What is your PowerPC Mac used for now?

I use my Power Mac G5 for the whole Creative Suite package, rendering 3D with Poser, Bryce, practicing Unity 3D, and I'm trying to get a copy of Autodesk Maya for PPC, so I can use it as my main machine as my MacBook Pro screen is too small. It renders really fast actually. Do a lot of coding on it too. I want to throw a copy of Logic on it too.

The iMac G4, I do some rendering on it too, but it's mainly my family's machine, and I usually just use one of the Bannister emulators to play Genesis ROMs when I'm not using the Xbox in the living room as the screen is awesome for that.

I'm planning on adding some authoring software to my clamshell too (running OS 9). Need to figure out just what though.

I'm down to just my iMac G5 at this point.

Mostly, I use it as a terminal for accessing my x86_64 Linux box and as a front end for my media server when I'm in my home office. It handles both of those jobs with aplomb since I don't have any HD content to stream.

G4 Dual for occasional web surfing. My PowerBook G4 currently has no working charger so it just... is.

PowerBook – web surfing (my primary laptop), movie watching in bed, some light PS and AI work

Clamshell – audiobook player, light web surfing

MDD, iMacs, Cubes, eMac – my little victims of modding. Some mods already done, some in progress, some will be done. I have plenty of ideas but not as much spare time and money to finish all mods that I have in my head.

Backup computer,scanning 35mm film rolls,ocasional web surfing.

My G5 Xserve is an iTunes server and back end for my Apple TV 3. It's also got duties of file serving, acting as a torrent daemon with web interface, a time machine server and backup ripping machine to set and forget about if I really get bogged down. It has a screen sharing front end so I can run it without a monitor. Prior to its current duties it was a PPC Linux box.

iBook G4 1.2 Ghz
1.25 RAM Memory

I use it for work, work work. Seriously, I do most of my work there. I also use it for photoshop, facebook, twitter, gmail, managing our online store, developing plugins, websites, watch movies, youtube, writing...

Anyways, it is one of my main computers.

PowerMac G4 MDD FW800:

got it as my main PC replacing my problematic AMD Athlon 64 Socket AM2 system. I use it for daily activities web browsing DVD watching music listening. I will even use iMovie for my YouTube videos however i rarely edit my videos so i have not yet edited any video on any of my Macs.

eMac:

I have the USB 2.0 1GHz model (education model) i bought it from a school that is not too far from me. I use this Mac mostly for a computer to use as i work on my PowerMac i will occasionally watch DVDs on it. I just rigged in a PC power switch as the switch broke while i was installing a SuperDrive

17" PowerBook G4 1Ghz:
Email, web surfing, word processing, photo editing.

17" PowerBook G4 1.67Ghz
Same as above, but also Graphic Design (Adobe CS4, QXP 8.5.1, Acrobat 9.0 & 6.0 Pro)

My work G5 1.8Ghz:
Production, ad design, composition and page layout (Adobe CS4, QXP 8.5.1, Acrobat 9.0 & 6.0 Pro)

My work G4 400mhz:
Applescript server (photo processing, file moving)

My coworker's G4 450mhz:
Same thing my work G5 does.

All Macs above are running Leopard 10.5.8, except for the 400mhz G4 which is running Tiger 10.4.11.

PowerMac G5 Quad 2.5:
This is my everyday system. Its the main web browsing, iTunes, CS4, and video machine. Its honestly still more power than I really need which is why I'n not in any hurry to replace it.

PowerBook G4 1.5 12"
Primary mobile system. Used for all the usual around home stuff. Its got CS3 and Office along with the internet stuff so its a good little toy.

PowerMac G4 Cube 500
This guy is setup as jukebox with iTunes / web browsing machine. Its also got a 20" Cinema display attached so its great for some SD video or even a little Adobe Illustrator and Freehand MX.

There are more, but these are the 3 that see the most daily use.

Powermac G5 Quad - CAD work, graphics work using AI, PS, email, surfing the interwebs, iTunes, hulu, writing user's as well as service and tech manuals, writing QC specs and standards, Skype and almost anything I can do on a desktop computer.

Hello everyone,

New here at MacRumors and I thought I would start here.

I use my "New" Power Mac G5 dual 2.0ghz as my main computer which entails writing with CopyWrite, Photoghraphy work using The Gimp 2.6.11 and Seashore (Adobe PS and Elements are out of my price range and honestly beyond what I need in capabilities), surfing the web, Mactubes for youtube, music in iTunes, a little web design and for loading ebooks onto my Ebook reader. Basically I have not found anything I need my computer to do that it can't do. It is leaps and bounds above my former main machine I just retired which was the comprimised "budget" single 1ghz model of the G4 MDD FW800. Oh and for my mobile needs I have a 550mhz G4 Tibook which is a glorified typewriter and I don't need more then that to work on my writing in coffee shops, at work or at the library.

My Lime iBook is used most of the time. With the right combinations of software, it can be surprisingly useful.... even quick. I do all of my word processing and instant messaging with it, along with some Web design.

G5 is my main 'home' computer, use it for Photo catalogue and minor edits (iPhoto, Picasa and Flickr uploading etc) iMovie to create holiday movies etc. games occasionally (Doom3, Amnesia, Quake3&4, UT2004 etc) browsing, email of course, iTunes and Spotify through my Bowers & Wilkins MM1 speakers (awesome!), utility wise Dropbox, Logmein (to give me Back to My Mac functionality), AV supplied by VirusBarrier X6, Skype gets used a lot for video calls home (I live/work abroad) etc etc. Hardware attached is a Logitech HD Webcam, Elgato Turbo.264 USB encoder, B&M Speakers, D-Link USB Wifi dongle.

My MacBook is connected to my TV permanently, I use Mobile Mouse Server to control it from my iPad - It runs BBC iPlayer (through a UK VPN) and PS3 MediaServer to serve content from my Airport USB attached hard drive to my PS3 and runs 24/7 (to enable it to keep my iPlayer programs up to date and downloaded).

My MacBookPro is my work laptop - it's lovely and it's smooth but I just like using a desktop at home and the G5 is still very much 'fit for purpose'.

Have an iPad for iPad stuff.....

Use a Nokia N9 for my phone.

Keep contacts, calendars etc synced between ALL my machines (G5 on Leopard, MacBook of Lion, MBP on ML, iPad on iOS AND Nokia (!) using Fruux.

The recently replaced quad served as my main computer for CS3. I just got a 5.5 license from work so the quad was replaced with a MP.

I use both my Power Mac G5 and my PowerBook G4 for browsing the web (Camino and SeaMonkey), listening to music (iTunes and Spotify), creating artwork for our podcast (Photoshop), keeping in touch with my friends (Thunderbird and Adium) and streaming media to our consoles (Playback).

Movie editing, podcast recording, converting, gaming and other demanding tasks is done on a Windows-based PC.

My Powerbook is used as a second computer, i mostly use it for web browsing and typing.

PowerMac G5 used for creative suite 3 (mostly DW & PS though), Apple Logic Pro 8, Final Cut Express 4, iTunes, DVD ripping, iWork, iLife and several games. This along with web browsing, I retry much use it for everything daily.

Everything.

My Macbook is only used when I'm away from home, it just doesn't have the capacity, USB ports, or display outputs that I like to use.

My iMac G4 is used as a third monitor on my desk (my 2009 mini has the other two), and for all of my writing.

LOLZpersonok said:

What do you use yours for?

Click to expand...

Now I'm really glad I kept my spotless, pristine 2002 PowerBook G4 Ti.

Unlike my recent purchases from Apple this laptop came out of the box scratch and ding free. Then I expected it, now I don't.

Little did I realize that going forward Apple quality control would deteriorate as it has.

Not only that it's _still_ scratch and ding free after simply using a little care, and a Booq case and sleeve. It traveled the world with me for over a year performing all the tasks I needed to do for work.

These days I simply use it for writing, web surfing and fun since it's no longer capable of the work I do. Yet that aside it's an astounding story, as the only part that has required replacement, is the predictable need to replace the spent battery after a few years.

What a nice machine

LOLZpersonok said:

I have to agree with you. My friend's iBook G4 is still in pretty good shape despite taking some abuse. It's a shame now that Apple's new products use casings that scratch and dent so easily. It looks nice, but there's that downside. The same thing applies with PC laptops and desktops that use the same or similar casing style and techniques.

My iMac G3 and PowerMac G4 are still in good shape, just need to be wiped down.

It's a real shame that most computers nowadays aren't as durable and don't last as long as they used to. I've got 14 year old computers, all are still fast and none have bad capacitors or other hardware. I have a 13 year old computer running on the OEM installation of Windows. Even still, my 2003 PowerMac G4 is still running the OS that was installed in 2005 or so.

Click to expand...

Well said. I concur.

My PowerPC Macs.. Present and Past

Well, I use the last version of PowerBook G4's. The dual-layer, hi-res model which is 17 inch. This is my main, everyday machine I use outside of my house. I use it for light encoding(very light), tweaking, tinkering with, etc.. browse the internet and general use.

My other PowerPC machine is my G4 Pismo which I use to run OS 9 related work, such as old wordprocessing and old game playing. Trying to figure out a way to watch youtube somewhat in Mac OS 9, though I have Tiger 10.4.11 on it. It was a G3 500, but recently put in the Wegener Media G4 550 chip, hence where you get Pismo G4.

I had an MDD Dual 1.25 w/2MB L3 Cache, a Sawtooth 500mhz, and a Digital Audio G4, but all are gone ever since I went to a G5 Quad.. and from there the rest is history. Due to financial constraints, I had to sell off my Quad. Perhaps one day I will get the Quad again, but my 6-core Mac Pro is being used as a file storage server and print server to all my remaining machines.