[pinkoos]

G5 iMac 17" 1.9 GHz for $861.17 vs. Intel iMac Core Duo 17" 1.83 GHz for $1294.17 vs. Intel Mac mini Core Duo 1.66 GHz for $799?

These are the prices I can get for new, sealed units (I'll spare you the details).

I'll be upgrading from a G4 iMac 17" 1.25 GHz with 1.25 GB RAM, so I am hoping to see a decent speed increase with whatever model I choose.

Also, I already have a 17" flat panel LCD, keyboard and mouse, so if I purchased the Mac mini, I would not be incurring any additional costs. The only thing about the mini is that my LCD is VGA (not DVI), and I had problems with a G4 mini and this monitor (blurry/fuzzy/washed out appearance). I don't know if the intelminis would cause the same problem or not. Incidentally, I'm spanning this monitor with my current G4 iMac and get very crisp, sharp and bright output.

All of the new models would come with 512 MB RAM.

Main uses are email, web, basic Office apps (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, Mac the Ripper, Popcorn, etc. I don't do anything with Photoshop, Macromedia, etc.

I'd be saving about $433 between the G5 iMac and the Intel iMac, $495 between the Intel iMac and the Intel mini and $62 between the Intel mini and the G5 iMac.

Any recommendations from you guys out there? Would I be better off with the G5 iMac and buying extra RAM or whatever else with the money saved? Or, for that matter, would the Intel mini serve my purposes well? One of the things about the mini that I don't like is the trouble I would have to go to in order to increase the RAM.

Also, I don't really play games, so that's not an issue for me.

Anyway, any thoughts would be much appreciated.

[volcano]

How long do you plan on keeping the machine?

That will narrow your choices down dramatically.

If you want to keep it for a year or two, you'd be fine buying the iMac G5. I'm sure more universal binaries will be out by then - but the PowerPC processor will still be fully supported.

If you plan on keeping this unit for 4-5 years, I would recommend purchasing the Intel iMac. Sure - Universal Binaries will still be around, but I would not be surprised if software developers started making more intense "Intel only" applications for the Mac that use more power than the PowerPC can provide. Plus, by then the Intel applications will run at blazingly fast speeds - compared to so/so or average speeds on the iMac G5.

I wouldn't even consider the Mini, honestly. I love the form factor and ambiance the iMac G5/Intel models provide; and can you imagine having all those cords/cables to deal with after owning your iMac G4? I can't.

I currently have a 20" iMac G5 that I purchased back in June of 2005 (the Rev. B model, prior to iSight) and I plan on keeping it for another year or so. Ironically enough, I recently sold my 12" iBook that I had only bought last August - because I'm hoping that an Intel-based model will be released next month. The G4 processor is completely outdated, so I know my G5 will last me longer.

Hopefully that helps. Good luck!

[CheesePuff]

Alright, fess up. Where are you getting that iMac G5 so cheap brand new?

[pinkoos]

Thanks for the replies. Theoretically, I would like to keep the iMac for longer than a year or two, but that usually doesn't work out. I end up upgrading every year to year and a half.

As for the G5 iMac deal, our local Fry's advertised it for $899, but it turns out that price is for demo/open box units. I also have a $100 Fry's gift certificate, making the effective price for me $799 plus 8.25% sales tax here in Houston.

[iREZ]

g5 imac could definitely keep you up to par and beyond for the next year or two. only potential problem i see is when you try and sell your machine after a year or two. i could see more cash being made selling an intel over a g5 imac, but that isnt necessarily fact...just an opinion.

[pinkoos]

Very good point, iREZ...I hadn't even thought of that. Definitely a factor I should keep in the back of my mind before making a decision.

[Maflynn]

If it were me, I would not opt of the demo/open box. Especially if the machine in question was a floor model. That leaves the two intel machines. While the mini is much cheaper it does have one caveat - the GPU but since you plan on keeping the machine only a year or so, then it doesn't seem to make sense to pour a lot of money into an iMac - imo.

Mike