I'm a graphic designer. What shall I buy?

I am a graphic designer, Mac has been my bread n butter since 1989. I do page layout (ID), Illustrator work (logos, maps) and use Photoshop for photo retouch and manipulations.
Currently own a PPC G5 Dual 2 GHz which is one of the last ones built October 2005, before the Intel chip was integrated. So it's now over 6 years old, still on Tiger (4.11).  I have 5 Gig Ram which have been working well for me.
I also have a really great 26" display, a Planar PX2611W, which is about 5 or 6 years old, but still kicking a$$... I appreciate the fact it has a totally matte finish, no glare like the iMac display.... But hey, we all get old, and eventually die, right?
SO I NEED TO MAKE A DECISION, what should I invest in, a 27" iMac, or a Mac Pro (and keep my 5-6 year old Planar?) which is double the price. I have a feeling that with my needs, not doing any animations, or video work, or even music, the Mac Pro is an over-kill.... Beside the fact money is an issue also, these days, duh...
What do you guys suggest?
...... Thanks!

I was in the exact same situation as mynameismyname, using the exact same G5. I love the computer and have used it for graphic design, publishing, and video/film production. I have a 20" Cinema Display and a 22" wide-format ViewSonic monitor. I decided it was time to upgrade because I'm going to be working on several feature films, so I did extensive research about performance, cost, upgradability, OS possibilities, etc. Because I have numerous programs that will NOT run in Lion, I purchased a refurbished 27" iMac that was released in May 2011 so I could downgrade to Snow Leopard (it was delivered with Lion loaded on it). I saved almost $300 by going with a refurb directly from Apple, but if that's the way you want to go, you might be able to find one with Snow Leopard loaded on it. I had to buy a SL disc from Apple, but it was only $29.95. I also bought two Thunderbolt-to-DVI adapters so I can also use my monitors. I also needed a Firewire 400 to 800 cable. Even with the cable, adapters, and SL, it was less than an additional $100.
The iMac, so far, screams. I haven't loaded al my programs on it yet, so I'm not sure how fast Photoshop and Final Cut will actually run, but so far I love it. Plus, if you use it for business, you can probably justify the much-lower-than-a-MacPro cost even if Apple stops production/support of Mac in the next few years.
I agree that there are signs that Apple might be pulling back on the Mac, such as the "dumbing down" of Final Cut X. I hope we're wrong...
Good luck!

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    JSloanSDRE wrote:
    > JoeyD -
    >
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    >

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