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Powerbook G4 or iMac G5 as 2nd Mac?

S

superspartan

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 9, 2006
58
1
I'm looking for a cheap used Mac as a secondary system to my Intel iMac. The usage will be for lightweight tasks and I don't necessarily need the portability of a PB, but it's a nice bonus.

Any general opinions on my options? I've been thinking that both systems are outdated and cannot run the latest apps / OS, so the difference in specs might be negligible.
 
Go with the powerbook g4 they are light and well designed
DO NOT I repeat DO NOT Get an imac g5 there is a huge flaw in their motherboards and it starts with bulging capacitors
 
Lil Chillbil said:
Go with the powerbook g4 they are light and well designed
DO NOT I repeat DO NOT Get an imac g5 there is a huge flaw in their motherboards and it starts with bulging capacitors
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Is the capacitor issue widespread? It's interesting you mention it because I just saw a used G5 listing that mentioned all capacitors were still good. I wasn't aware of the issue before. My C2D iMac has been absolutely rock solid.
 
Some G5 iMacs had/have bad capacitors. Others have failing video cards. Those are the two most common problems with them.

If you want something powerful, get an iMac G5. If you want something dependable, get a Powerbook G4.
 
So basically the imac G5 is like a 85' jaguar it will impress your friends and you'll look relay cool but it will spend 90% of the time in the shop costing you money
 
I've known some G5 iMacs to run without breakdowns for years. These machines are used in schools and homes and get heavy use with constant shut downs and boot ups. They can be reliable.
 
Most of those iMac G5s that I know of only receive software maintenance. Now that Apple has stopped updating Leopard, they haven't been touched by any technical person for well over a year. They've never been opened, cleaned, or upgraded. Most have 512Mb of RAM and their original hard drive.
 
Well neither machine is a powerhouse (these days), so I'm leaning toward the more reliable option which seems to be the PB. Even my late-2007 Aluminum iMac is a bit of a dinosaur, but I dropped an SSD in it and it still feels quite fast.

The 2nd Mac is really just for the times that I need to do something that the iPad isn't suited for and my wife is hogging my iMac.
 
I say the PowerBook in my opinion. Since I can't post eBay links on MR, because the administrators don't like that, I'll send you a link to the PowerBook I bought from this guy in Wichita. He has 2 of them left. 1.5 GHz G4, 512MB RAM, 80GB HD, ATI Radeon Mobility 9700 with 64MB VRAM. They ship with 10.4.11, and come with the battery AND the AC Adapter. I PM'ed the link to you. They're on sale now, the sale ends Friday.
 
MacRumors staff don't care if eBay links are posted on this site. You just can't post links to your own items for sale.
 
As a long time Apple Certified Mac tech I could never in good conscience recommend an iMac G5. I have worked on more than I could ever count.

Long story short... they have the highest failure rate of any computer Apple has ever made. It's even worse than the dreaded PowerBook 5300 series.
 
I have had to fix 23 systems at my middle school with the capacitor problem and can back up on what zen.state said keeping in mind that my middle school had only 64 imac g5 systems and 23 out of those 64 systems broke down in the same year is not good odds.
 
superspartan said:
Well neither machine is a powerhouse (these days), so I'm leaning toward the more reliable option which seems to be the PB. Even my late-2007 Aluminum iMac is a bit of a dinosaur, but I dropped an SSD in it and it still feels quite fast.

The 2nd Mac is really just for the times that I need to do something that the iPad isn't suited for and my wife is hogging my iMac.
Click to expand...

My 1.67ghz Powerbook for sale in MR marketplace, final revision of the entire line, is better than the 1.5ghz 15" by far. Maxed at 2gbs ram, biggest and fastest PATA hdd for laptops made, the 320gb plus High Res screen, 128mb video ram, etc., etc. faster ram Dual layer superdrive, scrolling trackpad, sudden motion sensor, bluetooth 2.0. I could go on but you get my drift.

If you don't want the hard drive, i will drop the price. SSD sounds like a good idea to me, too.
 
California said:
My 1.67ghz Powerbook for sale in MR marketplace, final revision of the entire line, is better than the 1.5ghz 15" by far. Maxed at 2gbs ram, biggest and fastest PATA hdd for laptops made, the 320gb plus High Res screen, 128mb video ram, etc., etc. faster ram Dual layer superdrive, scrolling trackpad, sudden motion sensor, bluetooth 2.0. I could go on but you get my drift.

If you don't want the hard drive, i will drop the price. SSD sounds like a good idea to me, too.
Click to expand...

What are you asking? If it's in my range, I'll return my PB in a heartbeat, and buy yours.
 
Steve.P.JobsFan said:
That's just outside of my range. Darn. I need something closer to $250.
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I'll meet you halfway. Will ship with an Apple 40 or 30 gig regular IDE drive (can't remember which one I have)

IMHO, if you don't have the biggest PATA drive in a PPC laptop either the 250gb or the 320gb, get a small SSD.

This will hold you over until you do that.
 
California said:
I'll meet you halfway. Will ship with an Apple 40 or 30 gig regular IDE drive (can't remember which one I have)

IMHO, if you don't have the biggest PATA drive in a PPC laptop either the 250gb or the 320gb, get a small SSD.

This will hold you over until you do that.
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Oh, god. I really just want to ship that 15" PB G4 back, and get my $230 returned. I would be okay with a 40 or 30GB drive. However, just copying my core data over, which is the data I HAVE to have on this machine, I have 30GB of data. So if it was a 40GB drive, I'd have 10GB of free space left. That's not much space for OS X to use. I'd imagine it'd be a bit slow, not to mention OS X would detect it, and start nagging at me to delete stuff. I mean, I could buy your machine, and install a larger drive. However, with all those screws, I just know I'm going to lose one of them. I'm going to take a few days to think about it, is that okay? Oh, and do you take PayPal?
 
zen.state said:
230 is decent but not great. I would pay 180 max for a 1.5-1.67GHz.
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Excluding FedEx costs, the G4 was actually $214.39. That was a 33% off sale, he was actually asking $319.99, because these PowerBook's are presumably in "excellent" condition, with only a few very, very light scratches. Actually, I spent a total of $305, because I spent $75 on 2GB of RAM from OWC/macsales.com

I'm kinda "meh" on the $214.39, but now I'm a bit angry. I just found a late 2005 (last generation) PowerMac G5 with the Quad 2.5 GHz G4, Dual 250GB drives, and 6.5GB RAM with $113 as the current bid. Plus, here's another advantage. I've been driving from NW Ohio to Pittsburgh every 2/3 weeks because my Mom's BF severely injured his thumb at work, and is seeing a doctor in Pittsburgh. To have the G5 shipped to my door, it's close to $50. This PowerMac, is IN Pittsburgh. I could save the money, and just meet up with the dude next week, and get the G5 that way, and save money and hassle. If you can find me a 15" G4 PowerBook, with the same specs or better, for cheaper than what I paid, then I'll be shocked. If you can find one with the box and all the documentation, discs, the lot, I'll be even more shocked.

OP, sorry to veer way off-topic on your post, but I was explaining my experience a bit more. Sorry. Once I start talking, I can't stop... :p
 
Last edited:
Steve.P.JobsFan said:
Excluding FedEx costs, the G4 was actually $214.39. That was a 33% off sale, he was actually asking $319.99, because these PowerBook's are presumably in "excellent" condition, with only a few very, very light scratches. Actually, I spent a total of $305, because I spent $75 on 2GB of RAM from OWC/macsales.com

I'm kinda "meh" on the $214.39, but now I'm a bit angry. I just found a late 2005 (last generation) PowerMac G5 with the Quad 2.5 GHz G4, Dual 250GB drives, and 6.5GB RAM with $113 as the current bid. Plus, here's another advantage. I've been driving from NW Ohio to Pittsburgh every 2/3 weeks because my Mom's BF severely injured his thumb at work, and is seeing a doctor in Pittsburgh. To have the G5 shipped to my door, it's close to $50. This PowerMac, is IN Pittsburgh. I could save the money, and just meet up with the dude next week, and get the G5 that way, and save money and hassle. If you can find me a 15" G4 PowerBook, with the same specs or better, for cheaper than what I paid, then I'll be shocked. If you can find one with the box and all the documentation, discs, the lot, I'll be even more shocked.

OP, sorry to veer way off-topic on your post, but I was explaining my experience a bit more. Sorry. Once I start talking, I can't stop... :p
Click to expand...

I might have a 60 gig drive... I can't remember if it's the famous 7200rpm drive or a pretty fast 5400 rpm or the slower 4200 rpm.

Look don't freak. Set your mind as to what computer you want and get it. There are always good deals out there. I'll check on the hd's I have and get back to you.
 
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