Could use some expert mac advise

[innereye]

Hi all,

I'm looking to make the switch from my dinosaur PC to a fancy new mac. Well not that fancy cuz funds are limited, but I could use some help on what kind of mac will get the job done. Lately I've been working with larger photoshop files (around 250mb) and my pc takes about 7 mins just to open the file. I was looking at a used Dual Processor G4 1 Ghz cuz the price is right. Any suggestions as to whether that would be sufficient or not would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Meyvn]

DP 1 GHz G4 will perform fairly well in Photoshop CS2 since it's dual processor aware. If you can get a lower-end DP G5, or a 1.42 GHz G4, that'd be better, but if that's all you can afford right now, then go for it. One thing I would suggest, though, is upgrading the RAM to 2GB. That'd be a significant performance boost, especially when it comes to files that large.

 

[innereye]

Thanks for your reply and suggestion. I would like this purchase to be my last for awhile, so maybe I should go for something a little faster. Is it possible to use my pc monitor with a mac? The DP 1 GHz G4 I was looking at came with a 17" monitor for $900.00, so I thought that was a good deal. But if I can use my pc monitor for now I could spring for a faster G4 or G5 and get a better monitor when I get the funds. Uggh... To many options. Sure would make my life easier if there was just fast, faster, and fastest to choose from

Thanks again for your help!

 

[to_tough_to_die]

Well, it depends upon the graphics card and the display types it supports. What are the connections?

 

[innereye]

good question. It's a compaq mv720. I found these specs if it helps.
http://support.radioshack.com/support_accessories/doc56/56224.htm

 

[innereye]

I guess a 15-pin connector? Am I on the right track here?