G5 iMac or G4 Powerbook

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cam'roncam'ron
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I was thinking about getting a new Mac in about a month and am torn between the two. I was gonna either get a maxed out 20" iMac or a Maxed out 17" powerbook. I like the powerbook because of portability (not esential) and the better video card. But then the iMac has the G5. Will the g5 with the lower vid card still be more productive than the the powerbook? is there anywhere to compare cuz the imac is about a grand cheaper as well. please, i would love to hear some point of views on this, i am gonna be throwing a butt load of money into this and want to make the best decision possible. thanks a lot.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 3
    kingofsomewherehotkingofsomewherehot Posts: 4,185member
    If you don't need portability, the iMac is a better machine to have on your desk.



    The video card will make NO DIFFERENCE unless you are trying to play some high-end game at max resolution. ... even then, I'm not sure there's a noticeable difference between those two.



    Like you said ... The iMac is a G5 ... While it is an all-in-one, it'll still be easier to upgrade HD and Optical Drive than a 'book. (in a couple years ?)



    When a 64-bit OS is made available, the iMac will run it, the 'book won't.



    However... if you think you might want portability, the pBook is still an excellent computer.
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  • Reply 2 of 3
    cam'roncam'ron Posts: 503member
    i like the idea of having the portability cuz we have airport express in our house, but once again its not important. now that you point out that there is no loss w/ the lower card in the imac i should just go w/ it. there are just way too many pros to getting the imac over the powerbook. bigger screen, better processor, a ton cheaper, better fsb, big hd. the only drawbacks are the weaker vid card and lack of portability. thanks for your opinion. does anyone have a link though to show actual specs of both the imac and the powerbook??
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  • Reply 3 of 3
    crazy norwegiancrazy norwegian Posts: 6member
    I just got a 17" powerbook with the 128M vid card and the resolution is truly awsome for a laptop. It is running large excel ss's a lot and while it is a bit slower to open them than my dual G4 1.25 (because of the drive speed differences - 5200rpm vs 10,000 rpm scsi), once open, I can't really tell the difference in performance. I like it a lot. But you should be aware, while the 17" PB IS portable, it isn't like you have a 12" ibook you are lugging around - it is thin and while somewhat hardy, seems like you should be gentle with it when picking it up or moving it around - not flimsy by any means, but it makes you want to be gentle...



    I don't have any experience with the imac G5.



    Just use the portability argument - if you need it to be portable, your decision has been made. If you don't, the G5 is probably the better value.



    Good Luck,



    crazy n



    p.s. - The Apple web site has all the specs...
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