what would you do in this situation?

[crowdaddy]

Ok, I am going to college and opted to go Apple. My parents want to know my plans, more specifically my dad, so i need to make up my mind asap. Cash is a little tight so I cannot really afford all I want so I have to make some sacrifices. I already have a Dell laptop that will be fine for just bombing around the library and what not, so buying a powerbook is not economical.
My main uses will be: MS office, some gaming, some video for kicks, internet stuff, etc.

So.. the options i could afford would be below, would you:

Buy a tricked out 2.5G5 without a good monitor, ie. use the CRT i already have
or
Buy a lesser equipped dual 1.8 or 2.0 with an apple 20" display. Is the apple display really worth the premium you pay for it?

Any help would be great! Thanks

[jsw]

I'd get the dual-2.0 and 20" monitor. Oh, wait, I already did just that a year ago. ;) Of course, back then, there was no dual-2.5... And I'd consider a non-Apple LCD now, although I didn't before.

Depending on how limited the non-dual-2.5 system would be, I think you'd be happier with an LCD setup vs a CRT than you would with marginal performance improvements of a dual-2.5 over a dual-2.0.

I'd skip the dual-1.8, though.

[jsw]

Actually, for the best advice, you need to let us have some idea what your budget would be.

[morkintosh]

Is the apple display really worth the premium you pay for it?

YES!!

Unless you are doing a lot of video work, I would go with the "slower" machine and get a cinema display. I have both a dual 1.8 and 2.0 (each with cinema display) and they preform very well. That said, I haven't tried a 2.5, but my gut feeling is that the cinema display is well worth the loss of 500Mhz.

[crowdaddy]

With student developer prices, my budget is around 4500$ CDN, or 3700$ USD. I plan on using the hardware purchase program with this system.

[jsw]

I'm not sure what the student developer prices are - are they they same as the other developer's get? If so, you have a decent budget. US$3700 gets you a dual-2.0 with 20" ACD and an upgrade or two - and please, for the love of all that's holy, get something other than the 5200 graphics card!

[JeffTL]

Be sure to go through the Education Individual page and get your student discount.

Also check out the iMac if your gaming isn't very heavy or your budget is tight; if not, a Power Mac is a nice thing to have.

[Abstract]

It sounds like you could make do with an iMac or eMac, so yeah, a dual 2GHz G5 PowerMac won't be a bad system for you. ;)

[crowdaddy]

well keep in mind the long term value must be at its strongest so I feel powermac wins in this department over imac and emac...

[ravenvii]

well keep in mind the long term value must be at its strongest so I feel powermac wins in this department over imac and emac...

I may be completely wrong, but I think iMacs and notebooks hold their value longer than towers do due to their all-in-one nature.

[crowdaddy]

Well ok, i meant sustainability. If I buy powefull now, I will not need to upgrade any time soon. That is one thing i hate...upgrades with my PC every damn year!

[Sun Baked]

Personally I'd spend the money on the CPU now, since it's unlikely you'd upgrade the CPU during your school days -- but you'd probably upgrade the other stuff during that time.

Plus a big/heavy CRT is it's own anti-theft device.

Which would you rather steal, something sized like an eMac (50 lbs) or a LCD screen and/or a notebook?

[spencecb]

I, too, would go with the dual 2.0 G5 and the 20" Cinema display...if you're going Apple, you need to go all the way!!

[wdlove]

I would recommend the Power Mac G5 Dual 2.0 with the 20" Cinema Display. You would be in great shape with that setup. Good luck with your decision.

[Passante]

Cash is a little tight and your considering a dual 1.8 or 2.0 with an apple 20" display :eek: Will your parents adopt me??? :D :D

[neverever]

The apple display isn't worth it imo, and I saw it in person.
However theres something that 2.5 g5users are a little paranoid aboot. Its liquid cooled n the channels are very small so if the coolant solidifies u might have a premature failure down the road, which is why we keep them running 24/7, to keep the coolant moving.

[crowdaddy]

OK, thanks for your help!

I think im gonna get a Dell LCD, they are real cheap and I heard on here they don't really ghost that much...beauty!

Thanks again !

[timsq]

Get the 2.5 G5 and save up for the monitor. I did the opposite and that setup is so badass. The Apple monitor is really nice, don't let anybody's sour grape fool you. 500 Mhz okay but 250 Mhz bus speed increase is worth it. Anyway, any G5 will slay the tasks you have lined up. Enjoy.

[cube]

Unless you really lack the space, I recommend getting a nice CRT.
You can buy new a very good 21"/22" for $400-$700
Used on ebay for $100-$250

[V.A.Toss]

Dont go CRT!!!!!!

The colours just arent as vibrant and clear. Sorry, but the biggest and most common mistake buyers make is under-estimating the need for a good monitor in the system.

If i were you id go dual 2.0Ghz, plenty fast enough. Id get some reviews on TFTs too, they can vary in quality.

[cube]

Dont go CRT!!!!!!

The colours just arent as vibrant and clear. Sorry, but the biggest and most common mistake buyers make is under-estimating the need for a good monitor in the system.

If i were you id go dual 2.0Ghz, plenty fast enough. Id get some reviews on TFTs too, they can vary in quality.

What are you talking about? If you want to do serious color, video work, or video games, there's nothing like a good CRT. I got myself a Mitsubishi SuperBright Diamond Pro 2070SB a couple of months ago and it's beautiful.
Of course, it costs about $650, but that's cheap compared to what Sony charges. If you want cheaper, I read good things about ViewSonic, but I'm not sure how consistent their quality is. Maybe it comes with a convergence problem and you have to exchange it.

The optimum resolution of my monitor is 1600x1200, but I've tried it at 2048x1536 and it's not bad. That's what I plan to use when I start scanning my negatives and slides.

Now, if the computer is going to be used mainly for text, LCD is better.

[stevehaslip]

Dont go CRT!!!!!!

The colours just arent as vibrant and clear. Sorry, but the biggest and most common mistake buyers make is under-estimating the need for a good monitor in the system.

If i were you id go dual 2.0Ghz, plenty fast enough. Id get some reviews on TFTs too, they can vary in quality.

ditto to what cube said.
Sure if you go out and get a cheap CRT then you'll get a crappy average picture. But you'll get exactly the same if you buy a cheap LCD. The only difference is the money that you'll save.

My point is that for the gross amount of money that you will spend on an Apple Cinema Display you could get a kick ass professional quality CRT monitor (colour calibrated), an iPod and some change in your pocket.

But a colour perfect display isn't really what you need if you're just doing office stuff etc.

But if money is a little tight then why buy a Dual G5? as abstract pointed out an iMac or eMac would more than meet your needs. You could buy an iPod too and have a load of money in your pocket and upgrade much sooner.
Its up to you of course, but you are talking about spending a ********* of money.

Choose wisely young grasshopper.

[cube]

My point is that for the gross amount of money that you will spend on an Apple Cinema Display you could get a kick ass professional quality CRT monitor (colour calibrated), an iPod and some change in your pocket.


Even better, instead of spending so much money on a monitor that comes with its particular calibration stuff, you're better off getting something like the one I did and then add a complete workflow solution like MonacoEZColor/OPTIX Bundle, Mac/Win for $500.

[V.A.Toss]

I was under the impression that if he was spending out more money on a 2.5 Ghz G5 then he wouldnt have as much money left for a monitor, and would have to buy a rubbish CRT.

I that is the case then in the 'dual 2.0 Ghz system with good LCD' Vs '2.5 Ghz system with **** CRT' argument, the LCD should have a better colour quality.

Yes the quality on CRT is better, but between a rubbish CRT and a good LCD, the LCD wins.

I misread his financial situation though, apologies. Thgere is a certain price bracket where LCD makes more sense.



Your wrong about gaming. When it comes to games, LCD has caught up and surpassed CRT now that response time is becoming lower and lower. So if it is gaming the guy wants it for then look at viewsonic, and also samsung.

[cube]

You can get a ViewSonic P225f from ebay for $250.

Even the Benq FP71E which is rated at 8ms does in fact 20ms. See here (http://graphics.tomshardware.com/display/20041015/benq-03.html).

What's even worse, all these monitors rated at 16ms or less do 6-bit per component color with dithering. They are crap.