Upgrade to Tiger or Leopard?

Question

Level 1

0 points

Upgrade to Tiger or Leopard?

First posting, hope I play by the right rules.

Current video iPod and G4 running well. New 3g nano requires Tiger or Leopard. I'm willing to "skip" Tiger to order Leopard, but wanted to confirm that doesn't pose other problems.

Also: Have 256 MB ram slot 1, 512 MB ram slot 2. Willing to buy the 1G upgrade to sub out the 256MB. Recommend or disagree?

PowerBook G4, Mac OS X (10.3.x)

Posted on Dec 11, 2007 10:26 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Dec 11, 2007 10:43 AM in response to M Berg

Hi and welcome to Apple Discussions!

What kind of G4 do you own, and what is the CPU speed? Leopard requires a minimum 867 mhz processor, no exceptions (as per the installer). So if you aren't currently running 867 mhz or faster, then it looks like you'll be going with Tiger. In my honest opinion, even if your computer is faster than 867 mhz, I would still recommend going with Tiger unless there is something you really need that Leopard offers. Tiger is well suited for the G4, and will run great and supports mostly everything. I say stick with Tiger unless you have a G5 or Intel Mac. Of course, that's just my opinion.

It is always recommended that you upgrade your RAM, although it isn't necessarily required. But one of the best upgrades you can make is to max out your RAM. This will be more noticable than any other upgrade you can make (other than a large processor upgrade). So I personally recommend it if you are willing to go for it.

Reply

Answer 2

Dec 11, 2007 10:49 AM in response to M Berg

Hi! Leopard system requirements are HERE. Classic ceased to exist in Leopard so that could be a factor if you use any Classic apps. The added ram would make Tiger or Leopard run better. You should check all apps that you normally use for Leopard and Tiger compliance as well as printers and other external devices. If you do choose Leopard I recommend a complete erase and install as opposed to trying to upgrade Panther. I installed Leopard on my G4 Tower and it runs great. Tom

Reply

Answer 3

M Berg Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 11, 2007 11:25 AM in response to MyrkridianRhapsody

Powerbook 15" w/ 1.33 GHz

Casual usage for internet, photos and iTunes.

My "to-do" list includes gettting an external drive for back-up. Leopard vs. Tiger came down to: 1) most sense dollar-wise 2) system-wise 3) Is Time Machine a huge assist for back-up, or just another option.

I'm comfortable moving to Tiger, I didn't want to be missing something obvious about either choice. Many thanks.

Reply

Answer 4

Dec 11, 2007 11:33 AM in response to M Berg

Time machine would definitely assist you in backing up your machine. You can back up your machine in Tiger, you will just need a 3rd party program or will have to do it all manually. To me, that is really the only huge gain in moving to Leopard, other than little changes. But I would say that you aren't missing anything huge by going to Tiger, you just won't be completely up to date. To some of us, that isn't a big deal. There are still many who swear by OS 9...

Reply