Why do you use powerpc, over similarly priced comps?

[LordeOurMother]

Just curious why the people here prefer powerpc macs, over say, cheaper windows laptops like the HP Stream or something.

I prefer them for build quality, and expandability. No cheap windows laptop/desktop will be able to get 8 gb of ram and 1 tb hard drive for all of $50 after upgrades like I got with my G5. I literally couldn't ask for a better computer, it handles everything I throw at it with ease.

And, for whatever reason, my powerbook g4 is more powerful than my asus t100, even when playing the same games like return to castle wolfenstein! It handles web pages better, the only thing my asus beats it in is portability and compatibility with software, being on windows 8. Even though the asus has a higher geekbench score, the powerbook g4 has replaced the Asus as my main laptop, but the asus is still my laptop for certain games and tablet style useage.

I think the big reason for this is software. The software from the era of g4's and g5's was written much better than software today, and is less bloated. Even considering Leopard as an operating system was bloated with code for two processing architectures and graphics fx.

 

[MatthewLTL]

Just curious why the people here prefer powerpc macs, over say, cheaper windows laptops like the HP Stream or something.

I prefer them for build quality, and expandability. No cheap windows laptop/desktop will be able to get 8 gb of ram and 1 tb hard drive for all of $50 after upgrades like I got with my G5. I literally couldn't ask for a better computer, it handles everything I throw at it with ease.

And, for whatever reason, my powerbook g4 is more powerful than my asus t100, even when playing the same games like return to castle wolfenstein! It handles web pages better, the only thing my asus beats it in is portability and compatibility with software, being on windows 8. Even though the asus has a higher geekbench score, the powerbook g4 has replaced the Asus as my main laptop, but the asus is still my laptop for certain games and tablet style useage.

I think the big reason for this is software. The software from the era of g4's and g5's was written much better than software today, and is less bloated. Even considering Leopard as an operating system was bloated with code for two processing architectures and graphics fx.

for me it was the durability and compatibility. I got both my macs for under 80 bucks each and they do everything i need a computer for and they are cheaper and more reliable than any tablet or shitdows PC
I have a Linux laptop on the rare times that the PowerPC cannot do what i need it to do. Sure windows has better support, I can run better OS on it, I can upgrade it pretty cheap. Main reason I choose PowerPC is because they are cheaper to buy the only shitdows I could afford would actually cost MORE to upgrade than a PowerMac

 

[Dronecatcher]

Just curious why the people here prefer powerpc macs, over say, cheaper windows laptops like the HP Stream or something.

I prefer them for build quality, and expandability. No cheap windows laptop/desktop will be able to get 8 gb of ram and 1 tb hard drive for all of $50 after upgrades like I got with my G5. I literally couldn't ask for a better computer, it handles everything I throw at it with ease.

And, for whatever reason, my powerbook g4 is more powerful than my asus t100, even when playing the same games like return to castle wolfenstein! It handles web pages better, the only thing my asus beats it in is portability and compatibility with software, being on windows 8. Even though the asus has a higher geekbench score, the powerbook g4 has replaced the Asus as my main laptop, but the asus is still my laptop for certain games and tablet style useage.

I think the big reason for this is software. The software from the era of g4's and g5's was written much better than software today, and is less bloated. Even considering Leopard as an operating system was bloated with code for two processing architectures and graphics fx.

In my experience PPCs are phenomenally expensive to upgrade compared with PC and at the same price point, inferior in horsepower - however, I go with PPC for the OS, it's integration with the hardware, the sheer build quality and the satisfaction of getting the best out of something the world at large considers redundant

 

[LordeOurMother]

In my experience PPCs are phenomenally expensive to upgrade compared with PC and at the same price point, inferior in horsepower - however, I go with PPC for the OS, it's integration with the hardware, the sheer build quality and the satisfaction of getting the best out of something the world at large considers redundant

depends on the ppc, on my g5 i got it for $30, and spent $50 on ram + hdd. you just have to be a bit more patient.

 

[eyoungren]

Like the commercials…I'm a Mac.

I converted to Mac in 2002-03 and except for a very narrow purpose of which only a PC can accomplish a certain task I buy Mac.

My budget for any new computer, upon approval from my wife and pending availability of funds is $0-$50. $0-$100 when we have a little extra cash.

There is no Intel Mac, dead or otherwise, that is currently in those price ranges.

 

[Dronecatcher]

depends on the ppc, on my g5 i got it for $30, and spent $50 on ram + hdd. you just have to be a bit more patient.

You seem to get better prices in the States - either that or I am too impatient

Example, I've been looking for a ADC graphics card for my G5 for 2 months now, cheapest one in UK so far has been £30...and that was for a 64Mb nvidia 5200fx (my current one is 128Mb Radeon 9600 but DVI only).
As a contrast I bought a 512Mb Radeon card for my daughters PC last month for £3!

 

[gooser]

1. the style of the hardware
2. i prefer older software
3. it's what i'm familiar with
4. it's not just ppc. i consider a 2009 macbook running 10.6.8 with rosetta to be an old computer
5. they're repairable. they also have firewire ports and built in optical drives which i continue to use.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

I have a PowerBook G4 (Titanium) I bought just recently, to act as my "primary mobile computer".

I also have an HP Stream 8 "full Windows" tablet.

When I need "ultra-mobile," I use the HP. When I need "full feature," I use the PowerBook.

 

[desantii]

its also more than just $$$, its a certain pride in keeping the machines going

 

[jbarley]

You seem to get better prices in the States - either that or I am too impatient

Example, I've been looking for a ADC graphics card for my G5 for 2 months now, cheapest one in UK so far has been £30...and that was for a 64Mb nvidia 5200fx (my current one is 128Mb Radeon 9600 but DVI only).
As a contrast I bought a 512Mb Radeon card for my daughters PC last month for £3!

Check your PM's.

 

[eyoungren]

its also more than just $$$, its a certain pride in keeping the machines going

Yes.

That and what you can do. Everything that I have done and plan to do to my Quicksilver would have cost me thousands back in 2001. But I can do it now and it's only hundreds (over time).

And I get a fully customized the way I like it Mac that I could never have had back in that time period.

 

[redheeler]

its also more than just $$$, its a certain pride in keeping the machines going

Yes. For me it's not only the pride of keeping them going, it's also the unique design of these old machines and the look of Tiger/Leopard. That's what has driven me to not only use them occasionally over my modern Macs but also collect them.

 

[Beavix]

Just curious why the people here prefer powerpc macs, over say, cheaper windows laptops like the HP Stream or something.

Are you kidding? How could I choose some ugly PC over the beauties below?
(The PM G4 is my newest purchase, I got it last week, looks amazing).

 

[Dronecatcher]

Are you kidding? How could I choose some ugly PC over the beauties below?
(The PM G4 is my newest purchase, I got it last week, looks amazing).

The camera never lies

 

[tom vilsack]

And, for whatever reason, my powerbook g4 is more powerful than my asus t100, even when playing the same games like return to castle wolfenstein! It handles web pages better, the only thing my asus beats it in is portability and compatibility with software, being on windows 8. Even though the asus has a higher geekbench score, the powerbook g4 has replaced the Asus as my main laptop, but the asus is still my laptop for certain games and tablet style useage.

If this is the case then there is either something wrong with your Asus T100,or you have some type of software install on it thats slowing it down. Have you tried removing all the crapware on it? As much as I also love a good pb G4,there is no way it can handle web pages as well as a t100!

 

[jbarley]

Are you kidding? How could I choose some ugly PC over the beauties below?
(The PM G4 is my newest purchase, I got it last week, looks amazing).

It must be noisy sitting that close to your ear level.
I know my MDD was the noisiest computer I've ever owned no matter what I tried to muzzle it.
But you're right, it sure is pretty!!!

 

[A.Goldberg]

For me it has nothing to do with cost, because I don't really use any of my PPC computers as my main computers though my G5 handles everything pretty well aside from some things on the internet (youtube, netflix, etc) in which case my Intel macs are far superior.

I got my G5 for free and I bought my TiBook out of nostalgia. There is the convenience of abandonware in some cases with the PowerPC computers. In some regards I actually like OS 10.4 and 10.5 more than the current offerings. OS 9 is fun to play around with as well.

When it comes down to it, I use my retina MBP for day to day computing. If I need the help of a second computer, typically I'll fire up the G5 to help. My Mac Pro is at my parents house so if I travel home, typically I won't even bother bringing my rMBP with me.

 

[desantii]

Nostalgia factor as well!

 

[iModFrenzy]

When I first bought the PowerBook G4, I never expected it to become my main laptop.

I love the look of the PB G4, looks much nicer than my plastic Toshiba 17.3.

The PB G4 has a lot of software that I use daily on my Win7 laptop. Photoshop, FCP, LibreOffice, iTunes, Skype, Blender, VLC Player(1080p lag-free).

Hardware is great too, definitely beats my AMD E450 APU(1.65Ghz) which can barely handle 720p. This PB also has a mic and USB 2.0, to me, this was a shock. DVI,S-Video,FW800,PCMCA, and some other ports are also a good addition(You might think there outdated and useless but I have a lot of hardware that makes use of these ports).

Gaming is also great, I can play many classics that I love, some just look horrible on the glossy 16:9 display on my Toshiba laptop.

Sound is AWESOME, almost every device with a speaker I have used doesn't sound nearly as good as the PB G4.

Thats really it.

 

[LordeOurMother]

If this is the case then there is either something wrong with your Asus T100,or you have some type of software install on it thats slowing it down. Have you tried removing all the crapware on it? As much as I also love a good pb G4,there is no way it can handle web pages as well as a t100!

No it's not web browsing it's mostlynolder games where the G4 beats it which is understandable because steam + antivirus in the background on the t100 kills performance a bit when playing games.

Plus the ram for the graphics is shared with the ram on the system on that machine which surely can't help.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Also, "over similarly priced comps" is a bit of a misnomer. I'm sure there are a few people who see "I can get a crappy bottom-of-the-barrel nettop for $100, or I can get an old, but cool looking iMac G5" and opt for the iMac. (Or PowerBook G4, etc.) But the people who are in this forum are likely PowerPC users in cases where "similar price" isn't a concern in any way shape or form.

Yes, I spent $160 on a Windows 8.1 tablet and $75 on a PowerBook G4 in the past 6 months. But in neither purchase was there a "comparison" done. They were completely separate purchases. And if I wanted a "usable" PowerPC "instead of" a similar-value new low-end PC, I'd just use a PowerPC I already own.

Most of the people who frequent this thread already own their "main" PowerPCs - and in some cases, have owned and used them as their primary computer since the computer was brand new (my 12" PowerBook G4 - I've owned it since 2003.) Or bought it for "collectible" value, and decide to use it as a "daily driver" just because (as me with my 15" Titanium PowerBook G4.)

The idea that anyone on this forum would be "making a choice" of PowerPC over a "similarly priced computer," is just not even a valid question.

 

[tom vilsack]

On that T100 if your using either mcafee or norton as your antivirus uninstall either asap and use MS own security essentials. You will notice a difference right away! Mcafee and Norton should be burned with fire!

 

[LordeOurMother]

Also, "over similarly priced comps" is a bit of a misnomer. I'm sure there are a few people who see "I can get a crappy bottom-of-the-barrel nettop for $100, or I can get an old, but cool looking iMac G5" and opt for the iMac. (Or PowerBook G4, etc.) But the people who are in this forum are likely PowerPC users in cases where "similar price" isn't a concern in any way shape or form.

Yes, I spent $160 on a Windows 8.1 tablet and $75 on a PowerBook G4 in the past 6 months. But in neither purchase was there a "comparison" done. They were completely separate purchases. And if I wanted a "usable" PowerPC "instead of" a similar-value new low-end PC, I'd just use a PowerPC I already own.

Most of the people who frequent this thread already own their "main" PowerPCs - and in some cases, have owned and used them as their primary computer since the computer was brand new (my 12" PowerBook G4 - I've owned it since 2003.) Or bought it for "collectible" value, and decide to use it as a "daily driver" just because (as me with my 15" Titanium PowerBook G4.)

The idea that anyone on this forum would be "making a choice" of PowerPC over a "similarly priced computer," is just not even a valid question.

Not at all, some of us (at least me) are students who can't really afford newer macs, but prefer the OS to windows. I use my powermac as a music creation computer and it runs logic like a boss, and it's my daily driver because I bought it with that purpose. I did actively choose it over "similarly priced comps." Which would be slightly more expensive windows pcs.

By similarly priced, I mean why use a powerpc over say, a slightly more expensive windows laptop. A lot of the people here ARE making that choice even if the choice is "just because."

----------

On that T100 if your using either mcafee or norton as your antivirus uninstall either asap and use MS own security essentials. You will notice a difference right away! Mcafee and Norton should be burned with fire!

Yeah I don't use an antivirus that sluggish, it's Microsoft security essentials. The t100 is pretty darn fast for what's basically a netbook, im not saying it's slow, im just saying my PowerBook G4 surprised me with how it's actually slightly faster in some areas for some reason.

 

[poiihy]

Just curious why the people here prefer powerpc macs, over say, cheaper windows laptops like the HP Stream or something.

I prefer them for build quality, and expandability. No cheap windows laptop/desktop will be able to get 8 gb of ram and 1 tb hard drive for all of $50 after upgrades like I got with my G5. I literally couldn't ask for a better computer, it handles everything I throw at it with ease.

And, for whatever reason, my powerbook g4 is more powerful than my asus t100, even when playing the same games like return to castle wolfenstein! It handles web pages better, the only thing my asus beats it in is portability and compatibility with software, being on windows 8. Even though the asus has a higher geekbench score, the powerbook g4 has replaced the Asus as my main laptop, but the asus is still my laptop for certain games and tablet style useage.

I think the big reason for this is software. The software from the era of g4's and g5's was written much better than software today, and is less bloated. Even considering Leopard as an operating system was bloated with code for two processing architectures and graphics fx.

I don't use PowerPC Macs, and don't have many (only 3, and only one of them actually works at all but I rarely can use it).

But if I would use a PowerPC Mac, the reason why I would get/use it is...

• They are cheap
• They look nice
• They are fun to use
• They are fun to tinker with
• They are high quality
• They still have enough support for daily use (depends)
• They are limited and have less distractions
• And maybe something else

 

[three]

I'll be honest and say right off the bad that I don't use my various PowerPC Macs as much as I should and probably could. I love 'em all to death. I collect and maintain my PowerPC Macs firstly because it's fun. It's also really nice to go back to older versions of OS X and be nostalgic about "the good old days" (of MacThemes). The hardware is also so good looking. From the colourful iMac G3s, to the simple eMac G4, to the amazing little 12" PowerBook G4, the minimal little G4 Mac mini, and the drop dead gorgeous iMac G4. I love 'em!