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Depends...what would you use the G4 (or P4, for that matter) for? Working with images, video, 3D animation, audio production, a combination, iTunes, simple purposes (email, chat, web browsing), etc...?
 
A dual G4 doesnt hold a candle to the p4 3.0 in most things, this was why Apple had to get someone to build a better faster chip(G5). as King Cobra has said it will depend on the app but remember they were comparing dual G5s to the single P4 3.0 a year ago so dont think the G4 will come out on top because it wont.
 
I own a p4 3 gig rig.I want to make a switch over to mac becuase of its os x and panther browser.I dont do much on here but i would like to have the comfort of knowing my mac will be able to handle things a p4 3.0 could
 
See, I use a mere 500MHz G4 for nearly all of my computer work...single processor, the computer used SDRAM and a 100MHz system bus and has plenty of RAM.

I can use it for all my Photoshop purposes, all of my audio editing with Sound Studio, all of my basic workings (email, using a browser, managing files), most of my programming, most of my iPhoto functionality (using iPhoto 2), and some of my Quicktime Pro video exports. So a dual 1.42GHz G4 with DDR-RAM would kick my computer's ass (unless I added blue lighting underneath my Cube, like some respected dude did). Thus, if you plan to use your G4 purposes, then you can probably get a sense of how well it will perform for certain operations.

One comparison you can do with a Mac and PC is: Applications that rely a lot on the L1 cache will run faster on a Mac, given frequency to frequency comparisons, because the P4 uses such small L1 cache sizes (earlier models used only 4KB, I think), while the Mirrored Door Powermacs use 64KB.
 
For programs that are multi-processor aware, a Dual G4@1.42 is in the same league as a P4@3.0GHz. However due to the differences of the processors, there will be some tasks where the G4 is better and some tasks where the P4 is better. With 800MHz front side bus and hyperthreading the P4 will pull ahead on more tasks.

For programs that aren't multi-processor aware, the P4 will be much faster. The G4 may be a little more responsive and fluent when it comes to multitasking as is the case with all dual-configurations.

A Dual G5@1.8GHz will beat the crap out of a single P4@3.0GHz for most things.

And then there's OSX :D
 
Some benchmarks. PSBench7 (Photoshop):
Dual G5 2.0GHz - 555
P4 3.0GHz 800MHz - 405
P4 3.0GHz 533MHz - 358
Dual G4 1.42GHz - 338
 
I don't care how much faster a P4 can be, it still does not do OS X. That is all there is to it.

I use a Dual 867 and works a whole lot better than anything I use at work or from friends. I just don't think that the speed gain from a P4 is worth having to use Windows.

I've used Windows and like anything else, if a bad product is bad enough, I won't use it. My Mac still runs as good as the day I got it, if not better and that is with MINOR maintenance, if any.
 
nyprospect said:
I own a p4 3 gig rig.I want to make a switch over to mac becuase of its os x and panther browser.I dont do much on here but i would like to have the comfort of knowing my mac will be able to handle things a p4 3.0 could

The crucial question is either games, or heavy pro apps. If you don't use either...then the choice is simple. I'm not sure how high the G4 MDD's go to, but Dual 1ghz+ G4 should be just fine for anything you are doing. In fact, you might as well consider an eMac (I'm not sure why you ask about the MDD's). Considering you haven't really named specific apps that require more power, than the more important thing is just getting a gig of RAM at least.
 
Only problem i have with a g5 is that i may not have the room to put it where my current mis tower sits. i just bought this desk and its perfect for a mid tower or a g4 powermac but probably not the g5.guess i have to get rid of the desk lol
 
Haha...I'm pretty sure your G5 will be alot more expensive than that desk. Yes, time for a new desk :)
 
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