Buying a G5 (applemac)

[Hgrove]

A friend of mine wishes to buy a macintosh g5 with 17inch monitor. She does not have a computer at all at the moment so she asked me to have a look on mine. Does anyone know of one or two websites that I can look at? I did a google search with "g5" but got very confused as some hits were cameras, other hits seemed to be a tower... The only one I knew of is dabs.com but they don't seem to sell macintosh. Has anybody got a suggestion please?

[Gromit]

It's a bit of a longshot, but have you looked in the Apple store

http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstor e.woa/6344040/wo/W92AyB69utYQ2ToNMyZ8TXI1bza/0 .PSLID?mco=899BECBF&nclm=iMac

[WoWo]

I'd advise just going to the Apple store as Gromit says, Apple fix their Harware prices so you won't get one any cheaper than directly from Apple (apart from second hand, which I would go for when looking at Apple)

G5 is the processor and not a model number, Apple are currently in the process of converting all of the G5's over to Intel processors. If she hasn't currently got one she is unlikely to want or need a Power Mac (the only models left with a G5).

[fo3nix]

If she wants an Apple computer, what does she want it for?

If she just wants a small little computer for doing odd things on it, like typing, listening to music, etc. then she should consider getting a mac mini. The cheapest option too.

If she is a power user (I doubt this, otherwise she'd already have a computer...), then go for a G5 system. They're aimed at video/photo manipulation pros who need powerful systems.

If she's just wanting a computer like the mac mini but can handle pretty much anything she wants to do, but doesn't need the immense power that a G5 system could give her, then go for the iMac.

As the above say, they're currently transitioning between PowerPC processors (the G5 is one of these) and Intel processors. Go for an Intel one, it'll be worth it in the end, unless she needs to be using Adobe products etc. right now.

Personally I'd go for an intel iMac. It's a nice neat all-in-one design, too. And not too-badly priced.

[wideboy]

These are the 'top' Mac resellers in the UK:-

Gordon Harwood Computers:-

http://www.ghc.co.uk/

Mac Warehouse:-

http://www.macwarehouse.co.uk/

Cancom:-

http://www.cancomuk.com/

[fo3nix]

Oh, and if your friend is a student or knows someone that is a student, get them to buy it for them from the Apple website. They give some pretty good student discounts on certain items.

[Hgrove]

many thanks to all; I shall print it and pass it to her. She has another friend who lives nearer her (than myself) with a computer she can use to research this further. Her old pc has crashed and is beyond repair and she is adamant she wants a G5. Thank you all for your help.

[gary baldy]

John Lewis is always a good bet

http://www.johnlewis.com/Computing/Computers/C omputers/Desktops/230231753/Product.aspx

Free delivery and a 2 year guarantee (not that you'll need it)

[fo3nix]

Just make sure she knows what she's getting.

Only get a G5 system now if you need high performance computing with apps like Photoshop on a Mac right now. If you don't need that right now, then don't get one. It's as simple as that.

While Apple and their vendors will no doubt keep making their software available for PowerPC processors (i.e. the G5) for another few years (universal binaries), it won't have the support that the Intel machines will have in another few years.

[Hgrove]

Thank you all very much for the very helpful replies. The best deals seem to be on either John Lewis or Cancomuk.com. Personally I think she is making a mistake but she is hellbent on buying it and having passed on all your best advice, I intend to keep well out of it. Once again thank you all very much.