Apple Powermac G5 Computer Review Author: Daniel Topler Date Posted: March 2nd, 2004 SLRating: Bottom Line: When it first came out the Apple G5 was advertised as the fastest personal computer in the world, whilst it may be blazing fast there are a few features we would like to see. If you like OS X, crave speed, and need design, look no further, the G5 could be your answer. It does carry a hefty price tag, read all about the G5 in our official review.... Article Navigation Introduction Specifications Design Features Perfornmance Conclusions Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> Discuss This Article

Conclusion

When I first saw the G5 when it was first released, my exact words were “bla.” I mean, they advertised it as the fastest personal computer in the world, but I didn’t take this claim seriously, considering they have made in the past with other machines, yet after further testing, it came out that these reports were false.

I was right to not believe this convincing claim. The G5, 1.6, 1.8, Dual 1.8, or even Dual 2Ghz, are not the fastest personal computers. Yet, they are fast. Blazing fast, actually. There is no comparison between this system and my Athon XP 2400+ Shuttle XPC system that I use as well. The G5, you could say, runs circles around my PC. It is simply so much faster, with Photoshop, Premiere, and even simple day-to-day tasks such as web browsing.

However, there are downsides. First off, it can fit just two hard drives, while the Powermac G4, the previous Powermac generation, could fit four. Yes, these are SATA drives, while the G4 used PATA, but two hard drives is simply not enough for many people. There’s also room for one optical drive, which can be frustrating as well. Although the G5 case is significantly larger then the G4 case, it fits less. This is, of course, due to its abnormally large motherboard, but still, it’s a great inconvenience to have these limitations.

I also thought Apple could put a few more USB 2.0 ports. I found myself using two USB 2.0 ports on my monitor, as well as all three on the G5 itself. I would like to see no less then 6 ports on the computer itself, with two (instead of one) USB port on the front. In my opinion, two Firewire 400 ports are suitable, but some may want more. One Firewire 800 port should be plenty for now.

Besides these relatively minor issues, the G5 is virtually flawless. If you like OS X, crave speed, and need design, look no further; the G5 is your answer. Just be sure you are ready to pay up for it, it does not come cheap.

SLRating: 9.5/10

Introduction

Article Options    Post/View Comments    Print This Article    E-Mail This Article

Article Navigation Introduction Specifications Design Features Performance Conclusion

	If you liked this review, you may like... Apple iPod MP3 Player Review Apple Powerbook Laptop Review Handspring Treo 270 PDA Review

Hardware Reviews, Articles, News, All Reviews...	Gaming Reviews, Articles, News...
	Regular Sections A Guru's World, CPU/Memory Watch, SLDeals...
SLBoards Forums, Register(Free), Todays Discussions...	Site Info Search, About Us, Advertise...