[MacDV] Planning a Dual G5 purchase for video use

[Brett Conlon]

Hey Timothy,

I just sent an email to the X4U list about this same thing.  8-)

A year or so ago I did extensive testing on Photoshop with PS6 and PS7 in 
OSX and OS9 to try and see what the real-world differences were. In the 
process of testing these I also discovered that RAM made a huge difference 
to the processing power of either the G4's or G5 I was testing on. I 
already knew that but I didn't realise the huge difference adding more RAM 
would make. The following extract from the results document I put together 
has the evidence. I did a series of timed tests (opening 1.2GB files, 
converting from RGB to CMYK, running filters, exporting to EPS/TIFF etc) 
and compared the total times each configured machine took.

*********************************************
Further to this testing I found out another VERY HELPFUL bit of 
information. I knew that adding RAM to a configuration would increase 
Photoshop performance but I had no idea just how BIG an improvement could 
be achieved. Here are the summarised results from the RAM testing:

RAM Comparisons
Computer E++: PowerPC Dual G4/1.25G (2GB RAM) / Av TOTAL: 21:22 = 100% (or 
243% quicker than E)
Computer E+: PowerPC Dual G4/1.25G (1GB RAM) / Av TOTAL: 30:08 = 141% 
longer than E++ (or 173% quicker than E)
Computer E: PowerPC Dual G4/1.25G (512MB RAM) / Av TOTAL: 52:01 = 243% 
longer than E++

This information has already helped us with buying decisions..... in fact 
we bought a G4/1GHz Mac, maxed it out at 2GB RAM and still saved money not 
going for the fastest model..... and could possibly be over twice the 
speed as the top model with standard 512MB RAM - you do the sums!
*********************************************

Because I purchase for a studio of 15 designers and 4 coordinators I can't 
always purchase the top-of-the-line machines and max out the RAM - tight 
budgets. So we usually buy the model down from the top and use the savings 
to purchase extra RAM and in the end we have an overall faster Mac than if 
we purchased the top-of-the-line machines and didn't add any or much extra 
RAM.

If you're doing video work I'd suggest that this would be very similar in 
processing requirements to what we do with our printed superposters and 
billboards in Photoshop.

If money is no issue then do both - buy the best and max it out with RAM!

I hope that helps.

Cheers,

Coj



Timothy Luoma <lists at tntluoma.com>


I'm planning, probably sometime this summer, to buy a Dual G5, mainly 
to do video work (importing video from ConvertX/Canopus ADVC 110 into 
iMovie/EyeTV)

There is a fairly steep price difference ($900) between the Dual 1.8 
and the 2.5.

As far as I can see, this is mainly due to the processor speed and the 
bus speed.

Looking at this review
http://www.macworld.com/2004/09/reviews/secondg5/index.php

It looks like the 2.5 is significantly better than the 1.8 or 2.0 
models.  The 1.8 model comes with an 80gb hard drive which is no longer 
large in this day & age, and 256 RAM, which is absurd.

I'm wondering if others who have worked with the Dual G5s can comment 
on their performance.  You know what they say about benchmarks ;-)

TjL