Got my second Intel Mac Ever: 1,1 Mac Pro for ONLY $50

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

Whelp, I wonder what this means for my G5...

I know this is not a PPC Mac, but it raises a question for me. Now, I already use many computers at once, but I now have a second Intel Mac, and it's better than my current one. This will replace my G5, but I wonder what this means for PPC, in my book. I don't use my current Intel THAT much since it's a laptop, but now I've got a desktop. I suppose I may go back to Intel for my main machine, but who knows... I hope I can continue my PPC usage, as I even like using PowerPC as a MAIN platform for everything.

I couldn't pass this up though; this is a Quad-core 3Ghz Mac Pro with 4GB of RAM and 3 HDs, with a combined space of 820GB. You barely even see a PMG5 for as little as $50, so this was a steal-of-a-deal! And YES, it works and is currently running Snow Leopard.

I guess I will update this thread on what happens... this is a big step for me.

Here is the Mac so far---I just got it in the house. I suppose I'll post full specs and such soon. Gotta clean 'er up, etc. Sorry if the post sounds kind of rushed, but I was excited to post about it, yet excited to test it out, at the same time!

I got this from an IT guy who works at some graphic design studio. He says he used to work for Apple in the 80s and owns a 128k & Lisa.

So yeah, this is my SECOND time 'going Intel'. By that I mean that I may---again---quit using PowerPC as my main platform. I am in the 'PowerPC fight', so this is both a sad thing but also a happy occasion. I had found myself going back to PowerPC for specific reasons.

 

[poiihy]

Awesome! I would like to have something like that...

 

[redheeler]

Quite a step up from a Power Mac G5, those things can still run Yosemite with a bit of work.

Great find for $50.

 

[bse5150]

Congratulations on the Mac Pro. Once you go Intel, it's hard to go back to PPC for any serious use.

 

[bunnspecial]

Congratulations and great find!

I'd have bought it in a second for that price!

As much as I love PPC Macs, there are jobs that call for an Intel...

 

[gooser]

Congratulations on the Mac Pro. Once you go Intel, it's hard to go back to PPC for any serious use.

not everyone will agree with that but i do know where you're coming from.

 

[redheeler]

Congratulations on the Mac Pro. Once you go Intel, it's hard to go back to PPC for any serious use.

Agreed, mainly because of the lack of available software and support for PowerPC.

PPCs are fun to play with, but for serious use Intel makes much more sense. I now expect the OP's use of PowerPC to diminish.

 

[Hrududu]

I've got lots of PPCs still in the mix. They get a lot of regular everyday use, but the Macs that I know I need some speed from have moved to Intel. At the end of the day, you just can't get away from the huge speed difference and modern versions of Mac OS. That said, a lot of the systems running in my bowling alley and computer shop are still G3 and G4 machines.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

Congratulations and great find!

I'd have bought it in a second for that price!

As much as I love PPC Macs, there are jobs that call for an Intel...

Yep! And I can't believe that I went Intel in 2012 but ended up going right back to PowerPC for main use.

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I've got lots of PPCs still in the mix. They get a lot of regular everyday use, but the Macs that I know I need some speed from have moved to Intel. At the end of the day, you just can't get away from the huge speed difference and modern versions of Mac OS. That said, a lot of the systems running in my bowling alley and computer shop are still G3 and G4 machines.

That's true for most things, and it really depends on a person's needs. I play 2-3 games that require an Intel computer, but other than that, I actually went BACK to PowerPC as my daily platform.

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Congratulations on the Mac Pro. Once you go Intel, it's hard to go back to PPC for any serious use.

I actually went Intel for the first time 2012. PPC didn't mean much to me at the time because I was just happy for an upgrade, but I actually went BACK to PowerPC for main things, sometime afterwards. My first Intel Mac was a hand-me-down 13" MacBook Pro. I used my previous Mac on the side, but then I realized it was annoying to use a laptop as a desktop, especially on a desk that I need to write at as well. I decided my iMac G5 could go on my desk because it had a light footprint and I could store the keyboard under it.

Well, some more collecting and introductions to different PowerPC Macs in collection (and the fact that I like desktops more than laptops), I actually found myself going BACK to PowerPC. So this is my second time going Intel. It's sad... and after joining this community, my PPC enthusiasm has gotten stronger. I almost feel bad ditching PPC as a main platform, which is an odd thing to feel sentimental about. So this will be a big step to me, and the only reason why I did it was because it was such a great computer for such an amazing deal. I still plan to use my PowerPC Macs on the side. My G5 is just fine to use, so I am not worried about speed, but the thing is a power hog... anything slower than it would be a little slow.

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Agreed, mainly because of the lack of available software and support for PowerPC.

PPCs are fun to play with, but for serious use Intel makes much more sense. I now expect the OP's use of PowerPC to diminish.

IDK about THAT. As I have replied to many on this thread, this isn't my first time 'going Intel'. I found myself going back to PowerPC after I had adopted Intel as my main platform for the first time... it had to deal with the current circumstances at that time, but I ended up using my once-main PPC Mac as my main work computer... from there, I got even more into PowerPC with my Mac collection, and then I joined this community. I found myself playing it backwards: I would use PPC mainly and occasionally use Intel on the side for very specific things, such as an Intel-only application or games a play.

I will never let PowerPC down, but given THESE current circumstances, it's more efficient for me to use the beast of an Intel machine I just got.

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Congratulations and great find!

I'd have bought it in a second for that price!

As much as I love PPC Macs, there are jobs that call for an Intel...

Yeah. And I found out that he had two of them and gave me the better of the two. The Craigslist ad was advertising for a 2.66Ghz model, but he gave me the 3Ghz model! That was a pleasant surprise.

 

[catzilla]

Nice score!

 

[redheeler]

IDK about THAT. As I have replied to many on this thread, this isn't my first time 'going Intel'. I found myself going back to PowerPC after I had adopted Intel as my main platform for the first time... it had to deal with the current circumstances at that time, but I ended up using my once-main PPC Mac as my main work computer... from there, I got even more into PowerPC with my Mac collection, and then I joined this community. I found myself playing it backwards: I would use PPC mainly and occasionally use Intel on the side for very specific things, such as an Intel-only application or games a play.

I will never let PowerPC down, but given THESE current circumstances, it's more efficient for me to use the beast of an Intel machine I just got.

"THESE current circumstances"

Relax, we aren't going to criticize you for stopping your regular use of PowerPC. It's the natural flow of technology. Most developers have left PPC far behind, security loopholes are no longer being patched, modern websites have surpassed what PPC hardware can smoothy handle, etc.

If by "I will never let PowerPC down" you mean you will continue to run and tinker with these machines for the rest of your life, great. Many people are still having fun with their Apple II to this day, running software that was built for it decades ago.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

"THESE current circumstances"

Relax, we aren't going to criticize you for stopping your regular use of PowerPC. It's the natural flow of technology. Most developers have left PPC far behind, security loopholes are no longer being patched, modern websites have surpassed what PPC hardware can smoothy handle, etc.

If by "I will never let PowerPC down" you mean you will continue to run and tinker with these machines for the rest of your life, great. Many people are still having fun with their Apple II to this day, running software that was built for it decades ago.

By "these current circumstances", I am not implying something deep and personal. I am not gonna spend my life fiddling with computers, but I am not LEAVING PowerPC, if that's what you mean.

 

[redheeler]

By "these current circumstances", I am not implying something deep and personal. I am not gonna spend my life fiddling with computers, but I am not LEAVING PowerPC, if that's what you mean.

"THESE current circumstances" simply means now, a time when Intel is the way to go for most everything.

It was "I will never let PowerPC down" where you hinted at never wanting to let go of PPC now matter how old it gets. If that meant you are not getting rid of your PPC machines for the time being, you simply didn't phrase that quite right.

Given that I know you have somewhat of a PPC collection (so do I, as a matter of fact) I assume you will want to maintain those machines for years in the future.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

"THESE current circumstances" simply means now, a time when Intel is the way to go for most everything.

It was "I will never let PowerPC down" where you hinted at never wanting to let go of PPC now matter how old it gets. If that meant you are not getting rid of your PPC machines for the time being, you simply didn't phrase that quite right.

Given that I know you have somewhat of a PPC collection (so do I, as a matter of fact) I assume you will want to maintain those machines for years in the future.

They don't really need maintenance, but yes, I will continue using PPC as a side platform since I have so many PPC Macs (34). The "circumstances" THEN were that my only Intel Mac was a laptop, which didn't go with my set-up; therefore, I used a PowerPC desktop (iMac G5) on the desk, and it worked perfectly in my set-up. These current circumstances have changed just because I was able to get this Mac Pro for such a great price. If I hadn't gone online and found this for $50, I would still be using my PowerMac G5 right now. It wasn't my intention to go out of my way to switch to Intel, which is why I will still "never let PPC down". And what I mean by that is that I will continue to use my PowerPC Macs until they end up being as useless as 68k Macs.

There is no need for a deep, technical explanation here, but I can see one was called for.

 

[bunnspecial]

In a lot of ways, the lack of software available for PPC Macs works well for me as a work computer.

I have the "productivity" software I need(primarily MS office, Chemdraw, Endnote, and the occasional need for an Adobe CS product). The fact that I can't access bloated, flash-heavy sites is a bonus for me-I can get to Scifinder(Scifinder is, I think, Java based) and Web of Science, don't have much need to go other places. The version of Apple Mail in 10.5 will sync with my school's Exchange server just fine. The lack of temptation for other sites is a good thing

 

[gooser]

also if older software works then something won't break when you upgrade it. once you get something right keep it right.

 

[bse5150]

I will continue to use my PowerPC Macs until they end up being as useless as 68k Macs.

68k Macs are not useless. I have two 68k Macs (Quadra 605 & Quadra 700) and I still use them fairly regularly. They make great word processing machines, they have a boatload of old games available for them, they can do email and IRC, and a whole lot of other things.

 

[bunnspecial]

68k Macs are not useless. I have two 68k Macs (Quadra 605 & Quadra 700) and I still use them fairly regularly. They make great word processing machines, they have a boatload of old games available for them, they can do email and IRC, and a whole lot of other things.

I picked up a Q700 about a month back, and was quite surprised to find documents on it from as recently as 2010.

I removed the computer from its original installation, and there was a beige G3 sitting on the desk next to it, as well as a fairly recent(2005 model) eMac on the other side of the room. All were functional, but the Quadra seemed to have been the one used most recently.

Although many documents were "business" in nature, quite a few others were more personal(I didn't read them other than to just open one file per folder and read enough to see what it was). The original 160mb HDD had about 2mb of free space when I got the computer.

I dumped all the documents I could find onto ZIP disks and deleted them from the hard drive. I then used my Quicksilver to burn the contents of the ZIP disks to a CD, which I passed along to the original owner. I have no copies of any of the documents remaining, although he does.

I have a 500mb HDD on the way that is going into that computer. My plan is to copy all the system files and applications over to the 500mb HDD, and then reformat and install the 160mb in my Macintosh SE(I don't think the SE will run 7.5.5, which is what's currently on the Quadra).

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

68k Macs are not useless. I have two 68k Macs (Quadra 605 & Quadra 700) and I still use them fairly regularly. They make great word processing machines, they have a boatload of old games available for them, they can do email and IRC, and a whole lot of other things.

I should have said that that could be taken with a grain of salt.

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In a lot of ways, the lack of software available for PPC Macs works well for me as a work computer.

I have the "productivity" software I need(primarily MS office, Chemdraw, Endnote, and the occasional need for an Adobe CS product). The fact that I can't access bloated, flash-heavy sites is a bonus for me-I can get to Scifinder(Scifinder is, I think, Java based) and Web of Science, don't have much need to go other places. The version of Apple Mail in 10.5 will sync with my school's Exchange server just fine. The lack of temptation for other sites is a good thing

I know, right? That's exactly what I explained in one of my threads, but others thought I was just being silly. I find that using a PowerPC Mac gets me less distracted because I don't readily have the capabilities to do everything on them. I have my work, I have the internet, and that's it. Does anyone here use PowerPC as their main platform? I went back to using it as my main platform until I got this here Mac Pro.

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Hmm, so I noticed that this Mac had a peculiar-looking card in one of the slots. We looked it up and found it to be some sort of 'fibre channel' card. I am not so keen on these, since this is my first time seeing one, but apparently they are expensive.

Is someone able to elaborate on this?

 

[robertdsc]

I should have said that that could be taken with a grain of salt.

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I know, right? That's exactly what I explained in one of my threads, but others thought I was just being silly. I find that using a PowerPC Mac gets me less distracted because I don't readily have the capabilities to do everything on them. I have my work, I have the internet, and that's it. Does anyone here use PowerPC as their main platform? I went back to using it as my main platform until I got this here Mac Pro.

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Hmm, so I noticed that this Mac had a peculiar-looking card in one of the slots. We looked it up and found it to be some sort of 'fibre channel' card. I am not so keen on these, since this is my first time seeing one, but apparently they are expensive.

Is someone able to elaborate on this?

Fibre Channel is a specialized form of networking protocol, found most commonly in large data storage applications.

As for going Intel with a Mac Pro, I've done it. My Suzan is a 1,1 2.66 Quad with 6GB of RAM. It does almost everything I need it to do using Snow Leopard. I've kept one foot in the PPC era by using a set of USB Cube Speakers and a Cinema HD acrylic monitor (with ADC to DVI adapter) with it.

I bought a G5 Dual Core 2.0 to back me up and if I needed to switch back, I could, but the Mac Pro, so far, runs like a champ and I'm very happy with it.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

Fibre Channel is a specialized form of networking protocol, found most commonly in large data storage applications.

As for going Intel with a Mac Pro, I've done it. My Suzan is a 1,1 2.66 Quad with 6GB of RAM. It does almost everything I need it to do using Snow Leopard. I've kept one foot in the PPC era by using a set of USB Cube Speakers and a Cinema HD acrylic monitor (with ADC to DVI adapter) with it.

I bought a G5 Dual Core 2.0 to back me up and if I needed to switch back, I could, but the Mac Pro, so far, runs like a champ and I'm very happy with it.

Yeah, this thing is running nicely and is very quiet. My brother has an 8-core 2.8Ghz 2008 model, and he upgraded to a brand new GPU. I just stuck the stock GPU from his Mac Pro into mine, and I am running two monitors (one per GPU). I technically could have four, but there is no reason to. I am planning to keep a big foot in the door of PPC, as it wasn't my intention to suddenly leave it... this deal was just too darn good to pass up.