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carliebentley
Member
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Posted: Sun Nov 26th, 2006 02:09 pm |
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Greetings again,
My desktop MDD G4 Dual 1.42 is running great, but...
I wanted to find out if you had a decent upgrade for these desktops that could really take advantage of the 167MHz bus speeds and get me closer to the dual 2.0GHz range.
My G4 is currently running the Dual 1.42 processor card, with a U320 SCSI card and four internal 147GB U320 drives. I've maxed out the RAM, and recently installed a X800 XT 256MB Radeon AGP video card (possible the biggest improvement in speed I've seen), and the machine seems to run exceptionally well. I added an additional 4" fan for cooling because I'm not worried about noise, (it still quieter than my PC).
So where can I go from here on the processors? I naturally use Photoshop CS2, Dreamweaver 8, Final Cut Pro HD Studio, Motion, Shake, and a couple of 3D apps for rendering, and rather than invest money in buying a Quad G5 I would like to upgrade this box.
Even with all the Upgrades this machine still refuses to run Aperture.
Thanks for any advice.
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mac-machine
Member
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Posted: Tue Dec 5th, 2006 03:09 am |
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If you want close to 2GHz speeds you'll have to try Sonnet Duets. I've read that the dual 1.8 can be a bit testy, but the 1.6 seems very stable. The 1.6 isn't that big of a jump for you though.
For the $500 to $600 you'd pay for the upgrade I think you might be better off using that money, plus the $800+ you could get selling the MDD, and go for a G5. For $1400+/- I think you could get a dual 2GHz pretty well loaded or a 2.5 or 2.3 pretty much stock. IMHO
I went that route; actually got a non-working 2GHz and replaced the Logic Board (not as easy as the G4's) for around $900 total. Still want my trusty Quicksilver fixed though (see other post - CPU R&R). That X800 XT must be nice (Strangedogs?), got one in my G5 very nice for Final Cut, Halo and COD2. I have a "flashed" 9800 in the Quicksilver that was sweet.
Good Luck
PS - If you do upgrade, I would be intrested in your old processor. That would offset some of your cost. I think I have a dual 1.25 around here that could use a slight "bump".
Last edited on Tue Dec 5th, 2006 02:16 pm by mac-machine
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carliebentley
Member
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Posted: Tue Dec 5th, 2006 08:44 am |
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I've been considering selling the MDD, in favor of buying a G5, but the price on G5 Quad Processor 2.5s will have to come down a little further. I figure if I'm going to jump into G5 territory I might as well jump with both feet.
My MDD runs quite well with the X800 XT, (I got it on eBay from seller mac_geniuses) and I was really surprised over the performance increase over a 128MB Radeon 9800 that was a Mac Rom model. I'm sure the X800 had been flashed to make it compatible with the MDD but it still screams with 256MB of ram. Motion renders are really fast.
I haven't really bothered with playing any games, but the current performance with things like Motion, Shake and FCP HD is really impressive. Even the render and downconvert to SD from HD for burning to DVD is improved.
I've been keeping an eye out for a nice Quad G5 that's pretty stripped so I can use my U320 drives in it. I'm also chomping at the bit to pick up a Blueray or DVD-HD burner. I'm stuffing FW800 drives to the edge of the platters and eventually I'm going to have to pick up an Xraid.
If I decide to unload the MDD I'll swing through here first and give everyone here a shot at it.
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mac-machine
Member
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Posted: Tue Dec 5th, 2006 02:04 pm |
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With everything going to Universal in the near future I don't know that I'd put a lot into a G5, i.e. a quad or even a dual 2.7 at this point. The dual 2's are around 1K stripped and I bet you can get one after Xmas for short $$. We have 2 Mac Pros (2.66's) and they smoke the quads on universal apps (final cut 5.1), recommend the X1900 XT card.
The 256MB 9800 I had in my QS made a huge difference in performance for FCP, Adobe CS and StudioMX, since my QS is down [ http://www.daystar-forum.com/forum11/139.html ] I've moved it to my wifes FW800 (Dual 1.25). She does design work (Quark, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) and noticed the jump from the 64MB 9000. My G5 started with the 9600; found a 9800 XT, from a 2.5, that was a nice upgrade. Then I picked up a 6800GT, that was a big time improvemet for FCP especially. Not long after the 6800 I bid on the X800 XT (on a whim, thinking there was no way I'd win) and got it for insanely cheap $'s. I do notice the difference in FCP, even though it's a small one, and the thing still lists for double the price I paid.
You've got quite a bit invested in HD space there, I bet you could boot the MDD in target mode and run it over FW800 from a G5, as an external array, there by keeping all your current HD's. We have a couple of the Mercury Elite-AL Pro RAIDS from OWC and they are pretty nice. I hear they now have one that's eSATA, FW800 and USB2.0.
I'm not sure about the HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray thing, smacks of the old Betamax conundrum back in the day. I think I'll stick with DL-DVD until things shake out.
Good luck with whatever choice you make!
Last edited on Thu Dec 7th, 2006 03:42 am by mac-machine
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John Q Public
Member
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Posted: Mon Apr 7th, 2008 05:15 am |
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Unfortunately...the best upgrades stop just short of the FW800s...the MDD (the ones which can still boot to OS 9) are the last stop for every upgrade I've seen thusfar...
You might check with Sonnet to see if their Duet with twin 7747s will work...but if I remember corectly...the FW800 uses 7455s...and if it would work you MAY actually lose performance through the loss of L3 cache you currently have and the Duet lacks...
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