Finally moving on from PowerPC

[kristeva]

Hi all

Can anyone here offer me some advice please? I'm currently running an old Apple Mac PowerPC G5, Dual 2.3 GHz, with OS 10.5.8. I use it primarily for pro photography/graphics, etc, and after many years of faithful service I think it's about time I got a newer model.

I was thinking about getting a Pro 3.1 or 4.1. I've read somewhere the 3.1 is prone to getting hot, is this correct?

I was also wondering what the situation is with recovery discs with regard to more recent OS software. Is it imperative I get my new mac with the original recovery discs?

Thanks. K

 

[pastrychef]

I've had Mac Pro models 1,1, 3,1, and 5,1. I highly suggest that you go for a 4,1. It's better in every way and, yes, it runs cooler.

I don't think recovery disks are important. When you do a clean install of OS X, the installer will create a "Recovery partition" on the hard drive that you can boot from if you need it. You can also create an installer on a USB flash drive and store it somewhere for emergencies.

If you have more questions, I suggest that you post them to the Mac Pro section of the forum. I'm sure you will get more responses there.

Good luck with your upgrade.

 

[kristeva]

Thanks for the response pastrychef, I'll ask some more questions about the 3.1/4.1 in the Mac Pro section. And thanks for clarification regarding recovery discs - an emergency installer on a separate drive was always in the back of my mind.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Yeah, I'd go for the 4,1 as well. It's based on the same basic architecture that Intel uses today, unlike the 3,1 and before; so it's more likely to continue to have support longer than the prior versions.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I'd go with a 5k iMac all ready to go for the next 5-6 years with the best monitor around built in.

 

[maflynn]

I was thinking about getting a Pro 3.1 or 4.1

Maybe its me, but getting an 8 year old computer (Pro 3.1) doesn't seem like a good move, especially if you want to have it around for a few years.

 

[blesscheese]

I was thinking about getting a Pro 3.1 or 4.1. I've read somewhere the 3.1 is prone to getting hot, is this correct?

Thanks. K

You are talking about a Mac Pro, correct?

I have a Mac Pro 4,1 that I got about 2 years ago, and I love it! The 4,1 has a better architecture than the 3,1 and there is even a way to flash the 4,1 to be a 5,1.

In your case, if you are still running on PPC (Solid!) getting a 4,1 would help as it can run Snow Leopard, which gives you access to Rosetta, and you should still be able to run many (most? all?) the apps you are running on plain Leopard (and if you ever want to make the leap to one of the more recent OS's, the 4,1 is still supported).

As for age...the only negative I can think of is power consumption. When you look at all the benchmark data, the "ancient" Mac Pro's still hold their own against many of the newer models.

In order to run Snow Leopard, you may need the original install disks, or, you may need a copy of 10.6.8...ask the list if the model you get doesn't come with recovery disks.