MacComparisonZone: 17 inch 1.25 GHz iMac vs Power Mac Dual G5/1.8 GHz - Performance And Specifications Review
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Created: 5/17/04
Introduction
This Guide compares the 17 inch 1.25 GHz iMac, to the Power Mac Dual G5/1.8 GHz . The 17 inch 1.25 GHz iMac is currently the middle model of its family. It lies between a 15 inch 1 GHz unit, and a 20 inch model, which runs a 1.25 GHz. . The Dual G5/1.8 GHz Tower is the current middle machine, sandwiched between a Dual 2.0 GHz Power Mac and a single processor 1.6 GHz Tower.
Below you will find specifications and features, performance, and price comparisons. We also provide further links where you can do additional research, should you so wish.
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200
Ultra with 64MB of DDR SDRAM
AGP 4X
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB DDR SDRAM
AGP Pro 8X slot
Expansion
Slots
AirPort Extreme Slot
Optional internal Bluetooth adapter
Two hard drive bays (one filled)
One optical drive bay (filled)
One 133MHz, 64-bit PCI-X slot
Two 100MHz, 64-bit PCI-X slot
One AGP Pro 8X (filled)
AirPort Extreme Slot
Hard Drive
80GB Ultra ATA/100
7200-rpm
160GB Serial ATA
7200 rpm
Optical Drive
Tray loading SuperDrive
(DVD-R/CD-RW)
Writes DVD-R at 4x
Reads DVDs at 8x
Writes CD-R at 16x
Writes CD-RW at 8x
Reads CDs at 32x
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
Writes DVD-R at 4x
Reads DVDs at 8x
Writes CD-R at 16x
Writes CD-RW at 10x
Reads CDs at 32x
3 USB 2.0 Ports (480 Mbps)
2 FireWire Port (400 Mbps)
1 FireWire 800 Port
Optical digital audio in and out Toslink connectors
Analog Stereo audio in and out minijacks
Optional Bluetooth 1.1 module and antenna
Video
17-inch display resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native)
VGA output port - Requires adapter, sold separately.
S-video and composite video output to connect directly to a TV or projector - Requires adapter, sold separately.
Dual display support for VGA video mirroring
Support for digital resolutions up to 1920 by 1200 pixels
ADC and DVI connectors
DVI to VGA adapter included
Dual display support for extended desktop and video mirroring modes
Specification Notes
Built-in flat-panel display
Weight: 22.8 pounds (10.4 kilos)
Weight: 39.2 pounds (17.8 kg)
Performance
Machine
17" iMac G4/1.25GHz
Power Mac Dual G5/1.8 GHz
Processor
107 Points
192 Points - - 79% Faster
Processor (Dual)
107 Points
356 Points- - 233% Faster
MultiTasking
262.13 Seconds
92.56 Seconds- - 183% Faster
Graphics
550 Points
959 Points- - 74% Faster
Graphics (Gaming)
16.7 fps
30 fps- - 80% Faster
General Interface
24 Seconds
17.19 Seconds- - 40% Faster
Hard Drive
164.77 Seconds
93.69 Seconds- - 76% Faster
Photoshop
48.22 Seconds
23.22 Seconds- - 108% Faster
QuickTime Encode
140.22 Seconds
74.48 Seconds- - 88% Faster
iMovie Render
126.95 Seconds
61.64 Seconds- - 106% Faster
MS Office Word Macro
67.41 Seconds
54 Seconds- - 25% Faster
Notes
The first two Processor tests above, are based on the program CineBench 2003, which you can download and run on your own machine. The Processor (Dual) results show the advantage a dual processor machine will have when running an application that takes good advantage of multiple processors (not all applications do).
The Graphics test is also based on CineBench 2003. The results here give an indication of the relative performance of the graphics card.
The General Interface test is based on Let1kWindowsBloom. Again you can download this small program to run on your machine, if you wish to compare scores
If you are going to be running applications that require heavy duty processing capability, the Dual processor machine is the way to go. It's dual processors will also give you greater flexibility when running multiple activities at once.
For more detailed performance of these two machines see this page
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iMac G4/1.25 GHz Super Drive, 17" Screen #M9168LL/A
Base machine DeskJet 5850 wireless printer, $100 after rebate ($199 up front) PSC 2410 multifunction printer, $200 after rebate ($299 up front) PSC 2175 all-in-one, $100 after rebate ($199 up front) Photosmart 7660 inkjet photo printer, $50 after rebate ($149 up front) DeskJet 5150 inkjet printer, free after rebate ($99 up front) DeskJet 5650 inkjet printer, $30 after rebate ($129 up front)
Site offline, apparently due to Akamai outage. Data below from May 7th update...
Base Machine DeskJet 5850 wireless printer, $100 after rebate ($199 up front) PSC 2410 multifunction printer, $200 after rebate ($299 up front) PSC 2175 all-in-one, $100 after rebate ($199 up front) Photosmart 7660 inkjet photo printer, $50 after rebate ($149 up front) DeskJet 5150 inkjet printer, free after rebate ($99 up front) DeskJet 5650 inkjet printer, $30 after rebate ($129 up front)
MacComparisonZone: 17 inch 1.25 GHz iMac vs Power Mac Dual G5/1.8 GHz - Performance And Specifications Review
This Guide compares the 17 inch 1.25 GHz iMac, to the 
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Base machine
DeskJet 5850 wireless printer, $100 after rebate ($199 up front)
PSC 2175 all-in-one, $100 after rebate ($199 up front)