What to do with PowerMac G4 PCI

Hello All - New to the forum and seeking some advice.

I recently acquired a Mac PowerPC G4 PCI 400Mhz running OSX 10.4.11. My wife and I were considering using it as a video conversion workstation, to convert all our old vhs tapes to dvd.

I've been poking around on the the internet looking at possible upgrades, processor, memory, video etc. and I see a few upgrades still available.

My question. Is it worth it? For the money I would spend to upgrade this computer, would I be better off buying someting else?

If I do upgrade it, what are the best upgrades for the money? CPU? DVD? Video? Memory?

Thank you in advance for your input!
WebRuss

It's not worth it. The AGP graphics G4 500 sells for around $50 refurbished, and I've seen dual 1.4GHz models for under $200 at macofalltrades.com. For the money it would cost to upgrade that thing, you've already bought 2/3 of a brand new Mac mini!

I agree with JJ. It's too old to warrand spending all that money to upgrade it. Best to look for a newer Mac at a nice price.

Thanks!

Thanks to both of you for your responses.

Seems a shame to let this computer go to waste, what would be some good uses for it? Should I find a deserving student and donate it?

Regards
WebRuss

Upgrade the RAM for cheap and install Mac OS X 10.4. I use my old G4 as a jukebox for my iTunes. I installed a USB 2.0 card so I can plug in my iPhone and two iPod nanos to it and charge aaaaall of them!

That G4 can use two 128GB ATA drives internally, or any size external on FireWire 400. Just enjoy it, take care of it, keep it cleaned out inside (dust will kill those old fans!) and you should have a wonderful "vintage modern" Macintosh for years to come.

You have the right idea - look for a primary school student whose folks may not be able to afford a home computer and set it up and it will be much appreciated.