On Apr 5, 2005, at 4:38 PM, Dana Kerr wrote:
Hi!
I was wondering if I would be better off with a used G4, or one of the new mini's?
That's a harder question to answer. A used G4 either already at or goosed up to the performance level of a Mini will cost more than the mini.
OTOH, you can also get better video, larger, faster (and more) drives, and put more memory into a G4 tower.
The G4 Sawtooth, Gigabit Ethernet and Digital Audio models right now are probably the 'sweet spot' for upgrading right now. OWC right now has 1GHz G4 upgrades for these systems for $179, $10 less than I paid just last week (of course! It's ALWAYS $10 cheaper the instant after I buy.) A Superdrive for these costs $50-60.
So if you can get the basic system for $200-300 or so, you're likely to come out close to a Mini.
OTOH, it depends on what you want to do with it.
Multimedia stuff, video, photo editing? You're likely going to be better served by the G4 tower, though it'll probably cost you more than a mini in the end. (although, frankly, the Mini is no slouch at this sort of stuff.)
Gaming? Get the tower, but you're going to spend $$$ on a video card. Anything more demanding, I'd start looking for a used G5 tower.
General purpose office computing, e-mail, web surfing, iPhoto, the iLife-style? Get the Mini. It's got that 'new computer' smell, has a warrantee, doesn't take over your workspace (as someone trying to figure out where to put his new G4 tower, since it doesn't fit where his old beige desktop sat, I know) and is guaranteed to run Tiger and future versions of the OS better. If you can hold out, Tiger will likely ship with it within the month.
It has USB 2.0 built in, and comes with a DVI video out. A G4 tower may come with an ADC connector, which is a expensive PITA to use with any other monitor type.
It's a close call, imo, and really really depends on what it is you want to do with it. Used mac prices are starting their plummet due to the Mini.
-- Bruce Johnson University of Arizona College of Pha rmacy Information Technology Group
Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs
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