Dual 1.25Ghz G4 OR Single 1.6Ghz G5 ????

[Inocense]

I am new to the MAC world and I have been forced into it by the problematic PC's. I will be purchasing a Mac sometime within the next 2 months after my research that will hopefully provide me with comfort in making a decision...

Money at this point is an issue, therefore I am limited to either the Dual Processor 1.25 G4 or the Single Processor 1.6 G5...

My main uses for this PC would be Gaming (Halo, UT2003), internet surfing/chatting, and Adobe Element type of software for digital camera images.

I need some serious advise on which one of these 2 I should purchase and I am hoping someone on this forum with everyone's extensive knowledge can assist!

I cannot find any benchmarks comparing these specific 2 Mac's so I am at a loss.

Thank you in advance for any and all of your opinions/advise. It is greatly appreciated!!

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

forget G4 its on the way out. thats why its in ibook/emac. I just got a flyer today from MacConnection they have 1.8 new G5s for 1699.00 and you get 1 gb of memory for a $29.00 dollar installation fee. takes about 1 minute to installl memory on the G5s. This is a Great G5 buy and i have considered it but its still a little to close to my 1.47 G4. anyways a Great bargain.

 

[neonart]

I'm in the same boat as you, but I already have the DP1.25. I'm looking for better gaming.
I can tell you Halo and Raven Shield, and Ghost Recon play very good on this machine with a Radeon 9800.
But when comparing the 1.6 G5 to the DP1.25 with their stock video cards, the G5 may be a bit faster. Here is a comparison that may help:
http://www.barefeats.com/halo.html

And since you are not in a rush to buy right now, new G5's are due soon, so you may end up with something a good bit faster as an entry level machine.
On the other had for video editing, PS, etc, the dual processor G4's are faster.

I hope this has helped confuse you more...

 

[Inocense]

Ouch.. ok ok...

Alright.. So you 2 threw me definetly into the G5 catagory.. Now here is my other issue...

Do I buy a NEW single 1.8 G5 for $1,600 with a gig of memory OR... Do I buy a REFURBISHED DUAL 1.8 G5 from Apple for $1,999??

Man this is killing me here.. Every time I check into something I am tacking on the money! heh.. ~cringes~

The only way I am looking at it right now is that I can always upgrade memory but I cannot upgrade the processor...!?

Any additional comments?

 

[Hackcomic.com]

Where did you see a single 1.8 for $1600? I just got a single 1.8 from mac connection for $1699 after $150 rebate. But I jsut saw the refrub dual for $1999 and now I have buyers remorse. I need to stop reading this forum.

 

[neonart]

Im a big fan of dual processors and refurb stuff has just as good of a warranty as new from Apple.

But consider that for gaming duals are usually of little advantage, and you can spend the extra $300 for a Raptor 10000RPM HD and even more RAM...

 

[maclamb]

dual definately.
BUT, be aware that it is going to make an awful chirping noise serach on G5 chirping here and at apple's support discussion page

 

[jrv3034]

Originally posted by maclamb
dual definately.
BUT, be aware that it is going to make an awful chirping noise serach on G5 chirping here and at apple's support discussion page

The chirping noise is apparently hit or miss. I got a dual 2GHz G5 in mid-november, and it's very nice and quiet. The dual 1.8's are newer, too, so you might get better luck than the first batch of duals with the chirping problem.

At $1999, the dual 1.8 is an awesome machine. I'd go for that one, especially given your list of things to do on it.

 

[Inocense]

Excellent.. I think that is what I will do then.. Put the extra money into a Duel and save up for added memory, etc..

Thank you all for your detailed input.. You were all of great help!

 

[mms]

Yeah like everybody has said, forget the G4. It is dead. The G5's are better, will last longer, and hopefully 64-bit computing will become an advantage in the near future.

 

[Grimace]

you won't see that much difference between a dual and single 1.8 G5 in most applications.