I've had my Mac G4 tower for the past 4 odd years and its done very well, no problems etc. But i was wondering whether to upgrade my exsisting Mac or sell it, and buy the Mini one instead? I've heard the Mini HD isn't as fast - is this true?

Advice would be handy :)

There are two models as i understand.according to Mac world mag the spec is
Processor; 1.25GHz G4
HD; 40GB
Price £339

and the higher spec
Processor; 1.4GHz G4
HD; 80GB
price £399

Both models
Memory;256Mb (max; 1GB)
Video card; 32MB ATI Radeon 9200
Cache; 512K L2
Optical; DVD-ROM/CD-RW
USB 2.0:2 FireWire 400 PCI:0
Ethernet; 10/100BaseT AirPort;54Mbps
I supose the question to ask is what do you use it for, reviews i have read say it requires RAM upgading,
and the Video card is not up to the top games, but again i quote from the magazine.
you will need to buy a monitor, mouse and speakers though so include that in your budget.
The bundled Ilife sofware is nice though.

The Mac Mini also uses a 2 1/2 inch harddrive like in a laptop so it is slightly slower.

I'm not sure you'd get a load more performance out of a mini mac and the problem with them is that they're not very expandable - you have more expansion slots in the G4.

I upgraded from my trusty G4 to a G5 last year and although it obviously is faster, it's not silly faster. I'd strick with your G4 if I were you.

Mini macs are cool thought!

Hi thanks for the advice. I currently use it for design - usual packages, not games. I already have a monitor, keyboard + mouse as i would just be selling the tower, not the rest of it.

I was advised to sell the tower now, before i couldn't sell it for anything..as at the mo they're just fetching around £150 - £200 on ebay.

Its got 733 Mhz processor and 384MB memory. I think it has a free slot for more memory - would this make any improvements? How much is more memory?

How much is the G5?

Just out of interest, why do many designers go for macs over pc?

You can build a pc for a fraction of the cost of a G5, and the pc will easily outperform it in every department, be much easier to upgrade, be much easier to fix and can be customised soooo well.

Originally posted by designbunny

How much is the G5? [/B]

£999
1x1.8 GHZ
256 MB

£1,349
2x2 GHZ
512 MB

£1,699
2x2.3 GHZ
512 MB

£1,999
2x2.7 GHZ
512 MB

The first two will take up to 4GB max memory and the other two will take up to 8GB, from the write up i've just quoted from, the two chip processors are best suited to multiprocessor optimised apps such as Adobe Photoshop and Final Cut etc.
they also run cooler than ever before and quieter.

Originally posted by Agent Gypo
Just out of interest, why do many designers go for macs over pc?

You can build a pc for a fraction of the cost of a G5, and the pc will easily outperform it in every department, be much easier to upgrade, be much easier to fix and can be customised soooo well.
I would have thought it was mainly because of the OS - these people want to get work done, rather than play around upgrading, fixing and customising :)

So why not stick OSx on a Windows based PC :wink:

Don't go for a Mac Mini. Get more memory first (check on crucial.co.uk for prices) then consider a processor upgrade. You can now get up to a 2GHz G4 for your PowerMac.

pm me if you want...

hello old-bloke,

sounds like a good idea - is this the right stuff?
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.asp?Mfr%2BProductline=Apple%2BPower+Mac&mfr=Apple&tabid=CR&model=Power+Mac+G4+%28466%2C+533%2C+667%2C+and+733 MHz%29&submit=Go

or this - http://www.jigsaw24.com/proddesc.asp?ITEM=M015AEA

I would be more likely to buy from jigsaw as i've heard of them.

You should sell it and buy a PC.

I don't want a PC - i have one of those at work & i've had nothing but problems with it. At least i can rely on my Mac :)

I'm no fan of macs, but I saw the mac mini in a shop. It's a very cool piece of kit.

Originally posted by uniB
I'm not sure you'd get a load more performance out of a mini mac and the problem with them is that they're not very expandable - you have more expansion slots in the G4.

I upgraded from my trusty G4 to a G5 last year and although it obviously is faster, it's not silly faster. I'd strick with your G4 if I were you.

Mini macs are cool thought!

You can add a new larger laptop size hardrive and generic memory quit easily there's a guide in pc world mag that shows you how. I'm trying to talk our old las into letting me buy one

Originally posted by vidster
So why not stick OSx on a Windows based PC :wink:

It can't be done. OSX is designed to run on Power PC 'G' chips.

When Apple port over to intel chips it maybe possible but Apple at present have stopped it.

Originally posted by rich951
I would have thought it was mainly because of the OS - these people want to get work done, rather than play around upgrading, fixing and customising :)

If you get a desktop Macs are pretty much as expandable as PC's.

You can change graphics cards/harddrives/ram etc exactly the same.

Music and Design tend to use Macs as they work better with the pro applications used (Logic/Photoshop) for various design.

And they hardly ever get viruses or crash!

Iv been a PC user all my life and a week ago bought the Mac Mini 1.42Ghz (wivout the DVD burner). Its been nothing but delight so far, and even tho my windows pc is obviously much faster its just not the same as the quality experience u get out of a mac.

Originally posted by macsupport
It can't be done. OSX is designed to run on Power PC 'G' chips.

When Apple port over to intel chips it maybe possible but Apple at present have stopped it.

I think you will find that it can and has been done

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25363

Originally posted by macsupport
It can't be done. OSX is designed to run on Power PC 'G' chips.

When Apple port over to intel chips it maybe possible but Apple at present have stopped it.

I knew someone would say this :rolleyes:
There's no such word as can't, especially where computer software is concerned :wink:

Anyone for a Linux,Mac and Windows system :)

Macs are a lot less prone to virus and crashes too. but i can't see anything in the original post about Mac Vs PC.
When ever Mac is mentioned the anti Mac brigade home in, can't understand it myself you buy what you like.

I'd keep the G4 Tower as a dev server or something and buy one of the sparkly, gonna be going dead cheap, dual G5s.

The last of the PowerPCs! Macs are only better than PCs because they get a better class of user.

How do you get a mac to communicate with a pc? tell the mac to talk slowly and avoid irony.

Another, very good reason to go for mac, is effortless colour synchronisation, and that the point sizes of text correspond to actual point sizes (all fonts are too big on a pc).

Originally posted by vidster
I knew someone would say this :rolleyes:
There's no such word as can't, especially where computer software is concerned :wink:

Anyone for a Linux,Mac and Windows system :)

Just to add.... Install OSX Tiger on Intel Machines (or USB Drives) Using Only Windows Software (http://www.tech-recipes.com/apple_mac_tips964.html).
I love step 1 :wink:

design-bunny - if you do fancy selling the G4, let me know - I'm after a desktop mac to complement my G3 iBook and allow me to use Logic 7 :)

as for the mac mini - yes, they might look nice, but 2.5in HDDs are slower than their larger counterparts, and also the mac mini has a lower front side bus speed than other similar Macs and this has an effect on the speed also. Personally, I wouldn't go for one, but it's what each person wants and needs I guess :)

And OSX on the PC - it's not just any old OSX, it's a special developer version for the new Mactel machines which are supposed to be out next year - the mac world is currently full of debate about whether Steve Jobs will ever allow it to officially run on a PC. If you're serious about getting stuff done with OSX, I wouldn't put it on a PC just yet ;)

Originally posted by designbunny
Its got 733 Mhz processor and 384MB memory. I think it has a free slot for more memory - would this make any improvements? How much is more memory?

In terms of bang per buck I'd add a load more RAM to your current machine. Putting in a couple of 512mb chips will only cost you about £80 and make a big difference to how your machine runs.

If you're wanting to buy a new G5 be aware that they now only have DVI video connectors - so if your display has an ADC plug you'll need to get an adapter - £75 - ouch.

If you buy a new G5 Powermac, Apple throw in a free DVI-VGA convertor...

Wish I could afford one :'(

The Mac Mini is a nice piece of kit. With a big stick of memory in, it will outperform your current kit quite handily.

I've used the mac mini and an ibook 12" and they're both decent machines for photoshop and indesign work, but you can't run too many app's at the same time and as a PC user they can be frustratingly slow in comparison.

You'll have very little room for upgrades, which is a problem for you as a designer.

As everyone else has said, the sensible choice is to add more RAM to the G4, which you should be able to pick up for next to nothing. I've got some sticks of RAM lying around that would suit I'm sure. Go for 1GB if you can manage it.

After that, save up for a G5 :-)

And having said all that, I'm considering selling my Mac Mini as I don't use it much, it's just a very pretty file server at the moment.

*reads the post* I've confused you now, haven't I? :-)

Thanks Guru, not confused at all, it does make sense. I think i will get some more RAM. I've found some here - is this a good price?

http://www.jigsaw24.com/kingston-memory.asp
Apple_Power Mac G4_733/800/933 (QuickSilver)

KTA-G4133/256_ 256MB DIMM Module = £57.58 inc VAT
KTA-G4133/512_ 512MB DIMM Module = £92.83 inc VAT

I can't see the 1GB sticks.

Thanks :)

Originally posted by vidster
Just to add.... Install OSX Tiger on Intel Machines (or USB Drives) Using Only Windows Software (http://www.tech-recipes.com/apple_mac_tips964.html).
I love step 1 :wink:

So let me get this right....

This will let me run OSX on my P4, and support peripherals etc...?

Hey DB,

I think the G4's don't support single 1GB sticks, only 512MB. Jigsaw are not the best prices, but they do better customer service.

I'd go direct with Cruicial. Noone I know has had a problem buying direct with them. £77 inc. free shipping.
http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/MPartspecs.Asp?mtbpoid=1B359626A5CA7304&WSMD=Power+Mac+G4+%28466%2C+533%2C+667%2C+and+733M Hz%29&WSPN=CT223767

If price is *really* an issue, you can go with eBuyer, but their customer service generally sucks. £70 with free shipping for the 'proper' Mac memory:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=9855403760&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=29659

If you're feeling wild and adventurous you could try this memory at £55 shipped:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=9855403760&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=62334

No reason why it shouldn't work. The G4's are quite forgiving about memory types. Any of the others would be good for peace of mind, though.

I've only got a stick of 128MB spare that would fit the G4, which is not enough for a big improvement for you :/

Hey Guru,

Thanks for the links. I've bought 2 of the 512MB from Crucial. The money wasn't too much of an issue - it has saved me at least the cost of a mac mini, and i'm glad i asked for advice now, as i don't think the mini would have been suitable for me.

Everyone and their dog has a Mac Mini. A G4 shows a bit of class :-)

Let me know how you get on with it.

i'm still rocking a G3 white iBook, but hopefully getting a G4 desktop soon. Can't wait!

Didn't realise there were so many mac fans in sheffield :)

wow there is a lot of mac knowledge on the forum!

i got a mac mini and gotta say it struggles with my video editing but browsing,email.photos and dvds its a awsome bit of kit!

Just waiting for my bonus so i can order a shiny dual G5 (if i decide to buy now or wait.. hmmmmm seperate issue me feels :)

Ed

Blimey! that was very speedy - the delivery from Crucial arrived this morning! I only ordered it yesterday!

Anyone have any idea how to fit it?!

This might be useful - otherwise a quick scout on Google might do the trick :)

http://www.edgetechcorp.com/support/products/memory/desktops/apple/PowerMac-G3-G4/

Originally posted by Phanerothyme
So let me get this right....

This will let me run OSX on my P4, and support peripherals etc...?

Should do :) There was no mention of any problems in the forum where i found that link.

I found a Mac tutorial site for you to have a look at while i was browsing. Might help someone :wink:

http://www.mactutorials.blogspot.com/