Apple newb with some questions

nikonnikon
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Hi im planning to pick up a new desktop or laptop (leaning towards a powerbook) in the near future. I have never owned a mac before, so im not that all familiar with some of its architecture. By nature im an accountant, however photography has been a hobby of mine, to the point where i can possibly call myself a serious amateur. I would like to potentially start up a side business of (hopefully) selling my prints via the web. Apple is well regarded by those who work in digital media, so its where i look to first in regards to hardware. The major programs i intend on running are:



Photoshop CS

Quickbooks (or similar accounting program)

MS Office



That being said, my questions in regards to apple are the following:



1) How does a G4 and G5 processor compare to an intel or AMD chip? For example is the G4 the "equivalent" of a 3mhz pentium and the G5 similar to a AMD64?



2) What would you say is the typical "lifespan" of an imac, powerbook, etc.? Meaning how long do you think upgradeing to a new mac will be necessary even after some minor tweaking (storage, ram, video card, etc.). The reason i ask is that im trying to figure out which will be the better value for me, grabbing a G5 powerbook upon release, or picking a G4 powerbook when the G5 releases (and taking advantage of a potential price cut).



Its about 1:15 am here, im sure i have more questions but i think im about to pass out here, LOL.



Thanks in advance for your posts, and i look forward to contributing to your community.











Comments

  • Reply 1 of 2
    wjmoorewjmoore Posts: 210member
    1. Clock for clock a G4 outperforms a Pentium. Problem is these days the G4 is stuck around 1.5Ghz whereas the P4 is up over 3.2Ghz. So a P4 is likely to give better performance. A G5 can be considered comparable the AMD64. The benchmarks vary though. A slower clocked G5 is generally capable of outperforming a 32-bit x86 of the same or higher speed - depending on the benchmarks you read.



    2. If you are going to wait until a G5 PowerBook comes out I would certainly not touch a G4 at that point. The G5 is a far far superior architecture. The G4 has had its day and the sooner its replaced the better. Don't get me wrong, it was great in its day but now the clock speed, FSB and other things are laughable. (Just so I don't get flamed - I have a G4 iMac and yes it is perfectly useable).



    With regard to "typical" lifespan of an Apple laptop. I would say between 2 to 3 years. I have an iBook that is now 3 years old and still performs well but is starting to show its age. When you buy, try to buy middle of the range, perhaps with a couple of extras (RAM, disk). I find that this gives the best balance between lifespan and cost.
  • Reply 2 of 2
    vox barbaravox barbara Posts: 2,021member
    Regarding "Lifespan":



    my first (used Gift) Mac was a quadra 840. Lasted 6 years.

    second Mac, Performa 5200, lasted 6 years

    3rd Mac, iMac 350 G3, still in use

    4th, PB 12", well, i think this baby will follow me

    the next 4-5 years. I love this baby and this baby

    loves me



    The G4 is for what ever reason pretty much

    underestimated. It is still a pretty powerfull

    processor, especially in Notebooks, aka PB's.



    BTW, you can't talk about Macs using words like

    "Lifspan" and such.

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