Panther to Leopard...Meow to Roar

[Macademia]

What's up, People...

My brother suggested I check this website out for assistance. Well, um, I need help with my operating system. Thanks to upcoming compatibility issues I am in dire need of upgrading my operating system.

Currently Have: 10.3.9 House Cat
Currently Need: 10.5.6 Leopard or better
Why: FCP, Youtube, NFL.com

Model: iMac
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (3.3)
CPU Speed: 1.25 GHz
L2 Cache: 256 kb
Memor: 2GB
Bus Speed: 167 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.7.8f1

Ultimately, I want to install a decent version of "Final Cut Pro", and I want to be able to watch online videos on "Youtube, NFL.com, and others". In the current state of affairs, though, I can't upgrade my Firefox, Safari, or anything of major use because my operating system is too old. Could someone please outline the steps I will need to take in order to move my newly beloved iMac into the 2010s?

Muchas Gracias,



Macademia Nut

 

[Jrmiller]

your specs look ok for leopard.
Requirements for Mac OS X v10.5
i would a clean install of leopard. here is the walk through to doing that
Installing OS X 10.5 Leopard - Erase and Install Method for OS X 10.5 Leopard

 

[hughvane]

Welcome along!

Two things:
1. a retail version of Leopard, currently fetching extortion-type prices,
2. the maximum RAM your iMac will take (2 Gb).

Got to be candid though, 1.25 GHz won't push Leopard along at a great rate, be prepared for lag and delay, depending on the tasks you're planning, eg. Final Cut.

Will your $$ situation allow you to move to a G5?

 

[Macademia]

your specs look ok for leopard.
Requirements for Mac OS X v10.5
i would a clean install of leopard. here is the walk through to doing that
Installing OS X 10.5 Leopard - Erase and Install Method for OS X 10.5 Leopard

Hey Miller Time,

I returned my Snow Leopard copy to the retail outlet earlier today because it wouldn't install on my cpu (it would just sit there and stare at me after double-clicking). Apple doesn't sell anything that hasn't been made in the past two weeks, so where would I get this 10.5 install DVD? And will it truly work on my 10.3.9? Thanks, man.

Also, is there a way to install 10.5 without the DVD (I'm not the most mac savvy guy)?

Merci Beaucoup,



Macademia

 

[Macademia]

Welcome along!

Two things:
1. a retail version of Leopard, currently fetching extortion-type prices,
2. the maximum RAM your iMac will take (2 Gb).

Got to be candid though, 1.25 GHz won't push Leopard along at a great rate, be prepared for lag and delay, depending on the tasks you're planning, eg. Final Cut.

Will your $$ situation allow you to move to a G5?

what's up Hugh Hefner,

I don't have a new-computer budget.

Is there a way I could upgrade my 1.25 GHz? What's a sufficient level? I imagine I'd have to buy the hardware and insert it physically - then again I could just be imagining things. By the way, the gigahertz is just how fast the computer thinks & processes information, right? Could I take parts from my worn down PC and stick it in my iMac?

 

[Jrmiller]

yep snow leopard only works with intel based processors
i would call apple to see if they might sell you leopard install dvds

 

[Macademia]

yep snow leopard only works with intel based processors
i would call apple to see if they might sell you leopard install dvds

thanks, man.


I'll call Apple, talk to a cougar, and purchase a leopard.

 

[6string]

You'll more than likely need to ring the online Apple number to get a retail version of Leopard...... some retail stores will order it in for you, however, some claim it's not available.
When I rang Apple just over a week ago in OZ, I was told that it would cost me $158 +GST (10% goods and services tax) to have it sent out to me, where as when I rang the nearest Apple store they told me that it was not available!

 

[hughvane]

what's up Hugh Hefner

I can wish!

I don't have a new-computer budget. Is there a way I could upgrade my 1.25 GHz?

No, you're like me, stuck in a $$ and OS time warp. 'Horses for courses' springs to mind here, for your iMac I'd stick with Tiger. Others will disagree.

Nor can you upgrade the processing capability of your G4. You've got what you've got.

That's why I asked about a move to a G5, especially a tower machine. Awesome for its time. It's not a 'new' computer, but you'd need to do some serious searching to find one.

 

[Jamie-Jamie]

Refurbished and used Intel Macs are dipping into the sub-$400 range. Is it worth it to perhaps wait a month and save up?

Yes.

 

[chas_m]

Refurbished and used Intel Macs are dipping into the sub-$400 range. Is it worth it to perhaps wait a month and save up?

Yes.

+1.

I know you said you don't have a computer budget, but you are looking at at least a couple hundred (if not more) on "fixing up" a G4 to get it to run Leopard.

I would just scout around for a good used Intel-era machine and buy Snow Leopard.

 

[Jrmiller]

im going to have to agree with that. if you can find a good priced intel machine i would take it.

 

[Macademia]

Thanks, everybody...

I really appreciate it. I'm thinking of foregoing the upgrade to snow leopard. It sounds like my software would be more valuable than my hardware. So, I'll just have to avoid two of my top websites in favor of using this iMac exclusively for Final Cut Pro...oh yeah, I love me some FCP.

Therefore, one last question (the heart & soul of my questioning)...what version of Final Cut Pro should I go with?

2GB
1.25 Ghz
PowerPc G4 (3.3)

Also, someone said I should upgrade to "Tiger" instead; there was I guy on craigslist selling Tiger for $5. Would I have any trouble upgrading from panther to tiger? If not, what Final Cut Pro version would work best for Tiger?

Thanks a million.

 

[TattooedMac]

Looks like FCP 5 will work with Tiger and they recommend 2gb RAM which you have. And you will also need Quicktime 7.

If he is selling it for $5 grab it as long as it is the black retail version and not the machine specific grey disks

Some light reading