Mac Mini Vs. PowerMac G5 (Single)

[Tuned MP5T]

I know I’ve been posting a lot lately, but I’m just trying to find the right Mac. Now I have a dilemma between the Mac Mini and PowerMac G5. The Mac will be use for Internet, Email, IMing, iTunes, and MS Office. So tell me which one meets my needs here are the specs:

Mac Mini
512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 DIMM
80GB Ultra ATA drive
Apple Cinema Display (20" flat panel)
Combo Drive
Internal Bluetooth
Wireless Keyboard & Mouse Set - U.S. English
56K v.92 Modem
Mac OS X - U.S. English
1.42GHz PowerPC G4

Subtotal: $1,689.00

VS

PowerMac G5
512MB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x256
80GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
ATI Radeon 9600 XT w/128MB DDR SDRAM
Apple Cinema Display (20" flat panel)
8x Super Drive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse - U.S. English
Mac OS X - U.S. English
1.8GHz PowerMac G5

Subtotal $2,423.00

 

[cgratti]

Why dont you go with the 20" iMac and have the best of both worlds? And for about $2000 you can be happy

 

[vtprinz]

The mini should be plenty for what you've listed, but if you can afford it, the powermac will last you much longer.

 

[vtprinz]

Why dont you go with the 20" iMac and have the best of both worlds? And for about $2000 you can be happy

actually, I second this

 

[dcollins]

Just as long as you have a relatively new moniter and if you are low on cash, the Mac Mini would be my choice.

 

[edesignuk]

This is just a stupid comparison IMO. The two should never be put up against each other. If you are on a tight budget get the Mini, if you're not, get the Power Mac. It's that simple.

The technology in the Mini Mac is already very dated, the Power Mac is not, if you can afford it (which you can, or you wouldn't be asking), the Power Mac is a far better investment.

That said, I too would go along with cgratti's suggestion of an iMac G5.

 

[Tuned MP5T]

Why dont you go with the 20" iMac and have the best of both worlds? And for about $2000 you can be happy

I like the design of the Mac Mini and Power Mac better then the iMac.

 

[redeye be]

I'd go for the iMac as well
OR
as i am planning
buy a mini now -then save, save, save- and a G5-6 in let's say 1-2 years 😉 depending on model upgrade speed.

Cheers

 

[Tuned MP5T]

This is just a stupid comparison IMO. The two should never be put up against each other. If you are on a tight budget get the Mini, if you're not, get the Power Mac. It's that simple.

The technology in the Mini Mac is already very dated, the Power Mac is not, if you can afford it (which you can, or you wouldn't be asking), the Power Mac is a far better investment.

That said, I too would go along with cgratti's suggestion of an iMac G5.

Yeah I thought about it after I posted the thread. But you think that the single G5 can handle all task I mentioned before?

 

[notjustjay]

But you think that the single G5 can handle all task I mentioned before?

Well, if the single G5 can't handle it, then you definitely wouldn't consider the Mac mini...

Both seem like they'd do the job fine.

Ever consider an iBook or Powerbook?

 

[vtprinz]

Yeah I thought about it after I posted the thread. But you think that the single G5 can handle all task I mentioned before?

I do all the things you've listed on an 800MHz G3 iBook w/ 640MB RAM. With all of those things running at the same time, I still don't even notice a lag.

If money is an issue, you'll have no problem with the mini.

If money isn't an issue, buy the best you can get. The powermac will last you much much much longer. But it's, quite frankly, huge.

You'll be happy with either choice, just figure out if you prefer space or longevity.

 

[MacNut]

Go with the Power Mac, its faster not obsolete and you can expand it, you cant do that to the mini or iMac.

 

[jamdr]

I agree--there's really no comparison. The Mac mini will be edging on obsolete in a year or so. Keep this in mind: Apple released a PowerMac G4 with the same processor used in the mini more than 2 years ago, so you are really buying 2-year-old technology. Assuming Mac users keep their computers 3-4 years, that leaves a year or two left of good use. If you can afford the PowerMac, definitely get it. However, if possible, I would go for the dual 1.8GHz G5 and order less RAM or something else that can be upgraded later.