Which Mac shall I get!!!

I know, I know, now isn’t the time to buy and don’t worry I shall wait until WWDC in June just in case anything new is announced, but my Dual processor G5 Powermac is feeling a little long in the tooth now so I shall be upgrading soon.

The G5 actually does everything I want it to, but moving across to the Intel based chips and a newer operating system is overdue so that I don’t get left behind.

Question is, should I get a superfast shiny new PowerMac, a middle of the line iMac or would a super small and less expensive Mac Mini do the trick?

The PowerMac would of course be more than enough horsepower for me and has the advantage of being easily upgradable so I could stuff lots of RAM in it and just let it get on with whatever I throw at it. Having something that is a little more powerful than I really need also adds some longevity to the product meaning I won’t need to upgrade for a while again. I already have two monitors as well so I’ll be able to continue using those (although I may need adaptors for them). It is of course very expensive. Having a Quad-core processor and 6GB of Ram does sound tempting though, if only money were no object!

The iMac looks nice and is a little cheaper. I’d go for the 24″ model with 4GB of RAM, which should be enough. I’d like more but the upgrade to 8GB is just too expensive. The dual core chip would of course be quite an upgrade over my 2Ghz G5’s, especially if I went for the 3.06Mhz model. The downsides are that I’d be paying for a monitor that I don’t really need. But then, it is a nice 24″ Apple monitor!

Then there’s the Mac Mini.. A lot cheaper, but would it be sufficient? How would the 2.26Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo chip compare to my 2 x 2Ghz G5 chips? It might be a lot cheaper but would it be a worthwhile upgrade? Also 4GB of RAM is the most you can add. Probably plenty for now, but its always good to have the option to upgrade. Also, does it have a sufficient video card to power my dual monitor set-up.

Decisions decisions! I could of course just save my money and stick with what I have. I think I’ll at least wait until after WWDC and until Snow Leopard is out. At lest that way I’ll get the latest version of the OS with whatever I decide to buy.

3 Responses

  1. Avatar forComment Author Myles says:

    “my Dual processor G5 Powermac is feeling a little long in the tooth ” – I’m still using a G4 iBook! It’s going strong though.

    I’d say not Mini, because of the problems with upgrading later on. Personally, I prefer the design of the iMac, but my head would say go for the Powermac – function over form, and I guess the money you save in not paying for a new monitor (albeit a reeeally nice one :P) means you could get a better Powermac.

    Also, I’m going to need a new mac for uni, so if you do want to sell your old powermac… 😉

    • Avatar forComment Author Alan says:

      You could have a point Myles. Mac pro would be nice, but it would probably be an extra £500 on top of the iMac (at least)… Imagine the power though!

      Once I’ve got one, then I’m sure I would be up for selling my current G5, but I shall be holding on for a bit until the new OS comes out at least. So I wouldn’t wait for me. You might be better off with a laptop for uni as well… You might not fit the G5 tower in your car!!

  2. Avatar forComment Author PJ says:

    Save some dosh; dump the Mac & get a standard PC system unit (I prefer AMD based e.g. Phenom II for Value For Money).

    As for the O/S, go for a Linux distro – again saving you a shed load of money. POSIX compliant like Mac & no viruses.

    I’ve been using Linux as my day to day system for 3 years now (openSUSE), or try Ubuntu/kubuntu. I prefer KDE desktop (KDE 4 with MacOS inspired Widgets).

    Plenty of developer tools under Linux for free too of course.

    P.S. found your site Googling for Fox Float info (have acquired two 7 year old Marins that need upgrading with at least rebound control, if not PPro lock too).

    Peter

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Alan Cole

Alan is a Freelance Website Designer, Sports & Exercise Science Lab Technician and full time Dad & husband with far too many hobbies: Triathlete, Swimming, Cycling, Running, MTBing, Surfing, Windsurfing, SUPing, Gardening, Photography.... The list goes on.

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