[Parky]

As a previous owner of 3 iMacs I though I would give you my impressions of my new G5 iMac.

I have always bought the latest iMac when it comes out (Major revisions) and I think I must be one of the first in the UK to receive my G5.

For the record it is a G5 1.8Ghz, 20", 1GB memory (factory fitted 2*512Mb), Bluetooth, Airport Extreme, 160GB disc.

I ordered it on the day of the keynote announcement and it arrived today the 29th Sept, which was the original 'ship' date Apple gave me, so a nice surprise it's early.

Packaging - As usual Apple did a great job with the packaging, it looks great, but it also works great. My iMac has travelled halfway round the world in it's box and it got here fault free.

Set-up - I was very impressed with the set-up process. The machine recognised my Wireless Keyboard and Mouse and paired with them on first start-up. I then used the Firewire transfer process that move files, users, apps, etc from your old machine to the new one. This seemed to work OK, but I have had to reinstall the Airport Express software as the copy that was moved crashed on start-up. Once the machine has restarted it was like having my old machine but much quicker and with a huge screen.

Screen - The screen is very big compared to my 15" iMac, in fact I will have to change the way I work now. With all the extra space I can now see more than one app at the same time. This means far less app swapping and less scrolling in Safari for example. I was a little disappointed with the screen initially, it looked a little washed out, but after a quick Calibration it now looks great, very, very bright !!

Performance - Simply stunning when you compare it to my 800Mhz G4. Apps open very quickly and even Safari builds screens so much quicker. I have changed the Energy Saver setting to have the processor run at the highest speed, and as of now I have not heard the fans change pitch at all. It is virtually silent against the G4, which was not a noisy machine to start with. I will have to give it a few hard tasks to see if I can get it to ramp up the fans.

Style - Outstanding design, I don't think they could have done any better. The machine feels so solid as though it is make from a chunk of material rather than a case around components. The glossy finish really does not show up until you see it in person and it makes a difference. There is also no way this can be knocked over, it is very solid on it's base, but it can slide back and forwards and rotate on base very smoothly due the the material under the base.

Overall - I am really pleased with the machine, it is a giant leap forward as far as I am concerned.

If you have any questions, I will be here all evening (UK time). If I can answer them I will be happy to do so.

Ian

[ism]

Sounds lovely. Can I pop in for a cuppa and a look at it if I happen to be passing (unlikely)?

How easy is the screen to clean? I have a sticky fingered 3yr old so I might stick with the CRTs for a bit longer.

[Parky]

Originally posted by ism:
Sounds lovely. Can I pop in for a cuppa and a look at it if I happen to be passing (unlikely)?

How easy is the screen to clean? I have a sticky fingered 3yr old so I might stick with the CRTs for a bit longer?

Pop in if you like.

Screen is as easy to clean as any LCD, just use a moist cloth.

Ian

[kcmac]

Congrats Parky. You have a great setup.

Interested in how you recalibrated your screen. While I think ours looks fine, I would like to see what you have done to improve yours. Any way to share these settings?

[Parky]

Originally posted by kcmac:
Congrats Parky. You have a great setup.

Interested in how you recalibrated your screen. While I think ours looks fine, I would like to see what you have done to improve yours. Any way to share these settings?

Go to the Displays System Preference pane.

Click on the 'Color' tab then 'Calibrate'

Turn on Expert Mode (the tick box)

Then adjust the settings as directed.

Save the new settings with a new name.

Ian

[kcmac]

Yeah. I have done that before. Always comes out pretty much exact to factory setup. Never notice a difference.

No complaints here. I think the screen looks great. Just wondered what you were up to with it.

[tonyibook]

There is a very good shareware package called SuperCal which you can use to calibrate your display. It takes a while but I think the results are worth it.

My iMac G5 is suffering from a clicking noise, Apple are sending me a replacement power supply. Apart from this one problem I am very happy with the machine.

[Gee4orce]

Congrats on the new baby Ian !

[Parky]

I used SuperCal made the screen even better, much improved contrast.

Ian

[Pierre B.]

Originally posted by Parky:
If you have any questions, I will be here all evening (UK time). If I can answer them I will be happy to do so.

Ian

Ian, can you try some games in both of your iMacs and post here comparative results? In particular, I would ask you to first read the new Barefeats game benchmarks for the iMac, and try to repeat, if possible some of these tests. It would be interesting to see if the performance gain claimed by Apple (almost x3 more on the G5) is referred to the old model with the Geforce 4 MX chip, as Barefeats assumes as a possibility.

I would invite you also to test the RtCW demo on both (G4 and G5).

Thanks.

[Parky]

Bit of a problem I don't have access to my old iMac, so I can't compare them.

I am also a total no gamer, I have removed the one's that came with the G5 iMac.

So even though I said I would help, in this case I'm sorry I can't.

I did try to stress the machine last night by using iMovie and pulling 100 photos in and let the iMac do the Ken Burn effect on them.

It sure did rip through the photos, and the machine was running at about 80% processor.

Eventually the fans slowly ramped up, very slowly and gradually until they reached the volume of my old iMac and no more.

In normal operation it is virtually silent.

Ian

[Pierre B.]

Originally posted by Parky:
I did try to stress the machine last night by using iMovie and pulling 100 photos in and let the iMac do the Ken Burn effect on them.

It sure did rip through the photos, and the machine was running at about 80% processor.

Eventually the fans slowly ramped up, very slowly and gradually until they reached the volume of my old iMac and no more.

In normal operation it is virtually silent.

Ian

For how much time the machine was under 80% load? Can you try to push it to 100% for some time (say half an hour?) and post here about the noise levels? You can try Altivec Fractal Carbon with a big count number.

[Parky]

It was at 80% for at least 30 mins.

Ian

[Pierre B.]

Originally posted by Parky:

In normal operation it is virtually silent.

What do you mean normal operation? I am asking because when I surf the internet in my 12" Powerbook, pages with many animations can make easily its fan to blow and then it becomes noisy. This could be considered as normal operation. Can (have) you try(ied) something like that?

[Parky]

I have surfed the internet for hours, had mail running, iCal, Address Book, iTunes streaming to AirTunes and it never increases the fan at all.

The only time I could get the fans to increase was under very heavy iMovie use, and then it took a good 10 mins to get warm.

I just ran Altivec Fractal Carbon for 10 mins on the highest setting but 1.
It took ten mins to fill the screen and the fans went a little faster, but still very quiet.

Ian

[Pierre B.]

Originally posted by Parky:
I have surfed the internet for hours, had mail running, iCal, Address Book, iTunes streaming to AirTunes and it never increases the fan at all.

The only time I could get the fans to increase was under very heavy iMovie use, and then it took a good 10 mins to get warm.

I just ran Altivec Fractal Carbon for 10 mins on the highest setting but 1.
It took ten mins to fill the screen and the fans went a little faster, but still very quiet.

Ian

OK, thanks, this looks like a really quiet machine .

[B_2]

Originally posted by Parky:

I am also a total no gamer, I have removed the one's that came with the G5 iMac.

Ian

Parky did these games come pre-installed on your baby and if so did u just send them to the trash can?

B_2

[Parky]

Yep, straight to the trash

Nanousaur and Marble Blast.

Ian

[B_2]

i`ll be doing the same 2 when my beast arrives, at least there's the new edition of Macworld 2morrow to read more about the iMac..


B_2

[Peter]

nice review!

[Parky]

I have a copy of Macworld in the UK, it's not a bad review.

Ian

[Parky]

A quick update to my first review....

I have checked the screen for bad / stuck pixels and it's 100% perfect which is good news.

The Airport signal is not a strong as it was on my iMac G4 and it is in exactly the same place, and only 12 feet away from the Airport Express Basestation. That is a bit disappointing, maybe I will open the iMac up and check the card and cable are connected OK.

Ian

[kokkao]

Thanks for the thumbs-up review! Makes me even more tempted to replace my 17" FP 800Mhz G4 with the 20" G5 - had look at one on demo the other day - it ain't half a big whopper! But soooooo lovely!

[Pierre B.]

Originally posted by Parky:
A quick update to my first review....

I have checked the screen for bad / stuck pixels and it's 100% perfect which is good news.

Have you tried a pixel check utility? Like this one, for example?

The Airport signal is not a strong as it was on my iMac G4 and it is in exactly the same place, and only 12 feet away from the Airport Express Basestation. That is a bit disappointing, maybe I will open the iMac up and check the card and cable are connected OK.

Ian

Now this is strange. The iMac G5 enclosure is made from plastic, no? If so, theoretically it should have about the same reception capabilities as the iMac G4. Perhaps it is a firmware or driver issue. You can always run the software update utility (from System Preferences) to see if anything Airport-related shows up.

[Parky]

Originally posted by Pierre B.:
Have you tried a pixel check utility? Like this one, for example?

Now this is strange. The iMac G5 enclosure is made from plastic, no? If so, theoretically it should have about the same reception capabilities as the iMac G4. Perhaps it is a firmware or driver issue. You can always run the software update utility (from System Preferences) to see if anything Airport-related shows up.

I ran the software you suggested, that's how I checked the screen in the first place, sorry I should have mentioned that.

I am running the latest version of everything, no more updates to apply.
I have also had the back off the machine and checked the card and cable, all OK.

There is a difference between my iMac G5 and G4, the G4 was just Airport and the G5 is Airport Extreme. Extreme does not have the same signal strength as plain Airport, so that may be the cause.

Ian

[eddiecatflap]

i have the 17" G4/800 imac , on garageband i can only get 4-5 tracks , how many on the G5?

that seems to a pretty good test of cpu power

[toti]

Originally posted by eddiecatflap:
i have the 17" G4/800 imac , on garageband i can only get 4-5 tracks , how many on the G5?

that seems to a pretty good test of cpu power

It's more of an indicator on how to waste the CPU...

On my iBook G4 1GHz with 768MB RAM I manage 5-6 loop tracks and one software instrument and the CPU is at 100% like all of the time.

Yet I can have more than twice that in Reason and Cubase rewired together running at the same time, and still only use 40-50% CPU.

RubbishBand is just a really poorly written application.

Hopefully RubbishBand V2 will be better

[eddiecatflap]

fair enuff

i did wonder why it was such a resource hog

[nagromme]

Thanks for the review.

I think one of Apple's slickest design features is their products made of clear acrylic, painted white UNDER the clear. Not easy to do, since they then must be very careful about keeping the shell inside AND outside free of visible supports and ridges. But it made the iBook, eMac, and iPod look super-glossy and glasslike--the effect really stands out in person. (The iMac G4 used a "frosted" version of the same effect.) When they stopped making iBooks that way I thought Apple might be abandoning the under-painted effect. I'm glad to see the new iPods and the new iMac G5 still use that. (In fact, so do the side-panels of the new pro displays. And it all goes well with Apple's clear-around-white keyboards and mice.)

I know plastic can scratche more than anodized aluminum (my AlBook seems to be be made of diamond--nothing has scratched it in 10 months!) but on looks alone, the glassy-white blows silver away.

Also, I've noticed that EVERY Mac I've ever seen out of the box has a bad LCD calibration--too washed out towards white, with details lost. Even floor models on display at the Apple Store! Then I do the OS X calibration and suddenly the display is deep and rich, and the UI details are clear. SO much better than out of the box, just by following simple steps. I really think Apple Stores should calibrate.

And Apple ALSO does not set Font Smoothing to "Best for LCD" by default. That makes text look much sharper and nicer, and few people know to turn it on. Even at Apple Stores, the font smoothing is set wrong. I don't get it--they should show Macs at their best!

So don't forget to change that setting under Appearance. (Actually, ANY setting except for "Best for CRT" will have LCD smoothing--so take your pick. And remember that you must log out and back in to see the change--or to see the change for just ONE app, quit and relaunch.)

[telem]

Mine is pretty much like yours and arrived yesterday.

I used the Setup Assistant to get my stuff tranferred from my PowerMac, but it didn't take it from the Startup Drive, but the master drive. So, I started over and used Setup Assistant from my AlBook12.

The only problem is almost every time I tilt the computer, the power cord gets disconnected from the back of the unit. Will have to tape it in place.

Now that it's all set up, I am extremely pleased with it -- bright screen, quiet, fast and good looking.

[nagromme]

BTW I just came across this monitor-calibration web page over at MacInTouch's (glowing) review of the iMac G5:

http://pages.prodigy.net/ecmorris/tips/monitor.htm

My PowerBook had already been calibrated with the built-in OS X's Preferences tools, and was PERFECT according to that page. No adjustments needed to pass all tests 100%. A nice validation of Apple's tools.

The SuperCal shareware app (see versiontracker.com) is nice too and offers even more control--but Apple's method seems to do just as good a job in the end, and is much quicker and easier.

(Of course, I realize that real calibration with a sensor will always go beyond what any eyeball test can do.)

[toti]

Originally posted by telem:
The only problem is almost every time I tilt the computer, the power cord gets disconnected from the back of the unit. Will have to tape it in place.

Err... you just might try pushing the cord all the way in until it is flush with the casing...

[H. Georgan]

Originally posted by Parky:
I ran the software you suggested, that's how I checked the screen in the first place, sorry I should have mentioned that.

I am running the latest version of everything, no more updates to apply.
I have also had the back off the machine and checked the card and cable, all OK.

There is a difference between my iMac G5 and G4, the G4 was just Airport and the G5 is Airport Extreme. Extreme does not have the same signal strength as plain Airport, so that may be the cause.

Ian

Yes, I agree with your Airport v AE explanation. My 20inch iMac G5 (AE) sit's beside my iBook 600 (Airport) and the latter shows all bars, while the iMac misses by one. Not a big deal, though.

[telem]

I said:
The only problem is almost every time I tilt the computer, the power cord gets disconnected from the back of the unit. Will have to tape it in place.

toti replied:
Err... you just might try pushing the cord all the way in until it is flush with the casing

Embarrassed, I responded:
Right you are and now I'm perfectly happy with my new iMac G5.

[PKRADD]

The power cord thing has been mentioned by many posters. You've got to press firmly until it "clicks" and is flush as mentioned above.

[edinburghmac]

I'm still waiting on shipping of a 20" iMacG5 (due to ship on or before 15/10, ordered 17/9 BTO + BT Kit), but in the meantime can anyone who has received a G5 iMac in the UK confirm what software ships with the G5 iMac. According to the Apple homepage the G5 iMac ships with Quicken 2004, however, checking out a few demo units I've seen there was no sign of this software installed . I've never used Quicken or any other home accounting software, but if it was free I'd give it a look. I don't know if this software is aimed for the American market but if it only is installed in US iMacs then surely Apple should add some other freebie to the non-US version?

[Parky]

Originally posted by edinburghmac:
I'm still waiting on shipping of a 20" iMacG5 (due to ship on or before 15/10, ordered 17/9 BTO + BT Kit), but in the meantime can anyone who has received a G5 iMac in the UK confirm what software ships with the G5 iMac. According to the Apple homepage the G5 iMac ships with Quicken 2004, however, checking out a few demo units I've seen there was no sign of this software installed . I've never used Quicken or any other home accounting software, but if it was free I'd give it a look. I don't know if this software is aimed for the American market but if it only is installed in US iMacs then surely Apple should add some other freebie to the non-US version?

There is no sign of Quicken 2004 or any version on my machine or in the box.
Looks like a typo from the US store pages.
Really I suppose we could insist they supply it 'as advertised'.

Ian

[Parky]

Originally posted by edinburghmac:
I'm still waiting on shipping of a 20" iMacG5 (due to ship on or before 15/10, ordered 17/9 BTO + BT Kit), but in the meantime can anyone who has received a G5 iMac in the UK confirm what software ships with the G5 iMac. According to the Apple homepage the G5 iMac ships with Quicken 2004, however, checking out a few demo units I've seen there was no sign of this software installed . I've never used Quicken or any other home accounting software, but if it was free I'd give it a look. I don't know if this software is aimed for the American market but if it only is installed in US iMacs then surely Apple should add some other freebie to the non-US version?

I just called Apple and they tell me it should be included.
They are looking into why I don't have a copy on my machine!

Ian

[Parky]

Originally posted by Parky:
There is no sign of Quicken 2004 or any version on my machine or in the box.
Looks like a typo from the US store pages.
Really I suppose we could insist they supply it 'as advertised'.

Ian

Good news!!

It looks like it is not installed by default and as the machine does not ask for the install discs anymore I did not use them.

You can install Quicken if you use Install Disc 1 and select Install Bundled Software only, once you see the customise button, just unselect all the stuff you don't need and leave Quicken.

I now have it installed.

Ian

[Parky]

Originally posted by Parky:
Good news!!

It looks like it is not installed by default and as the machine does not ask for the install discs anymore I did not use them.

You can install Quicken if you use Install Disc 1 and select Install Bundled Software only, once you see the customise button, just unselect all the stuff you don't need and leave Quicken.

I now have it installed.

Ian

Forget everything I said about Quicken, I now know why it is not installed!
It's only the US / Canadian version which works in $ and uses US or Canadian accounting methods which are no use for the UK.

It may be advertised and you do get it, but it's a waste of time outside the USA.

Ian

[toti]

message deleted. answer posted in last post

[edinburghmac]

Thanks for checking Ian. I had a feeling that Quicken was US only, it's a shame Apple couldn't have thrown us something extra to make up for it. (Still patiently waiting to see if Apple can make my 15/10 ship date)