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macinwyo · Feb 9, 2006, 05:16 PM

I am going to buy a new iMac, but don't know which one to get. I have a Titanium G4 powerbook now, so any one will be a HUGE upgrade. But I don't know which one to get.
I thought about just getting the intel iMac, or get the G5 model and let apple settle all the upcoming bugs (if any) and than take G5 home and get the intel in a year or two for the office.

Let me know what you think

mduell · Feb 9, 2006, 05:24 PM

Do you need to be able to run Virtual PC or some other app that doesn't work in Rosetta? If yes, get the G5. Otherwise go for Core Duo.
The video bug in the latest build of OS X affects both the G5 and Core Duo.

hickey · Feb 9, 2006, 05:31 PM

yeah I think the only bug thus far with the intels is the video problem, not bad for an entirely chip structure.
mduell is right, unless you NEED something that cant run through rosetta, get the G5. otherwise spring for the intel

quiklee · Feb 9, 2006, 05:54 PM

if money's no object, then go for the CD . . . . always get the newest technology is what I say

mduell · Feb 9, 2006, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by hickey

yeah I think the only bug thus far with the intels is the video problem, not bad for an entirely chip structure.

The iSight iMac video bug is in software (only affects one build of OS X) and can be seen on both G5s and Core Duos.

macinwyo · Feb 9, 2006, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

Do you need to be able to run Virtual PC or some other app that doesn't work in Rosetta? If yes, get the G5. Otherwise go for Core Duo.
The video bug in the latest build of OS X affects both the G5 and Core Duo.

I use Adobe & Microsoft Office mostly. will I notice anything using these programs?

mduell · Feb 9, 2006, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by macinwyo

I use Adobe & Microsoft Office mostly. will I notice anything using these programs?

Adobe will have Universal Binaries out in 8 - 14 months; until then all of their apps run fine under Rosetta (albeit slower).
Microsoft Office runs find under Rosetta with two exceptions: export to HTML doesn't work, and Virtual PC doesn't work. I haven't heard of an estimated date for UBs from MS.

tricha6 · Feb 9, 2006, 08:59 PM

Go to Amazon, avoid tax, and get a 20 in G5 for $200 off plus a $150 mail in rebate. That is quite the steal. Worry about going intel in three years when everything is out, optimized and your 20 inch G5 no longer floats your boat.

Lateralus · Feb 9, 2006, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by tricha6

Go to Amazon, avoid tax, and get a 20 in G5 for $200 off plus a $150 mail in rebate. That is quite the steal. Worry about going intel in three years when everything is out, optimized and your 20 inch G5 no longer floats your boat.

torifile · Feb 9, 2006, 10:57 PM

Microsoft Office runs find under Rosetta with two exceptions: export to HTML doesn't work

That's a blessing!

NightEyes · Feb 10, 2006, 12:14 AM

I was going to say!

Macpilot · Feb 10, 2006, 12:13 PM

Get the Intel.

Just got my 20" with 2 Gigs of RAM. It really is noticeably faster in everything I do.

But the real plus for me is how quiet this machine is. And this is compared to an iMac G5 second gen, which was VERY quiet.

There is really almost no lag in anything I do on this Intel.

The only issue is the video bug with the build of Tiger that shipped with my machine, which I am sure Apple will have a patch for soon.

Another possible benefit to you in the future is the ability for the Intel machine to SPAN your workspace by adding a second display, whereas the G5 iMacs won't span the display, they will only mirror it.

hickey · Feb 10, 2006, 12:28 PM

Dang Macpilot, sounds like your really loving your new machine. Is everything noticeably faster for you, even upgrading from a G5?

Macpilot · Feb 10, 2006, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by hickey

Dang Macpilot, sounds like your really loving your new machine. Is everything noticeably faster for you, even upgrading from a G5?

Oh yes. Web browsing is faster, manipulating photos in iPhoto, you name it.

hickey · Feb 10, 2006, 01:15 PM

I cant wait to see how much faster everything is compared to my 1.25Ghz pbook. That is once I actually get my Core Duo. Prolly wont be for a few months.

avantpop · Feb 10, 2006, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by hickey

I cant wait to see how much faster everything is compared to my 1.25Ghz pbook. That is once I actually get my Core Duo. Prolly wont be for a few months.

I'm loving my 20" core duo. Had it a week so far and the transition to it has been seemless.

I came from a 1Ghz ibook and even though photoshop and flash are not fast, they're faster than the ibook. I still get a kick out of half bounce application starts. OpenOffice.org 2.0 Universal also feels snappy (something I never thought I'd say).

The biggest problem I have now is that I have a hard time working on the ibook - the smaller, dimmer screen just feels too confining

It's a problem I think I can cope with.

eddiecatflap · Feb 10, 2006, 04:42 PM

haha , kewl

i'm wondering just how much faster my dc is gonna be compared to my g4imac

hopefully i'll be very impressed !

DoctorGonzo · Feb 10, 2006, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by eddiecatflap

haha , kewl

i'm wondering just how much faster my dc is gonna be compared to my g4imac
!

Freakishly fast.

Mojo · 07:28 PM

I'm also trying to make up my mind... $1300 for a 20" G5 iMac (with educational discount) is Very Tempting.

iREZ · Feb 10, 2006, 07:22 PM

1300!?....can you take me to your educational store?

Steve Yun · Feb 10, 2006, 07:25 PM

I just ordered the 20" iMac G5 from Amazon. $1500 -$150 rebate = $1350. No tax and free shipping. Not bad for something that was $1700 two weeks ago.

Mojo · Feb 10, 2006, 07:34 PM

Deals like this can be found at various university bookstores. I have found some excellent values in November/December, particularly previous-generation iBooks and PBs (my 1GHz G4 iBook cost $649 new in December 2004.) A person usually has to be affiliated with the university in question in order to be able to buy (unlike Apple's general educational discount.)

Since I would be moving from the G4 iBook ANY 20" iMac is going to be quite a change.

tricha6 · Feb 10, 2006, 07:42 PM

What someone really needs to do is create an "Aggregate time" benchmark. This would be where someone does 20 or so tasks (email, web surfing, editing in Microsoft Word, ripping a song, and some work in photoshop, maybe even dreamweaver). Because you have to be torn between wanting the things you do most of the time (working in Safari, mail.app, etc.) to be fast and thus like the idea of having an intel machine, but also like the idea of having the programs where you notice speed the most (photoshop, dreamweaver, etc) to be fast and thus wanting a ppc.

So, if you are like most users and use a mix of iLife, and other universal apps, and photoshop and other PPC only apps, which machine is really going to be fastest for you, in the aggregate?

My guess it is the PPC, because the real gains over an iMac G5 2.1 are marginall in iLife apps, but the differences in Photoshop can be substantial. But that is just a guess.

Mojo · Feb 10, 2006, 08:53 PM

One thing I have been considering is the amount of RAM I would need in a G5 iMac. In another thread on this forum a person stated that after 1.5GB there are diminishing returns when you put in more RAM. Since 2GB is roughly 2.5 times more money than a 1GB RAM stick, that extra 1GB of RAM has to be worth it to spend that kind of money. I have 1.2 GB in my iBook and I haven't noticed it being maxed-out, even when I use Photoshop 7 for basic tasks.

tricha6 · Feb 10, 2006, 09:17 PM

They have done some tests on Windows machines about the drastic diminishing returns on ram over 1 gig (and by "they," I mean I heard it somewhere and have no verfication); even stating that 2.5 can be a performance hit due to the overhead.

However, I find in the many different RAM configurations I have had, that the machine speeds up to abot 1 gig. And anything after 1 gig doesn't allow for a speed increase, but does allow for me to have more applications running without a speed hit.

But those aren't scientifc results - just impressions.

DoctorGonzo · Feb 10, 2006, 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by Steve Yun

I just ordered the 20" iMac G5 from Amazon. $1500 -$150 rebate = $1350. No tax and free shipping. Not bad for something that was $1700 two weeks ago.

What do you plan on doing with the machine?

The Core Duos are incredibly fast, and really represent the future of the platform that I wouldn't even consider buying a legacy Mac unless there were apps I needed that had no hope of a port.

After using one of the new machines, it is difficult to even sit down in front of a PPC box. The speed difference is noticeable, and a year from now, the advantages will be even more pronounced when Universal Binaries are the rule and the superiority of the new machines is clearly apparent.

Lateralus · Feb 10, 2006, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by DoctorGonzo

What do you plan on doing with the machine?

The Core Duos are incredibly fast, and really represent the future of the platform that I wouldn't even consider buying a legacy Mac unless there were apps I needed that had no hope of a port.

After using one of the new machines, it is difficult to even sit down in front of a PPC box. The speed difference is noticeable, and a year from now, the advantages will be even more pronounced when Universal Binaries are the rule and the superiority of the new machines is clearly apparent.

You sure you don't work for Apple PR? Because I honestly can't see a post like that coming out of somebody who doesn't.

DoctorGonzo · Feb 10, 2006, 10:19 PM

Originally Posted by Lateralus

You sure you don't work for Apple PR? Because I honestly can't see a post like that coming out of somebody who doesn't.

Buahahahahaha.

If you ask some of the old timers at AppleInsider, you will quickly discover that I have a long, sordid history of criticizing Apple when need be.

My original regdate there is even earlier than the one I have here, though the forum meltdown in '01 reset it.

But hey, I'm always open to new career paths.

memory-minus · Feb 10, 2006, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by Lateralus

You sure you don't work for Apple PR? Because I honestly can't see a post like that coming out of somebody who doesn't.

You sure you don't work for IBM/Freescale PR? Because I honestly can't see a sig like that coming out of somebody who doesn't.

blindemboss · Feb 11, 2006, 01:50 AM

I'm having a dilema.
Should I return a rev B. iMac I just got in December?
Because of a cosmetic issue, I can return it for a full refund.

Only problem is that I've fallen in love with my G5 iMac 20".
It just works. And it's not plagued by any noise issues (although it's noisier than the Intels)

However, I'd like to future proof it for a while. I'd hate to see an app like Adobe Illustrator run two times faster than this iMac G5 a mere year from now.

I'm thinking an Intel Mini w/20" Cinema Display would be an option too.

Steve Yun · Feb 11, 2006, 04:53 AM

Originally Posted by DoctorGonzo

What do you plan on doing with the machine?

The Core Duos are incredibly fast, and really represent the future of the platform that I wouldn't even consider buying a legacy Mac unless there were apps I needed that had no hope of a port..

I do a lot of photoshop, so I think I'll stick to the PPC for about two years, and after Photoshop gets updated for Intel, I'll sell my iMac G5 and get an Intel iMac.

I'm currently on a Powermac G3, so anything is going to feel like a speed demon at this point.

mavherzog · Feb 11, 2006, 06:02 AM

Originally Posted by Mojo

One thing I have been considering is the amount of RAM I would need in a G5 iMac. In another thread on this forum a person stated that after 1.5GB there are diminishing returns when you put in more RAM. Since 2GB is roughly 2.5 times more money than a 1GB RAM stick, that extra 1GB of RAM has to be worth it to spend that kind of money. I have 1.2 GB in my iBook and I haven't noticed it being maxed-out, even when I use Photoshop 7 for basic tasks.

That's why you should purchase this ram from NewEgg. A 2GB stick of ram, verified to work great in the G5 iMac and is a TON cheaper than through the Apple store.

Mojo · 03:30 PM

I purchased the RAM in my G4 iBook from Newegg for a very good price about a year ago. (I know about the inflated RAM prices at Apple.)

These days Newegg doesn't show up on Ramseeker and Newegg doesn't seem to have the same low prices as in the past.

A comparable stick at Other World Computing http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other.../4200DDR2M2GB/ (sorry... the "insert link" feature isn't working correctly) goes for $250.

Dog Like Nature · Feb 12, 2006, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by mavherzog

That's why you should purchase this ram from NewEgg. A 2GB stick of ram, verified to work great in the G5 iMac and is a TON cheaper than through the Apple store.

Today, NewEgg is listing this for $315, whereas OWC has the same spec RAM for $249.99:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other.../4200DDR2M2GB/

Mojo · 11:19 PM

Well, I thought about it for a couple of days and I ordered the iMac today. I've been using 12" iBooks as my primary computers for over four years, so the additional 8" of screen real estate is going to take a little bit of adjustment on my part!

torifile · Feb 12, 2006, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by DoctorGonzo

Buahahahahaha.

If you ask some of the old timers at AppleInsider, you will quickly discover that I have a long, sordid history of criticizing Apple when need be.

My original regdate there is even earlier than the one I have here, though the forum meltdown in '01 reset it.

But hey, I'm always open to new career paths.

I was about to say the same thing

I was thinking "if this is the same Dr. Gonzo" as at the old AI, things have certainly changed. Nice to see you're coming around.