Apple Identifying PowerPC G5 vs Mac pro G5

Mac newb here... What is the quickest way of identifying if you have been given a PowerPC G5 vs a Mac Pro G5 by external viewing?

Yes I was given one.

 

Turn it on and look at the system info, I don't recall there being any external difference.

 

Apple logo on the top left of the screen, about this mac.

 

Mac Pros aren't G5, they're Intel-based. If it has two optical drive slots on the front, it's a Mac Pro, though I think some of the first MPs may have only had one drive like the old PowerMacs. I think the MP also has more/newer ports (FW800, more USB, etc).

 

the amount of fans on the back, old macs 2 fans, new one larger one. I think.

 

Thanks for the help!

So It turns out it's a PowerMac G5... dual 2.0 Ghz, 2 GB.

I haven't really used a Mac much sinceTHESE back from elementary school. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I was hoping it would be a MacPro so I could install bootcamp on it and run XP in addition to OS X on it.

 

TBH, you probably won't need to. XP compatibility if needed was the clinching factor when I switched a couple years back now, but after a couple weeks I switched from a half the drive XP partition down to 15GB or so, then removed it entirely. I don't even have a VM available anymore. I've got an XP box downstairs for gaming and that's it, but I find that quite contrary to once-popular rumors, I'm always searching for a Windows equivalent to my Mac software for use at work.

 

Well I am definitely open minded, but most of what I use is PC only (Vegas mainly). However there are many apps I have been eager to check out, such as Shake, which are OSX only. I'm a video editor, but Final Cut Pro has never been appealing for me so I never made the switch to Mac that a huge percentage of Indie film users have. Vegas is an amazing editing suite but it doesn't get much respect yet because "it's not FCP".

 

The OS X-only apps are really the ones worth switching for. Of course that comes across as vendor lock-in to many (and, quite frankly, it is), but most of the apps I use day-to-day on my MBP simply don't have anything remotely near as good on other platforms. Heck, it's almost worth switching just for better font smoothing - it's a tiny thing, but when you're staring at text for eight to twelve hours a day, you'd be amazed what kind of difference it makes.

 

Please don't say your talking about sony vegas

 

Yes I am. It is an excellent NLE which, like I said, doesn't get much respect cause it isn't FCP or Avid. I have used them all and Vegas fits my workflow much better. It also has more tools that make it better for the "do-it all" crowd. It's also significantly cheaper than the rest as it is trying to gain more market share.

 

Vegas definitely isn't Avid, but it's a decent piece of software for what it does. And it's slightly less expensive than Avid. Just a bit. Unless we're talking Express. lol.

 

Sarcasm? Vegas is about 1/5th the price.

For small to medium sized (or budgeted) projects, Avid doesn't offer much over Vegas.

 

Yeah, just a smidge of scarcasm. LOL.

 

That may be true, but for a lot of small to medium sized or low-budget products, you can probably get away with iMovie. Are they doing things that are going to be a whole lot more complicated than adding subtitles and transitions?

 

Yes, much more.

 

ugh Vegas is horrible, personal preference i suppose though. I like FCP to be honest

 

Personal preference is definitely the key. Every NLE has it's advantages and disadvantages so Vegas is far from horrible. I have been an editor for 10 years and Vegas is by far the quickest and best suited to my style.

 

A little late, but there's several easy ways of identifying the differences.

Mac Pros have dual optical drive slots on the front, even if the machine only has a single drive actually installed. PowerMacs have a single, slightly fatter, slot.

Mac Pros have more ports on the front - Power, Audio, two horizontal USB, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800. The PowerMacs have Power, Audio, a single USB and a single FireWire 400 slot.

On the rear, Mac Pros have a single large fan grill (120mm), whereas PowerMacs have a pair of smaller 80mm fans. There's also more ports on the back on the Mac Pro (3 USB for a start).