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- Your Mac's Specs
- Mac Pro 1,1, PBG4 17", iBook G3(366 Indigo), iPad Air (16G), iPhone 4(8GB).
Okay, so long story short, I made a complete idiot mistake and killed my Dell desktop. Given that a power surge was involved, I'm pretty sure it'd need a complete rebuild, and since it was free, I don't think it's worth it (PC is from 2008).
So I'm looking for a Mac to replace it. The only problem is which.
Options:
#1: 17" iMac, the earliest Core2Duo version, running at 1.83GHz. $150.
Pros: Can run SL and Lion, and Windows if I wanted to.
Newer-ish
Cons: Intel GMA950
2GB RAM limit.
Anything breaks, I'm out of luck.
#2: PowerMac G5, one of the dual processor models (1.8, 2.0, or 2.3).
The one at the top of my price range ($170 max) that I'm looking at is a dual processor 2.0GHz with an nVidia 6600 (128MB RAM) from late 2005, with PCI-e slots, though there are some other dual processor models that are a little older.
Pros: It's a tank
If something (PSU, disc drive, hard drive) breaks, it's a lot easier to replace.
4-8GB of RAM
Decent GPU that can be upgraded
In the future, I can use the case for newer hardware
Cons:
G5, no support past Leopard, nor for newer software.
No Windows support
I don't plan on video encoding or other hardware intensive things like that. I want to browse, do some word processing, perhaps play a few games, watch YouTube videos, etc. My G4 PowerBook struggles with videos, and it's not the best with multiple tabs open either (RAM is already maxed at 2GB).
Which of these would suit my needs better? I like the idea of being able to put Windows on the iMac, but the general lack of repairability worries me, and I see a lot of iMacs from that era with display issues. Also, I had a GMA950 in a netbook and that thing was a pig. It had trouble rendering Facebook and allowing for smooth scrolling while doing it.
That being said, the G5 will have its own issues...
Thoughts? Also, if you recommend the G5, would one with Leopard or Tiger be better?
So I'm looking for a Mac to replace it. The only problem is which.
Options:
#1: 17" iMac, the earliest Core2Duo version, running at 1.83GHz. $150.
Pros: Can run SL and Lion, and Windows if I wanted to.
Newer-ish
Cons: Intel GMA950
2GB RAM limit.
Anything breaks, I'm out of luck.
#2: PowerMac G5, one of the dual processor models (1.8, 2.0, or 2.3).
The one at the top of my price range ($170 max) that I'm looking at is a dual processor 2.0GHz with an nVidia 6600 (128MB RAM) from late 2005, with PCI-e slots, though there are some other dual processor models that are a little older.
Pros: It's a tank
If something (PSU, disc drive, hard drive) breaks, it's a lot easier to replace.
4-8GB of RAM
Decent GPU that can be upgraded
In the future, I can use the case for newer hardware
Cons:
G5, no support past Leopard, nor for newer software.
No Windows support
I don't plan on video encoding or other hardware intensive things like that. I want to browse, do some word processing, perhaps play a few games, watch YouTube videos, etc. My G4 PowerBook struggles with videos, and it's not the best with multiple tabs open either (RAM is already maxed at 2GB).
Which of these would suit my needs better? I like the idea of being able to put Windows on the iMac, but the general lack of repairability worries me, and I see a lot of iMacs from that era with display issues. Also, I had a GMA950 in a netbook and that thing was a pig. It had trouble rendering Facebook and allowing for smooth scrolling while doing it.
That being said, the G5 will have its own issues...
Thoughts? Also, if you recommend the G5, would one with Leopard or Tiger be better?