so the best idea was to max-out the built-in slot (512MB at the time) and then buy aftermarket, which is easy, cheap, and good from places like Crucial (Micron, which Apple uses in its computers).

ETA: Never mind most of that--both slots are user accessible: Apple info

Isn't upgrading from 256 to 512 only about $75? What I'd do is get the 512 upgrade for $75, leave the other slot open, and go to crucial, which sells a 512mb stick for $92, and a 1gb stick for $253. (note that upgrading the 256 from apple is cheaper than buying from crucial and chucking the 256 stick.

crucial
(crucial appears to say that both slots are user accessible.

G5 iMac
 

Not if you want to keep the second slot free, and only marginally ($225 vs. 253) if you don't care. The other way of looking at it is paying $225 for a GB, or $253 for 1280MB, if I read your post right. Upgrading to a GB on one DIMM from Apple is $525, 2GB $1125. Sounds like for real power Crucial saves you at least $500

But the third party memory is encouraging. I just have to convince the baltspouse now...

G5 iMac
 

We must be looking at different things, or I'm confusing what you want.

It comes with a single 256mb stick
for $75 you can get a single 512 stick instead
for $525 you can get a single 1gb stick.
all of those leave the second slot free

Forget the two-stick options, and put whatever you want in the second slot, either a $90 512mb stick or a $253 1gb stick from crucial. If you want to max out, just get the 256 and ebay it.

The bottom line is this: buy as little memory as possible from Apple, because you can get it much cheaper elsewhere.

G5 iMac
 

I misinterpreted your last post. Nevermind.

The beauty of a fat pipe
 

New PowerBook + Panther + lots of RAM + 3.0 Mbps of bandwidth = a really nice online experience.

I am surprised how much quicker 3.0 Mbps cable (getting between 2.5 and 3.0 pretty consistently) is than 1.5 Mbps DSL. Totally worth the $10 price difference, IMHO. That, and Verizon refused to come fix their fucking DSL line at a time when we are actually home (they insisted that their only service hours are 9-5, Mon - Fri*), made switching to cable internet a really easy choice.

That is all.

BHB

* The verizon csr actually suggested that I get a family member to come to my house to meet the tech. I said ok, as long as verizon picked up the airfare.

How soon
 

Until this software works on a Mac mini with video out?

Front Row

Atticus, let us know when you've hacked it. Thank you.