A New, Old iMac G5
I’ve been feeling for a long time I wanted to step down from my 20 inch iMac to one with a 17 inch screen. If you’ve been reading my blogs since I began posting them, you know I’ve said several times that writing on a smaller screen feels better to me, i.e, more intimate. The larger 20 inch screen is great for desktop publishing and especially for video editing; but even with desktop publishing, a 17 inch screen is not confining unless I start working with multiple page layouts. Most of my work has been two page spreads; and it wasn’t that long ago when a 17 inch screen was the recommended one for desktop publishing.
With Apple’s switch to Intel coming, I want to ensure I’ve positioned myself to run current generation software and the upcoming Universal Binary software using PowerPC. That means I need to get the fastest CPU and system I can. While the G5 iMacs really occupy a narrow performance band, the second generation G5 iMac has improved performance over the one I own in CPU, graphics, and storage system areas. I also have a soft spot for ATI graphics cards (my current iMac uses a Nvidia GeForce 5200X), for having my systems somewhat matched up, and I already own a dual processor 2.0 GHz PowerMac. Because of all that, I’ve wanted a 17 inch 2.0 GHz G5 iMac. Not only would that satisfy me emotionally, but it would satisfy me from a performance standpoint as well. (Benchmarks at Macworld show the 17 inch 2.0 GHz faster than the 20 inch 2.0 GHz machine and as much as 30% faster than my current 1.8 GHz machine on some tasks.) I really want to get back into writing fiction again; and anything I can do to encourage myself to do that, I want to do. So, I’ve been hunting for a 17 inch 2.0 GHz machine. Since the new iSight iMacs have been released, what’s left of their predecessors, especially as their prices have dropped, have been flying off Internet and store shelves like wind-blown rain in a hurricane. The only unit the Apple Store had left was one with a wireless mouse and keyboard, two peripherals I would never use. I passed.
Saturday morning, a refurbished model showed up online at the Apple Store. It was only $949, not much more than I thought I could get by selling my 1.8 GHz 20 incher. (PowerMax had offered me a $900 trade-in I almost took, but they only had a 20 incher to sell me.) I almost ordered it. I mean, I had clicked through the screens and gotten to the one where all I had to do was enter my credit card’s security code; then, I chickened out, thinking I’d take a little time to think about it before I committed. Well, when I came back two ours later, it was gone. Already sold. So, when one also showed up on Sunday morning, I jumped on it. It’s due to ship out to me on the 26th.
Whenever I’m upgrading, I always like to give family members a chance at what I’m letting go. If we were in a better financial position, I would be willing to give the system away to someone in the family who really wanted it and could use it; but the hurricanes and the airplane have really strung us out financially, so I really need to sell this unit and keep my out-of-pocket expenses low. I sent a note out to family members telling them I was going to sell the unit and what they could have it for if they were interested, and I would be willing to work out a payment plan with them if they couldn’t afford it up front. I have had one family member express some possible interest; but nothing solid, and I’m moving forward with ads on my workplace’s intranet next week. I also intend to put it up for sale on eBay, then.
How am I sure I’m going to be happy with a smaller screen? I’m not. But I’ve learned to trust my feelings over the years, and they’re leading me in this direction. I’ve also run some “tests” by running my wife’s 17 inch 1.8 GHz iMac from an external Firewire 400 hard drive containing a backup of my iMac’s operating system, applications, and data; and I got those same good feelings I’ve been writing about. Besides, if I need the larger real estate, I’ve still got it on my PowerMac; and it’s set up so I can boot my PowerBook from it if needed. There’s also a reasonable chance that the 20 inch unit won’t sell right away, giving me an opportunity to work with both systems to make sure I’ve made the right choice.
Kind of my head arguing with my heart it might be wrong. I don’t feel it is.
With Apple’s switch to Intel coming, I want to ensure I’ve positioned myself to run current generation software and the upcoming Universal Binary software using PowerPC. That means I need to get the fastest CPU and system I can. While the G5 iMacs really occupy a narrow performance band, the second generation G5 iMac has improved performance over the one I own in CPU, graphics, and storage system areas. I also have a soft spot for ATI graphics cards (my current iMac uses a Nvidia GeForce 5200X), for having my systems somewhat matched up, and I already own a dual processor 2.0 GHz PowerMac. Because of all that, I’ve wanted a 17 inch 2.0 GHz G5 iMac. Not only would that satisfy me emotionally, but it would satisfy me from a performance standpoint as well. (Benchmarks at Macworld show the 17 inch 2.0 GHz faster than the 20 inch 2.0 GHz machine and as much as 30% faster than my current 1.8 GHz machine on some tasks.) I really want to get back into writing fiction again; and anything I can do to encourage myself to do that, I want to do. So, I’ve been hunting for a 17 inch 2.0 GHz machine. Since the new iSight iMacs have been released, what’s left of their predecessors, especially as their prices have dropped, have been flying off Internet and store shelves like wind-blown rain in a hurricane. The only unit the Apple Store had left was one with a wireless mouse and keyboard, two peripherals I would never use. I passed.
Saturday morning, a refurbished model showed up online at the Apple Store. It was only $949, not much more than I thought I could get by selling my 1.8 GHz 20 incher. (PowerMax had offered me a $900 trade-in I almost took, but they only had a 20 incher to sell me.) I almost ordered it. I mean, I had clicked through the screens and gotten to the one where all I had to do was enter my credit card’s security code; then, I chickened out, thinking I’d take a little time to think about it before I committed. Well, when I came back two ours later, it was gone. Already sold. So, when one also showed up on Sunday morning, I jumped on it. It’s due to ship out to me on the 26th.
Whenever I’m upgrading, I always like to give family members a chance at what I’m letting go. If we were in a better financial position, I would be willing to give the system away to someone in the family who really wanted it and could use it; but the hurricanes and the airplane have really strung us out financially, so I really need to sell this unit and keep my out-of-pocket expenses low. I sent a note out to family members telling them I was going to sell the unit and what they could have it for if they were interested, and I would be willing to work out a payment plan with them if they couldn’t afford it up front. I have had one family member express some possible interest; but nothing solid, and I’m moving forward with ads on my workplace’s intranet next week. I also intend to put it up for sale on eBay, then.
How am I sure I’m going to be happy with a smaller screen? I’m not. But I’ve learned to trust my feelings over the years, and they’re leading me in this direction. I’ve also run some “tests” by running my wife’s 17 inch 1.8 GHz iMac from an external Firewire 400 hard drive containing a backup of my iMac’s operating system, applications, and data; and I got those same good feelings I’ve been writing about. Besides, if I need the larger real estate, I’ve still got it on my PowerMac; and it’s set up so I can boot my PowerBook from it if needed. There’s also a reasonable chance that the 20 inch unit won’t sell right away, giving me an opportunity to work with both systems to make sure I’ve made the right choice.
Kind of my head arguing with my heart it might be wrong. I don’t feel it is.
posted by Andy Foster at
5:58 PM
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