[©öñFü$íóÑ]

I have the iMac G3-333.... actually the Rev. "D" (TRAY-loading model).... and I'm running OS 10.3.9 Panther on it. The RAM and HDD were both upgraded to 512MB and 30GB, respectively.... for pretty much nothing (got them all for free and in working order).

So now I'm wondering which CPU upgrade you would all recommend for the best performance in Panther...

Would it be:

A) XLR8 400 MAChSpeed G4 iMac Tray

or

B) Sonnet HARMONi G3/600 (with FireWire)


Would a 400MHz G4 upgrade beat a 600MHz G3 upgrade? Please, remember that whichever one you choose, the recipient computer will be my iMac G3/333MHz which has only a 66MHz bus (according to "www.LowEndMac.com").

Reasonable potential tests would include:
1) watching YouTube videos
2) Occasionally playing QIII-Arena or similar games from the late-90's/early 2000's era.
3) Handling moderate to moderately large Photoshop documents, particularly full-sized scanned 8.5"x11" inch pages at 600dpi or slightly higher.

[chichow]

Your going to be GPU limited for most of your tasks.

For photoshop, I'd go with the G4

[Veltliner]

Why don't you get a refurbished 20" iMac?

Even thinking of using a G3 for Photoshop now (or maybe you're still running Photoshop 4.0)?

Seriously, you don't need the latest or fastest, but why work in a museum?

[stevebez]

welovemacs has a "refurb" harmony for $80. That is the way I'd go. Any more $$$ and I'd start saving for an eMac.

[OreoCookie]

I wouldn't put any upgrades into a machine that old, if you want a machine for old games and all, you might be able to find a cheap G4 tower or a G4 iMac. Especially the displays are a real PITA compared to today's lcds.

[imitchellg5]

Don't upgrade it at all. It would have been better to just get a G4 tower.

[dimmer]

The only major difference in the G4 from the G3 is the "Velocity Engine": when software supports/uses it the results can be very good (Photoshop, for example, will use the VE). Outside of those applications, a faster G3 will do better than a slower G4. So pretty much decide if you are using the system primarily for Photoshop or for other things.

That said, I'd go along with the consensus that pouring more money into a system of that age is probably not a good idea. A Mac Mini will run rings around the iMac, no matter what you are trying to do with it.

[©öñFü$íóÑ]

thanks for all your inputs, so far.

I currently have no intention of spending over $200 for a new computer, since I already have 3 (which includes the free iMac g3).

But check it out... All I'll end up paying for is $99 for a G4 upgrade (not including shipping/handling). That would make the old G3/333 iMac into a pretty decent, *bare-bones* workstation and would turn an "already-basic" internet browsing machine into something a bit more responsive.

heh... i never intended to be a graphics/dtp pro or anything like that.... but just wanted to make a cheap and reliable "back-up" Mac to fall back to when my faster computer is in use by my other family members.

Right now, it currently serves as the livingroom's radio (with subwoofer and external speakers, mind you) and a "familiar" and intuitive "hub" to connect my family's digital cameras to whenever they want to transfer their photos to wherever they want them to go, all while my own personal, faster PC is busy doing other important things like playing Team Fortress 2 or playing an online game of Street Fighter III Third Strike. With the G4 upgrade, they can do those things just a bit faster, without me having to bring out Mr. Checkbook. It's even got Photoshop for my folks or whoever visits my place to do some basic picture editing, or just to draw with the good-old USB tablet (salvaged from my other dead PC).

I love Macs, but I refuse to pay a premium for the latest and greatest, when I really don't have the -absolute- need just yet, and especially when an older Mac can do the job just fine. Sure it's a bit slow, but hey.... precious gas money!

Sure, I mentioned YouTube and QuakeIII....... but come on, everybody....... I don't aim to pamper my family/guests! hahah!

[The Godfather]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813135068 if you can make it fit (9.6"x8.6")
and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115052
The C2D+GMA950 ought to be the most compatible combo for OSX.

[ibook_steve]

I think I speak for everyone when I say, "Huh?"

Unless this is supposed to be a joke...

Steve

[branden3112]

Originally Posted by ibook_steve 

I think I speak for everyone when I say, "Huh?"

Unless this is supposed to be a joke...

Steve

thats exactly what i said when i saw his post.

[©öñFü$íóÑ]

lol, if i wanted an Intel iMac, i would've just went out and bought one.... but nah... seriously, I just wanted to get the most out of the computers I already have...... just because I want to. (no more, no less)

[The Godfather]

I thought you were on a budget

How much bigger is a new Intel mobo (9"x8") vs an original iMac mobo?

If it fits, why not save a few hundred bucks by going the cheaper route.
At least that way, your iMac will be able to play youtube videos* and run the latest OSX.
Seriously, I have no idea how expensive these iMac upgrades are. Aren't they upwards of $300?

*The G4 was originally marketed as being twice as fast as a similarly clocked Pentium II, and my 1.7GHz P4 goes to 90% CPU when playing a youtube video under Ubuntu. Now, if someone with a 400MHz G4 empirically proves that you can watch youtube videos with that CPU, I'll shut up once and for all about this topic.

[ibook_steve]

Um, yeah. You can't just take an Intel motherboard, somehow shoehorn it into an old iMac and assume it will run Mac OS X hunky dorry. Connectors, case dimensions, interfaces, etc. are all completely different.

The real upgrade I saw was $99, which isn't bad if you really can't part with this iMac. The G4 would be the way to go.

Steve

[sek929]

Originally Posted by The Godfather 

Now, if someone with a 400MHz G4 empirically proves that you can watch youtube videos with that CPU, I'll shut up once and for all about this topic.

My 733 G4 with 1.5GB of ram could run youtube videos at low quality.....if there weren't any ads on the page. So I'd say a 400 would suck total balls.

[Big Mac]

Of course, Flash is a really bad example because it sucks speed-wise on the platform.

[The Godfather]

Originally Posted by ibook_steve 

Um, yeah. You can't just take an Intel motherboard, somehow shoehorn it into an old iMac and assume it will run Mac OS X hunky dorry. Connectors, case dimensions, interfaces, etc. are all completely different.

The real upgrade I saw was $99, which isn't bad if you really can't part with this iMac. The G4 would be the way to go.

Steve

It would be a modding job, obviously.

[chichow]

agreed!!!

Had an old g4 laptop and it was terrible

[idykenano]

even with over a gig of ram my 450mhz g4 wasn't great with online video content. sadtimes.

[©öñFü$íóÑ]

well... it's a good thing I don't spend -that much- time on YouTube anyway.

But at least, a proc. upgrade would make viewing sites like Facebook, MySpace, Google Maps, and hell... even my local TV news station a bit less 'jerky'. Man... even GMail's sluggish just rendering on the screen..... like, I know it's all loaded into memory and sh!t, but you know how websites these days just can't live without Javascript/Flash/Java/CSS.

Man... speaking of which, view a web page with just pure HTML, on a 60MHz Performa, 16 MB RAM, 56k modem....... that sh!t gonna FLY!!! hahahahah!!

[P]

Originally Posted by The Godfather 

It would be a modding job, obviously.

Ya think?

If you can manage to wire up the display and powersupply somehow, you still have to fit the processor heatsink in somewhere. The G3 in my (slightly newer) iMac runs at 3.5W and has only a very basic heatspreader. That CPU you linked has a TDP of 65W. Even assuming that his older model uses twice that, it's still using just over a tenth of the energy of a new Core 2 Duo.

Only way I see that happening is by throwing out the entire inside of the machine, replace the display with a new LCD and use the space behind it for a regular ATX PSU and cooling. At that point, it would cost slightly more than those $99.

I don't think upgrading a machine that old is economically viable. It won't make much of a difference for what you're doing. Save your money and get a new Mac when you can afford it.

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally Posted by P 

Save your money and get a new Mac when you can afford it.

Agreed.