I think the point that was made is the upgrades you'll need will cost just as much as a Mac Mini. And the Mac Mini will still be faster, even after the upgrades.
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New Powermac G4!!!! I Want To Upgrade!!!!!
- Thread starter MacintoshMaster
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I think the point that was made is the upgrades you'll need will cost just as much as a Mac Mini. And the Mac Mini will still be faster, even after the upgrades.
Hello everybody,
I am new on this forum and I must say,it looks awesome!
I have been using macs for 2 years now and they are the greatest!
I run software like Sibelius 6 and Logic Pro.
Now,
I have just bought a Powermac G4 from ebay and here is the item description:
Apple Power Mac G4 in Good Condition, few small scuffs to case.
Mirrored CD Drive Doors
Currently has Mac OS X Leopard Installed.
Two Hard Drives:
1x 200GB
1x 40GB
1.75GB RAM
1.25GHz Processor
No Screen, just Tower included in auction
Is there anyway I could upgrade the processor in the computer?
A intel duo would be nice, or even a Xeon!!!
A new Graphics card and sound would be cool too!
What are all the things I could upgrade on the computer and where can I buy them in the UK?
Thanks!
John.
Sell it and buy a MacPro or G5 - Job done...
He currently can't afford a new Mini so I doubt he can purchase a Mac Pro. Although a G5 would be in your price range. You can find dual-core models for <$300 on ebay(in the US anyways).
He is a newbie, let him have his fun with upgrading. Once all is done, he will realise that a mini or G5 would have been a better option.
G4 towers are cool, but not to waste too much money on them.
G4 towers are cool, but not to waste too much money on them.
I can't be bothered to look, but I think the eMac topped out at 1.4ghz. If your eMac runs your software, and all you want is for your new PMG4 to run it too then you are set at 1.25ghz. The cpus are the same practically. Just install your software and continue life as per normal.
Keep the machine as it is, but upgrade the graphics card if you can and maybe replace the CD drive with a SuperDrive, if it hasn't been done. My college used to use Power Mac G4 QuickSilvers in our TV and audio editing labs, and they had 800 MHz processors yet they ran Mac OS X Leopard just fine. Last summer we replaced them with 24" Core 2 Duo iMacs, though, but at least I was able to teach myself how to use Mac OS X Leopard using an old PowerMac G4! (I didn't have my own Mac yet by that point.)
Although G4 tech is old, they are nice for collectors, and they are very limited to upgradability, I am with the majority saying that you should really consider getting a Mini.
You might have wanted to save a bit more and buy a PowerMac G5,your very limited with that G4,I was with mine,then I got a G5 and upgradability is amazing,check my siggy,My G5 can support up to 2TB and 8GB DDR ram,not bad at all.
Although,your G4 is still a good piece of Mac hardware and my first half Modern Mac was my 867Mhz G4 which is still running and is my secondary computer.And it only has 1GB of ram.
You are a little bit off.
Yeah they got "stuck" at 500mhz, right...
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermac_g4/stats/powermac_g4_1.25_mdd.html
As I said, they are great for servers.
If you actually knew what you were talking about instead of being a googleboy, you'd understand my point. It took a complete redesign of the core, and more than 3 times the transistors, to get past 500mhz.
I'm a little bit puzzled why people buy such old hardware.
It's nothing but trouble and your computer knowledge will get outdated, too, as you are dealing with software versions that have long been defunct.
Even on a budget you should be able to get a decent payment plan for a mini plus a modest display or a MacBook.
And don't forget the refurb route.
On top of all this, an old computer will be more prone to failure, and it will cost you to fix it.
It's nothing but trouble and your computer knowledge will get outdated, too, as you are dealing with software versions that have long been defunct.
Even on a budget you should be able to get a decent payment plan for a mini plus a modest display or a MacBook.
And don't forget the refurb route.
On top of all this, an old computer will be more prone to failure, and it will cost you to fix it.
Big News!!!!
Ok,
I received the powermac and liked it for some days but then found out that each time I moved windows there was purple fuzz and when I opened a picture the whole screen turned to fuzz.
I told the seller but he didn't care so I had to report him to ebay etc... anyway, I got my money and now I am going to buy,
I am going to......
Buy a brand new iMac 27"
I lied about not affording a mac mini!
I just wanted a powermac g4 but I love the imacs so I will get one in some weeks!
Ok,
I received the powermac and liked it for some days but then found out that each time I moved windows there was purple fuzz and when I opened a picture the whole screen turned to fuzz.
I told the seller but he didn't care so I had to report him to ebay etc... anyway, I got my money and now I am going to buy,
I am going to......
Buy a brand new iMac 27"
I lied about not affording a mac mini!
I just wanted a powermac g4 but I love the imacs so I will get one in some weeks!
I just got a PowerMac G4 QuickSilver (867 MHz) because it was VERY cheap and easily in my price-range, and I wanted to have an easily-upgradeable machine. Plus. we used these at my college and they were good solid machines. Currently it has 768 MB of RAM, a 40 GB internal hard drive (I plan to put a second 80 GB drive in the machine as well), an HP DVD-/+RW-DL drive replacing the CD-RW drive, and an NVIDIA graphics card with 32 MB of VRAM.
I just put a fresh clean install of Mac OS X Tiger on the machine. I know they can support Leopard, and the old PowerMacs my college had ran Leopard just fine at only 800MHz! But I think Tiger would be faster on this Mac than Leopard. So far it works just fine. I even put in a PCI USB 2.0 card which works just fine. So far it is a MUCH better buy than that old iMac G3!
However, I do not have a DVI-capable monitor, so I temporarily borrowed my brother's Dell flat-screen display to see how the Mac was (this model has a DVI and ADC graphics card, no VGA). I will be getting a DVI-to-VGA adapter since I already have a couple of good VGA monitors (and want to save money on a MacBook).
I'd only recommend buying one of those PowerMac G4s if you're a fan of older Macs, or to save money versus a newer one.
I just put a fresh clean install of Mac OS X Tiger on the machine. I know they can support Leopard, and the old PowerMacs my college had ran Leopard just fine at only 800MHz! But I think Tiger would be faster on this Mac than Leopard. So far it works just fine. I even put in a PCI USB 2.0 card which works just fine. So far it is a MUCH better buy than that old iMac G3!
However, I do not have a DVI-capable monitor, so I temporarily borrowed my brother's Dell flat-screen display to see how the Mac was (this model has a DVI and ADC graphics card, no VGA). I will be getting a DVI-to-VGA adapter since I already have a couple of good VGA monitors (and want to save money on a MacBook).
I'd only recommend buying one of those PowerMac G4s if you're a fan of older Macs, or to save money versus a newer one.
Cool story, bro.
You might need a bigger can to clear out the rest around here....