imac or g5 tower?

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why is an imac more expensive than a g5 tower?? im in the middle of buying one of the two.:Smirk:
 

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why is an imac more expensive than a g5 tower?? im in the middle of buying one of the two.:Smirk:

Kind of hard to say…since you didn't specify what model iMac you're referring to. We don't know if the iMac is new or used…or if the iMac is just 1-2 years old…or 14 years old (iMac's have been around since 1998).

There were also many G5 Tower models…but we can at least "guestimate" the age of the "G5 Tower"…since they were only produced between 2003-2006.

So we need more info.:)

- Nick
 
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Let's just say an imac 20 inch about 3 years old with superdrive ang g5, compared to a G5 tower that is dual 1.8 ghz power pc G5 processor osx 10.5.6. i just want to know why are the G5's more cheaper? is it because they dont come with a monitor? thx for your input. :Blushing::Blushing:
 

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Apple dropped all support for PowerPC about a half a decade ago and with OS X Lion completely dropped running PowerPC applications..

Starting with OS X Snow Leopard, you need an Intel-based Mac to get that update. Since then, we've had Lion and Mountain Lion. So The PowerPCs at Leopard are sufficiently back there in time and new applications are focusing purely on the newer versions of OS X and Intel-based Macs..

So essentially, what you are seeing a lack of support from current and near future applications dramatically reducing the longevity of the PowerPC based Macs and thus the cheaper price.

If you already had the PowerPC-based Mac, you can find ways of extending it's life by finding old versions of applications and so on, but if you are looking to purchase a Mac, then your best bet is to stick with the Intel-based one and find the NEWEST one you can find based on your budget..
 
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A 2009 iMac is worth double what a six+ year old G5 is worth. Pure and simple Intel v PowerPC and the latter is not the winner.
 

pigoo3

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Let's just say an imac 20 inch about 3 years old with superdrive ang g5, compared to a G5 tower that is dual 1.8 ghz power pc G5 processor osx 10.5.6. i just want to know why are the G5's more cheaper? is it because they dont come with a monitor? thx for your input. :Blushing::Blushing:

Some of what you posted is still confusing…but "Raz0rEdge" mentioned many things.:)

But basically…Powermac G5's are older than a 3 year-old iMac (Powermac G5's are 6-11 years old)…vs. the 3 year old "hypothetical" iMac you mentioned. So the first reason why this 3 year-old iMac is more expensive than a Powermac G5…is simply that it is newer…and newer computers are more valuable (in most cases).

Secondly…Powermac G5's have the older style PPC processor. All Macintosh computers sold since 2006 have an Intel processor. Thus…any Mac OS version sold since 2009 is NOT compatible with a PPC cpu (the one found in a Powermac G5)…and probably 99% of all software sold for a Macintosh computer sold in 2012…is NOT compatible with a Powermac G5…due to the PPC cpu.

Lastly. A better comparison would be…comparing a 2004-2005 Powermac G5 to a 2004-2005 iMac (similar vintages)…and see how the values compare. Comparing a 6-11 year-old Powermac G5 with a PPC cpu…to a 3 year-old iMac with an Intel cpu…is not a fair comparison.

It's kind of like saying…"Why can the average 30 year-old man run a 26.2 mile marathon faster than the average 75 year-old man?" Answer: It's not a fair comparison since both men are not the same age.

- Nick
 
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thx for your input, i think im going with the tower, i think you get more bang for the buck, and you dont have to worry about heating problems and broken screens like i heard of 2008 imacs, it WAS a serious machine when they first came out, cheers :Mischievous:
 

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You probably won't think "bang for buck" when you discover you can't install a whole ton of any current software on it.
 

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If is indeed a G5 tower that you are going to be getting, you're already setting yourself up to need to upgrade shortly since, as others have indicated, the number of applications/technologies that support the older computers is dwindling quickly.

But it's your money and we've provided the best advice we can, in the end its your call..
 

pigoo3

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thx for your input, i think im going with the tower, i think you get more bang for the buck, and you dont have to worry about heating problems and broken screens like i heard of 2008 imacs, it WAS a serious machine when they first came out, cheers :Mischievous:

FWIW…I think you just made the wrong choice!:(

- Nick

p.s. Of course you didn't tell us how much each computer costs & what your budget is/was…which could play into this decision.
 

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