Upgrade from Power pc to Intel

Joined
May 21, 2008
Messages
25
Reaction score
1
Points
3
Your Mac's Specs
G5 Dual 2.5
Ok I have had my Mac G5 for 3 years now its a power pc Dual 2.5, I am starting to use my Mac for more and more things. Now I am finding is that developers are moving away from Motorola Based to Intel Only... This is very frustrating to me. So I did some research but to no luck. What I would like to know is can I change out my MB from the Motorola to an Intel board and processer?

Is it possible ?
is it Legal (licensing) ?
Is it worth while? $$$$$$

I don't have the money to buy a new Mac right now but I might be able to buy pieces and parts to build my own.. I have done this with all my winblows machines in the past.

TIA for any input..
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
I don't know if it's possible, but I can certainly give you my opinion of whether or not it would be worth it; no. A new motherboard is not the only component that would have to be changed out. You would need a new PS among other components. Probably cost more than buying an entry level white MacBook.

Your G5 is still a very good machine. It's fast and can run Leopard 10.5.8 which is a modern version of OS X. While it's true that all active development for the future is being done on the Intel platform, your G5 can be useful for several more years. If you need an Intel box, buy a cheap Win machine. There's certainly no shortage of them.
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,212
Reaction score
1,424
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Ok I have had my Mac G5 for 3 years now its a power pc Dual 2.5, I am starting to use my Mac for more and more things. Now I am finding is that developers are moving away from Motorola Based to Intel Only... This is very frustrating to me.

This is certainly nothing new...and not new news. Macintoshes with Intel processors came out in 2006.

What I would like to know is can I change out my MB from the Motorola to an Intel board and processer?

Is it possible ?
is it Legal (licensing) ?
Is it worth while? $$$$$$

I don't have the money to buy a new Mac right now but I might be able to buy pieces and parts to build my own.. I have done this with all my winblows machines in the past.

TIA for any input..

Can I assume that when you say you want to swap an "Intel board & processor"...that you mean a Macintosh motherboard with an Intel processor? It may be possible to put a Mac Pro motherboard into a G5 Powermac housing...since they use the same case...the problem is all of the parts you need are going to cost you a lot of money buying them separately!

Doing this sort of project is not like in the "Windows" computer world...where upgrade parts can be found cheap...and building your own computer is common (if you have the desire & expertise to do it).

You would be MUCH better off just buying a used (but older to save money) Intel Mac-Mini, Intel iMac, or Macintosh Intel laptop. Any of these Intel Core 2 Duo based Apple computers will be able to do what you need your computer to do (be able to run software for Apple Intel only computers).

HTH,

- Nick
 
OP
Clark20ry
Joined
May 21, 2008
Messages
25
Reaction score
1
Points
3
Your Mac's Specs
G5 Dual 2.5
Thats what I thought, I have built all of my computers (windoze). I wanted to swap out my motherboard with a newer Intel from a desktop or replacement MB.... I wasn't sure if it could be done... I have not had to open my G5 other than adding a bigger HD...

Thanks...
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top