[Paul UK @ Work]

After looking on the APPLE store this morning & seeing �6 months interest free credit on all desktops� I hurriedly walked to the kitchen & in a casual manner informed the wife, this is of course after months of explaining why we should get one. This morning she said �OK just tell me without all the waffle how much this will cost� out of my workbag I produced a printed order from the APPLE store:

Power Mac G5 Dual 1.8GHz
Bluetooth Module
512MB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2 DIMMs
160GB Serial ATA
Dual 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
Country kit
Apple Keyboard
Mac OS X
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB, ADC/DVI
DVD-R/CD-RW
56K internal modem
Apple Studio Display (17" flat panel)

�2,515.01

�Will this one last you a long time�
�Yes�
�OK, just order one�


Now my wishes have been answered I begin to wonder why does this offer end January 10th, are there any new chips due soon, are they just clearing out before the new batch arrives, will this months hot machine be next months (January) base model. Don�t get me wrong I would be upgrading from an iMAC 400dv with 192mb (which has been problem free for 5 years) so the jump would be phenomenal, will there be new displays & keyboards (not white) to match the G5, but mostly is this too much for me, I do want the superdrive and all that comes with it for video work (that�s the kids by the way, 4 & 2) but I don�t want another iMAC, great as it is I feel over the next few years the digital hub is really going to take off within the home network, so I would have the expandability the iMAC does not offer & neither does it offer the speed.

So after reading over my ramblings I notice my fears of being gazumped with more powerful chips are confused by my fear of too much power, please help me to decide as it�s a lot of cash (I don�t want to go the Dell route - as my wife said �you�d only be disappointed�), many thanks Paul UK (at work & I can�t remember my log-on).

[Hydra]

The single processor 1.8 G5 only lasted for a few months before being replaced with a dual. I would expect a speed bump in Feb. which will be far less of a shock than Apple adding another processor for almost the same price as a machine you just bought. The other factor is the free financing. If you think it's worth a few hundred bucks to you it should be a good deal. The one thing I would hold off on is the 17 inch display, it is a nice display but you can get similar quality for far less and I think Apple's displays may see a revision early next year.

-Jerry C.

[zigzag]

I think you're doing the right thing. I had an iMac DV, then a Cube, then a Superdrive iMac (just sold on eBay), and although they met my needs at the time, I outgrew them and now I really enjoy the versatility and power of the G5 tower. It sounds to me like you'd outgrow an iMac as well.

Also, the G5 is wonderfully quiet - noise is one reason I avoided towers before.

As for "digital hub," a year ago I was happy to have a 60 GB hard drive. Now that I've put my entire music collection on hard drive and am doing more digital video, I have 600 GB of drive space (320 internal) and will probably get more before long. The audio/video stuff piles up fast.

As for waiting, who knows what's coming next. The usual upgrades and price reductions, but probably nothing radical. I decided not to wait and I'm glad I didn't - I've been enjoying my G5 for a month now.

Luckily, I still had a 15" display from the Cube days, which I'm using until the 20" comes down in price. There was a rumor that Apple had new displays coming in November but so far that hasn't happened.

Good luck.

[Arkham_c]

The dual-1.8 is an excellent machine. I have the dual-2.0 (which is very similar in performance to the dual 1.8 according to the Apple Performance page. As long as you stick with the Radeon 9600 and get some additonal aftermarket RAM (1GB should be your baseline for RAM in a G5) you'll be thrilled.

[si_lance]

I'm not a G5 owner (I wish), but I just wanted to address the idea of having too powerful a chip. Is there such thing? I believe in the early 80's they use to ask questions like why would anyone need more than 640K memory? Get as much as you can so it lasts as long as possible. Always waiting for the next best thing will result in time lost with an already good thing. You've already proven you make good choices since your last computer lasted 5 years. My previous notebook lasted 3 years, which is the longest I've ever owned a single computer. Most get sold after 2 years. I have a feeling this G4 iBook will last a long time especially with huge firewire drives dropping in price.

[mousehouse]

there will always be faster, newer, better machines in a few months. if you get it _now_ you'll be playing along on your new machine at Christmas when you have a few days off. you actually get to spend some time with your new Mac before you need to go to work again, and show & explain it to your wife extensively (who probably will use the same Mac!).

you'll be happy as a puppy and when upgraded machines finally start shipping you've been working away on your G5 for more than 3 months already - with the neat financing included.

just ditch the 17" Apple screen. i've seen them, they're nice but expensive. if you get a good quality Iiyama flatscreen you either save a few hundred quid or can get a better screen for the same price. just get a decent 17" TFT now and upgrade to widescreen when you've payed off the G5...

[Commodus]

The 17" Apple display is supposed to be good as far as colour goes (and I'd tend to agree); it's also an advantage that it has ADC (only Formac has ADC connectors outside of Apple, I think).

[King_Rat]

As far as cost goes, the dual 1.8 is a good deal. When I got my dual 800MHz G4 I didn't need the 2nd processor at the time, but I am now very glad that I got it; it should let me use the computer for another few years before it needs replaced. I don't know if you can have a too powerful computer unless you are playing poorly written old games like brick or tetris. However, I don't know how much money you have, so I can't say if you should buy it. I know that I hate to get things on a loan, especially something like a computer which looses value so quickly. If you buy it on a loan, you will say "wait, I could be getting a faster computer if I had waited" when you have to pay for it. Just my 1.5 cents worth.

[Eug]

I do expect updates in Jan, but a dual 1.8 would be fine even in Jan. You can always wait forever.

Originally posted by Commodus:
The 17" Apple display is supposed to be good as far as colour goes (and I'd tend to agree); it's also an advantage that it has ADC (only Formac has ADC connectors outside of Apple, I think).

When I looked, the Samsung 172T was superior. The only drawback is no ADC and you can't turn on the desktop from the monitor, but who cares anyway?

[Cadaver]

Presently, the best bang for the buck is the dual 1.8GHz G5. I would have bought this model instead (to save the $500) had it been available when I bought my dual 2.0...

[Gankdawg]

I just got the machine that's in my sig, and I love it, especially for games. On UT2K3, America's Army, and Wolfenstein, I can play at 1600 X 1200 with all quality settings whatever the highest setting is!!!

[Ron Goodman]

I agree that the 1.8 DP is the best value in the line for now. I would seriously consider the 20" Apple LCD instead of the 17". Having had both, I think the color and brightness is better with the 20", and the extra space is very nice.

[Paul UK @ Work]

Well, thanks for all the replies which I showed to my wife and her reply was

"so you just need a moniter then"

any more suggestions for an LCD moniter so I can look & compare over the weekend (before she changes her mind).

[si_lance]

I use this 17" monitor at work, and I love it.

http://www.viewsonic.com/products/lcd_vg700.htm

$449 at macconnection, a lot better than $699 ( and I've also read that the 17" Apple is not as good quality as the 20" so this is prolly a much better route).

Did I mention the contrast ratio and brightness are better?

Contrast
Apple 17" 350:1
vg700 450:1

Brightness (nits)
Apple 17" 200
vg700 260

[pdovinh]

"...before she changes her mind."

Paul, remember to promise her you won't forget whom you married to even after you've bought the G5. Personally, I still have difficulty leaving my G5 to catch some sleep each night. ('')

pd

[samslaves]

Do you need it? Go for it! If you are a gamer also put a 9800Pro.
Can you wait? Then wait a dual 2.5-3.0GHz system.

As for the display: 20" Cinema Display. If you are lucky (mine was returned due to faulty lamps; damn no dead pixels at all!), it is the best display out there.

Sam
----
Dual 2.0G5
9800Pro
3GB
250GB
20" Cinema Display

[Peter]

I dont think having an ADC monitor is an advantage.

[olePigeon]

My suggestion is to wait for the Rev B G5s at the very least.

There will always be newer computers, but a Rev B will at least have some of the problems worked out that were discovered with the Rev A G5s. Plus, you'll get a slightly faster CPU too.