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1.25 GHz iMac vs 1.6 GHz G5

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Freakk123

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 19, 2003
225
0
Bronx, NY
I'm a student who does a lot of video and photo work, as well as plays games. What I'm wondering is which would be recommended, the high-end 1.25 GHz iMac, or a 1.6 or 1.8 GHz G5 with a 17" Cinema Display. I need to know soon, as my current computer is soon to become my moms. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU!
 
1.6ghz G5- no question about it.

But also consider getting a Dual 1.25ghz G4. It will be faster than the G5, and about the same amount of money.
 
why even ask this question, look at the cost difference in the set ups? pardon the pun but your not comparing apples to apples. Ill say it but shouldnt have to----------------------------- G5.:rolleyes: the imac is still a fine machine but look at upgradeability,expansion,power,memory,bus,etc. sure the powermac G5 looks like crap but performance is better and will be even more so once apps are written for it and its using a 64bit os like panther.
 
Panther is NOT a 64-bit OS!

Apps and the OS will not be 64-bit for at least a year. I highly recommend the dual 1.25 G4 for power now. It beats out the 1.6 and even the 1.8ghz G5 in benchmarks.
 
1.8 or dual 2.0 G5 w/ATI 9800 pro for maximum performance. The iMac will be able to play most games, but won't deliver the best gaming experience. The iMac is adequate for home movies but not for semi-pro or professional video editing work.

The dual G4 has an advantage right now because most apps are still designed for the G4. However, almost all new apps are expected to be designed for the G5. Many of these will still be 32bit but structured to take advantage of the G5's 32 bit abilities, which would beat a G4 running at the same clock speed. A dual CPU of either type will cut down on rendering times but the dual G5 2.0 will be about twice as fast as a dual G4 1.25 for this task.
 
Thank you for your help. I understand the benefit of the G5, but I don't know if that will justified the price difference. I need this computer to last for a long time, with minimal upgrades. Thanks in advanced. Also, for price concerns, what would be the best LCD under $500? I'm looking at the 17-inch Sharp LL-T17D3. No matter which computer I get, I'm getting at least 512 MB of RAM and a 160 GB Hard Drive.
Again, thank you for your help.
 
• Dual 1.25GHz w/ 2MB L3 Cache per processor
• 512MB DDR333 SDRAM (PC2700) -1 DIMM
• 160GB Ultra ATA drive
• Combo Drive (DVD/CD-RW)
Subtotal: $1849.00


• 1.6GHz PowerPC G5
• 512MB DDR333 SDRAM (PC2700) - 2x256
• 160GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
• Combo Drive (CD-RW/DVD-ROM)
Subtotal: $2049.00

I think its pretty clear which of these machines is the better value for the money.

The Dual G4 machine also allows you to put in a second Optical drive, so you can add your own superdrive, or whatever you find a need for.

I also added Apple RAM to both computers. I do not recommend this because of the price. The upgrade to 512MB for both machines was $125 dollars. If you save that $125, you can add another 512MB (for a total of 768) for only $99 dollars.
 
Go for the 1.8.

It's true that the dual 1.25 will even beat the 1.8 G5 at some benchmarks. But the G4s (including the iMac) are the end of the last generation.

You mentioned you want a machine that will age well; in two or three years, who will want a G4?

Would you buy a beige G3 tower today? Of course not.

If funds are limited, I'd recommend getting a used G4 and spending as little money as possible - around $1000 - with the intent of getting a dual G5 in one year. You can find a Quicksilver 933 or so. The 400-500MHz machines are common in the $500 range, but don't play games very well and have old graphics cards.
 
Just fyi, I bought an emac 1gig with the superdrive just while I was waiting for the G5's to come out and I can wait a bit longer! I've done a couple of projects on the emac and its very fast, even with the internal drive. No doubt that the G4 duals and G5's are faster but you'll have to be doing lots of rendering to notice the difference.
In fact mac addict found the Emac to be faster than the imac, maybe due to a faster drive in the emac?
Anywhoo you can buy an emac now and if you need something faster later you can sell the emac and not get hurt to bad, jmo,peace
daniel
 
Here are the systems I am looking at:
• 1.6GHz PowerPC G5
• 512MB DDR333 SDRAM (PC2700) - 2x256
• 160GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
• 56k V.92 internal modem
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• Apple Keyboard & Apple Mouse - U.S. English
• Mac OS X - U.S. English
•Sharp Monitor 17"
$2,748.

• 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
• 512MB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x256
• 160GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
• 56k V.92 internal modem
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• Apple Keyboard & Apple Mouse - U.S. English
• Mac OS X - U.S. English
•Sharp Monitor 17"
Subtotal $2,898.00

(the iMac)
•1.25 GHz G4 Processor
• 1GB DDR333 - 2 DIMMs
• 160GB Ultra ATA drive
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module
• Keyboard/Mac OS X - U.S. English
• 17-inch flat panel LCD
• 1.25GHz PowerPC G4
• 4x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
• Apple Keyboard
• Apple Mouse
• Apple Pro Speakers
Subtotal $2,448.00

I have pretty much finaled it down to these. I would get a G4, but it costs about the same as a G5, and probably won't carry the same longevity.
Again, Thanks a lot!
 
Originally posted by Freakk123
Here are the systems I am looking at:
• 1.6GHz PowerPC G5
Subtotal $2,748.

• 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
Subtotal $2,898.00

(the iMac)
•1.25 GHz G4 Processor
Subtotal $2,448.00

I have pretty much finaled it down to these. I would get a G4, but it costs about the same as a G5, and probably won't carry the same longevity.
Again, Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...

Based on this, and your want for some longevity, I would have to say the 1.8G5. You have pretty much maxed out the iMac with what you are doing there. at least with the G5 you have the option tio add memory and other things. Even more displays. Plus, the 1.8 is way better than the 1.6, especially for $150!

Go with the 1.8G5 if this is the kind of money you have to spend.
 
How did you get $2900 on the G5 1.8 + monitor? Is that before or after education discount (-$200) for the G5?

I'd go w/ the G5 1.8 ($2200) + Samsung 173T ($495) = $2695 (+ NYC tax for the G5).
 
If the funds are available, go for the 1.8G5. You'll be happy with it. First off it's significantly fast. Second, it's 64-bit processor will make it able to run 32-bit and 64-bit native programs in the future, which the G4 won't be able to do. Plus, you'll want the PCI slots and extra hard drive bay, and ability to access more RAM to keep this system non-obsolete the longest. The iMac has some strict limits in it's upgrade capacity. Go with the 1.8G5. You'll thank yourself.
 
The iMac, while a fine machine is basically a closed you get to use what you pay for machine.

Many people come by looking to replace the HD/optical, boost memory, and/or upgrade video/CPU.

While you can replace the drives and memory by cracking open the box, if you miss any thermal pads/past locations the machine could suffer thermal shutdowns.

Outgrow the video and you'll live with it.

---

The G5 1.6 is a more open machine, and you can play with the drives, memory, and video cards all you want.

But if you're into video/graphics -- you have only 1 memory upgrade in the machine. After that it become a choice of which sticks to toss to upgrade the next time. (2 dimm pairs)

---

For a video/graphics person -- it's the G5 1.8

The boost in speed ain't the key, it's the 8 memory slots. And the PCI-X that may be of use.

---

Remember, with a new ATA cable -- you can drop an ATA-100/133 drive to the Optical chain of the G5s.

May not be the best location an will block some airflow. But it's a way to boot the machine when the two SATA drives are turned into a RAID.

Or a way to keep and old drive useful as an emergency boot volume that you keep on the shelf.
 
Thanks a lot everyone, it looks like soon I'll be ordering a 1.8 GHz G5! Just one last thing, I'd like to get monitor reccomendations. Does anyone know how dells and Gateways 17" LCDs are?

Thanks again!
 
A monitor to order

Glad to see that you have realised that the apple screens are over priced and are looking elsewhere. I'd steer clear of DELL/Gateway/HP/etc… since they have similar overheads to apple and hence pass the extra costs onto their customers.

My advice is find the shiftiest PC retailer you can and go in wielding cash (will defiantly get a discount.) Samsung/Sony/Panasonic/LG… Whichever you like the picture on is a safe bet. I use an LG 18.1" screen and love it.

Remember regardless of where you bought the monitor the factory warranty is still valid even if the shop where you bought it goes broke.
 
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