On Feb 22, 2012, at 10:50 PM, Eleni wrote:
I love the Mac mini G4.
I have a G4 Mini, and I like the concept, but the actual product left much to be desired. Most G4 Minis are limited to 1GB RAM in a single slot, and the requirement of "low density" RAM makes the RAM twice as expensive as normal RAM. A second slot would have helped a lot, or if the memory controller could recognize server ECC RAM which comes in 2GB sticks and is readily available CHEAP, that would also have helped.
The video is generally restricted to a paltry 32MB which is a bottleneck for any modern 1920x1080 monitor or HDTV. The video has a timing limitation that makes it not work well with many HDTVs and monitors.
I can see that it would be perfect for running old Classic software on a lower resolution monitor, but the G4 Mini COULD have been one of the real gems IF it had more the ability to accept more RAM and VRAM.
If you're using the 1.42GHz which appears in the video you posted, I'd recommend doing the simple hack to overclock it to 1.58GHz. You removed a single tiny resistor from the motherboard, and then add a few lines of code into the firmware, and you've got about 15% more speed for a tiny little work.
I've got both the G4 Mini and the G5, the G5 is definitely more useful in today's computing environment. It's a shame these old G4 Minis don't have enough horsepower to be harnessed as effective media center computers. They're kinda lost without enough RAM or VRAM.
-- 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
