Creating the fastest possible home network given my components

Question

I realize that I can't upgrade the wireless speed of my PowerMac G5 dual 2.7GHz. At least this is my understanding based on what I've read. I just ordered a new iMac, and I want to do what I can to make transfer speeds between the PowerMac and the new iMac as fast as possible. Right now I connect to a 802.11g router wirelessly using an external antenna on the back of my PowerMac G5 (I also use a 2004 iBook G4 on the same network). If I upgrade my wireless router to a 802.11n compatible router and plug my PowerMac into the router with a CAT 5 ethernet cable (no more wireless connection for the G5), then would I be able to transfer files between the G5 tower and the iMac at 802.11n speeds? Would it be even faster if both the PowerMac and the iMac are hardwired to the router? I will have external drives connected to the PowerMac and external drives connected to the iMac, and I would like to be able to have fast access to files regardless of which computer I'm using and where the files are. I currently move files across my wireless network between the PowerMac and the iBoook, so I'm not worried about whether or not that will work, but as I expand my equipment I'm curious about the practicality of referencing files over the network when working on media projects (Final Cut, After Effects, etc.). Seems like I should do what I can to make everything as speedy as possible. I want to avoid copying files to always have local versions to work on. I would prefer leaving things where they are and just access them over the network. But I'm not sure if this is truly the way to go. Am I asking for trouble if I have an After Effects project on the iMac that is referencing source files on the external drives connected to the PowerMac?
I'm very ignorant in this area, so any thoughts (in layman's terms) would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Answer 1

Okay... I think I may be ready to put this topic to rest.
I'm going to share what my offline friend had to say about the suggestion of just connecting the two desktops to each other via ethernet cable:
{quote}It's not just a regular cable between two computers. It has to be a "cross-over" cable. They look the same, but have different mappings between the 8 pins.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethernetcrossovercable
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812119156
That would be the minimal cost solution, but excludes additional connections. The laptop, for example, could not be wired in for a high speed connection.
It also makes for a more complicated configuration for the Macs to support two network interfaces. You'll have to figure out how to assign the IP addresses and then add static routes so that only the appropriate traffic is directed over the wire and not through the primary interface. This can be tricky to set up properly.
How does the iMac know to send traffic to the PowerMac over the wire and not through the wireless router (which is the primary interface)? Each desktop will have two IP Addresses. Sorting this out and getting it working the way you want it may not be so simple.
ifconfig, netstat and route are the commands you'll need to get familiar with.
The bridge suggestion is the least complicated from a sysadmin POV. After the bridge is configured, everything should just work...
But, it's always nice to have a cross-over cable available to try stuff out. Just be sure to clearly mark the cable so you don't confuse it with a regular patch cable.
{quote}
I'm now thinking I'll go back to the more "elegant" solution of using a gigabit switch, and then I'll just have to decide whether I want to use a long ethernet cable from the router to the switch, or if I want to keep things tidier and avail myself of a wireless bridge.
Either way, I think it's possible that we ("I") may have beat this horse to death. I'm happy to hear any further thoughts from anyone, but at this point I think I am ready to move forward.
Thank you Bruce and Kenichi!