OleMissMac

Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Upgrade to Tiger from 10.3.9 on G5?

I have a 1.8 GHz G5 PowerPC with 768 MB Ram and 160 GB Hard Drive running OS 10.3.9. Many internet sites don't work well due to incompatability and the computer runs kinda slow.

Should I upgrade to Tiger? Would this improve performance on the internet and the overall speed of the computer?

PowerMac, Mac OS X (10.3.x)

Posted on May 6, 2012 8:00 PM

I have this question too

Solved

Level 7 (24,390 points)

A:

Try one of the browsers that BDAqua mentioned.

One of my favorites from Panther days is Opera:

http://download.cnet.com/Opera/3000-2356_4-10877527.html

Though I am glad that you feel the machine runs a bit better on one DIMM, you still need to install a pair of matched DIMMs and remove the odd one.

You should be pleasantly surprised.

Posted on May 10, 2012 2:54 AM

Q: Upgrade to Tiger from 10.3.9 on G5?

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Helpful answers

by BDAqua,

BDAqua May 6, 2012 8:30 PM in response to OleMissMac
Level 10 (123,618 points)

May 6, 2012 8:30 PM in response to OleMissMac

Hi, while speed wouldn't be improved Internet & more recent Browsers would help.

Tiger Requirements...
To use Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, your Macintosh needs:
    * A PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor
    * Built-in FireWire
    * At least 256 MB of RAM (I recommend 1GB minimum)
    * DVD drive (DVD-ROM), Combo (CD-RW/DVD-ROM) or SuperDrive (DVD-R) for installation
    * At least 3 GB of free disk space; 4 GB if you install the XCode 2 Developer Tools (I recommend 20GB minimum)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1514

See Tom's, (Texas Mac Man), great info on where/how to find/get Tiger...

https://discussions.apple.com/message/15305521#15305521

Or Ali Brown's great info on where/how to find/get Tiger...

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10381710#10381710

Leopard requirements/10.5.x...

    * Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor

minimum system requirements

    * 512MB of memory (I say 1.5GB for PPC at least, 2-3GB minimum for IntelMacs)
    * DVD drive for installation
    * 9GB of available disk space (I say 30GB at least)
Trouble is Apple no longer sells it, check eBay & such for the Retail version, not the Gray Discs...
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=mac+os+x+leopard+retail+10.5
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by japamac,Helpful

japamac May 7, 2012 6:46 AM in response to OleMissMac
Level 7 (24,390 points)

May 7, 2012 6:46 AM in response to OleMissMac

I have a 1.8 GHz G5 PowerPC with 768 MB Ram and 160 GB Hard Drive
Your RAM amount is strange.
Either you have 3x 256 MB DIMMs or 1x 256 MB and 1x 512 MB, in which case (on both counts) your RAM is improperly configured.

RAM must be installed in matching speed/ size pairs in the G5.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2248

If you do have pairs installed, then you have bigger issues (logic board problems or failed RAM).

In this case, upgrade to Tiger or Leopard would likely fail, or, in the least, do you no real good.

As suggested, you need at least 1 GB of RAM, with 2 GB being much better.

As well, the 160 GB hard drive is old, tired and lacks capacity.
Upgrading to a minimum of a 500 GB drive is highly recommended.
Size a hard drive that allows all of your OS and applications to reside on, yet maintain 100 GB or 50% capacity free.

iTunes, iPhoto, and other data should be kept on a 2nd drive to maintain optimum performance.

Move the Home folder:
00E03B83-1ADA-406E-A940-396D39F598EA.html

Just iTunes:
http://osxdaily.com/2009/11/30/move-the-itunes-library/

Just iPhoto:
http://basics4mac.com/article.php/move_iphoto_lib
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by OleMissMac,Helpful

OleMissMac May 7, 2012 7:44 PM in response to japamac
Level 1 (0 points)

May 7, 2012 7:44 PM in response to japamac

Thanks; very good information. The link you provided was very helpful.

The System Profiler lists two DIMMs:

DIMM0/J4000 512MB DDR SDRAM PC3200U-30330
DIMM1/J4001 256MB DDR SDRAM PC3200U-30330

Would you agree that I have improperly configured memory and not a logic board or failed RAM problem?

What's surprising is that the machine has been running this way since day one. It came with 256MB and I installed the 512MB the day of purchase.

Would you recommend that I get another 512MB DIMM and install it first or upgrade to Tiger, then resolve the memory issue?

Thanks
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by Ramón G Castañeda,

Ramón G Castañeda May 8, 2012 12:15 AM in response to OleMissMac
Level 4 (1,468 points)

Desktops

May 8, 2012 12:15 AM in response to OleMissMac

Get the RAM issue straightened out first. You must end up with matched pairs of RAM modules.
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by Ramón G Castañeda,

Ramón G Castañeda May 8, 2012 12:19 AM in response to OleMissMac
Level 4 (1,468 points)

Desktops

May 8, 2012 12:19 AM in response to OleMissMac

However, I strongly recommend you upgrade at the very least to 2 GB of RAM, as much memory as you can afford.

RAM is inexpensive these days.
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by japamac,

japamac May 8, 2012 3:31 AM in response to OleMissMac
Level 7 (24,390 points)

May 8, 2012 3:31 AM in response to OleMissMac

I would say that the RAM configuration is the most likely reason performance is suffering... actually been suffering since day one if actually one of each listed......

I'm curious as to what the labels on the DIMMs say. Could be that you had 2x 512 MB DIMMs at first, and one has failed leaving only half (?)....

Buy a 1GB pair and a single 512 MB DIMM, or, buy three 512 MB DIMMs.

Put the 256 MB DIMM in a drawer some where.....

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/PowerMac-G5-Memory
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by OleMissMac,

OleMissMac May 9, 2012 8:23 PM in response to japamac
Level 1 (0 points)

May 9, 2012 8:23 PM in response to japamac

There was a 512 MB and a 256 MB DIMM. I removed the 256 MB DIMM and now the machine runs with perhaps a small improvement in performance. Thanks.

What remains now is to purchase a pair of 1GB DIMMS and then upgrade the OS.

Unfortunately I've discovered that the family upgrade OS package that I have access to is Snow Leopard and not Tiger. I'm not sure how to find a Tiger upgrade. Any thoughts?
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by BDAqua,

BDAqua May 9, 2012 8:41 PM in response to OleMissMac
Level 10 (123,618 points)

May 9, 2012 8:41 PM in response to OleMissMac

Tiger Requirements...
To use Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, your Macintosh needs:
    * A PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor
    * Built-in FireWire
    * At least 256 MB of RAM (I recommend 1GB minimum)
    * DVD drive (DVD-ROM), Combo (CD-RW/DVD-ROM) or SuperDrive (DVD-R) for installation
    * At least 3 GB of free disk space; 4 GB if you install the XCode 2 Developer Tools (I recommend 20GB minimum)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1514

See Tom's, (Texas Mac Man), great info on where/how to find/get Tiger...

https://discussions.apple.com/message/15305521#15305521

Or Ali Brown's great info on where/how to find/get Tiger...

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10381710#10381710
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by OleMissMac,

OleMissMac May 9, 2012 9:24 PM in response to japamac
Level 1 (0 points)

May 9, 2012 9:24 PM in response to japamac

Since the machine is running relatively well now perhaps all I really need is a browser that will run on old G5 that is an alternative to Safari. Any ideas? The current version won't run many of our most commonly used web sites.
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by BDAqua,

BDAqua May 9, 2012 10:37 PM in response to OleMissMac
Level 10 (123,618 points)

May 9, 2012 10:37 PM in response to OleMissMac

10.3.9 is out of the loop as far as today's bloated/incresingly worthless web goes, but...

I think the most modern Browser for Panther/10.3.9 is Camino...
http://caminobrowser.org/releases/1.6.9/

Or iCab 4.8...
http://www.icab.de/dl.php

https://discussions.apple.com/message/18317237#18317237
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by japamac,Solvedanswer

japamac May 10, 2012 2:54 AM in response to OleMissMac
Level 7 (24,390 points)

May 10, 2012 2:54 AM in response to OleMissMac

Try one of the browsers that BDAqua mentioned.
One of my favorites from Panther days is Opera:
http://download.cnet.com/Opera/3000-2356_4-10877527.html

Though I am glad that you feel the machine runs a bit better on one DIMM, you still need to install a pair of matched DIMMs and remove the odd one.

You should be pleasantly surprised.
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by Ramón G Castañeda,

Ramón G Castañeda May 10, 2012 3:25 AM in response to OleMissMac
Level 4 (1,468 points)

Desktops

May 10, 2012 3:25 AM in response to OleMissMac

OleMissMac wrote:

Since the machine is running relatively well now perhaps all I really need is a browser that will run on old G5…

No, no, no. Heed the universal advice: straighten out your RAM situation.

'nough said.
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