Help bring the beast back to life

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Any useful advice greatly appreciated.

Hey there folks
I'm running a
Power Mac G4 (AGP graphics)
PowerPC G4 CPU Speed:450 MHz
L2 Cache (per CPU):1 MB
Memory: 1.62 GB
Bus Speed:100 MHz
System Version:Mac OS X 10.4.11 (8S165)

I have had this unit from new and only now is starting to let me down speed wise and with firefox.

Any ideas to help bring back the beast?
 
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Silver M1 iMac 512/16/8/8 macOS 11.6
Sorry to suggest time for a new computer. Nothing will bring a 450MHz machine up to modern standards. Had a MDD G4 and even tried installing a CPU upgrade. Still the system bus speed throttled it. You sure have had your money's worth out of it.

If you go the way of a new computer make sure it is a Core 2 Duo at least. Do not invest in a PowerPC machine such as a G5.
 
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Unfortunately Harry.... $ is the problem. when I first got the beast i was single and no responsibilities. Now i'm married with 2 kids and paying off a house and 2 cars. There is no way I can claim a new machine on tax. God forbid I might have to resort to a *shudders* windows box.
 

chscag

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I don't think Harry was recommending going to your local Apple store and buying a new MacBook Pro. You can find used Macs on Craig's List and of course eBay. And sometimes your local "Green Sheet" will have some for sale. Just make sure you buy an Intel driven machine that's a least powered by a Core 2 Duo processor. I would think you should be able to find something for less than $500 that will last you for a few years.
 

pigoo3

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I have had this unit from new and only now is starting to let me down speed wise and with firefox.

Any ideas to help bring back the beast?

While the specifications & abilities of a computer stay the same (such as your 450mhz Powermac G4)...as time goes on, the computing "world" gets more & more complex. So over time...the ability of a specific computer model to do "modern" things...becomes less & less & less.

This 450mhz Powermac G4 was introduced in August, 1999...HELLO;)...that would make it approx. 13.5 years old at this point. 13.5 years is OLD, OLD, OLD for a computer!!!

It was a "beast" in 1999...but it's barely a "minnow" in 2013.;) And FYI...a 100% working example of a 450mhz Powermac G4 in 2013 is worth about $25 bucks here in the US.

About 3 years ago I purchased a 700mhz Powermac G4 (a good bit faster)...for $30 bucks...and it included a printer!

If you cannot afford to purchase a MUCH newer computer...dual-cpu Powermac G5's (much much faster than your Powermac G4)...are selling for about $100-$125. But getting a newer Mac with a core 2 duo Intel cpu would be much better.

HTH,

- Nick
 
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By 'new' I meant new to you. Not necessarily a brand new Mac from the Apple Store. You will find any intel machine far superior. A say 2007 20" iMac will run the latest operating system and you should get one pretty reasonably priced.
 

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