which Mac should I buy? tower or iMac?

[RVC1]

I own and work on a G5 tower. it's a Dual 2.5g power PC with 8gb of ram. it's been acting up of late and crashing a lot. here's a description, though you can skip this next paragraph if you want:

it revs up, slows down, sounds weird, and I get strange pauses in Photoshop and crashes. sometimes when putting it to sleep, it does that rev up thing gradually until it gets REALLY loud and then won't wake up, then I need to force shut down. I also get Photoshop files that when opening them, I get a message that says the file may have been damaged.

so I think it's time for a new computer. the new towers are very expensive so I was looking at the iMacs. I was wondering if you think I'll be happy with an iMac. the specs look pretty good. I'm a graphic designer and run apps like Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Flash, etc. some of my PS files are 2gb in size, so, pretty big. I don't do video editing or audio, but I might get into it in the future, but mildly if at all.

so what should i be thinking about? should I stop messing around and get the tower or save some $$$ and go with an iMac? if so which one> will I notice a big difference with the quad-core? should I go as far as 8gb of ram or can i get by with 6?

any help weighing the pros and cons will be MUCH appreciated!

thanks!!!!!!!

 

[pigoo3]

so I think it's time for a new computer. the new towers are very expensive so I was looking at the iMacs. I was wondering if you think I'll be happy with an iMac.

Let's look at this logically. Your title says, "which Mac should I buy? tower or iMac?"

You've already said that "the new towers are very expensive so I was looking at the iMacs."

So that really only leaves you with the iMac option. Whether you will be happy with an iMac or not is hard to say...but the iMac seems to be the option you can afford.

Of course there is also the Mac-mini...but that wouldn't be as good as an iMac. And you never mentioned wanting a laptop, so I guess we don't need to cover that.

I hope this helps...looking at it logically & financially...the iMac would seem to be your only choice...now you just need to decide on which model.

- Nick

 

[omarscape]

if you could offord (sorry for my spelling) one of the mac pros i would get that if not go with the imac

 

[hughvane]

The problems you've outlined suggest a logic board failure looming. That could be replaced.

A Mac Pro is awesome, and so is the price! It will do all you want for the jobs you've specified - and then some.

However, if you're hinting at another G5 tower ... do you want PPC or Intel? With what will your present applications work?

The quad core 2.5 Power Macintosh G5 "Quad Core" (2.5) Specs (Late 2005, M9592LL/A, A1117, PowerMac11,2) @ EveryMac.com would do everything you want, I suggest. Note the current asking price (right near the bottom of the page).

 

[RVC1]

sorry if I wasn't clear. when I said tower, I meant the newest Mac Pro quad core, not an older Power PC (which I have) or an intel model.

pigoo3 - it's not as simple as that. I WILL afford it if I have to, I just wanted to save the money IF the iMac would be good enough. do you think the iMacs are close to the performance of the Mac Pros? as for a laptop, I just bought a new MacBook Pro, so no need for that option.

hughvane - maybe what you're saying is worth checking out. maybe what I'm experiencing with my computer can be fixed. but I just figured it was old at this point and worth replacing. if I went with an older mac I'd definitely go with an intel, right? most newer technology is designed to work with the intel processors at this point, no? but again, wouldn't one of the newest iMacs be better than an older intel tower at this point? my current tower is a dual 2.5...I'd assume the quad 2.5 would be that much better? also, what would I be missing out on by going with the older quad as opposed to the Mac Pro? another thought - would the ram from my G5 2.5 dual work in the quad? that could be a saving option. where would you recommend buying an intel quad tower?

anyway, back to my original question. would anyone recommend the iMac, or should I stick with a tower or Mac Pro? does the 8-core add A LOT more performance than the quad? though it's more $, it has more ram. each only come with a 640gb drive, so I'd have to pay more for the tb drive - more $.

one last question - is there anything new on the horizon for mac? I'd hate for a brand new model to come out RIGHT after I bought my new computer.

thanks guys!

 

[pigoo3]

pigoo3 - it's not as simple as that. I WILL afford it if I have to, I just wanted to save the money IF the iMac would be good enough. do you think the iMacs are close to the performance of the Mac Pros? as for a laptop, I just bought a new MacBook Pro, so no need for that option.

If you just purchased a new MacBook Pro (which are fairly powerful computers)...for the computer tasks you do...what can't you do on the MacBook Pro that would justify the purchase of either an iMac or Mac Pro?

- Nick

 

[Spike88]

.

For your needs of "I'm a graphic designer and run apps like Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Flash, etc. some of my PS files are 2gb in size, so, pretty big. I don't do video editing or audio, but I might get into it in the future, but mildly if at all.", it sounds like the new iMac i7 27" with 2 x 4 Gigs RAM, with 1TB HD and graphics card with 512 Megs RAM, and 1 x Firewire 800 external HD (for critical data backups) should do the trick just fine. Add in a 1300VA Backup UPS unit for electrical power stability and it would be even better. This iMac H/W bundle seems to be the 1st choice pick for many graphic designers.

Hope this helps...

.

 

[chas_m]

At the moment, the top-of-the-line iMac equals or outperforms most Mac Pros.

This will change, of course, when the Mac Pros are next overhauled (hopefully soon), but at the time of this writing, I think the 27" i7 iMac is truly a wondrous thing.