iMac G4 vs. G5 tower/ACD
Here's the situation: My iMac DV 400 is now in its 5th year. It's done well for me. But it's time for an upgrade, sometime during 2004. Maybe spring, maybe summer. So this would be definitely after MWSF.
This is my home machine. I'm not a pro. Mostly Web, e-mail, word processing (Office X), iTunes, a little dabbling in iMovie and Photoshop Elements.
I'm thinking: 17-inch iMac G4. I like the wide screen. And it has everything I really need. Cost: $1,800.
But part of me lusts after a G5 tower. I don't need a dual, so if I bought now I'd probably get the low-end one, the 1.6 GHz. For a monitor, I'd look at the 20-inch Cinema Display. The 17-inch Studio Display is closer to my needs, but again I really prefer the wide screen and would be willing to pay extra for it. Cost: $1,800 + $1,300 = $3,100.
I'm not short on money right now, so that's not a big issue, but I'm usually not one to throw money away either. So it seems that the iMac would be the smarter buy.
But the advantage of the G5 is that, because of its more advanced specs, it would have a longer useful life before it would become outdated. But is that worth spending $1,300 extra?
Anybody want to talk me into the G5? Any factors I'm overlooking?
This is my home machine. I'm not a pro. Mostly Web, e-mail, word processing (Office X), iTunes, a little dabbling in iMovie and Photoshop Elements.
I'm thinking: 17-inch iMac G4. I like the wide screen. And it has everything I really need. Cost: $1,800.
But part of me lusts after a G5 tower. I don't need a dual, so if I bought now I'd probably get the low-end one, the 1.6 GHz. For a monitor, I'd look at the 20-inch Cinema Display. The 17-inch Studio Display is closer to my needs, but again I really prefer the wide screen and would be willing to pay extra for it. Cost: $1,800 + $1,300 = $3,100.
I'm not short on money right now, so that's not a big issue, but I'm usually not one to throw money away either. So it seems that the iMac would be the smarter buy.
But the advantage of the G5 is that, because of its more advanced specs, it would have a longer useful life before it would become outdated. But is that worth spending $1,300 extra?
Anybody want to talk me into the G5? Any factors I'm overlooking?
Comments
This is my home machine. I'm not a pro. Mostly Web, e-mail, word processing (Office X), iTunes, a little dabbling in iMovie and Photoshop Elements.
This screams "iMac" to me.
Only a few hundred more.
If I were in the market for a new desktop, I think that would be the model I'd get: small footprint, all the latest hoo-hah onboard and a GREAT screen.
If you really love LCD then great, but I'd personally spend a little more on the system and a little less on the monitor... I'd buy the 22" Mitsubishi CRT and spend the money I save on 2 or 3GB of RAM and a better graphics card.
All said, I think I'd wait and buy the middle model G5 of the next rev, with a decent graphics card (will probably still be the Radeon 9600), more RAM and a larger hard disk, and the 22" mitsubishi. This setup will last you quite some time, especially coming from a 400 MHz G3.
It should at least tide you over until the low end goes MP or the iMac gets a G5.
Originally posted by CosmoNut
Here's a compromise: Buy the iMac, but go with the 20". You'll be very happy. Oh, and don't say I never did anything for ya'.
I saw one of the 20-inchers yesterday in the store ... that thing is a beast. Is the display the same one as the 20" Cinema Display? I know the resolution is the same, but I'm not sure whether they're the same "under the hood."
Originally posted by CaseCom
But is that worth spending $1,300 extra?
You are spending the $1,300 extra on something you will keep and probably use in your next machine. When the iMac gets slow and old, you will be able to use its screen as a fancy table top which at some point in time was quite expensive...