Attached Link: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1274138,00.asp

As the summer heads to a closure, MAC addicts like myself have road a bumpy road of disclaimers and debunkers about the tests of the G5. I'm happy to say for those who use MACs (no putdown of those who enjoy their PC's) Steve was not pulling our legs. I hope there a G5 in your future for all your 3D needs. : )

The reports I've seen from unpaid users indicate that the G5s (1.6, 1.8) are not significantly faster than the dual G4s. This will change as software is recompiled for the G5s. Time factor: 9-12 months. Conclusion: allow the early adopters to take the risks, as always.

As a general PC Techie Wombat type I've watched the reports about the new G5 with great interest. I build PC's to suit my own needs and as such I've had to learn about hardware by reading Mags, this has led into me reading 3D art mags, which has exposed me more to MACs. Would I consider buying a MAC G5 or otherwise? No I'm afraid not. While they are undoubtedly faster than the current PC's they are not a viable option for PC users to move over to, unless they are endowed with bottomless bank balances. I've looked at the programs I use and the ones I'd like to use. Most are PC only, and while some are MAC compatible, they require buying the MAC version - take Poser 5 as an example. As a result of this while I'm looking to get something faster and more responsive to suit my growing 3D graphical needs and ideas I'll always go with a PC, simply because for me it will be more finaciably viable. It's not that I don't like MACs, quite the opposite, they look better than PC's for starters :o) it's simply that they are not a viable swap for a PC user. Also they are a lot more expensive for what you get in comparison with a similar spec'd PC.

Attached Link: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1274138,00.asp

Like other articles I've read interesting, in the computing area though I look for more than just raw speed. In my case useablity and compatibility of my current programs is a must. I would say though that if I were a MAC user and had that kind of cash to play with it would get serious consideration.

Even if I have to try to take out a bloody loan! There is definitely a silver G5 in my future. :D You must consider that I currently have a G4 though. And had a G3 before that... and a Powermac before that... :D And the Powermac still works nicely. So I trust Apple computers to last me a good long while. ;) All of the art software that I need is on it. :) Plus the web software, like Bbedit & Fetch. Plus the music stuff. And the video stuff. And so forth. Even Diablo 2 LOD is on it as well as The Sims, Baldur's Gate, Black & White, Civ 3... Whee! :)

I think I'll rent, just in case there's a G6 next year. I'm waiting for Panther to come preloaded, then I'll get a G5 (rental). Love esther PS my poser disks came with both PC and mac versions.

AMD is releasing a 64 bit motherboard in a month for the PC. Does anyone know if this will make a great difference to Poser or only for programs that are specifically written to utilize the 64 bit archticture. I know nothing about what any of this computerleze language means, so I don't even know if this is a real question.

The question is real, for sure :) IRom what I've read, the programs have to be written to take advantage of the 64 bit pipeline...however, I would assume the thing would be much faster anyway, especially with faster memory addressing

Yeah, I'm waiting for Panther to come pre-loaded as well. The 64 bit whether on Mac or PC will do nothing for Poser- "applications need to be optimized for 64-bit computing to take full advantage of the architecture" However, Photoshop has already been modified, and Apple is seriously encouraging these advantage updates- "To help that effort along, third-party programmers can download a free set of development tools from Apple's site" But you don't have to wait for software to be optimized- The new Macs allow tons more RAM, up to 8 Gigs, and that DOES affect how Poser works. Plus the system chips themselves are faster now. "Apple has matched the G5 chip with a 1-GHz front-side bus per processor...for a total FSB bandwidth of 8 GBps.... You can load a G5 with up to 8GB of 128-bit, 400-MHz DDR SDRAM..." I feel the need for speed. evil grin

Well, I have a PC that allows for two Gigs of Ram, and I can't find a single supplier in Ireland (where I currently find myself) that can supply 1Gig Ram chips, the biggest they can do is 512. And I don't have a credit card to buy one on the net. So I just hope Mac users can actually take advantage of the 8GB offer, because just because the motherboard can take it, it doesn't mean it's available.

Kingston sells 1 gig ddr ram for pc's but it is about $1000 per chip last time I checked.

Bear in mind too, that although a G5 is rather expensive, a comparably equipped new PC--none of which are as fast as the G5 yet--will actually cost about $1,000 more when you factor in the cost of a SuperDrive, etc. Of course, there's still software to consider, and it won't all be optimized for 64 bits right away.... My first-generation PowerBook G4 is great for most things, and still the envy of most PC users at my school, but it can just barely run Mimic 2 and WarCraft III. I hope I'll be able to add a shiny new G5 to my household within a year, but I need to finish school and find a high-paying job first. :o)

I think there is going to be a G5 in my future, it's only going to be a very very distant future...I don't spend too much for computer, considering that I'm a rendering addict and a CS student. I am looking forward maybe replacing my iBook with a used 1GHz PBG4, which would not give me too much of a performance boost but I'd love to have the additional screen space, the DVI out and the gfx chip with programmable vertex shaders. But until that, it's workworkworkworkwork.

Is there a G5 in my future? Only if that means Gulfstream 5.

numanoid: From what I've read owning a 64 bit AMD chip isn't going to make a marked difference with the like of Poser 5, the system as a whole will run faster yes, and it'll run 32 bit proggies quite happily making a minor performance boost. However until programs are written specifically with 64 bit archetecture in mind you won't really see a considerable difference. I'm interested in Intel's reaction tbh, playing it down and not making public any 64 bit plans. This is either plain dumb or a cunning ploy to lull us into a false sense of complacency. I think though they could end up loosing valauble ground in the overall Processor war.

Attached Link: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1269039,00.asp

"I'm interested in Intel's reaction tbh, playing it down and not making public any 64 bit plans. This is either plain dumb or a cunning ploy to lull us into a false sense ofomplacency. I think though they could end up loosing valauble ground in the overall Processor war"

First off, from what I read the G5 will speed up current applications, which is good, of course. For Poser to take advantage of the 64 bit architecture CL would have to optimize the software for that. When the G5 was announced there was a streaming video of Jobs presenting the hoopla. I'm not a real techie but if I understand right he presented all the attendees with the software to optimize their programs and it sounds like a easy thing for someone with that knowledge. I've read elsewhere that some companies have used those tools and optimized their program for the G5 in less than an hour. Again, this is a little over my head to explain but this is what I am reading. Once optimized a program gets the benefit of using the 64 bit architecture and a full 8 gig of ram. Wheeww! 32 bit apps will still run on the G5 but without the optimization they can only access 4G of ram. Still, that's a lot of horsie power.

My orginal message was not to pit MACs against PCs. There is plenty of "my dog is bigger than yours" threads to be found. I just thought the PC mag article was a nice update to any who may have been wondering about all the debunking and criticism of the test scores that Apple kept espousing.

Personally, I would like to see both platforms keeping up with each other for the sake of their respective users. Plus the competition keeps them giving us more. After a while of collecting software and really learning whatever computer you use, unless you have money to burn, you would like to have the latest on your platform.

The most recent article I found on PCs and 64 bit was here...

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1269039,00.asp

I hope that the success of Apple's efforts causes Intel to rethink it's position and give the PC owners 64 bit too so that everyone can move forward.

I agree this thread is not Mac vs. PC. Personally I am primarily a video editor, and if I had known then what I know now I may also have bought a Mac, but I am happy with my PC. The only thing that upsets me is when the manufacturers claim something, like saying that this machine can take 4 Gigs of Ram, but not telling you that the type of Ram that the motherboard takes to get to 4 Gigs is not on the market yet. I think both platforms have definite strengths and both have weaknesses, but at the end of the day a machine is just a tool, and it doesn't make the art, the person does. I remember making posters on computers in 1987 and thinking that it was the most awesome tool in the world. My art hasn't neccesarily improved because the computer has, but it definitely has become faster and easier to make. But at the end of the day if we had to go back to painting on cave walls, it is still the artist who matters and not his tools.

It was never my intention to imply or start a MAC v PC thread. I'm interested in PC/MAC technology, a question was posed and I sought to answer it based on my own thoughts and experiences, as I sed in my original comment I would consider buying a MAC its the draw backs that I noted that stop me. Each have their stengths and weaknesses. One thing I would like to see is a greater compatibility of the two technologies to work with each other. That is something I've yet to see being taken seriously, and to do so would benefit everyone. The two are after all based around a basic and common concept are they not?

Hello Nevermore
I didn't think you were starting a MAC vs PC thread. I just wanted to respond to some of the previous messages and after coming from other boards on the subject where things get turned into the PC wars I wanted to be clear as to what I was getting at in the first place. I agree with your desire for greater compatibility between the two technologies. The closest thing we get is the few companies who give you both versions when you buy one app like Metacreations used to do. Emulation software is useful to a degree, but what you suggest would indeed be beneficial to everyone.
Cheers

Cool, glad we see where everyone comes from. I should clarify something for folks. I call myself a Techie Wombat for a reason. I understand the Beast that is a PC, but I'm not a geek. I'm not interested in comparing processor size (if you catch my drift :oD ). I am like everyone else here an artist. Where I was coming from is personal experience from working in a Tech support environment for an ADSL ISP here in the UK. Through that I was exposed to MACs. I went from thinking "Argh not a MAC!!" to thinking, "Oooo shiny, powerful, nice looking, me wants one." I did find though that MACs are under rated and under used in certain areas. I think Apple to an extent are to blame - but not wholey, it works both ways. If greater compatibility was introduced then we'd have more folk using MACs as well as PC for different things. If it can be done with Linux then why not MACs? Well this isn't really Poser related I know, but Poser is a prime example of cross over. But it took how long to produce a MAC version of 5? Hell of a long time after the PC version was released I know that much. MACs are a niche market to a point I guess, shame really coz I think they have a lot to offer - and not just in sleek looks :o)

The thing is, Macs can take many window files & formats, open windows disks and CDs, etc. My boyfriend has a PC and i usually have no problem getting stuff from his PC to my Mac. But his PC doesn't return the favor. If I try a Mac CD the PC just refuses it, same for Zips and disks. But PC zips, cds, discs, etc, can be opened by my Mac.