Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

[Trigger Pulled] I Got an A1085

T

TheUI

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 18, 2012
26
0
Hi all, thanks for stopping by. So, I decided I want to try a Mac (even though I just installed the W8 .iso on my fiances machine today and it looks great) and after some consideration and a quick glance in my wallet, I decided that I wanted to try and go with a PM, because they seem very practical for everyday use, and for a student (not in a computing major).

Having said that, I was hoping some of you experienced with PM's can help me out. I have scoped some G5's and they seem nice and very up-gradable. I imagine with a nice SSD to boot the OS from they would fly around pretty nice. I am really interested in the G4 Cube, but, it seems that its not a very good computer. So what do you vets say? Which PM is most reliable? Which one is a good balance of power and price? What about connectivity? Which ones are the best for upgrading?

I want to thank you all in advance and should this go through as planned, I will definitely be posting thoughts and impressions as well as upgrade synopsis as time goes on. Either way, I hope it's okay that another person wants to get in on these beautiful machines and that someone can help guide me into a wise purchasing decision.

Thank you. :apple:
 
Last edited:
My 2 cents

I have a G4 cube, the G5 and all the G4 towers. If your just messing around I would suggest the quicksilver, to me the power supply and hardware was the most reliable since he blue nd white G3's tha still run strong. Gonna need an intel if you want to do Netflix or flash for the most part. YouTube works ok. Regular web browsing is ok. Pretty upgradable and can be found pretty cheap.
 
I'd say that pretty much any G5 is a great computer for what you've described. Light on your wallet, does the things you need to get done. I picked up my Late 2004 1.8GHz G5 for $115 on eBay, and couldn't be happier with it. Fast enough for web-browsing, email, iWork (Pages, Keynote, Numbers apps), and even for PowerPC gaming.

I mainly got my G5 for PowerPC apps and games since they are no longer supported with OS X Lion, and surely won't be supported in any release afterwards.
 
imo i would go with a g5 tower they are the best bang for the buck as far as ppc goes u can get them at a good price now a days very upgradable and can handle all your basic needs
 
alexreich said:
I'd say that pretty much any G5 is a great computer for what you've described. Light on your wallet, does the things you need to get done. I picked up my Late 2004 1.8GHz G5 for $115 on eBay, and couldn't be happier with it. Fast enough for web-browsing, email, iWork (Pages, Keynote, Numbers apps), and even for PowerPC gaming.

I mainly got my G5 for PowerPC apps and games since they are no longer supported with OS X Lion, and surely won't be supported in any release afterwards.
Click to expand...

Awesome Alex, thank you. I was hoping to hear something like this. So the 1.8 was okay, because I didn't know if there was a huge difference between say that and the 2.3-4 GHz versions or not. Is the iWork suite pretty smooth? I have all three of those apps on my iPad and iPhone and would love the integration, and since iCloud is in the cloud, that shouldn't be an issue.
 
TheUI said:
Awesome Alex, thank you. I was hoping to hear something like this. So the 1.8 was okay, because I didn't know if there was a huge difference between say that and the 2.3-4 GHz versions or not. Is the iWork suite pretty smooth? I have all three of those apps on my iPad and iPhone and would love the integration, and since iCloud is in the cloud, that shouldn't be an issue.
Click to expand...

I would say that iWork just 'works'! Haha. I've used Pages and Keynote for various projects since purchasing this machine and I can honestly say that it is pretty good.

My machine has a single-core 1.8GHz G5 processor. I honestly don't know how much better a Dual-core 2.0GHz, or Dual-Processor 2.0GHz would be than my machine, but I would bet it's quite a bit speedier. If you can catch a dual-core or dual-processor model anywhere from $100-150 (with shipping!) I'd say it was a great buy. My machine was $75, with $40 shipping, totaling to $115. All I got was the machine, no mouse or keyboard. But I had my own black Apple Pro keyboard, and a mighty mouse handy. :)

I can get along with my 1.8GHz pretty easily, though. All depends on your expectations in multitasking, media playback, your web browsing content, etc.
 
TheUI said:
…and since iCloud is in the cloud, that shouldn't be an issue.
Click to expand...
If you want iCloud with a PowerPC Mac then it will be. iCloud requires a miniumum of Lion I believe and the max that any PowerPC Mac can run is 10.5.8 Leopard. You can access iCloud.com via a browser, but that's about it.
 
alexreich said:
I would say that iWork just 'works'! Haha. I've used Pages and Keynote for various projects since purchasing this machine and I can honestly say that it is pretty good.

My machine has a single-core 1.8GHz G5 processor. I honestly don't know how much better a Dual-core 2.0GHz, or Dual-Processor 2.0GHz would be than my machine, but I would bet it's quite a bit speedier. If you can catch a dual-core or dual-processor model anywhere from $100-150 I'd say it was a great buy.

I can get along with my 1.8GHz pretty easily, though. All depends on your expectations in multitasking, media playback, your web browsing content, etc.
Click to expand...

eyoungren said:
If you want iCloud with a PowerPC Mac then it will be. iCloud requires a miniumum of Lion I believe and the max that any PowerPC Mac can run is 10.5.8 Leopard. Which won't run on a PowerPC Mac. You can access iCloud.com via a browser, but that's about it.
Click to expand...


First of all, thanks for the input you guys. I'm getting pretty excited about this. I'm really glad you are having the success you are with a 1.8 SCP, Alex. It makes me feel a lot better about the purchase. As for iCloud, I had planned on using it on the browser, just like I do on my i5 MSi laptop.

Speaking of browsers...what is the wifi situation? b/g only I've heard.
 
eyoungren said:
If you want iCloud with a PowerPC Mac then it will be. iCloud requires a miniumum of Lion I believe and the max that any PowerPC Mac can run is 10.5.8 Leopard. You can access iCloud.com via a browser, but that's about it.
Click to expand...

Thank you for bringing this up, I had intended to mention it, but failed to do so and forgot.

As he said, accessing iCloud will only be possible via web browser on a PowerPC. If you want a native application to keep devices in sync (like iPhones, iPads, Android devices, other Macs or PCs, etc) I'd recommend Dropbox for cloud storage. I've used Dropbox to keep my iPhone, iPad, Mac mini, and another Mac in sync for about 3 years now. Dropbox's application actually still supports PowerPC's, so you can download the installer from their site and get going! :)

----------
TheUI said:
First of all, thanks for the input you guys. I'm getting pretty excited about this. I'm really glad you are having the success you are with a 1.8 SCP, Alex. It makes me feel a lot better about the purchase. As for iCloud, I had planned on using it on the browser, just like I do on my i5 MSi laptop.

Speaking of browsers...what is the wifi situation? b/g only I've heard.
Click to expand...

Unless the person/site you purchase a PowerMac G5 from clearly states that there is a Wi-Fi card in your machine, there likely is NOT one. My machine did not have a wireless card, though it did not matter as I use Gigabit Ethernet as it is the best networking speed available to me.

You can purchase PCI wireless cards, or USB wireless devices of all sorts for use in OS X. You can find one supporting everything up to wireless N. I bought a little Wireless N USB Wi-Fi dongle the other day at my local hardware store and it worked just fine in my G5. The dongle costed me about $14. Though the ones in computer shops are usually more expensive (like everything else for a Mac in stores :D), you can find them online very cheap. I've seen $1 ones before. Check eBay.
 
Last edited:
No "N" with WiFi, unless you get an adapter I believe.

DropBox is great, I use it between my two PBs and my work G5. There's a trick out there that will allow you to run more than one Dropbox account simultaneously as well, so I have three different Dropbox accounts running on any given machine all the time.

Sugarsync is also great. They are not supporting PowerPC anymore, but they still have a version for 10.5 available. Sugarsync works like DropBox, but it is a bit different. Sugarsync gives you 5GB of storage. The downside is that Sugarsync won't let you make a public link to any file over a certain size while DropBox will.

The 1.8Ghz G5 is not the best of course, but the one I have at work is very dependable. My boss bought it in early 2005 and since that was the once in the blue moon purchase at the time it's been my main machine at work since then. It's been on 24/7 since 2005 (including over weekends and holidays) and it frequently has around 10 apps open at any time (InDesign, QuarkXPress, Photoshop, two versions of Acrobat, Ilustrator, Entourage and Word 2008, etc). And it handles it all very well. I frequently have several copy operations going on, print jobs spooling and a document being PDFed all at the same time. Using Toast while working on ads in ID and doing a bunch of other stuff has never been a problem. It's handled everything I've ever thrown at it all at once.
 
I use a dp2.0. I regularly use the following software:

iWork 09
iLife 09 (including iMovie)
MS Office 2004
Adobe Photoshop (CS1 & CS3)

Sim City 4
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3
Zoo Tycoon 2
C&C Generals

Safari
Mail
iTunes
iCloud (via browser)

Now the games aren't exactly powerhouses, but they do utilize 3D rendering. Overall, I am happy with my dp2.0/2GB/9800XT/160GB. I would personally go with th dc2.3 for virtually no maintenance or any quad as long as you regularly maintain the LCS. I got an airport express for connectivity, it's more expensive, but gives you printer sharing and AirPlay. More expensive than a dongle, but worth it.
 
TheUI said:
Hi all, thanks for stopping by. So, I decided I want to try a Mac (even though I just installed the W8 .iso on my fiances machine today and it looks great)
Click to expand...

I do not know how anyone can like windows 8 unless they are using a tablet or a touchscreen . It is worst than vista in my opinion . With that said a power mac G5 is a good option but keep in mind you can not run the latest and greatest mac software . You will only be able to run mac os x leopard 10.5 but it is a great first mac to get used to the way mac works . If you want a better option I would recommend you get a mac mini the cheapest model is only $599 and it will be a lot faster than a G5 . Still G5 macs are very useful in 2012 .
 
TheUI said:
Hi all, thanks for stopping by. So, I decided I want to try a Mac (even though I just installed the W8 .iso on my fiances machine today and it looks great) and after some consideration and a quick glance in my wallet, I decided that I wanted to try and go with a PM, because they seem very practical for everyday use, and for a student (not in a computing major).

Having said that, I was hoping some of you experienced with PM's can help me out. I have scoped some G5's and they seem nice and very up-gradable. I imagine with a nice SSD to boot the OS from they would fly around pretty nice. I am really interested in the G4 Cube, but, it seems that its not a very good computer. So what do you vets say? Which PM is most reliable? Which one is a good balance of power and price? What about connectivity? Which ones are the best for upgrading?

I want to thank you all in advance and should this go through as planned, I will definitely be posting thoughts and impressions as well as upgrade synopsis as time goes on. Either way, I hope it's okay that another person wants to get in on these beautiful machines and that someone can help guide me into a wise purchasing decision.

Thank you. :apple:
Click to expand...
Can I ask you, in full respect to your cause, what compelled you to make your first Mac a PowerPC? Any computer you buy that computes would be practical for everyday use. Again, no disrespect, I owned three PowerPC Macs, and two of them were superb.
 
Seth Mac Fan said:
I do not know how anyone can like windows 8 unless they are using a tablet or a touchscreen . It is worst than vista in my opinion . With that said a power mac G5 is a good option but keep in mind you can not run the latest and greatest mac software . You will only be able to run mac os x leopard 10.5 but it is a great first mac to get used to the way mac works . If you want a better option I would recommend you get a mac mini the cheapest model is only $599 and it will be a lot faster than a G5 . Still G5 macs are very useful in 2012 .
Click to expand...

W8 is jarring to people because it's so visually different than W7. In my estimation the language of the experience speaks to using the desktop as a part rather than the whole. For example, the start menu represent a gathering of resources most commonly used by people for computing in a non working environment. I can pin anything to start, and one thing it does that I'm not sure any major OS has done (but Linux specializes in) is too breath new life into old machines. It's amazing in that respect. My old Celeron laptop with W8 is faster than my i5 with W7, and that includes a four fold RAM increase on the i5 machines as well. I don't proclaim it's success yet though because a lot of people are upset about the new deal. However, a lot of those people can't afford to say "f it, I'm going Mac," so they will learn it and eventually come to accept it. The applications are simply beautiful, the ones done in Metro. I constantly find myself thinking, if unlike WP7 this software has tremendous 3rd part support, it's going to be a force to be reckoned with. On your point of non touch screen usefulness, I will agree that at the very least multi-touch is almost a necessity.

lannisters4life said:
Can I ask you, in full respect to your cause, what compelled you to make your first Mac a PowerPC? Any computer you buy that computes would be practical for everyday use. Again, no disrespect, I owned three PowerPC Macs, and two of them were superb.
Click to expand...

Well, it's like this. First of all I love to tinker, and this big roomy G5's really call out to me because of the possibilities for upgrade. Second, why not a PowerPC for my first Mac? They are exciting machines, Apple had a set when they designed these. Now it seems as if Ive is almost afraid to take a chance (which makes sense from a business aspect) and has fallen back on what is quickly becoming gimmicky thinness. You and I both know (at least an 80% hunch) that the new iPhone even, is going to be the 4 stretched out. And if it is in that 16:9 ratio, poor show. I don't need a remote control. They same can be said of their computer designs, the Mini was probably the last startling new approach to a computer. Yes the Air was a breakthrough, but the form is still familiar. And the Mini isn't sitting in the Museum of Modern Art, while the G4 cube is. Also, Leopard seems like a very solid OS, and one that has definitely had time to homebrew the kinks out. The same things that drew me to Android initially and to Ubuntu, Fedora and Mint are what draws me to a G5. The interaction with your machine becomes very personal, sometimes a pain in the ass, but still very personal. I have a modern(ish) year old laptop with last years Intel processor and it's great and I'll install W8 on it, etc. etc. But I want a PowerMac because the OS seems very clean and direct in purpose. It has some polish, but it also has the feel of a work horse. I installed OSX Snow Leopard in a VirtualBox and it really reminds me of Ubuntu except it will support my other Apple products better. And, of course, price is an issue. I don't really need another computer, but I want to try a Mac, and I want one that isn't cutting edge (I mean I do but...lol) yet I want it to be a balance of beauty and power (within reason). The G4 Cube is beauty without brawn. The G5 is both. And upgradeable. Even the inside of the G5 is beautiful. It entirely embodies the days when Apple thought different. That's why I want a PPCM.

*Kanye Shrug*
 
Okay, so I picked up an A1085 that is in shambles. I took the word of the seller that the computer works, and I'm about to go score a DVI to HDMI so that I can confirm. I'm pretty excited and this is going to be a project. I will post pictures and if you guys think it's appropriate I'll start a project thread to journal this renaissance.

The computer has the 1.5 GHz processor (with Vector I think). 1.5 GB of RAM, and is bent up to hell and back, the screen and lid are off the top, the screen doesn't work, but it came with tiger install FCP and Office 07. Some keys are missing, it's filthy, but it has a new adapter. It was $75. It will ride again.

Any help or tips on this model from owners/gurus is much preesh'd.


From % => :apple:
 
Ah, ok. So you got a 17" PowerBook and not a G5. Cool. I have the A1013 (17" 1Ghz) and the A1139 (17" 1.67Ghz Dual layer), the first and last 17" AlBook models.

Replacing the screen is easy compared to the TiBooks. Just follow the guides on iFixit. You can find screens on eBay for cheap. I payed $80 for a new screen on my 1Ghz (it came with a flukey screen that finally went so I replaced it). If the bottom case is in decent shape replacing the top case will probably work. If they are both bent to heck then you are probably better off replacing both the top and bottom case. Last time I looked both parts were selling around $80 on eBay. Might be way cheaper though just to buy a dead PB of the same model and swap in your logicboard. You could then use one or the other for spare parts. You can also find keys for cheap on eBay too. Some people take the keyboards from dead PBs and part out the keys.

These are awesome machines and I had always lusted for one when I saw them in 2003. I ended up with two!

You might be interested in this. I documented the screen replacement on my 1Ghz PB on Facebook.
 
Last edited:
Ok, so she's up and running on the HDTV. The seller must have gave me another machines disk because this one just hangs on the blue screen. Anyway, I created an account, deleted his immediately, and am now awaiting the free space eraser to be finished.

I can really imagine this was beautiful in its prime. Wow. I'm also amazed how how great the keyboard is (even though it's in pieces) and how well this thing runs. It's very smooth. I was expecting a Vista like experience because of the age of the hardware.

I have 80GBs on the HD. That's a second tier concern right now as is topping off the RAM.

Right now, I primarily need a screen and a bottom half, keyboard and the trackpad kind of sticks. Does this support multi touch gestures?

Anyway, thanks for posting the links E, that's really appreciated. I'm glad I made this choice. My first Mac, a humpty dumpty, but my first.

Oh! And do you know if I have to buy my exact model as far as housing goes?
 
Last edited:
Wirelessly posted

Yes, it supports click, drag, and scroll. Look In the Trackpad section on system preferences. If you don't see there what I mention you may wish to download iScroll2.
I can't say with certainty that the bottom cases are interchangeable as I am not as knowledgable as others here. But I often hear the same model suggested as a replacement. The logic boards between models are all slightly different. I know that the logicboards between my two Macs would not fit in the opposite case.
 
TheUI said:
Hi all, thanks for stopping by. So, I decided I want to try a Mac (even though I just installed the W8 .iso on my fiances machine today and it looks great) and after some consideration and a quick glance in my wallet, I decided that I wanted to try and go with a PM, because they seem very practical for everyday use, and for a student (not in a computing major).
Click to expand...

If your everyday usage includes a lot of internet browsing, consider a newer (G5) PPC, or dual core PPC(Dual G4, G5)

G3 does the work, but stutters sometimes to a lot of times.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back