My PowerPC Plan: What happens when Intel comes into the picture again?

PowerMac G4 MDD · Dec 22, 2014

Hey everyone,

so as some of you may have seen from a recent thread of mine, I was lucky enough to pick-up a 1,1 Mac Pro for only $50 (a price that I could not turned down and would have left alone otherwise). This isn't my first Intel Mac---my first one is a 2009 MBP. However, I like desktops best and this is a very nice one. But being a PowerPC enthusiast, I was worried that I was going to start SOLELY using this Intel machine and drift away from my beloved PowerPC machines.

Well, I suppose I made the best of the situation and created two new set-ups in order to keep that from happening, but ALSO to make things a bit cleaner.
My Mac Pro took the exact place of my PowerMac G5 with its set-up, which was this complicated dual-monitor set-up at my work desk. My iMac G5, which I had initially removed to make way for the PMG5, was sitting useless in another room... well, I guess I decided to go the simple route again and I have just set-up my iMac G5 as my work machine on that desk and ONLY have a keyboard, mouse, and power cord connected to the thing. I am pretty fond of this clean set-up now, which is more appropriate for student work. And this means that once school resumes, I can still be using PowerPC often-enough to fulfill my desires.

And as for the Mac Pro, I now gladly have a 'killer' set-up for it in the "computer room". There was a bit of behind-the-scenes work on this one! So, I guess I am back in the PowerPC loop, while I will still be able to use the Mac Pro. And if I really want to do work at the Mac Pro, I could move to this desk, as I love this set-up.

So here is the iMac G5 is its newfound and clean/clear glory, and here is my "1337 g@m3®" set-up for my Mac Pro. So, in conclusion, my PowerPC usage is not going to diminish (as far as things go now) like some have predicted.

eyoungren · Dec 22, 2014

PowerMac G4 MDD said:
Hey everyone,

so as some of you may have seen from a recent thread of mine, I was lucky enough to pick-up a 1,1 Mac Pro for only $50 (a price that I could not turned down and would have left alone otherwise). This isn't my first Intel Mac---my first one is a 2009 MBP. However, I like desktops best and this is a very nice one. But being a PowerPC enthusiast, I was worried that I was going to start SOLELY using this Intel machine and drift away from my beloved PowerPC machines.

Well, I suppose I made the best of the situation and created two new set-ups in order to keep that from happening, but ALSO to make things a bit cleaner.
My Mac Pro took the exact place of my PowerMac G5 with its set-up, which was this complicated dual-monitor set-up at my work desk. My iMac G5, which I had initially removed to make way for the PMG5, was sitting useless in another room... well, I guess I decided to go the simple route again and I have just set-up my iMac G5 as my work machine on that desk and ONLY have a keyboard, mouse, and power cord connected to the thing. I am pretty fond of this clean set-up now, which is more appropriate for student work. And this means that once school resumes, I can still be using PowerPC often-enough to fulfill my desires.

And as for the Mac Pro, I now gladly have a 'killer' set-up for it in the "computer room". There was a bit of behind-the-scenes work on this one! So, I guess I am back in the PowerPC loop, while I will still be able to use the Mac Pro. And if I really want to do work at the Mac Pro, I could move to this desk, as I love this set-up.

So here is the iMac G5 is its newfound and clean/clear glory, and here is my "1337 g@m3®" set-up for my Mac Pro. So, in conclusion, my PowerPC usage is not going to diminish (as far as things go now) like some have predicted.

No offense, but I think you're worrying over nothing.

The fact that you don't want to have Intel supplant PowerPC just says to me that it won't. No matter what plan you have.

Use what you want for where you want or need.

I have a need now for an Intel MBP. I will be soon getting the last 17" MBP made in the aluminum case so that I am as close to PowerPC as I can get.

I have zero worries that this Mac will ever supplant my other Macs. The MBP will be solely for one purpose. I'll also be replacing my A1013 (deliberately with another A1013 that works better than this new FrankenMac I have) as well. THAT, is my main Mac and I use it at home/work/Starbucks for enjoying browsing on the internet. The MBP will have it's own purpose and my Quicksilver will continue to have it's purpose.

The fact that you have an Intel Mac does not automatically mean that the purposes for your other PowerPC Macs disappear.

Relax. PowerPC is in your blood. It's in mine. As long as that's the case our Macs won't sit unused.

bse5150 · Dec 22, 2014

I still think you'll find yourself using the Mac Pro more and more and the PowerPC less and less. But what do I know?

PowerMac G4 MDD · Dec 22, 2014

eyoungren said:
No offense, but I think you're worrying over nothing.

The fact that you don't want to have Intel supplant PowerPC just says to me that it won't. No matter what plan you have.

Use what you want for where you want or need.

I have a need now for an Intel MBP. I will be soon getting the last 17" MBP made in the aluminum case so that I am as close to PowerPC as I can get.

I have zero worries that this Mac will ever supplant my other Macs. The MBP will be solely for one purpose. I'll also be replacing my A1013 (deliberately with another A1013 that works better than this new FrankenMac I have) as well. THAT, is my main Mac and I use it at home/work/Starbucks for enjoying browsing on the internet. The MBP will have it's own purpose and my Quicksilver will continue to have it's purpose.

The fact that you have an Intel Mac does not automatically mean that the purposes for your other PowerPC Macs disappear.

Relax. PowerPC is in your blood. It's in mine. As long as that's the case our Macs won't sit unused.

Well, it happened the last time I went Intel. However, I have more PPC Macs now and uses for them. I am not stressing or anything----Maybe my post made it sound like I was creating a fuss. Everything is also figured out now; my first Mac was actually a PowerPC machine in 2004, so I go way back. I am sure you have similar stories.

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bse5150 said:
I still think you'll find yourself using the Mac Pro more and more and the PowerPC less and less. But what do I know?

I may end up using my G5 more as a machine for work because it's at my homework desk. I am sure I'll use both regularly.

128keaton · Dec 22, 2014

Very nice find, I have the 'step-down' of yours, a 2.66 GHz machine. I am currently looking around for some 3GHz Quad Core Xeons for this puppy, I also plan to swap its graphics card for a 6790 and eventually a GTX650. I will warn you, this will take over many of your other PPC's jobs.

MysticCow · Dec 22, 2014

TRAITOR!!!!!

I was only kidding.

Honestly, I have that sneaky suspicion that those first few Intel Macs are going to supplant our systems even for us PowerPC collectors. This is because of a few things:

1. As much as we love our PowerPC's, parts will eventually become so scarce that it won't be worth the eventual tremendous effort to keep them up. At some point (hopefully far down the road), it will become improbable to keep them up.

2. Those early Intel Macs are going for super cheap now and can run PowerPC Apps through Rosetta. It won't be perfect, but it will be quite usable as a "PowerPC Mac."

eyoungren · Dec 22, 2014

PowerMac G4 MDD said:
Well, it happened the last time I went Intel. However, I have more PPC Macs now and uses for them. I am not stressing or anything----Maybe my post made it sound like I was creating a fuss. Everything is also figured out now; my first Mac was actually a PowerPC machine in 2004, so I go way back. I am sure you have similar stories.

No, not really. But that's probably due to where you and I are coming from.

I didn't mean to sound antagonistic in my reply. I was actually trying to be reassuring. The internet is very poor in dealing with tone though.

Anyway, I have always had PowerPC. By the time it was necessary for me to purchase a Mac because everything I had was dead, the Intel Macs, even the oldest ones were way out of my price range. So, I stayed PowerPC.

I've used someone's MBP though and I am typing this on the Mac Pro at work. My coworker has my old G5 and I dearly wish I could be back on that machine because it runs circles around this soulless Mac Pro as far as useability and stability goes.

So, for me, just adding an Intel Mac will change nothing because I already have purposes for my other Macs that were determined years before.

Loyalty tends to be one of my faults. I tend to overstay where others would have packed up and gone a long time ago and it's been known to bite me before.

My loyalty is to PowerPC and even though I will purchase an Intel AND issues with my current Macs sometimes frustrate the hell out of me to borrow a phrase, you'll have to pry my PowerPC Macs out of my cold, dead hands.

redheeler · Dec 22, 2014

PowerMac G4 MDD said:
I may end up using my G5 more as a machine for work because it's at my homework desk. I am sure I'll use both regularly.

As much as you'll try to force yourself to stay on PPC that Mac Pro will be calling from the other room.

I have a four year old 2010 27'' iMac set up similarly to your G5, for homework and other tasks that I would like to keep separate from my main machine. I still use it occasionally for these tasks, but dread doing so because it is a significantly degraded experience. It is slower, the display is much worse, etc.

Your future is my present. I've got plenty of PPC Macs around, but rarely use them. They're mostly for display.

eyoungren · Dec 22, 2014

redheeler said:
As much as you'll try to force yourself to stay on PPC that Mac Pro will be calling from the other room.

Speaking only for myself…

I have a 2.8Ghz Quadcore Xeon Mac Pro at work. It does NOT call me. In fact today, I wished I could kick it down the stairs and beat the crap out of it with a Louisville Slugger!

The G5, one desk over calls to me. My G4 Quicksilver at home calls to me when I'm at work.

This Mac Pro at work…I have to remind myself to stop kicking it every once in a while (it's under my desk).

2984839 · Dec 22, 2014

I use my PowerBook all the time just because I like it. I sold my 2011 MBP because I barely used it.

poiihy · Dec 22, 2014

PowerMac G4 MDD said:
Hey everyone,

so as some of you may have seen from a recent thread of mine, I was lucky enough to pick-up a 1,1 Mac Pro for only $50 (a price that I could not turned down and would have left alone otherwise). This isn't my first Intel Mac---my first one is a 2009 MBP. However, I like desktops best and this is a very nice one. But being a PowerPC enthusiast, I was worried that I was going to start SOLELY using this Intel machine and drift away from my beloved PowerPC machines.

Well, I suppose I made the best of the situation and created two new set-ups in order to keep that from happening, but ALSO to make things a bit cleaner.
My Mac Pro took the exact place of my PowerMac G5 with its set-up, which was this complicated dual-monitor set-up at my work desk. My iMac G5, which I had initially removed to make way for the PMG5, was sitting useless in another room... well, I guess I decided to go the simple route again and I have just set-up my iMac G5 as my work machine on that desk and ONLY have a keyboard, mouse, and power cord connected to the thing. I am pretty fond of this clean set-up now, which is more appropriate for student work. And this means that once school resumes, I can still be using PowerPC often-enough to fulfill my desires.

And as for the Mac Pro, I now gladly have a 'killer' set-up for it in the "computer room". There was a bit of behind-the-scenes work on this one! So, I guess I am back in the PowerPC loop, while I will still be able to use the Mac Pro. And if I really want to do work at the Mac Pro, I could move to this desk, as I love this set-up.

So here is the iMac G5 is its newfound and clean/clear glory, and here is my "1337 g@m3®" set-up for my Mac Pro. So, in conclusion, my PowerPC usage is not going to diminish (as far as things go now) like some have predicted.

Gosh... fanboy much? D:

gooser · Dec 22, 2014

i have a macbook in my living room that i use when i want to watch flash videos which isn't very often. i also use ripit to rip dvd's. that's all i use it for. everything else i use my power pc's for.

Altemose · Dec 22, 2014

redheeler said:
As much as you'll try to force yourself to stay on PPC that Mac Pro will be calling from the other room.

I have a four year old 2010 27'' iMac set up similarly to your G5, for homework and other tasks that I would like to keep separate from my main machine. I still use it occasionally for these tasks, but dread doing so because it is a significantly degraded experience. It is slower, the display is much worse, etc.

Your future is my present. I've got plenty of PPC Macs around, but rarely use them. They're mostly for display.

I do not understand why you would keep the 2010 model if you have a Retina model. Intel Macs are valuable and usable to the point where they are still great all around machines. If you said iMac G5 I would say well just save it and use it occasionally.

PowerMac G4 MDD · Dec 22, 2014

128keaton said:
Very nice find, I have the 'step-down' of yours, a 2.66 GHz machine. I am currently looking around for some 3GHz Quad Core Xeons for this puppy, I also plan to swap its graphics card for a 6790 and eventually a GTX650. I will warn you, this will take over many of your other PPC's jobs.

Nice, what version of Mac OSX are you running on it? I am thinking of going to Mt. Lion or Mavericks, but only If I really need to; Snow Leopard is suiting me fine.

I put the original GPU from my bro's 8-core Mac Pro into my Mac Pro, which is an ATI Radeon 2600XT. It was a monster in 2008 and seems to do the job like a budget card would do today(?). I kept the original GF-7300 that mine came with and run my second monitor on that. The fan on the 2600XT can be loud, which Is why I am choosing to use only one display with it. If I felt like being overkill, I COULD use 4 displays, but that would be stupid.

I actually just got a 2GB stick for my iMac G5, which maxes it out at 2.5GB of RAM, and it's running more comfortably now (used to have 1GB). I put the Mac Pro in its place, so now it's at my work desk---this means that I will still be using a PowerPC Mac for my simple (home)work set-up and the Mac Pro for demanding things.

----------

MysticCow said:
TRAITOR!!!!!

I was only kidding.

Honestly, I have that sneaky suspicion that those first few Intel Macs are going to supplant our systems even for us PowerPC collectors. This is because of a few things:

1. As much as we love our PowerPC's, parts will eventually become so scarce that it won't be worth the eventual tremendous effort to keep them up. At some point (hopefully far down the road), it will become improbable to keep them up.

2. Those early Intel Macs are going for super cheap now and can run PowerPC Apps through Rosetta. It won't be perfect, but it will be quite usable as a "PowerPC Mac."

Yeah---it's a good thing most PPC Macs are pretty sturdy. I know some have problems, but many are easy to keep running. I know I cannot speak for anyone else, but I personally have only had issues as simple as hard drives dying, and that one time my TiBook stayed on in my laptop bag... :-/

PowerMac G4 MDD · Dec 22, 2014

eyoungren said:
No, not really. But that's probably due to where you and I are coming from.

I didn't mean to sound antagonistic in my reply. I was actually trying to be reassuring. The internet is very poor in dealing with tone though.

Anyway, I have always had PowerPC. By the time it was necessary for me to purchase a Mac because everything I had was dead, the Intel Macs, even the oldest ones were way out of my price range. So, I stayed PowerPC.

I've used someone's MBP though and I am typing this on the Mac Pro at work. My coworker has my old G5 and I dearly wish I could be back on that machine because it runs circles around this soulless Mac Pro as far as useability and stability goes.

So, for me, just adding an Intel Mac will change nothing because I already have purposes for my other Macs that were determined years before.

Loyalty tends to be one of my faults. I tend to overstay where others would have packed up and gone a long time ago and it's been known to bite me before.

My loyalty is to PowerPC and even though I will purchase an Intel AND issues with my current Macs sometimes frustrate the hell out of me to borrow a phrase, you'll have to pry my PowerPC Macs out of my cold, dead hands.

It's alright, I did sense a reassuring tone there. I have used PPC for years but didn't become such a fan until I got drawn back to my iMac G5 (my first Intel Mac was/is a laptop and I am not fond of using one as a desktop). By now, I have realized how nice these things are and hate how Apple has even gone as far as ditching Snow Leopard. I just have this bad feeling about Tim Cook, like he is pushing Apple to make their old products obsolete quicker than ever... I bet nobody working at the head of Apple even knows PPC has a fan base.

As for my Intel Macs, I do like them, but I realize things we have lost and left with the PPC Macs (such as real keyboards and fun design). I really like my Mac Pro and even my 2009 MBP's keyboard is heaven compared to the most recent ones. I have already been drawn back to PPC once and I don't think I will be leaving PPC, even if I use an Intel & PPC side-by-side.

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poiihy said:
Gosh... fanboy much? D:

I'd only use the term 'fanboy' when referring to those people who think Apple is all about the iPhone and don't know what a Mac looked like 5 years ago.

MysticCow · Dec 23, 2014

PowerMac G4 MDD said:
Yeah---it's a good thing most PPC Macs are pretty sturdy. I know some have problems, but many are easy to keep running. I know I cannot speak for anyone else, but I personally have only had issues as simple as hard drives dying, and that one time my TiBook stayed on in my laptop bag... :-/

There was only one PPC I've ever had issues with and that was the iBook G3 that had the logic board failure. I looked into repairing it and after much debate, it felt best to let it go to Mac Heaven.

I have two iMacs that run great, a DA 733 G4 that runs great, and a dual 2.0 G5 that runs like a beast.

Altemose · Dec 23, 2014

PowerMac G4 MDD said:
I just have this bad feeling about Tim Cook, like he is pushing Apple to make their old products obsolete quicker than ever... I bet nobody working at the head of Apple even knows PPC has a fan base.

The people at the head of Apple probably don't know what PowerPC is.

poiihy · Dec 23, 2014

PowerMac G4 MDD said:
I'd only use the term 'fanboy' when referring to those people who think Apple is all about the iPhone and don't know what a Mac looked like 5 years ago.

PPC fanboy I meant
Or should I say "fanboy of the past"

----------

MysticCow said:
There was only one PPC I've ever had issues with and that was the iBook G3 that had the logic board failure. I looked into repairing it and after much debate, it felt best to let it go to Mac Heaven.

I have two iMacs that run great, a DA 733 G4 that runs great, and a dual 2.0 G5 that runs like a beast.

I only have 3 PPC machines. One is a dead iBook like yours that died from Radeongate (not the same as the 2011's but the failing chips were Mobility Radeons). I took it apart... what a mess

I've had a lot of trouble with this beige G3 I have. Problem after problem after problem, it just never ends! The ODD randomly stopped working and a RAM stick died. Now I cannot run OS X because I don't have enough RAM! Not to mention all the plastic parts are old and brittle and most of them have broken off. Surprisingly, the plastic mount for the upper bays is not brittle and remains intact.

The only PPC machine that I have that has been going well is a Powermac G4 DA. I like this machine.

PowerMac G4 MDD · Dec 23, 2014

Altemose said:
The people at the head of Apple probably don't know what PowerPC is.

Yeah, that's probably very true; and I am sure you and I and others here know WAY more about PowerPC Macs than Cook himself does... seems as though the only person from Apple who regards its past is Ives.

eyoungren · Dec 23, 2014

Re: Cook and PowerPC Macs.

I would say Cook knows quite a good deal about them. He was, after all, essentially the person who designed and implemented Apple's logistics system (Senior VP of Worldwide Operations) and he was hired in 1998.

As to whether he cares about PowerPC, that's a different matter. Apple's focus has always been on "now" and not "then". Killing off the "then" is a big part of what Apple tries to do when it introduces something in the "now". Which is why Apple dropped us all like a bad habit as soon as they could.

Because Apple is so good at that, we are now insignificant as part of the market.

So, while he (and Ive) may very well be aware of PowerPC and it's tenacious fan base they don't spend any time thinking about us at all. Just like they recognize Apple's 1980s history, yet spend no time thinking about it.

Just my opinion.

Altemose · Dec 23, 2014

PowerMac G4 MDD said:
Yeah, that's probably very true; and I am sure you and I and others here know WAY more about PowerPC Macs than Cook himself does... seems as though the only person from Apple who regards its past is Ives.

I think that Ives views PowerPC Macs as what shaped the current ones and as a source of design inspiration. Nobody else was doing fully aluminum computers with backlit keyboards in 2003. Nobody else was shipping 64 bit for the average desktop user in 2003. Nobody was selling LCS equipped computers in 2005. A lot of things in the PowerPC world were firsts and should be viewed as great sources of inspiration.

PowerMac G4 MDD · Dec 23, 2014

Altemose said:
I think that Ives views PowerPC Macs as what shaped the current ones and as a source of design inspiration. Nobody else was doing fully aluminum computers with backlit keyboards in 2003. Nobody else was shipping 64 bit for the average desktop user in 2003. Nobody was selling LCS equipped computers in 2005. A lot of things in the PowerPC world were firsts and should be viewed as great sources of inspiration.

Yeah, exactly. And of course, Apple seems to really value their stuff, yet they won't stop for 5 minutes and give a **** about the products that people still know and love. It sucks what money and greed does. I know it's an obvious business tactic to move on from the old, but way to throw your loyal users out the back door. I think Apple's new products are pretty cool, but I am beginning to dislike Apple more and more. This all beats the next Windows PC, but I want to use my computer for 5 years and not have to break out my unappreciated cash for one of their new toys (which I haven't to this day, as the last time I had a brand new Mac was in 2004).

Altemose · Dec 24, 2014

PowerMac G4 MDD said:
Yeah, exactly. And of course, Apple seems to really value their stuff, yet they won't stop for 5 minutes and give a **** about the products that people still know and love. It sucks what money and greed does. I know it's an obvious business tactic to move on from the old, but way to throw your loyal users out the back door. I think Apple's new products are pretty cool, but I am beginning to dislike Apple more and more. This all beats the next Windows PC, but I want to use my computer for 5 years and not have to break out my unappreciated cash for one of their new toys (which I haven't to this day, as the last time I had a brand new Mac was in 2004).

Much to the counterclaim of Mac haters, Apple does support their products for a long time. Most iPhones get four major iOS versions which is practically unheard of with Androids especially those which run custom software. My Mac is only two years old and has had four OS versions on it so far without performance issues. I do agree that Apple drops support quicker than some, but really does regard past products to a high degree. I think us PowerPC users have a sour taste in our mind as some of our machines only got two major OS to run. I look at the PPC --> Intel transition as just a new birth for the Mac and Apple had to drop the old quicker than we wanted. Now, just because Apple dropped PPC, clearly doesn't mean we have to.

Dronecatcher · Dec 24, 2014

I always found it ridiculous how Apple spent so long promoting the superiority of the RISC architecture of PowerPC as opposed to Intel chips then instantly forgot all that when promoting Intel Macs...which I know is what counts for great business skills but it has made me suspicious of them ever since. I've only owned two Intel Macs (core solo Mini and iMac) so maybe it's unfair to compare but my PowerPC Macs always 'feel' better to use.

Altemose · Dec 24, 2014

Dronecatcher said:
I always found it ridiculous how Apple spent so long promoting the superiority of the RISC architecture of PowerPC as opposed to Intel chips then instantly forgot all that when promoting Intel Macs...which I know is what counts for great business skills but it has made me suspicious of them ever since. I've only owned two Intel Macs (core solo Mini and iMac) so maybe it's unfair to compare but my PowerPC Macs always 'feel' better to use.

Quite ironic as well that Apple would release charts showing the performance of the PowerPC processors they used to comparable Intels. Those charts were never released for the 2005 PowerMac G5s...

My PowerPC Plan: What happens when Intel comes into the picture again?

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