My review for the iMac G5.

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Just got home from the apple store. They just got both the 17" and 20" imac G5's this morning. The 20" imac wasn't ready to be played with. They didn't get the software installed yet(that they wanted on there).



Ok, here is my review. For using it for 1 hour I can say it is the best imac yet. The computer screams even with the 256 MB of ram in it. You can see the effects of the 5200 in there. But, average Joe won't notice. The viewing angles are ok. The horizontial angles are great. But, the vertical angles are crap. The imac G5 is really that quiet. I can't even hear the HD spinning when I put my ears near it.( The store wasn't that noisy) The ports on the back are really make imac have a clean look. The cables were neatly put throught the hole and attatched. You only need 1 finger to tilt the computer back and forth. The aluminum stand is heavy so it makes the imac really sturdy. If I got mad at it and wanted to hit it,( like I ever will) it won't even budge. The extra space below the screens don't look that bad as people think. Sure the 20" looks better then the 17" because of the space below but, really it doesn't make the computer look ugly. The plastic does get a little hot but, not as much as my 12" Powerbook G4. Even cooler then the ibooks there. The only things that does suck about the imac G5 is the 5200 and the 256 MB of ram. But, that is because my uses require more. But, the average Joe will not care for the extra ram. If I had the money to buy it I would buy it in a half of a heart beat. In my opinion after looking at the imac G5 they are as good(maybe even better) then the imac G4's design.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 45




    High praise coming from you quags...



    All kidding aside, a good review to hear. When you said that you can "see the effects of the 5200 in there," what were you seeing or not seeing?
  • Reply 2 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by opuscroakus





    High praise coming from you quags...



    All kidding aside, a good review to hear. When you said that you can "see the effects of the 5200 in there," what were you seeing or not seeing?




    The more I think about it. I couldn't see the effects of the 5200. Now, I think the problem was do to the ram. But, maybe you can tell me. When I opened a program the select black stayed there for 2-4 seconds. The more I think about it that sounds like the amount of ram.
  • Reply 3 of 45
    Nice review! Hopefully, I will be able to see one in person very soon. It looks good in the pictures, and the specs are more than adequate for my needs (except the RAM).



    I am also curious why none of the pictures I have seen have some of the cables routed around the base instead of through the hole in the stand.
  • Reply 4 of 45
    I would like to get the 1.8ghz 17" with cto bluetooth module / keyboard / mouse. I would upgrade the RAM myself from Crucial.



    Can you get this kind of setup (cto) from a brick and mortar Apple Store?
  • Reply 5 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Bill M

    I would like to get the 1.8ghz 17" with cto bluetooth module / keyboard / mouse. I would upgrade the RAM myself from Crucial.



    Can you get this kind of setup (cto) from a brick and mortar Apple Store?




    No, You can have them order it for you from apple. You would have to pick it up there. I would reccomend ordering online.
  • Reply 6 of 45
    kcmackcmac Posts: 1,051member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Jarhead

    Nice review! Hopefully, I will be able to see one in person very soon. It looks good in the pictures, and the specs are more than adequate for my needs (except the RAM).



    I am also curious why none of the pictures I have seen have some of the cables routed around the base instead of through the hole in the stand.




    It is kind of a mystery why even at the Paris show they didn't run the cables thru the hole when it is clear that this is the design intent. However, when you set it up it is the first thing you think about. It really does keep things neat and tidy.



    Nice review quaqmire. I am surprised they let you play that long. But I have never been in an Apple Store.
  • Reply 7 of 45
    My local Apple Store had a 17" on display. Only the power cord was run through the hole. 4 other cables were plugged directly into the i/o ports with ties around them. Go figure.
  • Reply 8 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kcmac

    It is kind of a mystery why even at the Paris show they didn't run the cables thru the hole when it is clear that this is the design intent. However, when you set it up it is the first thing you think about. It really does keep things neat and tidy.



    Nice review quaqmire. I am surprised they let you play that long. But I have never been in an Apple Store.




    I would of stayed for 2 hours but, I got hungry. I am surprised too. I am sure they wouldn't mind me playing with an old emac. But, for a new product that has a long waiting list, I am surprised. Nice people that are at my apple store. I brought my mom in hoping to convince her to buy it. But, to no luck she wouldn't upgrade from a Pmac G4 400 Mhz. But, she did learn more about Macs.
  • Reply 9 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kcmac

    It is kind of a mystery why even at the Paris show they didn't run the cables thru the hole when it is clear that this is the design intent. However, when you set it up it is the first thing you think about. It really does keep things neat and tidy.



    Nice review quaqmire. I am surprised they let you play that long. But I have never been in an Apple Store.




    i actually don't think that's the design intent. I think the hole is simply for the power cord. The hole is not a very elegant/easy cable management system. Especially for USB/firewire devices that will likely be unplugged and plugged in here and there. I think it also looks somewhat akward to have the cables bend to the hole, through, and then to wherever they lead to. If Apple hasn't been doing it at their stores and the expo hall I'd question if they recommend it or not. Usually they have such an attention to detail even at their expos and stores that things like this don't happen for no reason.
  • Reply 10 of 45
    kcmackcmac Posts: 1,051member
    Of course, applenut, you could be right. But using the hole works really well. Especially for the cables you don't remove often. And I still think having the ports on the back vs. the sides is the way to go.
  • Reply 11 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by quagmire

    The more I think about it. I couldn't see the effects of the 5200. Now, I think the problem was do to the ram. But, maybe you can tell me. When I opened a program the select black stayed there for 2-4 seconds. The more I think about it that sounds like the amount of ram.



    That does sound like it could be a lack of RAM issue... Did you ever get any beach balls switching between the apps/Finder and/or working in the Finder?
  • Reply 12 of 45
    256 Mb RAM isnt enough for anybody. From my experience 512MB should be standard.
  • Reply 13 of 45
    From my experience mac users should go for a Gig of RAM, which isn't too expensive, unless you're getting it for a powerbook. 512MB of RAM in my opinion should be the bare minimmum someone has in their mac. My Powermac had 512MB which I upgraded to 1GB, I saw a huge difference, from how many apps I could have open to how games performed (I swear 1GB is needed to have a decent game experience these days). My Powerbook shipped with 256MB, it ran very slowly, GarageBand couldn't run for longer than a few minutes without running out of memory, now it has 768MB of Ram in it, but I can see the difference between that and 1GB...



    Anyone in the UK want to buy a stick of 256MB RAM that came in my Powerbook 15" 1.33Ghz? (ddr333) I want to replace it.
  • Reply 14 of 45
    I just received my G5 iMac (17 inch - SuperDrive), and I love it. I haven't had the opportunity to play with any of the PM G5 2.5 machines at work, so I don't have that to compare it to. Compared to my G3 333 iMac, it screams.



    When I received it, I took it to work (hoping to convince my boss to get me one for there -- and it worked). Running with the standard 256 MB was sluggish, but still faster than my current one. After getting home, I canabalized 1 GB from my Athlon 64, and now it screams. I think I got one beachball since, but I don't remember what I did to get it.



    Since it's just a toy at this point, it works great. I am hoping to do more with it, and now that it doesn't take 5 seconds to be able to view a webpage, I think I can.



    As for the gap under the monitor, it doesn't look that bad. It looks like a monitor should. The screen itself is vibrant. It's hard to look at my 19 inch CRT now.



    All in all, I'm very happy with this.



    Those are my 2 cents.
  • Reply 15 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kcmac

    Of course, applenut, you could be right. But using the hole works really well. Especially for the cables you don't remove often. And I still think having the ports on the back vs. the sides is the way to go.



    it could also pose some stability issues (just guessing). cables through the arm, not good to have cables that may be tugged or strained in the stand i'd assume.



    who knows. if i had one i'd probably route the wires through the hole....although if i did have one, i think i'd have to go all the way and splurge for airport, bluetooth keyboard/mouse and wireless printer.
  • Reply 16 of 45
    I have a HP 5850 wireless (802.11b) printer, and I love it! No worrys about where to set the printer, etc.. There is a delay from when you select print to when the printer begins, but nothing I do is that rushed, so it's no big deal. Along with the airport card in my iBook, and a wireless mouse, it keeps my desk very clutter free.



    In my opinion, the bluetooth keyboard and mouse, along with airport is the only way to go. Maybe it's not the best for gaming, but that is something I do little of anyway.



    Having the ports on the back is something I like. To me, it keeps things so much neater. It doesn't seem to difficult to spin the computer around for hooking up extras.
  • Reply 17 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by opuscroakus

    That does sound like it could be a lack of RAM issue... Did you ever get any beach balls switching between the apps/Finder and/or working in the Finder?





    No, beachall. Just a small delay of an app opening. 256 MB is sluggish for me. I think the average Joe(being the consumer) wouldn't mind 256 MB of ram in there. But, I think as well 512 MB should be standard on pro products.
  • Reply 18 of 45
    MacMall doubles the ram to 512 for a $40.00 fee. They are also offering bluetooth installed (keyboard and mouse included) for about $200 extra I believe.
  • Reply 19 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MacsRGood4U

    MacMall doubles the ram to 512 for a $40.00 fee. They are also offering bluetooth installed (keyboard and mouse included) for about $200 extra I believe.



    The 512 mb of ram is a good deal. But, the bluetooth with the wireless mouse and keyboard is a rip off. Apple sells the wireless keyboard and mouse with the bluetooth module for $99.
  • Reply 20 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MacsRGood4U

    MacMall doubles the ram to 512 for a $40.00 fee. They are also offering bluetooth installed (keyboard and mouse included) for about $200 extra I believe.



    I believe the "installed" bluetooth you get from MacMall is the D-link USB adapter, NOT the internal Bluetooth module offered as a BTO from Apple. You can do better by ordering these a la carte from the Apple Store.
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