Mac G4 just crapped out...I'm running Adobe CS2 apps. Buy new or refurbished?

[pamela1117]

My G4 crapped out and I need to buy a Mac that runs Adobe CS2 software. I don't really care about the speed of the machine, since I'm mostly a novice and 1.42Ghz on my Mini isn't that bad for me.

My question is, would it be silly (unwise) to buy an older refurbished G5 machine at Teksale.com, or other tech store, upgrade the memory to 2.5 G that runs CS2 without any problems? I realize there are issues running CS2 on Leopard, and I don't have the cash to upgrade to CS3.

I haven't ever purchased a used machine before, but wonder what the risks are, and whether it's even worth the $550 or to buy it? Comments/suggestions welcome.

 

[MacFanUK]

My G4 crapped out and I need to buy a Mac that runs Adobe CS2 software. I don't really care about the speed of the machine, since I'm mostly a novice and 1.42Ghz on my Mini isn't that bad for me.

My question is, would it be silly (unwise) to buy an older refurbished G5 machine at Teksale.com, or other tech store, upgrade the memory to 2.5 G that runs CS2 without any problems? I realize there are issues running CS2 on Leopard, and I don't have the cash to upgrade to CS3.

I haven't ever purchased a used machine before, but wonder what the risks are, and whether it's even worth the $550 or to buy it? Comments/suggestions welcome.

Could you not get a refurbished Mac Mini from Apple? I'm not sure how much they cost in the US but they are about 16% cheaper in the UK than a new one.

 

[pamela1117]

Could you not get a refurbished Mac Mini from Apple? I'm not sure how much they cost in the US but they are about 16% cheaper in the UK than a new one.

Let me digress...the Mini I have is slow when running more than one app, say InDesign and Photoshop at the same time. At the time of purchase I was a student low on funds and bought the Mini anyway. I've suffered with it over the years, yada, yada, yada. So I'm thinking I could buy a refurbished G5, increase the memory and have a machine that doesn't bog down as much. Leopard is not the "hot ticket" running CS2 from what I've read and CS2 isn't supported on Leopard very well.

I don't want to upgrade to CS3 because it's not worth the cost to me since I'm a novice.

Will the refurbished G5 be a good trade off, or am I just throwing money after money?

 

[spinne1]

You should get only an Intel-based Mac. Forget the G5 unless you can get it for nearly free. Leopard will run CS2 fine. Your computer bogs down because it is now a dinosaur. A refurbed Mac Mini (when you can find them) are great deals. I'd go for that.

 

[guydude193]

The minis have improved since the PPC days. Stick with Intel, as others have posted before me. And if you buy a refurb off Apple.com, you can get Snow Leopard for $10.

 

[pamela1117]

The minis have improved since the PPC days. Stick with Intel, as others have posted before me. And if you buy a refurb off Apple.com, you can get Snow Leopard for $10.

That sounds great except Adobe CS2 doesn't work on the intel based Macs...and an upgrade will cost the same as a used G5. Thanks for the input people...I'll have to decide if I want to spend $500-600 on a G5 PPC or $700 on the upgrade to CS2 PLUS the cost of a new Intel unit. Since I'm a novice, I'll probably look for the G5 on ebay and take my chances.

 

[Hrududu]

That sounds great except Adobe CS2 doesn't work on the intel based Macs...and an upgrade will cost the same as a used G5. Thanks for the input people...I'll have to decide if I want to spend $500-600 on a G5 PPC or $700 on the upgrade to CS2 PLUS the cost of a new Intel unit. Since I'm a novice, I'll probably look for the G5 on ebay and take my chances.

Good call on the G5. Don't let people talk you into a Mac Mini if its not what you want. I too would choose a late model G5 over a Mac Mini because of the expandability and my hatred of desktops using laptop parts. I know a quad core G5 can be had for as little as $750 if you wait for the right deal. I would say shoot for one thats 2.3GHz or faster though. Those last dual core models (2.0Ghz, 2.3Ghz and quad 2.5) were really good Macs. Faster system bus, faster RAM, and PCIe slots made them pretty much ideal. Just don't get suckerd into paying more than its worth. Good luck with the new Powermac!

 

[pamela1117]

Good call on the G5. Don't let people talk you into a Mac Mini if its not what you want. I too would choose a late model G5 over a Mac Mini because of the expandability and my hatred of desktops using laptop parts. I know a quad core G5 can be had for as little as $750 if you wait for the right deal. I would say shoot for one thats 2.3GHz or faster though. Those last dual core models (2.0Ghz, 2.3Ghz and quad 2.5) were really good Macs. Faster system bus, faster RAM, and PCIe slots made them pretty much ideal. Just don't get suckerd into paying more than its worth. Good luck with the new Powermac!

Thanks so much for your input and suggestions. I'll be watching ebay like a hawk to find the best deal I can on a G5.

 

[typewithstyle]

get an iMac

You can get an iMac and run Tiger and you can run CS1 all the way up to CS4.
I have had great service from computers I buy off of the Apple refurb site.