03-04-2004, 11:02 AM

I'm about to switch and wonder if I should go for G4 or G5. My main purpose is beg. video editing, photo, dvd author, mp3. Would a G4 be enough and what speed? Here's the prices I've seen.

New G4: 1.25G $1399 with/Applecare
New G5: 1.80G $1599 with/Applecare
Used G4 Ebay: QuickSilver 733mhz no Applecare

03-04-2004, 11:11 AM

Here is how i see it. You want to get the most bang for your buck, but you don't want to forget about growth.

Both machines would be good for video editting. I would shoot for a dual G4 over the single G5 1.8Ghz, but a dual G5 would be even better.

03-10-2004, 10:54 AM

imo For the models you have listed go with the G5. It will give you better performance, and will have a longer life-span. The $200 difference in price is almost nothing if you consider the time that most people keep their Macs.

Badger

03-10-2004, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by Badger

imo For the models you have listed go with the G5. It will give you better performance, and will have a longer life-span. The $200 difference in price is almost nothing if you consider the time that most people keep their Macs.

Badger

I'll second that vote. You'll be able to keep "newer" longer w/ the G5

03-11-2004, 10:06 AM

I would definitely go for the G5. I just got mine in yesterday, and it scorches anything I've ever seen. If you can spare the extra $200, go for it.

03-11-2004, 10:26 PM

I have a G4, and I love it to bits.

I wanted a G5, but my parents were going to take it out of my college fund.... grrr ...

03-16-2004, 07:36 PM

I've done work on a top of the line dual g4 with several gigs of ram. You can't explain the difference between the dual g5 2.0 and the fastest dual g4.

I've come to the realization that the G5 is probably 2 to 3 years ahead of it's time. I.e. the software that is already running on the G5 FCP4, Adobe CS, Macromedia Studio 2004 mx etc...things of this nature are like playing solitare for the G5.

I forsee this system lasting at a minimum of 5 years, while still being completely effective. Not to mention the 8 gigs of ram that one day will reside in this system.


Lemme also say that if you are the casual video editor, or I dunno, this isn't a full time thing for you, it may not be worth the money. This is my livelyhood, so there's no way not to have it.

03-18-2004, 09:53 PM

Is the current G5 the first generation or 2nd generation?

03-19-2004, 12:48 AM

Out of the systems you have described I would go for the G5 but do not rule out the dual G4. Locate the specs for the software you will be using if it takes advantahe of dual processors you might want to consider this option. The dual G4 is cheaper on Apple's site than the single G5. Final Cut Pro and Express utilizes dual processors. If the programs you use only support a single processor go with the G5. I bought a dual G4 for music editing and a little (and I mean a little) video editing. In my opinion faster than the G5 1.6. This is because the programs supprt dual processors and not many programs support 64 bit yet (Does anyone know if Apple's pro suite is now 64-bit compatible?). This is just another option though. I would check a local Apple dealer and test both of these out for yourself, some even have Final Cut installed on them for classes and seminars (You will have to ask the salesperson usually though).

03-19-2004, 12:54 AM

ttn0001, first generation. But the rumour mill is whispering (well, probably just talking in a normal voice) about updates by the end of this month, so I'd wait a bit and see what happens. You might get a price drop on the 1.8 G5 or even a further price drop on the G4s.

03-19-2004, 03:32 PM

eventually, i would used final cut pro. I'm a beginner vid editor (doing on pc now) and I see that imovie has some drawback already. Although this is my first mac and I plan to have it for a long time. The G5 does look cool though and is built on a 64bit platform...more for the future. I heard lots of issues with G5 singles. is applecare worth it..do they charge deductible to get sometime fixed. I plan to purchase through edu discout.

03-20-2004, 11:40 PM

Applecare is really up to you. I bought my PowerNac without applecare. In desktops it is realatively easy to fix any problems with a relatively low cost. If it is a big manufacturing problem chances are you will notice within the first week so the extended wasn't a big deal to me. On an iMac or laptop or something with a screen though I would definately get it. With a G5 if you are computer savvy enough or if you have a repair shop around that you feel will give you a good deal on replacements on certain mishaps I feel it is save to bypass it. On the other hand what's a couple hundred added towards the security of thousands.