Power Mac G4 AGP 450Mhz CPU Upgrade

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Hi

I have recently got my hands on a Power Mac G4, previously used in a TV station for graphic rendering so the Graphics are about as good as they can get. The only problem is RAM and the Processor.

I have done some research but i still have one question.

If i buy a Power Mac 1Ghz Dual Processor from a Mirror Door model will it fit in to my AGP model?

Thanks in advance:)
Olly
 
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no it wont

You would have to buy a processor upgrade from OWC, like those made by Sonnet

But by the time you factor in a RAM upgrade, processor upgrade and possibly graphics card upgrade, you are better off banking the money towards a second hand intel mac mini or MacBook

The old G4 could still serve as a capable file server tho. My old 633 mhz G4 just sits around as a fileserver back-up for files and movies
 
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Thanks for the quick reply I will look at other options like a file server and mac mini.

Thanks again
olly:)
 
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G4 400 mhz

I have an old G4 400 mhz, does anyone know the most up to date OS that I can install on it? My son wants to be able to run garage band on it, is it worth persuing or should I just go for a more upto date computer and throm it away?
 

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I have an old G4 400 mhz, does anyone know the most up to date OS that I can install on it? My son wants to be able to run garage band on it, is it worth persuing or should I just go for a more upto date computer and throm it away?

Probably would have been better to start your own thread...since a CPU upgrade (this threads topic)...is different from an OS related issue.:)

You could run 10.4 (might be a bit slow)...10.3 would probably be the best from a performance standpoint. In theory you could run 10.5 (it officially is not installable in Mac's with less that an 867mhz cpu)...but with a program called "Leopard Assist" it can be done (but performance will be slow).

In the case of either 10.4 or 10.5 it will cost you $100+ to purchase the install disk.

HTH,:)

- Nick
 
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I Have found a £30~$50 450Mhz Dual Core over clocked to dual 500Mhz is it worth it seeing as it has an amazing graphics card from its previous life as a TV graphics rendering machine. (A Flashed Radeon of some kind I believe) and 1GB of RAM soon to be 2GB.

Should i buy the Dual 500Mhz?:)

ty
Olly:)
 

pigoo3

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I Have found a £30~$50 450Mhz Dual Core over clocked to dual 500Mhz is it worth it seeing as it has an amazing graphics card from its previous life as a TV graphics rendering machine. (A Flashed Radeon of some kind I believe) and 1GB of RAM soon to be 2GB.

Should i buy the Dual 500Mhz?:)

The question I haven't seen answered yet in this thread is...what are you trying to do with this computer?

These Powermac G4 computers (450mhz or 500mhz) are 2001 vintage 10 Year-Old computers...and no matter how good the graphics have been upgraded...they are still "lightyears" slower than anything from say 2005, 2008, or 2011.

If you're just "fooling" around...and this computer is just for "fun"...go for it. But if you're trying to do some serious work...a newer, faster, and more capable computer would be a better option to pursue.

Just my humble opinions of course,;)

- Nick
 
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Im simply trying to bring it up a bit for basic web browsing maybe used as a server and mainly just for a fun project. I fully understand that I wont be able to do video editing or anything intensive but its simply for Fun :)
 
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The answer in short is no. Regardless of the dual processors it is and will always be a 450MHz processor with a slow old 100MHs system bus speed.
 

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Im simply trying to bring it up a bit for basic web browsing maybe used as a server and mainly just for a fun project. I fully understand that I wont be able to do video editing or anything intensive but its simply for Fun :)

Thanks for the info. Yeah...like Harry mentioned...it's still going to be a 450-500mhz computer. If basic web browsing is the main purpose...the difference in cpu speed (450 pr 500mhz) won't be noticeable. Also...even with the best possible graphics card in this computer...you still will have trouble with some websites...especially You Tube & other sites with a lot of video content.

I would say don't invest any more money in this computer other than maybe some ram.

Good luck,

- Nick
 

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Is a mac Mini 1.25 Ghz with 500~ram and 40GB hard drive good for £164?

About 8 weeks ago I purchased a 1.5ghz Mac-mini for $50 US (~£31). I know that used Macintosh prices are higher in the UK...but even £164 ($259) sounds like a lot for a 1.25ghz G4 Mac-mini.

Mac2sell.com (UK pricing) says it's worth £50 ($79).

So there's a BIG difference between what Mac2Sell says £50 & what you're looking at £164! Maybe the Mac2Sell value is low...but even if it should be £75...£164 is still a lot more.

HTH,

- Nick
 
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Thank you for all the help, i did think it seemed a little too high for an older machine. I was looking on ebay but maybe i should look elsewhere. For now i will buy a some RAM for my G4. But I will keep an eye out for a cheaper mac mini.


Thanks
olly
 

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For now i will buy a copy of snow leopard to hackintosh on to my Dell precision.

You shouldn't have said that!!!!!:( Probably one of the worst things you can say on Mac-Forums!!!

- Nick
 

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