Re: Need recommendations

[Glenn Schunemann]

Hi,

I am considering the same thing to replace my G3 450. There are a 
dizzying array of G4s. I will answer your questions below. Also 
remember that Apple's site has a "tech specs" site in their support 
site. It is here:

http://www.info.apple.com/support/applespec.html

On Friday, November 28, 2003, at 04:23 AM, Stephanie Harris wrote:

I want to get a new (to me) G4.  I'm looking on ebay and have to say 
I'm
lost with all the choices.  I've tried looking through some sites to 
see if
there are comparisons but I can't seem to find direct comparisons 
written in
non techno talk so I can understand.

Could you all give me some feedback on:

Difference between quicksilver and MDD

Quicksilvers topped out at 1Ghz dual processors. Mirrored drive doors 
(MDD) had faster options of dual processors in their line up; up to 
1.25 Ghz. MDD support dual optical drive bays as well (not sure what 
the point is with a superdrive that can do it all). As I found out on 
this list recently, the MDD dualies suffered from the "wind tunnel" 
effect which resulted in abnormally loud Macs. There was a retrofit fan 
kit that made the Macs quieter, but if you are buying used you'll never 
really know if the fans have been changed out.

Difference in video cards (and why is it important)

Never paid much attention to this aspect of Macs. I gather from reading 
the list emails that ATI is "better" than the other Mac mainstay, the 
NVidea Gforce video cards. I think the ATI technology has outpaced 
Nvidea and the drivers are easier to find, apparently. Just make sure 
you get a Mac with an AGP slot (which I think all except the original 
G3 350 have) because it's easier to upgrade the AGP slot. The other 
option is a PCI slot for graphics which is not as good (fast) and not 
nearly as many upgrade cards out there.

Difference in backside cache numbers L2, L3 etc
The L3 cache is a relatively recent development. I think it's safe to 
say that the more levels of cache you have, the better able the 
processor to handle data. Check the specs page to see which processor 
has which level of cache. It's important to have a cache speed that is 
as fast as you can find in Mhz speed.

Compare 933 vs dual 800, 1.2 gh vs dual 833 etc

If you are doing video and graphics, get dual processors. I've never 
benched it, but I believe a dual 800 is "faster" than a single 933.

Panther vs jaguar

Panther. It's what OS X was originally destined to be...

I want to use it for graphics, web design and to get started doing some
movie editing.  I want cd & dvd burning capabilities and think it 
would be
good to have two separate drives for this (these are the optical drives
right?).

Yes, they are. If you want dual optical drives, concentrate on the MDD 
Macs.

Thanks in advance!
You are welcome.

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