dual 1.25 ghz powermac G4.......worth it?

jonmichael23

jonmichael23

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Okay I have the 17" 1 Ghz iMac with 512 mb ram, and a whole lot of programs (photoshop, office x, keynote....etc.) And an old iBook 300 mhz 192 mb ram running panther (and it runs panther suprisingly good).I love my iMac, but I also have been totally obsessed with getting a powermac g4 lately. Also, I figured the faster dual prcessors would run unreal tournamnet 2003 and halo better then my imac does. Now i know macs are not for the ultimate gamer, but im not the ultimate gamer i just want an overall better machine that can handle stuff better and which will last me longer. Here's what I'm thinking about doing. I'm going to try and sell my imac and ibook on ebay. I've seen my same imac sell for anywhere from 1,700 to 2,000. Also I make sure its clean all the time and its basically brand new, its in great shape u would think it was brand new. And I've seen my ibook sell for 400-650 on ebay too. So lets say I put these on there and get *estimating* 1,800 for the imac, 480 for the ibook. That gives me 2,280. I want the dual 1.25 ghz powermac G4 and the 20" Apple cinema display. Now I know you'd think-impossible, seeing as that would be 2,898 dollars from the apple store. Well this is the big reason why I want to do this, especially while my imac and ibook are worth what they are. This site - www.mac-bestbuys.com , offers the dual 1.25 for 1,299! And the 20" Cinema Display for 999! This brings it to a total of 2,298 and I don't think that this site has sales tax (its a family selling these computers, they have 8 employes,2 who work interenet sales, and ive looked into it and they are legit) . So when you think about it this is a real good deal - My iMac was 2,000 and I got the laptop for a steal (300!) So I'm saving 600 dollars having if bought from apple, and getting dual 1.25 processors compared to a single 1 ghz processor, and also will be able to put in 2 gb of ram compared to 1.....etc. And the 20" screen is very nice indeed, with more space then my imacs 17" . SO my final question is this, do you think its a good deal to get the dual G4 with the 20" cinema display, or should I get the single 1.8 ghz g5 and have to live with my stupid crt emachines monitor for quite a while. When I think about it, the dual 1.25 should be good for my needs.......and I also like the look of the powermac g4 better then the "innovative anodonized aluminum incasing" of the G5. Do you guys think this is a good buy and worth the trouble? Oh and once/if I get the iMac up on ebay I'll post in the computer classifieds thread with the link :) .

Jonathan
 
Looks like an awesome deal. Personally, I'd save up for a G5, but if you think you can do well with a G4 (and I'm sure it'd last you a long time), then why not, go for it.
 
I agree with Arden, I would save up unless its impossible for you to get the money (like me who has no job).

Seems like a good deal though :)
 
Just because it's not 64-bit doesn't mean that it's not useful. What's out there now that ACTUALLY uses 64-bits?? Not even Mac OS X is 64-bit native yet. I have a dual G4 system exactly like the one mentioned and it flies. If I could afford it, I would buy it. I was actually even considering one of the early dual-proc G4 systems out there which are closer to my pricerange.

Let's be honest. For the most part, with the exception of some Road Apples (LEM plug..HeheH), all Macs have staying value. Heck, the Quadra that was given to me still has lots of use in it despite its age. Personally, I wouldn't let that go, especially if it's a great buy.
 
The main thing about the G5 is that it's better built for the future. Sure, there are no 64-bit programs out now, but that's only because there haven't been any 64-bit computers until recently. Once apps come along that really take advantage of it, you'll be wishing you'd bought a G5 instead of a G4.

Besides, the G5 has a lot more over the G4 than just the 64-bit architecture, including better, faster RAM, a better PCI architecture, hyperthreading, a super-fast bus, and it's absolutely silent in normal operation.
 
Granted, the G5 is superior. I wouldn't have recommended it to my father if it wasn't. But this doesn't devalue the G4 at all. Even the G3 is still a great processor, so much so that it's been used up until recently in the iBook. Just because Apple stops using it doesn't mean that it's a useless processor.

As for apps, unless Apple changes the processors on all their products to the G5, there will be 32-bit apps for a good number of years, enough to justify buying that G4 system. Besides, by the time 32-bit apps are actually out of the picture, we would be looking at G6 systems with G5 CPUs at the low-end. Now THAT's when I would upgrade...plus by that time, you would have enough justification to replace that G4 system.

Utlimately, it's up to you.
 
I don't know about that site you linked to -- their top-end G5 is $300 cheaper than Apple's own store page. Be wary of resellers who claim to have much lower prices like that -- Apple's hardware almost always sells for within $20 of Apple's own store prices.

I read that you researched this company a bit, but I couldn't help but send out a warning. Good luck and let us know when the new computer arrives!
 
I would say get it, it's a great machine. I'm trying to get the same model
is this a Dual 1,25 august 2002 (Firewire 400) or a January 2003 (Firewire 800) model ?
My old DA dual 533 is getting really old and i want a 'new' mac :D
 
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