Forums
New posts
Articles
Product Reviews
Policies
FAQ
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Apple Computing Products:
macOS - Desktop Hardware
Not Sure If My Mac Works Or Not
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="erics72" data-source="post: 1583315" data-attributes="member: 316826"><p><strong>1999 g4</strong></p><p></p><p>Wow. Macs have a longer shelf life than pretty much all PCs. My Macs usually last me anywere from 5-6 years before I start thinking of upgrading. And even then, you can probably squeeze another year or two out of it, before the hardware is no longer supported by current, or oldish software. Which is the main reason I upgrade.</p><p></p><p>That being said, your G4 is very old, even for Mac's standards. Put it this way, it was the first of two G4s that came out (one with a PCI graphics card, and one with an AGP graphics card). From the model #M5183 you indicated, you have the AGP version. If you go to System Profile, the model identifier should PowerMac3,1. Tip: always check the model identifier to get the exact model.</p><p></p><p>Here are the specs for you G4:</p><p></p><p>OVERVIEW</p><p></p><p>Introduced September 1999</p><p>Discontinued July 2000</p><p>Model Identifier PowerMac3,1</p><p>Model Number M5183, M6921, M7232, M7629, M7824, M7825, M7827</p><p>EMC 1843</p><p>Order Number M7825LL/A, M7825LL/B (450 MHz)</p><p>Initial Price $2,499 (400/450 MHz) $3,499 (450/500 MHz)</p><p>Support Status Obsolete</p><p>Colors Graphite</p><p>Weight and Dimensions 28.7 lbs., 17" H x 8.9" W x 18.4" D</p><p></p><p>PROCESSOR</p><p></p><p>Processor PowerPC 7400 v2.9 (G4)</p><p>Processor Speed 350, 400, 450, or 500 MHz</p><p>Number of Cores 1</p><p>Cache 64 KB L1, 1 MB backside (1:2) L2</p><p>System Bus 100 MHz (up to 800-MBps data throughput)</p><p></p><p>STORAGE AND MEDIA</p><p></p><p>Storage 10 GB 5400-rpm, 10, 20, or 27 GB 7200-rpm</p><p>Media 32x CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or DVD-RAM</p><p></p><p>PERIPHERALS</p><p></p><p>Peripherals Apple USB Keyboard, Apple USB Mouse</p><p></p><p><strong>MEMORY</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Built-in Memory None</strong></p><p><strong>Maximum Memory 2.0 GB under Mac OS X, 1.5 GB under Mac OS 8/9</strong></p><p><strong>Memory Slots 4 - PC-100 3.3v, unbuffered, 8-byte, non-parity 168-pin SDRAM</strong></p><p><strong>Minimum Speed 125 MHz (8 ns)</strong></p><p><strong>Interleaving Support No</strong></p><p></p><p>DISPLAY</p><p></p><p>Built-in Display None</p><p></p><p>GRAPHICS</p><p></p><p>Graphics Card ATI Rage 128 or Rage 128 Pro</p><p>Graphics Memory 16 MB VRAM</p><p>Display Connection 1 - VGA, 1 - DVI-D</p><p>Display Modes Single display only</p><p></p><p></p><p>A couple of questions:</p><p>1. What software are you running? ie. MS Office, Photoshop, etc...</p><p>2. What thing(s) you doing when your system crashed? List each one that crashed your system.</p><p></p><p>We can eliminate your HDD, since you mentioned you've used a couple already. Chances of all of them being bad, is pretty remote. And because you did a full reinstall after a format, we can also rule out virus, malware, and volume directory issues. So that leaves hardware.</p><p></p><p>1. When it comes to ram, use the specs indicated above, to make sure you got the correct ones. Don't trust the vendor to tell you "it will work". Stick with the specs above. Once you get the correct ram, test it again. In the mean time, because you don't need install ram modules in pairs with your G4, you can test each ram module one at a time and see which ones might be damaged. If your system starts up ok, good chance it's not the ram. Just make sure to test each one, one at a time. Plus, if they work, you may not need to buy new ram, and save yourself some cash.</p><p></p><p>2. Have you tried using other USB ports to plug in your keyboard? Try other ports to see if perhaps the issue is with your USB port(s).</p><p></p><p>3. A bad, or going bad video card can explain the display issue. You mentioned you had 2 video cards in your G4 initially, and removed one. Did you try the one you removed as well?</p><p></p><p>4. Last but not least, and hopefully it's not this, your CPU is starting to go south. Check to see if your fan is working. If your CPU is over heating, and the heat syncs aren't doing the job anymore, or your fan is working to help dissipate the heat, it will cause your system to crash. Could explain why it would work for a little bit, then crash.</p><p></p><p>This is an easy enough fix. With a couple of asterisks. 1. There is a CPU upgrade for that model. I got one when I had that same model. Gave me another 2.5 years of use. The question is, can you still find one. Go to an Apple certified vendor, not eBay. CDW is a good place to start. Which leads me to 2. If you can find a vendor that sells it, it may cost you more than you'd like to dish out for an old system like that.</p><p></p><p>My advice. Cut your losses, and don't spend anymore money on that G4. Go look in Craigslist, and get at least the last G5 model (PowerMac11,2). They come with dual PowerPC processors as well. I've seen these G5s go for $200. If your willing to spend a little more, look at the first Mac Intel models. The first model is MacPro1,1. We still have a few of these in the studio, and they still work well. Not as fast as our newer Mac Pros (2010 and 2012), but they still do the job. And I've seen these ones in Craigslist for $500. Plus these older Mac Pros will work with up to OS X 10.7.x.</p><p></p><p>I recommend Craigslist, because it's local. You can actually request to see the system power up. My rule of thumb, if it powers up fine, no crashes, display comes up, then the hardware is good. Anything else that may go wrong with it, is most likely software. And reformatting the drive and reinstalling the OS and software will usually do the trick. I recommend doing this anyway, so that any remanence of bad software, virus, or spyware is removed.</p><p></p><p>And remember, if the seller makes up excuses to not show it to you powered up, move on to the next person. An honest seller will have no problem you coming over and seeing it in working order. I've purchased 3 Mac systems through Craigslist this way. And I've been a Mac user since 1990.</p><p></p><p>Hope this helps. Good luck.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="erics72, post: 1583315, member: 316826"] [b]1999 g4[/b] Wow. Macs have a longer shelf life than pretty much all PCs. My Macs usually last me anywere from 5-6 years before I start thinking of upgrading. And even then, you can probably squeeze another year or two out of it, before the hardware is no longer supported by current, or oldish software. Which is the main reason I upgrade. That being said, your G4 is very old, even for Mac's standards. Put it this way, it was the first of two G4s that came out (one with a PCI graphics card, and one with an AGP graphics card). From the model #M5183 you indicated, you have the AGP version. If you go to System Profile, the model identifier should PowerMac3,1. Tip: always check the model identifier to get the exact model. Here are the specs for you G4: OVERVIEW Introduced September 1999 Discontinued July 2000 Model Identifier PowerMac3,1 Model Number M5183, M6921, M7232, M7629, M7824, M7825, M7827 EMC 1843 Order Number M7825LL/A, M7825LL/B (450 MHz) Initial Price $2,499 (400/450 MHz) $3,499 (450/500 MHz) Support Status Obsolete Colors Graphite Weight and Dimensions 28.7 lbs., 17" H x 8.9" W x 18.4" D PROCESSOR Processor PowerPC 7400 v2.9 (G4) Processor Speed 350, 400, 450, or 500 MHz Number of Cores 1 Cache 64 KB L1, 1 MB backside (1:2) L2 System Bus 100 MHz (up to 800-MBps data throughput) STORAGE AND MEDIA Storage 10 GB 5400-rpm, 10, 20, or 27 GB 7200-rpm Media 32x CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or DVD-RAM PERIPHERALS Peripherals Apple USB Keyboard, Apple USB Mouse [B]MEMORY Built-in Memory None Maximum Memory 2.0 GB under Mac OS X, 1.5 GB under Mac OS 8/9 Memory Slots 4 - PC-100 3.3v, unbuffered, 8-byte, non-parity 168-pin SDRAM Minimum Speed 125 MHz (8 ns) Interleaving Support No[/B] DISPLAY Built-in Display None GRAPHICS Graphics Card ATI Rage 128 or Rage 128 Pro Graphics Memory 16 MB VRAM Display Connection 1 - VGA, 1 - DVI-D Display Modes Single display only A couple of questions: 1. What software are you running? ie. MS Office, Photoshop, etc... 2. What thing(s) you doing when your system crashed? List each one that crashed your system. We can eliminate your HDD, since you mentioned you've used a couple already. Chances of all of them being bad, is pretty remote. And because you did a full reinstall after a format, we can also rule out virus, malware, and volume directory issues. So that leaves hardware. 1. When it comes to ram, use the specs indicated above, to make sure you got the correct ones. Don't trust the vendor to tell you "it will work". Stick with the specs above. Once you get the correct ram, test it again. In the mean time, because you don't need install ram modules in pairs with your G4, you can test each ram module one at a time and see which ones might be damaged. If your system starts up ok, good chance it's not the ram. Just make sure to test each one, one at a time. Plus, if they work, you may not need to buy new ram, and save yourself some cash. 2. Have you tried using other USB ports to plug in your keyboard? Try other ports to see if perhaps the issue is with your USB port(s). 3. A bad, or going bad video card can explain the display issue. You mentioned you had 2 video cards in your G4 initially, and removed one. Did you try the one you removed as well? 4. Last but not least, and hopefully it's not this, your CPU is starting to go south. Check to see if your fan is working. If your CPU is over heating, and the heat syncs aren't doing the job anymore, or your fan is working to help dissipate the heat, it will cause your system to crash. Could explain why it would work for a little bit, then crash. This is an easy enough fix. With a couple of asterisks. 1. There is a CPU upgrade for that model. I got one when I had that same model. Gave me another 2.5 years of use. The question is, can you still find one. Go to an Apple certified vendor, not eBay. CDW is a good place to start. Which leads me to 2. If you can find a vendor that sells it, it may cost you more than you'd like to dish out for an old system like that. My advice. Cut your losses, and don't spend anymore money on that G4. Go look in Craigslist, and get at least the last G5 model (PowerMac11,2). They come with dual PowerPC processors as well. I've seen these G5s go for $200. If your willing to spend a little more, look at the first Mac Intel models. The first model is MacPro1,1. We still have a few of these in the studio, and they still work well. Not as fast as our newer Mac Pros (2010 and 2012), but they still do the job. And I've seen these ones in Craigslist for $500. Plus these older Mac Pros will work with up to OS X 10.7.x. I recommend Craigslist, because it's local. You can actually request to see the system power up. My rule of thumb, if it powers up fine, no crashes, display comes up, then the hardware is good. Anything else that may go wrong with it, is most likely software. And reformatting the drive and reinstalling the OS and software will usually do the trick. I recommend doing this anyway, so that any remanence of bad software, virus, or spyware is removed. And remember, if the seller makes up excuses to not show it to you powered up, move on to the next person. An honest seller will have no problem you coming over and seeing it in working order. I've purchased 3 Mac systems through Craigslist this way. And I've been a Mac user since 1990. Hope this helps. Good luck. [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Apple Computing Products:
macOS - Desktop Hardware
Not Sure If My Mac Works Or Not
Top