---------- Original message ---------- Subject: Re: B&W G3 -> G4 Upgrade Revisited. Date: Sonntag 23 Mai 2010N From: Kris Tilford <[email protected]> To: [email protected]
Hi! If I may, I'll chime in since I also have a G3 B&W running Mac OS X 10.4.11. > I think this hit the nail-on-the-head. The B&W and Yikes are hindered > by PCI graphics. Upgrading older hardware is more expensive than buying newer hardware. I fully agree. > I believe the era of PCI Graphics Macs has > effectively past unless you happen to already own a heavily upgraded > system. The cost of obtaining upgrade CPU, RAM, and PCI video card are > simply too large to justify the expenditure when compared to the > availability of low cost AGP Macs. What if the G3 B&W is already there, is still in working condition, and wants to be used (sort of). The thing is, why drop it if it is still working? Upgrades on the other hand, like you mentioned it, are not “cost effective”. If you want to use a G3 B&W with Mac OS X 10.4 in a convenient way, you'll just want to upgrade. My G3 B&W came off the trash and I made it work again. I got some old RAM modules that where in also trashed older PCs and put them into the G3 and they worked (only one was high density and so I had no luck). I'm still waiting for a fourth 256 MB PC100 module to complete the full 1 GB max-out-procedure. The graphics card is a hard task. I just got an old PCI Radeon 9250 from eBay for only < 15 USD that I want to flash for the Mac eventually. Right now I'm using it in a PC to play around with AGP cards that I also want to flash for the Mac. It is easier if I have a PCI graphics card on the PC for flashing AGP cards, so I can see something on the screen. Somehow most PC BIOSes don't support ISA graphics cards anymore (of which a have a few) – so I “had to” buy the Radeon PCI card). Running Mac OS 9 on a G3 B&W makes all this want-to-upgrade unnecessary. Or you can try to run a light-weight version of Linux. If you use a modern distro even on an older G4 (I'm running a Dual-800 QS right now) is just no fun anymore. > Any AGP graphics G4 will kill the > B&W and Yikes if you're using latest possible OS X and any kind of CPU/ > Graphics intensive software (for example, Adobe Flash Player is a CPU > hog/thorn-in-the-side of all PPC Macs). Still, I notice that Mac OS X 10.5 is remarkably slower than Mac OS X 10.4 used to be. My Mac is a QS Dual-800 (upgraded from a single 733) and it has the original GeForce MX440 in it. Even though it supports Quatz Extreme (but not Core Image) it is slow on Mac OS X 10.5. At least when compared to Mac OS X 10.4.11. > I'd recommend any AGP G4 or even a used Mini as being "best bang for > the buck" in low-end Macintosh computing. I like it when someone writes “low-end computing”. My G3 B&W is such a Mac and I love it. I use it at work and even though I would have had a G4 at hand I wanted to take the slowest Mac I could get that runs Mac OS X. At work I only need file management, PDFs, Office documents – and most importaintly I have a lot of time waiting for application starts… At the same time the “low-end” part keeps me from trying computer games and such, simply because it doesn't work. And I tried YouTube only once… By being “low-end” it prevents me from getting disturbed from what my real work is. > Hackintosh is also a low > cost option, although it's MUCH more complicated and not something for > the technically challenged. Like with Linux it is much easier if the target PC is using standard Mac hardware, i.e. it has components that are also used by Apple. > With PPC prices falling, you may even be > able to include G5's in the best-bang-for-the-buck category if you > find a good deal? I can recommend that too. And, even if this is the wrong group for such an advice, but an older = cheaper Intel-Mac may also be what you are looking for. This will give you a much easier Mac OS upgrading experience (you can use Snow Leopard). Cheers, Andreas aka Mac User #330250 -- 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
