iMac

Upgrading from an old Apple iMac to the newer iMac G5 is a snap, thanks to FireWire connectivity. All you have to do is boot up your old iMac and insert the FireWire connection. Use the intuitive on-screen prompts to begin transferring old data, files, applications, and other critical information over to your G5.

The Mac OS X set up assistant is quite an innovation. The G5 iMac comes with a dazzling array of ports and a state-of-the-art software package. You get Quicken 2004--one of the highest-ranking accounting programs on the market--and the iLife multimedia suite. You also get a slick design and an anodized aluminum stand. The G5 is light enough almost to be considered a laptop--the 17 inch model ways only 18.5 pounds. Compare that to the Alienwear Area 51m laptop, which clocks in at around 12 pounds.

While the iMac G4 is a relatively fast machine, the iMac G5 is considerably faster. You can store 250 GB on the G5--more than three times as much as you can store on even high-powered laptops. It's easy to run extremely realistic graphic simulations and to play tournament-quality video games online. The one downer is the warranty. G5 parts and labor are only guaranteed for a year.

If you want to update the graphics chip set standard with the iMac, you could have trouble. Fortunately, the nVidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics chip that comes standard is extremely powerful. It may not be as strong as a chip set you could get in a deluxe Windows PC or a PowerMac, but you should have enough processing power to run games like Halo and other 3-D adventures.