iMac or G5

G

GML3G0

Registered
I'm utterly confused. I don't have a Mac...yet. I convinced myself 3 years ago that Mac was better than Windows and that my next computer would be a Mac. For some reason, I bought a Dell laptop. Don't all throw tomatoes at me at once. However, after seeing now with WinXP how $#i+y Windows is, I have decided and have made my mind that this summer I'm ditching Wintel and getting meself a Mac. I don't though what to get. I'm deciding to either get a g5 or iMac with the following specs:
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PowerMac G5 Dual 1.8 GHz
1-2 GB DDR SDRAM
ATI RADEON 9800 128 MB DDR RAM Graphics Card
Bluetooth and Airport Cards
Final Cut Express
SuperDrive
17" Apple Studio Display
Wireless keyboard by Apple and Wiress mouse by Logitech

iMac 17 inch 1.25 GHz
Maxed out 1 GB RAM
64 MB DDR RAM Nvidia FX Ultra Card (my only option)
Bluetooth and Airport Cards
Finall Cut Express
SuperDrive
Wireless keyboard by Apple and Wiress mouse by Logitech
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I use my computer mainly for surfing the net and playing games. I occassionally edit videos and burn them to DVDs. So I need to be able to run Final Cut Express smoothly. I'm also planning on getting Unreal Tournament 2004 so I need a computer capable of handling that. I also play Warcraft III: TFT and Quake III. The absolute bare minimum I will accept in any game is 35-45 frames per second. Other than that I use basic programs (iTunes, AppleWorks, etc...). I want my computer to last me 4+ years.
Right now, looks like the choices are narrowing down to the G5 (which happens to be very $$$). The plus side is that it will last me a while and I can upgrade it practically for like the next 10 years. Anyone know if a new iMac will be coming out soon with more RAM available?
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If I do go with a G5, how much RAM should I get. I'm thinking of getting a refurbished 1.8 Dual GHz when the new upgraded processors come out so I could get a cheap price.
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Any help would be appeciated.
 
The G5 would be worth the extra scratch just because it's so much cooler - but also it's expandable, will have a better resale value five years from now if you ever decide to sell the thing and will do what you want it to for longer then the iMac will be able to. 64 Bit is a huge plus also.
 
Imac:
Games
iLife
*Overall, it is more personnal, that's what it is basically built for

G5:
Video Production
Graphic Design
*Overall, it is more professional


So basically if you like to play games, watch DVD's, and have something cool looking that doesnt take up much space and doesnt give off as much heat, you'd want an imac.
 
Have you looked into getting something portable? Something like a PowerBook 12" or an iBook G4? If all you're doing is webbing and games and you have a budget, you might want something like that. If you can spend a little more, go for a G5 1.6. For you, the dual processor would be overkill, unless you are doing something very processor intensive like video editing or production. As I mentioned before, my father (a commercial artist) is doing stuff with Illustrator and Photoshop on a 1.6 GHz G5, and with only 256 MB of RAM! And he's still happy with the speed and responsiveness! Eventually he will upgrade the memory, but that's all he could afford for now. If you can spend a little more on the RAM, do so. It makes a world of difference.
 
If you play a lot of games and can afford the G5, it will definitely be a viable game (and everything else) machine for much longer than the iMac.

Keep in mind that you can't upgrade the graphics of the iMac. They're built onto the motherboard--not on a card. So while the 1.25 GHz G4 and the 5200 are reasonably good for today's games, the G5 with its TWO 1.8 GHz next-gen G5s and a 9800 will play the newest games for 3 + years. That's a long time for personal computer games.

AND you can upgrade the graphics card down the road.

Doug

BTW, all Macs come with iMovie and iDVD, two very nice consumer-level editing programs. As nice as FC Express is, you will want to check them out first if you haven't already.
 
GML3G0,

Memory-wise, OS X likes 512 MB+, especially for video and multimedia apps. Both machines will be very happy with 1 Gig. I'd suggest shopping around for memory; if you buy from Apple, you usually pay a premium.

Doug
 
From my own experience and that of friends, the current iMacs are really not going to deliver the game performance you're looking for consistently. Yeah, some games can work, but it's really hit or miss. It's a shame, cuz I can remember oh so recently playing Unreal Tournament on my lowly iMac 400 G3 and it played like glass (with a few options turned down of course). I would think at best you could reach "tolerable" frame rates, but it's kind of scary buying a machine that can only get you that far. If somebody has the more current iMacs, I'd love to hear their experiences. Maybe they are indeed up to snuff these days. My experience is with slightly older [last Fall or earlier] iMacs and eMacs (very similar in specs). In fact, I have played demos of all the games mentioned on dual G4s (867 and 1 ghz) and they all played reasonably well for my needs. But those machines also have different architectures. I don't think the second proc helps on any of those games, tho I could be wrong. So maybe I'm wrong, maybe those games would play just fine on the latest iMacs.

However, rumors are predicting G5 iMacs soon-ish. If true, that might change a few things.

On the video side, almost any Mac these days will do reasonably well to amazingly well. My lowly iBook 12" is about as low as you can get and I use FCP 4 on it frequently on the road. Works just fine, though renders are obviously sluggish. FCP 4 on my Dual G4s is frighteningly good. It's amazing how much better that software is on the same hardware I've had for almost three years. I cannot wait to pop for a G5 and run that monster.

Whatever you do, wait until the next batch of hardware announcements. You mention summer, so you should be safe.

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Now here's my real opinion:

Go G5. It will destroy the iMac in every way shape and form (based on current specs). The only thing going for the iMac is the coolness factor, which admittedly is...cool.

Now if the iMac goes G5 by summer, that's going to make the decision tougher.

Good luck!
 
Summer is a long road ahead of us... Until then I cannot offer my opinion on this.

BUT: If you would buy the Mac now, I would say to you: GET the G5 one! :D I know because I did! ;)
 
The iMacs are nice, but the G5 tower, or even the G4 tower is the better option. You can upgrade them getting much more use. You will probably quickly get bored with the iMac.
 
Allright thanks guys. Those were more responses than I thought I was gonna get. You've all been very helpful. I will wait until summer to make my final decision, but for now I think my mind is set on the G5 due to the upgradability factor. K. Thx again. :cool:
 
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