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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > What to do with an old G4...

What to do with an old G4...
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N228UA
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Japan
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Jan 27, 2008, 10:51 AM
 
Hi Everyone,

I have an old G4 PowerMac lying around and I'm wondering how I can put it to good use. It has a single 400Mhz G4 CPU, 1Gb RAM and a 120Gb hard disk. I'm running Tiger on it but it's too slow to be really useful.

Any suggestions are welcome!

Cheers
MacBook C2D, PowerMac G4, PowerBook G4, Mini G4
     
AppleGirl1990
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Join Date: Jan 2008
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Jan 27, 2008, 12:13 PM
 
Donate it to a local school. I'm sure its good enough for basic word processing.
MAC PRO: Two 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 processors
ATI Radeon HD 4870 with 512MB of GDDR5 memory
1600MHz, 64-bit dual independent frontside bus
16 Gigs (4x4) of 800MHz DDR2 memory
     
Cold Warrior
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Polwaristan
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Jan 27, 2008, 12:34 PM
 
Yeah, donate it, then write it off on your taxes (if they do that in Japan).
     
glideslope
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: NY
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Jan 27, 2008, 06:16 PM
 
Start a shrine in your basement. I have all my old Apple's on shelves covered, in chronological order starting with my IIe (most are fried.) Besides, these days the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation fills schools with Free Vista PC's.
To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.”
Sun Tzu
     
EndlessMac
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Jan 28, 2008, 12:49 AM
 
If no one is willing to take it and you can't find any other uses for it then just get it recycled. I hate all the space my old computers take up so I would rather recycle them instead of trying to find a use for them.
     
krillbee
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Join Date: Nov 2005
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Jan 28, 2008, 12:55 AM
 
n228ua,
I wouldnt mind a g4 power mac
Right now I dont have a mac, and im working on getting one, but I dont want to spend too much.

Point being, either me or someone else would be interested in buying it. If you don't like shipping stuff or doing ebay, there is always craigslist too.
     
mr. burns
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Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: California
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Jan 28, 2008, 01:22 AM
 
when i got my mac pro, i donated my old gigabit dual G4 to my dad. with plenty of ram and my old 19" CRT, it was a huge upgrade over his ruby red imac. for the random web surfing and email that he does, it's plenty fast.

not all who wander are lost.
     
DrBoar
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Stockholm Sweden
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Jan 28, 2008, 05:56 AM
 
I am giving one G4/400 to an old friend, now retired that never have had a computer. For web browsing, internet radio, email and such it will work fine. I will even try youtube before I hand it over.
     
ajprice
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Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: UK
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Jan 28, 2008, 07:30 AM
 

It'll be much easier if you just comply.
     
Tesselator
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Jan 28, 2008, 08:46 PM
 
Put a TV tuner in it and hook it up to your big-screen TV as a dedicated TV/Movie controller. Tivo on steroids! It has networking so you can link it up to your new mac and watch all those torrent movies and porn you downloaded right there in your livingroom. Or set it on the street and let the sodai-gomi hunters fight over it.
     
Lord Zedd
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Jan 29, 2008, 09:06 AM
 
Sell it on Craigslist for $40
     
idykenano
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Join Date: Feb 2007
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Feb 1, 2008, 11:05 PM
 
My main computer is a 450mhz sawtooth, and it certainly pulls its weight for a college student. I am a chemistry/computer science major, so my major computer needs are:
- papers
- internet
- lightweight molecular visualization programs
- programming
It's not the macbook I pine over, but the old G4's are certainly workhorses despite their showing age.
     
tr
Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Columbus, Ohio
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Feb 2, 2008, 12:57 PM
 
i am also using a sawtooth 450mhz as my main machine (along with a G3 700mhz iBook). yes, i live in the past , but honestly, i can't afford anything new. and what i have works fine for me. my sawtooth is maxed out in RAM, with 5 hard drives, Radeon 8500, running Tiger. i use CS2 (mainly illustrator and photoshop) regularly, along with the normal web surfing/email/MS Office.

i figure when i'm able to get a new machine, i'll try to get a processor upgrade, then use it as a server/time machine.

tr
     
   
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