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Powermac G5 For HTPC?

JamerTheProgram said:
Hey!
My family would like a HTPC.
We want to do the following:
BBCi Player
ITV Player
4OD
Live TV Watching (Have a card that will work)
Some 480P Youtube videos.
Would a Powermac G5 @ 1.8 Dual with 2.5 GBs of ram do the job?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Kinda large, noisy, and power consuming for a HTPC... If this is a machine you have just sitting around I guess it's worth putting it to use, but I wouldn't buy one for that purpose. It should be fine for 480p flash...it would probably choke on higher res flash video...my G5 quad barely pulls off 1080p YouTube.
 
thorns said:
Get an Intel Mac Mini
Click to expand...
+1 for the reason stated above.

Also, should any of those streaming sites require a newer version of flash, you won't be able to play them on the G5. I know someone managed to modify flash to report that it was a newer version than it actually was a while back, but there are no guarantees that the same method will work in the future.

Any CoreDuo mini should be up to the job.
 
I would definitely get an Intel Mac Mini if I could afford one.
The reason I thought about getting a Powermac G5 was because I can get it for 130.
I could build a barebones system, but It will amount to too much for the price range im at.
Anyway guys, thanks for the help :D
 
JamerTheProgram said:
I would definitely get an Intel Mac Mini if I could afford one.
The reason I thought about getting a Powermac G5 was because I can get it for 130.
I could build a barebones system, but It will amount to too much for the price range im at.
Anyway guys, thanks for the help :D
Click to expand...

A G5 for 130 is a lot of bang for relatively little buck, the only downside will be an ever increasing lack of support for streaming sites, which unfortunately seem to be the main thing you're looking to use it for. If your main use would be locally stored video/music it'd be no problem.

It may be worth saving your $ and getting a C2D Mini, they can be had for $250-$300.

Another option would be to find an older C2D MacBook with a nonworking screen...just get the HDMI adapter and use the TV as your screen. If you can find one in this state you'd be able to get it for $200 or less... here's an example I found on eBay, the backlight is just burnt out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Macbook-Whi...ple_Laptops&hash=item3f1583f3f3#ht_500wt_1002
Just do a search for MacBook under the Apple Laptops section and set the max price at 200 and sort by ending soonest...you'll be surprised what you find...
 
Last edited:
p4madeus said:
A G5 for 130 is a lot of bang for relatively little buck, the only downside will be an ever increasing lack of support for streaming sites, which unfortunately seem to be the main thing you're looking to use it for.
Click to expand...
Agreed; the G5 is less of a bargain if it can't perform its intended function some time down the road.

JamerTheProgram said:
I could build a barebones system, but It will amount to too much for the price range im at.
Click to expand...
There are quite a few refurbished low-profile Core2Duo PCs on eBay for ~£80, may be worth considering.
 
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