For gaming and native apps, the iMac is generally faster. Browsing and WoW, in particular, are both significantly better on the iMac than they are on a Dual 2.0 PowerMac with a 6800 Ultra. Java development & compiling are also faster on the iMac.
Legacy apps are the opposite (for the time being). In other words, it all depends on the software.
I didn't test a 2 GHz iMac, but I did test the 1.83 GHz MacBook Pros shown at MacWorld. Based on my tests I'd expect the iMac to perform competitively on many tasks. Some things will probably run faster on either system.
I'd also expect newer dual-core G5s (not quads) will perform better than my original Dual Processor system.
At the end of the day it all depends on what you do. If you're using the G5 now I doubt the switch will give you a huge speedup and may slow you down in areas that matter. Safari should be faster on the iMac though.
Then again, you can't install all the HDs and RAM in the iMac like you can in the tower. The iMac does have an improved graphics card though and is in a svelter, quieter case.
Stay with what you have got untill we see the following:
A) Universal apps from adobe
b) By the time that happens, say around Macworld next year, we may see a rev across the line, iMacs and PBs will be a year old and PMs will be 6 months old (assuming WWDC shipdate) AND any and all hardware and OS related software bugs will be fixed and 10.5 may be out, many components of which will likly be compiled with intels yet-to-be-finalized compilers thus potentially seeing major preformance gains(think GUI, core*, PDF, the heavy stuff)
I would also venture to guess that Adobe is taking a long time for 2 reasons, A: the intel compilers, and B. the porting of everything in CS from Carbon to Cocoa
Comments
Legacy apps are the opposite (for the time being). In other words, it all depends on the software.
I'd also expect newer dual-core G5s (not quads) will perform better than my original Dual Processor system.
At the end of the day it all depends on what you do. If you're using the G5 now I doubt the switch will give you a huge speedup and may slow you down in areas that matter. Safari should be faster on the iMac though.
Then again, you can't install all the HDs and RAM in the iMac like you can in the tower. The iMac does have an improved graphics card though and is in a svelter, quieter case.
What apps are you talking about?
Originally posted by jpennington
... and photoshop.
Stay with what you have got untill we see the following:
A) Universal apps from adobe
b) By the time that happens, say around Macworld next year, we may see a rev across the line, iMacs and PBs will be a year old and PMs will be 6 months old (assuming WWDC shipdate) AND any and all hardware and OS related software bugs will be fixed and 10.5 may be out, many components of which will likly be compiled with intels yet-to-be-finalized compilers thus potentially seeing major preformance gains(think GUI, core*, PDF, the heavy stuff)
I would also venture to guess that Adobe is taking a long time for 2 reasons, A: the intel compilers, and B. the porting of everything in CS from Carbon to Cocoa