Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Mac Buying Advice
- Thread starter MatthewLTL
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
He can still offer his advice, even though it's clear the OP has already made up his mind and it probably won't make any difference.
Well I am trying to decide between upgrading the Pavilion, Use the case and build a new computer, or goto my local Pawn America and see what they have to offer. Main thing i need answered is will a PCI based nVIDIA 8400GTS or a PCI based Radeon HD5450 give better results on Windows 8.1 over the FX 5500?
----------
No clue. 1st it would lock up than stated to be a PITA to boot to eventually just not even turning on anymore. Wasn't even a year old.
yet you don't mention what your "excuse" is... hmmmm
----------
I have looked at the 2006 MPs seems that the 1st gen Intel iMac is still cheaper than a Intel Mini or MP
If you did your homework you would notice that whatever games she's playing on her PC probably won't be compatible with PPC. It looks like the "COMPUTER GAMES" prefer Intel processors. If you're concerned about lagging videos, as a PPC user you should probably know that PPC would be a terrible choice.
iPads or iPhones have anything to do with being lazy, its about what you needs are. iPhones/Smartphones are given out to increase communication and therefore increase productivity. Your work is always in your pocket and it follows you everywhere. iPhones are not intended to replace a computer. It's not an either or situation.
An iPad in today's world can meet the needs of a majority of mainstream (particularly elder) computer users. That doesn't include me, I imagine not you, but for some people an iPad is all they need- email, web browsing, youtube, Netflix, that it. I work in healthcare and I could probably list 40 reasons why an iPad is more convenient for most healthcare workers than a laptop... but thats not the point of the discussion here.
And I'm not sure why you would spend the extra money on a mac just to put windows on it. Why not just a quality PC? You'd get more for your money in the end? Especially considering how much more macs cost plus you would have to buy a windows license onto of it. For someone who is quite concerned about the video card I'm not sure you'd be satisfied with the old C2D MacMini integrated graphics. It sounds like a desktop would be the best choice since you would be able to get a larger screen than a laptop or an iPad. I'd imagine a bigger screen would be helpful for your mother with vision problems.
I think you need to reflect upon and communicate
1. What your actual needs are
2. Based on that what specifications you require
3. What you actual questions for discussion are
4. What your budget is
5. How to converse in a seemingly more reasonable, less abrasive and minimally egocentric manner (you only have to reflect on this point)
What you think and do at the end of the day is up to you. Remember, people are just giving advice and trying to be helpful based on the information you initially provide. At the end of the day no here is affected by your preference or purchase except you. People are however affected by how you respond to them.
-----
My advice: Since money seems to be a factor here buy a well built quality PC, perhaps with a warranty. Get a nice big LCD to ease the strain on her eyes. Anything will be better than what she was using before, any PPC option, and most certainly nothing at all. These BigFish games she plays are not heavy duty games- some of these games are minimum PC requirements Windows 2000, 600mhz and 128mb RAM. Even the more taxing games still want a minimum of 1.6Ghz in a PC.
It looks like the HP she is using is a P4 3.0Ghz. The games don't specify what processor family they require but I think a P4 could probably cut it... I don't know though I'm not a gamer. These games look pretty low quality though.
I'm not sure how reputable this BigFish company is, but it looks like they produce some pretty cheaply produced products (but if it's entertaining, great). I would be concerned about possible malware associated with the site and other activities she may be doing on the computer causing it to slow down. I just googled BigFish + malware... it seems there are reports of malware downloading with the games as well as security breaches within the company. Interestingly every thread on their support forum is quickly shut down by the company stating that their games don't have viruses (which seems sketchy to me)
My advice now would be to take the HP, wipe it, reinstall the OS (I assume XP), and find the best solution to minimize malware. P4's obviously not the latest and greatest but they're workhorses and still support much of the commercially owned computers in the world. That is, the problem being more related to viruses, spyware, etc rather than the actual preformance limitations of the computer itself. OR since typical parents usually aren't good about maintaining PC's get her a Mac and keep her using OS X. Set it and forget it.
Edit: Are you running currently running Windows 8 on a Pentium 4?
Last edited:
Yes. The machine has Windows 8.1 32bit on it. Only reason for that is because all of her games were on the Acer laptop we had that died which as a Quad Core Socket S1 AMD Phemon III CPU and a Radeon HD4250 GPU when it died i simply put the hard drive into the HP. I DID make a Windows XP disc for it (Using my Genuine Windows XP SP2 CD and slipstreamed SP3 and the HP's Windows XP Product Key into it using nLite). I am just trying to figure out what is a better GPU for it, a nVIDIA GeForce 8400GS PCI or a ATI Radeon HD5450 PCI.
I personally think you'd be better off running XP on a Pentium 4. Sure it can handle Windows 8, but XP would be much smoother. If I were you I'd try to transition back over to XP if you're going to keep using the P4. XP is old but certainly not outdated.
Neither of your video card choices are legitimate "gaming" graphics cards but it seems like the games used on the computers probably don't require much anyways. Both cards are very similar but I would go with the ATI Radeon HD5450, as it has slightly better performance.
Skipping over anything else anyone has said (because I'm one of those lazy folks with a smartphone), it appears though you're looking for an excuse to buy a PowerPC Mac. It has already been said that PowerPC won't provide any better experience with Facebook videos or Farmville than the old beast your mother is using. PowerPC Macs are suitable for those who have very specific reason to use the architecture, as in the case where a needed application won't run on Intel. Or, folks like myself who are tinkerers, and love the designs while being aware if the hardware limitations. Your mother does not need a PowerPC Mac. Wally-World sells laptops in the sub-$300 price range that will give her all the Facebook and Zynga content she can handle.