Apple iMac G5 (2.0GHz, 17-inch)

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Product Summary

Tiger's not the only story; the iMac G5 gets a complete hardware overhaul, too.

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See all products in the Apple iMac G5 (previous generation) series

CNET editors' take

Reviewed by: Matthew Elliott
Reviewed on: 05/12/2005

Apple's three iMac G5 models now ship with the new Tiger OS, a slew of new hardware, and in the case of the 20-inch model, a lower price. The low-end $1,299 model features a 1.8GHz PowerPC G5 processor and a 17-inch screen, and the midrange $1,499 model features a 2.0GH processor and a 17-inch screen. The 20-inch model's price dropped $100 to $1,799 and includes the 2.0GHz processor.

Upside: All three models boast twice the memory of the previous iMac G5 lineup, larger hard drives, better graphics, and Gigabit Ethernet. We've dinged Apple in the past for including only 256MB for its standard configurations; now 512MB is the standard allotment across the board. Also standard: 160GB hard drives for the two 17-inch iMacs and a 250GB drive for the 20-inch model. ATI's midrange Radeon 9600 graphics card replaces Nvidia's budget GeForce FX 5200 card. Also, all three models ship with wireless AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth, two features you had to pay extra for previously. The SuperDrive on the two 2.0GHz G5-based models is now an 8X double-layer drive.

Downside: There's not much in the way of negatives to report with the iMac G5's upgrades. We still don't like Apple's one-button mouse or the fact that the one-year warranty supplies only 90 days of free phone support. Also, though we appreciate the graphics boost, we wish Apple provided other graphics card options.

Outlook: Apple addressed our chief concern by making 512MB the standard memory allotment for all three iMac G5 models. Faster processors, better graphics, larger hard drives, and wireless features are also welcome. With the host of hardware upgrades, the Tiger OS-based iMac G5 definitely brings more to the table. Check back soon for our review of the 2.0GHz 17-inch iMac G5.