should i buy a ppc mac?

weeder

I see all over adverts that the likes of G5's and such are getting cheap now, i know they dont support the latest and greatest snow but that doesnt really bother me too much,

when do people reckon devs will stop supporting these? I run a fair bit of music software at the moment so thats somthing to consider,

these machines look good for what i want but what im worried about is when will developers ditch ppc binaries and start doing intel only and do developers still use universal binaries?

J-blk

A lot of developers have ditched PPC support for some time, I come across quite a few programs that are Intel only (or Snow Leopard only which creates the same limitation anyway).

I guess it boils down to what you want to use the older Mac for? Basic tasks like web browsing, email, light weight media playback should all be fine and Tiger/Leopard are eminently more usable operating systems than their Windows counterparts but that would be about it for me.

If however you expect to be able to use such a machine for a few years to come with new(er) software, I'd save up for one of the earlier Intel Macs instead (surely some of those must be getting quite cheap too at this stage?).

Sad Professor

Yeah, try and get an early Intel Mac. A PPC isn't worth getting at this stage, except maybe for the nostalgia factor.

maccored

i disagree. you can pick up various ppc machines for next to nothing and they'll definitely at least last another couple of years so well worth investing in. I do a lot of music, all done on a PPC mini. I havent noticed any limitations yet.

weeder

been offered a 15 inch macbook pro glossy


I'd prob take less though. It's 2ghz intel dual core. 2gb ram. 250gb harddrive on leopard. New DVD
Burner, new screen, new harddrive, new charger, new ram so other than scratches and marks it's good. It could probably do with a new battery coz that's never been changed.

500 will aqquire it for me

weeder

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Apple-iMac-17-inch-1-83GHz-Intel-Core-Duo-250GB-HDD_W0QQitemZ200440037917QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_Apple_Desktops_CV?hash=item2eab28421d

also looking at this, id kinda prefer a desktop and more upgradability (and saves me cash i can use on a new controller:pac:) but the spec of the mbp is great for the price. also prefer the bigger higher screen but nothing an external monitor wont sort.
he said

New DVD Burner, new screen, new harddrive, new charger, new ram so other than scratches and marks it's good. It could probably do with a new battery coz that's never been changed.

apparently the screen and burner both died, dunno about the charger and the rest was upgrades.



im really torn between the 2

J-blk

weeder wrote: »

id kinda prefer a desktop and more upgradability

To be fair, you're not gaining any real "upgradeability" over a laptop if you go for an iMac, as all you'll be able to replace simply is the RAM and not much else, exactly the same as with a laptop...

The MBP sounds good and that's not a bad price, though the amount of things replaced on it would give me some concerns. BTW, is the CPU in the MBP a Core Duo or a Core 2 Duo? There's a big difference between them in real life performance.

weeder

coreduo

J-blk

Ok, still not a bad system overall though some things won't work very well - e.g. it might struggle with high definition 1080p mkv file playback (though 720p will be fine) and things like video encoding will be a bit slow (the Core 2 Duo is significantly better though).

Still, it's not a bad price overall - to put things into perspective, a few months ago I got one of the older plastic black MacBooks for an uncle of mine, 1.86Ghz Core Duo, 2GB RAM, 80GB HDD, craptacular Intel GFX and 13.3" screen for around the €400 mark. The MBP you're looking at is significantly better, especially when it comes to graphics card/screen (and a 250GB HDD is pretty good too).

IMO, you'd probably be happier with the MBP than the iMac you're looking at (you could always get an external screen if you need - > 20" ones are pretty cheap now) but ultimately, it's your choice .

weeder

true, I could upgrade the imac to a core2 with a load of ram though no?

Dublin_Gunner

weeder wrote: »

true, I could upgrade the imac to a core2 with a load of ram though no?

You could try, but the motherboard might not support the newer CPU.

Unless you can get a relatively recent Mac, for a decent price, just don't do it.

Because the 'value' seems to hold a lot longer on a Mac than a regular PC, you end up paying WAY over the odds for outdated / obsolete tech.

Try get a MacBook or at least 20" iMac, Core 2 Duo for around 5-600. It can EASILY be done.

Even check on adverts.ie for some decent second hand machines.

But back to your original question, should you buy a PPC Mac?? No.

J-blk

weeder wrote: »

true, I could upgrade the imac to a core2 with a load of ram though no?

Dublin_Gunner's answer is spot on: the mobo might not support a Core 2 Duo. Beyond that, a CPU upgrade is not easy at all on an iMac and would require a lot of dismantling, not much better than trying to upgrade the CPU on a laptop TBH. You shouldn't think of iMacs as "traditional" desktop PCs - they have more in common with laptops at the end of the day.

However, if you are looking into spending ~ €500 on a Mac, would you not consider the Mac Mini? Assuming you already have a monitor/keyboard/mouse lying around, the base spec Mini would blow those older machines out of the water and retails for ~ €549 (though can possibly be found a bit cheaper elsewhere?). You'd be getting a brand new system with a full warranty as well.

weeder

looking now and thinking, would i not be better buying a brand new mini for 500 that outspecs the mbp?

J-blk

weeder wrote: »

looking now and thinking, would i not be better buying a brand new mini for 500 that outspecs the mbp?

That's what I'm suggesting . I have the current generation Mini (use it mostly as an HTPC) and went for the base spec one - it's a very capable little machine.

weeder

base model is 520 with one of the educational discounts so well just call that 500 :P

J-blk

I think you'll enjoy the current gen. Mini very much . Do you already own a Mac? If not, you'll soon probably be dumping any other system and craving to replace it with another Mac . Anyway, enjoy the new system!

Dublin_Gunner

The new Mac Mini's are actually specced reasonably well.

You can get a 2.66Ghz Core 2 Duo, 4Gb ram, GeForce 9400M and a decent enough HDD, and TBH they're the only Mac's I consider to be priced close enough to their actual worth €549 (for the base model anyway - upgrading anything costs WAY too much).

So that would be my choice also. They're a neat little computer too, in a tiny case.

You can always upgrade the ram etc at a later date yourself.