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rattusrattus13 · Mar 6, 2007, 05:31 PM

hi folks we just bought our first mac picked up a g4 400mhz processor 512 ram
2 harddrives one 13 gig with os 9 instaled the other 40gig with osx 10.2.3 with origional disk very pleased so far got a pc very high end but left now to kids
if it was not for the kids and wife being weaned on dear I menton it (windblows )a mac would of been my first choice wot I was wondering was would it be worth while up grading what i have to run a newer version of osx as i am realy enjoying learning mac
(i played with a lc11 years ago and wish i kept with mac but expence put us off

Gossamer · Mar 6, 2007, 05:44 PM

Welcome.
What you have is quite capable of running the newest version of Mac OS 10, but more RAM is always a good thing. If I'm not mistaken, your G4 can take 1.5 to 2.0 GB of RAM, but 1 GB should be more than enough for now. At the very least you can download the updates to Mac OS 10.2.8 for free from Apple (in Software Update). Have fun with it!

Goldfinger · Mar 6, 2007, 05:46 PM

Upgrading a 400mhz G4 today ? It's not worth it IMHO. You would've been much better off with the cheap Mac mini. It's modern and 10x as fast.

I would upgrade to 10.3 at least and maybe 10.4 if you can get yourself an extra 512MB stick for cheap somewhere.

::maroma:: · Mar 6, 2007, 05:48 PM

It all depends on your budget. If you can afford upgrading, and it would be worthwhile to you, go for it. You can spend a little money, and upgrade the processor and RAM and maybe a vid card (depending on what model of Mac you got). I got a lot more miles out of my G4 tower by upgrading the processor, RAM, vid card, etc.

Gossamer · Mar 6, 2007, 05:59 PM

Just don't go overboard. You can get a G4 mini for $300-400, so don't spend too much on something that will still have limiting bus and RAM speeds and such.

centerchannel68 · Mar 6, 2007, 06:46 PM

Before upgrading your mac I suggest you upgrade your writing abilties. Seperate ideas into sentences from now on.

mac128k-1984 · Mar 6, 2007, 08:26 PM

Welcome aboard, like any community you get some real winners (Like the post above me.) Just ignore him, post any questions here and start enjoying your mac.

imitchellg5 · Mar 6, 2007, 08:51 PM

Welcome to the family! I have a Mac similar to yours but a bit more upgraded.

Ice33 · Mar 6, 2007, 09:00 PM

I assume this is a tower so I would check to see if it can take a dual processor card. If so dual G4 450's would be about the only investment in upgrades I would take with the exception of maybe some more RAM.

- - e r i k - - · Mar 6, 2007, 09:33 PM

For the price of upgrading you can get a MUCH more capable Mac. Upgrades (apart from RAM) are worthless in most cases. The older the computer is, the more futile it is.

kcmac · Mar 6, 2007, 10:00 PM

Welcome. Just use this one for getting to used to a few things. We run the latest system, 10.4 on our G3 400mhz iMac but it has 1 gig of memory in it. (We also have new stuff but I digress). We can't run the latest version of iTunes but all else seems to run fine.

I would do what some others say however and not spend much if any more on this machine. Once you get sucked into the Apple vortex, you will buy more and more and more. hahaha. You are doomed. hahahaha. But look towards the newer stuff. Especially when Leopard comes out in the next few months. By then, you will feel the need...

Feel free to come back and ask plenty of questions. It is friendly around these parts.

IceEnclosure · Mar 7, 2007, 02:26 AM

Snobs!

Upgrade the ram, this would be pretty cheap if you shop around or buy secondhand. Free updates to 10.2.8 and you have a great machine. A $50-ish hard drive sale at Best Buy would get you a nice 120 gig(or less) HD too.

I've got a G4 533, Tiger, 120 Gig/120 Gig/80 Gig HDs, Pioneer DVR-109 SuperDrive, 640MB of ram(was maxed out but now at 640). I don't consider anything I've ever purchased for my computer to be a waste of time or money. I'm working on picking up a MacBook within a few months, and this machine will continue to be useful at home. Might pick up a cheap processor upgrade if I find one around.

Buying a $600-$2000 computer in one shot is different than, and more difficult than upgrading a computer you already have, or a computer you picked up on the cheap.

Big Mac · Mar 7, 2007, 04:16 AM

I agree with IceEnclosure. While one should not go overboard on upgrades, they're definitely not a waste. There's no reason to buy a brand spanking new machine if you can get a good deal on a used one and can accept its limitations. I am actually thinking of buying a G3 upgrade card for my 8600 and putting it back into use.

MOTHERWELL · Mar 7, 2007, 04:48 AM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Before upgrading your mac I suggest you upgrade your writing abilties. Seperate ideas into sentences from now on.

Way to make a new guy feel welcome. ***hole.

Gossamer · Mar 7, 2007, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

I agree with IceEnclosure. While one should not go overboard on upgrades, they're definitely not a waste. There's no reason to buy a brand spanking new machine if you can get a good deal on a used one and can accept its limitations. I am actually thinking of buying a G3 upgrade card for my 8600 and putting it back into use.

Buying an actual G3 would be much cheaper. You can easily find a B&W G3 for $50-75.

Big Mac · Mar 7, 2007, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Gossamer

Buying an actual G3 would be much cheaper. You can easily find a B&W G3 for $50-75.

True, but the point is to put back into use what I already own and do not plan to part with any time soon.

SirCastor · Mar 7, 2007, 11:06 AM

There are people who say Don't upgrade, and others who say do. Both are right frankly, as both arguments make a lot of sense.

I have the same machine as you. I've probably spent about $700 upgrading it over the past 7 years when I originally bought it. Ram, Processor, Video card, hard drives, optical drive, the works. $700 will buy you a new Mac Mini, which is a good machine. I've reached the end of the upgrade cycle for the Sawtooth, there's not much point in spending any more trying to get it to go faster or perform better. It's not worth spending the money for the results.

For what it's worth, I ran 10.4 on a G4/400 with 896MB of Ram, and it ran just fine (A little slow sometimes).

So my advice is as follows: If you've got the cash, buy a new machine. If you don't and only have smaller chunks of Money, upgrade your machine. I suspect that it'll last you another couple years before it really starts seeing problems with new software.

Doofy · 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Before upgrading your mac I suggest you upgrade your writing abilties. Seperate ideas into sentences from now on.

1) It's Mac, not mac.

2) It's abilities, not abilties.

------

Welcome, Rattus. And congrats on your Mac.

design219 · Mar 7, 2007, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68
Before upgrading your mac I suggest you upgrade your writing abilties. Seperate ideas into sentences from now on.
1) It's Mac, not Mac.

2) It's abilities, not abilties.

HAHAHAHAHa

Welcome as well. As you can see, subject seem to drift in this forum. For instance, would you like to help save the Coochy Poo?

rattusrattus13 · Mar 7, 2007, 05:34 PM

we live in the uk and the g4 was silly cheep, allways a good excuse to try a good pice of kit out (just fussy with women) lol ,thanks for all your comments, ps and I dont take offence easy I just use this fraze dilligaf lol ,big ps don free updates.

peeb · Mar 7, 2007, 06:05 PM

Enjoy it, don't spend too much on upgrades, and, when you're hooked, get a modern mini or somesuch that has the latest OS and iLife with it, and comes with more RAM! Welcome!

aristotles · Mar 7, 2007, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Before upgrading your mac I suggest you upgrade your writing abilties. Seperate ideas into sentences from now on.

How about returning your current personality to the Jerk store and go find a more human one elsewhere.

marden · 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by MOTHERWELL

Way to make a new guy feel welcome. ***hole.

Like you weren't also THINKING of mentioning it?

By the way new guy, centerchannel68 misspelled the word, 'separate.' Give him a taste of his own medicine.

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Before upgrading your mac I suggest you upgrade your writing abilties. Seperate ideas into sentences from now on.

Gossamer · Mar 7, 2007, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by aristotles

How about returning your current personality to the Jerk store and go find a more human one elsewhere.

/Seinfeld