[Michael Jolly]

As I am purchasing an 17-inch iMac G5 shortly (within the next 2 months anyway) I am wondering what the owners of these new G5 thought and was wondering does any one have any good/bad experience that i should be aware of before I spend my money?

I am a graphic designer and will be using Adobe CS2 with the G5

Thanks in advance.

[Chinasaur]

1. They can run hot. Expect it. On the order of 170-80F
2. You "might" hear the fans. Some do, some don't. Some are more susceptible (me) and some aren't. YMMV.
3. Go with 2GB RAM. You'll thank me later. 2GB is current max on Rev A and B. Rev C can be 2.5GB.
4. Get a 20" refurb before you get a new 17". You'll thank me later. 20" has 250 HD vs 160 HD in the 17".
5. You can't upgrade the CPU (no G5's can be anyway) and can't upgrade video card. Refurb'd units have the 9600 on an AGP bus. Rev C models have X600x card on PCI-e bus. I don't know if your main app would need/benefit from PCI-e capabilities.

Definately look before you leap. Make SURE you don't really need a PowerMac. A PM can be upgraded (easily) past 4GB RAM, HD and video card. iMac's are more limited.

Luck.

[nredman]

mine has worked great since i got it. got it from amazon.com with a good rebate. frontrow is cool and so is the built in isight - my fan kicks in every once and awhile but only if i have had it on for days on end downloading things. i have the 17-inch - havent updated the memory yet - still have to pay it off

good luck

[Sage]

I love our iMac G5 (huge step up from my iBook G3 500mhz). We’ve only had two issues with it:

1 If you get the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, don’t be surprised that it takes a 5–30 seconds for the computer to “reconnect” to them – happens to just about everyone.
2 For some reason, ours will occasionally wake itself in the middle of the night. Dunno why. It’s a Rev. A though, so maybe that issue is fixed.

Otherwise, it’s been perfect. I highly recommend it.

[quiklee]

I have a 20inch G5 and it runs perfectly . . . everything is as promised!

[Michael Jolly]

thanks for the replies people, i think i will go with an iMac, I will increase the ram to at least 1.5GB

I thought of getting a Powermac but its just way to expensive for my budget so i though an iMac would suit, the HD is not so much of a problem as my current HD is 120 so anything is an improvement over that, and as i am switching from a Windows PC fans kicking in have yet to bother me, thanks for the advice though i will bear it in mind when i make my purchase,

Thanks to all

[quiklee]

welcome to the iMac Nation!

[theTechyDork]

Haha, Gary.

Michael Jolly, hey, congrats on chosing an iMac, but don't buy the RAM from Apple. You can get reliable RAM from Crucial (http://www.crucial.com) or NewEgg (http://www.neweeg.com) for much cheaper.

[cjarzabek]

I am a Windows switcher and this 20" iMac G5 w/ iSight is my first Apple computer since high school when we were using PowerBook G3's running Mac OS 9. Overall, I am EXTREMELY pleased with this product and I am also happy that I bought the 20" version. I am sure there is a slight different in CPU and video card performance, I have a bigger hard-drive, which was standard, but most importantly, the screen size is just amazing. My parents never care about the technology stuff I get, but after showing them some of the programs (mainly those in iLife) they have been REALLY impressed, especially with the beauty of the machine itself.

I would just like this noted to EVERYONE. I've been reading the Forums here for some time because I wanted to be well-informed before I made a purchase. To those of you complaining about fan noise, you are INSANE. Unless there is something different about my machine from yours, you guys are being way too neurotic haha. I had a tower I built for myself, which was used a lot for gaming. So I had that thing overclocked and had fans that could move 68 cubic ft of air per minute. You want to talk about noise! Had I not had a custom fan adjuster, it would CONSTANTLY sound like a 747 flying at full throttle. With the fans adjusted, it was a mere prop plane Anyway, the point is I think this machine is very quiet and I do not find it running hot at all.

As far as RAM, I bought a stick of OCZ 1GB from NewEgg.com. I did and still want to get a 2GB, but the price of those sticks is still too high and they are harder to find. With a total of 1.5GB, the system seems happy, although with all the pretty things that the Mac does, I'm sure it will shine all the better with 2.5GB. Go with what you can afford and you can always upgrade that later.

Not sure if you are a previous Mac user, but I will say be prepared for bugs with the Mac OS. Although I still really love this thing overall, I will say that I have found a lot more little bugs with it than I did find with Windows XP Pro SP2.

[Chinasaur]

Bugs? Or the UI behaves differently than you expected?

Check the OS X forum for what you are experiencing. They may be features and not bugs.

[jjlannoo]

---oops---

[jjlannoo]

Skip the 17" and buy the 20" MUCH bigger screen and usable real estate It also is brighter and has a noticeably wider viewing angle. Bigger HD to boot. Its well worth the $400

[esXXI]

The 20"er is an awesome machine. It's great to switch between an "okay" machine (my 12" iBook) and it because you're always reminded of how fast it feels. The screen is amazing and the huge HD is great (previously on my eMac had things split over the internal 40GB an external 160GB FW400 drive - now I've got everything on my iMac and haven't even bothered plugging my external in yet).

1.5GB of RAM will be fine, I can't say that the extra 512MB is worth the jump to 2GB since it'd cost me at least £600 to get a 2GB DIMM.

My iMac's fan has always been very quiet. I've only ever heard them spin up to maximum once after updating to 10.4.3. And that's with the Energy Saver setting set to Highest. A friend of mine's (Rev.A I think) does sound much louder, even on reduced. If you get one and it's louder than a quiet hum, take it back.

[Michael Jolly]

now there are two reasons for not going for the 20 inch model one is of course cost at £1,199.01 (what's with the penny?) its a tad above my outlay for a new PC also space constraints require i have a smallish set ups as i have a very cramped workspace, so it will have to be 17 inch still a huge upgrade from my 14 inch iBook

[Goofas]

I have a 17 inch rev A that has and is perfect in every way. Not a single problem!

[italiano]

I have a 1st gen Imac G5 20" - I've been in love with it since I bought it in June of 2005 (real deal on it at CompUSA as the newer ones were out) - have no problems with it and it's fast and quiet too... I bought the extended warranty then Apple extended the factory warranty to 2 years but so far it's been schweeeeet!

[dale]

Hi Michael,

Shame about the space and cost issues you are facing. I too was deliberating between the two (17 and 20") a while ago, and I decided to go with the 20" model because the extra space will be invaluable for working with multiple photo images I have and the video footage I plan to take. The footprint of the iMac 20” on the desk is not much bigger than the 17” if that helps you at all.

I too am waiting to see the outcome of next week's announcements before I commit, but I am likely to buy a 20” iMac. Unless Apple release something between the mini and the iMac without a built in screen, designed to fit under a HD TV in your lounge (eventually, initially I will use in the study with a cinema display), I will be buying an iMac.

This will be my first Mac too!! I am genuinely excited about the prospect of just having something that works without me beating it into submission (shame on you Dell PC)!!

[wordsmith]

I bought a new 20" iMac G5 iSight in December plus an extra 1 gig of RAM. It's a great machine - fast, quiet and the screen is bright and clear. But I only had it a week and the optical drive failed. Called Apple support but no luck getting it to load a DVD. Took the machine back to my local Apple reseller and they replaced the drive and it's working fine now.

[Michael Jolly]

thank you all for the help regarding this little purchase of mine,

this will be the second mac in for me and will finally move me away from very old very noisy Pc that sits on my desk,

Thanks you all for the advice

When I get it (I need to build up a bit of cash first) I will post Pics.

[kmnader]

I'm doing the same thing switching from my noisy PC to an iMAC. But I'm going to wait and see what comes out at MWSF before I buy. It's funny but I am a hard core gamer so I got the PC but now that Xbox 360 and PS3 are out I really don't have a use for my Wintel PC anymore. So I want an Apple for mainly a family PC and also doing some web design and graphics. I'm just kinda waiting the week until MWSF just to see. I also need a laptop too in a few months so I'm waiting. I think it's going to be a good year. I'm probably going to go with the 20" iMac cause I hear from a lot of peeps that the display is much better image quality then the 17". You might be wise to wait and just see what comes out, or maybe even a price cut on the G5 iMac.

cheers

[volcano]

I love my iMac. Specs are in my signature. I bought it this past June and haven't had a single issue with it [knock on wood]. I installed the 2GB of RAM this past November and this baby can fly now. If/when I get an Intel iMac, I'll probably just pass this one along to my parents - it's about time they got a decent computer.

I opt'd for the 20" screen as well. Double - no - triple check and make sure that a 20" model won't fit in your space - because like every other user has stated, the extra screen space is wonderful when working in an Adobe or Macromedia application. I can't imagine working with anything smaller when I do my large-scale projects.

[greenG4]

Originally Posted by Sage

...ours will occasionally wake itself in the middle of the night. Dunno why. It’s a Rev. A though, so maybe that issue is fixed.

I have the rev B with th same quirkiness.