I need shopping advice... please help

[onlydroops]

I'll be buying a Dual 1.25 or 1.42 G4 and I'm not sure what to do as far as a monitor, extra RAM, HD, etc.

Should I buy the main system from the Apple store and then get all my upgrades elsewhere?

Where can I get good RAM cheaper than at the Apple store?

Where can I get a good 21" monitor? What is a decent monitor other than Apple's 20" Studio Display?

If someone could give me specific sites to go to for all these components/upgrades that'd be great.... I'm trying to figure out the best way to get a lightning fast DP G4 as cheap as possible.

I'll be using it mainly for graphics so I wanted to know what the best video card is... I'd like a 128mb card, but I don't know which is best...

Thanks

 

[Ambrose Chapel]

RAM

many people swear by crucial

you can also check dealram to compare prices on RAM.

 

[mactastic]

Are you sure you don't want/can't afford/can't wait for a G5? Even the 1.6Ghz G5 will be faster than any G4. Apple no longer makes the G4 in a 1.42Ghz model, so these will become tougher to find. I'm thinking it would cost you no more than $300 more for the G5 over the dual 1.25 G4 model with high end graphics cards in each, although you will still have to find a monitor and buy RAM. Just don't buy it from Apple!

 

[PixelFactory]

onlydroops,

Graphics is kind of a loose term. Are you doing 3D work or just Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark/inDesign?

 

[onlydroops]

The holy trinity: Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark

2d graphics, page layout, etc.

 

[PixelFactory]

The nVidea card that comes with the G4 is more than enough for that. As far as monitors... If you want color correct I would look at CRTs. Lacie and Sony make models that come with calibration tools. otherwise the apple 20" is a good choice too.

 

[ima_pseudonym]

---- oops, posted in the wrong forum. ----

 

[onlydroops]

Thanks, but I'm not interested in a TiBook... I'm looking for a Power Mac.