[G4] Old vs new G4 -Comments please

[Winsor Crosby]

On Thursday, January 30, 2003, at 11:45  PM, Maurice Kay wrote:

> Opinions on old vs new G4s may have been discussed earlier and I 
> missed it . . .
>
> Today I bought the last old model Dual 1GHz G4 available at the new 
> Apple Knox Street store in Dallas. I have 10 days to make a decision 
> whether to keep it.
>
> I've been flip-flopping between the Dual and the new, single processor 
> 1GHz machine as a BTO with a SuperDrive added. That would bring the 
> cost to $1,699 for the new, single processor vs $1,999 for the old 
> Dual. Then there is the new Dual 1.25GHz at $1,999, with combo drive, 
> or $2,199 with the SuperDrive. I am really stretching my budget if I 
> go the Dual route, but I do want to get the best long-term (Ha, is 
> there any such thing as a long-term computer?) value for my money.
>
> One of my major considerations is I am planning to do some iMovies and 
> want to be able to burn DVDs. FYI, I am currently using a G4 400.
>
> While I'm asking, any opinions on .Mac? Saw the special promotion 
> offer of $69.95.
>
> Thanks for any comments.
>
> Maurice
>

A few things to consider. From reports on the web the new ones are much 
quieter. The new ones will not boot in OS9 unless you buy a particular 
model designed to do it and that model still has the noisy cooling 
system. The new ones have Firewire Extreme which is a long term 
investment. If you don't get it you may need to add a third party card 
some time in the future with possible incompatibilities. OS X uses the 
dual processor. So it may run a bit faster on it. I have not looked but 
the base model may be short of the third level cache which is critical 
to speed in things like Virtual PC which you may find that you need for 
special application on the Mac. For instance there is no GPS unit you 
can download maps to with a Mac, but you can do it with Virtual PC.  
Certainly some processor intensive applications like Photoshop will be 
improved with big files. The new one has Blue Tooth. As it gets more 
widespread you may want that for a wireless keyboard, mouse, speakers, 
synching of a Palm or future version of iPod.

I have always found that you get the best deal on the middle model. Not 
stripped like the cheaper one and not marked way up in price for small 
improvements for the people who have to have the very best.

Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California, USA