New iMac G5 - When and What did you buy?

[mdelaney123]

I purchased a 20" 1.8 w/ 1GB RAM and 250GB Hard Disk at 3:27am Pacific...

You?

:)

[JeDiBoYTJ]

im one of the people who are staring and drooling at the page......

[homerjward]

i ordered a 17" rev b. next summer. stock plus ae.

[homerjward]

I purchased a 20" 1.8 w/ 1GB RAM and 250GB Hard Disk at 3:27am Pacific...

You?

:)
apple ram??!! :eek: :eek:
btw, does anyone know whether you can yank the drive and put in a 400gb hitachi or a 74gb 10k drive? not that its of any interest to me but just curious.

[Elan0204]

btw, does anyone know whether you can yank the drive and put in a 400gb hitachi or a 74gb 10k drive? not that its of any interest to me but just curious.

I doubt people will really know what you can and can't do with the new iMac until they ship.

[brobson]

I got a 512 Ram, 17" superdrive with bluetooth and airport set up this evening.

I was really, really happy until I just got a belated reply email from a classified ad for an ibook 500 mhz powerbook g3 for $350. It needs a new battery and has a thin line going down the bottom of the lcd. (What do you all think of that price?)

Not that I prefer this to my ordered imac but it reminded me that this search began because I needed to access my aol saved files at work due to a windows environment. I really don't need all of this, but I thought it was a great price. It inched up to 1900 education price at the apple store.

That guilty reality is trying to move in on my parade.

:o

[brobson]

Oh yeah, I got 160 GB HD since I was going all out anyway.

[jsw]

I got a 512 Ram, 17" superdrive with bluetooth and airport set up this evening.

I was really, really happy until I just got a belated reply email from a classified ad for an ibook 500 mhz powerbook g3 for $350. It needs a new battery and has a thin line going down the bottom of the lcd. (What do you all think of that price?)

Not that I prefer this to my ordered imac but it reminded me that this search began because I needed to access my aol saved files at work due to a windows environment. I really don't need all of this, but I thought it was a great price. It inched up to 1900 education price at the apple store.

That guilty reality is trying to move in on my parade.

:oNO!!! Don't cancel the order! We worked too hard to get you to buy a new Mac, brobson! ;) Seriously, though, you will love the new iMac. You'd merely like the old G3... :)

[sorryiwasdreami]

ORDER DATE: 08/31/04 - 02:45 PM Pacific Standard Time

IMG5 17/1.8
512MB DDR400 SDRAM - 1 DIMM
80GB Serial ATA drive
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
AirPort Extreme Card
Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse + Mac OS X - U.S. English
Accessory kit

Can't w8!!!

[Flowbee]

apple ram??!! :eek: :eek:


Upgrading the iMac to 1gig costs $225 from Apple. At Crucial.com, two sticks of 512mb RAM for the G5 iMac costs $186.

Buying from Apple costs $39 more. (Not to mention, it's installed and covered under AppleCare).

[brobson]

I do feel like you all sweated this one out with me!!!! And what an education I got from especially you and others!
Thanks again!

It's my schoolteacher frugality rearing it's ugly head.

I am going to take my (strangely clunky looking now) 333 imac to school and as you said "no one will steal it" Heck, I can hardly carry it.
Funny thing is, this new model looks like a stand up laptop. It's hard to imagine how all that can be packed into this unit!

But the price was the clincher when I was pricing G4 notebooks.

I'm sure tomorrow I will be thrilled again it was just such coincedental timing.

Just for grins, do you think it is a good deal for my son or something?
Brenda

[starcrossed]

Congratulations everyone on ordering your new iMac G5. I just wish I could do the same as well, but I just bought a new Powerbook and a new car, so it looks like i will have to wait awhile till I can get my hands on my very own iMac G5. :(

[BigEvan23]

In July I purchased a 15" PB 1.5/1GB/128VRAM/80GB@5400
then picked up a new 23" cinema display
Now the 17" 1.8 G5
Just waiting on the Dual 3.0 G5 to complete the lineup! My 1.5ghz G4 upgrade sawtooth tower is looking less appealing every day with the aluminum starting to take over my desk!

Evan

[homerjward]

Upgrading the iMac to 1gig costs $225 from Apple. At Crucial.com, two sticks of 512mb RAM for the G5 iMac costs $186.

Buying from Apple costs $39 more. (Not to mention, it's installed and covered under AppleCare).
well yes...but it's usually significantly more expensive. plus crucial ram (if u do the configurator deal) is covered by crucial. and check this out:http://images.apple.com/imac/images/designopenanim20040831.gif
im sorry if i came across sounding hostile or something, it's hard to use a particular tone of voice online :o

[FredAkbar]

Haven't ordered it yet, might not for a month or two (gotta save up some more money first), but I'll get the 17" 1.8 GHz with a gig of RAM, Airport Extreme card, and maybe Bluetooth card. With tax and edu. discount, should be a bit over $1800.

[DrPepper]

Upgrading the iMac to 1gig costs $225 from Apple. At Crucial.com, two sticks of 512mb RAM for the G5 iMac costs $186.

Buying from Apple costs $39 more. (Not to mention, it's installed and covered under AppleCare).

u failed to mention the 1 gb at crucial.com is 1 stick

[Abstract]

Exactly. To upgrade with Apple, they're taking away the 256MB of RAM stick they would have normally given you anyway, and are giving you 2x 512MB sticks of RAM. The cost to you may be very similar, but I don't like to let Apple get away with crap like that. They're charging you more, and saving even MORE money by keeping that 256MB of RAM for themselves. Since you have 2 RAM slots, you may as well have kept the 256MB of RAM and installed the 1GB stick on your own. That's 1.28GB of RAM. ;)

Again, never let Apple pocket more of your money by purchasing RAM off them.

[DrPepper]

Exactly. To upgrade with Apple, they're taking away the 256MB of RAM stick they would have normally given you anyway, and are giving you 2x 512MB sticks of RAM. The cost to you may be very similar, but I don't like to let Apple get away with crap like that. They're charging you more, and saving even MORE money by keeping that 256MB of RAM for themselves. Since you have 2 RAM slots, you may as well have kept the 256MB of RAM and installed the 1GB stick on your own. That's 1.28GB of RAM. ;)

Again, never let Apple pocket more of your money by purchasing RAM off them.
whats the cheapest you guys have seen some "good pc3200" 1gb sticks?

so i can get up 2 1.28gb :p

[puckhead193]

So now that apple came out with a new imac my parents want a mac mainly because me and my brother have macs with isights to talk while where away at college. my parents want a mac mainly for this perpuse :rolleyes: Maybe do taxs, MS word maybe but doubtfully use ilife.... Do you think this G5 is over the top? Would an emac do?

[aswitcher]

Any aussie buyers recommend places which are giviong good quotes on iMac G5s?

[RandomDeadHead]

$164.00 at New Egg. But it looks like cheap ram so it might not be trustworthy. The next best ram New Egg has is like $202.00.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-220-030&depa=1

[Abstract]

Try OWC. Same warranty, and hell, they even sell Samsung RAM for cheap, which is what Apple uses anyway. :p OWC is also highly recommended for RAM. They offer the same Crucial warranty, and sell different types of RAM.

I'm going to QUOTE something I just posted in another thread. Its what I think, and I can't say it any better.

I've always wondered the same thing, but wasn't knowledgeable enough to question the people who told me to buy Crucial when I switched. I didn't even know the RAM company mattered until people here made a big huff and puff about it. Most people don't even know why they're telling you to buy from Crucial, but since they read other posts here that always recommend Crucial, they'll tell you that "you need to get Crucial because they're great!!" Its a snowball effect.

Quality differences: will cheaper RAM break on contact? No. Will it work? Yes. Crucial makes faulty RAM sometimes, so if cheaper RAM doesn't work, exchange it. Will Crucial offer better performance and avoid kernel panics? Also, how much better will performance be? A 1GB stick from Crucial may be 5% better than a 1GB stick from OWC, but surely two 1GB sticks of OWC RAM will offer wicked performance when compared to 1 stick of Crucial RAM. ;) A 1GB stick of RAM for PBooks from Crucial: $520. Samsung RAM from OWC....$350. Other brands from OWC.... around $250. Big difference.

Although I still recommend Crucial to N00bs, I'm buying my 1GB stick of PB RAM at OWC. There's not enough of a difference in performance and reliability to pay an extra $200 on top of the $260 you're already paying. :o

[oingoboingo]

Any aussie buyers recommend places which are giviong good quotes on iMac G5s?

AppleCentre Chatswood (aka: www.macmall.com.au) always seem to offer a discount off RRP. They sent me an e-mail this afternoon advertising the 17" 1.6GHz version for $2165.90, the 17" 1.8GHz for $2453.00, and the 20" 1.8GHz for $3144.90.

Of course the best standing discount available is to be a student. Educational prices (from Apple's web site) are 17" 1.6GHz for $1978.90, 17" 1.8GHz for $2249.50 and the 20" 1.8GHz for $2878.70.

Sorry Apple...you almost had me offloading my big'n'beautiful PowerMac G5 1.6GHz and 19" CRT on eBay to buy a svelte'n'sexy iMac G5...but not with that video chip!

[aswitcher]

AppleCentre Chatswood (aka: www.macmall.com.au) always seem to offer a discount off RRP. They sent me an e-mail this afternoon advertising the 17" 1.6GHz version for $2165.90, the 17" 1.8GHz for $2453.00, and the 20" 1.8GHz for $3144.90.

Of course the best standing discount available is to be a student. Educational prices (from Apple's web site) are 17" 1.6GHz for $1978.90, 17" 1.8GHz for $2249.50 and the 20" 1.8GHz for $2878.70.

Sorry Apple...you almost had me offloading my big'n'beautiful PowerMac G5 1.6GHz and 19" CRT on eBay to buy a svelte'n'sexy iMac G5...but not with that video chip!

Yeah Macmall do good prices and I get allot of stuff from them but I know Nextbyte price match and do deals to get business so I'll be asking them both for quotes. Anyway ~$50 is all the are offering and no special package deals or anything so I hope to find some other Sydney sellers who are interested in competative quoting...

[oingoboingo]

Yeah Macmall do good prices and I get allot of stuff from them but I know Nextbyte price match and do deals to get business so I'll be asking them both for quotes. Anyway ~$50 is all the are offering and no special package deals or anything so I hope to find some other Sydney sellers who are interested in competative quoting...

So are you looking seriously at an iMac G5 then? Soooo compelling in many ways, but after a year of Mac-gaming on a Radeon 9600 Pro I can't justify going backwards to an nVidia FX 5200. What level of system are you looking at?

[aswitcher]

So are you looking seriously at an iMac G5 then? Soooo compelling in many ways, but after a year of Mac-gaming on a Radeon 9600 Pro I can't justify going backwards to an nVidia FX 5200. What level of system are you looking at?

20" but for my parenst to switch...so graphics card should be fine for them. :p

I wouldn't buy one or recommend it to friend pc users who play games for the reasons already given in the forums.

[Flowbee]

u failed to mention the 1 gb at crucial.com is 1 stick

No, u failed to actually read my post. I wrote "At Crucial.com, two sticks of 512mb RAM for the G5 iMac costs $186."

Crucial does sell a 1gb stick for the iMac... for $253.

[CmdrLaForge]

Upgrading the iMac to 1gig costs $225 from Apple. At Crucial.com, two sticks of 512mb RAM for the G5 iMac costs $186.

Buying from Apple costs $39 more. (Not to mention, it's installed and covered under AppleCare).

I don't think that its really a lot cheaper for that $39 I would prefer getting it from Apple instead of opening my brand new Mac.

my 2 cents

[CmdrLaForge]

Exactly. To upgrade with Apple, they're taking away the 256MB of RAM stick they would have normally given you anyway, and are giving you 2x 512MB sticks of RAM. The cost to you may be very similar, but I don't like to let Apple get away with crap like that. They're charging you more, and saving even MORE money by keeping that 256MB of RAM for themselves. Since you have 2 RAM slots, you may as well have kept the 256MB of RAM and installed the 1GB stick on your own. That's 1.28GB of RAM. ;)

Again, never let Apple pocket more of your money by purchasing RAM off them.

Well, if you see it that way ....

.... OK, maybe its better to upgrade the RAM yourself.

[Peyote]

I don't think that its really a lot cheaper for that $39 I would prefer getting it from Apple instead of opening my brand new Mac.

my 2 cents


I'm with the other guy...$39 isn't a big price difference, however the price of that 256MB of ram is already built into the price of the computer...it comes standard. When you upgrade, they aren't just adding ram, they're replacing 256 with 512, or 1 gig, or whatever. So while you are still paying for the 256MB that came standard, they are taking it away from you, and charging you $39 more than the next company to upgrade. It's not a HUGE deal or anything, but it's sneaky, and I refuse to play that game, so I always buy my RAM from another source.

When you buy 3rd party ram, and add 1 gig to your Mac, you end up with 1.25 gb of ram instead of 1 gig. Some people see that as like getting 256MB free...wrong! You already paid for that 256MB...you're just making sure Apple doesn't take it away from you.

That's how I see it anyway.


To get back on subject, I hope to be ordering a 20" soon. Anyone else notice how much like a tablet computer these iMacs are? I could very ealisy see people mounting this Mac to their kitchen wall or whatever, with a BT keyboard and mouse, etc. There are a ton of new uses that arise from such a compact form. This machine would aldo be great in hospitals, etc...there are already VESA LCD arms for sale that come with a keyboard and mouse tray attached...add the iMac with BT, and you have a great little setup

[Flowbee]

I don't think that its really a lot cheaper for that $39 I would prefer getting it from Apple instead of opening my brand new Mac.


Exactly. So many people automatically assume that buying RAM from Apple is a total rip-off. I was just pointing out that it's not always the case.

That being said, if you want to upgrade your iMac to 2gb RAM, go with Crucial (you'll save about $500).

[ebook]

Well, mine is ordered!!! I wanted to order it sooner, but I had to call the bank and up my credit card limit (I just have never done that since I got the card in High School).

This is what I ordered...
iMac 1.8 GHz w/20" TFT / standard ram (will upgrade of course) / AirPort Extreme Card / Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse + Mac OS X - U.S. English / AirPort Express Base Station / HP DeskJet 5740

Also, I wanted to see if you guys could confirm something for me. That Bluetooth line up there means that they will install the bluetooth right? Because in my order it says "None - Bluetooth Module 065-4717". I assume that means that I will get it anyways because I ordered it with the keyboard? Let me know...

By the way, I'm really giddy right now. This is the first computer that I've ever purchased from Apple! I've always used Macs, but I've never actually got a new top of the line one from Apple!!!!

[gekko513]

So are you looking seriously at an iMac G5 then? Soooo compelling in many ways, but after a year of Mac-gaming on a Radeon 9600 Pro I can't justify going backwards to an nVidia FX 5200. What level of system are you looking at?
According to this (http://www.pantherproducts.co.uk/Articles/Graphics/Graphics%20Comparison.shtml), the FX 5200 Ultra is very similar to the Radeon 9600 Pro, so I'm not sure if it will be going backwards ... more like sideways.

Radeon 9600 Pro
Memory Bandwidth 9.6 GB/s
Fillrate 1.6 GPixels/s

FX 5200 Ultra
Memory bandwidth 10.4 GB/s
Fillrate 1.4 GPixels/s

They two card have different strengths on the Mac. Here's a quote from a test:
"Adding all of it up, the decision is difficult. If making Halo look good is a priority, then get the 9600. If making SimCity look good and play faster is a priority, stay with the 5200. Outside of that, the Radeon 9600 will deliver better performance."

Also notice that the FX 5200 Ultra has more than 40% better specs compared to the regular FX 5200.

[bont]

I couldn't justify the extra £300 for 3" more screen space, so I got the middle model and bumped up the HDD to 160gb and added an extra 256mb (yes, I too left it to the capable hands of Apple) Is 512 megabytes enough for general homeuse these days?
I'm upgrading from a bondi blue iMac, so this should be quite an experience for me :)

[Peyote]

I couldn't justify the extra £300 for 3" more screen space, so I got the middle model and bumped up the HDD to 160gb and added an extra 256mb (yes, I too left it to the capable hands of Apple) Is 512 megabytes enough for general homeuse these days?
I'm upgrading from a bondi blue iMac, so this should be quite an experience for me :)

512 should be fine for normal use

[CmdrLaForge]

According to this (http://www.pantherproducts.co.uk/Articles/Graphics/Graphics%20Comparison.shtml), the FX 5200 Ultra is very similar to the Radeon 9600 Pro, so I'm not sure if it will be going backwards ... more like sideways.

Radeon 9600 Pro
Memory Bandwidth 9.6 GB/s
Fillrate 1.6 GPixels/s

FX 5200 Ultra
Memory bandwidth 10.4 GB/s
Fillrate 1.4 GPixels/s

They two card have different strengths on the Mac. Here's a quote from a test:
"Adding all of it up, the decision is difficult. If making Halo look good is a priority, then get the 9600. If making SimCity look good and play faster is a priority, stay with the 5200. Outside of that, the Radeon 9600 will deliver better performance."

Also notice that the FX 5200 Ultra has more than 40% better specs compared to the regular FX 5200.

Sounds good.

I have no need for a new Computer right now, but I guess I will get the 20" iMac with 250gig drive and 2 gig ram bluetooth keyboard and mouse in about 8 month, I guess then the next revision will be out. Not that I think the current one is not worth it, but I have no need for a new Mac right now.

[Peyote]

Exactly. So many people automatically assume that buying RAM from Apple is a total rip-off. I was just pointing out that it's not always the case.

That being said, if you want to upgrade your iMac to 2gb RAM, go with Crucial (you'll save about $500).



Speaking of which...why does Apple chare more than twice as much money for a 2 gig upgrade, as opposed to a 1 gig upgrade that uses 1 stick? I've been wondering why lately, sincethe 2 gig upgrade is basically two 1 gig sticks. Does anyone else know why?

[razorme]

According to this (http://www.pantherproducts.co.uk/Articles/Graphics/Graphics%20Comparison.shtml), the FX 5200 Ultra is very similar to the Radeon 9600 Pro, so I'm not sure if it will be going backwards ... more like sideways.

Also notice that the FX 5200 Ultra has more than 40% better specs compared to the regular FX 5200.


I ordered a 17" 1.8 Ghz w/Bluetooth, Extreme, 512 Mb, and 160 GB. I went with the RAM from Apple since they weren't pulling their usual stunt of giving you 2 x 256 Mb. This way I will buy a 3rd party 512 Mb and have 1 GB total. I also went with the 160 GB because they are finally giving us 7200 rpm drives. It wouldn't surprise me if they have 2 Mb of cache but oh well.

My only reservation was the graphics card - I haven't been following them much, so it is nice to know the Ultra is a bit better than the well criticized 5200.

Now I get to join in the fun game of complaining about missed ship dates. Maybe it will be wrapped under the Christmas tree???

[Timelessblur]

According to this (http://www.pantherproducts.co.uk/Articles/Graphics/Graphics%20Comparison.shtml), the FX 5200 Ultra is very similar to the Radeon 9600 Pro, so I'm not sure if it will be going backwards ... more like sideways.

Radeon 9600 Pro
Memory Bandwidth 9.6 GB/s
Fillrate 1.6 GPixels/s

FX 5200 Ultra
Memory bandwidth 10.4 GB/s
Fillrate 1.4 GPixels/s

They two card have different strengths on the Mac. Here's a quote from a test:
"Adding all of it up, the decision is difficult. If making Halo look good is a priority, then get the 9600. If making SimCity look good and play faster is a priority, stay with the 5200. Outside of that, the Radeon 9600 will deliver better performance."

Also notice that the FX 5200 Ultra has more than 40% better specs compared to the regular FX 5200.

remeber the new iMac GPU card only has 64meg of Vram (50% of amont of ram that those numbers above where created with)so there is another problem to widen the gap a make it a little worse

[FuzzyBallz]

20" stock everything + 512MB from crucial. And Dual 2.0 PM + 2x512MB from crucial. Should be fun.

[vouder17]

Also, I wanted to see if you guys could confirm something for me. That Bluetooth line up there means that they will install the bluetooth right? Because in my order it says "None - Bluetooth Module 065-4717". I assume that means that I will get it anyways because I ordered it with the keyboard? Let me know...


Well I want to order exactly what you are getting, and if you order the bluetooth keyboard apple installs it for you. So it is all good.

Peace
DjVoTeZ

[gekko513]

remeber the new iMac GPU card only has 64meg of Vram (50% of amont of ram that those numbers above where created with)so there is another problem to widen the gap a make it a little worse
Yeah, the 64MB vram thing is puzzling me a bit. Of course it's cheaper, but the way people are crying in PC forums that 256MB is so much better than 128MB you would get the impression that 64MB just won't cut it.

I would be really interested in seeing some numbers on when the performance drop kicks in with just 64MB. Maybe it is mostly of theoretical and extreme gaming interest?

[reykjavik]

I order the 17 inch iMac without superdrive (why spend 300 dollars more for a non-dual layer dvd burner that is also a slow cd-r burner???) and a 512 in 1 dimm slot, bluetooth, 160 gb, airport, wireless keyboard and mouse (85 bucks for bluetooth wireless keyboard and mouse, not a bad deal). So anyway, my question is this: Crucial.com already has sticks of ram for theG5 iMac for sale. They have a 512 stick for 85 bucks after a rebate. But I honestly can't figure out, shy of taking the whole computer apart, how I'd put the ram in myself. There must be a way, does anyone think they know how???

[Le Big Mac]

Exactly. To upgrade with Apple, they're taking away the 256MB of RAM stick they would have normally given you anyway, and are giving you 2x 512MB sticks of RAM. The cost to you may be very similar, but I don't like to let Apple get away with crap like that. They're charging you more, and saving even MORE money by keeping that 256MB of RAM for themselves. Since you have 2 RAM slots, you may as well have kept the 256MB of RAM and installed the 1GB stick on your own. That's 1.28GB of RAM. ;)

Again, never let Apple pocket more of your money by purchasing RAM off them.

It seems like the one thing that makes sense is to upgrade to 512mb for $75. Then buy everything else, including another 512mb, from crucial. A 512mb from crucial costs $93, so doing the upgrade with apple is cheaper than getting the 256mb and upgrading yourself, although you do get a useless $46
stick of 256mb.

[Le Big Mac]

But I honestly can't figure out, shy of taking the whole computer apart, how I'd put the ram in myself. There must be a way, does anyone think they know how???

Remove back panel. Insert stick into memory slot on lower right (from rear). Reinstall back panel.

[Le Big Mac]

Speaking of which...why does Apple chare more than twice as much money for a 2 gig upgrade, as opposed to a 1 gig upgrade that uses 1 stick? I've been wondering why lately, sincethe 2 gig upgrade is basically two 1 gig sticks. Does anyone else know why?

Maybe because teh second 1GB memory doesn't come with a 256mb stick credit? Dunno what the comparison is, but if you order 1GB stick, you're also giving back a $40 ($75 in applie prices) stick of memory. You're not for the second GB.

[Le Big Mac]

I I could very ealisy see people mounting this Mac to their kitchen wall or whatever, with a BT keyboard and mouse, etc. There are a ton of new uses that arise from such a compact form.

Won't it prodtrude at least a few inches? At least until they create ethernet, USB, and firewire cables with flat L-shaped connectors.

[Peyote]

Won't it prodtrude at least a few inches? At least until they create ethernet, USB, and firewire cables with flat L-shaped connectors.


Well sure, but the imac would be away from the wall by acouple of inches anyway, just from the wall mount.

This isn't a realistic idea, just an example of how the uses of a form facotr like this are broader than the previous version.

[Peyote]

Maybe because teh second 1GB memory doesn't come with a 256mb stick credit? Dunno what the comparison is, but if you order 1GB stick, you're also giving back a $40 ($75 in applie prices) stick of memory. You're not for the second GB.


I seem to recall the difference in price between the 1 gig upgrade and the 1 gig upgrade being fairly large...but that doesn't even matter. If the machine comes with 256 MB, and you upgrade to a 1 gig stick, you are giving Apple back the 256. If you upgrade to 2 gig, you are still giving apple the 256...it's the same scenario, using the same sticks of ram, yet when you double the ram, the price does more than double, when in fact it should be double the price, or maybe just a little more, but not as much as it is.

[oingoboingo]

According to this (http://www.pantherproducts.co.uk/Articles/Graphics/Graphics%20Comparison.shtml), the FX 5200 Ultra is very similar to the Radeon 9600 Pro, so I'm not sure if it will be going backwards ... more like sideways.

Radeon 9600 Pro
Memory Bandwidth 9.6 GB/s
Fillrate 1.6 GPixels/s

FX 5200 Ultra
Memory bandwidth 10.4 GB/s
Fillrate 1.4 GPixels/s

They two card have different strengths on the Mac. Here's a quote from a test:
"Adding all of it up, the decision is difficult. If making Halo look good is a priority, then get the 9600. If making SimCity look good and play faster is a priority, stay with the 5200. Outside of that, the Radeon 9600 will deliver better performance."

Also notice that the FX 5200 Ultra has more than 40% better specs compared to the regular FX 5200.

You're in for a nasty shock if you're only looking at theoretical memory bandwidth and fillrate specs. A nasty, nasty shock. From Tom's Hardware Guide video card roundup:

-UT2003, 1024x768x32:
FX5200 Ultra: 42.4 FPS
Radeon 9600 Pro: 66.7 FPS

- Battlefield 1942, Secret Weapons of WWII, 1024x768x32:
FX5200 Ultra: 93.2 FPS
Radeon 9600 Pro: 128.8 FPS

- Call of Duty, 1024x768x32
FX5200 Ultra: 55.5 FPS
Radeon 9600 Pro: 68.3 FPS

- Halo: 1024x768x32:
FX5200 Ultra: 19.58
Radeon 9600 Pro: 28.71

These games were all tested on PC systems, so you can't make direct FPS to FPS comparisons to the Mac versions. The important thing is the difference between the video cards.

In anyone's language, there's no way that it can be claimed that the FX 5200 Ultra is a 'step sideways' from a Radeon 9600 Pro. I'm not going to argue with anyone here who believes an FX 5200 Ultra will be a good enough GPU for them. If it's what you want, go for it. But like I said, it will be a step down for me from the PowerMac G5 / Radeon 9600 Pro system I currently own, and therefore, the iMac G5 out of the question.

[cslewis]

I'm waiting to have enough cash to get one... :cool:

[oingoboingo]

According to this (http://www.pantherproducts.co.uk/Articles/Graphics/Graphics%20Comparison.shtml), the FX 5200 Ultra is very similar to the Radeon 9600 Pro, so I'm not sure if it will be going backwards ... more like sideways.

Radeon 9600 Pro
Memory Bandwidth 9.6 GB/s
Fillrate 1.6 GPixels/s

FX 5200 Ultra
Memory bandwidth 10.4 GB/s
Fillrate 1.4 GPixels/s

They two card have different strengths on the Mac. Here's a quote from a test:
"Adding all of it up, the decision is difficult. If making Halo look good is a priority, then get the 9600. If making SimCity look good and play faster is a priority, stay with the 5200. Outside of that, the Radeon 9600 will deliver better performance."

Also notice that the FX 5200 Ultra has more than 40% better specs compared to the regular FX 5200.

...just in case someone rolls out the 'ol chestnut that "those tests in THG were done on a PC, therefore, the normal rules of physics don't apply in the Mac world!!!", here's some Mac tests that Barefeats did:

http://www.barefeats.com/g5b.html

Comparing apples to apples:

- UT2003 Flyby, 1280x768, Max details:
1.8GHz G5, 64MB FX 5200 Ultra: 48 FPS
1.8GHz G5, 64MB Radeon 9600 Pro: 81 FPS

All other factors are the same here (same system, same AGP slot, same VRAM). That's not a step sideways.

[QCassidy352]

...just in case someone rolls out the 'ol chestnut that "those tests in THG were done on a PC, therefore, the normal rules of physics don't apply in the Mac world!!!", here's some Mac tests that Barefeats did:

http://www.barefeats.com/g5b.html

Comparing apples to apples:

- UT2003 Flyby, 1280x768, Max details:
1.8GHz G5, 64MB FX 5200 Ultra: 48 FPS
1.8GHz G5, 64MB Radeon 9600 Pro: 81 FPS

All other factors are the same here (same system, same AGP slot, same VRAM). That's not a step sideways.

no, it's certainly not. Ouch for the new imac. :(

[jiggie2g]

remeber the new iMac GPU card only has 64meg of Vram (50% of amont of ram that those numbers above where created with)so there is another problem to widen the gap a make it a little worse

The lack of VRAM is't gonna be such a big deal for everday use , maybe in video games or Motion, but it's that proven that VRAM isn't really any factor unless the program recognizes the extra ram and can utilize it properly. Kinda like have a Dual Processor it's a complete waste unless ur into pro apps... FCP , Photoshop , Motion can recognize it.

I am really getting sick of people bitching about this card. it is much more powerful than the regular FX5200 , and when Core Image and Video comes with tiger it won't be such a big deal like people think. If it was gonna have such a performance hit then apple wouldn't have given the new iMac this card in the 1st place.

The only people who will complain are the Pro's who need all that power , and in that caae they have no business even looking at an iMac when they need a power mac. All these other people Bitching will never utilize the full potential of a Radeon 9800PRO or XT. the Mac is not a Gaming Platform , you wanna play games buy an XBOX..... It's only $150.

I have a 15in LCD iMac G4 800mhz with a Geforce MX2 32MB VRAM and it runs perfectly. I can just Imagine how fast the iMac G5 would be in comparison.

[illumin8]

It seems like the one thing that makes sense is to upgrade to 512mb for $75. Then buy everything else, including another 512mb, from crucial. A 512mb from crucial costs $93, so doing the upgrade with apple is cheaper than getting the 256mb and upgrading yourself, although you do get a useless $46
stick of 256mb.

Guys, you're forgetting one thing. The G5 iMac has a 600 mhz. Front Side Bus. It uses memory sticks that are only 400 mhz. How does it do it? Well, you're supposed to install memory in pairs of same-sized, same-brand, preferably same batch DIMMs. This is just like the PowerMac G5. When you buy the iMac G5 with the 512MB RAM option, you're going to be getting it with 2x 256 MB DIMMs, and if you want to upgrade it to 1GB, you'll have to pull both DIMMs and install 2x 512MB DIMMs.

Please, save yourself the headaches and just buy a pair of PC3200 DIMMs from Newegg.com or Crucial or wherever you want.

I've found from my PowerBook G4 that the following pretty much applies to Panther (10.3):

512MB is fine for home use: Safari, Mail.app, iChat, iTunes all running at the same time.

1024MB is fine for "pro" use: Safari, Mail.app, iTunes, Word, Excel, OpenOffice, X11, plus more room for pro applications (I record audio and 1 GB helped out a lot).

I hope that helps.

[oingoboingo]

Guys, you're forgetting one thing. The G5 iMac has a 600 mhz. Front Side Bus. It uses memory sticks that are only 400 mhz. How does it do it? Well, you're supposed to install memory in pairs of same-sized, same-brand, preferably same batch DIMMs. This is just like the PowerMac G5. When you buy the iMac G5 with the 512MB RAM option, you're going to be getting it with 2x 256 MB DIMMs, and if you want to upgrade it to 1GB, you'll have to pull both DIMMs and install 2x 512MB DIMMs.

I think you might be incorrect about the need for paired DIMMs in the iMac G5. If you look at the configuration page on the Apple Store, the default setup is 256MB as one DIMM. You can also configure the iMac G5 with 512MB or 1024MB, also with a single DIMM. This more than likely means that the iMac G5 does not use a dual channel memory system like the PowerMac G5 does. That is the reason that you need to add memory in pairs to a G5 PowerMac. It is not related to the speed of the memory and the speed of the FSB. RAM speed and CPU FSB speed are often asynchronous (including in my 1.6GHz PowerMac G5, where the FSB is 800MHz, and the RAM is dual channel DDR 333MHz).

Edit: Note the '1 DIMM' designation in the iMac G5 configuration screen below.

[FuzzyBallz]

Guys, you're forgetting one thing. The G5 iMac has a 600 mhz. Front Side Bus. It uses memory sticks that are only 400 mhz. How does it do it? Well, you're supposed to install memory in pairs of same-sized, same-brand, preferably same batch DIMMs. This is just like the PowerMac G5. When you buy the iMac G5 with the 512MB RAM option, you're going to be getting it with 2x 256 MB DIMMs, and if you want to upgrade it to 1GB, you'll have to pull both DIMMs and install 2x 512MB DIMMs.

I hope that helps.
That didn't help and was very misleading to other noobs. If a picture speaks a thousand words, two pictures should shut some people up when they have no idea what they're talking about. But I'm gonna do it one better and post 4 pictures so people can **** and RTFM at Apple Support.

R
http://img85.exs.cx/img85/4601/G5iMac.jpg
T
http://img85.exs.cx/img85/9808/G5PM.jpg
F
http://img85.exs.cx/img85/6108/G5iMac2.jpg
M
http://img85.exs.cx/img85/3048/G5PM2.jpg

[NinaPooh]

very jealous of all of you who ordered the new IMacs. I just got the email from Apple and wanted it as soon as I saw it; however, I just got an ibook a month ago and I love it but I really want a new IMac. It will be a while before I get a new mac. Hopefully I'll get something new from Apple when I go to continue my education after college. :cool:

P.S. I'm new to macs and already obsessed with them! :D

[segundo]

I purchased a 20" 1.8 w/ 1GB RAM and 250GB Hard Disk at 3:27am Pacific...

You?

:)

20" 1.8 w/ 512 MB RAM
250 GB Hard Disk
Bluetooth
Airport Extreme

08:13 AM PST
(9:13 AM Mountain)

[Jovian9]

Originally I stated that I would wait for the next revision before thinking about buying the new G5 iMac. But after my wife and I discussed it and looked at it more and more we decided to go for it. I definitely like the design of the G4 iMac more than the G5 iMacs (that comparison is not even close).......but the G5 processor and hard drive space sold us. Plus we had a developer discount that we had to use before our membership expired. So we sold our G4 iMac today and upgraded:

17" 1.8GHz G5 iMac
SuperDrive
250GB HardDrive
Bluetooth
Wireless Keyboard & Mouse
512MB RAM 1-slot
3-4 Weeks for shipping

I'm going to miss the G4 iMac. We originally bought the 15" SuperDrive model when they first introduced them in Jan '02 (took 2 months to ship) and then upgraded to the 1GHz 17" SuperDrive when they were introduced in Feb '03. 2 1/2 yrs. with the greatest computer design ever on our desk. What a great computer! Hopefully the vesa mounts are great with this G5 iMac so we can have similar flexibility with it.
Better get out the cameras and make a home movie about my G4 iMac leaving home. :)

[paxtonandrew]

Any aussie buyers recommend places which are giviong good quotes on iMac G5s?

Total Recall Solutions in North Sydney is where I have bought EVERY one of my Macs from, not to mention countless OS's. http://www.trs.com.au/ I have known of the store since my father bought my LC575 from there. They have a promotion going, i.e. be the first to get a new iMac, and get a discount. I may just have to visit there again :rolleyes:

[oingoboingo]

Total Recall Solutions in North Sydney is where I have bought EVERY one of my Macs from, not to mention countless OS's. http://www.trs.com.au/ I have known of the store since my father bought my LC575 from there. They have a promotion going, i.e. be the first to get a new iMac, and get a discount. I may just have to visit there again :rolleyes:

I just took a look at their web site...I like their honesty with regards to stock availability. My favourite: "AirPort Express - forget it". Makes you realise how far Apple has to go in terms of inventory and logistics management. Speaking of products which are in massive demand, I went into the UNSW on-campus Apple store yesterday looking for a cover for my 4G 20GB iPod (no such luck). Anyway...one of the women working there was telling me that there are currently something like 40,000 orders for the iPod mini pending in Australia at the moment...and that's just for silver!.

To bring it back on topic, I hope any Aussies here who have ordered the new iMac G5 aren't stung by the usual types of delays we seem to encounter down here. It's bringing back bad memories of ordering my 1.6GHz G5 PowerMac last year...it took about 2 months to arrive. They were in shops on display before Apple shipped mine...and then it was DOA! ROOOOAARRRRR!!!!

OK...deep breath...relax...

[rdowns]

Order Date
08/31/04
03:17 AM PST

iMac 1.8GHz w/20" TFT Z096 3-4 weeks
512MB DDR400 SDRAM - 1 DIMM 065-4715
160GB Serial ATA drive 065-4703
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) 065-4705
AirPort Extreme Card 065-4718
Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse + Mac

[aswitcher]

Total Recall Solutions in North Sydney is where I have bought EVERY one of my Macs from, not to mention countless OS's. http://www.trs.com.au/ I have known of the store since my father bought my LC575 from there. They have a promotion going, i.e. be the first to get a new iMac, and get a discount. I may just have to visit there again :rolleyes:

Thanks they seem to be on par with Macmall...although delivery charges at Macmall mean they are actually cheaper.

Are they wheelers and dealers or do you always pay sticker price?

[gekko513]

...just in case someone rolls out the 'ol chestnut that "those tests in THG were done on a PC, therefore, the normal rules of physics don't apply in the Mac world!!!", here's some Mac tests that Barefeats did:

http://www.barefeats.com/g5b.html

Comparing apples to apples:

- UT2003 Flyby, 1280x768, Max details:
1.8GHz G5, 64MB FX 5200 Ultra: 48 FPS
1.8GHz G5, 64MB Radeon 9600 Pro: 81 FPS

All other factors are the same here (same system, same AGP slot, same VRAM). That's not a step sideways.

Well, on that test of yours they also report

- UT2003 1024x768 Botmatch
1.8GHz G5, 64MB FX 5200 Ultra: 47 FPS
1.8GHz G5, 64MB Radeon 9600 Pro: 47 FPS

- Quake 3 Demo 1600x1024
1.8GHz 2xG5, 64MB FX 5200 Ultra: 76 FPS
2.0GHz 2xG5, 64MB Radeon 9600 Pro: 87 FPS

- Cinebench 2003
1.8GHz G5, 64MB FX 5200 Ultra: 7.9 FPS
1.8GHz G5, 64MB Radeon 9600 Pro: 8.8 FPS


I don't have any special interest in defending the FX 5200, but it is very similiar to the Radeon 9600 Pro. Except for a few situation were it suddenly just s**ks.

[tekno_geek911]

Im really thinking about selling my PowerBook and buying the new 17" G5 w/ SD....They look great but I still like the old design allot more.

[iYooper]

So I haven't had a Mac since the 512 and I've got many questions before I get my new iMac G5, but one is foremost:

What is the difference between 1)Airport Express, 2)Airport Extreme and 3)Airport Extreme Base Station? Might as well throw in 4)Bluetooth, too.
Reason I ask is I have a Dell that I want to link to the iMac (that I haven't bought yet). I also have an HP printer and an HP Scanjet 5P.

I want to network them all. I sure can't tell by the Apple website "tell me more about..." window.

Thanks!

[oingoboingo]

Well, on that test of yours they also report

- UT2003 1024x768 Botmatch
1.8GHz G5, 64MB FX 5200 Ultra: 47 FPS
1.8GHz G5, 64MB Radeon 9600 Pro: 47 FPS


The botmatch is CPU limited. I've tried this out on my own system. You can take the resolution from 1600x1200x32 all the way down to 800x600x32, and the FPS barely changes. That type of scenario is strongly indicative that the CPU is the bottleneck, not the GPU. You could compare a $50 nVidia FX 5200 against a $500 GeForce 6800 on UT2004 botmatch on the same hardware, and come up with very similar looking FPS scores.


- Quake 3 Demo 1600x1024
1.8GHz 2xG5, 64MB FX 5200 Ultra: 76 FPS
2.0GHz 2xG5, 64MB Radeon 9600 Pro: 87 FPS

- Cinebench 2003
1.8GHz G5, 64MB FX 5200 Ultra: 7.9 FPS
1.8GHz G5, 64MB Radeon 9600 Pro: 8.8 FPS


I'm not as familiar with Q3 and Cinebench 2003 as I am with UT2003, but again the Q3 Demo looks CPU limited.

The Barefeats tests are only partially complete (did you notice how many times the FX5200 and the same system with the Radeon 9600 were not tested? The UT2003 benchmark was about the only one that was presented which was properly controlled (apart from Cinebench, which again shows the Radeon 9600 being 11% faster).


I don't have any special interest in defending the FX 5200, but it is very similiar to the Radeon 9600 Pro. Except for a few situation were it suddenly just s**ks.

If there are any users out there with 1.6GHz G5s and FX 5200 cards, I'd love to do some comparative benchmarking with some modern games like UT2004 and CoD. All the evidence around the web suggests that the Radeon 9600 Pro is head and shoulders superior to the FX 5200 on the PC. The UT2003 Flyby test on the Mac confirms this. The other benchmarks are inconclusive...they could be CPU limited.

I've got UT2004, CoD, BF1942, Ghost Recon: Island Thunder, and Warcraft III installed here if someone with a G5/FX 5200 system wants to have a go at some benchmarking. I'll run the equivalent tests and we can compare the answers.

[reykjavik]

So I haven't had a Mac since the 512 and I've got many questions before I get my new iMac G5, but one is foremost:

What is the difference between 1)Airport Express, 2)Airport Extreme and 3)Airport Extreme Base Station? Might as well throw in 4)Bluetooth, too.
Reason I ask is I have a Dell that I want to link to the iMac (that I haven't bought yet). I also have an HP printer and an HP Scanjet 5P.

I want to network them all. I sure can't tell by the Apple website "tell me more about..." window.

Thanks!


1) Airport Express - this is a new small all-in-one wireless router (to make things simple) that apple has. Its plug-in and go. Just hook your cable modem(or dsl) up to the Express and viola, you have wireless internet, minus some messy extra wires.
2) Airport Extreme - is the actual card you need installed into a mac in order to pick up a wireless signal (like a linksys wireless card). You dont need an Apple made "wireless router" to use your Airport Extreme card, you can use it on any 802.11b/g networks. BTW, its called "extreme" b/c its 802.11G compliant, which means it has faster transfer rates then the old 802.11b
3) Airport Extreme Base Station - basically the same as Express, but with more options. Allows you to hook up ethernet chords to it, use it as a modem, has a bit more wireless strength etc...
4) Bluetooth - Absolutely nothing to do with wireless internet (again, for the sake of this reply, because technically you can surf the net via bluetooth but lets forget about that). Bluetooth is basically the modern day Ir beaming that Palm and cell phones used to have. But now its more updated. You can be anywhere within 30 feet, its faster, and perfect for small things like beaming pictures, or syncing your address contacts with your computer (or using a wireless bluetooth mouse/keyboard etc...)

As for the Dell, you can network a Windows comp with a Mac, I am doing it right now. It works great. As for4 the printer sharing between the two with your specific model.....can anyone else on this forum help us out?? (since I have no clue as to the answer?)

Hope this helped clear things up for you.
Evan
www.TokyoHeights.com

[iYooper]

1) Hope this helped clear things up for you.
Evan
www.TokyoHeights.com

Thanks, Evan. It helps a lot!

[iYooper]

Thanks, Evan. It helps a lot!

Hi again. If I buy the Airport Extreme Base Station, do I need to also buy the Airport Extreme card?

[reykjavik]

Hi again. If I buy the Airport Extreme Base Station, do I need to also buy the Airport Extreme card?

To make things less confusing...the answer is Yes. Technically I suppose you could use the normal Airport card (802.11b), but i think apple stopped selling them, and they dont fit in current models (I dont know which model mac youre referring to). So to make a long story short.. Yes, youd have to use an Airport Extreme card. Unless of course youre not using an apple computer. Then you can get any wireless card available.

Evan

p.s. actually i just thought of one more option: I guess you could also get a USB linksys wireless card (a little device that hooks up to your comp via your usb port). Ive never heard personallyh of anyone with a mac doing this, although now that I think of it, it is one (albeit ghetto) way of getting around the airport card.

[iYooper]

To make things less confusing...the answer is Yes. Technically I suppose you could use the normal Airport card (802.11b), but i think apple stopped selling them, and they dont fit in current models (I dont know which model mac youre referring to). So to make a long story short.. Yes, youd have to use an Airport Extreme card. Unless of course youre not using an apple computer. Then you can get any wireless card available.

Evan

p.s. actually i just thought of one more option: I guess you could also get a USB linksys wireless card (a little device that hooks up to your comp via your usb port). Ive never heard personallyh of anyone with a mac doing this, although now that I think of it, it is one (albeit ghetto) way of getting around the airport card.


Thanks, Evan. I guess I'll get the base station, the extreme card and buy a wireless card for the Dell. I have a Linksys router, but it is not wireless. Allows me to run cable from a laptop (I'm gonna dump it) to the router and the windows pc.
I'll get it all figured out. Just can't wait for enough $$ to buy my new iMac. My wife gets the Dell pc.

[kgarner]

Not ordered yet, but I got the okay from the Boss (AKA the wife). Once i get a few checks for some jobs I did recently, I am cleared for take-off. Regardless, it will be ordered on or before the 25th (I have a coupon at the apple store expiring then. I am really excited as this will be my first new Mac (always did refurb or used before). I will be getting the 17" 1.8 GHz Superdrive model. Probably stock, but I may try to sneak in the Bluetooth module. Everything else will be an add-when-I-can kind of deal.

[reykjavik]

Thanks, Evan. I guess I'll get the base station, the extreme card and buy a wireless card for the Dell. I have a Linksys router, but it is not wireless. Allows me to run cable from a laptop (I'm gonna dump it) to the router and the windows pc.
I'll get it all figured out. Just can't wait for enough $$ to buy my new iMac. My wife gets the Dell pc.


Well if you already have a linksys router what you can do is get a linksys wireless access point to throw on top of the router. Its gonna be MUCH cheaper than buying a base station. Do a search on amazon for linksys wireless access point. Unless you want to go all apple. The choice is yours :)

[CmdrLaForge]

Guys, you're forgetting one thing. The G5 iMac has a 600 mhz. Front Side Bus. It uses memory sticks that are only 400 mhz. How does it do it? Well, you're supposed to install memory in pairs of same-sized, same-brand, preferably same batch DIMMs. This is just like the PowerMac G5. When you buy the iMac G5 with the 512MB RAM option, you're going to be getting it with 2x 256 MB DIMMs, and if you want to upgrade it to 1GB, you'll have to pull both DIMMs and install 2x 512MB DIMMs.

Please, save yourself the headaches and just buy a pair of PC3200 DIMMs from Newegg.com or Crucial or wherever you want.

I've found from my PowerBook G4 that the following pretty much applies to Panther (10.3):

512MB is fine for home use: Safari, Mail.app, iChat, iTunes all running at the same time.

1024MB is fine for "pro" use: Safari, Mail.app, iTunes, Word, Excel, OpenOffice, X11, plus more room for pro applications (I record audio and 1 GB helped out a lot).

I hope that helps.

Why are people just not looking on the Apple site before they are typing ? If you configure an iMac in the AppleStore you can select ONE DIMM.

[BoneyardBoy]

Well my iBook and 3rd gen iPod are both up on eBay right now so I can put whatever I get from them towards getting a G5 iMac and 4th gen iPod at once. Then it'll take me a couple of weeks to finish saving so I'm gonna be iPod/mac-less for a while! :( But the iMac I'm gonna get is...

17" 1.8ghz
1gig ram
250gb hard drive
Airport extreme card
Bluetooth wireless keyb/mouse

Good to see everyone's warming to the new design. i reckon its schweeet couldnt believe so many people hated it at first!

[kgarner]

Good to see everyone's warming to the new design. i reckon its schweeet couldnt believe so many people hated it at first!
I think if we look back on every past release of any Apple product, there is probably a good group of haters in the comments. It sems to happen all the time, Then after its been out a while and they have had a chance ot see it in person, the group is almost non-existent. Maybe Ives is just enough ahead of the curve to percieve this trend or maybe we just get used to it. Idon't know but I have noticed the phenomenom pretty regularly.

[nospleen]

I think if we look back on every past release of any Apple product, there is probably a good group of haters in the comments. It sems to happen all the time, Then after its been out a while and they have had a chance ot see it in person, the group is almost non-existent. Maybe Ives is just enough ahead of the curve to percieve this trend or maybe we just get used to it. Idon't know but I have noticed the phenomenom pretty regularly.

Very good point. I kind of liked the design at first, but now after seeing actual pics, I love it. I had ordered a 17", but then cancelled it and ordered a 20" with bluetooth. I can hardly wait!

[kgarner]

Very good point. I kind of liked the design at first, but now after seeing actual pics, I love it. I had ordered a 17", but then cancelled it and ordered a 20" with bluetooth. I can hardly wait!
I'm jealous. I would buy the 20" in a heart beat if I could swing it. Oh well, the 17" will still be very, very nice. I can't wait to actually place the order. Hope my checks arrive soon <crosses fingers>.

[nospleen]

I'm jealous. I would buy the 20" in a heart beat if I could swing it. Oh well, the 17" will still be very, very nice. I can't wait to actually place the order. Hope my checks arrive soon <crosses fingers>.

I was going to get the 17, but when I upgraded the HD, I realized I could get the 20 and it only would cost me 300 more. I also was lucky and sold my g4 20" imac for 1995 on Sunday. :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5717754670&ssPageName=STRK:MESO:IT

[rdowns]

I was going to get the 17, but when I upgraded the HD, I realized I could get the 20 and it only would cost me 300 more. I also was lucky and sold my g4 20" imac for 1995 on Sunday. :D


I'm sure that was one unhappy auction winner come Tuesday.

[nospleen]

I'm sure that was one unhappy auction winner come Tuesday.

I almost feel bad, but not really. I started the auction at 1799, and with 8 minutes left, I did not have any bids. Then, he used the buy it now?! But, at least it had extra ram and applecare. (and a wireless mouse.) Hopefully he hates the design of the new one. :p

[reykjavik]

I know this isn't mac related but I have no one else to ask: I was wondering if there was any way of using computer speakers (a 3 piece; 2 speakers and 1 subw.) as actual stereo speakers that I can hook up to my stero unit? I tried cutting one end of RCA's and inserting the copper wires into the receiver to use as speakers. Sound came through, but it was very low and when I turned it up my receiver turned off saying "overload". So whats the deal, is it doable???

[gekko513]

I know this isn't mac related but I have no one else to ask: I was wondering if there was any way of using computer speakers (a 3 piece; 2 speakers and 1 subw.) as actual stereo speakers that I can hook up to my stero unit? I tried cutting one end of RCA's and inserting the copper wires into the receiver to use as speakers. Sound came through, but it was very low and when I turned it up my receiver turned off saying "overload". So whats the deal, is it doable???
Maybe you should try asking this in a separate thread so that people who might know the answer will see it.

[reasonG5]

Ordered the 17' with 250GB + Final Cut Express-preinstalled.
This is a crazy offer from Apple--FCE for $99--$200 off.
Anyone else fall for this?

[reykjavik]

Ordered the 17' with 250GB + Final Cut Express-preinstalled.
This is a crazy offer from Apple--FCE for $99--$200 off.
Anyone else fall for this?


pardon my ignorance, but why is that a suckers deal?

[reasonG5]

many apologies.
The sarcasm did not come through.
In past orders with the Apple store I've always been suspicious of "special deals" (printers for almost free-requiring $30 ink carts for 10 pages) and BTO add-ons with huge mark-up (esp RAM)

The FCE offer really works for me-with getting a G5 I had originally worked the $299 into budget.
I am surprised that most of the previous posts/order config. didn't mention it.

[kirk26]

I'd buy the new iMac in a heart beat, but there's only one thing holding me back. Look at all that space on the front! That's just a waste of space. I'll wait until they're at the stores so I can see it in person before I make up my mind.

[reykjavik]

I'd buy the new iMac in a heart beat, but there's only one thing holding me back. Look at all that space on the front! That's just a waste of space. I'll wait until they're at the stores so I can see it in person before I make up my mind.

I think that space under the screen is where the speakers are, I think theyre just behind the white front plate. If thats the case then doesnt seem so bad. I gues sit would be better for the speakers to be on the sides but bottom isnt to bad.

[Mord]

im one of the people who are staring and drooling at the page......

beware drooling while at your computer leaves deposits in the keyboard, this gets dust and stuff stuck down there and it is a pain to get out, only do this if you are on a pc with a ps2 keyboard.

[MacinDoc]

Ordered the 17' with 250GB + Final Cut Express-preinstalled.
This is a crazy offer from Apple--FCE for $99--$200 off.
Anyone else fall for this?
I also ordered FCE with mine.

My order (Aug 31 @ 6:30 AM PST):
iMac G5 1.8 GHz, 20" LCD
250 MB HD (reasonably priced upgrade)
512 MB RAM - 1 DIMM (cheaper to upgrade than to buy a 512)
BT kbd/mouse (again, not a bad price, considering that BT module is included)
FCE
Airport Extreme card
Airport Express

Later that day, Apple (without my knowledge) upgraded the RAM to 1 GB (and did this to several others, as well, from what I've read). Unfortunately, it also upgraded the price accordingly. I called Apple to correct the problem, but this required cancellation of the original order.:rolleyes:

[aswitcher]

I also ordered FCE with mine.



Later that day, Apple (without my knowledge) upgraded the RAM to 1 GB (and did this to several others, as well, from what I've read). Unfortunately, it also upgraded the price accordingly. I called Apple to correct the problem, but this required cancellation of the original order.:rolleyes:

Thats very strange. They screw up and want to stuff you around for correcting their mistake...must have shipped too many units with a gig on board or something...

[iMAC G5dreamer]

anyone knows when will i be able to purchasea G5 iMac at the apple store??

[aswitcher]

anyone knows when will i be able to purchasea G5 iMac at the apple store??

Preorders are likely to soak up general availability. If you order one then end of the month else it could be a while ... and dont forget if you want extra stuff like bluetooth it will delay your machine...

[kaylee]

aswitcher - some prices at 3 different online stores in australia

http://www.macmall.com.au/mall/customer/home.php?cat=441
http://www.buymac.com.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Palaeographics.woa/wa/cat?cat=1000932
http://www.streetwise.com.au/default.php?cPath=25_127

I have not actually ordered anything from any of these, so can't help in that respect.

[aswitcher]

aswitcher - some prices at 3 different online stores in australia

http://www.macmall.com.au/mall/customer/home.php?cat=441
http://www.buymac.com.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Palaeographics.woa/wa/cat?cat=1000932
http://www.streetwise.com.au/default.php?cPath=25_127

I have not actually ordered anything from any of these, so can't help in that respect.

Gee Paleographics are doing some good deals.

[toughboy]

apple ram??!! :eek: :eek:
btw, does anyone know whether you can yank the drive and put in a 400gb hitachi or a 74gb 10k drive? not that its of any interest to me but just curious.

What do you mean by "yank"???

[VooDooPope]

I ordered mine Aug 31 at 9:30 am CST

20", 160gb hd, 512 ram (1 DIMM), BT Keyboard & Mouse, Airport Card

I can't wait to set this bad boy up in the kitchen.

[illumin8]

I think you might be incorrect about the need for paired DIMMs in the iMac G5. If you look at the configuration page on the Apple Store, the default setup is 256MB as one DIMM. You can also configure the iMac G5 with 512MB or 1024MB, also with a single DIMM. This more than likely means that the iMac G5 does not use a dual channel memory system like the PowerMac G5 does. That is the reason that you need to add memory in pairs to a G5 PowerMac.
I stand by my original statement. I might be incorrect technically in the sense that you don't absolutely need to have paired DIMMs, but other people are now confirming that the iMac will only activate dual channel memory access if you have paired DIMMs, so essentially, you're running at half speed if you don't pair them up. This is exactly the same on all of the PCs that I've used, including my Dell Dimension 8300, which uses paired PC3200 DIMMs, just like the iMac. You can put just one DIMM in it, if you want your memory to run at half speed. As always, take this into consideration when purchasing your iMac.

[Estic]

20" iMac
256mb (I have two 1gb dimms ready to go in when it arrives, OCZ )
250 gb HD
Blue tooth
Blue tooth keyboard/mouse
Airport Extreme
Protection Plan

Ordered On: 09/01/2004 at 07:09 PM PST
Estimate ship on or before 10/1

I also order a ipod mini (Green) to go with it.

Anyone interested in a ipod 2nd generation 20gb? Selling it so I can get a new one. Its in prefect condition, its lived in its case all its life. I have everything for it original box, unopenned ear foam and cord remote.

[stillwater]

Sept. 1
20 inch
512 MB ram
250 GB HD
Airport extreme
Bluetooth keyboard, mouse
Final Cut Express pre-installed
APP for Imac

still showing delivery on or before 9/30

[Jedi Matthew]

9/1/04 @ 0918 hrs

20"
512 MB ram - Single DIMM
160 GB HD
Airport extreme
Built-in Bluetooth

Expected on or before 9/30

[TheRat]

IMAC G5 20 inch 1.8GHZ w/ 1 GB of ram and 250 GB hard drive. No Bluetooth
Airport Extreme Card
Epson C64 Stylus Color Printer
Harman Creature 2 Speakers
Applecare Warranty
40GB 4G iPod
Belkin 4pin to 6pin Firewire Cable
Final Cut Express

I ordered it from Westworld downtown on saturday, in person. Haven't gotten an ETA though. They said to expect sometime before the end of the month.

should I hope for that?

[ToddW]

iMac 20" no/BT
Airport Express
2*512MB Ram

bought it this weekend at a retailer.

[jermsmingy]

Purchased a 20 inch 1.8G5, 1 gig of ram, 250 gig hd, internal bluetooth on Friday, September 17th.

[pckilla]

20 inch,1gig of ram,ae,250hd,on 8,31,04 and finnaly shipped last night!!! :D

[OziMac]

1.8GHz 17" iMac G5

Standard specs, but with BT Module and Apple BT Mouse and Keyboard

Will be chucking a couple of 512MB DIMMs in as well as an Airport Extreme Card (which seems to be cheaper if not ordered as a CTO). Will also look at taking advantage of the 'user serviceability' and whack in a 250GB hard drive.