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Thursday, September 22, 2005
Ask Johnny Appleseed - Do I Need A Power Mac Or Can I Get By With An iMac? Dual 2.GHz Power vs iMac 17" 2.0GHz I currently have an ibook G3 500Mhz. I am looking to upgrade to a desktop but I am unsure of which computer to upgrade to. I know that I need a fast processor and a lot of RAM. I am wondering if an imac will be able to handle the software programs I use.I work as a graphic designer/illustrator and will be running various programs: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Lightwave3D. Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks Dee
Specifications:
The Dual 2.0 GHz PowerMac has
Twice the processing capacity
50% faster Bus speed
100% more RAM capacity
Dual display support for extended desktop
Higher monitor resolution capability
Greater expandability
Faster SuperDrive (optical drive)
Faster FireWire port
The 2.0 GHz iMac has
Built-in 54-Mbps AirPort
Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
More video output options
Built-in Screen
Smaller footprint (space occupation)
Is 25% cheaper
In general the Power Mac provides you with more flexibility and upgradabiliy, if you are in a demanding work environment. The iMac is the more complete package aimed at lighter more general work.
Performance
In Processor Performance (Single Test) the G5 2.0 GHz Power Mac is 4% faster
In Processor Performance (Dual Test) the G5 2.0 GHz Power Mac is 92% faster
In Graphics Performance the G5 2.0 GHz Power Mac is 16% slower
In Graphics Gaming Performance the G5 2.0 GHz Power Mac is the same
In Hard Drive Performance the G5 2.0 GHz Power Mac is 4% faster
In Photoshop Performance the G5 2.0 GHz Power Mac is 9% to 62% faster
Except in raw processing power, these two machines are pretty evenly matched. The Power Mac is really designed for a production type environment and offers great flexibility there. As you can see from the Photoshop results above, there is a big spread in the performance gain. That is because some parts of Photoshop take better advantage of dual processors, than other parts. However when the iMac processor is saturated with data to work on, there is 50% capacity left on the PowerMac to do other things. So if you have some sort of production strategy worked out and are able to max out the processors of the Power Mac you should be able to get a lot more work done on the Power Mac than on the iMac.
In sum, from a performance standpoint the Power Mac offers much greater flexibility, however if you don't have a strategy to use all that extra power, some, or perhaps all of the extra capacity, will be sitting idle waiting for something to do
For me a big advantage of the Power Mac is that you can hook two or more monitors to it, thus expanding your work space (do you think the 17 inch iMac screen will give you enough desktop real estate?)
For Photoshop work, up to a certain point, it is more important to have sufficient RAM, than the fastest machine. If you are working with large files, will the current RAM capacity of the iMac be enough for you?
Additional Resources
Power Mac InfoZone
Power Mac Performance
Power Mac Performance vs Others
Power Mac Buyer's Guide
PowerBook Closeout Buyer's Guide
Apple's Power Mac Page
Power Mac Specs & Features
iMac InfoZone
iMac Performance
iMac Performance vs Others
iMac Buyer's Guide
iMac Closeout Buyer's Guide
Apple's iMac Page
iMac Specs & Features
Also search at MacReviewZone/MacSpeedZone on the following part numbers M9747LL or M9844LL which should turn up additional information
Ask Johnny your Macintosh Computer Performance or Features question
Ask Johnny Appleseed - - Performance Comparison Data Between A Power Mac G4/1.25 GHz And Mac mini G4/1.25 GHz
4/19/05
Hi. I'd like to ask for a comparison between a Power mac g4 1.25 vs a Mac mini 1.25 with the same RAM memory.
Thanks a lot in advance.
- Gordon
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Performance Comparison data between Mac mini G4/1.25 GHz with Combo Drive - M9686LL/A and Power Mac G4/1.25 GHz with SuperDrive Drive - M9145LL/A
Prices:
Mac mini G4/1.25 - $499
Power Mac G4/1.25 - $900
Processor ... Same score
Graphics Interface .... Power Mac ... 9% Faster
Graphics Card .... Power Mac ... 5% Faster
Graphics Processor .... Power Mac ... 2% Faster
Graphics Gaming .... Power Mac ... 41% Faster
Drive Multi File .... Power Mac ... 54% Faster
Drive Single File .... Power Mac ... 73% Faster
So in processing ability the two machines are evenly matched. Graphics, except for our gaming score, were also quite close. A cautionary note on the gaming score difference. Other game scores showed the machines much closer. However at the highest game settings we noted this difference in ability. This may be due to the higher amount of graphics memory in the Power Mac. In hard drive performance the Power Mac is much faster.
If you have some more specific questions that we can answer in a email, please contact us again.
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
Power Mac InfoZone
Power Mac Performance
Power Mac Performance vs Others
Power Mac Buyer's Guide
PowerBook Closeout Buyer's Guide
Apple's Power Mac Page
Power Mac Specs & Features
Mac mini Info Zone
Mac mini Specifications Page
Mac mini Buyer's Guide
Apple's Mac mini Page
Also search at MacReviewZone and MacSpeedZone on the following part numbers M9686LL or M9145LL which should turn up additional information
Ask Johnny your Macintosh Computer, Performance or Features question. Or request a full blown Comparison Guide between any two machines
Ask Johnny Appleseed - - Performance Comparison Data Between A Dual Power Mac G4/800 MHz And Dual Power Mac G5/2.5 GHz
4/1/05
Hi,
I am primarily interested in digital photography. I currently use a dual processor G4/800MHz with 1.5Gb memory (max on G4 platform). I experience 2 major speed bottlenecks in what I normally do and I am interested in your estimate how much improvement I might get from an upgrade to a high-end G5 system, specifically a dual 2.5GHz G5 with 4Gbyte.
My 2 major bottlenecks are:
1 - Many scans from Hasselblad (2-1/4in x 2-1/4in) camera negatives are 300+ Mb/layer and with some of the sophisticated photoshop actions, my workspace regularly increases to >2Gb. At that point, everything slows down to a crawl. I have developed a number of custom actions for my workflow that run overnight, but would love to be able to do this on the fly.
2 - In Nikon's scanner software, there is an option to enable Digital ICE, which takes infrared information from the scanner to detect image defects automatically and then use algorithms similar to photoshop's healing brush to to remove these defects.
I am willing to spend some money in exchange for real improvement. However, I cannot find real data on a speed comparison that is somewhat specific to my situation. Do you have any idea what I might expect if I dropped ~5k$ on a loaded new system?
- Ronald Ronald,
I am going to add some performance data below, but first to answer your two questions;
1) As you probably know, when you run out of RAM, Photoshop starts using the hard drive. A Photoshop user does not want to run out of RAM! Within reason, it is more important to have enough RAM, than have a somewhat faster machine. So any machine you get with greater RAM capacity will be a real boon for you. If you can run the Photoshop actions on your machine fairly fast, when files don't exceed your RAM capacity, they will run much faster on the 2.5GHz with adequate RAM.
2) Although I am not familiar with the process you describe in question 2, it sound processor intensive. You can find out just how processor intensive by launching a program in your Utilities Folder called Activity Monitor and choose the Show CPU Usage from the Monitor menu (cmd+2). I will provide you with performance results from a CPU intensive application, an application you can also run easily on your own machine.
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Comparison data between Power Mac Dual G4/800 MHz with SuperDrive - M8361LL/A and Power Mac Dual G5/2.5 GHz with SuperDrive - M9457LL/A
Prices:
800 MHz - $1,500
2.5 GHz - $2,999
Unfortunately our scores for the Dual 800 are too old to be much use for this comparison. However we have provided scores from 3 testing utilities, for the Dual 2.5 GHz. You can easily download these applications to run on your machine to compare scores. The Hard Drive results are estimates and are extrapolated from previous results. They may not be spot on.
CineBench 2003 Scores:
Processor ... 2.5GHz ... 274 points
Processor Dual ... 2.5GHz ... 498 points
Graphics Card (GL HW) ... 2.5GHz ... 1548 points
Graphics Processor (4D) . ... 2.5GHz .... 328 points
The CineBench application can be downloaded at:
http://www.cinebench.com/
Processor Intensive (AltiVec Fractal Set to 524288) ... 2.5GHz .... 124.24 Seconds
The Fractal application can be downloaded at:
http://daugerresearch.com/fractaldemos/altivecfractalcarbon.html
BareFeats Photoshop Action File ... 2.5GHz .... 20.60 Seconds
The Action file can be downloaded at:
http://macreviewzone.com/html/private/misc/barefeats.atn
Drive Multi File ... 2.5GHz ... 136% Faster (Estimated Score)
Drive Single File ... 2.5GHz ... 111% Faster (Estimated Score)
If you have some more specific questions that we can answer in a email, please contact us again.
Additional Resources
Power Mac InfoZone
Power Mac Performance
Power Mac Performance vs Others
Power Mac Buyer's Guide
PowerBook Closeout Buyer's Guide
Apple's Power Mac Page
Power Mac Specs & Features
Also search at MacReviewZone and MacSpeedZone on the following part numbers M8361LL or M9457LL which should turn up additional information
Ask Johnny your Macintosh Computer, Performance or Features question. Or request a full blown Comparison Guide between any two machines
Ask Johnny Appleseed - - Performance Comparison Data Between A 20 Inch iMac G5/1.8 GHz And 17 Inch PowerBook G4/1.67 GHz
3/30/05
Hello,
I’m torn between purchasing an iMac G5 20-inch or a new PowerBook G4 17-inch. I plan to use the computer for editing my digital photographs and the occasional home movie project.I’d love to see a comparison between these two computers, if you have one.
Thanks in advance!
Peter
Answer
Comparison data between 20 Inch iMac G5/1.8GHz with SuperDrive - M9250LL/A and 17 Inch PowerBook G4/1.67GHz with SuperDrive Drive - M9689LL/A
Prices:
iMac - $1,899
PowerBook - $2,699
Processor ... iMac ... 23% Faster
Graphics Card .... PowerBook ... 24% Faster
Graphics Processor .... iMac ... 26% Faster
Graphics Gaming .... iMac ... 85% Faster
Drive Multi File .... PowerBook ... 3% Faster
Drive Single File .... iMac ... 10% Faster
So in processing ability the iMac is moderately ahead. The PowerBook has a moderately to significantly faster graphics card, depending on the task. The hard drives are pretty evenly matched, with the nod going to the iMac.
For the type of work you are describing, from a performance standpoint, either of this machines will probably suit you fine. Perhaps your decision comes down to, portability vs extra screen real estate?
If you have some more specific questions that we can answer in a email, please contact us again.
Additional Resources
iMac InfoZone
iMac Performance
iMac Performance vs Others
iMac Buyer's Guide
iMac Closeout Buyer's Guide
Apple's iMac Page
iMac Specs & Features
PowerBook Info Zone
PowerBook Performance
All Macintosh Performance
PowerBook Reviews
PowerBook Specs & Features
PowerBook Discussion Forum
PowerBook Buyer's Guide
Closeout - Refurbished PowerBooks
Also search at MacReviewZone/MacSpeedZone on the following part numbers M9250LL or M9689LL which should turn up additional information
http://macreviewzone.com
http://macspeedzone.com
Ask Johnny your Macintosh Computer, Performance or Features question. Or request a full blown Comparison Guide between any two machines
Ask Johnny Appleseed - - Performance Comparison Data Between A 15 Inch PowerBook G4/1.5 GHz And 14 Inch iBook G4/1.33 GHz
3/29/05
I would like to see a comparison between a 15" 1.5Ghz Powerbook Combo Drive, and a 14" 1.33Ghz iBook Combo Drive
Answer
Comparison data between 14 Inch iBook G4/1.33GHz with ComboDrive - M9627LL/A and 15 Inch PowerBook G4/1.5GHz with ComboDrive - M9676LL/A
Processor ... PowerBook ... 13 % Faster
Graphics Card .... PowerBook ... 143% Faster
Graphics Processor .... PowerBook ... 17% Faster
Graphics Gaming .... PowerBook ... 128% Faster
Drive Multi File .... PowerBook ... 23% Faster
Drive Single File .... PowerBook ... 29% Faster
Battery Life .... iBook gave 54% more battery time
So in processing ability the PowerBook is slightly ahead. The PowerBook has a much faster graphics card. The hard drive on the PowerBook is moderately faster. The iBook gets much better battery life.
If you have some more specific questions that we can answer in a email, please contact us again.
Additional Resources
iBook Info Zone
iBook Performance
iBook Performance vs Others
iBook Buyer's Guide
iBook Closeout Buyer's Guide
Apple's iBook Web Pages
iBook Specs & Features
PowerBook Info Zone
PowerBook Performance
All Macintosh Performance
PowerBook Reviews
PowerBook Specs & Features
PowerBook Discussion Forum
PowerBook Buyer's Guide
Closeout - Refurbished PowerBooks
Also search at MacReviewZone/MacSpeedZone on the following part numbers M9627LL or M9676LL which should turn up additional information
http://macreviewzone.com
http://macspeedzone.com.
Ask Johnny your Macintosh Computer, Performance or Features question. Or request a full blown Comparison Guide between any two machines
Ask Johnny Appleseed - - Performance Comparison Data Between A 12 Inch PowerBook G4/1.5 GHz And 15 Inch PowerBook G4/1.5 GHz
3/28/05
I have read in two places that the 12" PB is actually faster than the 15" even though they should be equal. There was some rumor that any difference could be due to the different memory installation setup. What is the truth here?
Peter
Answer Comparison data between 12 Inch PowerBook G4/1.5GHz with ComboDrive - M9690LL/A and 15 Inch PowerBook G4/1.5GHz with ComboDrive - M9676LL/A
Processor ... Both Had Same Score
Graphics Card .... 15 Inch... 54% Faster
Graphics Processor .... 15 Inch ... 2% Faster
Drive Multi File .... 12 Inch ... 6% Faster
Drive Single File .... 12 Inch ... 23% Faster
Battery Life .... Both Had Same Score
So in processing ability both machines were evenly matched. The 15 inch has a significantly faster graphics card, and it would appear that the hard drive on the 12 inch is moderately faster in certain tasks.
If you have some more specific questions that we can answer in a email, please contact us again.
PowerBook Info Zone
PowerBook Performance
All Macintosh Performance
PowerBook Reviews
PowerBook Specs & Features
PowerBook Discussion Forum
PowerBook Buyer's Guide
Closeout - Refurbished PowerBooks
Also search at MacReviewZone/MacSpeedZone on the following part numbers M9690LL or M9676LL which should turn up additional information
http://macreviewzone.com
http://macspeedzone.com
Ask Johnny your Macintosh Computer, Performance or Features question. Or request a full blown Comparison Guide between any two machines
Ask Johnny Appleseed - - Performance Comparison Data Between A 14 Inch iBook G4/1.33 GHz And 15 Inch PowerBook G4/1.67 GHz
3/17/05
Hi!
I am starting to look into Apple labtops as presently have a PC. I am returning to school to study computer graphics so need an Apple. I am not sure whether to go for an ibook or powerbook, I am not in a rush still have sometime to wait.
Could you please do a comparison fr the following.
iBook 14" 1.33 GHz super drive versus powerbook 15: 1.67 GHz super drive
I know aside from the specs it's a price issue but do not want have to change for a while so want the best in value and tech.
Thanks in advance - Shari
Comparison data between 14 Inch iBook G4/1.33GHz with SuperDrive - M9628LL/A and 15 Inch PowerBook G4/1.67GHz with SuperDrive - M9677LL/A
iBook Price - $1,499
Power Book Price - $2,299
Processor .... 1.67GHz ... 25% Faster
Graphics Card .... 1.67GHz ... 158% Faster
Graphics Processor .... 1.67GHz ... 26% Faster
Graphics Gaming .... 1.67GHz ... 128% Faster
Drive Multi File .... 1.67GHz ... 25% Faster
Drive Single File .... 1.67GHz ... 31% Faster
Battery Life .... iBook ... 62% more time
So the hard drive performance on the PowerBook is moderately faster, the graphics card is significantly faster, and the processor is moderately faster. The PowerBook is also a more flexible machine ... it lends itself to more customizing.
The iBook is more rugged, in general gets better wireless reception and the battery life is much better.
If any of this is unclear, or you have some more specific questions that we can answer in a email, please contact us again.
Additional Resources
iBook Info Zone
iBook Performance
iBook Performance vs Others
iBook Buyer's Guide
iBook Closeout Buyer's Guide
Apple's iBook Web Pages
iBook Specs & Features
PowerBook Info Zone
PowerBook Performance
All Macintosh Performance
PowerBook Reviews
PowerBook Specs & Features
PowerBook Discussion Forum
PowerBook Buyer's Guide
Closeout - Refurbished PowerBooks
Also search at MacReviewZone and MacSpeedZone on the following part numbers M9628LL or M9677LL which should turn up additional information
Ask Johnny your Macintosh Computer, Performance or Features question. Or request a full blown Comparison Guide between any two machines< | 
