thinking about switching but on a budget....

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I want to try out a Mac, looking online i can get a G5 Imac with good specs for 400-500$, although this is a good price for me, i am worried about what if i dont like my mac? what if i want to run some windows software, how bad off would a Windows power user (serious power user,hacks, mods, programming, ect...) be if he switched to a G5 computer? any opinions about spending the extra 150-200$ to get an intel mac instead?
 

CrimsonRequiem


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Your Mac's Specs
MBP 2.3 Ghz 4GB RAM 860 GB SSD, iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 32GB RAM, Fusion Drive 1TB
Get an intel if you plan on running windows at all.
 
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To put it quite plainly forget the G5 if you have any intentions of running windows programs. You will need one of the intel models and if as you say your a "power user" you will also need enough horsepower to run them. I would suggest at least 2 gig of ram, the best graphics card you can get and something like Parallels or Boot camp. Boot camp would be best if your into gaming. Parallels works great with regular programs, but Boot camp works best with games.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
White Macbook, 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2 GBs of Ram, X3100 Graphics
Definitely go for a Intel Mac. They're a lot faster and allow you to dual boot Windows. If you're on a budget I'd go for a new Mac Mini. They're fairly cheap and with the new update are actually quite powerful.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
24" iMac 2.4 - 4GB RAM, Logitech S530 Kbrd/Mouse, Logitech Z2300 Speakers
If you're on a budget I'd go for a new Mac Mini. They're fairly cheap and with the new update are actually quite powerful.
I would second this. I saw a Mac mini on Mac mall for under $500 tonight, didn't check the specs but might fit the bill for you.
 
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Also,
If you are a school student (which I do not know if you said) you could if you are able to for a short period get a macbook with the free itouch and then sell the itouch and that MAY be around 400-500... although i am unsure.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
2018 15" MBP, 2019 11" iPad Pro, iPhone 11 Pro
To recap:
intel machine
possibly mac mini
possibly student discount
run windows via bootcamp or parallels

may I add, purchase a used or refurbished to save money (Apple's site, e-bay, amazon.com, the buy/sell section of these forums, etc.)
 

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