Advice requested for what to upgrade to.

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Hi,

I have a 10 year old G4 with the following spec:

OSX 10.4.11
Machine Name: Power Mac G4
Machine Model: PowerMac3,4
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (11.3)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 533 MHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 1 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 133 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.1.4f1

The applications we use the most are:
Adobe Illustrator
Photoshop
Word
excel
powerpoint

About 2 years ago I started getting Kernal Panics and rectified that and while haven't had problems since the machine is understandably slow, being old and all that.

A recent edition of MacUser had a little diagram through which you plotted your choices to the appropriate mac and because I sometimes use big photoshop files (358mb), and slow down is mos marked when I do, and in the future imagine our kids will be wanting to edit their own films etc a macpro terminal seems a likely option.

I was also wondering if I could keep this old G4 and use its 2 HD (had an extra one fitted) as backup to the new one?

I haven't been keen on the all in one imacs as if the screen goes does that not mean the whole thing is null and void?

My buying philosophy with the G4 was I wanted it to last so now I need to buy a new one does anyone have suggestions as to what the most suitable one for me would be? I would really appreciate your advice!
 
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i7 iMac; 8gb DDR3 ram; ati mobility 4850; 1tb seagate harddrive @7200rpm
If you've gotten 10 years out of it, I'd wait when apple releases the next revision of the mac pro due to release with intel's 6 core bloomfield cpu. That will probably get you 10 more years.
 

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A recent edition of MacUser had a little diagram through which you plotted your choices to the appropriate mac and because I sometimes use big photoshop files (358mb), and slow down is mos marked when I do, and in the future imagine our kids will be wanting to edit their own films etc a macpro terminal seems a likely option.

I haven't been keen on the all in one imacs as if the screen goes does that not mean the whole thing is null and void?

My buying philosophy with the G4 was I wanted it to last so now I need to buy a new one does anyone have suggestions as to what the most suitable one for me would be? I would really appreciate your advice!

Going from a 10 year-old Powermac G4 to a Mac Pro is a TREMENDOUS jump!!!

Since you're not that crazy about the "all-in-one" iMacs...and because you already have a display, keyboard, and mouse...you would probably be just fine purchasing the "new" Mac-mini for $699...versus $2499 for the entry level Mac Pro.

Hope this helps,

- Nick
 
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Going from a 10 year-old Powermac G4 to a Mac Pro is a TREMENDOUS jump!!!

Since you're not that crazy about the "all-in-one" iMacs...and because you already have a display, keyboard, and mouse...you would probably be just fine purchasing the "new" Mac-mini for $699...versus $2499 for the entry level Mac Pro.

Hope this helps,

- Nick

Thanks for the help.

So a mac pro is not the modern day equivalent of the G4 then? I love my mac (use a pc at work) but as you can tell I'm no expert on them!

The all in one imac looks amazing and I'm sure works great but given I want a set up to last a long time having a seperate screen and terminal seemed to make sense to me. I am VERY risk averse!

I initially thought the mac mini would be OK as the next purchase but doubted it for the reasons already stated. Could I hook it up to my old terminal to be used as added backup/storage?

The display is also 10 years old and really needs to be replaced with a flatscreen.
 
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No one knows for sure, but it has to be ver, very near. Everybody was disappointed that Apple didn't debut a revision to their mac pro tower this year's WWDC, so the new mac pros are long overdue. The current mac pros are near 500 days old, and are extremely pricey for the aged hardware they use. Expect the new mac pros anytime between now and christmas.
 

pigoo3

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So a mac pro is not the modern day equivalent of the G4 then?

I think that the Macintosh computer line has changed a lot since you purchased your Powermac G4. Back when you purchased your Powermac G4...Apple offered laptops, the iMacs, and the Powermac G4 desktops...and there wasn't a Mac-Mini equivalent. Now Apple offers laptops, Mac-Mini's, iMacs, and Mac Pro's.

Back when you purchased your Powermac G4:

- the laptops were portable, had the G3 cpu...but not very powerful
- the iMacs were really aimed at the computer user who wanted a easy to set up & uncomplicated "all-in-one" computer. They had the G3 cpu...and were ok from a performance standpoint...but they didn't have very good graphics hardware. They were basically a non-portable laptop.
- back in 2001...the Powermac G4 was the "Power Users" computer. It had the G4 cpu...and had the latest & greatest hardware enhancements.

But now in 2010 things have really changed a lot.

- the Mac-mini was introduced in 2006...and initially they were not that powerful. They were mostly a low-cost computer ($499.00) to entice non-Macintosh users to give Mac's a try...and for Mac users at the time looking for a low cost computer to upgrade to. Part of this low cost "positioning" was that most folks buying it were already computer users...so they already had a display, keyboard, and mouse...and just needed a new computer. The Mac-Mini in more recent years has gotten much more powerful...and just recently (within the past 1-2 weeks)...Apple has just released a "new" Mac-Mini which appears to be the best & most powerful Mac-Mini yet...including features not offered in a Mac-mini before.

- then you have the iMacs. The iMacs have also gotten MUCH more powerful since 2001. They are still an "all-in-one" computer...and my opinion is...the iMacs now occupy the same position in the Apple computer lineup that the Powermac G4 did back in 2001.

- the current line of laptops have also gotten much more powerful than they were back in 2001. In fact laptops in 2010 can be more of a desktop computer replacement if you wanted them to be. Back in 2001...no way would you have considered an Apple laptop to be a desktop (Powermac G4) replacement.

- Finally there is the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is Apple's top of the line computer. It's the most expensive computer Apple offers, it's the most expandable computer Apple offers...and in many cases it's more computer than most users need. Many users would like to get a Mac Pro...but it just makes better financial sense to get an iMac that is still VERY powerful...just not as expandable.

The bottom line is...you have an almost 10 year-old Powermac G4. You could upgrade to the slowest current computer Apple offers...and it would still be light-years faster than your Powermac G4. So no matter what you get...it will be a BIG improvement!!!:)

Based on what you described (computer tasks & dislikes)...it sounds to me that you would be a perfect candidate for the new Mac-Mini.

I initially thought the mac mini would be OK as the next purchase but doubted it for the reasons already stated. Could I hook it up to my old terminal to be used as added backup/storage?
First of all I don't think that this would work in the manner you're thinking. The Mac-Mini although "small & cute"...is still a full fledged computer...even though it just looks like an external hard drive.

Secondly...why in the world would you want to use a brand new 2010 Apple computer as a backup device for a 10 year-old Powermac G4 "dinosaur"!!! If you need a backup device for your Powermac G4...just buy a cheap external hard drive!:)

Finally. Be very aware that most or many of the software programs you currently use on your Powermac G4 will not run on any 2010 Apple computer. Newer versions of the same programs will run...but you will have to purchase them.

I hope that this helps,

- Nick
 
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Wait for the new Mac Pro and stick with a tower with upgradeable graphics, hard drives, cheap optical drives, accessible memory and better performance. Others are nice, glossy toys!
 
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Secondly...why in the world would you want to use a brand new 2010 Apple computer as a backup device for a 10 year-old Powermac G4 "dinosaur"!!! If you need a backup device for your Powermac G4...just buy a cheap external hard drive!:)
- Nick

Great advice Nick! Thanks a million for all that info.

I wasn't thinking of using the macmini as a backup! The other way around, the G4 as a backup.
 
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Thanks harryb2448 but I haven't got as much cash as I did 10 years ago! 2 kids yes. Cash no. A macpro would be lovely though.
 

pigoo3

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I wasn't thinking of using the macmini as a backup! The other way around, the G4 as a backup.

I see...that way would make more sense. It is probably possible to take the hard drive out of your G4, put it into a an external hard drive case, and plug it into a new Mac Mini as a backup device.

But...the hard drive in your G4 is probably pretty small by today's standards...and the hard drive in any new Apple computer is comparatively speaking very BIG. So it wouldn't be long before your old G4's hard drive would be too small as a backup device for a newer Mac computer.

Good luck with your new computer decision. Whatever you choose...it will be a BIG BIG upgrade!:)

- Nick
 

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