How much life can I expect to get out of my Powermac?

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Level 1

4 points

How much life can I expect to get out of my Powermac?

I don't come here a lot so forgive me if this topic has already been covered.

I have 2002 G4 Quicksilver and I think I've gone about as far as I can with it, without a Pentium chip processor.

I am running Mac OS10.5.8 with a Dual 1.6 GHz PowerPC Processor. Since upgrading to 10.5.8, I'm not able to use my scanner or iPhoto and need to re-open in 10.4.11 for that. it's annoying, but I can live with it. the problem is, most software type stuff becomes problemmatic when I try to upgrade. I'd like to have a computer that doesn't rquire special knowledge in order to use it.

My question is, is there a powerMac 'box' (like a G5) that I could get and transfer my drives, cards etc that would use the pentium processor enabling me to keep going, or am I at the end of that road? I am happy with the mileage I've got out of my G4, and would understand if I cant go farther, but like I say, could I pick up a used G5 body that I could upgrade to the oint where it could keep going indefinitely? or at least for another 5 years (till one kid gets thru college)?

thanks!

PowerMac, Mac OS X (10.5.8), User is a dope

Posted on Nov 25, 2012 6:30 AM

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Answer 1

Nov 25, 2012 8:02 AM in response to obbay

you wont be able to fit any of your existing bits in a new or used Mac "box". they are incompatible.

have a look at this little Mac box, its the cheapest Mac:

Mac Mini

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Answer 2

obbay Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 25, 2012 10:56 AM in response to Gary Scotland

Gary- the link you posted goes to a lengthy discussion on incompatibility problems with Keynote when running it on Lion - is thatr what you wanted me to look at? (27 pages of posts)

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Answer 3

Nov 25, 2012 11:06 AM in response to obbay

You are right, he did send you to Keynote.

I think what he aeant was http://www.apple.com/mac-mini/

With that old of a Power Mac G4 in comparison to the Mac Mini, I think the Mac Mini would be able to beat it. The only downside to the Mac Mini is that it doesn't have an expandability to it.

Allan

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Answer 4

Nov 25, 2012 8:09 PM in response to obbay

obbay wrote:
...or at least for another 5 years (till one kid gets thru college)?...

Education Discount!

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/findyourschool

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Answer 5

BDAqua

Level 10

238,979 points

Nov 25, 2012 9:37 PM in response to obbay

Actually, you could use the drives & Migrate all things using one of these...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-2-0-to-IDE-SATA-S-ATA-2-5-3-5-HD-HDD-Adapter-Cable-/ 180550148600

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Answer 6

obbay Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 26, 2012 4:48 AM in response to BDAqua

BD- This looks very interesting- would I use this to connect a mac mini with my G4 tower and be able to use a faster computer while accessing my existing drives?

would the two remain connected? it sounds like it might be what I am looking for.

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Answer 7

BDAqua

Level 10

238,979 points

Nov 26, 2012 8:31 PM in response to obbay

Well, you could put the G4 in Target mode if you get a FW adpter for the Mini, & a 6-pin->9-pin FW cable, or you could setup File Sharing, or Screen Sharing to us both at once.

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Answer 8

BDAqua

Level 10

238,979 points

Nov 26, 2012 8:32 PM in response to obbay

But those adapters wouuld be for using the drives outside the G4, not able to continue using it.

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Answer 9

Limnos

Level 10

411,109 points

Nov 26, 2012 8:49 PM in response to obbay

I still use a 2002 Quicksilver and I am dreading the day when something basic like changes in web access* or something terrible like a processor going will force me to upgrade to an Intel Mac. I will lose many applications I cannot justify upgrading on the offchance somebody will need access to the things I have saved in files only they will open. If I'm lucky I might be able to get something that will still run Snow Leopard which will let me at least keep my PPC software. However, I doubt I'll be able to afford even a used a Mac Pro and I am so used to having computer I can upgrade, not something that's pretty inflexible in terms of sticking in a new drive or two.

You say software is problematic when you try to upgrade? Why upgrade? 99.9% of the writing I do I do with Text Edit. Then I stick it into Bean for slightly fancier formatting. I only have Word because people send me stuff for it and I have a the version I've had since 2004. Web browsers? I still use Firefox 3.6.28 I think only once a month do I encounter a website that doesn't work well and even then I can attribute that to all the security extensions I've added to it. For those sites I start up Safari 3.0.5 and they seem to work. I will admit I'm not a major online video watcher.

*I only upgraded from a G3 to a G4 because my main e-mail provider required I run a newer browser to get their email interface to work.

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Answer 10

BDAqua

Level 10

238,979 points

Nov 26, 2012 10:25 PM in response to Limnos

TenFourFox is the most up to date browser for our PPCs, they even have a G5 optimized version...

http://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/

SeaMonkey seems pretty fast also, with many options...

http://www.seamonkey-project.org/

http://www.seamonkey-project.org/releases/

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Answer 11

Limnos

Level 10

411,109 points

Nov 26, 2012 11:50 PM in response to BDAqua

I have several frequently-used extensions I use with FF that do not work in TFF even if you do the special workaround to enable plugins. And as I said, oddly enough the few web sites I visit that do not work with FF work with a much older version of Safari, so it isn't an outdated browser issue as such.

I am running Tiger. The Seamonkey web page says "The last version with Mac OS 10.4 and PPC support was SeaMonkey 2.0.14." which dates from April 2011. I'm pretty sure my version of FF postdates that.

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Answer 12

BDAqua

Level 10

238,979 points

Nov 27, 2012 8:24 PM in response to Limnos

But SeaMonkey 2.0.14 handles far more Web on my G5 than FF 3.whatever does... without crashing or other problems. 😉

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Answer 13

Nov 28, 2012 10:26 PM in response to Limnos

I'm retiring a 2002 G4 Quicksilver 933 this week, driven by .xml and web content. It has outlived two hard drives. My Studio display looks and runs like new. On 10.5.8 I was still running Eudora 6.2 for mail, and I'd run Eudora forever but it won't run on Mountain Lion. Apple Mail is charmless, but it took all my email files OK except for marking nearly [but not quite] all unread. Word 5 will take some special handling, but Word 6 and Excel 4 and 5 open with Office '11 in compatibility mode. The only Classic app whose death takes something of value with it is Claris CAD.

When I bought my new Mac mini, Apple helpfully sent an email inviting me to recycle my old computer. I plugged in the G4's vitals, and the donaiton website cheerfully told me my computer had zero value.

I'm going to miss my Power Mac, and I'm going to be bitter about Eudora for some time. But for me, the day came.

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Answer 14

BDAqua

Level 10

238,979 points

Nov 28, 2012 11:33 PM in response to SilverAge

I miss Eudora also. 😟

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Answer 15

obbay Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 29, 2012 4:03 AM in response to Limnos

Limnos wrote:

, I doubt I'll be able to afford even a used a Mac Pro and I am so used to having computer I can upgrade, not something that's pretty inflexible in terms of sticking in a new drive or two.

That's my issue too. but between new iPods and cameras etc, I have found I need to upgrade or perish.

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