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Repair or Buy Used?

D

DrRock

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 18, 2005
159
1
Recently, the logic board on my 2005 PowerMac G5 Dual 2.3 machine failed for the second time. I was fortunate enough to get it fixed the first time for labor only, but this time I'm faced with the full repair cost. It seems the cost of replacing the part itself will be anywhere from $400-$900 (Labor not included).

Is it a better option to seek out one of the places that sells used machines? I've seen many places where I can buy a full working tower for $500-$600. Is this a way to go, and does anyone have any personal experience going this route, and if so, where did you buy, and what were the results?

Thanks
 
For $699 you can get a brand new mac mini. Which would be considerably more powerful than your present system. In short I don't think it is worth it to repair your computer.
 
^

If I get a new machine or a refurb instead of repairing, is it possible to move my internal drives to the new machine and access the programs/data contained within?
 
DrRock said:
If I get a new machine or a refurb instead of repairing, is it possible to move my internal drives to the new machine and access the programs/data contained within?
Click to expand...

yes it is. Mac OS X is a different beast compared to Windows iterations in the sense that it is less sensitive to driver issues. Simply switching hard drives with Windows machines causes lots of problems but it is less of an issue when they are Mac OS X based.

HOWEVER, I recommend if you do get a new machine, that you simply don't switch around the hard drives. A clean/fresh install is highly recommended. After which you should move files. Install applications from scratch.

Just to completely safeguard against compatibility issues, especially since you're moving from a G5 based system to an Intel one.
 
When moving from G5 to Intel Architecture, it is best to start fresh. First of all, OS X from a G5 won't even boot on an Intel Mini. But I wouldn't even use migration assistant to put your stuff on since some older apps may not even run and you don't want to bring over incompatible files and settings.

Just install your new computer and set it up. Then evaluate each app and install one at a time. Then copy over your personal files. You may want to repartition all your data drives as GUID as well unless you still have an older machine you'd want to connect those drives to.
 
dacreativeguy said:
When moving from G5 to Intel Architecture, it is best to start fresh. First of all, OS X from a G5 won't even boot on an Intel Mini. But I wouldn't even use migration assistant to put your stuff on since some older apps may not even run and you don't want to bring over incompatible files and settings.

Just install your new computer and set it up. Then evaluate each app and install one at a time. Then copy over your personal files. You may want to repartition all your data drives as GUID as well unless you still have an older machine you'd want to connect those drives to.
Click to expand...

This. Do a clean install and transfer all your files from the old powerpc to the new one.
Also check out for the refurbished mac mini. You might save some money.
 
For $900 I would say put it into a new machine. It sounds like 5 years has been a nice run. I only got two on average for my Windows PCs. If I get 5 years from my iMac I will be stoked! 1 down, 4 to go...
 
^

Thanks for the info, all. So, a mac mini is as powerful/more powerful than my PowerMac?

And if I get a new machine, how do I transfer data from my old machine to the new one if the old one won't boot up? That's the main issue. If I could get the current machine to boot up, I'd backup to an external drive, but I can't get it to do so.

That's why I'm weighing the option of repairing, so I can simply retrieve the data. I wasn't sure if that was possible any other way.

Thanks again!
 
An external drive enclosure will be the easiest route. Just pull the drive(s) from your G5 and use the external enclosure to connect to the new Mac via Firewire or USB. After all your data is transferred you can reformat and continue to use the external for a Time Machine backup or for additional storage.
 
Darth.Titan said:
An external drive enclosure will be the easiest route. Just pull the drive(s) from your G5 and use the external enclosure to connect to the new Mac via Firewire or USB. After all your data is transferred you can reformat and continue to use the external for a Time Machine backup or for additional storage.
Click to expand...
I was thinking slave the g5 drive, but it's probably 'pata' ide, and refurb mini probably supports only sata...

MonkeyET said:
I only got two on average for my Windows PCs.
Click to expand...
yeah, but most ppl use (empty) beer cans for target practice ;-)
i inherit (or buy cheep) used, and they need repair or upgrades, but i move on when they are about 8 or 9 years old. usually, because i want to run something bigger then browser or office app. nowadays old 512+mb xp pcs run everyday software fine. 2014 will be certain death for old x86, unless haiku or reactos (syllable? etc) is release by then. however, i expect 10yo 64fx or p4 will run mainstream (not puppy) desktop linux in 2014.
 
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