Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

G3 Imac or eMac?

D

devro

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 5, 2004
23
0
im a first year graphic design student from Bristol UK and in need of a mac. Basically I need to decide whether to get a 2nd hand iMac or a new eMac. I have been looking on ebay for some G3's as this is my preference but due to my lack of computer knowledge, I'm unable to make a decision!! could anyone give me some tips on what sort of spec's I should be looking for (I will be using Photoshop etc on the machine)

Help would be greatlfully appreciated. Thanks alot.
 
devro said:
im a first year graphic design student from Bristol UK and in need of a mac. Basically I need to decide whether to get a 2nd hand iMac or a new eMac. I have been looking on ebay for some G3's as this is my preference but due to my lack of computer knowledge, I'm unable to make a decision!! could anyone give me some tips on what sort of spec's I should be looking for (I will be using Photoshop etc on the machine)

Help would be greatlfully appreciated. Thanks alot.
Click to expand...

You want a G4 or G5 Mac if you are going to be doing graphic design. At least 1Ghz or above for good performance, with as much RAM as you can get. So I would say the new eMacs, with lots of RAM should work for you.
 
While you could probably get away with using one of the later G3's that appeared in the the last revision iBook's, the G3's used in any of the old iMacs will be inadequate for what you are looking to use them for, particularly if you want to run OSX. On top of this is the fact that those old iMacs still fetch a rather high price on eBay considering how outdated they are by today's standards. If you are looking for a low-cost Mac, by far your best bet is to spring for a new current model. Considering it probably won't cost you all that much more (since old Macs retain their value well) your best bang for your buck will come from a new 1.25GHz eMac.

On the other hand, if you are really looking for the best in the price/performance ratio, you are then looking at getting a home built PC. I will get flamed for this but frankly, for the cost of an eMac, you could build a PC that will just destroy the eMac. The real price you pay obviously, is running Windows! :rolleyes:
 
Yeah, the lower G3 won't be much good for Photoshop work. My old G3 PowerBook was horrible with Photoshop under OS X. Go for an eMac. It's not that costly and well worth the price.
 
What graphics design will you be doing? For most serious designers I would suggest an eMac 1.25 GHz with as much RAM you can fit (or afford). The current line of eMacs are a particularly good deal and they were recently updated and have pretty much the same specifications as the iMac.

Just out of curiousity, what iMac are you looking for? The G4 (built-in flat panel display) or the G3 (built-in CRT display)? I don't know why you would ever consider getting a G3...not that they are bad processors, but because they are rather old and outdated. Also, if you are considering the G4 iMac (second hand) or the eMac, you should take into consideration that CRTs offer better performance for graphics designers and gamers.
 
well i guess the eMac it is then! my only reservation on the thing was the rather cumborsome look of the beast. but i suppose this will have to be gotten over! thanks alot. much appreciated.
 
Get something with DDR memory and a G4, aka the eMac 1.25GHz machine.

It's one of the better new deals Apple has right now.

---

And the rather cumbersome look of the beast is one of the best anti-theft devices.

It'll be easier to target somebody with a tower and/or a notebook than the eMac.
 
devro said:
well i guess the eMac it is then! my only reservation on the thing was the rather cumborsome look of the beast. but i suppose this will have to be gotten over! thanks alot. much appreciated.
Click to expand...

it is big. and it is cumbersome. and it does weigh like 50 pounds. but it's a good mac for the price. i would go for the emac and learn to love how... solid it appears (yeah, that's it. solid).
 
devro said:
well i guess the eMac it is then! my only reservation on the thing was the rather cumborsome look of the beast. but i suppose this will have to be gotten over! thanks alot. much appreciated.
Click to expand...

hey, it looks better than the imac g3...kinda

just think of it as a souped up imac g3 that's twice the size and weight, but three times the power :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back