iMac G5 a great combo of form and function

Posted by Dennis Sellers Nov 9, 2004 at 12:10am

Apple has yet to invent the “perfect” Mac, but the iMac G5 may come the closest yet when it comes to a combination of form and function at a very competitive price. The third generation iMac doesn’t have the “cute” factor of the original bondi blue iMac (and its many-hued descendants) or the sheer “wow factor” of the second generation, “sunflower” iMac, but the minimalist approach of the G5 iteration is a computer that’s both sleek and powerful. For a month I’ve been using a $1,899, 20-inch, 1.8GHz iMac G5 that’s standard except that I’ve beefed up the memory from the normal (and unimpressive) 256MB to 1GB and added a D-Link Bluetooth adapter so that I could use my Apple Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Mouse.

The Design

The subtle, iPod-inspired design isn’t, as with the sunflower iMac, a groundbreaking design. Other companies have tried to build the CPU into the monitor as does the new Apple system – but the other attempts, such as the Sony VAIO and Gateway Profile, look bulky and cumbersome by comparison. The iMac G5 has the CPU, motherboard, and drives mounted in the same 2-inch-thick chassis as the monitor. One of Apple’s advertising catch phrases is “where’s the computer?” But it’s a catch phrase that makes a good point. Looking at the snow-white iMac G5 sitting on a desktop, there appears to be nothing but a display, keyboard and mouse. It’s an elegant space saving design that will appeal to those who are cramped for space or who simply appreciate great design. In this case, form is function.

The USB 2.0, FireWire 400, Ethernet, modem, audio-out and VGA/video-out ports are lined up vertically on the back panel. Some folks have found this to be inconvenient, but I don’t mind as it maintains the clean aesthetics of the machine. Also, the power button is located on the back, but has a slight indentation, so it’s easy to find and use by touch alone. The audio-out port doubles as a standard iPod-style headphone jack, or it can be used with a mini optical cable and connected to speaker sets and A/V receivers with SP/DIF inputs. A VGA/video-out port is present, but requires a dongle adapter.

While last year’s iMac G4 had a quiet single-fan design, the G5 processor in the iMac G5 runs a bit hotter. The trim new design of the iMac G5 requires a few fans in the chassis. They’re intelligently placed, pulling in air from the bottom and letting the warm air rise and exhaust out the top. Apple says that the “intelligent” fan design leaves the iMac “whisper quiet.” That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it is near-noiseless for the most part. However, I do notice that when my son Matt is playing a game with the CD inserted (in the slot-loading SuperDrive), the fans kick up a bit. And when I was using the iMac G5 in FireWire disk mode (to transfer data from the system to a Power Mac) they revved up full blast.

The large white area at the base of the iMac G5’s screen has been controversial. However, behind that space are fans and downward-firing speakers that “bounce” sound off your desktop. Despite some relatively weak bass, the speakers provide higher audio quality than I expected. The volume and stereo separation are fine for routine computing, though you’ll want to add external speakers if you listen to music or watch DVDs a lot on the iMac G5 – and it’s a great machine for these uses.

The iMac G5 is also surprisingly transportable. During my dad’s recent hospitalization and recovery at home, my siblings and I took times staying with him and Mom to help out. Though my folks live love two hours away from my Nashville home, I was able to keep up my Macsimum work by packing up the 25.2-pound, 20-inch iMac G5 and hauling it with me to Mom and Dad’s. I still wish someone would make a carrying case for the computer, but packing it in its box for the trip was relatively easy. The 17-inch model (configurations start at $1,299 direct) weighs just 18.5 pounds, so moving any of the iMac G5s from room to room will be a breeze for most folks.

The display itself is gorgeous and surprisingly bright. The 17-inch model has native 1440×900 pixels, just like the previous 17-inch iMac and all models of the 17-inch PowerBook G4. Similarly, the 20-inch iMac G5 has a native display resolution of 1680 X 1050 pixels, just like the 20-inch Apple Cinema Display.

The iMac G5 also offers oh-so-easy accessibility. You just lay it face down on a flat surface covered with a cotton cloth, unscrew three captive Phillips-head screws, and tilt off the back. You then have complete access to the entire computer; adding an AirPort Extreme hard or extra memory is a snap.

The Performance

For my daily computing tasks, I found the iMac to have plenty of oomph. I always have Word 2004, Safari and Mail running simultaneously. iChat and Photoshop CS are often on, as well. And it’s not uncommon for me to be playing music in the background while I work. All these multitasks were being handled with almost no hiccups by the iMac G5. My “gut” feeling (using no official benchmarks) is that the system offers plenty of horsepower for most users.

I have heard lots of complaints, particularly from gamers, that the integrated nVidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics chipset is an underpowered disappointment. Admittedly, I’m not a power gamer, but my son is. He assumed control of the iMac G5 for several hours, playing Halo and Unreal Tournament 2004 and found the overall performance (including the graphics) more than acceptable. The most demanding game around will certainly be DOOM 3. It will require a G5 system, so it appears that it should run satisfactorily on the newest iMac.

For those who like benchmarks, in PC Magazine’s review of the iMac G5, it got surprisingly high marks for performance. The publication uses the same tests and the same scale when rating the multimedia—Music, Photos, Video, Gaming—on desktops and notebooks. As a guide: the best desktops will score above a 90 on a given subject, and the best notebooks will score above a 70.

The iMac G5 got a 74 for Video, a 79 for Gaming, an 86 for Music, and an 81 for Photo. Interestingly, PC Magazine gave the Power Mac G5/2.5GHz system – which we reviewed on Oct. 11—the following scores: 76 for Video; 86 for Gaming; 78 for Music; and 87 for Photo.

The flaws

However, I do have some beefs with Apple about the iMac G5. Shipping it with 256MB of RAM just isn’t acceptable. It should come with twice that much standard to take full advantage of, among other software, Mac OS X and the iLife suite of apps.

Also, while I understand that not everyone wants or needs Bluetooth or Airport Extreme, it is inconvenient that a user or local reseller can’t install the internal Bluetooth module if you want to add it later (as you can do with memory or an AirPort Extreme card). To really capitalize on the iMac G5’s aesthetics you’ll want to add a wireless keyboard and mouse (which reduces cable clutter to almost nothing; the power cord is the only cord that you HAVE to plug in). However, if you don’t order your iMac G5 directly from Apple and have the Bluetooth module installed as a build-to-order option, you’ll have to plug a Bluetooth adapter into a USB port. This is a pimple on the face of the iMac’s design. Is this nit-picking? Sure, but the iMac G5 is a beautiful, streamlined machine, which is a great part of its appeal.

Conclusion

So is the iMac G5 for you? Most likely, it is. It’s not as powerful as the dual processor Power Macs, but it is powerful. If you don’t need the utmost in computing power nor expandability, you should consider it. The iMac G5 is also a great-looking, great-designed machine whose simplicity grows on you the more you use it.

Equip it with an Apple Wireless Keyboard, Apple Wireless Mouse, a radioSHARK from Griffin Technology (which we’ll review later this week) and an EyeTV 200 from el gato and you have an incredible digital hub for working, content creation, listening to music (including the radio), watching DVDs and watching TV.

Macsimum rating: 9 out of 10

Have a product you’d like us to review? Drop us an e-mail at daseller@earthlink.net

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