iMac 20" G5 or Powermac G5

[Patch^]

Hey. Im currently thinking of buying another mac, but i'm not sure what to choose. I really like the iMac G5 with this spec:-

• 2GB DDR400 SDRAM - 2 DIMMs
• 250GB Serial ATA drive
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module
• Keyboard & Mouse + Mac OS
• 20-inch TFT display
• 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
• DVD-R/CD-RW drive
• GeForce FX 5200 Ultra - 64MB DDR

or a Power mac with this spec:-

• Dual 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
• 1GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x512MB
• 250GB Serial ATA
• DVD-R/CD-RW
• ATI Radeon 9800 XT 256MB, ADC/DVI
• 56k V.92 internal modem
• Bluetooth Module
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Apple Keyboard & Mouse
• Mac OS X
• One FireWire 800 port
• Two FireWire 400 ports
• Three USB 2.0 port

Whats better? their both about the same price, atm im leaning towards the iMac cuz of the ram and screen etc, but im not too sure about the GFX card on it. I have a spare monitor so i could get the Power mac. what do u think i should do?! (not going to buy until Tiger comes out tho )

thnx

 

[skp574]

Hey. Im currently thinking of buying another mac, but i'm not sure what to choose. I really like the iMac G5 with this spec:-

• 2GB DDR400 SDRAM - 2 DIMMs
• 250GB Serial ATA drive
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module
• Keyboard & Mouse + Mac OS
• 20-inch TFT display
• 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
• DVD-R/CD-RW drive
• GeForce FX 5200 Ultra - 64MB DDR

or a Power mac with this spec:-

• Dual 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
• 1GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x512MB
• 250GB Serial ATA
• DVD-R/CD-RW
• ATI Radeon 9800 XT 256MB, ADC/DVI
• 56k V.92 internal modem
• Bluetooth Module
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Apple Keyboard & Mouse
• Mac OS X
• One FireWire 800 port
• Two FireWire 400 ports
• Three USB 2.0 port

Whats better? their both about the same price, atm im leaning towards the iMac cuz of the ram and screen etc, but im not too sure about the GFX card on it. I have a spare monitor so i could get the Power mac. what do u think i should do?! (not going to buy until Tiger comes out tho )

thnx

If you're prepared to wait for Tiger, then I'd wait to see what comes along in the way of hardware bumps. It is strongly rumoured that both the Powermac and iMac are going to get upgrades. Probably just some more RAM and a few Hz on the processor.

I have an iMac. I chose it for its space saving design over the PM. You will get more upgradeability in the PM though - monitor, graphics cards, etc.

Just keep in the back of your mind... get as much RAM as you can afford. Have a look at third party RAM as it's cheaper than getting it directly from Apple. I got my iMac with 512MB (1 stick) and bumped it up with another 1GB. It made a big difference.

Just my thoughts and good luck.

 

[Patch^]

thnx ^_^, i'l w8 untill the nxt hardware upgrades when tiger comes out (if there is any). Also on an iMac G5 is there a removable slot so you can upgrade Ram? like on the powerbooks? or do just remove the whole back off lol? just curious....

I'm still not too sure tho, im going off to university and the iMac would take up less space, but i think i'l need a better graphics card and a bit more processing power...so it might be the Power Mac...........ARGH DECSIONS!!! lol

 

[eXan]

Get Power Mac, because it has 2nd CPU and great expandability. It's much more future proofing. And you already have a monitor.

 

[Xeem]

I'd go Power Mac on this one. As beautiful as the iMac is, its 5200 really won't come close to matching a Radeon 9800 XT.

 

[miloblithe]

If you have a monitor, definitely get the PowerMac. Much more powerful, expandable, and "future proof", as others have suggested. In two years, that iMac will be a nice monitor on an aging computer.

 

[Sutekidane]

My brother has a dual 1.8 revb G5, and I have a 20" iMac. I would never trade his computer for mine even if he begged. I just wouldn't have room for the huge tower and the screen. So, if space is an issue go for the iMac. Also, remember, that with the iMac, you will get pretty comparable performance to the G5, with a screen, at a cheaper price. And yes, you remove the whole back of the imac to upgrade/replace anything. It's 3 screws, extremely simple.

 

[FFTT]

If you need something right away, then I'd go for a 2.0 refurb
as the best overall choice. $2099 in the RED TAG store.

If you CAN wait for the next revision, then at least you'll
be able to better evaluate your options.

An across the board $200 price drop on existing dual G5 PowerMacs
with a RAM upgrade
would give most of us a lot to think about.

OR we can break the bank and opt for the QuadraMac <">

 

[Patch^]

thnx guys, this has helped . I think i'l wait and see what happens in june at the next WWDC. If they upgrade the GFX card and the processing power on the iMac it may tempt me cuz space may be an issue and im loving the 20" screen lol. But i like the option to upgrade at will with the Powermac. Hopefully at the next WWDC there will be a Dual 3.0ghz G5 *drools* and it will lower the price of the others etc... And if i wait till june i'l more money

thnx guys ^_^

 

[skp574]

My brother has a dual 1.8 revb G5, and I have a 20" iMac. I would never trade his computer for mine even if he begged. I just wouldn't have room for the huge tower and the screen. So, if space is an issue go for the iMac. Also, remember, that with the iMac, you will get pretty comparable performance to the G5, with a screen, at a cheaper price. And yes, you remove the whole back of the imac to upgrade/replace anything. It's 3 screws, extremely simple.

Have you upgraded the RAM? I did it the other night with my iMac.

It came with 512MB as standard (1 stick). I put in a 1GB stick and it failed to recognise it in the second slot. I had to change them over before it saw the full 1.5 gigs.

Anyone found this???

 

[Sutekidane]

Yes, I upgraded the ram as it was too slow with the 256 it came with. I upgraded it to 768 and didn't have any issues with installation. I'm using Samsung pc3200 ram, as I always look for samsung, Hynix, or Hyundai sticks and avoid all else.

 

[Patch^]

ok ive waited for the updated macs to come out. And im planning to buy a new mac after WWDC, so some time in June. I have been having some problems deciding, which Mac to get...should i get the iMac 20"(maxed out). Or get the Dual 2Ghz Powermac?(i already have a TFT monitor) I'l be using this computer at University and i need something that will be good with Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, Director and Final Cut etc.....The iMac seems to manage all of these fine, but the PowerMac has better performance. What do you Guys think?

At the moment i am leaning towards the iMac, because it takes up less space. I also have to stick to a budget of around £1600 or less..

Thnx ^_^.

 

[mad jew]

Well, I'm getting an iMac and I'm sure it'd be able to keep up with your needs, no problems. But the PowerMac will still be faster, and upgradable. So, since you've already got the screen, I reckon the PowerMac might be the way to go.

 

[gabriel_uk]

ok ive waited for the updated macs to come out. And im planning to buy a new mac after WWDC, so some time in June. I have been having some problems deciding, which Mac to get...should i get the iMac 20"(maxed out). Or get the Dual 2Ghz Powermac?(i already have a TFT monitor) I'l be using this computer at University and i need something that will be good with Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, Director and Final Cut etc.....The iMac seems to manage all of these fine, but the PowerMac has better performance. What do you Guys think?

At the moment i am leaning towards the iMac, because it takes up less space. I also have to stick to a budget of around £1600 or less..

Thnx ^_^.

As it happens, I've been facing the same dilemma - top whack iMac vs. a 2 or 2.3 GHz PowerMac. The iMac is definitely a great value machine, and its lack of speed compared to a dual-processor Mac will most likely tell only when you do stuff like video rendering.

But at the end of the day I'm swayed by the fact that even the 20-in iMac screen is not really that generous, and above all is not high definition. So I'm getting ready to bust my piggy bank and go for a 2.3 GHz PowerMac (with 2 GB of RAM) and a 23-in HD display.

I guess I could wait to see if the price drops following the final release of a mythical 3 GHz dual core machine, but I bet this won't happen until the Autumn at the earliest - so is it really worth waiting?

Gabriel