iMac G5 instead of eMac G4 (iMac G5 owners/knowledgeable people chime in)

[SteveC]

Well, anyone who has read my signature knows my story. I just sold my 1 GHz eMac in Dec. and have been waiting on an eMac update before I buy a new one, since it's been SO long since the last update (roughly 10 months). I just can't bring myself to buy a 10 month old configuration for the same price it was when it came out.

That said, I'm starting to lean towards the iMac G5 but it's a Rev A. Have there been any common and/or major problems with the Rev A iMac G5? I know many people won't buy a Mac until it's in Rev B.

I know the iMac will be much faster than the eMac, and I'd love to own one. The price is a little higher but that's not the big concern. The main thing I want to know is how the Rev A's have been. I know the Rev A eMacs had a lot of monitor problems and some other small issues.

I am asking iMac G5 owners and/or iMac-knowledgeable people to chime in. What have you heard and what have been your experiences?

 

[mrgreen4242]

Well, anyone who has read my signature knows my story. I just sold my 1 GHz eMac in Dec. and have been waiting on an eMac update before I buy a new one, since it's been SO long since the last update (roughly 10 months). I just can't bring myself to buy a 10 month old configuration for the same price it was when it came out.

That said, I'm starting to lean towards the iMac G5 but it's a Rev A. Have there been any common and/or major problems with the Rev A iMac G5? I know many people won't buy a Mac until it's in Rev B.

I know the iMac will be much faster than the eMac, and I'd love to own one. The price is a little higher but that's not the big concern. The main thing I want to know is how the Rev A's have been. I know the Rev A eMacs had a lot of monitor problems and some other small issues.

I am asking iMac G5 owners and/or iMac-knowledgeable people to chime in. What have you heard and what have been your experiences?

Well, there are a significant number of people who are complaining of loud and/or annoying fan noise on the iMacs. The17" model seem to be the most griped about (maybe the 20" has more space for cooling inside the case?). There are also a few people who have developed some LCD issues on the 17" as well. There seem to be relatively few of those tho.

On the other hand there are probably 10's of thousands of people who haven't had any troubles. Some people are worried about high HD tempuratures in the iMac causing premature HD failure, so maybe more people will experience issues later on.

I'm plannin on buying an iMac next week, after much research, and from what I can tell, they seem to be a relatively safe buy, but I would say that getting the extended AppleCare warranty on any Rev A machine is a very good idea. My only concern is that there will be an update of the iMac in the coming months that I will miss out on simply because I need a new computer yesterday!

Since it seems you also need a new machine right away, the iMac is a great value. The refurbs are REALLY cheap, ($1099, 1299, and 1699), and provide a really amazing value. On the higher end 17" model you are getting a computer that is as fast in every way as the entry level PowerMac and a gorgeous 17" display for $1300 (refurb).

Good luck and best wishes,
Rob

 

[Makosuke]

They are revision A, and there have admittedly been a few complaints of bum components, but I don't honestly think there have been a particularly high number--it's just a popular machine, so you hear more about it.

Perhaps more importantly, although it's still a Rev A, it's been a few months since release now; the plant that builds them has had time to tweak around things that might have caused issues, and Apple has had time to switch individual components if some particular part was causing problems. There haven't been enough changes to warrant a "rev B" yet, but since I've heard nothing that indicates an actual design flaw, I don't think it matters--any common issues are likely a single component that could've already been updated without changing the revision number.

Personal experience: There are two low-end 17" iMac G5s sitting near me in the lab where I work, and neither has had any issues at all--both doing CAD and heavy-duty data analysis on a daily basis. I know of at least one other person who bought a similar machine and has had no issues, and I just recommended someone else to puchase one.

 

[mrgreen4242]

They are revision A, and there have admittedly been a few complaints of bum components, but I don't honestly think there have been a particularly high number--it's just a popular machine, so you hear more about it.

Perhaps more importantly, although it's still a Rev A, it's been a few months since release now; the plant that builds them has had time to tweak around things that might have caused issues, and Apple has had time to switch individual components if some particular part was causing problems. There haven't been enough changes to warrant a "rev B" yet, but since I've heard nothing that indicates an actual design flaw, I don't think it matters--any common issues are likely a single component that could've already been updated without changing the revision number.

Personal experience: There are two low-end 17" iMac G5s sitting near me in the lab where I work, and neither has had any issues at all--both doing CAD and heavy-duty data analysis on a daily basis. I know of at least one other person who bought a similar machine and has had no issues, and I just recommended someone else to puchase one.

Sorry for the off topic question, but what CAD application are you using on the iMacs? I'm in the running for an engineering/project managment job that will require a small to fair amount of CAD work, and I would like to explore some of the Mac options.

Thanks
Rob

 

[SteveC]

Thanks very much for the replies. I appreciate the feedback.

The refurbs definitely are nice deals, too. Very tempting to save the big chunk of $$$. I'll make a decision very soon here...

Thanks again!