Would you buy a iMac G4?

[anba]

I am still debating on which mac to buy. I have seen the iMac G4 on Apple's site for around $1099. Do you think that this would be a good first Mac to get? I would need it for basics, along with Photoshop and some video editing. Also are you able to upgrade the Ram? The ones I've seen recently only have 256 Mb Ram, which I heard is not enough. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[sigamy]

Do you mean iMac G5? You said G4. The iMac G4 has the dome shape bottom with the LCD on the swing arm. The iMac G5 has the entire computer behind the LCD.

There are refurbished iMac G5's for $1099. This is a great machine for everything except the very latest high-end games. If you do play games you may want to wait a few months to see if the iMac is updated with a better video card.

Besides that, this machine can handle iLife, MS Office, Photoshop, Final Cut, etc. Very nice machine. You can upgrade the memory, there are two slots. You should add a 512mb module. Buy that from Crucial or MacSales.com, Apple charges too much.

Good luck. This would be a great first Mac.

 

[gwuMACaddict]

don't get an iMac G4... get a G5

 

[emw]

If they are at comparable prices, then it's a no-brainer to go with the more powerful G5. But if I saw a good deal on a 1.25 GHz 20" G4 iMac, I'd snap it up. I've got the 17" 1.25 GHz G4 iMac, and I love it - and I like the looks better than the new G5s.

Performance-wise, they'll be a little slower, but most people doing most things won't even notice.

 

[ldburroughs]

If they are at comparable prices, then it's a no-brainer to go with the more powerful G5. But if I saw a good deal on a 1.25 GHz 20" G4 iMac, I'd snap it up. I've got the 17" 1.25 GHz G4 iMac, and I love it - and I like the looks better than the new G5s.

Performance-wise, they'll be a little slower, but most people doing most things won't even notice.

I agree, the G4s look much better than the newer G5s. I wish they could've found a way to keep that look going for a little longer. It was so unique and it was classy. They new G5s look like giant iPods. There isn't much unique about them other than the fact that they are white as opposed to putty or black. Other companies have tried similar designs for all-in-one products in the past and they certainly aren't as nice as Apple's G5s but it's still a step down in style from the previous model. I'd buy one just for looks. If performance will be an issue for you then you'll have to sacrifice looks for function. Good luck.