Getting new (first) Mac, which one ?

rewes · September 22, 2003 11:23AM

Hey everyone.

I´am about to by my first Mac, but need some help in choosing which one to buy. I design webpages (atleast I´am trying to) so I use Dreamweaver and Photoshop and thats pretty mutch all I need the comp for. At first I was planning to get the new 15" powerbook, but 15" screen isn´t big enough for me and the 17" model is bit too pricey. So now it´s pretty mutch the new

17"iMac vs the G5. Is the iMac (17", 1.25GHz, 512MB) powerful enough, for me? If I would be getting the G5 should I buy the 1.6GHz or the 1.8GHz model? And what about the displays, should I buy Apples or 3th party display?

Options are:

iMac

17-inch SuperDrive

1.25GHz PowerPC G4

512MB DDR333 memory

160GB Ultra ATA drive

NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra 64MB DDR

--------

2.304,58?

15" PowerBook

1.25GHz PowerPC G4

512MB DDR333 SDRAM

80GB Ultra ATA/100

ATI Mobility RADEON 9600 (64MB DDR)

Backlit Keyboard

--------

3.048,78?

1.6GHz PowerPC G5

512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 2 DIMMs

80GB Serial ATA

DVD/CD-RW

ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB, ADC/DVI

--------

2.221,62

3.074,40 (17" Studio Display)

1.8GHz PowerPC G5

512MB DDR400 SDRAM - 2 DIMMs

160GB Serial ATA

DVD-R/CD-RW

ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB, ADC/DVI

--------

2.447,32

3.300,10 (17" Studio Display)

Thanks.

power apple · September 22, 2003 12:25PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rewes

Hey everyone....

Well, if money if not a problem, I'd go for the Power Mac 1.8 GHz of course. That's the most future-proof (and of course fastest) machine. If you one day want to do more than "just" webdesign, you will be happier with the G5. As for display the G5 can drive most any display you can buy today, so that's more a matter of your taste and money (I don't have an Apple display myself, so I can't comment on them)

However, for webdesign, the 17" iMac is perfectly adequate! I will not feel slow at all. But I will suggest maxing out the RAM to 1 GB or at least 768 MB (but don't buy the extra 512 RAM-block from Apple!)

carson o'genic · September 22, 2003 12:32PM

I'll second that last response but lean towards iMac, max out the RAM.

If your just getting started with web design, I'll bet you have more time than money. When you start making some money then you can justify spending more money on a computer to save you time.

yevgeny · September 22, 2003 12:34PM

The relevant question is this: do you need the portability? It is pretty useful and lets you do work from somewhere other than home.

If you need the portability, then the powerbook is obviously the choice you want. Else the G5.

tidris · September 22, 2003 1:06PM

If you don't need the portability of a PowerBook then a dual G5 is the ONLY way to go, no matter what anybody else says. Unless you need to run VPC right now, in which case a dual G4 is the only way to go, regardless of what anybody else says.

ghost_user_name · September 22, 2003 1:07PM

Purchasing advice belongs in General Discussion.

*kick!*

power apple · September 22, 2003 1:20PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tidris

If you don't need the portability of a PowerBook then a dual G5 is the ONLY way to go, no matter what anybody else says. Unless you need to run VPC right now, in which case a dual G4 is the only way to go, regardless of what anybody else says.

Care to explain exactly WHY the dual G5 is the ONLY way to go??

ghost_user_name · September 22, 2003 1:24PM

Because it offers the best performance-to-price ratio in its class?

power apple · September 22, 2003 1:26PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brad

Because it offers the best performance-to-price ratio in its class?

Of course it does!! But does that change the fact that the iMac is cheaper? (The original poster said the 17" PB was too expensive...) And for strictly webdesign don't come here and tell me you really NEED that speed. Maybe he will need that speed in say 2 years, but then he can sell hi siMac and buy a G5 with the same power as the dual 2 GHz for less than half the price

709 · September 22, 2003 1:39PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brad

Because it offers the best performance-to-price ratio in its class?

Well, it could be argued that the dual G5 is in a class by itself, but I'm not about to argue.

So...if you don't expect to be sitting off-site with your clients showing your wares, get the 17" iMac. It's a nice little machine that should last you for a few years. Otherwise, get the 15" Powerbook and a 17/20" external monitor. Apple or Formac, you can decide what fits your budget, they are both very nice.

rewes · September 22, 2003 1:59PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brad

Purchasing advice belongs in General Discussion.

Sorry.

Ok, I guess i´am gonna go with the iMac then.

Thank you all.

709 · September 22, 2003 2:02PM

BTW, welcome to AI Rewes!

tidris · September 22, 2003 4:14PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brad

Because it offers the best performance-to-price ratio in its class?

Exactly, and that means if you buy anything else you are throwing money away. If you can afford to throw money away then you are wealthy enough to buy a dual G5.

tidris · September 22, 2003 4:17PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Power Apple

And for strictly webdesign don't come here and tell me you really NEED that speed.

I guarantee you the Mac won't be used strictly for web design. There will be 3D games, and digital video editing, and DVD burning too. The original poster just doesn't realize it yet.

ryaxnb · September 22, 2003 8:00PM

I'd recommend the PowerMac G4(!).

Dual 1.25Ghz should be similiar to 1.6 in many apps.

Dual 1.25Ghz

512MB RAM

80GB HD

Combo drive

GeForce 4 Titanium

17" Studio

$2,682

Ditch the 17" studio and get a good 17" for $500 from somewhere else is not recommended.

nebagakid · September 22, 2003 11:08PM

the g5 is future proof, for now.

That is like when i bought the first g4 out there, the 450Mhz, and It is still in good use today. I could not say the same if I go the fastest g3 at the same time, man I could NOT be using that shit now....

I began to feel the strain of my 450 when FCP 3 came out and it required a 500Mhz or faster for real time effects, now with Soundtrack, it won't even open for me. It is not too damn slow, but the need to upgrade for me, a laptop for college, will be coming next fall (i will wait as long as possible for the best 15" out there...)

although, since then, Apple product's life spans have been increasing for more intense work (film, design, multimedia heavy work stuff) ,,, I mean, shure you could use a PowerMac 6700 or something like that, but you won't get more than a small webserver, iTunes juke box, or a paper writer from it.. Compared to my brother's computer which he got in ninth grade for high school, and mine now, mine has held up much better with what is coming. And that is what I mean about the life span.

I mean, at a certain point, however, you have to get a computer and you just get the best out there now. Getitng an iBook now, unless you are planning on ditching it in a certain time frame, is hella crazze you know? Any Mac that does NOT include Bluetooth, AirPort Extreme, FireWire 800, and (now) USB 2.0, is from the OLD-NEW-SCHOOl systems... like my g4 or a TiBook... they are fine machines that will be good for, I bet 5-6 years from purchasing date from the current outlook of the way apps and OS'es are going.... I am just saying, those machines were purcahsed about 3-5 years ago, and they are beginning to show their age for those who use them for heavy multimedia work..

We have no idea how the G5's now will compare to those in 5 years, yet, if the past is any indicator, they will still be going strong. Get the G5 if you dont need portability, and if you need portability, you need the 15-17" models for the right size screen for doing multimedia work...

rewes · September 23, 2003 1:50AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 709

BTW, welcome to AI Rewes!

Thank You.

Quote:

Originally posted by Tidris

I guarantee you the Mac won't be used strictly for web design. There will be 3D games, and digital video editing, and DVD burning too. The original poster just doesn't realize it yet.

Sure I do. BTW is the new iMac any good for games?

Dual G5+Display is too expensive for me. 3.983,30? is ALOT of money for atleast if your a student. The Powerbook would be nice, but I could get an G5 with the same money. So is the G5 worth the money and which G5 is right for me? And what about the displays? Apple Displays start at 852? which is a bit expencive and I don´t know if they sell those Formac displays here in Finland.

luca · September 23, 2003 2:02AM

Depends on what kind of games. My 1 GHz eMac, with a mere 32 MB Radeon 7500, can run UT 2003 acceptably at very low settings, and that is the most demanding Mac game out there now as far as I know. I am getting Warcraft III soon so I can test it out with that. I expect the 1.25 GHz iMac to be faster at games than my eMac.

rewes · September 24, 2003 11:45AM

I think I´am gonna go with this

15" PowerBook

1.25GHz PowerPC G4

512MB DDR333 SDRAM

80GB Ultra ATA/100

ATI Mobility RADEON 9600 (64MB DDR)

Backlit Keyboard

--------

3.048,78?

It seems like a very nice machine. If the screen size becomes a problem I guess I can always by a separate display for it.

curiousuburb · September 24, 2003 12:13PM

if you're still considering the G5, you could eliminate the 1.6 model due to:

only 4 ram slots (vs 8 in the 1.8 and dual 2)

slower performing ram 333MHz (vs 400MHz in the 1.8 and dual 2)

33MHz PCI only (vs 133 and 100MHz PCI-X in the 1.8 or dual 2)

likely to be a discontinued mobo by next rev (when 1.8 becomes low end, dual 2 mid, dual 2.5 high)

i wouldn't recommend any G5 below the 1.8 for true "future-proofing"

that said, for Photoshop, even the 1.8 can be TWICE as efficient as a G4 at certain tasks

64 bits isn't Twice the power of 32 bits...

each number is an exponent of 2... 2^32 vs 2^64

64 bit is actually 4.3 billion times greater than 32 bits when seen this way

Quote:

4.3 billion. Numbers that big are hard to get your head around, but you could compare 32-bit processing to a glass of water, and 64-bit processing to the Niagara falls. This lets the G5 work with larger numbers in the same clock cycle for video effects, scientific and 3D calculations; the 32-bit Pentium must split such numbers across multiple cycles.

from Apple

but portability has clear benefits, especially for students.

good call on the high-end 15 Al PB. you'll be happy.

Getting new (first) Mac, which one ?

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