PowerPC Hardware Survey

[jktwice]

Hello!

I decided to put together a survey to determine what kind of hardware active users of PowerPC machines use. It should only take a minute to complete and goes through some basic questions about what machine you mostly use and why. Hopefully with this info the community can have a clearer picture of the hardware people like using.

Here's the link to the survey. It does not collect any personal data from you and it is just a Google Form. Thanks!

 

[G4fanboy]

Done

 

[Appleuser201]

Currently I have an iMac G3 snow, and an iBook G4. Might be getting an eMac soon as well. This might sound crazy to some here, but the G5 Macs aren't really on my priority list to aquire like the G3s and G4s.

Maybe the G5 doesn't have that much of a retro feel as the design language of those machines aren't too far off from what we have today. Whereas the G3 and G4 machines were so unique, weird, cool, futuristic. Especially the G4 cube and G4 iMac (iLamp).

In my opinion, the G4 is the sweet spot for being both retro and vintage enough *and some even OS 9 capable* but also capable enough to do somewhat modern things. Long live the G4!

 

[jktwice]

Currently I have an iMac G3 snow, and an iBook G4. Might be getting an eMac soon as well. This might sound crazy to some here, but the G5 Macs aren't really on my priority list to aquire like the G3s and G4s.

Maybe the G5 doesn't have that much of a retro feel as the design language of those machines aren't too far off from what we have today. Whereas the G3 and G4 machines were so unique, weird, cool, futuristic. Especially the G4 cube and G4 iMac (iLamp).

In my opinion, the G4 is the sweet spot for being both retro and vintage enough *and some even OS 9 capable* but also capable enough to do somewhat modern things. Long live the G4!

You’d be shocked how many agree with you 😉. I’ll post the results soon. Maybe this could be the start of deeper research into this community and its software/hardware preferences.

 

[AdamBuker]

I got a G5 because that was the setup I wanted back in college, but I couldn’t afford it. Only a few years after the switch to intel, I picked up my first G5 and used it until the power supply died. Then I used a 2009 mini for two years before getting an M1 mini in 2021. Then I bought a replacement G5 tower because I prefer working with the software from that era. My primary laptop was a Powerbook G4 until I got a used 14” M1 Pro in 2024. My next retro mac will probably be a G4 mini running OS 9.

 

[Dicere]

Done, but i would have have loved a chance to list all the ppc machines I’ve got, and the accessories. It’s been a long time since I checked all the specs, and I don’t know how many iBook g4s I have.

I’ve got a few stored in my husband’s study (he’s a musician, he got the largest room because music be like that) and I try to not disturb his room too much but I know I’ve got two sawtooths in there, either one or two iMac g4s (17 inch) and a 17 inch Cinema Display. And a PowerBook g4. A g5 powermac, but lowest spec, think it has an 600 bus and kernel panics. (So does the powerbook). And a couple of intel machines too.

In my study (we have a three bedroom house, so it’s my study, his study, bedroom, nothing fancy) I have a g5 iMac, a g4 iMac, a cube, the Quicksilver I am setting up as file server/media library/calibre server/games/shairport (sata Molex cables arrive today hooray), an iBook 800 mhz g3, a 20 inch Cinema Display (with the Quicksilver) and a 23 inch Cinema Display attached to an m4 MacBook Air. That was a cabling challenge but it works so beautifully. And the cubes eyeballs also work with the m4 thanks to the genius who wrote that power script. My desk looks so good, I’ll find a pic and attach.

And a number of g4 iBooks 1.25 and 1.4s because I liked fitting them with ssds because they are unbreakable little workhorses and I honour that.

 

[jktwice]

Done, but i would have have loved a chance to list all the ppc machines I’ve got, and the accessories. It’s been a long time since I checked all the specs, and I don’t know how many iBook g4s I have.

I’ve got a few stored in my husband’s study (he’s a musician, he got the largest room because music be like that) and I try to not disturb his room too much but I know I’ve got two sawtooths in there, either one or two iMac g4s (17 inch) and a 17 inch Cinema Display. And a PowerBook g4. A g5 powermac, but lowest spec, think it has an 600 bus and kernel panics. (So does the powerbook). And a couple of intel machines too.

In my study (we have a three bedroom house, so it’s my study, his study, bedroom, nothing fancy) I have a g5 iMac, a g4 iMac, a cube, the Quicksilver I am setting up as file server/media library/calibre server/games/shairport (sata Molex cables arrive today hooray), an iBook 800 mhz g3, a 20 inch Cinema Display (with the Quicksilver) and a 23 inch Cinema Display attached to an m4 MacBook Air. That was a cabling challenge but it works so beautifully. And the cubes eyeballs also work with the m4 thanks to the genius who wrote that power script. My desk looks so good, I’ll find a pic and attach. View attachment 2603699View attachment 2603700View attachment 2603701

And a number of g4 iBooks 1.25 and 1.4s because I liked fitting them with ssds because they are unbreakable little workhorses and I honour that.

The survey is more about capturing a picture of what the best hardware is that people have or what they use most. Maybe down the line I will run more but I got a pretty satisfying answer as to what people primarily use when it comes to PowerPC Macs. It’s a good jumping off point and I’ll go into a little more detail eventually.

We’re nearly at 50 responses too, so I’m pretty happy with turnout.

 

[840quadra]

Could also build a multi-answer poll here on MacRumors and likely get a decent response / sample size.

In my experience, many users on here re reluctant to respond to outside links.

 

[MacFoxG4]

I enjoyed taking this survey. My most used Mac is my Sawtooth. It's the only working PPC I own that's capable of running Leopard. I can't use it much during the summer because it makes the room uncomfortably warm due to no A/C in my room, but it's great in the winter. This is also the first Mac I ever did upgrades on like putting in a USB 2.0 card and upgrading the GPU. The previous owner is the one who put in the accelerator, which is why I bought this Mac. It's easily my favorite Mac in my entire collection.

As for my other PPCs:

-The iBook G3 is probably my second most used due it being my main OS 9 Mac, plus it makes for a great portable writing Mac.
-The iMac G3 I don't use too much due to the existence of the other Macs, but I love how it looks.
-The PowerBook G3 has seen even less use since it takes a long time to boot up due to lack of PRAM battery plus its main purpose was to make floppies for my 68K Macs, but since losing interest in 68Ks, my usage of this Mac has greatly declined.
-The PowerMac G5 still exists, but due to issues with the power supply, I don't use it anymore. I got it because I liked the aesthetics plus I wanted an even more capable Leopard PPC Mac and when it worked it absolutely beat my Sawtooth in terms of performance. I'm kinda weary of buying another G5 though, due to the power supply issue with mine. I tried an iMac G5 iSight, but that had the capacitor plague, so I'm put off from ever getting one of those again, unless it's already been recapped.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Access Denied 😛

 

[jktwice]

Access Denied 😛

I ended the survey not too long ago. I'm looking through the data and I'm gonna do some visualizations for it. The answers will probably not be too shocking to people who are in the scene but the data is still useful.

I also might run another survey that could yield results that are more reflective of the community at large. Would need to find a new way to poll folks I didn't get before though.