Which Mac?

Hi there,

i'm pretty new to Mac OS except for some 68k emulation on my Amiga and virtual hosting with qemu. But a few weeks ago i had the chance to get a 15" Powerbook G4 @1,67GHz pretty cheap.
So right now i am using this nice piece of hardware but sadly i have to admit that the g4 is just too slow for imovie '09. So i was thinking about to switch to a G5 Dual or Quad PowerMac as i hope that this machine will provide enough power for video editing. Why PPC? Well, because these machines are pretty chip compared to Intel Macs.

As i'm not really into Mac hardware i was wondering if you guys could give me some tips and suggestions. Basically it all comes down to video editing and multimedia in general.

Cego said:

So i was thinking about to switch to a G5 Dual or Quad PowerMac as i hope that this machine will provide enough power for video editing. Why PPC? Well, because these machines are pretty chip compared to Intel Macs.

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-Depends on the price. If you pay too much for one of these PPC machines…that price may be close to a used Intel model.
- Finding software for the older PPC machines is not that easy. So if you want to do anything with it other than internet & e-mail…make sure you have a source to get software.
- If you decide to get a G5 based PPC computer…make sure that it comes with a hard drive…and that OS 10.5 is already installed. If you have to find your own 10.5 install disk…that's going to cost you another $75 to $100.
- Also ask the seller for the 2 original gray DVD's that the computer shipped with…if the owner still has them.

- Nick

How much RAM do you have and how much space is on your HD? My PowerBook G4 wasn't too slow for iMovie '09 (before I removed it).

Intel Macs are cheap too. Heck a brand new Mac mini can be had for under $600 -- a refurbished or used recent model goes for a lot less.

Frankly I think you are barking up the wrong tree looking for PPC stuff. That era is dead, the software is dead, no security updates, etc. -- you'll spend a lot more in time trying to make it work well than you save in money.

Scout around for an affordable 2009 or later Intel Mac. You'll really be a lot happier.

Support what chas_m says. Anything in an Intel will scream compared to an old PowerPC machine. The PowerPC are cheap compared to intel, but then again that is the performance you will get.

chas_m said:

Intel Macs are cheap too. Heck a brand new Mac mini can be had for under $600.

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What may be cheap to you may not be cheap to him. $600 still might be out of his budget.

Realistically, a G5 could be had for half of that or less and would be faster than a G4.

Maybe but in a short time the OP may well wish he had gone the Intel route.

harryb2448 said:

Maybe but in a short time the OP may well wish he had gone the Intel route.

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That depends. If the G5 does everything he needs and he's satisfied, he'll be fine.