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The art of the desktop: PCs for creative pros | | ||
 Rich Brown, associate editor | Creative professionals often require specific hardware and software combinations, which makes it difficult to pick an all-around PC for serious graphics work. What a video editor needs differs from what's important to an artist creating content for the Web. Apple's Power Mac G5 is the industry standard for many types of design work, but we've seen some Windows-based PCs that are also up to the task.
Like any business-level computer, reliability and ease of use are paramount. You probably have your own opinions about Windows and its usability as compared to Apple's Mac OS platform, but we found the design and the performance of some high-powered Windows-based PCs to be top-notch. Systems such as the 3D powerhouse Velocity Micro Gamer's Edge DualX with its pair of graphics cards make it a solid foundation for 3D editing. And the Gateway 9310XL promises modest power and the newest Intel chip in a BTX case design, which means reduced noise and thermal output (and cooler parts means less wear and tear). Both sides of the Apple-Windows divide have valid claims, but each platform offers a lot to like when you're shopping for a desktop with creativity in mind. | |||
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| Product name |
Apple Power Mac G5 dual 2.5GHz |
Gateway 9310XL |
MPC Millennia 940i - P4 570J 3.8 GHz - 19" TFT |
Apple Power Mac G5 dual 2.5GHz |
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| Review date | November 5, 2004 | March 23, 2005 | February 10, 2005 | November 5, 2004 |
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Editors' rating (Editors' rating explained) |
7.8
Very good |
7.5
Very good |
7.5
Very good |
7.8
Very good |
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| Product videos |
 Watch video |
Watch video |
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| Review summary | Creative pros and power users will salivate over the speed and the design of Apple's top-of-the-line Power Mac G5, but we wish it offered more expansion and better support. | You'll have to add the supporting software yourself, but if you want to get ready for the 64-bit era in computing, Gateway's 9310XL desktop presents a highly capable, affordable option, thanks in part to Intel's new processor. | On the outside, MPC's Millennia 940i Dream Machine looks like a typical tower system, but under the hood, it's all about performance. | Creative pros and power users will salivate over the speed and the design of Apple's top-of-the-line Power Mac G5, but we wish it offered more expansion and better support. |
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| Product series | N/A | See all products in this series | See all products in this series | N/A |
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| My Products | ||||
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| User comments | 8.1 Excellent (from 67 users) | 7.2 Very good (from 16 users) | Be one of the first to rate this product! | 8.1 Excellent (from 67 users) |
| Basic Specs | ||||
| Product Description | Apple Power Mac G5 - PowerPC G5 2.5 GHz | Pentium 4 3.2 GHz - 19 in TFT active matrix | MPC Millennia 940i - Pentium 4 570J 3.8 GHz - 19 in TFT active matrix | Apple Power Mac G5 - PowerPC G5 2.5 GHz |
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| Type | Personal computer | Info unavailable | Personal computer | Personal computer |
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| Product Form Factor | Tower | Info unavailable | Mid tower | Tower |
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| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 8.1 in x 18.7 in x 20.1 in | 8.0 in x 17.5 in x 16.8 in | 7 in x 19 in x 17.5 in | 8.1 in x 18.7 in x 20.1 in |
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| Weight | 44.5 lbs | 38.0 lbs | Info unavailable | 44.5 lbs |
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| Processor | 2 PowerPC G5 2.5 GHz | 1 x Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz | 1 x Intel Pentium 4 570J / 3.8 GHz | 2 PowerPC G5 2.5 GHz |
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| Processor Main Features | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Hyper-Threading Technology , Intel Execute Disable Bit | Info unavailable |
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| Cache Memory | 1 MB L2 cache | 1 MB L2 cache | 1 MB L2 cache | 1 MB L2 cache |
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| Cache Per Processor | 512 KB | Info unavailable | 1 MB | 512 KB |
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| RAM | 512 MB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR SDRAM - 400 MHz - PC3200 | 256 MB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR SDRAM | 1 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 533 MHz - PC2-4200 | 512 MB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR SDRAM - 400 MHz - PC3200 |
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| Storage Controller | Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-150 ) ; None | Info unavailable | RAID ( Serial ATA-150 ) ; IDE ( ATA-100 ) | Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-150 ) ; None |
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| Floppy Drive | None | and floppy drive | None | None |
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| Hard Drive | 1 x 160 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-150 | 250 GB - Standard | 1 x 250 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-150 | 1 x 160 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-150 |
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| Hard Drive (2nd) | - None | 250 GB | - None | - None |
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| Optical Storage | CD-RW / DVD-R | Info unavailable | DVD?RW (+R DL) | CD-RW / DVD-R |
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| Optical Storage (2nd) | None | DVD-ROM | CD-RW | None |
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| Storage Removable | None | Info unavailable | None | None |
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| Monitor | None. | LCD display - 19 in - TFT active matrix | Flat panel display - 19 in - TFT active matrix | None. |
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| Printer | None | Info unavailable | None | None |
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| Graphics Controller | AGP 8x - ATI Radeon 9600 XT - 128 MB | ATI Radeon X800 Pro - 256 MB | PCI Express x16 - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra - 256 MB | AGP 8x - ATI Radeon 9600 XT - 128 MB |
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| Audio Output | Sound card | Sound card | Sound card - 7.1 channel surround | Sound card |
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| Communications | Fax / modem - Integrated - 56 Kbps | Fax / modem - 56 Kbps | None | Fax / modem - Integrated - 56 Kbps |
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| Voltage Required | AC 120/230 V | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | AC 120/230 V |
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| OS Provided | Apple MacOS X 10.3 | Microsoft Windows XP Home SP 2 | Microsoft Windows XP Professional | Apple MacOS X 10.3 |
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| Manufacturer Warranty | 1 year warranty | 1 year warranty | 3 years warranty | 1 year warranty |
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| Product name | Apple Power Mac G5 dual 2.5GHz | Gateway 9310XL | MPC Millennia 940i - P4 570J 3.8 GHz - 19" TFT | Apple Power Mac G5 dual 2.5GHz |
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| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
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| Price range | Email me when this product is available |
This product has been replaced by the Gateway FX400XL.
| Email me when this product is available | Email me when this product is available |
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