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It is possible to make it into a dual-CPU machine, but not by simply plugging in a second CPU.

You'll need a dual-CPU daughtercard, to be installed in place of your current single-CPU card. You can either get one from an upgrade manufacturer, like Sonnet, Giga Designs or PowerLogix, or you can hunt for an Apple CPU card on eBay or elsewhere. Make sure you get a card that works in your particular machine, though.

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It will most certainly be cheaper to upgrade, but a new G5 will be much faster overall than an upgraded machine.  I plan to upgrade my QS 933, but I want to wait for the prices to fall first.  Last time I looked the dual processor cards were in the $550 to $700 range from Giga Designs.  If you have alot invested in your machine (hard drives, memory, etc) then it pays to upgrade.  The G5's use a different hard drive connector, so your current drives are useless without a separate IDE PCI card.  Also, they use a different memory type than your current machine.  If you are pretty well stock, then it might pay to drop the extra cash and pick up a new machine.  The G5's have more future potential than your G4 (64 bit OS and programs).

iMacs are no fun. Upgrade the Power Mac.

Yeah I'm guessing it would be faster but is the iMac upgradable?

If you plan to use your machine to run professional programs then don't mess with iMacs. Go straight to tower unless you just do not have the income to afford it. Keep in mind that when the G5s first came out the MDD dual 1.42Ghz G4 tower beat the G5 1.6Ghz in altivec apps. The G5's altivec unit is similar to the original 7400 G4s so its not as advanced as say going with a 7455/7457. I haven't seen the tests of the 7447s to compare.

Course when Tiger comes out and after time more apps start using more 64bit processing then G5 will most likely be the way to go vs the older 32bit G4s.

Hmm... The hardest tasks I would unload upon my computer are flash documents with advanced graphics and 50+ layers. Or work with songs in GarageBand. Both of those things are possible to do on my current computer, but only in a very, very sluggish kind of way... and more than twice has GarageBand told me it cannot play the current song in realtime, due to my slow processor...

In any case I'm just going to do the sensible thing and go to an Apple store and try to figure out what I need for my self...

Thanks to everyone who helped me, it's much appriciated...

You are going to go to SALEMEN to "figure" your situation out?
You think this is more "sensible" than talkin to these guys who have 'been there done that' and do not get paid to SELL you new equipment.

I work with BOTH Apple Reps and Apple Store salemen.  First off, most employees in the Apple store are no more than Silver Certified through Apple.  (They are bias salesmen who know nothing.)

If you are going there to load your apps and files and see how they run, good for you.  This is smart of you and will give you a basis to work off.  But are you going to go and load onto a dual G4 so it is a fair comparison?  ((I am with PowerMacMan.))

I also work with a guy who owns a multi-million dollar graphics design company.  There is a reason they are using the older dual proc machines, CRTs, and older OSs (bootable in 9 unlike the new machines with Tiger) etc.

You may not have the same use for your machine as he does for all his employees.  I am only pointing out that the G4s are NOT slow and DO have their place in the world.  upgrade... Jmy.02

PowerMacMan wrote:

Eh, I'm sure he already bought a nice new Mac with an obscene amount of obscenely expensive Apple RAM per the salesman's advice.

Haha... No I haven't bought or done anything yet... Right now I'm too busy trying to live with the kinks of Mac OS Tiger...