I love the G4 design over the G5, but looking at the specs, the new g5 looks like a better buy. I'm confused if there is really any need to bump up to a G5. I do surfing, movies, music, email, some photo editing and school assignments.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Imac G4 or Imac G5?
- Thread starter ahgang
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Sun Baked
macrumors G5
Buy the G5, you'll outgrown the G4 way too fast.
If you want to keep the machine around and you already have a computer and the monitor, consider the current Single Processor 1.8GHz PowerMac G5 -- it's basically a headless-iMac in a PowerMac case.
However, with the new iMac G5 design -- it's easier to upgrade quite a bit of the stuff that was a PIA in the iMac G4 -- HD, optical drive, memory, etc. (though the CPU and the video chip are still soldered in and not upgradeable on the new iMac.)
Of course the SP 1.8 PM has an AGP slot, 2 extra dimm slots, drive bays and PCI slot -- at the expense of the LCD display. But it is a decent trade-off for some.
If you want to keep the machine around and you already have a computer and the monitor, consider the current Single Processor 1.8GHz PowerMac G5 -- it's basically a headless-iMac in a PowerMac case.
However, with the new iMac G5 design -- it's easier to upgrade quite a bit of the stuff that was a PIA in the iMac G4 -- HD, optical drive, memory, etc. (though the CPU and the video chip are still soldered in and not upgradeable on the new iMac.)
Of course the SP 1.8 PM has an AGP slot, 2 extra dimm slots, drive bays and PCI slot -- at the expense of the LCD display. But it is a decent trade-off for some.
combatcolin
macrumors 68020
Depends on how much money you want to spend really - I do both of those things on my iMac G5 and my Cube (in different locations), but I would only do serious video editing and image rendering on the G5 (which itself is not really that serious when compared to a Powermac dualie).
I think that in your situation, if the price difference is less than a couple of hundred dollars, then get the G5 because it will last longer. But a better deal on the G4 is not something to pass up either.
I think that in your situation, if the price difference is less than a couple of hundred dollars, then get the G5 because it will last longer. But a better deal on the G4 is not something to pass up either.