The G5 looks like something out of a sci-fi flick, and performs even better. The really scary thing is the surface is just being scratched on this thing, with few programs compiled around its 64-bit processor. More on that in a minute ... Despite being a beast of a machine (nearly 60 lbs!) and probably the complex computer Apple has ever sold, it is a breeze to set it up and get it going (remember this is a Mac!) I bought it with a seperate Airport Extreme Card that was trivial to install. The G5 even comes with an external Airport antenna.
The included keyboard is very minimal and can take some getting used to. The keys are so tight that I often found myself hitting F13 when trying to hit the delete key. The mouse is a classic Apple mouse, i.e. one button and no scroll wheel. Personally I like Apple mice because they are very natural to use, even though it would seem like two buttons and scroll wheel could be added withot upsetting the ergonomic...
The G5 is amazingly quiet ... most of the time. I have it sitting just a few feet from a P4 2.4GHz and the difference in sound is amazing. I have got the G5 to be noisy though, while installing Panther, and it was incredibly loud then. Nothing else I've done has been able to get it to be quiet. The superdrive is a little noisy, though really no more than most high speed optical drives.
My G5 came with Jaguar pre-installed, but with a full retail version of Panther included in the box. I was very pleased with this, as most computers (not just Apple) only come with "restore" disks. I could write a ton just about Panther, but I will keep it short. I setup the G5 with Jaguar then immediately installed Panther. It took less than 20 minutes to install it, which is amazingly fast (no doubt because the hard drive was nearly empty!)
I was also pleased to see that the G5 software bundle included a Photoshop patch to optimize Photoshop (7.0.1) for use with the G5 cpu. You could download this from Adobe's website, but it was cool that they included it anyways. I didn't run Photoshop on the G5 without the patch, so I can't really say what the net effect of the patch is, but Photoshop on my G5 is so much faster than Photoshop on my P4 ... there is no comparison!
iTunes and iDvd are also very speedy on the G5. I could rip CDs to 256 kbps AAC at speeds over 16x. Again this blows away my P4. I was also able to make a dvd of my wedding, using a dv recording of the 15 minute ceremony, a 10 minute slideshow of pictures (made with iPhoto), and more pics and music for menus. iDvd made it a breeze to put together, and burned the dvd in less than 30 minutes. I made a similar project once using a friend's G4 and it took almost three times as long.
Finally, when it comes to picking your G5, I must recommend the 1.8 GHz as being the best bang-for-the-buck. The 1.6 GHz version has notable downgrades in comparison (no pci-x, no ddr 400, etc.) The dual 2GHz is virtually identical to the 1.8 GHz version, but having dual processors. Also, I recommend sticking with the cheaper NVidia graphics card. The ATI cards are more highly regarded, but most of that is for their superior DirectX 9 implementation. DirectX 9 is a Windows technology, so it is meaningless on a Mac. Everything on a Mac uses lots of OpenGL, and NVidia is superior on OpenGL. So the NVidia card is really better than the ATI 9600 that is available, though it is cheaper. The ATI 9800 probably outperforms the NVidia, courtesy of having twice the amount of memory, but it is $350 more.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop M9031LL/A (1.80-GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD-R/CD-RW Drive)
Product Description:
Benefiting from a truly impressive set of technological breakthroughs, Apple's new Power Mac G5 series is designed for discriminating individuals who simply won't settle for anything less than the very best. This model, the Power Mac G5 M9031LL/A, delivers many of the features of the stunning top-of-the-line dual-CPU Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A (hailed as the fastest personal computer ever released) but with reduced power and a more affordable price tag.
Driven by a 1.8 GHz Power PC G5 processor, 512 MB ultra-fast PC3200 DDR SDRAM memory (expandable to a gargantuan 8 GB!), and an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics card with 64 MB DDR SDRAM video memory, the Power Mac G5 M9031LL/A certainly seems impressive. But those figures only begin to tell the story. For its latest series of high-end desktops, Apple teamed with IBM to redesign its leading edge CPU architecture. Accordingly, this system features two very important innovations -- an extremely fast 900 MHz frontside bus and the world's first 64-bit processor. These are critical advancements that not only boost the top-end speed but also prevent bottlenecks along the way.
Yet there's more than raw power lurking inside the Power Mac G5's futuristic anodized aluminum case. For starters, Apple has compartmentalized the unit into four independent sections to direct appropriate airflow to each key component. A total of nine fans work to keep things cool, yet all are extremely low-speed. Thusly the Power Mac G5 M9031LL/A runs three times quieter than the previous Power Mac G4 enclosure.
Apple has loaded the unit with data handling features, including a monstrous 160 GB 7200 RPM hard disk and a DVD-R/CD-RW combo drive (4X DVD write speed) through which you can archive information, play and burn audio CDs, enjoy the latest movies and record home videos. To help you transfer data to and from external peripherals such as optical drives and digital camcorders and cameras, the system also sports two high-speed FireWire 400 ports, one ultra-fast FireWire 800 port, three USB 2.0 ports and two USB 1.1 ports.
Other significant amenities include a convenient Apple Pro keyboard, an Apple Pro mouse, three available high-performance PCI-X slots for future expansion, and a broad array of multimedia and Internet software. Connectivity facilities include an integrated 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet port, a built-in 56K modem, and AirPort Extreme wireless support (with an AirPort Extreme card). Speakers and display are available separately.
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