Newbie Ask For G 5 + DVD Burner Help

[Hounddog]

Hello Everyone,

After spending more than few hours viewing this entire sight, I am writing my first post.

In the next few weeks I am going to be buying a G 5 (my first Mac.) The unit I am buying is the DP 1.8. I have a few questions to put to the Mac Computer, and Video experts on this board before I buy. Please keep in mind that budget is a prime concern.

1) RAM. This unit has 4 slots, and comes with 256. From what I see, the 512 sticks are the Best Bang For The Buck, at around $65 each. I was going to buy 4 of these and sell the original 2 sticks of 128. The latency on the replacement RAM is 3.0 Vs the 2.0 or 2.5 that is the original. I have been told by more than one Apple person to go this route, and don’t worry about buying original Apple Spec Ram, that I just won’t notice the difference. The bottom line here is that 2 Gig of Ram is going to cost around $280, where the 2. Gig of Apple Ram is around $400.

2) From what I have read, there are “better” DVD drives available that I could buy, both in speed, and duel format + -, and duel layer. I have read about the NEC unit as well as the Pioneer 108. What about the Lacie unit? (I believe that the Super Drive is also a Pioneer drive). If I buy the G5 with the “Combo Drive” I save $90, which I could put towards the new “better drive”.


3) This G 5 comes with a NVIDA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 Meg of DDR SDRAM. Is it worth an extra $45 to upgrade to ATI Radeon 9600 XT with 128 Meg of DDR SDRAM? I am NOT a gamer, so please don’t factor that into your reply.

4) What PCI card (or AGP card if I don’t do the up grade above) would you recommend for analog capturing? TV Tuning?

5) I am also new to the world of DVD’s. It is my understanding, from what I have read that the process goes something like this. Start by using Mac The Ripper (free download) then use DVD2ONE using a Constant Bit Rate. Then burn the DVD using the latest rev of Toast. Does it matter if it is Toast With Jam 6.0, or Toast 6.0 Titanium?

6) The G 5 comes with an 80 Gig HD, and 1 empty bay. I have a 160 Gig HD (Maxtor) I am going put in that bay. I have heard to put my OS and other software on 1 HD, and use a separate HD for my video work.

7) I have made VCD slide shows before, and I use CD-RW’s until I get them like I want them, then I burn them on CD-R’s. I am wanting do the same thing with the DVD’s. In the past I have had the best luck using IMATION disks. I did see where some users really like the Verbatim disks. Does it really matter, as long as you stay with a name brand disk, instead of the el-cheap-os?

8) Things for later include an external duel format, duel layer burner, and a 250 Gig HD to replace the 80 Gig HD.

I would be very grateful for a reply to even a single part of this, let alone all of it.
.
Any input, advice, knowledge, tips, even if they are “Oh, You Don’t Want To Do That!” or “That Is Exactly What You Want To Do”, will be greatly appreciated.

Once I get my Mac, I will post the specs of what I have in my computer. Like I said, this is my first post, but it won’t be the last one. Please bear with me as I learn.

Best Wishes To All,

Hounddog

[g4cube]

With the ram it doesn't really matter what brand you get but don't go the cheap way out it will lead to nightmares for you so buy quality only no dodgy net deals.
The pioneer drive is good but not support by the OS yet but think the NEC is and not a bad drive but i always love the pioneer so it would get my vote.
If games are not what you do save the money the better card is only needed for heavy graphics work.
Two HDs is a good idea OS on the 80 and save the 160 for all your other stuff.
With the dvds there is no substitute for quality so don't skimp there and you should keep the coasters to a minimum.
Hope that helps mate and doesn't confuse us all!

[WiseWeasel]

1) For the RAM, I'd DEFINITELY get some name-brand CAS 2 or 2.5 DIMMs, as it's not worth spending a couple grand on a computer only to have cheap RAM cause instability and slowdowns. I think the best deal is to get 1 GB from Apple (2x512), and then get another pair of good 512 DIMMs if you find 1GB isn't enough.

2) Keep in mind that the drive door on the G5 is very low clearance, and requires a low profile drive bezel. The one on the Pioneer DVR-107 I bought wouldn't fit in my G5 case, so I stuck it in my external FW enclosure instead. Taking off the bezel didn't help, as the tray got stuck when opening. I couldn't get the Sony DW-U10A (OEM - A.K.A. "Superdrive" when I ordered my G5 last October) drive's bezel to mount on the 107, so I just gave up on the whole idea of installing it internally. Keep this in mind when you get the optical drive, as you may need to get an external enclosure.

3) If you're sure you don't want to do any gaming, and you don't work in 3D design at all, the Nvidia 5200 will probably be fine. If you play the occasional 3D game, do any 3D design, lots of Photoshop work, or just want to run two monitors from a single video card, I'd suggest going with the ATI 128 MB 9600.

4)For capturing, I'd suggest an external FireWire DV bridge, such as the Canopus ADVC 100, which I've had excellent luck with. Otherwise, there's a pretty good PCI capture card/TV tuner called AlchemyTV, with good software, G5 and OSX support.

5) You got the basic process. For Toast, you don't need Jam unless you want to do some audio digitizing, and even then, there are probably better products available, possibly including Garage Band.

6) As for the HD, be aware that the internal bays are SATA only, so you can't put parallel ATA drives in there. I'd also bump the default drive to 160, as 80 GB is a waste of a drive bay (unless you don't do too much video stuff).

7) Use whatever CD-R media works. I personally buy Ritek CD-R media, as they go for reasonable prices, and haven't given me any problems so far.

[terryj]

A slighly different approach:

1.Yes, this is true. I have built in the course of my
four years as being an Apple MIS tech, having custom
built several macs, and whether you buy the ram from
Crucial, NewEgg, Apple itself or Coast to Coast, the
same holds true: RAM is RAM. Now, some vendors will
test their RAM more stringent than others ( Coast to
Caost, Crucial) to make sure they comply with Apple
Specs. Where ever you buy your ram, just make sure
they offer "Apple Compliant Ram", which means that
they are aware of the differences from OS to OS, logic
board to logic board, of how the mac addresses
memeory. There was a slight mishap with Ram chips not
being compliant back in 1997-98, but that has all been
rectified since then. The other thing is you want to
make sure that the RAM you do buy has a lifetime
guarantee with 85% or better ( the usual, as 15% of
the 100% accounts for restocking fees) replacement
guarantee. I personally use Coast to Coast, simply for
the fact they have an excellent lifetime guarantee,
are Apple Compliant, and are highly competititve in
price. http://www.ramseeker.net They also
offer a BUYBACK program in which they will buy your
old RAM, and either give you credit towards your new
ram, or cash back.

2. Since you can get a Pioneer -107 ( which will give
you faster speeds in DVD burning) for about $75 bucks,
or a dual layer superdrive Pioneer -108 for about $98,
verified athttp://www.pricewatch.com/, this
would be a very wise move. Just make sure to install
it internally, not externally ( so that it works
properly with iApps) and also be sure to buy Toast so
as to have native burning support for your dual layer
drive.

You can always stick the slower combo drive in a FW
external case for about $36 to $90, depending upon
case manufacturer.

3. As WW pointed out, unless you are doing heavy
graphics work, or are working in FCP ( two monitors
for palettes), then the current in stock card is
acceptable.

4. Go with the ADVC-100, or if you can aford, the
ADVC-300. Both are external capture boxes, and are
compatible with the iApps and FCP/FCE. If you just
want to go internal, the ADVC-50 is a good card I
hear, but the majority of users leave the PCI slots
free for extra USB and FW cards, which you will
eventually need as you acquire more devices (
scanners, cameras, imic microphones, etc.) and go with
the external boxes.

5. See WW's post.

6. Go here for good prices on SATA drives.
http://www.upgrade-solution.com I just
bought the 250GB Maxtor SATA drive listed for our main
G5 at work, and it's performing great. You'll be
suprised by how many projects will take up space fast
(a couple of DVDBackups here, 3 or 4 video captures
there, and next thing you know you don't have enough
space to author!), so try to make your second drive
the largest capacity drive you can AFFORD, even if it
means scrimping on something else, for instance maybe
only going to 1.5GB of ram instead of a full two, or
getting a -107 Superdrive without Dual Layer ( which
would be smart, considering that Dual layer media is
HIGH PRICED right now, and won't come down until HOME
DUAL LAYER SETTOP RECORDERS come out in Xmas.) and
instead getting a -108 and putting the extra cash into
an HD. You'll be glad you did.

80GB is fine for the main boot HD, but can fill up
fast if you have lots of apps and or prefer to not
move your iTunes library, which (set at default on the
boot hd) can grow to be pretty large, and take up
quite a bit of space.

Also, not knowing if you are sharing this mac with an
SO or or not, but giving them their own login
account, on the same boot hd, can cause them to fill
up space too. If you can, like WW suggested, try to
double the amount of the boot HD. If not, then at
least get the 250GB, and divide it (partition) it to
2/3+ for video (roughly 225 GB) and the other
partition for tunes ( 25gb or so).

7. I prefer TDK myself, but stay away from anything
"silver blank" CD-R/RW or DVD-R/RW, is my motto. (
unless it is made by Samsung/Be-All, the ONLY
exception).

Good luck and enjoy Hounddog.

[WiseWeasel]

2. Since you can get a Pioneer -107 ( which will give
you faster speeds in DVD burning) for about $75 bucks,
or a dual layer superdrive Pioneer -108 for about $98,
verified athttp://www.pricewatch.com/, this
would be a very wise move. Just make sure to install
it internally, not externally ( so that it works
properly with iApps) and also be sure to buy Toast so
as to have native burning support for your dual layer
drive.

You can always stick the slower combo drive in a FW
external case for about $36 to $90, depending upon
case manufacturer.

I couldn't get my 107 to properly mount internally in my G5 due to the custom door design. I'm sure the same would hold true for the 108, and any drive with the standard size bezel. If you can find one with a low-profile bezel, that might work for you. Otherwise, external FW enclosures work fine, including compatibility with iApps, in the case of my Pioneer DVR-107 in a FW enclosure (though I've only tested iTunes and Finder burning, and not iDVD). Otherwise, there's always Toast to burn.

Also, I've found the best deals on HDDs at zipzoomfly.com (like this one), with free 2-day shipping and a great buying experience.

[WiseWeasel]

I just got a tip from someone in an email, that when your G5 comes with a Sony drive, and you wish to install a Pioneer drive, you'll need different mounting screws to make it fit properly. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't want to sell just the screws, instead wanting you to buy replacement drives from them (damn you, Apple!). More info here:
http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?128@150.UlO0aRXwvJM.0@.6896ee18
The newer G5s come with Pioneer drives, so you'll be fine replacing the internal one with a new Pioneer drive of your choice. Also, the OEM superdrives in G5s are now 8x, so you may want to wait for a drive that supports the Dual Layer DVD-R format (as opposed to the +R one).

[WiseWeasel]

I just got off the phone with Apple support, and managed to get the screws for the Pioneer drive ordered. Ask for part # 922-6305 (for the PowerMac G5). They said that the best way to get those screws if you don't have phone support is to contact the nearest Apple specialist, and have them order the screws for you. This won't be applicable for Hounddog, since he'll already have the proper Pioneer screws, but for anyone else who got a Sony drive in their G5s, that's the part # you need to get in order to properly mount a Pioneer drive internally. They also have mounting screws for Sony drives, in case you want to replace a Pioneer drive with a Sony one (for some reason that's beyond me).