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Mediaman_12 · Jan 17, 2006, 08:07 PM

So I currentely have a Dual 1.8 G5 Tower With a GB of RAM I bought a bit back when I was thinking about going frelance, (Which I did not) along with a 20" Cinema Display.
As I got a 'real job' I don't do as much development on it as I was originally planning, and use it mostly for email/web browsing, some light Photoshop/Illustrator work and the odd bit of re-encoding video files for web deployment (non of the PC's at work are up to this at all, it would take the fastest all day.).
So how would my current system compare to a shiny new Intel iMac, as it would reduce the amount of clutter in my room (the G5 is to tall to fit under the desk). Is the screen on the 20" as good as the lovely Cinema Display I am currentely looking at (on which I don't think there is a single dead pixel). Also how easy is it to upgrade the RAM in the New iMac's from the standard 512 up to 1GB, is there a spare slot, or is it like the Mini where I would have to get an (expensive) 1GB DIMM and be left with a unused 512MB one?

maccrazy · Jan 17, 2006, 08:44 PM

Personally I would wait until the next update for two reasons: One, the Mac you have at the moment is still a good computer and two by the time the next iMac comes out most applications will be available in universal binary form. Your existing Mac and a Core Duo iMac are probably about the same speed (depending on the task) at this stage.

chrisutley · Jan 18, 2006, 12:07 AM

My personal uniformed opinion is that the Cinema Display is probably of slightly higher quality than the iMac display, but that's just a subjective opinion based on the 20" iMac G5 display I saw next to a Dell 20".

As for trading in your dual 1.8 G5, the other poster is spot on. Upgrading now would be a wash, and might slow you down on apps that haven't be Intelified. I'd wait for 6-12 months.

maccrazy · Jan 18, 2006, 12:12 AM

Was that a Rev A/Rev B or a Rev C/Rev D. As far as I am aware, the displays on the latter two models are actually better than the current 20-inch Cinema display.

mduell · Jan 18, 2006, 12:16 AM

I'd keep your PowerMac for now. Wait for more Universal Binaries to come out, then reexamine the switch.

The Core Duo iMac has two memory slots (and supports dual channel, so it's good to match the two sticks).

Peter753 · Jan 18, 2006, 05:04 PM

Does that mean that if I'd wanna max out the ram to 2 GB it might be best to buy it all from apple? I was thinking get it with one gig from apple and order another from crucial. Does it make a significant difference?

Mediaman_12 · Jan 18, 2006, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

I'd keep your PowerMac for now. Wait for more Universal Binaries to come out, then reexamine the switch.

The Core Duo iMac has two memory slots (and supports dual channel, so it's good to match the two sticks).

So if I got one from Apple with 512, I could easily add another 512 from say Crucial?

(hoping the bottom doesn't fall out of the G5 tower resale market for a while)

Mediaman_12 · 08:28 AM

Double Post

Mediaman_12 · 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

I'd keep your PowerMac for now. Wait for more Universal Binaries to come out, then reexamine the switch.

The Core Duo iMac has two memory slots (and supports dual channel, so it's good to match the two sticks).

So if I got one from Apple with 512, I could easily add another 512 from say Crucial?

mduell · Jan 18, 2006, 06:26 PM

I'd buy it all from one place. Crucial's website says memory for the Intel Macs is out of stock, but people have reported that you can get it by ordering over the phone.

Mediaman_12 · Jan 18, 2006, 06:30 PM

If I was buying all new I would just get a single 1GB DIMM (so I could maybe upgrade later)

: crossing fingers that the bottom doesn't fall out of G5 Tower resale values in the mean time:

rhashem · Jan 18, 2006, 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by Mediaman_12

So I currentely have a Dual 1.8 G5 Tower With a GB of RAM I bought a bit back when I was thinking about going frelance, (Which I did not) along with a 20" Cinema Display.
As I got a 'real job' I don't do as much development on it as I was originally planning, and use it mostly for email/web browsing, some light Photoshop/Illustrator work and the odd bit of re-encoding video files for web deployment (non of the PC's at work are up to this at all, it would take the fastest all day.).

Having faced a similar dilemma, here's my opinion. I have a 2.3 DC G5, which I was contemplating trading for a Core Duo iMac. I decided against it, for a couple of reasons. First, I don't really like being tied to an integrated computer/monitor, and I've already got a nice LCD (with no dead pixels), and the idea of tempting fate with a new one doesn't sit well with me. If you're happy with your 20" Cinema Display, then I'd leave well-enough alone. Apple's return policy for iMacs blows, since obvious BTO options like the $75 VRAM upgrade will render the machine unreturnable unless it has a significant number of dead pixels. Second, while the Core Duo will be faster for stuff like web-browsing, it'll take awhile before stuff like QuickTime, etc is as well-optimized for x86 as it is for PPC. Third, there are probably still a bunch of smaller OS X apps you use that aren't x86-native yet.

The way I see it, by the time OS X is well-optimized for x86, say when 10.5 comes out, and a lot of apps have transitioned, the new Conroe-based PowerMacs will be out, which will be a much bigger upgrade for an existing dual-G5 machine.