Picking a Power Mac G4: How Much Mac Do You Need?
- 2006.03.22
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Remember when laptop computers were so expensive and underpowered that a desktop was the best thing you could buy?
Up until recently this was the case with me. My best machine was always my desktop, and a laptop was just an extra toy to take to school to play an occasional Age of Empires round.
Today my PowerBook is my main machine, capable of doing anything I need with room to expand its horizons if needed. My desktops have become backup servers, Solaris/Linux leaning tools, and media center computers for watching movies and playing games.
The trend towards portable power is progressing with no signs of slowing down. However, people like me still have a need for a desktop from time to time - but not for everyday computing.
Apple offers only three desktop machines; the Mac mini, the iMac, and the Power Mac (to be replaced by an Intel-based counterpart later this year).
The mini is nice for the average consumer, but it lacks the expandability that I crave, while the Power Mac is just too expensive. A midrange system, the iMac, is very capable, but also lacks expansion slots like the mini.
I needed something capable of
running the iLife '06 suite as well as Final Cut (in the near future),
graphic software, FTP server, remote access server, and with room for a
SCSI RAID array, but I didn't want to shell out another $2,000 for
something way more powerful than I needed. So I decided to look to
yesteryear's Macs for a solution.
The Power Mac G4 Gigabit Ethernet was the first commercially available PC with built-in 10/100/1000 (gigabit) ethernet, and it sports the beautiful G4 case design. I managed to snag one for under $200 with minimal hardware specs: 400 MHz G4, 128 MB RAM, 10 GB hard drive, DVD-RAM drive (useless in today's world, unfortunately), and a built in Zip 100 drive.
My reasons for choosing this system were simple:
- CPU expandability - For a moderate $150-400 I can easily upgrade the CPU to speeds up 1.8 GHz with dual processors
- Cheap memory - I was able to reuse RAM I had laying around the house, maxing it out at 2 GB.
- PCI and AGP expandability - There are tons of options available for expandability (video, sound, SCSI, USB 2.0, etc.)
- Case space - The case can accommodate up to six internal hard drives with appropriate mounting brackets and power supplies. I've installed an 80 GB boot drive, a secondary 120 GB internal drive, and an external 200 GB USB 2.0 drive.
An important note about this model: The IDE controller does not support 48-bit addressing, meaning that drives over 128 GB aren't supported (see How Big a Hard Drive Can I Put in My iMac, eMac, or Power Mac?). The system may detect a larger drive, but once the initial 128 GB are filled, you may experience anomalies.
There are three ways of getting around this: Find the elusive third party utility that allows for 48-bit addressing in these models, purchase a PCI IDE controller that supports 48-bit addressing, or set up a SCSI hard drive, since SCSI has no 128 GB barrier.
The advantage of the PCI Cards (IDE and SCSI) is that you can gain a speed boost if you purchase an ATA100 or 133 card or a SCSI160 setup.
Needless to say, Tiger runs smooth with 2 GB of RAM, the only glitches coming in when using Dashboard with the underpowered 16 MB ATI Rage video card in this Power Mac. iMovie and iPhoto also run relatively well considering the six-year-old hardware it's running on.
Final Cut Express is an issue, however, since it requires more than a 400 MHz G4 (Apple lists 500 MHz as the minimum). However, this can be fixed in time with the above-mentioned CPU upgrade.
FTP services haven't been tested as of yet, but I don't foresee any issues, and thanks to an external 200 GB USB 2.0 hard drive, backing up my precious iTunes library from my PowerBook is very easy.
At a total cost of less then $300, this system is a perfect companion to my trusty PowerBook, and it cost far less than a Mac mini. It also has the potential of being more powerful when necessary.
How much Mac do your really need?
Recent PowerBook Beat articles
- Clamshell iBook still a fun and practical notebook, 08.11. "Granted, this iBook isn't a speed demon in any way, but it's amazing what a 7-year-old Apple notebook can do."
- Italy, a virtually untapped market ready for the Mac, 07.27. iPods are everywhere in Italy, but finding a Mac in use or a dealer that sells them is another story.
- The PowerBook 3400: Surprisingly useful and spry with the Classic Mac OS, 05.16. The last PowerBook before the G3, the PB 3400 actually outperforms the "MainStreet" PowerBook G3 - and it's generally available for under US$100.
- More in the PowerBook Beat index.
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Beyond the Mac mini, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.16. What if Apple were to think different and eliminate the built-in optical drive, cut $100 from the price, and offer an expansion chassis?
- Best Mac mini deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.16. Used 1.25 GHz G4 Combo, $449;; refurb 1.5 Core Solo, $450; 1.66 Duo SD, $489; 1.83, $599; ; new 1.83 Core2, $569 after rebate; 2.0 SD, $769 a/r.
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- Limited USB bus power in Santa Rosa Macs, 1 TB in your 'Book, MacBook cooler, and more, The 'Book Review, 05.16. Hitachi first to market with 320 GB 7200 rpm notebook drive, Apple to refund for sparking power adapters, 10 hour external MacBook Air battery, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- Mac Pro beats HP and Dell at their own game: Price, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 05.16. Whether comparing the top-end or low-end of Mac Pro options, comparable models from Dell and HP cost more.
- Best iBook G4 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.16. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo w/AP, $350; 1.33 GHz w/o AP, $400; 14" 933 MHz w/AP, $400; 1.07 GHz, $425; 1.33 SuperDrive, $450; 1.42, $500.
- Best iPhone deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.16. New 8 GB iPhone, $399; 16 GB, $499.
- Best Mac Pro deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.16. Refurb 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,888; 2.8, $1,999; 3.0, $2,299; 8-core '07, $2,499; new 2.8 4-core, $2,199; 8-core, $2,598 after rebate; 3.0 '08 $3,399 a/r; 3.2, $4,169 a/r.
- Mac of the Day: Mac LC II, Mar. 1992 - The LC gets 4 MB base RAM, gains virtual memory thanks to 68030 CPU.
- List of the Day: Tiger List is for anyone using Mac OS X 10.4.
- May 17 in LEM history: 01: On the Web - 02: Educational computing done wrong - Learning Linux on a PC? - 04: Pismo CPU upgrades - 06: MacBook Pro speed bump - Classic option for Intel Macs - X11: Your window for using Unix apps on the Mac - 07: World's fastest G3
- Leopard is the way to go, even on most old G4 Macs, Carl Nygren, My Turn, 05.14. The useful and just cool features in Mac OS X 10.5 make this the biggest step forward in the history of the Mac OS.
- Windows on Macs: Three paths for integration, Jason Packer, Macs in the Enterprise, 05.14. Mac users have three routes for running Windows apps: Run Windows using Boot Camp or virtualization, or use a compatibility layer such as WINE.
- Mac OS 9 still nice, anticipating Odysseus, PowerBook 1400 upgrades, and more, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 05.14. Also rebuilding PowerBook batteries, FastMac vs. NuPower replacement batteries, and only one G4 upgrade left for WallStreet PowerBooks.
- Up-to-date or low-end, we need technology in our schools, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 05.14. Modern computers are great educational tools, but sometimes less distracting options (like no Internet) make more sense.
- Best iMac G4 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.14. Used 15" 800 MHz Combo, $320; SuperDrive, $380; 1 GHz Combo, $400; SD, $485; 17" 1.25 GHz, $459; 20", $750.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.14. Mac OS X 10.0.3, $40; 10.1, $49; 10.2, $60; 10.3 DVD, $50; CD, $100; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $109; 10.3 Server, $130.
- Best MacBook Air deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.14. 1.6 GHz, 80 GB, $1,694 after rebate; 1.8 GHz, $1,994 a/r; 1.6 GHz, 64 GB SSD, $2,689 a/r; 1.8 GHz, $2,950 a/r; SuperDrive, $99.
- More links in our archive.
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