switching to Mac

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I am on an extremely low budget, 100 bucks or less, but I am sick of Windows Xp and it's stupid problems. What a piece of trash.

I want to get an old Mac desktop or old laptop. Is old OS safe to use online? I don't care how old it is, I am a professional musician and besides recording audio, surfing the web, watching occasional videos, reading ebooks, and sending email, I am good.

I have a good tft screen, external hard drives, keyboards, mouses. All I need is the computer.

I have an old PC with a dual core 2 ghz and 1 gb of ram and the power is even more than enough for my needs, so an old Mac should be fine.

Even though I record audio professionally, I only need a couple of audio tracks and a few midi tracks. I don't run lots of VST or anything like that, my setup is very minimal.

I don't care about new or fancy stuff, I an old school. I am really aching to let this Windows trash go, drove me nuts for 13 years.

Ideally I want to get an old Mac desktop like an old Mini, and an old Macbook. 100 bucks each or less. How old they are, I don't care, I don't need huge power. But is the old OS safe to use online
 
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chas_m

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I appreciate the background on your style and budget, it's helpful in trying to give you advice, but a Mac -- even a pretty old one -- for $100 or less that I could say would be safe to use? Not going to happen.

XP was discontinued many years ago, so I'm not surprised to hear its giving you problems. Macs are much safer to use online (no viruses, low risk of malware), but frankly you'd be better off just getting a free recent one from someone who's upgrading versus getting one that is "worth" $100 -- those would be so old that they would be unsafe to use as well as frustrating for all the things they can no longer do.

I'd strongly recommend something from this decade. You might be able to find a good deal on an old Mac mini from 2011 or so, for example, but Macs tend to hold their value for a really long time -- unless you have a friend who can give you their old one, I can't hope for much luck on finding one for $100 or less. Maybe use a library computer or something for a while while you save up a bit. Believe me, you'll be very glad you got something fairly recent versus something very old, and that applies to any platform of computer.
 
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thanks. Ok admittedly 100 bucks is way too low. I saw some Mini on ebay for about 150 dollars, here's the specs, it's way older than the 2011 version you suggest, would that be safe to use? :

Apple Processor Speed: 1.33GHz
Product Family: Mac Mini Memory: 1GB
Processor Type: PowerPC G4 Hard Drive Capacity: 80GB
Type: Desktop Operating System: Apple Mac OS X 10.5, Leopard+
Detailed item information
Product Identifiers
Brand Apple
Product Family Mac Mini
Model ID PowerMac10,2
Model Number A1103

Processor
Processor Type PowerPC G4

Motherboard
Video Output Interface AGP 4x

Hard Drive
Hard Drive Interface DMA/ATA-100 (Ultra)

Video
Video Outputs DVI x 1

Audio
Audio Output Headphones, Line Out, Speaker(s)

Modem
Modem Type Modem

Networking
Networking Type Bluetooth, Integrated 10/100 Network Card, Integrated Wireless LAN

Miscellaneous
Form Factor Desktop
Release Date July, 2005
 
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actually it's 110 bucks, which perfectly fits my budget, and the seller is a business seller. I found a couple of those Minis. I don't mind having less power, but the software is a biggie, if it's not safe to use, then I'll leave it. Not worth complicating my life and waste my time undoing problems that can be avoided.
 

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$100 is wayyyy too low. And no…you don't want that Mac-Mini (too old).

I would say your budget needs to be at least around $300 ($350-$400 better) to get a reasonable older Mac.

- Nick
 
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XP was discontinued many years ago, so I'm not surprised to hear its giving you problems.

It's always been like that, it's not because it's old, but because it's a piece of trash. I always hated it. I have spent more money replacing the keyboards I hurled against the wall. My first ever computer was actually a new Ibook in 2003. Unfortunately I then did get sucked into the mentality of 'Pc is cheaper and you get more stuff' mentality. But the reality is, I always wanted to be a Mac user, because of the OS.
 
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$100 is wayyyy too low. And no…you don't want that Mac-Mini (too old).

Ok, but what is the problem, exactly, the OS or the machine? Like I wrote, I can do a lot with much less power than anybody uses. I don't play games, etc.

If it's because the OS version is too old and thus unsafe, then I'll let it go.
 
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Both. Avoid any old PowerPC machines which run only up to OS X.5, now six operating systems old. Hard to get current software as since 2006 everything has been generally written for Intel processing. Both the machine and software are much too unsafe to use anywhere near the 'net.

If the pennies run to it, something post 2010.
 
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allright guys, I'll take your word for it. It was a good idea to wait before taking the plunge. I'll try to get a 2011 Mini with OS past .5

Thanks for the good advice.

Salvatore
 

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If it's because the OS version is too old and thus unsafe, then I'll let it go.

Yes…it's because the OS is too old…Apple no longer provides security updates…thus unsafe.

But only unsafe if you:

- don't tore any personal info on the computer
- don't store any passwords & userids on the computer
- don't conduct any financial transactions on the computer

If you don't do any of this on this particular computer (which would be rare for most folks)…then go for it.:) Otherwise don't get it.

- Nick
 

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allright guys, I'll take your word for it.

Hey…don't take our word for it…believe it!;)

It was a good idea to wait before taking the plunge.

Yes…very good idea!:) Others in your position did not have as much forethought.

I'll try to get a 2011 Mini with OS past .5

Great idea. I would say you don't want to get any Apple computer that cannot at least run OS 10.8 (Mountain Lion).

Be aware that since you probably never downloaded the free OS versions of 10.9 (Mavericks) or 10.10 (Yosemite)…that these have been superseded by OS 10.11 (El Capitan). And that 10.9 and 10.10 are no longer available for free download.

So if you purchased an Apple computer capable of running Mountain Lion (10.8)…then the next OS upgrade for it would be the most current OS version El Capitan (10.11).

I know all of this may be confusing. Just wanted to let you know before you purchased something.:)

- Nick
 
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thanks, Nick, makes sense. I do indeed store lots of personal info on the computer, pay bills online, even been an ebay powerseller for a while, so it's definitely a no go for me.

Thanks for all the other good info, I'll save it in a text file and keep it in mind. Actually I really hoped to get all these details you gave, as I don't know anything about Mac OS, so all the info is very welcome :) Safety is always the most important thing, and without forethought there can be no safety.
 

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thanks, pigoo3, makes sense. I do indeed store lots of personal info on the computer, pay bills online, even been an ebay powerseller for a while, so it's definitely a no go for me.

Yes…it's pretty rare for someone not to store ANY personal info, passwords, or financial info on a computer in 2016.

The only way to be assured of "internet safety" with this Mac-Mini in question would be:

- Store absolutely no personal info on it. Then browse the internet 100% anonymously.
- Don't connect to the internet...ever.

Of course as already mentioned. Very rare that someone would do this with their computer(s). The best bet is get a used Apple computer that can run at least OS 10.8.:)

- Nick
 
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thanks Nick, that dispels any doubts and tells me exactly what to look for. I won't buy anything without at least OS 10.8 on it. :)
 
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I noticed that OS 10.8 can be downloaded from the Apple store for about 25 bucks. Would I be able to install it on a 2006 Mini with an Intel core solo ? That would solve all my problems, although it seems too good to be true.
 
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ah, forget it, I've just read the requirements, I need at least a 2009 mini, etc. As I thought, too good to be true :)
 

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I won't buy anything without at least OS 10.8 on it. :)

If you find something else that fits your budget & the min. OS requirements stated…AND want to be doubly sure. Post again with the details…and I'm sure a bunch of us will jump in with feedback.:)

- Nick
 

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ah, forget it, I've just read the requirements, I need at least a 2009 mini, etc. As I thought, too good to be true :)

You are correct. You would need at least a 2009 Mac-Mini or newer for OS 10.8. Other possibilities are 2007 or newer MacBook Pro's or iMac's.

Of these three possibilities the 2009 Mac-Mini still may be the lowest cost choice. But you never know what you may find on eBay or Craig's List.;)

- Nick
 
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I still managed to find some 2009 models for the same price, 150 bucks. With OS 10.7.5 , so in theory I could install an higher version later. What's the newest version I would be able to install, later? And how long would I be able to 'last' and be safe enough with OS 10.7.5, if at all? a year or two? thanks :)
 

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