looking to buy a g5, please help

as of right now i have a 1.33ghz g4 powerbook. I was planning on upgrading to a new 12" pb, but then i realized it was a totally waste of an upgrade, and I would be so much happier getting a g5 desktop. I just have a LOT of questions

right now i have a custom built pc. 3.0 ghz p4, 1gb ram, 256mb v-ram.

Given that the g5's are so dang expensive, i think i would realistically be considering the dual 1.8ghz.

my questions are

1) is the dual 1.8ghz machine fast? i plan to use photoshop, dreamweaver, flash, fireworks, etc. and hopefully play games (battlefield vietnam if it ever comes out, doom 3, etc)

2) is there a noticeable diference between the dual 1.8 over the single 1.8?

3) is it woth shelling out the extra 500 for the dual 2 ghz?

as of now i would probably buy the comp stock at apple, and the order 2 gb of ram from somewhere else.

4) is the video card upgradeable later?

5) will i notice similar performance on this machine to my pc machine? thanks for all your help!

Disclaimer: I don't own a G5, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

1. Macworld thinks the Dual 1.8 is the best mix between power and price.
http://www.macworld.com/2004/09/reviews/secondg5/index.php

2. Definitely. The single 1.8GHz G5 is about the same as an iMac G5 in terms of processing power. The dual processors really do help the system go faster. Look at the Macworld comparison chart on the G5s.

3. Spend it on more RAM instead. D1.8GHz with 1GB of RAM will fly faster than a D2.0GHz with only half that.

4. Yeah, as long as it was specifically made for Macs. PC-made graphics cards have different firmware and usually can't be used on Macs.

5. As long as you put a lot of RAM in it (see above) you should be more than happy with its performance.

I see you're from Tucson as well. Get any rain at your place on Saturday?

EDIT: If you haven't already, read Anand Shimpi's review of the G5 he bought. It covers a lot of basic stuff that most everybody already knows, but it's good to get a perspective from the PC user's point of view.

http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2232

yea i live in the nw, i got a tonnn of rain! thanks for your help

I think the dual 1.8 with 1 to 2 megs of ram would be a heck of a lot of bang for the buck. My wifes iMac 1.8 with 768 is a great dependable and very smooth running system.

also, do you think the new powermac line will be out soon? according to http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

its a bad time to buy because the current line has been out for 270 days

I think they'll definitely have new, better PowerMacs when Tiger is released in June at the WWDC.

i dont know what it is about macs.. when i used to buy a pc, i didnt care when newer or better machines came out. and, it wouldnt bother me if i had just bought a computer only for a new one to come out a few weeks later. But with my mac for some reason i get soo upset and sad when the newer one comes out! i think im going to pick up a dual 1.8ghz this week. for what i need it for, its more than enough machine. an imac is probably enough machine for that matter

i think it's because with PC's, its jsut a new processor speed has been anounced with so many slections of the same syle pc.... so it's not a big deal. but with mac's there is only a few types (imac powermac ibook etc...) that when there is an upgrade or a new machine, it is exciting to people...

menace3054 said:

as of right now i have a 1.33ghz g4 powerbook. I was planning on upgrading to a new 12" pb, but then i realized it was a totally waste of an upgrade, and I would be so much happier getting a g5 desktop. I just have a LOT of questions

right now i have a custom built pc. 3.0 ghz p4, 1gb ram, 256mb v-ram.

Given that the g5's are so dang expensive, i think i would realistically be considering the dual 1.8ghz.

my questions are

1) is the dual 1.8ghz machine fast? i plan to use photoshop, dreamweaver, flash, fireworks, etc. and hopefully play games (battlefield vietnam if it ever comes out, doom 3, etc)

2) is there a noticeable diference between the dual 1.8 over the single 1.8?

3) is it woth shelling out the extra 500 for the dual 2 ghz?

as of now i would probably buy the comp stock at apple, and the order 2 gb of ram from somewhere else.

4) is the video card upgradeable later?

5) will i notice similar performance on this machine to my pc machine? thanks for all your help!

Click to expand...

1) yes it is fast. i own one and use every single one of those apps you mentioned, four or five running at the same time and its fast.

2) i cant say as i dont own one but my guess would be not a very noticable difference

3) no

4) apple didnt say you could
http://www.apple.com/powermac/expansion.html

5) yes. it will do some tasks better and some worse. for example photoshop will go faster.

i hope that helps you out. you can ask me any questions you like

thanks for all your help. im going to get a dual 1.8ghz tomorrow, and Ive already ordered 1gb more of ram for it! thanks