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Obviously, a new iMac G5 would be fantastic, but so would paying the mortgage for the next two months, which is about what a new G5 costs.
I have the opportunity to buy a used G4 from a trusted source. I'm sure the machine is in good condition and has been treated well, but I'm worried about whether it will be a step forward or backward.
The G4 is a 700MHz machine, 512MB Ram, running Panther 10.3.3.
Her current PC is 1.0GHz with 512MB Ram, running Windows XP/SP2.
That PC would piss-off a sloth, it's so slow. A snail could draw a picture faster than it can load up Photoshop Elements and open a file. Since it's got a faster processor than the Mac, I'm worried that the switch won't be an improvement. But, then I've heard that Macs are faster, and that graphics programs especially run much smoother in that environment. For instance, the system requirements for PS Elements 3 on PC are a 800MHz processor and a recommended 512MB ram (which makes me wonder why the wife's machine is choking so hard), but the Mac version of the same software says just 256MB will do.
Please advise if you can. I know nothing about Macs that I haven't heard second hand from non-techie sources. I need a knowledgeable Mac user to give me the real scoop on the benefits of Macs, and whether this particular Mac is likely to be worth my while to get.
Thank you so much for any info you can provide.
cEM
I'm finishing up my third and final year of a college Graphic Design program, and have had quite a bit of experience with both Mac and PC in the graphics area.
The school is entirely Mac-based, with a lab of G4s for the first and second years, and a lab of G5s (new last year) for us third year students. Last year (using the G4s) brings back memories of crashing programs, saving as often as possible, and waiting ages just to launch most software.
This year, using the G5s has been quite an improvement, and I think my only complaint if I owned one would be the $6000 CND I would have to part with.
On the other hand, I've been a PC guy all my life.
Your wife's crazily-slow system makes me think there may be some other issues causing it to bog down, as my primary computer is essentially the same specs, and I run it into the ground with graphics work. I rarely shut it down, and usually have about 7 or 8 programs running across both monitors. Maybe I've just taken good care of 'im, but I am rarely frustrated with loading times, and have come to trust its dependancy almost too much! (cross my fingers) Today is actually one of the few times I've thought about upgrading, and that's a result of working with an overly-complex photoshop file thats getting up towards 250mb :S
however, whenever this happens and things start to slow down, I just transfer the file over to my newer laptop (1.6 Ghz Mobile, 1g RAM)... and I'm happy as can be.
As a student, the thing about all this that makes me happiest; a far lower price, for about the equivalent value it provides me with.
I dont have a full understanding of the technological differences between the two platforms, but what I do know is PC is good enough for me. I do plan on purchasing a Mac in the next 5 years, however that will be mostly for cross-platform issues, and hell.. they're pretty!
Having said that, there is no real reason why a 1.0Ghz PC should be all that slow. My wife's machine is an AMD Semprom 2400 which runs at 1.66Ghz and only has 256Mb of RAM. Photoshop 7.0 runs snappily with JPGs produced by her Nikon D50, and on the larger stuff the slowness encountered could be fixed with a RAM upgrade (I agree that 256Mb is pretty limited). Maybe a reinstall would help, maybe a decent 3D video card, maybe a RAM upgrade, maybe a faster hard drive...
In your case though I would definitely go for the Mac G4. Great hardware, a far better OS than Windows, and ideal for Photoshopping and digital photography.
If only Photoshop existed for Linux... ;)
I'm encouraged by what you said about the speed, encyclo. I've seen several reports myself that indirectly say the same thing, and many that say there is no direct correlation between clock speed on a PC and clock speed on a Mac.
Thanks again.
cEM
The lines of performance between MAC's and Windows machines is becoming increasingly similar. I use both MAC's and PC's Daily. The MAC for image editing, illustration and DTP - the PC web stuff (cos of the wider vaiety OpenSource win apps) - both have 1GIG of RAM - OSX Panther and WIN XP - both are excellent at rendering large Photoshop files - I can't really pick one for speed.
But I do lean toward the MAC for Colour callibration. I get a better visual match to pantones with the MAC - this is probably a hardware (monitor) issue but i find the callibration settings are more comprehensive.
My recommendation would be a Mac Mini with a Gig of RAM - perfect for light/medium user + they are cheaper than their older cousins and are just so damn pretty :)
If graphics is all you're after, that's no reason to opt for a Mac. Photoshop, StudioMX, Director, Freehand, Illustrator, all these run just FINE on a PC. My wife's is a 700 Mhz and it only **barely** bogs down, my IBM here rips up graphics like there's no tomorrow. What you need on a PC is lots and lots of RAM - at least a gig, and you'll be fine.
A Mac is fine for many things, but IMHO it's perceived place as "graphics king" is grossly misplaced. The only reason this myth took rise is because in high-end desktop publishing, the layout programs, namely QuarkXpress and Pagemaker (now InDesign, I believe) were perfected for the Mac and buggy for the PC, because Gates lagged on getting his OS up to speed.
I spent 10 years as a high-end scanner operator - that is, a laser drum scanner - and set up the desktop publishing department for a large printing firm here. I helped interface the proprietary Dainippon Screen imagesetting equipment, scanners, and processors with the Mac-based network and workstations to provide the only system on Oregon (at the time) that could interpet Adobe PS in a moire-free 4/C output.
Macs still hold the scepter in the printing arena, but this does not equate to the king of graphics for general use. :-) A Mac is good to have, but I wouldn't make it a replacement for a PC.
