mac mini or used powermac g4?

[nanc]

ok i am stuck between a rock and a hard place and can not figure out what to do. i was looking at a mac mini 1.42 but then went and used my friends g4 pm and love it so now the uestion is what one it get. any suggestions? that would help me alot

[zakatov]

Depends on the PM, but with a PM you can:
-Upgrade CPU
-Upgrade vid card
-Add more storage
-Add any kind of PCI cards.

Of course the PM will be more expensive, louder and larger than the mini.

[nanc]

yes that is true in some aspects i was going to buy the pm off ebay for 260 without operating software then just buy tiger and put it on there

[DeSnousa]

What G4 model Powermac is it?

What will you be using the computer for?

What price is your friend willing to sell the Powermac?

The 3 golden questions about your purchase :)

[minimax]

If you play a lot of games definately go for one of the latest 2xG4 towers. Not only are they dual but each core has an additional L3 cache that adds about 10% extra performance. Also you could upgrade the video which would be very important if you want to play the latest games as well.
But if you don't really need that much power (I don't regard photoshop a power application ) a mini with 1GB will serve you perfectly into the future.

[nanc]

G4 500MHZ - 256Mb Ram - 40GB Hard Drive - DVD-rom
i will be using it for school work and alittle photo stuff some video music surfing the net heres the site
http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Power-Mac-G4-500MHZ-DVD-256MB-40-GIG-And-MORE_W0QQitemZ5805272258QQcategoryZ14912QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[dollystereo]

The Mini is 3 times powerful that computer, is a 1.42GHZ vs 500MHZ, is a 167mhz bux vs 100mhz bus, it has a Radeon 9200 vs the rage 16mb thats included, it has ddr 2700 ram vs the Pc100 ram of the PM, it has a Superdrive, and its quiter and beautiful.

Go and get the mini. UPgrade that PM is almost 500dollars more.

Good luck! =)

[CanadaRAM]

Also note that the eBay machine does not come with an OS, so figure another $99 for Tiger.

[DeSnousa]

G4 500MHZ - 256Mb Ram - 40GB Hard Drive - DVD-rom
i will be using it for school work and alittle photo stuff some video music surfing the net heres the site
http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Power-Mac-G4-500MHZ-DVD-256MB-40-GIG-And-MORE_W0QQitemZ5805272258QQcategoryZ14912QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Definitely the Mini for the following reasons:

1) No operating system, brings up the price closer to mini.
2) I do believe a 500mhz processor is very slow for today's standard, even for the basic tasks you want to do.
3) Mini is smaller and more powerful (even if the hardrive is a 2.5" kind)
4) Tiger and iLife are included.
5)More goodies such as Bluetooth and Airport (Depending on the model you choose)

Just make sure with any computer purchase these days that you up the ram. 512mb will do fine (just don't have to much widgets open), but if you can afford the 1GB stick go for that :)

[nanc]

ok i now understand that the mini is a much better deal. but now the question is the 1.42 really worth 100 dollars over 1.25 think i am a young kid so i don't have alot of money

[minimax]

I would recommend the 1.25 over the 1.42, it will be hardly any slower but the HD space might be on the low side. Bluetooth & Airport Express might be nice extra's but not everybody needs / wants those.

[nanc]

i don't think i need bt or airport and the hard drive is not that big of deal i just don't know i have been looking into them for months and still can not decide

[doucy2]

go for the mini
that PM wont be able to handle very many games (i know form experience)
you will be way happier with the mini

[nanc]

ya i am def going with the mini now just the prob with 1.25 or 1.42

[Xephian]

I would also go for the Mini.

[caveman_uk]

Go for the mini. It's a better machine. If the PM was a Mirror drive doors machine or a late Quicksilver then it's be a much harder decision. The very last MDDs with the dual 1.42 procs are still very nice machines and will give even the G5 imacs a run for their money.