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macU
User

Posts: 1

Expert advice needed on used mac choice - 2008/11/07 10:39 I'm a long time PC user, converting. I'm sick of blue screens, viruses, etc. but you all already know that, hence this site.

So I'm jumping on the bandwagon, but don't have a lot of cash right now. I don't want something so cheap that it's useless or will be obsolete in another year or so, so I've narrowed down to a dual processor Power Mac G4 Mirrored Drive Door (MDD) model.

Basically, found 2 that are good deals, but don't know if the more expensive one is worth the extra cost since it's already an older model.

A) $210.00 total....G4 MDD, dual 867mhz, 1gb, 60gb, dvdrw, 10.5 leopard
B) $350.00 total....G4 MDD, dual 1.42mhz, 2gb, 250gb, dvdrw, 10.5 leopard

This is for home use and my wife is a kitchen designer and will likely use a cad type program (only on rare occasion)....mostly it will be for basic Photoshop use on our family pictures, assembling quick little videos of the kids, surfing the internet, etc. etc.

I have 2 extra HDD which I can add to the cheaper system for storage, and I can buy another 1gb of RAM for $30-40 to level the field, then it would just be a question of whether or not it was worth the difference in price for the jump from dual 867mhz to dual 1.42mhz....as an average user, will we even notice the difference? or would the $$ be better spent on faster HDD, etc.

Really torn and don't want to overspend unless it's necessary. Thanks for your time. I look forward to learning a lot on these forums!

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krowmagnum
User

Posts: 793

Re:Expert advice needed on used mac choice - 2008/11/07 13:02 Mac2sell.net will give you a decent retail value of Macs for comparison. The prices you listed don't look bad at first glance but you should check Mac2sell or completed eBay auctions for a better reference.

First, you will pay quite a bit more for any dual CPU PPC Mac like the ones you listed. You can get a newer faster single CPU PPC Mac for the same price.

Do you really need dual CPU's ? There is a huge mark up on duals.

A singe will do the same job, just slower. The Mac OS and Photoshop do take advantage of the 2nd CPU but most apps do not. Surfing the internet or any application that only uses one processor will run at the same speed as a single.

Another thing to consider is the PPC will not be supported on the next OS release. Not a big deal for a couple years but something to keep in mind. G5's will suffer the same fate too. Either of the machines you listed will easily be usable for several years though.

A lot of people are still using OS 10.4 on Macs, some earlier OS's, and on much older hardware too. I still use an 867MHz single G4 and it handles anything I throw at it. It may be a little slower getting the job done but it works fine for what I need.

When you buy a Mac try to get an OS install disk too. You may need it eventually to do repairs or installation if a drive dies so you really should have one on hand. If the OS install disk is not included you should deduct some value, especially since both the Macs you listed have had the OS updated to 10.5.

Technically that is pirated if you don't get the original install disk. The Apple OS installer has no serial number or authentication like Windows so many sellers will install the latest OS to get more money from unsuspecting buyers. You can get used retail OS X install disks from eBay at a reduced price. ($50-70) Make sure it's the retail version and not a machine specific install disk.

Check the prices for RAM on OWC before considering the value of installed RAM. Mac are temperamental about RAM and not as forgiving as an x86 board may be. Any RAM that meets the specs will work though.

eshop.macsales.com (OWC) Advertisement on this page and the best place to buy guaranteed Mac compatible RAM in my opinion.

The DP 1.4 will run quite a bit faster than the DP867MHz G4.

You will notice the difference.

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harryb
User

Posts: 385

Re:Expert advice needed on used mac choice - 2008/11/07 15:04 Go with the 1.42 as it is streets faster than the 867 with much improved system bus speed, will run cooler with the copper heat sink, comes with Firewire 800 over 400 and is worth every cent of the additional money.

The 1.42 is the peak of G4's, being the last model made. Have a look at site sponsor OWC for memory requirements as there is quite a difference between high density PC ram and low density Mac compatible RAM.

You can install 4 HDD, although I have personally rigged my FW800 out with a controller card and a large SATA drive. The SATA transfer at 150mbps compared to the Ultra ATA 100mbps.

A controller card will also manage a SATA DVD burner if you wish.

FW800's can also handle built in Bluetooth cards and come with inbuilt antennas for that and also Extreme Wireless Card, so all round a much better machine.

Post edited by: harryb, at: 2008/11/07 15:05

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stewieno1
User

Posts: 95

Re:Expert advice needed on used mac choice - 2008/11/11 18:26 It really depends on which CAD application she will be using and what the basic system requirements are.
I use Vectorworks 11 on a dual 533MHz Digital Audio with 2Gb Ram and a 128mb video card running Jaguar and Panther to draw house plans.
It runs fine on this older machine.
Newer versions of course require faster CPUs and better video cards.
Which CAD program and version will she be running ?

Stewie

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