getting an old G4 mac, how will it compare to my pc

scottie pippen

I currently have an laptop that runs fairly well,
have been offered a 2nd hand Mac, I was wonder if anyone could give me some advice/opinions


the mac is OS X
version 10.4.3

processor Dual 1.25 GHz PowerPc G4
memory 512 mb ddr sdram

80gig hd
(about 5 or 6years old)


the pc is a compaq laptop

windows xp

Intel Pentium dual core processor
T2060 @ 1.60GHz
2.49 GB of ram
80gig hd
(about 4years old)


the laptop runs quite well,
so would it be a waste of time getting the mac?
would it be worth getting the mac and upgrading the ram (if this is possible)

Regards
Scottie

jahalpin

The PC is a much better spec than the Mac.

The G4 is a very old processor at this stage and cannot be used to run Windows (exc. very slow emulation with Microsoft VirtualPC)

I would advise you to stick with the PC.

If the Mac is a standard Mac rather than an iMac you will also need an external monitor, probably with an Apple DisplayPort connection

scottie pippen

thanks for the reply.

the mac comes with a flat screen monitor, it is one of those nice looking towers on but if it doesn't match up to laptop, I will stick with what I already have


cheers

Sad Professor

Those specs would make it one of the last gen G4 models, which came out around 2002/2003, making it up to 8 years old.

I haven't a clue how it would compare to the PC specs, but I'd say it would hold its own pretty well. That's probably only a mobile processor in the laptop. The Mac has a far superior and more efficient operating system and you could upgrade to 10.5 if you wanted. But make sure you install more RAM - it should take up to 2GB.

jahalpin wrote: »

If the Mac is a standard Mac rather than an iMac you will also need an external monitor, probably with an Apple DisplayPort connection

It's way too old for DisplayPort. It probably has an ADC or DVI port.

Dardania

scottie pippen if you don't want, I'll be cheeky enough to say I'd take it if it needs a home!

scottie pippen

@ Sad professor
would it be worth my while and upgrading the ram/os?

I have taken this and its seems to be grand for surfing the web, burning cds
and some and an older photoshop (cs2)



@ Dardania - sorry I decided to take it, at least there are no arguments about who who has to wait to get online, handy having tow pc's in the house



thank you for all the comments

PhilipMarlowe

I was using a G4 very like that one until recently and I thought it a great machine, though I would bump up the ram ( www.crucial.com/eu ), ~€100 for 2GB.
The machine is still in use, just that I'm not where it is any more
As far as I remember it was bought around mid 2003...

scottie pippen

@ Licksy

thanks for the link, I will definitely consider getting extra ram when I have a bit more cash to spare


I am new to apple computers, but I really like this, seems quite smoothe. hasnt crashed on me or froze at all yet.