Another one of these.

I have a big retouching job coming up and I'm thinking of getting a new computer. My Dual 1 Gig G4 is starting to slow me down and I'm concerned that it may not be up to this job.

I'll be using it mostly for retouching but also some DV editing and music. I'm thinking of getting the 2.3GHz G5 and was wondering about graphics cards. Is the ATI 9650 good enough or is the X850 XT worth $350 more?

Or, would I rather have a 2.3 with the X850 XT or a 2.7 with a 9650?

I'm on a dual 2.7. If you work with your machine, do not hesitate! I love it.

I'd go with the dual 2.7 and 9650 if you can afford it. The graphics card will not make much of a difference with DV and music, and if you later get into Motion you can always upgrade the card for faster realtime playback.

Like Nate says, buy the fastest CPU you can afford. Unfortunately Apple's pricing structure is always such that to get the last little bit of performance you pay a real premium vs the next lower model.

When you say "retouching" does that mean still images in Photoshop? If so, get plenty of RAM. I don't think the graphics card will make a lot of difference for that. Motion and 3d modeling applications will be most affected by the graphics card (and games). I have the 9600 with 128MB VRAM in my dual G5/2.5 and it seems to run everything fine, including Motion. I've read that faster cards with more VRAM help for that however.

Unfortunately Apple's pricing structure is always such that to get the last little bit of performance you pay a real premium vs the next lower model.

I think that it has actually gotten better. When I bought my G4 it was the top of the line and there was a $700 difference in price from the next one down. After using it for 3 1/2 years, the difference doesn't seem so big.

I'm familiar with the RAM requirements of Photoshop and music apps, but I wasn't sure how much getting a badass graphics card would help me. Going with the stock card keeps the 2.7 in my price range. I think you guys have sold me on it, so thanks for the help.

there was a $700 difference in price from the next one down. After using it for 3 1/2 years, the difference doesn't seem so big.

Well I agree completely with that sentiment, which is why I got the dual 2.5 when it was top of the line. However, there comes a point in your budget where and extra $500 might become a deal breaker.

But it sounds like you're making the right choice. If some must-have application that needs a "badass graphics card" comes along in a year or two then it can always be added.