buy G5 or upgrade G4?

Question

Level 2

245 points

buy G5 or upgrade G4?

Read this plz and give honest opinions.

G5 Desktops (Power Mac)

Dual 2.0Ghz comes up to $2758.85
Dual 2.3Ghz comes up to $3448.85
Quad 2.5Ghz comes up to $4598.85

These prices are the normal prices with the tax added. This is CAN currency. They all come with something better than 128MB VRAM AGP cards. No G4 can equal or exceed the power of a G5 (so i hear).

Around where I live, Power Mac G4 AGP model CPU upgrades range from $359 to $1000, plus tax. Their power range from Single 800Mhz to Dual 1.8Ghz.

G5s are powerful, but pricy. G4 upgrading has more options and saves more $$$ but leaves out some power.

Should I buy a G5? Should I max out the G4? should I buy a cheap CPU upgrade for now and then buy a G5 later? I'm thinking of getting a cheap Sonnet upgrade for a lower price, saving up, and then deciding later.

Plz be honest; I hear that G4 CPU upgrades will soup up your G4 unbelievably. I also hear that G5s are Gods compared to any G4. Be honest, is a G4 upgrade really worth it? It may be lower price to upgrade, but it's also lower performance.

plz: don't suggest vendors (unless in Toronto, ON). don't say what sounds good (unless it's true). I use the mac for garageband, gaming, etc.

thnx for your time and replies--->be honest

PowerMac G4, 133MHz bus speed, Mac OS X (10.3.9), 466Mhz CPU, 640MB RAM, 16MB VRAM 128 RAGE

Posted on Nov 20, 2005 4:18 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 20, 2005 5:07 PM in response to Stan Yoo

Only you know for certain what your needs and budget are. I upgraded my G4 but the upgrades only stretch the machine's use so far.

Since you don't really use the computer for your livelihood then upgrading the G4 might be what you want. For gaming though it is getting to the point where the G4 is getting left behind by the demands of more sophisticated games. You'll need a new G5 with the 16 lane PCI Express video cards to push the high frame rates of those games.

I vote for the Quad G5 but only you know for sure what you need and what you can live with.

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Answer 2

Nov 20, 2005 5:31 PM in response to Stan Yoo

"I use the mac for garageband, gaming, etc."

I have always suggested that the Mac is, perhaps, not the best bet for a gaming box. But, for this kind of use, a Dual G5 will simply blow away any G4. And a G5 Quad will blow away a Dual. The ability to distribute the workload increases the computer's performance far beyond what the proc speed rating would suggest. So, maybe you should think of it like this. If you would be happy replacing a straight six with a small block V8...stick with the G4. But if you would feel compelled to drop in a "full race" 427...the G5 is for you.

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Answer 3

Nov 20, 2005 5:45 PM in response to Stan Yoo

You just have to weigh how much it's worth to get a new computer. Are you maxing out tracks on Garageband? Do you play games that are bringing your current computer to it's knees?

We went the upgrade route with our beige g3 (to a g4) and it gave us another year of use before we had to get a dual 867 MDD. Now we've had 4 good years with the MDD and instead of upgrading, decided to purchase a quad. The thing is we have maxed out Logic Pro and I play games that the MDD just can't keep up with.

With what you do, I wouldn't suggest a quad as that's just overkill for everyday apps. A dual core 2.0 or 2.3 will give you several years of good use while an upgrade card might last you only a year or two (and still come in way behind in performance). If you can go for the 2.3, that's probably your best bet.

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Answer 4

Dimme

Level 2

291 points

Nov 20, 2005 6:01 PM in response to Stan Yoo

I have upgraded my G4 at work last year with a Giga CPU. The computer was a bit faster but I always had little issues nothing big. So after a new CPU and viedo card I still had a limit on haed disk size. After about 8 mounths I bought a Dual 2.3 G5. Last mounth I was faced with the same thing at home my MDD was getting old and instead of putting money in it I sold it and got a new G5. I never would consider "upgrading" a mac anymore it does not seem cost effective.
IMO if money is a issue look at a imac instead of a cpu upgrade.

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Answer 5

E.Moore

Level 3

610 points

Nov 20, 2005 6:47 PM in response to Stan Yoo

I was in almost the exact same position. What I decided to do was get a lesser CPU upgrade and a really fast SCSI HD.

I figured that for a few hundred dollars I could upgrade the AGP card and the CPU to get some additional speed without spending much money. I did lay out some real money for a high end SCSI card and drive. The seek times on the drive made everything else seem a lot faster and I figured that I could transfer the SCSI equipment to another computer or add more drives and use the old G4 system as an external firewire RAID box when I purchase a new machine at a later time.

I decided to go this route because I want to upgrade but am willing to wait and see if I want an x86 PowerMac or one of the last G5 PowerMacs.

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Answer 6

Stan Yoo Author

Level 2

245 points

Nov 21, 2005 4:47 PM in response to Stan Yoo

Hi, thnx for your replies.

Personally, I'd like a Quad G5, but in reality I'm not getting that. I'm on my own for $$$ on buying my comp stuff, so a G5, although worth the $$$, is out of arms reach right now.

Plan of Action: get cheap, but still better, upgrade(s) for G4 and save $$$ for later. From 466Mhz to 800Mhz CPU (nearly double) for $414 CAN. If I can, upgrade ATI 128 Rage 16MB VRAM AGP video card to something sligthly better for cheap. ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB VRAM is around $460 CAN. PCI cards go around $230 CAN. memory is good, HD is good, DVD drive sounds good, but that's more my bro's desire than mine.

Which video cards are better for G4s, AGP or PCI?
800Mhz CPU is good enough for now, you agree?

Downloading files is good, but loading pages is slow. How can I improve this?

I used a G4 iBook 1.2Ghz, 32MB VRAM, 256MB RAM 133Mhz bus speed labtop for playing Warcraft III. It was good except for using massive armies in single player missions. Would memory have solved this? I have 640MB RAM on the G4, and with a better CPU and possibly video card, Warcraft III should work fine, right?

thnx

P.S. is there an automatic login for Apple Discussions?

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Answer 7

rob_ART

Level 2

426 points

Nov 21, 2005 5:12 PM in response to Stan Yoo

If you are firm in your decision to upgrade the G4, you are on the right track with the Radeon 9800, but I would get a single processor 2GHz upgrade. And I would max out the memory to 1.5GB or 2GB, depending how many slots you have.

OS X wants 512M just for itself.

How fast is your internet connection?

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Answer 8

Stan Yoo Author

Level 2

245 points

Nov 21, 2005 7:03 PM in response to rob_ART

Slow down rob_ART! What I mean is that I want to SLIGHTLY upgrade my G4! I want to spend minimum $$$ for upgrade(s) for minimum performance. I want something BETTER (not super-fast) than now, just enough to last me until I can afford a better computer.

Sry about the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. I want to avoid spending over $400 on something I might not use at full potential. I'm looking for something like 32MB VRAM or 64MB VRAM. I didn't mention this.

Which is better, AGP video card, or PCI? Keep in mind this is for an old Digital Audio G4 desktop (2x and possibly 4x AGP speed).

"You're going to have a huge, delicious feast in the evening, but you're hungry now. You can get a nice sandwich OR wait 'til the feast. Or... buy a cheap sandwich AND wait 'til the feast." This is my plan, metaphorically.

Does max memory really improve performance? It costs a lot.

800Mhz CPU, 32MB VRAM, 640MB RAM are the stats for what I plan to get. It'll be temporary until I can get something great.

800Mhz CPU is $414. Some cheap but better PCI video cards are $230. I'm fine with memory, but a 512MB stick is $252 anyways. I really want the CPU, perhaps the video card, and if I really need it and I don't have the G5 by then, I'll replace one memory stick. My friend has a G5 iMac with only 256MB RAM, it kicks the sh*t out of my G4 ever will. This upgrade will be $414-$900.

Compared to this:
dual 1.8Ghz CPU is $1150. Best G4 video card is $460. 3 512MB RAM sticks come up to $756. So Dual 1.8Ghz, 128MB VRAM, 1.5GB RAM, equals $2366. Single 1.8Ghz costs $690.

A lot of ppl say, "G5 is the way!" while others say, "upgrade your G4 to the max!" I say, "If you're not rich, do a little of both. If you ARE rich, don't waste your time reading this." What do you say?

thnx

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Answer 9

E.Moore

Level 3

610 points

Nov 22, 2005 6:17 PM in response to Stan Yoo

Your prices seem really high.

A Sonnet 1GHz upgrade is $200 USD with $40 USD for shipping to Canada.

Crucial.com ships to Canada for $15 USD, 512MB costs $122 USD for your model of PowerMac.

A Radeon direct from ATI in Canada will set you back $200 CAD for a PCI model or $300 CAD for an AGP version (shipping is free). I know you can get better prices than that however.

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Answer 10

Nov 22, 2005 11:17 PM in response to Stan Yoo

Maybe instead of buying really expensive upgrades for you older Power Mac G4 you could just buy a Mac Mini that would be a bit more power for you.

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Answer 11

E.Moore

Level 3

610 points

Dec 2, 2005 3:25 PM in response to Stan Yoo

Have you been able to make a decision on the upgrade vs. buy question?

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Answer 12

Dec 2, 2005 11:37 PM in response to Stan Yoo

Buy a G5 I went from a G4 to G5 and never looked back. I do alot of video editing for lawyers and it cut my time to a fraction of what it took before. I know you can find great deals out there... just take your time to look. I picked my new G5 from fry's $1199.00 walk out DP 1.8, 8X DVDR. placed ram to 1.25gig for $100+ change.

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Answer 13

Dec 8, 2005 3:48 PM in response to Stan Yoo

To answer the AGP/PCI question. In the G4's AGP is faster and worth your time to purchase a good card. You may not use the ATI 9800 to its potential but you never know when you will get something that requires alot of graphics power, always better to have to much than not enough. Don't waste your time with a CPU below 1ghz The extra money is worth speed increase. I just moved myself up from a g4 to a g5 duel 2.7. I decided to do this because of the intel thing. my g4 was a 450mhz. manufactured in 99. I plan to ride the 2.7 at least 3 years by this time all the bumps in upgrading to intel will be overwith and I will purchase another computer then.

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Answer 14

Dec 9, 2005 2:24 PM in response to Stan Yoo

I can think of (3) realistic scenarios to invest in a G4 upgrade rather than buying a G5

1) You have some requirement to boot natively into OS 9.x.x where running the Classic emulator on a G5 simply won't support your legacy software

2) You have some requirement to run legacy hardware not supported by a G5

3) Your budget is very tight and you find a great discount on a G4 upgrade card (preferably dual cpu with L3 cache) having a good track record for reliability

KK

OK ... maybe a 4th, less pragmatic reason to spring for a G4 upgrade: You have a sentimental attachment to your G4 that you have named and can't bear the thought of parting with it.

QS Dual 933 G4 Mac OS X (10.3.5)

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