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Buying iMac G5
- Thread starter mmzplanet
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mmzplanet said:
I would say to definitely wait 'til MWSF on the 10th of January. I doubt seeing a new iMac, but it's hard to tell what all will be announced.
i agree, sorta
i agree halfway with fade, but the imac JUST got revamped, and from what i understand, the desktop G5s are not going to be the first things replaced by intels. Id buy now and be happy!!FadeToBlack said:
buy now you can get some pretty sweet deals on refurb Rev B's, It is highly unlikely we will see new iMacs at Macworld but who knows
Shadow
Shadow
TheMasin9 said:
Yeah, I doubt the iMac will be upgraded, but it couldn't hurt to wait and see what is released. It could be something great. It's less than a month away now, so I'd go ahead and wait and see what happens at MWSF.
I wouldnt invest in any PPC Machine at this point period, why would you want to limit yourself with PPC when we all know whats coming? Its like saying i want last years model? When ever you invest in technology you should go for the latest greatest, not what was. Imac is ready for Intel and it wouldnt surprise me a bit if Apple yanks out the slow G5 and gives it a fast Yonah. Wouldnt it be wiser to have a machine that can run it all vs the slim pickings software and games that are available on PPC. This next year we will hear from many that will be saying i wish i would have waited.
Dont Hurt Me said:
The latest and greatest doesn't necessarily mean the most stable or efficient. Until I've seen these new Intel Macs running for at least a year or two, I'd never consider buying one. I'd rather not pay to be a beta tester, thanks
M.
I would wait for MWSF if I were you. It is doubtful that the iMac will be updated, but it is much more likely that iLife '06 will be rolled out.
If it is, you can get it with your iMac (or at worst as a discounted upgrade) if you wait until MWSF. If you buy your iMac before MWSF, you'd have to pay the full price to upgrade to the new version of iLife.
Of course, it is also possible that they won't even come out with a new version of iLife. But they have updated it at MWSF the past couple of years, so there is precedent.
Now with that said, definitely get the 20" if you can afford it!
If it is, you can get it with your iMac (or at worst as a discounted upgrade) if you wait until MWSF. If you buy your iMac before MWSF, you'd have to pay the full price to upgrade to the new version of iLife.
Of course, it is also possible that they won't even come out with a new version of iLife. But they have updated it at MWSF the past couple of years, so there is precedent.
Now with that said, definitely get the 20" if you can afford it!
Actually, if you purchase a new Mac near the time they update iLife they'll give you a discounted price on the new version. It was $19.95 for the 2005 Up-To-Date program.m-dogg said:
http://www.macobserver.com/article/2005/01/17.4.shtml
Still it's best to wait until MWSF.
movielad said:The latest and greatest doesn't necessarily mean the most stable or efficient. Until I've seen these new Intel Macs running for at least a year or two, I'd never consider buying one. I'd rather not pay to be a beta tester, thanks
M.
there are some ppl here who know Intel by heart and... let me tell you: get your hands on one of the last fully functional and agreeable PowerPC;s that will forever exist in the realm of history... it really means a lot... the PPC did a lot for the Mac historically, and though i don;t doubt Intel can do a lot too in the future for it, it won;t be right away -- instead, some things are going to get screwed firt, believe me... going PPC is S-A-F-E...
true, you won;t run @3GHz or the alike, but still have one of the last specimens that marked history...
just like the old 040's eh? I won;t buy ppc just for the sake of it... now, what about those intels you don;t like?irrªtiºnal said:true, you won;t run @3GHz or the alike, but still have one of the last specimens that marked history...
Here's to the Crazy Ones
This rev-A-phobia is faintly ridiculous. There is no evidence that they will be a problem, yet this myth is repeated so often by people who obviously have no expertise in the microprocessor field. Just take a look at the latest rev PowerBooks all you myth-repeaters, and tell me that its a safe purchase with its flakey batteries and screen problems.
Lacero said:
ohh, don;t misinterpret me... i don;t dislike Intel, it;s just lovely to watch a PPC working well... true, i;m not an Electrical Engineer, but i can tell that the architectural marvels of PPC are worth a try. even if it;s a CA$2000 for the last one possible try.
there will be no G6. no more. intel PDs are great on their own. and when i mean, "get screwed", i really believe it... not like the ship sinking or anything really dramatic, but PPC Macs are 99.99% reliable as far as it;s chip concerned...
the new ones will definitelly NOT be. wait to see the software, my dear fellows, wait to the software...
stevep said:
I'm not concerned about the stability of the Rev A machines, although that might be a problem.
I do audio production, and I'm concerned about where my plug-ins are going to come from. When am I going to get a stable Intel version of Digital Performer? For CPU intensive applications, the translator software is not going to cut it.
The G5 gives me a ton of power NOW, with software that is proven. It took 2 full years to get audio stable on OS X. I would expect it to take at least a year to get stable on Intel.
Oh, and don't forget, the G5 is still a great chip. Its the G4 in Apple's lineup thats the real problem, and replacing the G4 with Intel will make a HUGE difference, while replacing the G5 likely wont make such a big splash.
mmzplanet I just got a G5 iMac - and it is beautiful !!!
The 20" is worth the extra bread, and I doubt you will regret anything about the purchase.
I considered waiting for the intel machines- but in the end decided to stay safe with the PPC. Two years from now a new game might come out that won't work with my machine, but , meh, I'm not concerned.
One guideline that helped me in my decision was "Will I gain a 50% to 100% boost in performance?" My answer was yes, I was using a 1Ghz Machine, and the new 2 Ghz iMac is much faster in Photoshop and handling multiple tasks.
Good luck and enjoy!
The 20" is worth the extra bread, and I doubt you will regret anything about the purchase.
I considered waiting for the intel machines- but in the end decided to stay safe with the PPC. Two years from now a new game might come out that won't work with my machine, but , meh, I'm not concerned.
One guideline that helped me in my decision was "Will I gain a 50% to 100% boost in performance?" My answer was yes, I was using a 1Ghz Machine, and the new 2 Ghz iMac is much faster in Photoshop and handling multiple tasks.
Good luck and enjoy!
me too me too
howdy... i was just about to post a similar thread, but i guess new threads get started every day with a "I'm buying a .... woohoo!, what should i do?" so i'll just hop onto this one if that's aight.
I've been running a 500mhz G3 iMac since the summer of 2001, and i'm just about to move out, and i'm leaving this little trooper with my folks, gonna get myself a new iMac. My school's computer store doesn't open again till January 3rd, and you guys just convinced me to wait another week, cause you never know.
I'm not gonna wait around for an intel iMac. I need a computer for school, and we don't actually know when we will see an intel iMac. I could end up putting off getting a new computer for like a year and a half as far as we know, and that would get pretty obnoxious. I'd rather just get the thing and have it done with.
Just a couple questions about the new iMacs:
-would the 20 incher be a much better performer speed-wise, like faster graphics and stuff, or does the faster processor just balance out the extra power needed to run that many more pixels or something... I'm thinking i'm gonna end up with the 17" cause i'll be on a bit of a tight budget.
I'll probably use this computer for some Matlab, Maple math stuff, maybe some auto cad stuff if i can find a program that'll transfer files with the real AutoCad, lots of quality GarageBanding, and watching movies and playing music and stuff. And maybe some games, though i really shouldn't as i have a horribly addictive personality and will probably end up dropping out of school.
-How good a call is apple care? It doesn't cover stolen computers or anything does it? Is it just a good call in case you're that one in a 10 thousandth imac customer who has a serious problem?
-How about locking the imac. The appartment i'm moving to isn't the most secure place. Is it just as easy as passing a cable through the whole in the stand for the power chord, or is that thing easily removed?
-Has anybody been able to watch .avi files through front row? All the Top Gear episodes i download are in that format.
Okay thanks for any help. I'm gonna miss not being an old school iMac user though. He's got the freakin' blue polka dots!
howdy... i was just about to post a similar thread, but i guess new threads get started every day with a "I'm buying a .... woohoo!, what should i do?" so i'll just hop onto this one if that's aight.
I've been running a 500mhz G3 iMac since the summer of 2001, and i'm just about to move out, and i'm leaving this little trooper with my folks, gonna get myself a new iMac. My school's computer store doesn't open again till January 3rd, and you guys just convinced me to wait another week, cause you never know.
I'm not gonna wait around for an intel iMac. I need a computer for school, and we don't actually know when we will see an intel iMac. I could end up putting off getting a new computer for like a year and a half as far as we know, and that would get pretty obnoxious. I'd rather just get the thing and have it done with.
Just a couple questions about the new iMacs:
-would the 20 incher be a much better performer speed-wise, like faster graphics and stuff, or does the faster processor just balance out the extra power needed to run that many more pixels or something... I'm thinking i'm gonna end up with the 17" cause i'll be on a bit of a tight budget.
I'll probably use this computer for some Matlab, Maple math stuff, maybe some auto cad stuff if i can find a program that'll transfer files with the real AutoCad, lots of quality GarageBanding, and watching movies and playing music and stuff. And maybe some games, though i really shouldn't as i have a horribly addictive personality and will probably end up dropping out of school.
-How good a call is apple care? It doesn't cover stolen computers or anything does it? Is it just a good call in case you're that one in a 10 thousandth imac customer who has a serious problem?
-How about locking the imac. The appartment i'm moving to isn't the most secure place. Is it just as easy as passing a cable through the whole in the stand for the power chord, or is that thing easily removed?
-Has anybody been able to watch .avi files through front row? All the Top Gear episodes i download are in that format.
Okay thanks for any help. I'm gonna miss not being an old school iMac user though. He's got the freakin' blue polka dots!
Dont Hurt Me said:
This statement is so ***** crazy I can't believe that no one's challenged it. There's simply no way in hell that the single core Yonah is going to be any faster than the single core G5. Look, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the G5 and Apple would have stayed with it if IBM could have brought out a low power, low heat version.
Yonah is a tremendous laptop chip and will definitely smoke the G4s in the Mac Mini, iBook and PB, but it will NOT top the G5, either in single core or dual core versions.
Besides, and please stop drooling over Intel for a second and think, Intel versions of apps aren't out yet, every app is written for PPC. So, you'll have to run slower versions of these apps for quite some time while the supposedly stupid people who bought PPC iMacs and Power Macs will be zipping along ... AND all of these apps will be universal binaries for a very long time to come.
And finally, just because Apple announces a product at MWSF doesn't mean it will be available THAT DAY. Look at the track record ... and the fact that Apple almost never meets Steve's promises on initial ship dates. So if you really want a great computer now and don't want to wait until mid-February, I say buy an iMac or a Power Mac. Jeez, I saw a 2 ghz dual core Power Mac (refreshed) at the Apple Store on Mich Ave yesterday for $1700 ... no first generation Yonah Mac Mini is going to beat that on a price performance scale.
I have one of the latest iMacs and let me tell you.. GET IT. You won't be able to get a nice, stable, and extremely productive machine as the PPC machines are now. Get one. The PPC is not going to be dropped anytime soon software wise.
iMac G5 all the way. Oh, a 1GB stick does nicely too
iMac G5 all the way. Oh, a 1GB stick does nicely too
jeffy.dee-lux said:
like, if i steal a Mac, i wouldn;t expect very good technical support man...
jeffy.dee-lux said:
1. The 20 inch performance vs 17 inch iMac - just my opinion, but there seems to be little difference. If you (like me) enjoy Safari, Mail, Photoshop, etc. The 17 inch model will scream past your old 500mhz machine. If you use more pro apps, the implications may be different.
2. To covera stolen computer get renters insurance ! I'd highly recomend this !!! Apple care does not cover it, but is still a good idea- if for no other reason because it offers peace of mind.
3. Locking the imac- I have no experience with this. But- I have seen a couple of apartments after a robbery, and often thieves will rip and pull at anything that looks valuable. So- I think it likely they would try to rip the machine from it's stand.
May not work, but will likely leave you with a broken iMac. So- I'd lock it up in a very conspicuous way to say "getting this is going to be a big pain for you"
Good luck, and if you can afford it, I would go for the 20" - it is worth saving up the extra cash!!!
okay thanks for the tips guys and gals. It looks like I actually am gonna have to settle for the 17 incher, for money's sake. It'll also be easier to move around i guess, i could be moving around a lot over the next couple years. But whatever, 17 inches should be a nice step up over this old CRT imac. What is this thing? 15 inches i guess? 13% increase in length is a 28% increase in area...