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torn between two imacs , opinions greatly appreciated

P

poeticmadness

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 1, 2009
3
0
Hi everyone. I am currently looking into switching from PC to Mac, as I am always being told how great Macs are, especially for music production, as that is what I am looking to buy it for.
My budget is not exactly big at this point, so a brand new Mac is out of the question, for now anyways. I'm thinking about just getting my feet wet and there are two on Ebay that I am contemplating. Problem is, I am not well-versed in Macs as far as what will work for what, so I am here hoping someone with lots of Mac experience can assist in putting me on the right path.
Specs for both are as follows :
iMac # 1
G5 17" screen, 1.8 Ghz processor, 768 RAM, 160 G hd, with superdrive

iMac #2
G4, 15" screen, 700Mhz processor, 512 RAM, 80 G HDD, also with the superdive.

I realize that the question may be dumb, especially since the G5 is obviously more powerful than the G4 ( if I don't win the G5 then I am stuck with the G4 anyways ) but I am curious, if I am only running Logic on the computer, and a few plugins, am I going to suffer greatly with the G4 ?
The G4 also comes with iLife preinstalled, which means GB will be on it. So, if I cant use Logic on the G4, will I be able to get decent performance out of GB if that's pretty much the only thing I am running on it ?
I apologize for the long winded post and for the nOOb questions, but I am stumped. Ive been recording on PC for a number of years, and windows just kinda blows for recording anyways, I know Ill be happier with the Mac.
Just looking for helpful opinions.
Also, the OS on either iMac is pre-installed and no back up discs are going to be available, doesn't that violate some liscensing laws with Apple ? ( If I got the G5 I'd just buy Leopard and throw it on anyways. )
Thanks in advance everyone, I'm sure Ill be better off than I am now regardless of how it rolls but, hopefully some sage advice will help steer me right.
 
...what's the asking price for each?

That's several generations old tech and PPC's are pretty much dead as far as any new advancement in software... SL will be dropping PPC support...

I'd get a newer iMac from the :apple: refurb store first...
 
hmmm, I just realized I forgot to put those important details in, lol.
The G5 would be about $ 300 and the G4 is going to go for under $ 200.
Believe me, I thought about the refurbs but, I'm afraid thats still too steep for my budget ( for the immediate time being anyways ).
I am considering these to be entry level learning machines, I have no illusions about keeping them as my main system forever. They will be purchased simply to get my feet wet with recording on a Mac and I'll just use them as learning tools until my budget allows something newer.
 
Hm...thats a tough one. I would say if there is any way possible try and push for a refurb mac mini. It would be newer technology to get your feet wet with and once your budget allowed for a newer mac there are a million things you can do with the mac mini.

Others more familiar with the older models may be able to chime in.
 
Save money up until you have enough to get at least a Mac mini. Trust me, you'll be glad you did. Why? Easy. Saves you a lot more time because it's more efficient at processing, meaning it's a much faster machine than either the G5/G4. And it also means that you can make money faster. :D

Remember, this is like deciding on buying a new PC, should I get a used Pentium 4 vs a Core 2 Duo? Big difference in architecture and efficiency.
 
Urg, neither.

I've sold my iMac G5 2 Ghz a couple of months ago since I got this low-end 2007 iMac with Core 2 Duo.

The new one runs so many circles around the G5 in terms of speed its not even funny! I remember running GarageBand on G5 for my fooling around in recording music and it wasn't pleasant, especially 09 version which was very slow.

By all means save those 300$ and get a refurb Mac mini or older iMac. So much more value for the money! Seriously.
 
fiercetiger224 said:
Save money up until you have enough to get at least a Mac mini. Trust me, you'll be glad you did. Why? Easy. Saves you a lot more time because it's more efficient at processing, meaning it's a much faster machine than either the G5/G4. And it also means that you can make money faster. :D

Remember, this is like deciding on buying a new PC, should I get a used Pentium 4 vs a Core 2 Duo? Big difference in architecture and efficiency.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Save until you can get a mini. The G4/G5 are at least a year or two old.
 
wow, so many replies so fast ! thanks a lot to everyone who has replied.
I've been checking into the mac mini, turns out that getting into one wouldn't be quite as expensive as i originally thought. :D
However, one question remains, would either of the computers I mentioned be worth it to buy anyways ? I think the prices are pretty awesome, and even if I did pony up for a mini, I wonder if I would be kicking myself letting either of the units I mentioned get away. :confused:
 
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