Used mac, and osx panther


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Hey

I want to buy a mac, but they are to expensive.. so i want to buy a used mac..

So what is the minimum requirements for panther, well yeah i know G3, G4 or G5 but what about mhz ?

Would Panther run stabile and okay on a 400 mhz G4, with 512 MB SD-PC100 Memory ?

I think the grafic card would be ATI rage 128 pro or something like that..

I dont know what type/model the machine is, Power Mac G3/4, iMac or eMac... i will first know that when i call the owner and i will only do that when i got the money...

The only thing i would be using it for, is web surfing, chatting, hear music and testing some mac things, and just learning how a mac is working and running as a system :)

SAMeAiM

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I forgot...

40 Gig, 320 mb ram (i will upgrade to 512 if i buy it), DVD Drive - 2x USB and 2x Firewire - and one 56k modem..

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400MHz G4 would be fine, but I'd personally try for 500MHz G4 or higher...

Especially try for one with AGP graphics, so that Quartz Extreme can be utilized (16MB minimum necessary)

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Well, u see...

I already got the pc'es i want :)

I got my main pc, i got my server pc and i got my laptop pc :)

Sooo u might see why i want to try a mac as a system in my own home (my parrents home then :/)

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Anyway, SAMEeAiM, any G4 over 400-450MHz should run fine. I had a 450MHz G4 Cube that was a bit sluggish, but great non-the-less. Your Expos? experience will be slow with a Rage 128 Pro, and you won't take all the advantages of Quartz Extreme (so I recommend upgrading that:pp) but the rest should be fine. Oh, and don't forget to load up on RAM. Makes it that much better.:DD

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what gfx card would be recommend ?

As i say the only thing that i want to use the mac system for is;

The only thing i would be using it for, is web surfing, chatting, hear music and testing some mac things, and just learning how a mac is working and running as a system :D

So no movies or games... my main pc will be handling this :)

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As for the topic in had. Buddy, i run Panther on a 500MHz G4, works fine for me. I am quite happy with it. Just get a decent AGP Graphics card, something Quartz Extreme capable, and plenty of RAM. Like you say, a CPU upgrade is possible later. I am thinking about that right now actually... :p

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Another thing...

Would i be able to upgrade the singe cpu to a dual with the Encore/ST G4 Duet ?, or do the mac already need to be a dual before i can use the Encore/ST G4 Duet ?

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Would Panther run stabile and okay on a 400 mhz G4, with 512 MB SD-PC100 Memory ?

Should work fine, I used panther on a 400mhz G4 and it worked pretty well actually, I even got close to 7x rip speeds in iTunes which is about the same as my 900mhz G3 iBook.

Edited by timdorr
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The Encore/ST G4 Duet you mentioned seems only compatable with certain models:

Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics)*?

Power Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)*

Macintosh Server G4*

That's what I read anyway on the manufacturers website, and as specific as I can find. I'll keep looking for yo:):)

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The Encore/ST G4 Duet is an upgrade card, so I guess it simply plugs right in to your processor slot and you?re up and away. You don't need to have a dual system already; this card "upgrades" it to a dual syste:):) But remember, it has to be a compatible model. When you find the Mac you're going to buy E-mail the support staff on the manufacturer?s site to check if it is compatible: P

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From what i understand from the website. It does not need to be a dual machine for you to install the card

But you better email or call them to be sure. What is your budget like? Actually a eMac would suit you pretty well

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Uhhh, thats sound nice man :D :D

I just need a bunch of money then :)

But i will surely buy an upgrade card with atleast 1 single 800mhz or dual 800mhz (depends on the money)

So i should go after the Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics) ?

Well, i will buy the mac in April, about the 20 i think or something like that (ill get my money about that date)

But surely after some time, when i get some more money i will upgrade it...

Im justing looking rigth now, just to see what peaple does sell..

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Back on topic, my advice is to not aim to go upgrading the CPU. It just adds extra cost for mariginal performance gains. Add more RAM, and an AGP graphics card. As you said it's only going to be used for web & audio uses, so a dual G4 won't improve these much... But that's just my opinion, it's your money :D

Edited by timdorr
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Well, u might know if u first like a system and really like then u cant stop using it and u just need faster systems :D

So ofcurse i will only use money on the system if i really like it, and the only way to find out is to try :D

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This is just a rumour, and not confirmed by Apple yet, but eMacs will be updated to a G5. As you might know already the G5 is vastly superior to any G4 out on the market, so if you can wait that long then you'll ultimatly have a much nicer machine to play with :)

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I'd be quite interested to see people's sources on these G5 rumours. Take a look at a Power Mac G5 sometime, and see how the case has been designed, it needs to be that way to keep the thing from overheating. Unless the new revisions of the G5 are so much cooler than the ones in the current Power Macs, there's no way they could possibly get the airflow or fan cooling they need from the form factor of an iMac, eMac or Powerbook. It just doesn't fit.

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Thread cleaned of flaming/trolling. Let's keep this clean for SAMeAiM's sake. I'll deal with those involved with the "problem".

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I'd be quite interested to see people's sources on these G5 rumours. Take a look at a Power Mac G5 sometime, and see how the case has been designed, it needs to be that way to keep the thing from overheating.

The G5 needs too be cooled to keep it from over heating just like any other chip. Apple went overboard with fans and thermal zones to keep the thing quiet - not because it really needs 8 fans running full tilt 24/7. The total heat output of both chips in 2ghz powermac put out less head than a single high end p4. The single 1.6 ghz model TOTAL (hard drives, video card, processor, etc) uses 120w which is as much as a Prescot class P4 processor ONLY uses.

Heat isn't a huge issue in G5 systems now, and they're using 0.13 micron chips.

It's quiet conceivable that you could use a more typical 5 or 6 fan setup:

1 - powersupply

2/3 - processors

4 - video card

5 - blowing air out the back

6 - optionally pulling air in the front

But then the G5 would be just as loud and obtrusive as a typical high end PC.

Unless the new revisions of the G5 are so much cooler than the ones in the current Power Macs
The new G5s in the xServe use about 25w typical and an estimated 50w max at 2 ghz. That's half what the G4 in there now uses. This is due to the process change - IBM is fabricating the new processors at 0.09 microns: Small parts = less power consumption = less heat.
there's no way they could possibly get the airflow or fan cooling they need from the form factor of an iMac, eMac or Powerbook.

Apple tends to agree on the powerbook but the design specs are different for the emacs and iMacs Powerbooks and iBooks use processors that consume ~15w or less typical - so the .13 G5s are definitely out, and the .09s are too demanding at 2ghz. A powerbook has to last 4 hours+ running on battery. Using the dinky 45w/hr batteries apple is fond of lately that limits them to 10-12w/hour running everything. iMacs and eMacs are plugged into the wall, have massive interior space (compared to a powerbook) and weight isn't an issue

It just doesn't fit.

physical dimensions? It's smaller than the G4

power needs? The .09 is on par with the G4

Better places to look would be:

1) Cost of the G5: is it really cheap enough to put in the emac?

2) power requirements of other components: fast memory, sata drives, and the system controller eats 30w

3) demand: why engineer a new product when the current one is selling just fine

4) marketing concerns: if G5 emacs are available, would people shy away from buying the considerably more profitable powermacs?

5) customer needs: do the places buying emacs (target market is schools) need or want faster chips?

If you only look at the power requirements (and the related heat requirements) of a G5 vs G4 then you'll find things are easier with the .09 micron G5 than with the G4s being used today.

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If I were you, I'd get an eMac. I mean, you'll spend about what... $400-$500 on a G4, then another $400-$500 on a upgrade, then another $100+ on a video card, then another $100+ on RAM...

In my honest opinion... just get an eMac and save yourself from having to spend over $1000-$1300+ on an older G4 system. Plus it will come with all the latest things from Apple, such as Panther and iLife 04.

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