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new intel imac or used dual g5 (loaded)

R

rafa

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 2, 2006
9
0
i was planning to buy a new imac, but i found this offer on a dual g5 at the same price of the imac (stock).

specs of the g5:
dual processor 2.0 Ghz
2.5gb RAM,
video: X800 (256mb)
HD: 160gb
superdrive 8x & bluetooth.

its important to mention, that i will be making money on this machine, and none of the softwares that i use are universal (photoshop cs suite, flash, aftereffects)

what do you think is the best? go for what is going to work for me right now or a system that can be more future proof?

thank you in advanced
 
rafa said:
i was planning to buy a new imac, but i found this offer on a dual g5 at the same price of the imac (stock).

specs of the g5:
dual processor 2.0 Ghz
2.5gb RAM,
video: X800 (256mb)
HD: 160gb
superdrive 8x & bluetooth.

its important to mention, that i will be making money on this machine, and none of the softwares that i use are universal (photoshop cs suite, flash, aftereffects)

thank you in advanced
Click to expand...

for some reason i hate buying older technology. i would get the imac personally
 
Thats a tough one. An Intel iMac is only marginly slower than that G5 on photoshop stuff. I guess its your call. If you had the Intel, you know when CS3 comes out along with others, that will outperform that G5.
 
Get the more powerful machine. That G5 will get you at least a few years, plus you can (at least) up the RAM if need be, as well as the drives. I work as a Graphic Designer, and the iMac is a sub-par machine for any sort of production work. It'll bog down and good luck when you have more than 2 programs open. (I'm stuck on one now sadly, as my employer hasn't upgraded yet)

'Old' or not, the G5 is the more powerful of the 2 by far.

My personal machine is the Dual 1.8 G5, 2G's RAM, and a lesser vid card than what you're looking at, and it's seen me through some horrifically busy and huge files without a hitch.

Grab a 24" Dell screen whilst you're at it, and you'll be set.

Hope that helps.
 
If you need Classic, buy the G5 ...

If you do not. After seeing this happen tons of times since the Mac has been out, always buy the new architecture.

Because there WILL be new apps and OS functions that REQUIRE that spiffy architecture feature in the future.

Usually it will happen with the Pro apps and filter their way down as apps pick up a minimum OS version requirement.

---

However for work, the best machine you can afford -- in this case it is a PowerMac.

But your Pro apps will hit a brick wall faster (due to the architecture switch) and force you to upgrade eventually. Usually sooner than you think if you decide to use Apple's video suite.
 
Willis said:
An Intel iMac is only marginly slower than that G5 on photoshop stuff.
Click to expand...

No, an intel imac is far slower on rosetta apps. The mac pro is powerful enough that it's as fast or faster (depending on configuration), but the imac is going to be way slower.

Get the loaded G5.
 
Unless you need to run Windows at near native speeds, this should be a very easy decision. It is almost a slam dunk if you are using non-universal apps primarily.

The dual G5 is a great machine.
 
Alright, well it seems since you are even considering an iMac you don't do an super intense graphic work, and since in my opinion you can never get the display in the iMac perfectly color correct you're most likely not a photographer. As a result, to stay "current" I would totally go with the iMac.
Thanks just one opinion.
Hope that helps!

___________________________________________________________

Hardware: 17", 2.16 GHz MBP, w/ 120 GB & 2 GB RAM. 23" Apple HD display, Quad G5, 500 GB Dual HDs, 8 GB Ram, Stock Mac Pro on the way. iPod Nano (Black) 4 GB, 5th Gen, 60 GB iPod, Nikon D2X, Multiple Nikkor prime lenses, Bose QC 2 and 3, Shure Audio E5c's, Sony PSP (being sold on ebay), and a plethora of misc. technological items.
 
If you are going to make money with a machine, get the one that is optimized for currently used applications. G5 is the choice - you will be able to recoup the money and buy a then-current computer much faster.
 
Dont Hurt Me said:
Ignore the ones crying for old tech, only a Moron buys old tech for the future. Intel Imac and they are about to get faster.
Click to expand...

I am one of the 'Morons' who would suggest you consider the G5 (oops, I forgot to cry). It seems like you are thinking hard about this. I say good for you!

To begin with, the G5 is NOT 'old tech'. It may not be the latest tech, but it is in no way dated. This a fabulous machine. I have one, and I also have a G5 2.5 quad. I use both. I will also buy another PM in a few months. Both newer machines are primarily for adding more HP for rendering and compressing video. I also use CS2 and the Macromedia Suite (plus FCS).

Most of my work is done in a development environment. The G5's are beautiful machines to do this in. I am more interested in their fine multitasking capability than in raw processor speed. However, I am also branching into more motion graphics and eventually animation. Perhaps then I may see need for more development speed.

Whatever decision you make, once made, have no regrets. That is the best advice I can offer. Either choice is great! I think the G5 offers more options for expanding your peripherals. My original G5 is running dual 23" Cinema Displays and that is a fine environment to work in.
 
thank you all for the prompt answers, my work is mainly webdesign, i always work with flash, freehand, photoshop cs2 and bridge c2 and itunes open. My photoshop use in web design is pretty modest i can say.
But the other things i do, like experimental and motion graphics i require a lot more computer power.

my main concern is to invest money in something for wich i will not see the results of the upgrade until the universal apps comes (6 months?). Is this like this? i will see a reasonable improvement with the imac 20" (2gb ram) over my 1ghz powerbook (2gb ram) in photoshop?
 
rafa said:
thank you all for the prompt answers, my work is mainly webdesign, i always work with flash, freehand, photoshop cs2 and bridge c2 and itunes open. My photoshop use in web design is pretty modest i can say.
But the other things i do, like experimental and motion graphics i require a lot more computer power.

my main concern is to invest money in something for wich i will not see the results of the upgrade until the universal apps comes (6 months?). Is this like this? i will see a reasonable improvement with the imac 20" (2gb ram) over my 1ghz powerbook (2gb ram) in photoshop?
Click to expand...

I'd say yes... I dont know the actual PS test, but i know Macworld did some when the intels came out against the current G4 lineup. And it was pretty impressive. So with yours being 1ghz... dual 2ghz will be pretty good. and when the UNI apps come out, you'll be laughing.
 
Absolutely go for the G5. I have a Dual 2.0 with only 1.5 gigs of RAM with an ATI 9600, and it still beats out my friend's new MacBook Pro 2.0.

That G5 is going to last a long time and since you already have PowerPC applications, it's the best choice. Maybe spending a couple grand on applications isn't a big deal for some folks, but for those of us that are financially responsible, it's definitely something to consider.

Get the Dual G5 and be happy for years to come. :D
 
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