My logic board on my PowerBook is bad and my plan was to sell that for parts along with a few accessories and pick up a PowerMac G4 to use until I can buy something new (I have and ADC display). I have a local trade offer for a Digital Audio PowerMac with a 667mhz processor and 512mb RAM, which I would probably double. Would this work reasonably well with Tiger (possibly Leopard) for basic tasks? (web, email, iTunes, Word) Also, is the trade a decent one? I've been looking at G4's on ebay, but haven't seen any 667's, so I'm not really sure what they typically sell for. I would love the convenience of a trade, but I'd rather go through some trouble if this one won't quite meet my needs for the time being. Thanks for any advice...
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Is this PowerMac G4 good enough for my temporary needs?
- Thread starter swindmill
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My main desktop is still a 400 MHz G4 that I bought in January 2000. It has 768 MB of RAM and runs the latest Tiger with no problem. Plus, it is the home base for my 40 GB iPod, iTunes works great, and it serves a printer to my home network.
Sure, it's not very fast, but it is stable, and gives me no trouble. Another reason I hold on to it is that it will also boot into OS 9, and I believe that a 667 would do that, also.
(Hmmm... I wonder how many people who bought a Compaq or the like in 2000 are having a flawless Vista experience on that machine now?)
Anyway, as to the fairness of the trade, I'm all for swapping something that does not work for something that does. What I would make sure of, though, is to agree on some sort of warranty period (or test drive period) to make sure everything is OK with it, and that it plays nicely with your peripherals (which it should).
Good luck.
Sure, it's not very fast, but it is stable, and gives me no trouble. Another reason I hold on to it is that it will also boot into OS 9, and I believe that a 667 would do that, also.
(Hmmm... I wonder how many people who bought a Compaq or the like in 2000 are having a flawless Vista experience on that machine now?)
Anyway, as to the fairness of the trade, I'm all for swapping something that does not work for something that does. What I would make sure of, though, is to agree on some sort of warranty period (or test drive period) to make sure everything is OK with it, and that it plays nicely with your peripherals (which it should).
Good luck.
Are there any problems with adding G wireless and bluetooth USB adapters to powermac g4's? My keyboard and mouse are both bluetooth. Also, I would be using it with 
TV, so G wireless is a necessity.
As far as the trade goes, I had planned on getting an 800mhz quicksilver off of ebay after selling the PB and a few other things I won't need anymore. I guess I am more concerned with the value of a 667, and whether it would be smarter to sell my PB then put the money towards something a little more recent.
TV, so G wireless is a necessity.As far as the trade goes, I had planned on getting an 800mhz quicksilver off of ebay after selling the PB and a few other things I won't need anymore. I guess I am more concerned with the value of a 667, and whether it would be smarter to sell my PB then put the money towards something a little more recent.
You should get around 600-800 dollars for your PB if you sold it.
Dont buy a 667 MHz Digital Audio.
For example, the Dual 1GHz Quicksilver in my sig I picked up off of eBay for 218 plus 35 shipping. It had no RAM and no hard disk, but I had those components already, so I dropped them in, and now I have a very fast Mac.
For the money you can get out of your PB, you can get a Dual Quicksilver, MDD, or even a Single 1.6-1.8 G5.
Dont buy a 667 MHz Digital Audio.
For example, the Dual 1GHz Quicksilver in my sig I picked up off of eBay for 218 plus 35 shipping. It had no RAM and no hard disk, but I had those components already, so I dropped them in, and now I have a very fast Mac.
For the money you can get out of your PB, you can get a Dual Quicksilver, MDD, or even a Single 1.6-1.8 G5.
The vram in my pb is bad, so it won't get that.
I might sell it for whatever I can get, along with several other things and try to hold out for a deal like you got. The reason I want a powermac g4 is b/c I feel like I can get a decent mac that I may only need for 6 months as a primary computer, but possibly longer. So, I don't want to get into a price range that would allow me to go ahead and get a new mini. I guess I don't want to spend more than $350 or so. From what I've seen on ebay, a 800mhz quicksilver with plenty of ram is about what that will get me.
Oh. I thought it was working.
Yeah, I guess I did get a bargain, as the seller only said that it turned on, they didnt say that it worked or not, but I took that risk, and it paid off apparently.
That G4 should work fine for the everyday tasks you have listed. You could probably even get away with the 512MB RAM. My iMac 800MHz has only 512 RAM and it is sufficient for all of those programs. The only real deal breaker is when playing flash videos in the browser I have to let it download completely before playing or else the iMac can not handle the load.
If everything else in your powerbook is in great condition ie good battery life, all other hardware functional, flawless screen, and a clean case. You should be able to get a decent amount for it, since only the logic board has to be changed. Heck two years ago I sold my G4 digital audio on ebay with a dead motherboard and dead CPU for enough to buy my gaming rig in my sig.
If everything else in your powerbook is in great condition ie good battery life, all other hardware functional, flawless screen, and a clean case. You should be able to get a decent amount for it, since only the logic board has to be changed. Heck two years ago I sold my G4 digital audio on ebay with a dead motherboard and dead CPU for enough to buy my gaming rig in my sig.
That G4 will be a champ, go for it.
My Dual 500MHz 7400's are more than enough for what I do with it (includes Garage Band, PSCS1, and graphical apps like Google Sketchup Pro and Blender.) Oh, and I'm also running 10.4.10 flawlessly.
You'll get the added PC133 speed of RAM as well, mine only addresses PC100.
Relax, the PMG4s were probably the best line of computers Apple has put out to date, aside from maybe the Powerbook G3 line
My Dual 500MHz 7400's are more than enough for what I do with it (includes Garage Band, PSCS1, and graphical apps like Google Sketchup Pro and Blender.) Oh, and I'm also running 10.4.10 flawlessly.
You'll get the added PC133 speed of RAM as well, mine only addresses PC100.
Relax, the PMG4s were probably the best line of computers Apple has put out to date, aside from maybe the Powerbook G3 line
One of the computers in my archaeology lab is a PowerMac G4 "Sawtooth" 450MHz tower that is bone stock other than having 768MB RAM. It runs Tiger perfectly, so I think the Digital Audio you're thinking about getting will be more than adequate.
One thing to watch out for: I think the 733MHz one is the last one that is limited to 128GB hard disks (I think you can plug in a bigger one, but only 128GB will be used; important because nowadays 120GB starts getting hard to find) and PC1066 RAM, which is more expensive than PC2700. If you wanted 250GB + 1.5GB RAM, a slightly newer model could actually save you money. On the other hand, up to 733MHz they are _beautiful_ and quiet.
Thanks for the ideas and comments. I'm hoping this will work out. It sounds like this will suit me just fine for now. Does anyone know if there are any issues with the Digital Audio accepting g wireless USB adapters or Bluetooth adapters? Without BT, I'll need to pick up a new beyboard and mouse.
I just picked up a PowerMac 500Mhz DP (Gigabit) for $75. I got it to hold me over as I wait for the Mac Pro update. I was going to shoot for a 1Ghz MDD or QS, but for $75 I can't whine about what I got. And the QS and MDDs were pricey on eBay when I was looking. Great find on the QS Reanimation.
Anyway, I will report back and let you know how it runs Tiger and Leopard.
EDIT: There is something you can buy ($25) to get 128GB+ support. For this machine, I don't really care. But you can do it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...akeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:us
Anyway, I will report back and let you know how it runs Tiger and Leopard.
EDIT: There is something you can buy ($25) to get 128GB+ support. For this machine, I don't really care. But you can do it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...akeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:us
As others have said, a G4 should do you fine. Just don't expect to run video on it. My fully loaded digital audio G4(see sig.) runs youtube a little choppy and other videos fairly slow if at all.
The DA Powermacs have a slot inside for an original Airport card for wifi. They are only 802.11b and aren't made anymore which makes them exspensive to come by. There are PCI and usb solutions but you have to make sure you find a compatible model. Not all types will work. OSX compatible bluetooth usb adapters will work but you have to remember that the Powermac G4 only has usb 1.1. I'd suggest buying a cheap usb 2.0 pci card(around $30) and throwing it in for the wifi and bluetooth.
The DA Powermacs have a slot inside for an original Airport card for wifi. They are only 802.11b and aren't made anymore which makes them exspensive to come by. There are PCI and usb solutions but you have to make sure you find a compatible model. Not all types will work. OSX compatible bluetooth usb adapters will work but you have to remember that the Powermac G4 only has usb 1.1. I'd suggest buying a cheap usb 2.0 pci card(around $30) and throwing it in for the wifi and bluetooth.