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applesnapple · Nov 1, 2005, 07:51 PM

Hi,

I intend to switch to apple, because I looked at my friend's powerbook and I knew that I needed OSX Tiger running in my house. Anyway, I really liked the new 20" iMac G5, but I noticed that there were refurb dual 1.8ghz powermacs for around 1,200. If I were to buy a powermac, I would buy a 20" LCD monitor, but my budget is at max $2000. I intend to use the computer basically for everyday tasks such as word processing and internet browsing, but I will need to be able to edit the occasional video in Final Cut Express. So basically I can't decide between these two options:

a) 20" iSight iMac

b) Refurbished Dual Core 1.8Ghz G5 Powermac and a new 20" Apple LCD

Right now I am leaning towards option a, but it I am pretty much on the fence. Please let me know what you guys think, and please suggest to me anything that you guys think would be better for me, if you don't agree with my two options. Again, my total budget is a maximum of $2000. Thank you.

Grrr · Nov 1, 2005, 07:55 PM

iMac..

btw, dual cpu 1.8 isn't quite the same as dual core. A dual core 1.8 never existed.

d0ubled0wn · Nov 1, 2005, 08:13 PM

For your needs, you will appreciate the simplicity of the iMac much more than the expandability of the PowerMac. Go with the iMac.

imacgeek · Nov 3, 2005, 12:38 AM

i just got a 20" iMac and highly recomend them. i payed exactly 2000 after tax and got the bluetooth mouse and keyboard and i added 512mB RAM so i would do that becuse the resolution on the imac is better than any LCD and i dont trust Refurb

Lava Lamp Freak · Nov 3, 2005, 12:44 AM

I just bought a 20" iMac today and love it. Its the last model without iSight, so I got a good deal on it. The screen is brighter than the 20" Cinema Display, and its very fast. Not sure how it compares to the dual 1.8 G5, since I've never used one, but I think the new iMac will do you just fine. Good luck!

mduell · Nov 3, 2005, 01:07 AM

20" iMac plus 1GB RAM from Crucial.
BTW the refurb dual 1.8 is not a single dualcore chip like the new PowerMacs, but rather two chips.

Tuishimi · Nov 4, 2005, 01:11 PM

iMac. The dually's are nice (I had a dual G4, it was awesome with my old 20" ADC monitor), but the iMac is a nice performer and so simple and clean in design.

Mind you, when the Mactel mini's come out (I had a mini before this) I will hop on it instantly! I opted for the iMac because I work remotely and do a lot of software building and the G5 simply performs better in that case.

Not that it was a bad choice. The iMac is beautiful!

jmelrose · Nov 4, 2005, 03:59 PM

Anyone have any thoughts on 512MB RAM vs. 1GB RAM vs... more?

Apfhex · Nov 4, 2005, 08:04 PM

1 GB. Depends on what you're doing. If you want to run apps like Photoshop, then more is always good (I don't know how much the iMac can take but if it were me I'd probably have 2 GB).

jmelrose · Nov 5, 2005, 07:51 AM

Thanks. I ordered a 20" which is due to slip on or before Dec 9, and it has 1GB RAM but I became concerned that might be low, which is why i asked. Unfortunately even though it's still a month from shipping, if I want to change hte order they have to cancel it and re-place it, which will put it back at the end of the line again, with an arrival time of around Christmas as this point (according to the guy @ Apple. Annoying, but anyway, I'd still love to hear pros/cons of 512MB vs 1GB vs more RAM if anyone has any further to share.

Dave Hagan · Nov 5, 2005, 10:46 AM

Congrats.

I have a 17-inch PowerBook and wanted something with a little more gusto and I just got the 17-inch iMac. Love it. It's got a great display....and I definitely recommend the iMac to anyone.

Tuishimi · Nov 5, 2005, 12:00 PM

1GB should be enough, but if you want more it would probably be cheaper just to order another 1GB stick (I think Apple does 2 512s?) from crucial and replace one of the 512s... I've used 1GB in my macs since 10.2 and it has been plenty. I don't do any rendering or anything like that, but when I am working I often have more windows open than I can count (software development stuff) of subethaedit, rdc, browser windows to test, adium, always have my itunes going

, etc.

Dave Hagan · Nov 5, 2005, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by Tuishimi

1GB should be enough

Yeah 1 GB is the happy medium. OS X loves all the RAM you give it.

Dave Hagan · Nov 5, 2005, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by Tuishimi

1GB should be enough

Yeah 1 GB is the happy medium. OS X loves all the RAM you give it.

cgc · Nov 8, 2005, 08:18 AM

The iMac does well in benchmarks versus the dual-core 2ghz...get the iMac.

italiano · Nov 8, 2005, 01:39 PM

I had the money to get a G5 Tower but when I saw the 20" Imac G5 I knew I had to have it. Never regretted my decision - I LOVE this sucker! The 20" Imac G5 is the finest computer I have ever owned and I've had loads of them since 1983.

brokenjago · Nov 8, 2005, 10:46 PM

The new iMac with iSight has only one expansion slot for RAM - it supports up to 2.5 GB (512 MB is soldered to the board, + 1 stick of 2 GB.)

Just for those who'd like to know.

Also, we sell 2 GB sticks of RAM at Fry's Electronics for $199.

But we won't have them in for about another week or so.

Oh, and as for your choice, go for the iMac. It is honestly quite possibly the sexiest computer ever made.

mduell · Nov 9, 2005, 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by brokenjago

The new iMac with iSight has only one expansion slot for RAM - it supports up to 2.5 GB (512 MB is soldered to the board, + 1 stick of 2 GB.)

Just for those who'd like to know.

Also, we sell 2 GB sticks of RAM at Fry's Electronics for $199.

But we won't have them in for about another week or so.

Here it is at the online Frys store... a no-name generic brand.
The price seems too good to be true. It is actually a kit with 2 1GB DIMMs? Anywhere else a single 2GB DIMM is $600-1000.

brokenjago · 02:56 PM

That's the wrong PLU - the PLU (product number, SKU, whatever you want to call it) for the stick I'm talking about (which I double and triple checked as 1 stick at 2 GB) is 4655408, and $199. Outpost.com doesn't have a product entry for this yet, so you'll have to go to one of our Brick-and-Mortar stores to pick it up when it comes in.

I work at the Burbank, Los Angeles store in the Software department, just in case anyone wants to know.

I'll probably post a thread in the iMac forum or something when it comes in, as I've already promised someone I'd tell them when it does, and I figure other people would want to know, too.

If it ends up screwing up, we have a 30 day pretty much no-questions-asked return policy on stuff like that. We'll test it first to see whether it works or not, then we'll either exchange it or give you your money back.

brokenjago · Nov 9, 2005, 10:46 PM

And as an aside, here is a 2 GB stick of RAM at Newegg for $50 more, a far cry from the $600-$1000 range you reported.

mduell · Nov 9, 2005, 11:01 PM

Originally Posted by brokenjago

And as an aside, here is a 2 GB stick of RAM at Newegg for $50 more, a far cry from the $600-$1000 range you reported.

Note that you can't actually buy it.
But their ECC 2GB DDR2 is down to $305, which is a huge drop from what it was just a week ago.

brokenjago · Nov 9, 2005, 11:05 PM

Well...
you can buy it, it just won't come for a while.

far200 · Nov 10, 2005, 02:13 AM

Well you can upgrade the powermac but the imac not so much..... but for everyday tasks I'd go with the imac with 1 gig ram..... that will work great for everyday tasks with a little video editing.......

hope this helps

SShoot3r · Nov 10, 2005, 02:29 AM

The new iMacs rock. I ahve the new 17" and its a blast. Very fast too.