High End Shootout: PowerMac vs. Dell Precision PC.

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I was sufficiently impressed that a Linux guru found Apple’s Macs so affordable that it was necessary to do a reality check. Granted, on the low end, the eMac “box” is a little more expensive than the Dell “box”.

But what about the high end (the non-server) desktop workstations? Are Apple’s PowerMac’s still competitive with the low cost leader, Dell?

Surprise.

Here’s what you get with the Dell Precision Workstation 670.

That’s the basic Dell box workstation. No monitor. No Firewire. No extra RAM. Nothing special.

How’s the Dell compare to a PowerMac? There are a couple of differences. First, the dual Xeon CPU is at 2.8 ghz vs. 2.5 ghz for the Mac. In many comparison tests, the PowerMac dual 2.5 ghz PowerPC CPUs outperform even dual 3 ghz Intel machines.

Faster Xeon CPUs would cost more money on the Dell workstation.

Also, the PowerMac comes with a built-in 8x SuperDrive vs. the 16x optical drive for the Dell. The PowerMac also has 400 and 800 Firewire built-in. The Dell would require an add-on card (not included in the price below).

With Apple’s PowerMac, you get plenty of powerly goodness, too.

No, no comparison of other software. There’s nothing that really compares with Apple’s iLife suite of applications anyway. It’s a bonus. Thank you for buying the PowerMac.

Box for box, what’s the price tag?

Apple PowerMac G5 - $2,999.
Dell Precision Workstation 670 - $3,070.

The PowerMac is $71 less than the comparably equipped Dell “box”. Now, no flames, please. Don’t jump for your keyboard yet. Yes, you can get a less powerful Dell workstation at a lower cost. I went for the high end in this comparison and tried to keep the components as “apples to apples” as possible.

As Paul Murphy pointed out, Apple’s are less expensive than PCs in a number of important areas, not just TCO. Out of the box, even a high end PowerMac can be less expensive than a comparable Dell workstation.

That Mac is slower than a Dell, right? Well, the proper answer is, “it depends.” Paul Murphy thinks otherwise. Click Here for another of Paul’s views on the matter.

Personally, I think Apple has a number of things pumping on all cylinders right now. iPods. iTMS. iLife. iMac G5. PowerMacs. Xserves. Performance. And price.

What do you think? Do you have a Dell experience you’re willing to share with other readers? What’s your thought on Apple’s new “positioning” of the product line? As always, click on the Comments link to leave your thought with others.