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kilmanjaro · 01:55 PM

I'm looking to get a new G5 shortly (probably this week), and I have a few questions.

I'm still going back and forth between a 1.8 iMac or a 1.8 G5 (single cpu). I'd love having the integrated display and I doubt I'd ever need to expandabilty of a PM (although I may not think so later) for about the same price. But I've been hearing a lot about noisy fans on the iMacs which makes me want to stay away. My father teaches in a class full of iMac G4s and they are almost inaudible. I have no experience with a G5 so was hoping someone could comment there. So my questions is, how loud is a 1.8 PM?

Also, my main area of interest in getting a mac is for music creation and *possibly* video editing. To be honest, I really have no clue exactly what I'm going to be using it for. I'm assuming the PM would be better in this regard due to its expandability. Any comments for a newbie?

Thought I would mention that my last mac was a PM 7500 so it's been a rather long time since I've been in the mac circle. So if I don't make any sense, perhaps that's why.

Macpilot · Apr 27, 2005, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by kilmanjaro

I'm looking to get a new G5 shortly (probably this week), and I have a few questions.

I'm still going back and forth between a 1.8 iMac or a 1.8 G5 (single cpu). I'd love having the integrated display and I doubt I'd ever need to expandabilty of a PM (although I may not think so later) for about the same price. But I've been hearing a lot about noisy fans on the iMacs which makes me want to stay away. My father teaches in a class full of iMac G4s and they are almost inaudible. I have no experience with a G5 so was hoping someone could comment there. So my questions is, how loud is a 1.8 PM?

Also, my main area of interest in getting a mac is for music creation and *possibly* video editing. To be honest, I really have no clue exactly what I'm going to be using it for. I'm assuming the PM would be better in this regard due to its expandability. Any comments for a newbie?

Thought I would mention that my last mac was a PM 7500 so it's been a rather long time since I've been in the mac circle. So if I don't make any sense, perhaps that's why.

The iMac G5 is very quiet, even with the fan running. A Power Mac would be louder in every situation.

Sounds like an iMac would be perfect for you. Just put 1 gig of Ram in it and it will last a long time.

You would be happy with either machine, but a Power Mac would be overkill and if space is a concern, it is a very big tower.

discotronic · Apr 27, 2005, 02:24 PM

I can't say anything about how loud the PowerMac is yet. I can tell you a little about the iMac though.

The iMac G4 is near dead silent. I had the G4 17" 1.25GHz until I replaced it with the iMac 1.8GHz G5. The iMac G5's fan was much louder but it wasn't unbearable. The problem that I ran into was the high pitch of the noise. I wouldn't have had a problem with it but it is basically right in your face as you are trying to work. It is okay for the most part when it is sitting idle but as soon as the processor is taxed the fans kick in hard.

If I compared the iMac G5 to my cheapo PC the iMac was louder and more annoying. Keep in mind that not everyone has had these problems. It seems that the fan might be fixed with a firmware update. At least that is what has been hinted at.

The PowerMac is more upgradeable. You can add more RAM, an extra hard drive, and additional PCI cards if needed. The optical drive is cheaper to upgrade since it is actually a standard drive. You don't get a monitor with it.

The iMac is a very nice machine. The screen if really nice. You don't have to worry about extra space because of the small form factor. It only has 2 slots for RAM, adding an extra hard drive can only be done with external solutions. The GPU (video card) in the iMac is attached to the logic-board/motherboard so upgrading is not possible.

Both are nice machines and would most likely do what you need it to do. If you go the iMac route you should wait a few days. They are due for an update sometime in the near future. The rumors are that it will have a faster processor and upgraded GPU with the possibility of more standard RAM.

kilmanjaro · Apr 27, 2005, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Macpilot

The iMac G5 is very quiet, even with the fan running. A Power Mac would be louder in every situation.

Sounds like an iMac would be perfect for you. Just put 1 gig of Ram in it and it will last a long time.

You would be happy with either machine, but a Power Mac would be overkill and if space is a concern, it is a very big tower.

My biggest concern (other than price) is HD space. I doubt I'd be happy with 80GB and would want additional space. As far as space for the tower, that's no concern. But I would like my desk itself uncluttered, so the idea of an external HD for the iMac isn't very appealing. Another concern is the numerous fan noise issues with the lastest rev. iMac as discotronic pointed out. Since I'm a PC user I'm used to the usual fan noise, but would very much prefer a quieter computer (not necessarily silent).

Originally Posted by discotronic

I can't say anything about how loud the PowerMac is yet. I can tell you a little about the iMac though.

The iMac G4 is near dead silent. I had the G4 17" 1.25GHz until I replaced it with the iMac 1.8GHz G5. The iMac G5's fan was much louder but it wasn't unbearable. The problem that I ran into was the high pitched noise to it. I wouldn't have had a problem with it but it is basically right in your face as you are trying to work. It is okay for the most part when it is sitting idle but as soon as the processor is taxed the fans kick in hard.

If I compared the iMac G5 to my cheapo PC the iMac was louder and more annoying. Keep in mind that not everyone has had these problems. It seems that the fan might be fixed with a firmware update. At least that is what has been hinted at.

The PowerMac is more upgradeable. You can add more RAM, an extra hard drive, and additional PC cards if needed. The optical drive is cheaper to upgrade since it is actually a standard drive. You don't get a monitor with it.

The iMac is a very nice machine. The screen if really nice. You don't have to worry about extra space because of the small form factor. It only has 2 slots for RAM, adding an extra hard drive can only be done with external solutions. The GPU (video card) in the iMac is attached to the logic-board/motherboard so upgrading is not possible.

Both are nice machines and would most likely do what you need it to do. If you go the iMac route you should wait a few days. They are due for an update sometime in the near future. The rumors are that it will have a faster processor and upgraded GPU with the possibility of more standard RAM.

I'm leaning towards the PM option right now because HD and optical upgradability. I'm familiar with the iMac G4 - my father teaches a graphic communications class with a lab of a dozen or so iMac G4s and they are almost silent. I was just curious how "loud" a PM is compared to an iMac. The screen on the iMac is also of concern - my luck is that I'd get a dead pixel and that would drive me NUTS!

I'm still up in the air at the moment.

discotronic · Apr 27, 2005, 02:36 PM

I forgot to mention that the fan noise issue seems to be on the 17" models. I have heard reports of the 20" having it but they are very few.

I was at a local Apple reseller just a few days ago. I played around with the 20" iMac for about 20 minutes. It was almost dead silent. The room was quiet so I had a good enviroment to take a listen. You could always check that model out. With the PowerMac, by the time you bought a screen the cost would probably be close to the iMac 20".

If you want a larger hard drive in the iMac you could always do it yourself. A 200GB SATA or larger can be found for about $100 right now. It is really easy to change out.

kilmanjaro · Apr 27, 2005, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by discotronic

I forgot to mention that the fan noise issue seems to be on the 17" models. I have heard reports of the 20" having it but they are very few.

I was at a local Apple reseller just a few days ago. I played around with the 20" iMac for about 20 minutes. It was almost dead silent. The room was quiet so I had a good enviroment to take a listen. You could always check that model out. With the PowerMac, by the time you bought a screen the cost would probably be close to the iMac 20".

If you want a larger hard drive in the iMac you could always do it yourself. A 200GB SATA or larger can be found for about $100 right now. It is really easy to change out.

20" is more than I want to spend, and it probably wouldn't fit on my desk. Cost of another monitor isn't an issue since I have an extra one laying around. I would rather add-on to the existing storage rather than replace, but you're right...that's definately an option.

Don Pickett · Apr 27, 2005, 02:58 PM

I've got a single 1.8 G5, and it's so quiet I can barely hear it, even though it's right under my desk. I chose the Powermac over the iMac precisely because of the ability to expand it: I will probably put a new video card in it later this year (the 5200 is a little laggy on some games with all the eye candy turned on) and I will definitely pop a 250 MB drive in the other bay, as the 80 is a little small. I figure this machine will last me longer than the iMac would've.

deboerjo · Apr 27, 2005, 03:01 PM

If you're concerned about noise I can definitly vouch for the towers, even under heavy CPU loads they're dead silent. What's more, what little noise they make is tucked under your desk. My friend has one, even under CPU load if the screens are switched off (he has two CRTs) it's impossible to tell whether the computer is on or not without looking down at it. Based on my limited experience with the iMac, I'd say it's almost as quiet as the towers, but the noise is being generated two feet away from your face, which makes them seem noiser than they are. I think this is why you get contradictory reports of some people saying they're noisy and some people saying they're silent, it depends on if you're comparing noise levels from a position of sitting in front of it or not.

kw14 · Apr 27, 2005, 03:14 PM

I think the iMac is a great casual user machine. It depends how much you want to do vs $ you want to spend. You can definitely do video and audio with it. But if you are leaning towards PM, then you should be aware that you may want a nice size screen anyway. Showing all them video/audio tracks take up a lot of room. So it may not be any more cluttered than an iMac.

If you are concern about noice, would putting the PM under the desk help? Maybe find some sound insulation barrier if the PM is noisier than you like. I do video editing and graphics stuff. I buy external fire wire drives as I need them. Video does take up a lot of space. I wouldn't limit myself to what storage comes with my machine.

kilmanjaro · Apr 27, 2005, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by Don Pickett

I've got a single 1.8 G5, and it's so quiet I can barely hear it, even though it's right under my desk. I chose the Powermac over the iMac precisely because of the ability to expand it: I will probably put a new video card in it later this year (the 5200 is a little laggy on some games with all the eye candy turned on) and I will definitely pop a 250 MB drive in the other bay, as the 80 is a little small. I figure this machine will last me longer than the iMac would've.

That's what I was hoping. At the current price once I add the Radeon 9600, remove the modem and remove the superdrive and with my student discount it comes to $1278 shipped which is hard to pass up. So I think this is the way I'm going to go. I'll just order memory aftermarket - anyone have any suggestions? Can I just use any DDR 400 Cas 3 in pairs?