What to Buy I am so confused what to buy

[talmy]

I have a Power Mac G4 from 2002 and running good. Is this 2008 Macbook better / more powerful than my current desktop ? Also how do I transfer all the files on to this lap top if I were to purchase it ?

It will be more powerful by far. The Power Mac Geekbenches 482 (or maybe somewhat different since you didn't specify the exact model) while the Macbook comes in at 3135, over six times faster.

Use the Migration Assistant app which is part of the Mac OS. You can connect the computers via FW400 cable or ethernet. Wifi will do it, but will be quite slow.

What about router ? what kind of router do I need ? I know newer faster wifi is already out / on their way for newer more powerful mac and if I bought the new one, then I guess I will need to buy a separate wifi router for the new one ?

You didn't say what you've got. The 2008 Macbook supports 802.11a/b/g/n which is actually the current approved standard. Back in 2002 the standard was 802.11a/b which is much slower. If your wireless access port is of the same vintage you would want a new one.

Also, can USB 3 communicate with USB 2 ? (when trying to transfer file, iPod Nano, flash memory stick, etc).

USB3 is backwards compatible to USB2 so any USB3 device (or computer) will work with a USB2 computer (or device) but at USB2 speeds.

Sorry for BUNCH of questions but I MUST decide this today. So I wanted to ask you guys who are knowledgale.

 

[dylin]

Thank you so much both of you. If I upgrade it to SSD in the future, yet it does not support the latest OS or related to software, how good is it to upgrade it other than storage space? I am bit concerned how much life it got left in this computer since it can not keep up with the software or does it really matter which OS it uses ?

Also, please recommend me a WIFI router. that is good and reliable. I will need one, probably go to Best buy? or Walmart.....

what is OWC ?

Well, the only reason to get an SSD would be to have speed boosts rather than storage. As for software, if you know that you won't need to use the latest Operating system (Mountain lion) for the next few years, then you will be fine. But if you want to eventually use new software, then thats going to be tough. Lots of the new apps require you have at least OSX Lion, otherwise the programs wont run.

OWC is a site to purchase heavily focused on mac components. So if you are new to hardware, go there first. Its a very straight forward site that will help lead you to what you will need to get and what is compatible for your mac. Otherwise you could just go to newegg lol.

Here is the link for OWC http://www.macsales.com

 

[talmy]

Thank you so much. How does one know when to buy a new one other than when the machine brakes ? I've learned that you can upgrade memory space and buy a new battery ( so far its holding a charge ok ) but any other issue may arise when browsing the web ? I am asking this because I have a Power Mac G4 2002 desktop model and when trying to browse, it shows message something about Flash and Plug Ins and Acrobat Reader, etc is not supported etc. I have not had that concern with this 2008 Macbook yet....

From the battery information you gave, the battery appears to be new. No reason to buy one until it doesn't hold a charge. The older PowerPC Macs are basically no longer supported which is why you are getting the errors. That won't be a problem on the Macbook, which could be upgraded to the very latest OS X version and applications if you need to. In general, you need at least OS X Snow Leopard for most application software. If you don't go beyond Snow leopard you should be able to run any programs you have for the G4 as well.

Upgrading memory is inexpensive, but you didn't say how much is already in the system. It is also easy to use Activity Monitor to see if paging is occuring, which is the only reason to upgrade the memory.

 

[bluebird3]

From the battery information you gave, the battery appears to be new. No reason to buy one until it doesn't hold a charge. The older PowerPC Macs are basically no longer supported which is why you are getting the errors. That won't be a problem on the Macbook, which could be upgraded to the very latest OS X version and applications if you need to. In general, you need at least OS X Snow Leopard for most application software. If you don't go beyond Snow leopard you should be able to run any programs you have for the G4 as well.

Upgrading memory is inexpensive, but you didn't say how much is already in the system. It is also easy to use Activity Monitor to see if paging is occuring, which is the only reason to upgrade the memory.

Hello, the Macbook I am considering has OS 10.5.8, same as my G4. The Macbook currently has.... 2 GB ram and ... please see below.

Intel ICH8-M AHCI:

Vendor: Intel
Product: ICH8-M AHCI
Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.10 Supported

FUJITSU MHY2160BH:

Capacity: 149.05 GB
Model: FUJITSU MHY2160BH
Revision: 0081000D

Capacity: 148.73 GB
Available: 2.3 GB

My G4 has 2 GB memory but not sure how much HD space as I am not by my computer.

Its Power Mac G4
Model ID Power Mac 3.6
Processor PowerPC G4, (2.1)
Processor Speed 1 Ghz
Number of CPUs 2
L2 Cache (per CPU) 256 KB
L3 Cache (per CPU) 1 MG
Memory 2 GB
Bus Speed 167 MHz

 

[bluebird3]

How to make it all mine ?

This MacBook has Admin. (owner) with her name and log in password, then her brother name, then Guest. I am logged in as a guest. Each of their account has some files and such. If I were to buy this machine and "clean it up" sort of, to make it all mine, what do I need to do ? I do not see she has any original Cds/documents etc....

Thanks all really been helpful for this newbie.

 

[1rottenapple]

What to Buy I am so confused what to buy

I have a 2010 11 inch air I'm gonna sell in a few months! You should buy it! Haha

But anyways, you should buy something a little bit newer for a few grand more. It'll increase it's life longer.

Edit: I meant a few hundred haha

 

[talmy]

This MacBook has Admin. (owner) with her name and log in password, then her brother name, then Guest. I am logged in as a guest. Each of their account has some files and such. If I were to buy this machine and "clean it up" sort of, to make it all mine, what do I need to do ? I do not see she has any original Cds/documents etc....

Thanks all really been helpful for this newbie.

You can create an account with your name and delete the other accounts in System Preferences. To really make it "all yours" you would need an OS disk and do a fresh install. You can buy a Snow Leopard disk at nominal cost ($30 I believe) if you call Apple.

But anyways, you should buy something a little bit newer for a few grand more. It'll increase it's life longer.

This is so off-the-wall absurd I need to address it. If you pay $150 for this computer and it lasts one year (I'm sure it will last much longer, but let's just say one year), then if instead you were to pay "a few grand more", which would be at least $3150, that computer would have to last 21 years to break even. Frankly, I don't think a $300 computer will last twice as long.

 

[1rottenapple]

What to Buy I am so confused what to buy

You can create an account with your name and delete the other accounts in System Preferences. To really make it "all yours" you would need an OS disk and do a fresh install. You can buy a Snow Leopard disk at nominal cost ($30 I believe) if you call Apple.



This is so off-the-wall absurd I need to address it. If you pay $150 for this computer and it lasts one year (I'm sure it will last much longer, but let's just say one year), then if instead you were to pay "a few grand more", which would be at least $3150, that computer would have to last 21 years to break even. Frankly, I don't think a $300 computer will last twice as long.

Oops sorry buddy I meant a few hundred! Lol