Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals

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2008.07.08

The Power Mac G4 offers a lot of value with power, expandability, and upgradability. 466 MHz Digital Audio models start as low as $100, and we've found some of the best prices we've ever seen for dual processor models - 800 MHz for $250 and 1.25 GHz for C$459. Unless that's more than your budget permits, dual processor Power Macs are the ones to buy.

Over the life span of the Power Mac G4, speeds ranged from 350 MHz to 1.42 GHz, and most of these can be upgraded as far as 2 GHz (or dual 1.8 GHz) if you need more speed.

If you're using (or plan to use) OS X, consider dual processor models, which can offer significantly more performance under OS X than single processor models - usually at a small difference in price. As a very rough guide, a dual CPU model will outperform a single CPU model with a 60-70% higher MHz rating under OS X (we'd pick a 533 dual over a 733 single at the same price, and we're currently using a 1 GHz dual at LEM headquarters).

You really need 256 MB to run OS X through version 10.3, 512 MB to run 10.4 decently, and more yet if you want to run 10.5. For our perspective on the various G4 Power Macs in the Age of Leopard, please see:

Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" is supported on all 867 MHz and faster Macs (including slower G4 Power Macs with upgrade CPUs 867 MHz and faster) with at least 512 MB of RAM and the ability to run the DVD-based installer, so G4 Power Macs with CD-ROM or CD-RW drives will need an optical drive upgrade.

Although Apple has coded the Leopard installer to require an 867 MHz G4, there are a few ways around that, and our readers report successfully running Mac OS X 10.5 on pretty much every unsupported Power Mac G4 with AGP graphics. To date, we have no reports of Leopard running on the Yikes! model with PCI graphics. See our article on Unsupported Leopard Installation for more information.

If you're looking for maximum memory at minimum price, you can bring a Quicksilver to 1.5 GB for $75 and a Mirror Drive Door to 2 GB for $100 at today's RAM prices. Upgrading memory in older Macs is more costly.

Used Macs typically come with a 90 day warranty. Memory and drive size reported as RAM/hard drive size. UK and Canadian dealers are listed separately.

Cube

450, $480, We Love Macs

Single CPU

450 MHz AGP, $79, Mac of All Trades
VERY HOT 533 MHz DA CD-RW, $100, Mac of All Trades
VERY HOT 867 QS SD, $200, Mac of All Trades
933 MHz QS SD, $390, Apple Palace
1 GHz MDD Combo, $349, Beta Macs
1.25 GHz MDD Combo, $375, MicroReplay

Dual CPU

HOT 867 dual MDD Combo, $325, Baucom
VERY HOT 1 GHz dual QS SD, $395, DV Warehouse
1 GHz dual MDD Combo, $509, Power Max
1 GHz dual MDD SD, $559, Power Max
HOT 1.25 GHz dual MDD Combo, $529, DV Warehouse
1.25 GHz dual MDD SD, $649, Power Max
1.42 GHz dual FW800 Combo, $619, Baucom
1.42 GHz dual FW800 SD, $689, DV Warehouse

Recent RAM Prices (per module)

PC100 (AGP): 128 MB, $6.89; 256 MB, $12.79; 512 MB, $36.89
PC133 (DA, AGP): 64 MB, $5.00; 128 MB, $8.79; 256 MB, $16.79; 512 MB, $29.99 ($5 drop)
PC2100 (QS, 1 GHz MDD): 256 MB, $9.95; 512 MB, $19.69
PC2700 (1.25 GHz MDD, FW800): 256 MB, $11.99; 512 MB, $19.69

Mac OS and OS X Server Prices

Best Classic Mac OS Deals (use 9.2.2 for Classic Mode)
Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals
Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals
Best Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' Deals (requires 512 MB of RAM, AGP graphics, and DVD compatible drive for installer)

Note that some vendors are selling PC2700 RAM that is listed at PC2100. These modules can only work on Power Macs that support PC2100 RAM if all PC2100 modules are removed. PC2100 and PC2700 RAM cannot be combined in the same Mac.

Be sure to factor in shipping costs and possibly sales tax. Your best value depends on whether you need/want a color printer, 256-512 MB extra RAM, etc. Note that G4 models before the Quicksilver 2002 do not support internal drives larger than 128 GB without additional software or a separate hard drive controller. (See How Big a Hard Drive Can I Put in My iMac, eMac, or Power Mac? for solutions to this problem.)

There should be no surcharge for credit card purchases, and shipping is not generally included. Vendors are listed in alphabetical order. Be sure to visit their sites for full details.

Prices may be limited to quantity on hand. Not responsible for typos. Please email any corrections or additional sources with competitive prices to Dan Knight .

Buying through some of these links benefits Low End Mac. Buying at these prices benefits you.

Profiles

Cube (450/500 MHz)

These models have a single media bay for CD-ROM, DVD, etc.

PCI = Yikes!/PCI Graphics (350-400 MHz), PC100 RAM, 4 PCI slots
AGP = Sawtooth/AGP Graphics (350-500 MHz), PC100 RAM, 3 PCI + 1 AGP
Mystic = Mystic/Gigabit Ethernet (Dual 450-500 MHz), PC100 RAM, 3 PCI + 1 AGP
DA = Digital Audio (466-733 MHz), PC133 RAM, 4 PCI + 1 AGP
QS = Quicksilver 2001 (733/867/dual 800 MHz), PC133 RAM, 4 PCI + 1 AGP
QS = Quicksilver 2002 (800/933/dual 1000 MHz), PC133 RAM, 4 PCI + 1 AGP

Mirror Drive Door (MDD) models have two full-sized media drive bays. Models with FireWire 800 cannot boot the classic Mac OS. Dealer websites do not always distinguish models, so be sure to ask before buying.

MDD = Mirror Drive Door (DDR, dual boot), PC2100 RAM
FW800= MDD/FW 800 (January 2003, OS X only), PC2100/PC2700 RAM
MDD = Mirror Drive Door (June 2003, dual boot), PC2100 RAM

US Dealers

933 MHz QS SD, 256/160, $390

867 MHz dual MDD Combo, 512/60, $325
1.42 GHz dual FW800 Combo, 512/60, $619

30 day warranty

400 MHz AGP DVD, 256/10, Zip 100, $199
1 GHz MDD Combo, 256/60, $349

dual

867 MHz dual MDD Combo, 256/60, $449

400 MHz AGP DVD, 256/20, $109
450 MHz AGP DVD, 128/20, $159
466 MHz DA CD-RW, 256/30, $189
500 MHz AGP DVD, 256/20, $169
533 MHz DA CD-RW, 256/30, $199
733 MHz QS CD-RW, 256/40, $269
733 MHz DA CD-RW, 256/40, $279 (bigger L2 cache)
800 MHz QS CD-RW, 256/40, $289
867 MHz QS SD, 256/40, $389

dual CPU

800 MHz dual QS CD-RW, 256/40, $379
867 MHz dual MDD Combo, 256/60, $469
1 GHz dual QS SD, 256/80, $395
1 GHz dual MDD SD, 512/80, $599
1.25 GHz dual MDD Combo, 512/80, $529
1.42 GHz dual FW800 SD, 512/120, $689

LA Computer Company

30 day warranty. LA Computer collects sales tax on orders shipped within California.

400 MHz DVD, 512/40, Mac OS X 10.4, $200
733 MHz SD, 512/80, Mac OS X 10.4, $225
733 MHz SD, 512/80, Mac OS X 10.4, $225

1 GHz FW800 Combo, 512/60, $399
1.25 GHz dual MDD Combo, 512/80, $599

Mac of All Trades has the highest product turnover of any site we track. Units do not include keyboard or mouse. Macally mouse/keyboard combo, $39. Used 17" Apple Studio Display with ADC connection, $99.99. AirPort card, $79.

450 MHz AGP DVD, 512/60, no mouse or keyboard, $79
HOT 533 MHz DA CD-RW, 512/40, no mouse or keyboard, $99.99
HOT 867 MHz QS SD, 512/120, no mouse or keyboard, $199.99

400 MHz AGP DVD, 256/10, $277.77
450 MHz AGP DVD, 256/20, $297.77
466 MHz DA CD-RW, 256/40, $297.77
800 MHz QS SD, 256/40, $397.77

dual CPU

450 MHz dual AGP DVD, 256/30, $367.77
500 MHz dual AGP DVD, 256/40, $377.77
533 MHz dual DA CD-RW, 256/40, $347.77
800 MHz dual QS SD, 256/80, $497.77
867 MHz dual QS Combo, 1 GB/60, $577.77
1 GHz dual QS SD, 512/80, $597.77
1.25 GHz dual FW800 SD, 512/80, $697.77
1.42 GHz dual FW800 CD-RW, 512/120, $997.77

30 day warranty.

400 MHz AGP DVD, 256/20, Zip 100, keyboard & mouse, $99.99
450 MHz AGP DVD, 128/20, keyboard & mouse, $119.99
466 MHz DA CD-RW, 384/30, $159.99
733 MHz QS Combo, 896/80, $289.99

dual

500 MHz dual AGP Combo, 640/40, $429.99
867 MHz dual MDD SD, 512/60, $649.99
1.25 GHz dual MDD SD, 256/40, $999.49
other configurations listed

1.25 GHz MDD Combo, 256/80, Radeon 9000 Pro, no keyboard or mouse, $375

450 MHz AGP DVD, 256/10, $89
500 MHz AGP DVD, 512/10, $105
533 MHz DA CD-RW, 512/30, $139
733 MHz QS CD-RW, 512/40, $219
800 MHz QS CD-RW, 512/40, $229
other configurations listed

PowerMax

Power Max has the widest selection of Power Macs among the dealers we track, including many configurations not listed here.

AGP (Sawtooth & Mystic)

400 MHz AGP DVD, 704/10, Rage 128, no keyboard, $99
500 MHz AGP DVD-RAM, 256/30+40, Zip 100, Rage 128, no keyboard, $89
500 MHz AGP Combo, 192/60, Zip 100, Radeon 9000 Pro, no keyboard, $189
500 MHz AGP SD, 128/30, Zip 100, Radeon, no keyboard, $199

Digital Audio

466 MHz DA DVD, 768/120, Zip 100, Rage 128, no keyboard, $169
466 MHz DA CD-RW, 512/30, Zip 250, Rage 128, no keyboard, $179
533 MHz DA SD, 640/80, GeForce 4Mx, no keyboard, $279
733 MHz DA SD, 512/60, GeForce 2MX, keyboard and mouse, $289

Quicksilver

733 MHz QS SD, 512/40, Zip 250, GeForce 2MX, no keyboard, $409
800 MHz QS CD-RW, 512/40, Radeon 7500, keyboard and mouse, $349
800 MHz QS Combo, 1 GB/40, Radeon 9000 Pro, keyboard and mouse, $409
867 MHz QS SD, 256/120, GeForce 2MX, no keyboard, $419
933 MHz QS SD, 512/60, GeForce 4MX, no keyboard, $429
1 GHz QS SD, 1 GB/30, GeForce 4MX, no keyboard, $469
800 MHz dual QS SD, 256/80, Radeon 9800 Pro, no keyboard, $499
1 GHz dual QS SD, 512/80, GeForce 4MX, no keyboard, $529

Mirror Drive Door

1.25 GHz MDD Combo, 256/80, Radeon 9000 Pro, no keyboard, $429
867 MHz dual MDD Combo, 768/60, GeForce 4MX, no keyboard, $529
1 GHz dual MDD Combo, 512/80, Radeon 9000 Pro, no keyboard, $509
1 GHz dual MDD SD, 256/80, Radeon 9000 Pro, no keyboard, $559
1.25 GHz dual MDD Combo, 1280/80, Radeon 9000 Pro, no keyboard, $609
1.25 GHz dual MDD SD, 1 GB/60, Radeon 9000 Pro, no keyboard, $649
1.42 GHz dual FW800 SD, 512/120, Radeon 9000 Pro, keyboard and mouse, $759

Prices reflect 3% cash discount.

733 MHz QS Combo, 512/40, Zip 100, keyboard and mouse, $497

Used Macs include new Macally iKey keyboard, USB optical mouse, and have Mac OS X 10.3 installed. Many other configurations listed.

400 MHz AGP DVD, 256/20, Rage 128, $199
450 MHz AGP DVD, 256/30, Rage 128, $245
466 MHz DA CD-RW, 256/30, Rage 128, $275
500 MHz AGP DVD, 256/30, Rage 128, $279
667 MHz DA DVD, 256/30, $369
733 MHz QS CD-RW, 256/40, ATI RV200 video, $499
733 MHz DA SD, 512/80, GeForce2 MX, $549
800 MHz QS CD-RW, 512/80, ATI RV200 video, $599
867 MHz QS CD-RW, 512/80, ATI RV200, $649
933 MHz QS SD, 512/80, GeForce4 MX, $675
1 GHz MDD SD, 512/60, GeForce4 MX, $699

dual processor

450 MHz dual AGP DVD, 256/30, $399
500 MHz dual AGP DVD, 256/30, $449
533 MHz dual DA CD-RW, 512/30, $499
800 MHz dual QS SD, GeForce2 Twinview, 512/80, $749
867 MHz dual MDD CD-RW, 768/60, GeForce4 MX, $819
1 GHz dual MDD SD, 1 GB/80, GeForce4 MX, $949

400 MHz AGP DVD, 128/0, no hard drive, mouse, or keyboard, $89.99
400 MHz AGP DVD, 128/10, no mouse or keyboard, $109.99
400 MHz AGP DVD, 128/60, no mouse or keyboard, $149.99
400 MHz AGP DVD, 256/120, no mouse or keyboard, $169.99
add USB mouse and keyboard for $19.99
upgrade to 16x SuperDrive for $59.99
ATI Rage 128 16 MB AGP video card, $14.99

450 MHz Cube DVD, 64/10, $479.99
400 MHz AGP DVD, 128/20, $349.95
450 MHz AGP SD, 128/20, $399.95
500 MHz AGP SD, 256/27, $429.95

dual CPU

1 GHz dual MDD SD, 512/80, $595.95
1.25 GHz dual MDD SD, 512/120, $795.95
1.42 GHz dual FW800 SD, 512/120, $895.95

AGP video cards

Rage 128 Pro, 16 MB, VGA/DVI, $49.49
Rage 128 Pro, 16 MB, ADC/VGA, $69.95
Radeon 7500, 32 MB, $129.95
Radeon 9000, 64 MB, $179.95
GeForce 2 MX, 32 MB, $149.95
GeForce 4 MX, 64 MB, $179.95

GeForce Ti4600, 128 MB, $269.95

Canadian Dealers

50 MHz PCI CD, 512/40, C$199/US$195

Need more power? See our Best Power Mac G5 Deals. Don't need this much power? Check out our Best Power Mac G3 Deals.

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