The best Mac desktop yet!

The iMac G5 is a wonderful computer, marketed toward consumers looking to dip into the digital lifestyle to make their own media creations and to share them on CD and DVD. This is an all-in-one computer including a LCD monitor and built in speakers with a optical drive and hard drive. Everything is in one small 2-inch thick clean white package. No wires, no mess, more deskspace.

The Hardware:
The iMac G5 sports the wicked fast 2.0ghz 64-bit IBM PowerPC G5 processor and has the ability to take up to 2gb of 400mhz DDR RAM (Memory) and comes with 512mb built-in. This G5 iMac model has a built-in gorgeous 17-inch widescreen LCD display which is perfect for watching DVD movies or even creating your own! If you pay a little more you can upgrade that 17-inch screen up to a 20-inch widescreen display which is to die for! The iMac G5 gives you the option for a Combo Drive (Read DVDs and Burn CDs) or a SuperDrive (Burn DVDs and CDs) so you can share files and data to other computers or devices. On the back of the iMac G5 you will find audio input and output via the standard stereo mini-jack along with digital optical audio output, three USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire ports, one 56k Modem jack, one 10/100/1000 gigabit ethernet port, and a mini VGA out port so with special adapters you can hook the iMac G5 up to a TV (via Composite/S-VIdeo) or to another monitor or projector (via VGA). The iMac G5 also can come with super-fast SATA Hard Drives as big as 400gb, which is more than plenty of room to store your movies, games, music, and applications. You can also add wireless Bluetooth and AirPort (802.11b/g) to your iMac G5. If you get the Apple Bluetooth Wireless keyboard and mouse and you have wireless internet setup with a router the only wire on your iMac G5 will be to the power socket on the wall.

The Software:
The iMac G5 comes with the latest version of Apple's Operating system Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger", this state-of-the-art OS is the most stable and advanced in the world and runs circles around Windows. You will find no spyware, no viruses, and no malware on the Macintosh so you can continue to work or play without worrying about nasty viruses or hackers. The computer also comes with iLife 2005, witch includes the latest versions of Apple's digital suite of multimedia applications including iMovie HD, iDVD, iTunes, iPhoto, and Garageband. Each of these programs help you manage, store, edit, and create your own movies, DVDs, music and photos with ease.

Ease of use:
The iMac G5 is one of the most easiest to use computers in the world. Everything is in one nice clean case, no wires hanging out and no switches to press. Just plug in the power cord along with the keyboard and mouse and turn it on via the simple single button on the back. The computer automatically starts up and asks for your name and more information to help you to get started on your computer. The iMac G5 uses Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" so getting onto the internet is so easy, it will even help you setup your internet settings from anything from dial-up to a DSL modem, even if your not really sure how.

What I use it for:
Well I use a 867mhz PowerBook G4 laptop at home and my brother bought this computer for college. I use this computer whenever I can (or when he's not around), it's way faster than my laptop so I can do things much much quicker. With the power of this machine I was able to import 2 hours of video from out vacation from our digital camcorder using Apple's iMovie HD and burned a DVD of it for our family using Apple's iDVD. While I did that the computer never struggled, it worked perfectly and gave me no problems!

I also tested out the machine's graphics card by installing a demo of Unreal Tournament 2004 and my copy of Halo, which both ran good - but if you want a real gaming machine you should get the PowerMac G5 tower which has a removable graphics card so you can get the latest and best model. This way you'll be able to play the newest games on the highest settings.

This machine was built for multi-tasking, I can check my e-mail, surf the web, chat with my friends, watch a DVD, and search for files while I'm writing my on my blog! This machine is very powerful and should be able to do whatever you throw at it. Also the startup time on the machine is great, it takes less than 20 seconds to startup the computer, and if you don't want to shut it down just put the computer to sleep which turns off the LCD screen and spins down the Hard Drive allowing the computer to rest. I've noticed once and a while the fans may make a small squeaking sound for a second or two, but besides that you wouldn't even know they are there.

Unfortunately when my brother moves into his dorm I won't be able to use the iMac anymore but, I'm thinking of purchasing one for myself, a 20" LCD model, which should be awesome when using Adobe Photoshop since I'll have all the space I need for windows and pallets. Also the machine is very very slim, this all-in-one iMac is only about 2 inches thick, so if your like me and have little desk space this is a great space saver.

Conclusion:
Wether you need to use a computer for internet access and e-mail for college or if you need to use it for editing digital home movies and burning them to DVD for friends and family, the iMac G5 is a great computer for you. But if you need more power and you plan on playing a lot of games or doing heavy video editing I would go for the PowerMac G5, because with it's dual processors and upgradable video card it's the most powerful machine you can get, although you will pay a hefty price for it.