On Jan 2, 2010, at 7:21 AM, Dan wrote: > At 8:59 PM -0800 1/1/2010, kimtoufectis wrote: >> >> I am fairly non-tech; when my work Wintel machine fails an expert >> comes to fix it. >> >> At home I'm on my own; I like simple. My iBook serves mainly as a >> netbook: I use Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Reader for >> productivity and news, and Pandora, GrooveShark, LaLa, and Playlist >> to stream music. > >> Searching online showed me that for the $250-500 cost of a netbook I >> could step well forward in power with a used iMac (functioning >> MacBooks seem out of that pricerange). The architect in me >> appreciates the compact, elegant designs of both the G4 and G5 iMacs, >> [snip] >> (1) What should I expect as the performance delta between the G4 and >> G5 in light usage, and does it justify the extra cost? > > About what you'd expect from the clock speed difference. > >> Is the G4 advanced enough to serve me for several years, or will I >> soon need to >> step up again soon to keep up with internet trends? > > The G4 is a line of great PowerPC processors, perhaps the best ever > made; definitely has quite a few more years of life. > >> (2) I find OS X 10.4 on most G4s and 10.5 on more G5s; any guidance on >> which OS is most useable with each processor? > > Both Tiger and Leopard run great on either processor. Keep in mind > that Apple recently made it very difficult for developers to support > Tiger, so you're going to see more and more apps go Leopard/Snow > Leopard only. Because of that, I *strongly* recommend going to > Leopard. > I agree on the move to Leopard but I have found some glitches in Leopard on PPC Machines Specifically G5 2.7 dual and G4 MDD 1. dual the ripper program I have, Mac DVD Ripper Pro will not run on these machines. No problem on the Intel Macs. So I still keep both systems available I even boot 9 on the MDD. I need the 9 because of an application I use for my work that requires a dongle. The extenuation or it must load first in line at boot. > Regardless of which OS you use, be sure to throw in lots of memory. > 512 MB is about the minimum I recommend. OS X does so much better > with 1 GB+. > >> (4) Given that I'm mostly okay with the 12 inch iBook screen, a 17 >> inch screen seems adequate; any great reason to go larger? > > Bigger better faster more. It's amazing how you get used to one > screen size, then a few months after you migrate to something bigger > you wonder how you were ever happy with the smaller! LOL > >> (6) Are there other Macs I should consider, (I don't want a CRT eMac, >> but maybe a Mini?) and if so why? > > I'm not a big fan of the iMac G4, as I seem to be running into a lot > with neck failure and screen issues. The Mini G4 is nice but a PITA > to upgrade. The iMac G5 is nice; I see very few for repairs. > Nice to know about neck failures, are they tough to repair? Can you get more than 1GB Ram in the PPC Mini? > My personal preference is for the later models of Power Mac G4. > They're just so versatile, resilient (forgiving) and easy to futz in. > You mentioned that you're not an expert. Well, a PM G4 is an easy > system with which to learn... > > HTH, > - Dan. > -- > - Psychoceramic Emeritus; South Jersey, USA, Earth. > > -- > You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for > those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power > Macs. > The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette > guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list
John Carmonne Yorba Linda USA -- You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list
