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zoomjuice · Sep 26, 2006, 12:06 AM

Looking for some advice here... My PowerMac (single 867mHz) has been showing its age and I need to upgrade.

I use Illustrator and Flash alot, as I do all of my own graphics and website work for my restaurant but other than that I only use the machine for everyday tasks (Music Library, Photos, Pages, Keynote, Office, web surfing).

I've always felt that since I don't do any gaming and so forth, I probably don't need the latest and greeatest PowerMac, so I've been considering either a used G5 Powermac or a MacMini.

Space has always been a consideration, making the Mini an attractive option. And, I'm assuming that although the Mini is a budget computer it should still beat the pants off my PowerMac since it's 5 years old at this point.

My question is this; Since Flash and Illustrator are not native to the Intel processor, how would their performance be running on a new Intel Core Duo 1.83gHz (with Rosetta) compared to running on a 1.42gHz PowerPC MacMini? Furthermore, could anyone give their best guesstimate as to the overall speed increase I should or should not expect from a Mac Mini as compared to my current PowerMac?

What would be best?

Thanks, in advance.

PS. The reason that I made no mention of the iMac is because I already have a great screen (Apple 23") and hate to sell it when all I really need is a CPU.

gooser · Sep 26, 2006, 01:26 AM

you're definately caught in "apple limbo". there's nothing great for you out there right now. my advice is to buy a refurb 1.42 mini, hawk your 867 on ebay, hold onto your mini for a couple of years and see what's available then. you mentioned music. you will definately enjoy a totally quiet system. just my opinion. i think great things are in the cards for the minis of the future-----it's just not quite there yet. if you hadn't mentioned non-universal aps my suggestion could have been different. don't expect to see too much of a performance increase.

zoomjuice · Sep 26, 2006, 02:14 AM

So, do you think a 1.83 gHz Core Duo mini will actually run slower than a 1.42gHz Mini G4? (referring to Illustrator and Flash). Or do you think they'll be about the same?

Limbo is a good word though.

I just can't rationalize a new PowerMac though. I think it is probably far more computer than I need.

I was also thinking maybe the smart option would be to get the Intel Mac Mini and run the windows version of Illustrator and Flash. As much as I hate Windows, maybe that would be the best way to maximize the performance from those apps.

It's definitely tough... I'm thinking I'll be ready for an Intel PowerMac in about a year. Once they've been bumped up once or twice I could get one of the 2006 models at a good price. So, I really am just looking to maximize the performance/cost for about a year.

What do you think about my idea to run the windows version of flash and illustrator via bootcamp while using OSX for all other activities. Or do you still think a 1.42gHz mini is best for me right now?

Thanks again

gooser · Sep 26, 2006, 07:04 AM

well when you add up the cost of an intel mini plus a copy of windows and the inconvenience of having to reboot on a computer you will only use for a year it just doesn't make much sense to me, but it may for you. a refurb mini comes pretty cheap these days. i haven't used flash or illustrator via rosetta, maybe someone else has. maybe i'm a bigger fan of g4's than most people. definately get a few more opinions before you decide.

jamil5454 · Sep 26, 2006, 08:27 AM

The Intel mini will be nearly as fast if not faster than a PPC mini in Rosetta. If you're getting by with an 867Mhz machine now, you'll be wowed by the Intel mini.

Two processors are always better than one.

WOPR · Sep 26, 2006, 08:42 AM

Get the Intel mini, but get it with 2gb of RAM. And how old is your Apple display, is it a recent DVI one or an older one with the ADC interface? If it's ADC I think you'll need a fairly expensive adaptor for it. In your shoes I'd sell the lot and get a new iMac.

gooser · Sep 26, 2006, 03:27 PM

zoom, please look at the thread in this section which starts off as " my old imac g4" and look at his benchmarks. i may have been way off base in my response.

WOPR · Sep 26, 2006, 04:41 PM

Heh, I was about to mention my new thread

WOPR · Sep 26, 2006, 04:42 PM

FYI

dowNNshift · Sep 28, 2006, 11:18 PM

As a user of both a 1.42 G4 and a 1.66 Core Duo, they both perform comparably.

The main advantage of the Core Duo mini is the ability to run Parallels and Boot Camp, not to mention take advantage of the SATA, and the faster and more expandable PC2-5300 RAM.

The downside is that the new Intel Mini is very densely packed (harder to work on), and they took out the dedicated graphics.

If you use non-Universal apps more than half the time, I'd go with the 1.42 G4 maxed out with a gig of RAM and upgrade the HDD to a 7200 RPM ATA/100 drive for the time being. Even after 10 months since the beginning of the switch, I'm still running into Intel Mac compatibility issues occasionally with 3rd party software.

bealzabobs_youruncle · Sep 29, 2006, 11:04 AM

It would be foolish to buy a G4 mini at this point, more and more apps keep going universal all the time. Leopard will be heavily optimized for Intel and so will new apps as they launch. The dedicated graphics argument doesn't hold water when you consider Intel minis now support Core Video and can run HD video without dropping frames, let alone little stuff like running Expose' at higher resolutions without lag.

The G4 mini does not perform comparably to the Core Duo mini and telling someone it does it just wrong.

Having owned a G4 mini which I sold quite a while ago due to performance, I can safely say you'll be making a much better investment with the Core Duo mini.

EdipisReks · Sep 29, 2006, 04:36 PM

the Core1 Duo machines are actually pretty snappy in Rosetta. i use CS2 a lot and, other than the applications taking a while to start, it feels faster than my 1.5 GHz PowerBook ever was.

badsey · Sep 29, 2006, 07:26 PM

It would be foolish to buy a G4 mini at this point, more and more apps keep going universal all the time.

= Wait until the apps you need come out for Intel/Mac before you buy your new Mac. That's what most of the pros are doing.

I would stick another $100 or so into my existing Mac to max out the memory etc. =Make it faster.

Maybe even look into getting a G5 that someone wants to sell due to going to the Mac Pro. I don't like this idea much even though it makes sense because you will always say to yourself why didn't I just get a Mac/Intel.

= Wait or upgrade (minimally) what you got. Your existing computer may be usuable for another year or two with maxxed out memory and a new hard drive etc. Take advantage of these people that are selling their old Mac stuff to goto Mac/Intel.

ChasingApple · Sep 29, 2006, 08:34 PM

Keep the Power Mac! Honestly your system is just fine for the apps you run. Perhaps max out the memory on it and install a faster videocard? Or maybe get yourself some faster and newer harddrives installed in there, but honetly for what you are running there is no reason to spend all that money on a new Mac, not yet at least. Wait until all the macs are running Intel Core 2 Duos at least. Mac Mini's are awesome, but so is your Power Mac!

I might be the one going against the grain here, but I do so love getting my moneys worth when I buy a mac, and I am not quick to upgrade just to have the latest, as a matter of fact I feel even better by using an older mac in this day and age and being just as productive as the rest of ya

gooser · Sep 30, 2006, 12:12 AM

Originally Posted by ChasingApple

Keep the Power Mac! Honestly your system is just fine for the apps you run. Perhaps max out the memory on it and install a faster videocard? Or maybe get yourself some faster and newer harddrives installed in there, but honetly for what you are running there is no reason to spend all that money on a new Mac, not yet at least. Wait until all the macs are running Intel Core 2 Duos at least. Mac Mini's are awesome, but so is your Power Mac!

I might be the one going against the grain here, but I do so love getting my moneys worth when I buy a mac, and I am not quick to upgrade just to have the latest, as a matter of fact I feel even better by using an older mac in this day and age and being just as productive as the rest of ya

i would agee with you except that he never said he wanted to upgrade, he said he needed to upgrade. maybe he's having some problems with his powermac. an awful lot of opinions are being spread around here. maybe everyone is right.

ChasingApple · Sep 30, 2006, 01:17 AM

Ok then I call for a detailed description of the contents of his hardware configuration! What's in the machine there my friend? Help us to help you!

zoomjuice · Oct 3, 2006, 12:15 AM

I agree with you chasing apple. I too am a reluctant upgrader. I had even considered just upgrading the processor/logic board on my current powermac. But, it just was not cost effective in comparison to a Mac Mini.

I had already installed new fans in my powermac, upgraded the RAM to 1GB and installed a faster hard drive over the past few years. It still felt slow.

Even though I would have liked to wait another year or so to pick up a used Mac Pro, I felt that it would be best to unload the powermac now, while it still has some value.

I also wanted to be able to pick something up on my terms rather than have something happen to the logic board and be forced to make a decision in a hurry.

I ended up listing the tower on Craigslist alone as well as with the monitor. I figured if I had some bites on the package then I would just sell them both and pick up a new iMac 24."

I didn't get much interest in the package deal so I sold the tower alone and picked up an open box Intel Mac Mini Core Duo 1.66 from the Apple store for $539. Then upgraded the RAM to 2GB. Between the RAM and the mini I only spent $125 more than I got for the powermac plus I still have my 250GB 7200 external drive which is an upgrade over the mini's.

Time will tell if I made the right decision. But I figure if I want to upgrade again in a year or so that this option was the most cost effective.

As more applications go universal I think the value/performance ratio of the mini would exceed that of my trusty powermac.

The only question I have now is whether I should stick with CS until CS3 or should I just buy the windows CS2 now.

ChasingApple · Oct 3, 2006, 01:01 AM

Originally Posted by zoomjuice

I agree with you chasing apple. I too am a reluctant upgrader. I had even considered just upgrading the processor/logic board on my current powermac. But, it just was not cost effective in comparison to a Mac Mini.

I had already installed new fans in my powermac, upgraded the RAM to 1GB and installed a faster hard drive over the past few years. It still felt slow.

Even though I would have liked to wait another year or so to pick up a used Mac Pro, I felt that it would be best to unload the powermac now, while it still has some value.

I also wanted to be able to pick something up on my terms rather than have something happen to the logic board and be forced to make a decision in a hurry.

I ended up listing the tower on Craigslist alone as well as with the monitor. I figured if I had some bites on the package then I would just sell them both and pick up a new iMac 24."

I didn't get much interest in the package deal so I sold the tower alone and picked up an open box Intel Mac Mini Core Duo 1.66 from the Apple store for $539. Then upgraded the RAM to 2GB. Between the RAM and the mini I only spent $125 more than I got for the powermac plus I still have my 250GB 7200 external drive which is an upgrade over the mini's.

Time will tell if I made the right decision. But I figure if I want to upgrade again in a year or so that this option was the most cost effective.

As more applications go universal I think the value/performance ratio of the mini would exceed that of my trusty powermac.

The only question I have now is whether I should stick with CS until CS3 or should I just buy the windows CS2 now.

I understand why you wanted to get some newer hardware. A mac mini is a fine choice and cost effective too! I am glad you were able to upgrade the speed of your computer situation for so little, well done. You have plenty of power inside of that mini for years to come!

Remember to post some pics of your setup, I believe all of us would like to see.

Cheers.