on craigslist a guy has a killer deal on a 1.25ghz G4 mini. I have always wanted to make HTPC for watching some hulu and my movie library on itunes. Would the G4 be ok for doing this? Also do the G4 mini's not have the IR for remote like the G4 laptops?
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Mac Mini G4 as a HTPC
- Thread starter sidefx
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i wouldnt recommend it.
i bought a used G4 mini to use for the same stuff you mentioned but it was so slow that i never used it.
the only thing i ran it for was bittorrent downloads.
sold it on ebay then picked up an intel mini (2009)
its much better at the task.
i bought a used G4 mini to use for the same stuff you mentioned but it was so slow that i never used it.
the only thing i ran it for was bittorrent downloads.
sold it on ebay then picked up an intel mini (2009)
its much better at the task.
yeah. you're going to definitely have some skips in video playback, you could use it for like a 'kitchen computer' or a house music computer.
i'd just sell it, then again i have had my 1.66 sitting in sleep mode on my desk for (according ti iStat) 42 days and 6 hours.
i'd just sell it, then again i have had my 1.66 sitting in sleep mode on my desk for (according ti iStat) 42 days and 6 hours.
I had a 1.42Ghz G4 mini and it struggled with flash video but would happily play standard def H264 encoded files. There is no IR receiver and RAM is also limited to 1GB which is very tight these days.
As others have said, just get an Intel mini or possibly an ATV if you don't mind hacking it to get hulu working. The UI of the ATV is much better than Front Row in Leopard and Snow Leopard.
i tried boxee when i had the apple tv and it played hulu fine.
im not sure how hulu works on the the apple tv now that hulu doesnt allow boxee to play their videos..
im not sure how hulu works on the the apple tv now that hulu doesnt allow boxee to play their videos..
On wiki the specs for a apple tv are a 1ghz pentium m and 256 ram. How could this be any worse than a 1.42 G4?
I would consider the apple tv but this guy has a mini G4 for $150...
Would this be ok for streaming hulu desktop and watching movies in 720p?
I would consider the apple tv but this guy has a mini G4 for $150...
Would this be ok for streaming hulu desktop and watching movies in 720p?
there are different processors. the G4 is very old and not as powerful as the pentium. you cannot compare them clock for clock.
im really not sure about the state of hulu on apple tv. hulu has prevented thrid parties from streaming their content.
if i recall correctly, the only way to get hulu is through a browser.
do not get the G4 mac mini, for video it will not be pleasant.
i dont know why he should not get a g4 mini 1.42 , the mini is using the same processor as my eMac and my emac does video perfectly it even does all sort of film work ..rendering ..viewing ..decoding ...encoding..you name it it does it
so cant see why the mini should not be able too
ok the minis g4 1.25 and 1.42 have only 32mb vram and a radeon 9200 and the 1.5 g4 minis has 64mb vram, insead of the eMacs radeon 9600 with 64mb
and they have slower harddrives spining @5400rpm
by the way here is a comparison chart
http://www.systemshootouts.org/processors.html
For *single* processor G4s: Add 50% to your clockspeed to get the "Pentium 4 equivalence"
as long as there is nothing else available i stick with my eMac for the tasks i cant do on my iMac g3
so cant see why the mini should not be able too
ok the minis g4 1.25 and 1.42 have only 32mb vram and a radeon 9200 and the 1.5 g4 minis has 64mb vram, insead of the eMacs radeon 9600 with 64mb
and they have slower harddrives spining @5400rpm
by the way here is a comparison chart
http://www.systemshootouts.org/processors.html
For *single* processor G4s: Add 50% to your clockspeed to get the "Pentium 4 equivalence"
as long as there is nothing else available i stick with my eMac for the tasks i cant do on my iMac g3
I just sold a powerbook G4 1.5ghz when I just purchased my unibody macbook and I never remembered a time on hulu with issues. but I really didnt do it much on my laptop. Having a mini on the TV i would be on it all the time.
Im trying to find a cheap way to do this... Should I just wait for the 1.8ghz intel mini to pop up on craigslist or ebay?
BTW its a 1.25 ghz G4 the guy is selling.
Im trying to find a cheap way to do this... Should I just wait for the 1.8ghz intel mini to pop up on craigslist or ebay?
BTW its a 1.25 ghz G4 the guy is selling.
i cant tell you what to do with your money ,the price difference is quiet big between the g4 minis and the intel ones , at least here in the uk it makes no sense to buy a used intel mini as they cost nearly still the same as a basic brandnew one ,with only a couple pound difference
i just would take the g4 mini if its cheap enough , try it, if it works then fine ,
if it doesnt what you need it for sell it again on ebay and maybe you make a profit
at least you can say you did try
i just would take the g4 mini if its cheap enough , try it, if it works then fine ,
if it doesnt what you need it for sell it again on ebay and maybe you make a profit
at least you can say you did try
How much do you want to spend?
$429 for a 2.0ghz refurb Mini or $499 for a 2.26ghz refurb Mini - out of stock right now but keep checking back.