choice to buy a refurbished g4 desktop / trade in powerbook g4

A

agh98

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Well, I could just use a few sane opinions on this situation. My 12" g4 powerbook from a year ago will be back from applecare service soon with a new lcd, new casings/plastic - they fixed it all because I finally convinced them that I didn't drop it, which I didn't. So, it will basically be a new machine. The thing is, I just use it at home on an iCurve and really would like the expansion flexibility of a desktop machine instead. So, I'm thinking about selling/trading in my powerbook w/ applecare, wireless keyboard, case, ram, airport extreme, etc. (lots of extras) to finance a move towards a g4/g5 desktop.

I qualify for educational pricing until September but I'm not convinced that the best value move would be to hop to a 1.8 G5. I do have a 19" VGA monitor already, so I don't need a display (though I'd love a second or an LCD instead) and I'm considering the dual G4 1.25 new, OR even going used/refurbished for something that I could expand and still have good performance. I'm just having a hard time considering the price points and best value. Can anyone offer some personal opinions to make this analysis a bit easier. I can afford to put in $1,000 in addition to whatever I get from the powerbook sale (which I HOPE would be at least $1,200 with the applecare, and extras) - but I don't necessarily want to spend all of that money if I can get a great, _relatively_ current machine with very good room for expansion.

Thanks for any thoughts.

adam
ps - I'm assuming that I'd sell the powerbook package on eBay or craigslist but I'm open to any other suggestions. Like I said, it will come back with the new case/lcd so it really is in like-new condition with 2 years of applecare left.
 
Since I support both Dual Proc G4's and G5's at work, I am going to make a suggestion. Buy as much computer as you can possibly afford. Even the single proc G5 I have on my desk for admin work performs better than the dualie G4's. If you can afford to get the dual 1.8 G5, do so. Then, in a few months when you have some more cash, upgrade the memory to as much as you can afford. You'll be happy with your purchase.

jjh
 
I'd go for the G5 myself, but if you decide on a new G4, it's been mentioned on several sites that Apple is dropping sales of the G4's. Don't wait too long.

When you're ready to sell, post in our Classified forum also.
 
Thanks Jerod,

That's good advice. With the educational discount, I could get a bare bones G5 - throw some 3rd party ram/hd in, get applecare towards the end of the first year and the go from there. Because my purchase will be made after I take the bar exam at the end of July, maybe there will be slightly better pricing early August. At least I'll get the newest OS!

I am leaning towards your suggestion - I'm guessing that I'd be happier with that than with a G4 (especially since I'm intrigued by the relative quiet of the G5's case). Just hope that all the kinks are worked out.

adam
 
I have to admit, I thought there was no way you'd get $1,200 for your PB. But a quick look at eBay seems to indicate that you may in fact get that. I'm always amazed at Mac resale value. It's incredible.

I'd push for at least the new DP G5 1.8 and all the RAM you can. The G5s (like any machine) aren't nearly as impressive when they have to hit the hard drives on memory blowout.
 
If your PowerBook meets all of your needs, why not just use the extra monitor with your laptop? You already have an iCurve and wireless keyboard so that's not much different than a desktop setup (and even better imo since you also have portability and wireless capability.
As attractive as the G5s are, I'd have to think twice over a loaded G4 vs a bare-bones G5.
 
It's not much different than a desktop setup, except I want to get a couple more hard drives, build up my music studio and I really don't need the portability anymore. I was surprised by the prices of the powerbooks on eBay also... but with the extra ram, icurve, keyboard, airport extreme, and applecare - $1200 (maybe more!?) does seem reasonable, despite bare bones models at around the same price point.

I'm thinking now if I can get $1200, putting another $1000 in and getting the dual 2.0 G5 might be a winning strategy and definitely future proof me for some time (while having room for expansion, unlike the powerbook).
 
sounds like a good plan to me, wish I was in a situation where I could get a dual 2 ghz G5.......... *scoots off to find out how much iMac is worth* :)
 
If you're set on a desktop, try and figure out how much computing power you'll need (need not want) 6, 12 and 18 months down the line, then figure out what else you'll need/want, then try and figure out your budget and what fits best.
But, you say you want more hard drives? For space? You could still keep your setup, get a very good external (even one the 500GB or 1TB drives, an iPod (if you don't already have one) for portability in an external (and other features, such as playing music) and invest the rest of the money into music studio.
But I can understand if you feel you have the $$ burning a hole in your pocket. :)
 
hehe, I wouldn't say that I have $$ burning a hole in my pocket whatsoever ;)
You make very good points and I almost wish they weren't as compelling as they are. It's hard to make a cool, calculated decision sometimes with apple producing such beautiful hardware. But, I'm not one of the - got to have the newest things out - people (though I will be as soon as I strike it rich).

Need is kind of an irrelevant question for many of us, I'd guess. I mean, how many of us really do tasks that require more processing power than a basic G3 or G4 could crank out? For me, it's more about examining product life cycles, considering residual value and determining when the best time to upgrade is. This will also be the last time that I'll ever be able to take advantage of educational pricing and that's a factor also.

You've all made good points. I think I'll make an attempt to sell my package at the price I'd really like to obtain ($1300) and see if it works or not. If so, I'm definitely willing to move up to the G5 - the $100 savings for the new OS is, of course, another factor.
 
I don't know. I'm of the opinion that you can never have too much speed, within budget, of course. Go G5.

The G4s are old technology, and in three years they'll be ancient.

Doug
 
dktrickey said:
I don't know. I'm of the opinion that you can never have too much speed, within budget, of course. Go G5.

The G4s are old technology, and in three years they'll be ancient.

Doug
Click to expand...
And in three years, the G5s out right now will be antiquated which makes your point kinda moot. :)
 
In three years current G5s will be more capable than current G4s. Buy the most capable computer that's in budget IMHO.

I wouldn't call that a moot point. I'd call that a good point.

Doug
 
Refurbs can be fine. But purchase from a well known company to increase your chances of getting something that is not a lemon. Bought a Dell Optiplex GX520 from "ElectroComputerWarehouse" and the product id is "dell_gx620_3.0_sff".
 
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