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Now that it's 2015, how do you plan to use PPC Macs?

redheeler

redheeler

macrumors G3
Original poster
It's now 2015. The newest PPC Macs were manufactured 8 years ago and the technology in them is over 10 years old. The PPC architecture has now been completely phased out by Apple and nearly all third-party developers, and those who still use it fight incompatibility constantly.

I wonder what uses people find for these old machines in 2015, and if anyone is even still currently using one as their main machine.
 
main machine? i have a 17" 1.25ghz imac in my living room as my main machine. i also have another one (exact same spec) at my girlfriend's house that we use. both run 10.4 and since neither of us are into online videos we don't have any incompatibility conflicts. i also have a 2.13ghz macbook that i use for ripping dvd's. as far as internet goes i prefer the screens on my imacs better than the macbook so the ppc imac is what i generally use even though it's slower. i rip cds into itunes on my imac and play them back through my stereo. i will continue to do that as long as i live. as far as i know apple only makes one machine that still has an optical drive in it so the new macs won't be replacing my older machines as my "main" computer. i can see the day ahead when i will no longer have a main computer, just many scattered throughout the house with just a few tasks for each of them. example: i recently bought a cube that will be used primarily for watching video_ts movies upstairs. i also have a g3 imac running os 9 that i have some old accounting software on and printing letters. it's the only machine i have hooked up to a printer. i know that a lot of the things i do with a computer are old fashioned but that's ok with me. i'm really not a cloud person, i keep my data on firewire hard drives.
 
Hmm... currently things are a little difficult.

I unexpectedly got a "new" Mac Pro recently, which really made things difficult. This isn't my first time getting an Intel Mac; my first Intel Mac was an '09 MBP, which I got in around 2012. At that point, I wasn't a PowerPC fanatic, even though I collected Macs---I was just getting an upgrade and was happy about it. I kept my iMac G5 on the side (which was my main Mac before getting the MBP) to use in our "computer room"/for general tasks, as I still liked using it. Later on I realized that my MBP didn't work well on my work desk, and I just didn't like using a laptop as a desktop. I ended up moving my iMac G5 to my main work desk, and henceforth I began drifting into using it as a main machine. I started to become more fond of the iMac, as well as the other cool PowerPC Macs I was adding to my collection. My entering into the PPC community here really did it, and I ended up neglecting my MacBook Pro almost fully... so, I sort of went BACK to PowerPC.

However, this unexpected edition of a Mac Pro shook things up. Now, I was sort of longing to use a faster computer, and I DID considering using my MBP again since it uses less power than the PowerMac G5 I was using, yet is much faster. Since my attachment to PowerPC Macs is pretty great, I have been devising a plan to be able to use my awesome Mac Pro, yet not ditch PPC Macs... I just feel some sort of sadness from the thought of it.

SO, I have decided to move my iMac G5 back at my work desk, casting-aside the power-hungry PowerMac G5. I have created a nice set-up for my Mac Pro, in the "computer room" rather than on my work desk. I have decided to use the iMac G5 as a simple work computer at my work desk, and save my Mac Pro for heavy-duty work, recreation, etc. (it's also good to have my best computer be in the "computer room"). And although I have sort-of been drawn back to my MBP, I will continue to enjoy using my PPC laptops, such as my iBook G4, which I sometimes bring to school. So in conclusion, I am planning to use Intel and PPC Macs side-by-side, as I really like my PPC Macs and don't want to ditch the fight, but also take pleasure in using my nice Mac Pro. I don't know how everything will work-out yet, as I am on winter break, which is obviously a break from the normal workflow. Hopefully I can enjoy my Intel Mac sometimes, yet also still be involved with PPC Macs and the community for them.

It DOES feel defeating to not keep my streak of using PPC as a main platform, and giving the finger the Apple, but hopefully I can comfortably go back to the time where I used Intel and PPC side-by-side! Here's to the new year 🙂. Happy 2015!
 
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My plan is simple - to carry on using what I've got!
My main machine is a 2.3Ghz DP G5 with 4.5GB RAM and a stock 9600 graphics card and there is nothing I need to do that it can't handle. I use it for freelance graphic design work using Adobe CS3, make music using Propellerheads Reason 4 & Garageband, make Youtube videos in iMovie 6, surf the web with TFF & Webkit (using flash hack and clicktoplugin - no problems). I rip DVDs in Handbrake, convert videos with ffmpegX, watch HD video with VLC, use Spotify for music playback..and when I'm really bored there's tons of games and emulators etc.
Before it I had a G5 Quad - sure that was faster but from memory it's capabilities were the same.
Above all, I never feel that I'm 'making do' - the G5 runs perfectly even when it's on the reduced processor setting (which it is all the time to save on electric!) Not too bad for a Mac that cost £30 off ebay!
 
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The 1.6ghz G5 will be used the same as ever, light browsing with TenFourFox, Youtube through html5 (gave up on showing the wife the various options, not her thing), iTunes for singing lessons, Office 2008 for lyrics, Sibelius 6 for professional typesetting as required (though usually done on Win 7, considering upgrading to 8 then 8.1 as it is allegedly lighter in the machine and I actually quite like the tiles...). In short what it has done for the last 12 months. It's a great machine and solid as a rock, though I wouldn't say no to a dual processor air cooled unit (both my liquid cool ones died and it's just too much hassle for what it is needed for)....
 
redheeler said:
It's now 2015. The newest PPC Macs were manufactured 8 years ago and the technology in them is over 10 years old. The PPC architecture has now been completely phased out by Apple and nearly all third-party developers, and those who still use it fight incompatibility constantly.

I wonder what uses people find for these old machines in 2015, and if anyone is even still currently using one as their main machine.
Click to expand...
Hmmm…

I'm using one right not to respond to your post.

PowerMac G4 Quicksilver, 1.2Ghz (Sonnet), 1.5GB ram, 2x 1TB HDs, ATI Radeon 9800 Pro and ATI Radeon 7000 driving four displays.

It's my main media machine.
 
Durability

My last hackintosh broke last week and I had a recording planned for months on this date. I went MacOS9Lives! and took all the software needed to record the musicians. That machine have enough power to work on audio even if it born in 2001 (Digital Audio Power Mac).

PowerMacs are not only usable for writers, also musicians, video editors, multimedia creators.

We are lucky to have the machines that last longer in the world. (Sorry G5 owners, the G3/G4 will go to the grave of some G5/Intel machines to put some flowers)
 
My one G5 will continue to do what it's been doing for the past few years, heat my workshop. Deathraker at work will still be chugging along. Not sure how much longer I'll be able to convince the VP that it's important there.
 
I will keep using mine for everything I do with a computer except Youtube. I use all the computers in my sig equally, so I don't really have a "main" machine.
 
eyoungren said:
Hmmm…

I'm using one right not to respond to your post.

PowerMac G4 Quicksilver, 1.2Ghz (Sonnet), 1.5GB ram, 2x 1TB HDs, ATI Radeon 9800 Pro and ATI Radeon 7000 driving four displays.

It's my main media machine.
Click to expand...
I thought yours had a dual CPU upgrade. Did you swap for the single 1.2? I added a Powerlogix upgrade to my QS that I had initially set to run at 1.33 GHz. It kept getting occasional kernel panics, so I clocked the CPU at 1.2 GHz and the computer has run fine since.

Back on topic - I plan to use my Power Mac G5 the same as I always have: for web browsing, tinkering around with Xcode, and practicing my non-existent design skills in CS4. I think the reason I stick to using the G5 is because it's different and the design is beautiful.
 
ctmpkmlec4 said:
I thought yours had a dual CPU upgrade. Did you swap for the single 1.2? I added a Powerlogix upgrade to my QS that I had initially set to run at 1.33 GHz. It kept getting occasional kernel panics, so I clocked the CPU at 1.2 GHz and the computer has run fine since.
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I still have it. It's a GigaDesigns dual 7447a and I was running it at 1.7Ghz. I'm just having too many issues with it and now I have a need to use this Mac so I put the old Sonnet back in. The Sonnet came with the Mac and it's reliable. Unlike all the issues with heat and power management that I have with the GigaDesigns processors.

Once I get our tax refund back I'm going to see about tracking down a Sonnet Duet on eBay.

I understand now why Sonnet is still known in the Mac community and GigaDesigns is not.
 
I don't foresee much change for my PowerPC setups that still see regular use. I don't plan on buying any new computers this year, but you never know what deal might arise on eBay that might change that. Any PPC that still gets use in 2014 is obviously capable of the job at hand, so that won't change much in the next 12 months.
 
I'm actually considering a shuffling of what I have.

Currently, my Mac Pro 1,1 is the main Mac. The first backup to that machine is a Dual Core G5 2.0. I'm considering swapping that with my G4 MDD Dual 1.25.

The reason I'm considering doing so is two-fold. First, the Pro Speakers that the G4s can drive sound better than any current option I have. Second, I picked up a 23 inch Acer monitor rated at 1920x1080 at a thrift store for only $8.99. The G4's Radeon 9000 video card can handle it and I can use the Mac for iTunes and web browsing.

Though I have a 22 inch ADC Apple Cinema Display to use, I chose to use the Acer monitor for the space saved and the larger resolution.

The G5 will still do DVD encoding, but it will be relegated to the side table and have a 19 inch monitor to keep an eye on encoding progress.
 
robertdsc said:
I'm actually considering a shuffling of what I have.

Currently, my Mac Pro 1,1 is the main Mac. The first backup to that machine is a Dual Core G5 2.0. I'm considering swapping that with my G4 MDD Dual 1.25.

The reason I'm considering doing so is two-fold. First, the Pro Speakers that the G4s can drive sound better than any current option I have. Second, I picked up a 23 inch Acer monitor rated at 1920x1080 at a thrift store for only $8.99. The G4's Radeon 9000 video card can handle it and I can use the Mac for iTunes and web browsing.

Though I have a 22 inch ADC Apple Cinema Display to use, I chose to use the Acer monitor for the space saved and the larger resolution.

The G5 will still do DVD encoding, but it will be relegated to the side table and have a 19 inch monitor to keep an eye on encoding progress.
Click to expand...

My best Mac is also a 1,1 Mac Pro, I have a 2.0Ghz DP as my best PPC Mac, I have a Dual 1.25Ghz MDD, and I have a 23" Acer monitor. xD What a coincidence.
 
I haven't been using my PPC since August of 2014. I moved last September and the Mini G4 was packed up, so I haven't had an opportunity to unpack it yet. I plan to start using it again in 2015.

Also, while I was at my parents' place over the Christmas holidays, I dug out my old beige G3. I didn't power it up, but I did dig it out of the pile of crap it was sitting in. I'll power it up next time I visit my parents -- probably in a month or so.
 
Well... Like others have said, I will keep doing what I'm already doing. I'm becoming a collector and a PPC Mac fan, so I have a 2.3 GHz PowerMac G5, which I'm using as my main desktop while my HP is being serviced, along side my Late-2011 13 in. MBP. I also have a 2002 eMac as a basement computer to listen to music and do simple tasks. In a few weeks I'll be getting 9 PowerMac G4s (ADP Graphics), which I'll keep one or two of those. Lastly, I have a Power Macintosh 6100/66, which works beautifully that I use for old games and keep as a collectors item. Since I had no clue that I would be getting all of these computers (let alone for free!), I have come to love PPC macs and thus will be hopefully getting a lot more this yet. I would love to have a PowerBook, an iBook G3 and G4, an iMac G4, and eventually if I somehow got enough money, a Macintosh (any of the original looking ones, like the Plus, SE, SE/30, etc.). If there are any more offers for free computers (and believe me I'll be looking for them), I will gladly be taking them and keeping/selling them. I have a feeling 2015 is going to be a great year for me, and this community!

Happy New Year!
 
For the most part I'm planning to keep doing what I'm doing, as the others have said.

I'm going to be graduating in May, and hopefully moving to an office of my own as I take on more teaching duties. My tentative plan is actually to move a beige G3 and Personal Laserwriter 300 into my office(likely upgraded to the max, with a 450mhz G3 CPU out of B&W G3 that is dead). I have an older version of Chemdraw on this computer which runs best on OS 9(although it will also run under 10.5). I also have Worperfect 3.5e, which was released as a free download a while back. Unlike Office 2008, Chemdraw actually "plays nice" with Word Perfect(there are documented issues with Office 2008 and Chemdraw). Something about writing exams and other things on an "off the grid" computer a word processor that was released before most college freshman were born on a computer whose only connections to the outside world are a ZIP drive and floppy drive really appeals to me 🙂. Plus, I should be able to use the G3 as a print server for my G5.
 
Gamer9430 said:
Well... Like others have said, I will keep doing what I'm already doing. I'm becoming a collector and a PPC Mac fan, so I have a 2.3 GHz PowerMac G5, which I'm using as my main desktop while my HP is being serviced, along side my Late-2011 13 in. MBP. I also have a 2002 eMac as a basement computer to listen to music and do simple tasks. In a few weeks I'll be getting 9 PowerMac G4s (ADP Graphics), which I'll keep one or two of those. Lastly, I have a Power Macintosh 6100/66, which works beautifully that I use for old games and keep as a collectors item. Since I had no clue that I would be getting all of these computers (let alone for free!), I have come to love PPC macs and thus will be hopefully getting a lot more this yet. I would love to have a PowerBook, an iBook G3 and G4, an iMac G4, and eventually if I somehow got enough money, a Macintosh (any of the original looking ones, like the Plus, SE, SE/30, etc.). If there are any more offers for free computers (and believe me I'll be looking for them), I will gladly be taking them and keeping/selling them. I have a feeling 2015 is going to be a great year for me, and this community!

Happy New Year!
Click to expand...

This is similar to what I was doing---Until recently, my main desktops were PPC Macs, since my only Intel Mac at the time was my 2009 MBP. I got a Mac Pro now, which was unexpected, so THAT has changed. I really like the Mac Pro, but I almost wish I could go back to using my iMac G5 or PowerMac G6 as my main desktop, all alongside the MacBook Pro.

Now, rather than having a main platform, I will be--mainly--using both Intel and PPC.

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bunnspecial said:
For the most part I'm planning to keep doing what I'm doing, as the others have said.

I'm going to be graduating in May, and hopefully moving to an office of my own as I take on more teaching duties. My tentative plan is actually to move a beige G3 and Personal Laserwriter 300 into my office(likely upgraded to the max, with a 450mhz G3 CPU out of B&W G3 that is dead). I have an older version of Chemdraw on this computer which runs best on OS 9(although it will also run under 10.5). I also have Worperfect 3.5e, which was released as a free download a while back. Unlike Office 2008, Chemdraw actually "plays nice" with Word Perfect(there are documented issues with Office 2008 and Chemdraw). Something about writing exams and other things on an "off the grid" computer a word processor that was released before most college freshman were born on a computer whose only connections to the outside world are a ZIP drive and floppy drive really appeals to me 🙂. Plus, I should be able to use the G3 as a print server for my G5.
Click to expand...

Sounds pretty cool to maybe be using a 1990s Mac at work. xD I actually just got a LaserWriter 4/600 PS with my Performa 5215CD, and it works very nicely---such a cool printer! Someone online found me a driver image for it, so that I could maybe load it on some other Macs to be able to print from them; however, the file size is larger than any floppy disk I have been able to find so far... I am trying to find a way to get this 3+MB file onto a Mac that has no internet connection. Are floppies over 1.4MB uncommon? I have tons of diskettes and cannot seem to find a larger one anywhere! :-|
 
PowerMac G4 MDD said:
Sounds pretty cool to maybe be using a 1990s Mac at work. xD I actually just got a LaserWriter 4/600 PS with my Performa 5215CD, and it works very nicely---such a cool printer! Someone online found me a driver image for it, so that I could maybe load it on some other Macs to be able to print from them; however, the file size is larger than any floppy disk I have been able to find so far... I am trying to find a way to get this 3+MB file onto a Mac that has no internet connection. Are floppies over 1.4MB uncommon? I have tons of diskettes and cannot seem to find a larger one anywhere! :-|
Click to expand...

I don't know of any "normal" floppy over 1.44mb.

This is where ZIP drives come into their own. Having a SCSI ZIP drive or two around for older Macs, and a USB drive for laptops and G5s, can make getting files between computers super easy. Plus, lots of later old world ROM Macs and earlier new world ROM PPC towers have built-in ZIP drives.
 
bse5150 said:
You could always burn a CD.
Click to expand...

I am trying to get the driver onto a computer that only has a floppy drive and no internet access.

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bunnspecial said:
I don't know of any "normal" floppy over 1.44mb.

This is where ZIP drives come into their own. Having a SCSI ZIP drive or two around for older Macs, and a USB drive for laptops and G5s, can make getting files between computers super easy. Plus, lots of later old world ROM Macs and earlier new world ROM PPC towers have built-in ZIP drives.
Click to expand...

Oh, wait, I forgot that I have a SyQuest drive with a cart. Hopefully that will work. For some reason my external SCSI HDs didn't want to mount onto the desktop, but hopefully this will work.
 
As a photo frame. Yup, an iBook G4 digital photo frame. Why? It looks cool, and was cheaper than an actual photo frame with a lower resolution screen. Oh, and it holds 80GB, can use WiFi to grab pics over the network, play my iTunes library, browse the web and use Office when needed. Even runs Photoshop.

So a super powered photo frame 😎

At least until the LCD or backlight dies, but hey, it's made it 10 years, what's a few more?
 
Just replaced my PB G4 1.67ghz 17" logic board ($45) which was sitting in situ in a drawer for the last 4 years after my son's GF spilled her soft drink into it.

I also treated the PB with a legacy OWC SSD drive and will look to an ATA drive doubler with a second drive if that can be found.

With 2G ram and the SSD plus the use of webkit, webkit seems to be the fastest when dealing with videos on youtube, Hulu and other select websites. Netflix as you all well know is a no go due to the silverlight issue.

Apart from Netflix, the PB does pretty well considering it is getting old, but what never gets old is how well designed and built the powerbook 17" is, and how easy on the eyes OS 10.5.8 is. - has a relaxing effect browsing on the PB G4 after working on the Yosemite interface on my 2.5ghz 17" late Oct. cMBP.

Still on the table to get repaired is my blue imac G3, my TAM with recently failed HD, and lastly my 17" MBP 2.8ghz core 2duo who's internal battery just ruptured.
 
Well, I don't know about everyone else, but my PowerPC machines are going to be put to good use still, especially my recently acquired PowerMac G5. I plan on maxing out the RAM to 8GB, and installing a 500GB HD, so that I can use it as my Photo Editor/File Server while I am building my gaming PC.

My PowerPC isn't dying anytime soon!
 
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