Help me decide please

[skubish]

If I don't have an extra monitor and keyboard is
it better to go with the iMac G5 or Mac mini.
It seems to me the iMac G5 would be the better choice.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Sure it is, if you've got the money... the iMac G5 is in a different league than the Mini. But it costs a lot more...

Apple Keyboard & Mouse = US$58
3rd party LCD Monitor = approx US$280-400 depending on size, quality etc.

 

[Romulan]

If I don't have an extra monitor and keyboard is
it better to go with the iMac G5 or Mac mini.
It seems to me the iMac G5 would be the better choice.

imac G5 without question! 😀

more power…
great display…
more upgradable…(never thought i would say that about an imac)
will last you longer…
and it looks cooler in my opinion…
Good luck…
🙂

 

[panphage]

The iMac G5, to borrow a phrase, is insanely great. If you can afford it, get the 20". It's just amazing. Beautiful, fast, powerful.

 

[KingSleaze]

Depends on your objective

If I don't have an extra monitor and keyboard is
it better to go with the iMac G5 or Mac mini.
It seems to me the iMac G5 would be the better choice.

If your objective is to be able to run Mac OS as inexpensively as possible- get the Mac mini, and go to a PC store for monitor, mouse and keyboard.
If the objective is to be able to run Mac OS on the most powerful, inexpensive machine (and able to do so longer, further reducing overall costs of computer ownership)- go with an iMac G5.
If the objective is to be able to run Mac OS on something portable-look to the iBook or Powerbook.

 

[sjpetry]

Please give us more information.

1.) How much money can you spend?

2.) What will you be doing with your Mac? (What do you want to do with it?)

3.) How long do you want to keep it before upgrading?

4.) Which one do you think "looks" better?

 

[gco212]

If I don't have an extra monitor and keyboard is
it better to go with the iMac G5 or Mac mini.
It seems to me the iMac G5 would be the better choice.

I'd actually say Mini. Buy a monitor and keyboard (keyboard cost all of 20 dollars), and then upgrade your Mini when you need to, without having to pay for a monitor you already have. It sounds like all you're going to use it for is the internet and little things to me. If you want it for bigger projects, then the iMac might be a better deal, but that's not the vibe I'm getting from you.

 

[absolut_mac]

If I don't have an extra monitor and keyboard is
it better to go with the iMac G5 or Mac mini.
It seems to me the iMac G5 would be the better choice.

iMac all the way, and here's why....

iMac CPU = G5/1.6Gig vs G4/1.25Gig
iMac Hd = 7200RPM vs 4200RPM (5400RPM if you're lucky)
iMac GPU = nVidia FX5200/64MB vs ATI 9200/32MB

Looking at only what I have listed above, it's obvious that the iMac is far superior to the Mac Mini. The only downside to it is that you can't upgrade its display. On the other hand, the display that comes with it is good enough that it shouldn't need upgrading for quite a while.

Try them both out at the store and then you'll easily see if the improved hardware on the iMac actually translates into real world speed and improvements for you and the apps that you use.

 

[PlaceofDis]

the mini is good for light use and will fit most typical usage, but if you dont have a keyboard or mouse or display then i would go iMac all the way, its by far the better value in my opinion, unless you want a CRT monitor

 

[Woodley]

They both have their pros and cons.

I am writing this on a Mac Mini(superdrive, 1G RAM, 80GB, bluetooth, AirPort Wireless, etc.) with a 20 inch display. And I love it. And no, I'm not a Macintosh n00b. But you may want to go with the iMac if you want more power. I also have a PowerMac G5 with a 30 inch display for my work, and if you're using a Mac for work, get a PowerMac or iMac.

 

[skubish]

Well I would be using it mainly as a second computer when my wife is playing Sims 2 on my other computer.

Most of the tasks would be light: word processing, internet, iLife apps. I would like to dabble with making movies, and my personal web page. I would also like to play WoW on it, but that is not critical.

Mac Mini 1.42GHz $579
17" LCD monitor $250
Keyboard & mouse $52
Superdrive $90
Total $971


iMac G5 17" 1.8GHz $1399
These are educational prices. So I guess it comes down to is an all-in-one package with a G5.

Is the display on the 20" iMac the same as the 20" cinema display?

Also does anyone know the detailed specs on the iMac 17" and 20" displays? Such as contrast ratio, response time, etc.

Thanks for your help

 

[panphage]

Is the display on the 20" iMac the same as the 20" cinema display?

Also does anyone know the detailed specs on the iMac 17" and 20" displays? Such as contrast ratio, response time, etc.

Thanks for your help

No, the 20" iMac panel is slightly lower spec from what I've heard. To me it was a painfully beautiful screen. Just gorgeous.

Are the specs not on the apple website? They should be...they are but it's not complete:

# Typical viewing angle:

    * 17-inch models
          o 120° horizontal
          o 90° vertical
    * 20-inch model
          o 170° horizontal
          o 170° vertical

# Typical brightness: 200 cd/m (17-inch models); 230 cd/m (20-inch model)
# Typical contrast ratio: 350:1

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

The imac uses stretched version of Lcds. The 17 is a 15 stretched to 17 so they call it a widescreen 17 in reality its smaller then a normal 17 just as the 20 is a stretched 17 and is smaller then a real 20 ". I think thats right.

 

[Platform]

The imac uses stretched version of Lcds. The 17 is a 15 stretched to 17 so they call it a widescreen 17 in reality its smaller then a normal 17 just as the 20 is a stretched 17 and is smaller then a real 20 ". I think thats right.

Maby you are correct about that but not sure 😱
But I would say that there would be an advantage of having a widescreen becasue then you can have more easy 2 pages/document open next to each other and they are big enough 😉

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I would get the Mac mini, then buy an Apple Keyboard and any two button scrollwheel Mouse and connect it to the keybord (thus leaving an USB2 port at the back of the mini free for a printer, camera or whatever).

Then buy the best and biggest LCD you can afford. Apple's own 20" would look really cool, but you can find cheaper 17" or 19" from other companies..

Then a year or so from now you sell the mini and replace it with the newest mini model, and the year after... well you get the picture. Your LCD (if its a quality one) will last many annual mini upgrades... 😉 While if you buy an iMac the screen (which you pay a lot of $$$ for) will be quite useless when its time to replace the machine (though it will probably last you longer than a mini, but what the ...., a mini is quite affordable...)

 

[panphage]

The imac uses stretched version of Lcds. The 17 is a 15 stretched to 17 so they call it a widescreen 17 in reality its smaller then a normal 17 just as the 20 is a stretched 17 and is smaller then a real 20 ". I think thats right.

Uh, no, that's not right. Look at the resolutions. 20" = 1680x1050. Identical.

 

[bousozoku]

As much as I love the G5 version of the iMac, I'd probably choose the Mac mini, just to be able to use the others parts that I'd probably be buying anyway.

The iMac looks so great but it doesn't look like the kind of transient (something I would want to sell) machine most consumer machines are.