Advice on purchasing a new mac, IMAC VS G5.

[OSX-Devlinite]

Yes, that is correct, I am finally going to get a mac, me being a long time PC user.

So I need advice from you guys, which one would suit me better, and give me a better experience from a worthy cost.

These are in Can$.

G5

Power Mac G5 1.6GHz Z07H 4-6 weeks

ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 065-4449

Apple Keyboard & Apple Mouse - U.S. English 065-4161

1.6GHz PowerPC G5 065-4172

Bluetooth Module 065-4292

80GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm 065-4163

SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) 065-4168

256MB DDR333 SDRAM (PC2700) - 2x128 065-4175

AirPort Extreme Card 065-4293

Mac OS X - U.S. English 065-4160

Accessory kit 065-4159

Apple Studio Display (17" flat panel) M7649ZM/B

Total: 3,576.00

Tax: 4112.4



Imac

iMac 1.25GHz w/ 17" TFT Z087 3-5 bus.days

Bluetooth Module 065-4085

GeforceFX 5200 64MB

80GB Ultra ATA drive 065-4484

SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) 065-4483

256MB DDR333 - 1 DIMM 065-4327

AirPort Extreme Card 065-4006

Accessory Kit 065-4481

Keyboard/Mac OS X - U.S. English 065-4480

Total: 2,614.00 (2-3 Business days)

Tax: 3006.1


I will use this computer for full multimedia applications, such as adobe photoshop, premier, illustrator, go live...bla bla bla..

I understand the G5 is faster, but the question is, is it worth giving 1100$ more for it? Or will the Imac G4 1.25 ghz get the job done, just a bit slower?

How fast is the G5 compared to the G4? What about longterm, which will benefit me more? Which is better for a first time user? And also be used as a family home computer? Does the G5 make alot of noise? Is the Imac less noisy?

Who has a better image quality? Apple flat panel or the IMAC TFT 17inch LCD?

Is the G5 upgradeable? Such as video card/HD replacement? What about the Imac?

As a longtime PC user, this will be my first mac purchase... So I am expecting alot from apple. I don't want to get dissapointed with my purchase. So please be honest in your advice, and dont give me biased apple fanatisism. I just want honest opinions. I really love the Imac design, but I am also afraid of G4 performance since it's subpar to the x86 architectures. Thank you!

[nb3004]

will this be used for personal or professional stuff first of all?

second the imac really isnt upgradeable except ram and an airport card. the G5 is fully upgradeable

unless your doing major 3D or video editing you shouldnt notice much loss in speed with the G4 (not so sure that the G4 is subpar to x86, but that is another thread and another time)

btw the apple fanatism comes from apple making great computers ,
youll love either one you pick, and welcome

check out http://www.apple.com/hardware for more info and try to go to an Apple Store or other dealer to check one out yourself

[OSX-Devlinite]

I won't be doing alot of instensive stuff... more this computer will be for personal use. Home computer, for a few ppl in the house.

But I don't know which is really more advantageous to get, the Imac or the G5. While the Imac is not upgradeable and uses a G4, which restricts pretty much it's longevity, the G5 is much more expensive, but is upgradeable and can have a long life in usage.

But the cost, I think is simply too much

I suppose I will go with the Imac, unless anyone thinks I shouldn't, since you say my needs can be fufilled with the Imac.

[hulkaros]

Or you can go with a PowerMac G4/1.25 which has all the power of the iMac and almost the upgradeability of the G5

One other thing to keep in mind is that you do not have to buy an Apple monitor... While it would be cool to buy an Apple Display to go with your PowerMac the truth is that you can ANY VGA/DVI monitor out there and not just an Apple one!

Anyways, iMac is great too and for the foreseeable future is more than fine for the things you want to have fun with and not only

G4 is subpar compared to x86 platform? I think that when someone decides to www.apple.com/switch/ he/she should know better by now that there are more things going on for Macs than meets the eye Yeap! Including the eye of the beholder!

[Cat]

I agree with Hulkaros. If you do not use your machine professionally, a dual G4 will give you great performance and upgrade possibilities. An iMac is not so easily upgradeable. For professional use, get the Dual G5!

The Dual G4 (1.25 or 1.42 GHz) surely is better than a single P4. OS X is very good in multitasking and dividing the workload among processors. BTW, you cannot even get a dual P4 config, only Xeons, which are more expensive.

[edX]

Devlin - i normally don't answer these kinds of threads, but of course YOU wanting to get a mac caught my attention.

i tend to agree with cat and hulk. knowing that you like to tinker and build and tweak your computers, i think you would eventually get frustrated with the imac faster than the powermac G4. in fact, i'm guessing that eventually somebody will come out with a G5 upgrade for the powermac just about the time you feel that way.

on the other hand, the imac is simply one of the coolest computers ever designed. what it offers in aesthetics, ergonomics and WOW factor are hard to measure in terms of speed of performance unless you really need a professional machine. let's face it, even you think it's cool or you wouldn't be looking at getting one. and we know you have time to spare.

my one feeling about 'all in one' macs is that they really aren't for the abusive types. if this computer is going to be left sitting where it gets banged around, bumped plugging in peripherals, vibrated from the washing machine, moved from room to room regularly, etc, then an imac might not be the best idea. on the other hand, if you're finally ready for a computer that comes with almost everything you need and will let you work without having to twidle with it all the time, and it's going to have a safe place to live, then the imac should serve your purposes well. probably time for a leisurely trip to the nearest apple store and try them first hand. they normally have enough software on them that you can get a good feel for speed differences and decide for yourself what the difference is worth.

i'm sure you'll enjoy either one. and i'm sure you'll need to come back here for some switching tips.

[fryke]

Right now, if price is a problem, I'd get a Dual 1.25 GHz G4 machine, if you still find one. (There are some around.) Its design also fits the 17" display better. ;-)

The PowerMac G4 clearly beats the iMac in speed, expandability and longevity. For example: In, say, 12 months, you'll be able to buy a new graphics card for the G4, while you can't upgrade this in your iMac.

And let's think even further: In a year or two, you might want to buy a new Mac. While the 17" isn't the largest display available, it'll still do its job just fine and you'll be able to connect it to a new G5 or G6 by then. You can still use your (then old) G4 as a file-/web-/mail-server without a display.

[OSX-Devlinite]

You guys bring out good points... but it's very hard for me NOT to get an Imac since, i am in love with the design. Frankly, that is a big reason for me not to get a G5, since it's so PCish. Nothing interesting, other than it's performance vs the Imac.

While I do agree with you guys, the Imac won't last longer than the duel G4 or the G5. Still both of them are expensive!


The Price of the Duel G4 at Apple site is this:


• Dual 1.25GHz w/ 2MB L3 Cache per processor
• 256MB DDR333 SDRAM (PC2700) -1 DIMM
• 80GB Ultra ATA drive
• Optical 1 - Apple SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• Optical 2 - None
• ATI Radeon 9000 Pro dual-display w/64MB DDR
• Apple Studio Display (17" flat panel)
• AirPort Card
• Apple Pro Keyboard - U.S. English
• Mac OS - U.S. English
• Apple Pro Speakers


Subtotal $3,351.00

Tax: 3853.85

That's ridiculous, it's the almost the same price as the G5, with crappier equipment!! I rather get new technology than old for that cost.

No thanx, if I am going to get a mac, its going to be between the Imac or the G5.

I am leaning on the Imac, since the bundle is not bad and I can always "lend" software from others, and it DOESNT look like a PC, which is the one of the factors I wanted to buy a Mac.

But I don't want to get screwed within a year, that apple site now sells Imacs with G5s in them.... that would totally piss me off.

Anyways I will be going to an apple store today or tomorrow, to check out the Imac and the G5 (if its in). If the performance of the imac vs G5 is negligable. I will get the Imac.

If the Imac is totally slow as to run OSX itself, i will pay the premium price and get the G5.

I won't be doing alot of intensive work, unless you guys consider, school work, photo editing, flash and casual movie editing intensive?

BTW, is it worth getting apples superdrive, or am i better off getting a DVD-R for my pc computers, cause it would be cheaper and find faster drives.