Will my G4 iMac run Leopard ok?

[archangel42]

Hi, I am currently using a 2003 G4 iMac, (OSX 10.3.9, 1 Ghz Processor, 1 Gb DDR SDRAM.) I am still using Panther and need to move up to Leopard....will my current set up run Leopard ok?...also bearing in mind I will want to run the new iWorks and iLife. Appreciate any advice..........

 

[ZunePod]

You will be fine running Leopard.

It might be a bit slow with iLife though.

 

[ziggyonice]

Leopard will run perfectly fine. Note however that it does require 512MB of RAM, so you may want to consider upgrading your current amount past the 1GB you have. iLife '09 by itself requires 1GB for the install, so your computer will be running SLOW if you don't add additional RAM. If you want to upgrade it, a good place to go is crucial.com.

If you want to run both the new versions of iWork and iLife, you might want to save some money and get the Mac Box Set that Apple released. It combines Leopard, iLife, and iWork all in one package for a nice deal.

Finally, certain iLife apps may or may not work on an older G4:

iLife ’09 System Requirements

- Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor
- iMovie requires an Intel-based Mac, Power Mac G5 (dual 2.0GHz or faster), or iMac G5 (1.9GHz or faster).
- GarageBand "Learn to Play" feature requires an Intel-based Mac with a dual-core processor or better.
- 512MB of RAM; 1GB recommended. High-definition video requires at least 1GB of RAM.
- Approximately 4GB of available disk space
- DVD drive required for installation
- Mac OS X v10.5.6 or later
- QuickTime 7.5.5 or later (included)
- AVCHD video requires a Mac with an Intel Core Duo processor or better.
- 24-bit recording in GarageBand requires a Mac OS X-compatible audio interface with support for 24-bit audio.

 

[brop52]

1GB is the official maximum in your G4. If you have USB 2.0 you can take 2GB. However, you can install up to 2GB (2X1GB). The problem is only one slot is user accessible and the other is more difficult to get to and that the RAM is different in each slot. It's a bit complicated. The non-user accessible slot contains desktop 184 pin SDRAM while the user accessible RAM contains 200 pin DDR 333 PC2700 laptop RAM. The non-user accessible slot would require thermal paste and no guarantees it will work.

Though the easy to access slot can take a 1GB chip in there easily. Here is some DDR PC2700 from Newegg for $36.99 and free shipping. At Newegg you can also get a little cash back. You can also buy from OWC as it is guaranteed to work but it is $49.99 for a 1GB PC2700 for the user-accessible slot.

If you really want to attempt to change the inner RAM then here is a chip for the 184 pin SDRAM $34.99 and free shipping at Newegg. However, I'd say it isn't worth it and if you really want to just change the easily accessible RAM and be happy with 1.5GB total.

 

[js81]

It's a bit complicated.

It's not THAT bad. I had a G4 iMac and I replaced the memory, hard drive, and Superdrive, all in the vain attempt to make it faster. I had just bought the machine, so I had no emotional attachment; if you've had yours a while (seems like you have), then its well worth maxing it out. Get a 1GB stick for the inside and out (2GB total) and a 7200RPM hard drive with as much cache memory as possible (check on it, but the HD may be limited to ~128GB in these - you can use larger, but that's all it will see) - remember the HD is the old EIDE type. Buena suerte.

EDIT: From what I'm seeing, if you have a 1GHz model with USB 2.0, then the hard size isn't a problem. Not sure if its USB 1.1, though. What size is your screen - 15" or 17? If its a 17", then its USB 1.1 - if its a 15", then its USB 2.0 (at least according to everymac.com). Also, (again according to everymac) if its a 17" its a 1GB RAM max, if its a 15" its a 2GB RAM max.

 

[Styxie]

I had an 800 MHz iMac G4 with 768 MB RAM, and I installed Leopard on it (using some dodgy software =p). Anyway, it ran alright, but now I've installed Tiger, and it runs way faster. Safari loads up quicker on Tiger than on Leopard, and it can take some time for Leopard to boot and load applications. If I were you, I would go for Tiger, unless you absolutely need Leopard (in which case you should get a new iMac =p).
If you're not too keen on speed, Leopard will be just fine, but on the long run you might find it annoyingly slow (as I did).

 

[old-wiz]

I run Leopard on an iBook G4/ 1.33 with 1.25 gb ram and it runs fine.

 

[archangel42]

17" screen

It's not THAT bad. I had a G4 iMac and I replaced the memory, hard drive, and Superdrive, all in the vain attempt to make it faster. I had just bought the machine, so I had no emotional attachment; if you've had yours a while (seems like you have), then its well worth maxing it out. Get a 1GB stick for the inside and out (2GB total) and a 7200RPM hard drive with as much cache memory as possible (check on it, but the HD may be limited to ~128GB in these - you can use larger, but that's all it will see) - remember the HD is the old EIDE type. Buena suerte.

EDIT: From what I'm seeing, if you have a 1GHz model with USB 2.0, then the hard size isn't a problem. Not sure if its USB 1.1, though. What size is your screen - 15" or 17? If its a 17", then its USB 1.1 - if its a 15", then its USB 2.0 (at least according to everymac.com). Also, (again according to everymac) if its a 17" its a 1GB RAM max, if its a 15" its a 2GB RAM max.

Thanks for that.......yup it's a 17 inch screen with 1.1 USB
Looks like I may be stuck with 1GB RAM......anyway thanks again.....

 

[chapmac]

Run Leopard on my G4 1.25ghz machine with 768Mb. It ran fine, but I found that with a few things open it maxed out the memory quite quickly.

Upgraded mine to 1260Mb by popping in a 1GB stick in the user slot and left the original 256mb alone. Made a big difference - now it runs beautifully all the time, and it rarely swaps out. Only tend to use it for itunes/email/office and to watch videos/DVDs these days though. I reckon its got a few good years left.

Love these machines!