For the graphics and media pros the Power Mac G5 line is designed for, we think the clear speed advantage of the dual-2.5GHz model makes it well worth its $2,999 price tag. But if your budget is tight, you can live with a little less than maximum performance, and you don't foresee any need for PCI-X or more than 4GB of memory, then our recommendation is the $1,999 base model. It's only a little slower than Apple's midrange offering, and even after you add some RAM and maybe a larger hard drive, you'll still save several hundred dollars.

Pros: Lots of bang for the buck; 8x SuperDrive; FireWire 800; Gigabit Ethernet.

Cons: Extremely large size; comes with only 256MB of RAM and 80GB hard drive; hobbled compared with other G5s.

Basics

Reviewed Price: $1,999

Processor: 2 1.8GHz G5s

Information about this system on Apple's website