Advice for trading PC for G4

[zero2dash]

Hey everyone, I come in need of advice. (obviously)
Here's what I have.

Desktop PC (custom built by me)
P4 3.0C HT cpu
1g Corsair Value Select dual channel DDR400 (PC3200) ram
2 80g IDE Samsung hds (one for system, one for storage which is nearly full)
8x LiteOn dvd combo format burner (-/+ r/rw, burns up to 48x cdr, 24x cdrw I think)
Radeon 9500 non pro video card with DVI + VGA out (think it's a 256 meg card)
tons of USB 2.0 + FireWire inputs
Chieftec aluminum case, 5 80mm case fans (quiet)
500w Allied psu

Basically it's an excellent machine that has never had any problems and I've used it for everything.

Laptop PC (HP Pavilion ze4420us)
Athlon XP 2200+ cpu
768 megs of ram
40g hd
24x (?) cdr/dvd rom combo drive
Motorola WiFi card
Windows XP home ed. discs with COA
HP restore discs

***

I'm wanting to get a Mac. Bad.
I don't need anything cutting edge, just something of similar specs to my desktop PC but being a Mac. I was thinking that maybe a dual G4 MDD would be similar in power, like a DP G4 MDD 1.0 or a 1.25. Would one of those with a gig of ram and a similar hd capacity (80 gig +) be worth swapping my home PC (and the laptop if need be) for? What would you do if you didn't have any $$$ but wanted a Mac?

Is there another G4 model that you'd consider similar in power? (Maybe a Quicksilver or DA?)

I would like to get a MacPro but that is out of the question right now ($ wise). I don't think I can convince my wife to allow me to purchase a new PC outright, but swapping computers with someone or selling what I have to get something else (with little to no out of pocket expense) is something I don't see how she couldn't say 'ok' to.

I know I could get a Mini cheaper, but I think I'd rather have the boost in performance and upgradability of a tower like the G4. (especially with Photoshop) And I'd rather have a dual G4 setup than a single processor G5 anyway (and the dual G4 would probably be cheaper and more feasible as well). I think I'd get much better performance out of the dual G4 than anything else (except for G5s) with native stuff. I can't really count on the Intel stuff yet since I rely on Adobe, so (again) I think the Mini is out of the question. I'd rather not have the Mini anyway 'cause I can't upgrade it as much as I could the G4 (even though the G4 is older, I'm sure I could max out the ram and really beef up the hds and not spend much at all).

I was thinking that if I can't get a straight swap with someone, I might be able to fetch a good $700-$800 for the PC stuff and buy a dual G4.

Anyone have any thoughts or advice? TIA

 

[KingYaba]

Just post an advertizement on Craiglist explaing just that. Besure you are posting in your local area so you can get a face to face transaction if you're lucky. A dual g4 would be nice. You can always buy a lower spec'ed on and go to OWC and buy a dual processor. One of those mercury extremes I hear do well. But the dual ones are about 400 bucks and higher. I don't know if it's worth upgrading since it's really outdated.

Why not try to sell it and get a G5 used on ebay? Dual 2.0's are cheap these days. I'm sure the 1st and 2nd edition G5 towers are good priced.

If I were you, sell the P4 and find a G5 on ebay.

For 800 bucks you won't get anything special. maybe a used G5 iMac. I'd suggest to start saving a little bit

 

[tristan]

I just don't see the attraction of a used dual PMG4. You're going to pay like $650 and end up with a Dual 800 and another $250 to upgrade the RAM, the hard drive, and the video card, and you'll still be slower than a two year old 17" 1.6ghz iMac G5, which you could probably get for $800.

You probably want to check out lowendmac.com, it's a good place to learn about specs and prices of older macs. I would look at the iMac G4s and G5s and the Mac Minis, all very good and very affordable machines.