Best bang for the buck CPU upgrade

[b4tn]

I came to the abrupt realization that my 500mhz G4 AGP just isn't cutting it anymore. So I am trying to decide which processor upgrade to get.

what speed CPU does the lower bus speed and slower memory speed start to create a bottle neck? I hope that makes sense?
In other words will I still see a performance gain between say a single 1.2Ghz and a dual 1Ghz?

Any recommendations would be appreciated. I am trying to keep costs down hence the best bang for the buck.

 

[Arden]

You'll see a performance gain if you use a lot of dual processor-savvy applications like Photoshop (or Mac OS X! ). If you can afford it, I'd say go for the dual upgrade.

However, you can often find suddenly-obsolete G4 systems for very cheap prices nowadays since the G5's are out. My dad recently got a dual 867 Mhz G4 for $900, though it was a lemon and he traded it for a dual 1.25 Ghz with a printer and scanner. So it might be worth the extra couple hundred dollars to get an entirely new system and use your old one for file serving, final renders, etc.