[stwain2003]

Ok, I'm getting a new Mac by the end of the year. I have two options. (These are edu prices)

eMac
• 512MB SDRAM DDR333 - 1 DIMM
• 160GB Ultra ATA drive
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/CD-RW)
• Internal Bluetooth Module + AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse + Mac OS - U.S. English
• 1.42GHz PowerPC G4
• ATI Radeon 9600 w/64MB DDR video memory
• 56K internal modem
• Integrated stereo speakers

Plus, I could get a keyboard for Garage band which I am eventually going to by

for $1,077
w/ kybd for $1,176

or

iMac

• 512MB DDR400 SDRAM - 1 DIMM
• 160GB Serial ATA drive
• Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
• Keyboard and Mouse + Mac OS X - U.S. English
• 56Kbps Modem
• 17-inch widescreen LCD
• 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
• ATI Radeon 9600 with 128MB DDR Video Memory
• AirPort Extreme
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

Which I couldn't afford the keyboard with

for $1,199


I am a musician and 60% of the reason I'm buying a mac is for garageband. I would LOVE to have a keyboard. WWYD? (What would you do)

[jersey]

this is not a choice. imac. g5 vs. g4? seriously....come on now. you'll get way more milage out of the g5.

plus i dont think the emac will be around too much longer. i notice they were replaced by imacs at the kids table here at the menlo park store.

you can save 150 for the keyboard in like 5 weeks tops, just cut out silly things in your normal spending.

on second thought, you may want to go mini, and cheap lcd. then you can buy the keyboard and anything else you'd want.

just stay away from the emac.

[stwain2003]

Originally Posted by jersey

this is not a choice. imac. g5 vs. g4? seriously....come on now. you'll get way more milage out of the g5.

plus i dont think the emac will be around too much longer. i notice they were replaced by imacs at the kids table here at the menlo park store.

you can save 150 for the keyboard in like 5 weeks tops, just cut out silly things in your normal spending.

on second thought, you may want to go mini, and cheap lcd. then you can buy the keyboard and anything else you'd want.

just stay away from the emac.

I don't have normal spending. I'm 16

[galarneau]

If you're strapped for cash, I'd get an eMac refurb from Apple... $650 or something like that.

You miss out on the Radeon 9600, but if you're not a gamer, it's probably not a big deal.

[f1000]

Originally Posted by stwain2003

I don't have normal spending. I'm 16

I suggest that you get a used or refurbed Mac as well. I see that Apple's selling refurbished iMac G5's for $899.

[asb819]

Well, I've never run Garageband on an eMac, but you'd probably have a dramatic performance boost on a G5. And why do you need to buy an expensive keyboard? I have a 7 year old Yamaha midi keyboard with tons of presets and cool features that you can probably buy now for 50 bucks.

[belafonte]

seriously get the g5 and tell mommy and daddy to buy the keyboard... if not get a job at a sandwhich shop and save up... what do you really have to pay for at 16?
If you get the emac your friends will make fun of you
If you get the imac your friends will say how cool you are...
regardless of your decision don't put any stupid band stickers on your computer... (you'll thank me in a few years)

[jersey]

yeah......mini + monitor = 650-ish

the leaves you an additional few hundred $'s.

take a girl out or something.

[barang]

Go Refurb iMac any day.

I only buy refurbs now; get the most for your money. I've never had any problems with them...

[doucy2]

go for the emac
buy it on ebay thats where i got mine
$550 new G4 1.25 1G Ram 80gb hd superdrive wireless keyboard and mouse, and airpot extream
ebay is the place to go

[Hodog16]

regardless of your decision don't put any stupid band stickers on your computer... (you'll thank me in a few years)

Boy, you ain't kidding with what I did to my last two Dells. Nothing will touch the iMac tho'

[mdc]

please go with the iMac. everyday i am floored at how amazing the iMac is, and then the fact that it is a G5 with better video, etc, it will last a lot longer in the future.

[belafonte]

word

[CreepDogg]

You'll get a lot more mileage and have a lot more options with GarageBand (and any other software if your interest grows) with the iMac. The eMac will feel 'limited' in a year or so.

GarageBand is somewhat taxing on the system - so get as much power as you can. If you were going to use the machine for light word processing, email, browser, etc, then eMac or mini would be fine. For music & multimedia, you'll want as much power as you can afford, so the iMac is a better choice.