First Mac: iMac G5 or Powermac G5

Hi, After using windows for 5 years I have decided to purchase my first mac, as it is my first, and I dont know much about them I wanted a reletively cheap option and the iMac G5 and the Powermac G5 caught my eye, after buying these I am getting a Power Book G4 (Titanium.) I just want a recommendation of what one to get, or if to jump straight into the mobile computing enviroment.

OK, to make it easier for anybody else wanting to help...
http://tinyurl.com/2bd5x2j
More info on the G5 iMac...
http://tinyurl.com/2cp2kda
http://tinyurl.com/27u36bp
There were 4 different G5 PMs, all different.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermacg5/stats/powermac_g5_2.0dp.html
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermacg5/stats/powermac_g5_2.0_dp2.html
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermacg5/stats/powermac_g5_2.0_dppci.html
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermacg5/stats/powermac_g5_dual2.0.html
Seems like good prices on all though.
I'm also going to upgrade the ram on the machine that I get so what one is the easiest to do the upgrade also can you upgrade the graphics/video card on them?
No video upgrades on the iMac, RAM upgrades are easy on both, but Mac compatible RAM is essential.
See japamacs page here on the best AGP cards for G4s & G5s...
http://www.jcsenterprises.com/Japamacs_Page/Blog/4B4B7BA2-7ABB-47F1-87AC-B03D379 42BEE.html
G5 PCIe options are listed here:
http://www.jcsenterprises.com/Japamacs_Page/Blog/71BBF3EF-9713-4C53-8B80-26771F8 A4087.html
Hopefully the master himself will drop in a bit later with the whole skinny!

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First Mac Purchase - iMac i3 - Please Advise

Hello, I am very close to purchasing my first ever Mac, but I am unsure of which direction to take. I am debating between the iMac i3 - 21.5 inch base model with 8gb of ram, or the next model up. I know that the hard drive is double, the processor is a little bit faster, and the video card is better. I am hoping there are some Mac gurus who might help with some insight is this decision. I will be mainly using it for work, but also for some light gaming, nothing serious. Is the $250 worth the 3.20 i3, 1TB HD, and the better graphics card? Or, should I increase the ram on the base model from 4gb to 8gb? Any suggestions on above mentioned information or any other relevant information would be much appreciated, thanks.

Thank you all for your quick responses. As far as the first respons goes, I just do not know enough yet about the OSx applications, so I am really not sure yet what applications I may be using. However, I do edit/add new products to the web for the company I work for. It's primary used will be for work, but the web editing I do is nothing too crazy. Mainly just editing photos and writing the info in HTML.
In reference to the second response, that was the way I was leaning. I am unsure if I can convince my wife to go up to the i5 model though, ha. I do want to check out some games on I though, even though I have a ps3. I also may want to run Windows with the parallel program. I guess I'm just trying to make the most informed decision since I do not know a lot about the macs and which one is the best value.
The third response has almost convinced me now to go with the base model. The bottom line for me is $250 is not a huge deal, but $450(to go to the i5) is getting closer to being a big deal. To me, it seems like the faster processor and the graphics card are worth $250 and the hard drive is a bonus as well. I definitely liked the point of getting an external drive, but how much am I going to spend for a 500gb external drive? Will I be getting closer and closer to the original $250 difference I could have spent to go with the nicer model? Once again thank you for responding, and I hope to hear some more insightful thoughts to help me with my first Mac purchase, cheers.

HT1338 I just purchased an iMac and an HP LaserJet M1217nfw printer. The iMac will not recognize the disc that came with the printer. What can I do? This is my first Mac and just might be my last. Installation has not been fun. I would appreciate any

I just purchase an iMac and an HP LaserJet M1217nfw printer. I could not install with the installation disk that was furnished by HP. This is my first Mac product and I'm just not sure what I'm doing...help! I don't know if it's a mountain lion, a tiger, or a dog! The box says OS X. I really need help. Thanks for your time.

What Mac operating system are you running on your iMac?
Are you certain they're compatible?
Have you checked with HP to see if there's a newer driver?
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareCategory?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=4 075472
In addition, I haven't loaded on any software with my last 3 printers. They just work without them, IMHO.
But a current driver would be necessary.

I just got a new iMac yesterday. I connected my Itouch and it would appear I have lost all my songs! Can anyone help? This is my first Mac and I am very intimidated by it.I

I just got a new iMac yesterday. I connected my Itouch and it would appear I have lost all my songs! Can anyone help? This is my first Mac and I am very intimidated by it.I

How did you get your songs onto your iPod Touch?
If purchase directly from iTunes you can download them again.
If your iPod is synced to iTunes on a Windows PC, then, sync your iPod to that computer.
If this is your first Mac, are you migrating from a Windows PC?
You may be interested in Apple's support pages on switching to Mac from PC.
http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

I have got a new imac - set up my mail to access my hotmail account and i have logged on today and can't find mail any where - this is my first mac !!

I have got a new imac - set up my mail to access my hotmail account and i have logged on today and can't find MY mail ICON any where - this is my first mac !!

Hello
Have you checked the applications folder?
To quickly find it on the top right press the spotlight button it looks like that image
and type in Mail it should appear in the spotlight list, click it to launch mail or alternatively right click it and press open enclosing folder to find out where it has vanished too

I am considering a base 21" iMac ($1099 @ Best Buy) for home use. It would be my first Mac. Is the base model powerful enough for everyday home use and some light video editing or should I upgrade the CPU, Ram and to a Fusion drive?

I am considering a base 21" iMac ($1099 @ Best Buy) for home use. It would be my first Mac. Is the base model powerful enough for everyday home use and some light video editing or should I upgrade the CPU, Ram and to a Fusion drive?
Purchasing with the upgrades through Apple would add about $800 over the Black Friday deal at Best Buy. Just looking for some advice if I will be satisfied with the based model.

All models will do what you want. Upgraded models will do it faster than the standard models.
Just why are you thinking of switching to a Mac?

First Mac--an 24" iMac--with a few questions

I just purchased my first Mac and it arrived two days ago. Swapped in 4GB of Crucial memory--no problems. But have been reading with trepidation about all the freeze up problems. So far so good, but I have two questions:
(1) What are the best ways to stress test the system to see if it will freeze up?
(2) I read mention of update 1.1. However, in my list of possible software updates, there is nothing that appears to resemble a 1.1 update. So as to avoid running into problems, can you tell me:
(a) if this has already been removed from the update list?
(b) where to look if it is likely already loaded onto my system at the factory?
(c) where would it appear if it is just waiting to catch me in a unguarded moment?
Many thanks!

Thanks very much for responses so far.
On day 3, and so far so good. Have been doing a lot of iPhoto work with lots of photos and no freeze ups...knock on wood.
Regarding what software I have installed, here is what I have added so far:
2007-10-24 22:44:33 -0500: Installed "iPhoto Update" (7.1)
2007-10-24 23:24:30 -0500: Installed "AirPort Base Station Update 2007-002" (5.2.1)
2007-10-24 23:24:41 -0500: Installed "iDVD Update" (7.0.1)
2007-10-24 23:24:57 -0500: Installed "iMovie Update" (7.1)
2007-10-24 23:25:15 -0500: Installed "GarageBand Update" (4.1)
2007-10-24 23:25:21 -0500: Installed "iLife Support" (8.1)
2007-10-24 23:25:46 -0500: Installed "iTunes" (7.4.2)
2007-10-24 23:25:54 -0500: Installed "iWeb Update" (2.0.2)
2007-10-25 19:07:36 -0500: Installed "iLife Support" (8.1.1)
2007-10-25 23:31:44 -0500: Installed "Keynote Update" (4.0.1)
2007-10-25 23:31:53 -0500: Installed "Pages Update" (3.0.1)
Regarding software, I am holding back on, I have not installed the following 3 updates:
1) Numbers Update vs 1.0.1
2) Compatibility Update for Quicktime 7.2 vs 1.0
3) Security update 2007-007(Intel) vs 1.0
As you can tell, I have been holding back installing anything associated with a vs 1.x to it!!
It appears that I have not been even offered the option of updating to vs 1.1
Why is it that this option is not showing up and would it be safe in your opinion to upload the remaining three programs listed above?
Thanks!

How did you feel about your first mac?

As an early christmas present I received a 13 inch macbook air, 2GB RAM and 1.86GHz dual core cpu.
I am mostly used to PC laptops running linux or often I put solaris on them. I study Computer Science and have Asperger's Syndrome.
I got my mac as windows had too much bloatware and Linux was too unstable on my 64-bit hardware (needed 6 GiB RAM for large compilations). I was going to use the macbook air to take notes and some minor work between classes such as writing assembly subroutines, C and java. The primary use of this system was going to be as a personal assistant to have my calendar and files etc.
The system is so powerful with a full 12 hours battery life when working on the localhost that it can out-do a 2.4GHz dual core with 6 GiB RAM PC running any OS. This system is now used for all my work due to it's capabilities and portability. After only one week with a mac I dont know how I lived without one, and my carer says it has made me show immense improvements day-to-day. I am now tempted to learn Objective-C as well as how to use Cocoa from Python to be more efficient, especially after seeing the perfection in this system.
How did you feel when you got your first mac?

A related question might be, what did you think about the introduction of the IBM PC?
I had been designing digital systems and working with computers for a few years before the PC's introduction in 1981. The mainstay systems were 8 bit Z80 or 8085 machines running at 4 or 6 MHz. They ran CP/M with its command line interface. Although the maximum memory these systems could use was 64 MB, being a single user, single-task operating sytem, even the most resource-hungry programs (word processors for instance) ran very fast. CP/M itself needed only a few K.
Dual floppy disk systems were common, 180 KB per disk unless you had double sided floppies - 360 K. The A drive booted the operating system, after which you could insert a program disk. The B drive held your data. I had one machine with a whopping 5 MB hard disk - the C drive. I treated it with special reverence.
When rumors began about IBM producing its version of a desktop PC, many people including myself had grand expectations. Clearly Big Blue would emerge as the leader in desktop computers, since they had the resources to dictate what the standard would be. Everyone knew the others would be left in the dust. What kind of processor would it use? How much memory? Would it have a slimmed down version of the multiuser, multitasking operating system used in its System/34 minicomputer? Or would it resemble something that DEC used in its PDP-11?
Well, when the IBM PC came out in 1981, needless to say it was an enormous disappointment. It wasn't much better than anything else I had already been using for three or four years already, except the PC was much, much more expensive. No hard disk unless you wanted to buy an upgraded power supply (more $$$) and then all they offered was 10 MB. Forget about multiple users or multitasking. It didn't even have the equivalent of CP/M's PIP. The whole thing seemed... intentionally crippled. This was supposed to be the future of computing? In my opinion it was a major step backward. The XT that followed it offered only minimal improvements. I rejected the IBM PC as not cost effective and kept using my CP/M dinosaurs.
So, when Apple introduced the Macintosh a couple years later I finally saw, in the flesh, what I thought a computer ought to be. A totally bit mapped display, a robust 16/32 bit processor, real sound capability (everything before it could only "beep") and a true graphical UI. You could name a file anything you want, no 8x3 idiocy. +To this day+ Windows carries remnants of 8x3 filenames!
The Macintosh blew away the PC, if not in performance, in its potential. Unlike the "crippled" PC the Mac seemed limitless. This was cool. The Mac wasn't without limitations though - there was no good way to install a hard disk for instance - but for some reason I considered those limitations trivial and believed they would be overcome in the near future. I waited for the first "upgrade" - the "Fat Mac" with a whopping 512K memory. Half a megabyte!
I used that computer for several years, until the SE/30 came out, which I kept in service for about ten years. I ultimately expanded its memory to 32 MB while PC users were struggling with extended memory or expanded memory - you had to know which was which - to get beyond the PC's stupid 640K barrier. My 30 MB HD eventually grew small, but that was easily remedied with an external SCSI drive. Although the computer did everything I ever expected it to do, the Internet eventually made it functionally obsolete. It could run a browser (forget which one) but the black and white limitation made it marginally useful.
I eventually replaced it with an iMac, which echoed the original Mac's introduction with its forward-thinking design. The iMac opened up a new world in much the same way the original Macintosh did in 1984.
All my Macs still work.
yoshitaka wrote:
... After only one week with a mac I dont know how I lived without one, and my carer says it has made me show immense improvements day-to-day.
That pretty much sums it up.
In retrospect, I believe that IBM and its marriage of convenience with Microsoft delayed the evolution of desktop computing a decade or more. I cringe whenever I think of the aggregate productivity loss and utter frustration shared by millions of PC / Windows devotees all these years.

Booting an iMac from a PowerMac??

I have an old PowerMac G4 and a newer, intel-based iMac. No monitor for the G4.
Just was wondering, is it possible to boot an iMac from a PowerMac?

It may be possible, but the following IF conditions must be met.
1. The Power Mac G4 is capable of starting up in FireWire Target Disk Mode.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661
2. The startup disk on the Power Mac G4 has Leopard. Leopard is universal. Tiger has separate PowerPC and Intel builds. You won't be able to start up an Intel Mac with PowerPC Tiger.
3. The startup drive in the Power Mac G4 is the set to master, if it is on an IDE bus that has two drives (as master/slave). FireWire Target Disk Mode will only allow access to the drive set to master.
4. The Power Mac G4 is able to start up (normally or in target mode) with no display connected.
If you can do 1-4, connect the Power Mac G4 (in target mode) to the iMac. On the iMac, select the Power Mac's hard drive as the startup disk in System Preferences +Startup Disk+ pane. Restart the iMac.
For point #4, if the Power Mac G4 is able to start up normally with no display connected, and it has at least Tiger as the OS, please post back. I'm not sure what you are trying to achieve, but there may be a better solution using the screen-sharing feature.

I got my first mac and wonder what is the max ram capacity?

This is my first mac and I gotten it for school for my animation and visual effects. Since they like using tutorials that uses a lot of mac commands instead of windows so I am doing this so I can easily follow along. I gotten a Apple iMac MD063L from newegg it is coming with 8gb of ram and just wonder if it can go higher like what is the max it could do? I just want to make sure it can handle programs like Maya, adobe after effects but primarily Maya and related programs. When it comes to rendering a project.

That partial part number relates to 3 different refurbished 27" iMacs at NewEgg. All 3 can be upgraded to 32GB of ram. Only buy ram from either OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/ or Crucial http://www.crucial.com/ and avoid the bargain basement brands sold by other vendors. They're all mid 2011 models I believe.

About to buy my first Mac Pro

I would like to upgrade from a 24" Intel iMac to a new 8-core Mac Pro. This is my first Mac Pro so would appreciate a little advice. I'm an amateur videographer and this is a major investment for a computer for my personal use. The new Mac Pro will be used mainly for FCP 2.0. My plan is to get the 8-core, 2.8 GHz processors with 4GB of memory, a 1TB drive, a single ATI HD 2600 graphics adapter, and 2 monitors (one I already have). This pushes to price to close to $5K. I considered the faster processors and more memory, but this seems to a reasonable compromise of cost vs. performance. Agree?
The next question that comes to mind is how long will it take to move everything over from the iMac. As I understand it, Apple has a transfer utility that eliminates the need to re-install everything. Hopefully this includes FCP. I have about 500GB of applications and data that will have to be moved. Does the transfer utility delete the app from the source computer once it is installed on the target computer? Hopefully it doesn't so I'll be able to still use the iMac until the Mac Pro is fully configured and stable. Even though I don't make any money with this, I have several commitments and I can't afford to be shut down for long.
Lastly, I have a lot of trouble with firewire devices on the iMac. I have several firewire HDD's, a control surface for FCP, various capture devices, etc. with a mix of both FW400 and FW800. On the iMac, I've had nothing but trouble, especially when both FW800 and FW400 devices are used simultaneously. Anyone had problems like those I described with their Mac Pro? Can I add a firewire card to the Mac Pro to increase the number of FW inputs... perhaps run all FW800 devices on the card and all FW400 devices on existing FW inputs.

I had a small engineering / product development company that started out with a handmade 8080 computer and Dr. DOS. From there it was Win 3.1 and a 286 computer and so on. I was locked into the WinTel environment since I used several specialized programs and hardware cards that were only available with that platform. I promised myself that, when I closed the company and retired, I'd buy a Mac... and I did. I've purchased a pair of iMac's, a MacMini and a MacBook and am now shopping for my first Mac Pro. I've never regretted that decision and am sure I'll be among the Mac faithful for the duration.
My results have been somewhat different that yours. Yes, the Mac is more expensive than a comparable Windows machine, but now, with the Intel Macs capable of running both Mac and Windows software, its like getting two computers for not much more than a Windows only computer and you gain the ability to run both Windows only and Mac only applications. As far as reliability goes... I used mainly Enterprise versions of IBM and Dell computers in my company and they were far less reliable than my current Mac gear. I'd like to add AppleCare to the list of benefits, but since they started shipping the calls overseas, it hasn't been much better than what I was getting from Dell.

Resetting the SMU on first gen iMac

Okay so I've been having some apparent overheating problems with my iMac G5 and in a previous post I was told to reset the SMU. Since I have a first gen iMac I know that there is a button to push somewhere inside my comp. Does anyone know where it is? All I can find directions for are the newer iMac models.
~Hailey

Hi again Hailey,
I hope this works for you:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300908
I suggest reading it several times..
Rick
iMac G5 iSight 20" - 30G iPOD in Slimming Black - Mac OS X (10.4.7) - HP Pav 15" WS and Toshiba Sat 17" WS LP's - Canon 20D & A620

This is my first mac, it is a macbook pro. i restarted it but when it started back up i saw a white screen and then it prompted me to insert the reboot disk. anyone else have this problem?

I recently bought a Macbook Pro, this is my first Mac. I restarted it, but when it started back there was a plain white screen and then it prompted me to insert the reboot disk. Has anyone else had this problem and is there a way to do this manually like with PC's?

The new Mac's came with OS X Lion 10.7 and there are no boot disks.
Since it's so new, take it back to the Apple Store and let them deal with it.
If not you can hold Command and r (as in rotten) keys down and boot the computer.
You'll be presented with a several options, including one to reinstall OS X Lion provided you have a Apple ID, which means you have to use Safari in there to set one up. To do that you need to set up a email account with Google or Yahoo. Once you get the ID, then you can download Lion and reinstall it.
It's so stupid not having a copy of the OS on hand to perform your own repairs.
Of course Apple will be happy to sell you a $69 Lion USB stick.
Like I said, take it back to the store, and try to get your money back, that will force them to think about just giving you a replacement machine that works.
Lion doesn't work really but it can be acceptable until the patches get released.

I have my first mac. the music folder does not appear in favourites from the finder menu so i cant transfer my itunes library

I have my first mac. I want to transfer my iTunes library from my pc but the music folder does not appear in favourites when I select finder.

Choose Home from the Finder's Go menu.
(117823)

My first Mac and so far I love it!

I just bought a MacBook with OS 10.4.8, and so far I am absolutely besotted with it...I mean, as much as you can love something that's an inanimate object. I have had PCs since I got my very first computer when I started grad school, and I was generally satisfied with them...but when I recently had to call my PC manufacturer to come and install a new motherboard on a less-than-six month old computer...THEN wasted another four hours after that fighting with the antivirus people trying to get that issue resolved...WELL, enough was enough, and off to the Apple store I went.
I'm still on a learning curve for OS as compared to Windows but I've been using Windows for so long I'm giving myself time to adjust. I'm also still working on getting my @X&*( wireless router to work...but that was a problem before I ever got the Mac.
I love the size of my MacBook (so small! so light!) and have been busily downloading music, etc., for an upcoming flight to Seattle. It runs as fast as my desktop (without the pesky bootup problems and never ending battle with the security), I've had no problems with the sound, I bought the Microsoft OfficeMac (so there are some familiar landmarks). I tend to run a lot of applications at the same time when I'm on my computer, and so far I have had very few problems with stalling or freezing.
So...PC to Mac converts, are there any "wish I'd known that with my first Mac" tips you can pass along?
Thank you!
A "happy" camper
MacBook Mac OS X (10.4.8) My very first Mac

Welcome aboard. As for tips, remember to try out Expose and Dashboard. Just press the buttons F9 - F12.

First Mac: iMac G5 or Powermac G5

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