Anyone ever do the Pepsi challenge between a G5 and Xeon rig?

[zachj]

I don't know what to say to the above- If it's a serious comment, I just will say that choosing your computer for looks alone is really quite stupid. If Kia made a car that looked wicked cool I still wouldn't buy it. A Hyundai, maybe . . . a Kia, no. Pick a computer based strictly on what best fits your uses. No sense in buying a Mac if it's not what you NEED.

Z

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

Cough OS OS OS cough cough.

In the OS world, LINUX is best, OSX is next, and then there's winblows. (is there a viable 64 bit version of windblows YET?)

So the MAC gets you the secound best OS on the planet, that STILL lets you play more games than Linux.

GENERIC Intel setups = poor OS, no style, ugly, un cool. This is where most of the world is, uncool.

CUSTOM Intel setups, can have cool OS + gaming OS, wicked cool moded cases, and cheap. Cool and cheap, that's great.

MAC = cool OS, some games, not cheap, but way cooler than generic Intel.

Here's a test. Bring 10 dates home over the course of 10 months. (you can get 10 dates a year, right?). Have your current system set up, (go ahead and get that Dell LCD, it still doesn't look as cool) and show it to 5 of those dates. NOW, go buy the G5 with the top Apple monitor, and show that to the other 5 dates.

I bet you get a more impressed date, and higher % chance of getting lucky, with the apple system.

And yes, people DO care about the prestige / coolness factor of their system, go listen to the case modder forums for a little while.

See, there's a niche for everything, even a MAC.

<tounge firmly planted in cheek>

Yes - windows XP has 64 and WIndows Serevr 2003 as well for some time now and they both work fine.

Since when has Linux been the best O/S in the world? if so why isnt it #1 yet?

Mac OSX is Unix, which last time i checked was superior to Linux in many ways - just Apple took Unix and made it user friendly - personally i think OSX is better thenlinux - much easier to use for starters for your everyday person.

I bet you get a more impressed date, and higher % chance of getting lucky, with the apple system.

Well i guess if you like materialistic girls then okay - but i highly doubt that bragging you got an Apple computer will even get the girl over, and if you need to - you seriously need help in getting dates , also bragging about it in high school is more likely to get you beat up and called a - well, you know, boy who like boys.....

 

[none1]

"Paris, we will let you decide ..... which one of these three goddess is the most beutiful?"

"G5, AMD, or Intel?"

These questions always lead to ....... at least spirited debate.



Buying a computer based on looks is not something I would ever do. AND, that concept seems foreign to people here. But the fact is, style, looks, and coolness factors play into the decisions of millions of consumers when deciding to buy millions of products.

Many people use their computer all the time, read email or buy movie tickes or whatever, many times a day. They want their computer integrated into the "style" of their house. I mean, come on, people will pay hundreds of dollars paying attention to the style of KNOBS on their kitchen cabinets. Some of them want a computer that is mingeled in with the rest of the decor.

And so many folks WANT a computer that looks good.

And my main point in my earlier note, is that MACs just have a much higher coolness factor in the eyes of the general public.

For those that can't get dates, you can also try this experiment. Go hang out at Fry's for two whole days. (easy I know Watch people as they bring their significant others down the MAC isle (ooo ahhhh), and watch them go down the Windows isle. ("this one is cheaper than that one, whats the difference")

For the VAST majority of users, the MAC G5 is plenty plenty fast enough. And its much cooler.

 

[Tebore]

"Paris, we will let you decide ..... which one of these three goddess is the most beutiful?"

"G5, AMD, or Intel?"

These questions always lead to ....... at least spirited debate.



Buying a computer based on looks is not something I would ever do. AND, that concept seems foreign to people here. But the fact is, style, looks, and coolness factors play into the decisions of millions of consumers when deciding to buy millions of products.

Many people use their computer all the time, read email or buy movie tickes or whatever, many times a day. They want their computer integrated into the "style" of their house. I mean, come on, people will pay hundreds of dollars paying attention to the style of KNOBS on their kitchen cabinets. Some of them want a computer that is mingeled in with the rest of the decor.

And so many folks WANT a computer that looks good.

And my main point in my earlier note, is that MACs just have a much higher coolness factor in the eyes of the general public.

For those that can't get dates, you can also try this experiment. Go hang out at Fry's for two whole days. (easy I know Watch people as they bring their significant others down the MAC isle (ooo ahhhh), and watch them go down the Windows isle. ("this one is cheaper than that one, whats the difference")

For the VAST majority of users, the MAC G5 is plenty plenty fast enough. And its much cooler.

I have to say those are sad reasons....

One when are you ever gonna show off your computer? At a LAN? Well at a LAN you'll be called a n00b by everyone.

Two, you won't be LANing much with a Mac since their markets for games aren't as big.

Three, be a freaking tread setter don't follow the mainstream. I was the first person in my grade in highschool to get an AMD, before then they were like WTF is AMD, Intel is all they knew. Now they know and want A64s.

If you make using something stylish the others will follow, it doesn't matter how much you spend or what it is. You make the style not a company.

Say if you drive a Kia, if you do it properly, people will think it's cool.

 

[none1]

I have to say those are sad reasons....

One when are you ever gonna show off your computer? At a LAN? Well at a LAN you'll be called a n00b by everyone.

Two, you won't be LANing much with a Mac since their markets for games aren't as big.

Three, be a freaking tread setter don't follow the mainstream. I was the first person in my grade in highschool to get an AMD, before then they were like WTF is AMD, Intel is all they knew. Now they know and want A64s.

If you make using something stylish the others will follow, it doesn't matter how much you spend or what it is. You make the style not a company.

Say if you drive a Kia, if you do it properly, people will think it's cool.

1) People will SEE your computer every time you have company over. Family in for xmas, friends in for dinner, etc.

The point is SOME PEOPLE WANT THEIR COMPUTER TO LOOK GOOD. They WANT their computer set up in the kitchen, or in the living room, or in the den. They don't want their computer stuck in the basement or up in some kids room.

2) Most computers are not purchased by or for high school or college kids. The vast majority of computers aren't going to be used for a LAN. Of course MACs are bad for a LAN, but DON'T EXPECT THAT YOUR NEEDS are the same as everyone else's.

3) MACs aren't following the mainstream. MACs ARE a cool new trend. You are missing the whole point of what's going on in marketing these days.

Computers are not just for geeks anymore. Moms want them. Grandmas want them. And very few moms and grandmas are worried about a LAN party.

Moms, grandmas, many wives, and a few guys that give a whoof about style all apreciate the asthetics of the mac.

Macs look cool. Intel / amd systems (mostly) do not look cool. The new G5 macs are powerful, more powerful than most people will ever tap into.

I would never own a Mac because I don't need my computers to look good. I have a ghetto fab set of computers, with no cases, no monitors, no hard drives, no keyboards, no mice, no cdrom, just a bunch of processors that boot off of a network, delivering high amounts of computing power. I have a ton of computing power, that all looks like SHT.

But I realize that SOME people care about style, and macs have more style.

And no, you are still not cool if you squish a hemi inside a Kia and start taking people out at the track, you're just a gear head with no sense of style, Kia's blow.

 

[Tebore]

I'd take a Kia with a Hemi anyday. The Power to weight ratio would kill anything else with a Hemi.

Two the majourity of people who buy computers are teens, high school to college. This is not including corporate buys.

Moms and grandmothers don't care about style and won't pay $2000 for a computer. They'll pay $500 for a email and printing machine.

As for Style.... The apple case is far from being stylish. it's a silver box. If that thing sat in my kitchen it'd look like an oversized cheeze grater.

No one, I repeat no one person would have more than one up to date Mac in the house let alone one in the kitchen, bedroom, washroom, garage. A laptop would serve that computer anywhere task better.

 

[none1]

I didn't say one for every room. There are tons of people who want ONE computer, but out in the open, not hidden away in the kids room.

And no, the majority of people buying computers are NOT teens. Nope, nada. Its families, who all use the computer. The computer today is not for just the kids anymore. And like the main TV, people want the computer just as easily accessible for the whole family, and just as out in the open.

 

[datura3]

I must say my computer addiction has messed up more relationships than it has increased my chances of getting lucky.

Back to the topic. I currently use two G5 rigs and a dual xeon system. The G5's only set us back about 2,000 while the dual xeon was close to 4,000. This may be the ONLY situation where a comparable intel system costs more than an Mac. In any case, I'm not happy with OS X. If you get a problem in the dir tree or something else and can't fix it, then you have to re install. This has happened twice to me. The HD/system repair utilities in OS X are horrible. Even disk warrior or norton couldn't fix some of the problems. The PC has problems more often, but I've always been able to fix them. The intel system has dual 3.4 xeons and an nvidia quadro FX. This system nicely handles complex data sets and gfx editing. But honestly, if you aren't analyzing complex datasets, like the mass spectrometry data I'm analyzing, I would recommend a cheaper AMD dual processor solution. I think both the apple and the intel dual systems are overpriced. Which, is kinda funny since we have three of them.

 

[diehrd]

GUYS,,No matter because the POINT is moot..Apple will be using INTEL processors as there chairman announced today..SO an apple and a xeon will be one and the same..LMAO...

 

[datura3]

GUYS,,No matter because the POINT is moot..Apple will be using INTEL processors as there chairman announced today..SO an apple and a xeon will be one and the same..LMAO...

Yeah I heard about that. The point isn't moot since Vito probably doesn't wanna wait a year or two for the new apple/intel systems . Besides, somehow I don't think apple will chose the xeon.... they are more likely to chose the dothan/yohan. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking since I think dothan is one of the best chips on the market today. Furthermore, I don't think apple will adopt the x86 instruction set for their OS X since this would mean OS X would run on ANY intel system. Imagine that.... what would be the point of even buy an Apple if you could just run it on a p4 system? Apple would no longer sell any hardware.

 

[diehrd]

Well as of today Apples ceo has stated no more IBM..They will use Intel chips so whatever they do LMAO they are heading for the PC platform and if not it sure will look like it ha ha ha

 

[zachj]

Phil Schiller says that you might be able to run windows on a mac, but that you won't be able to run OS X on your PC . . . my guess is OpenFirmware. This is just plain silly . . . If you're IMPRESSED with a G5, then get one. I haven't been. Cost is not something to consider, in my opinion. If you're going to compare cost, then spec out a Dell. Hand-building a system and comparing to a OEM machine is unfair.

Z

 

[Albaholic]

As for Style.... The apple case is far from being stylish. it's a silver box. If that thing sat in my kitchen it'd look like an oversized cheeze grater.

Exactly, modding is the only way to gain true style points. and if owning an apple wouldve helped me MAC with the ladies i wouldve got one a long time ago. (Although if someone were to give me a G5 I'd still take it)

 

[pik4chu]

My question is,,Why compair the mac to anything less then a compairable PRICED pc ? I guess I could be wrong but if you set the PC up your self ya should be able to get a 3.2 or better Xeon rig for the cost of that G-5 ?

Xeon 3.2 800 FSD is about 650 a pair,Board is 225,Ram 100,6800GT 300,Power supply 100,case 75. $1450.00 Add drives to that . And heat sinks,. and for about 1700 or less ya have a box that will easily out perform the Mac at 2gigs. Just my 2 cents..

Edit; Or ya could grab 2.4 MO chips from ebay for around 300 a set,And set them to 16x200 and run 24/7 stable forever with a simple jumper setting.Ya can run faster but guranteed 3.2 is safe to say at the very least..hassle free

went that second route, have 2 2.4s clocked to 3 on air, it was cake to do. And unlike my AMd before it is quieter than one could guess and perfectly stable.

*edit* and I think my total cost was ~1800 bucks, and that included 2gigs of PC3500 ECC ram, 2 160gig SATA drives, 1 12X DVD burner to go with my sony. A very nice case and two coolermaster passive sinks and an ATI X800. On an NCCH-DL. (these were all sale prices, no MIR at all btw)

 

[pik4chu]

so none1, where are you getting all these great statistics and figures? about who buys what type of computer and their general age group? Because Id really like to see an actual source for that.

 

[Showstoppermd]

No question about it. Take the g5. If he gets a windows based machines against her wishes he will never hear the end of it. Lets be realistic windows will always have problems and with every problem they encounter she will say "see we should have got a mac"

 

[-maddog-]

The main advantage of mac os is its ability to quickly render graphics, compared to windows.

 

[Tebore]

The main advantage of mac os is its ability to quickly render graphics, compared to windows.

Actually that's not the OS doing that, but more along the lines of a super strong Floating point thanks to the Altivec extension. PPC are great for vector calculations and all sort of graphics stuff thanks to that.