867 vs. 500 mhz which is faster

[crazyfortech]

I have a dual 500mhz powermac now, I was wondering how much faster a single or dual 867 (quicksilver or mirrod) would be? I don't think it would be super faster but how much??

thanks

 

[yippy]

A dual 867 mirrored will be noticeably faster as there are more things faster about it than just the processor. Such as the front side bus and stock graphics card.

Not sure about the 867Mhz quicksilver though, it probably depends what you are doing.

 

[aquajet]

You could take a look at the xbench comparison site located here. That'll give you an idea.

 

[velocityg4]

When I still had a G4 Powermac Digital Audio it had come with a single 466mhz processor. Later I upgraded it to a single 800mhz processor and their was quite a speed boost. Now this was just a processor upgrade. Like Yippy said there are motherboard improvements as well.

Programs that I used then were Office v.X, Photoshop 7.0, Netscape (6 or 7), and iTunes. The new processor helped with load times and made quicker at executing commands. I would say the Dual 867 will be 40-50% faster. A single 867 may seem slower if you multitask. Neither will seem faster if you don't have enough ram.

Here is a real world comparison of a Dual 533 and Dual 800 done by MacWorld.

 

[crazyfortech]

well would a mac mini be faster then a dual 867? should I just get a mac mini intel instead

 

[Eidorian]

well would a mac mini be faster then a dual 867? should I just get a mac mini intel instead

Unless you're going to use PowerPC applications the Intel Mini would be faster.

 

[crazyfortech]

well I hope to use final cut express, ilife 2006, photoshop, office, and garage band. I'm really stuck I'm not sure what I should do?
How much do you think I could get for my powermac? dual 500 512 40gb tiger

 

[dmw007]

As others have stated, you should notice a decent improvement in performance. I would recommend going to dual 867MHz G4s, not the single G4 however.

 

[dmw007]

well would a mac mini be faster then a dual 867? should I just get a mac mini intel instead

When the Intel Mac Minis come out, they would probably be a better computer for you. iLife '06 is universal, so it will perform at native speeds.

 

[crazyfortech]

should I sell the powermac quick and wait till tuesday when the mac mini intels are released

 

[crazyfortech]

how much for the powermac?

 

[Eidorian]

how much for the powermac?

US$450-550 for a Dual 500 MHz G4.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Wait till Tuesday and see what shows up...the new Mini is still only a rumor, but if it is released it will be a nice option to be sure.

My Digital Audio G4 was originally a dual 533, and in that config it was as fast or faster than a single 733. buying a whole new G4 would be less cost effective than just getting a 1GHz CPU upgrade for your dual 500 IMHO - the 33MHz faster bus in the later MDD G4s is only a very marginal improvement in most cases.

A dual 867 G4 will be a nice step up, but for the same price you could upgrade the CPU, video card and RAM in your existing G4, which will then b e as fast or faster than a newer G4. The choice is yours...

 

[crazyfortech]

I should be able to sell it for 450? wow that would be really good! I didn't even pay that much for it only 260.00! I also forgot it has airport and 5 extra usb ports!

 

[crazyfortech]

well then if I can sell it for that I will get a new mac mini, I thought about it before, but I'm not sure of the expandability of the mac mini

 

[Eidorian]

I should be able to sell it for 450? wow that would be really good! I didn't even pay that much for it only 260.00! I also forgot it has airport and 5 extra usb ports!

Yeah those are some nice features. Can you hold out until Tuesday? I also agree with Lord Blackadder's CPU upgrade option. Upgraded machines get really good performance compared to newer Power Macs. It's just how much money, time, effort, you're willing to spend on it.

If you're not tied down to PowerPC applications or aren't a power user then a Mac Mini G4/Intel would be just fine. We just got a 1.5 GHz model today.

The expansion is the only issue with Mini though.

 

[crazyfortech]

well do you think i should switch? I really would love the new technology! I"m just dreaming about it, I think I can wait untill tuesday, but I'm just worried that the mac mini won't be really fast? but i think my g4 dual is really fast and stuff.

well if that happens will the signifantly make my powermac cheaper

well then if i get that I get ilife free and get to use my dvi moniter! I don't really think i will need the extra expansion thing for everything, well if i can get that much for that i'm going to sell are you sure thats how much they get? the specs are

dual 500 mhz
512 RAM
40 gb harddrive
airport
5 extra usb ports
dvd drive
one original usb port is broken though I don't think that will matter )


that would be awesome if i could get that much !

thanks

 

[Eidorian]

Power Mac G4 $500
USB Ports (2.0?) $20
Airport $50


Just some guesses.

 

[crazyfortech]

lots of the powermac g4 on ebay only like go for like 300.00 ?

and there dual too!

(I actually bought if off eBay )

 

[Eidorian]

lots of the powermac g4 on ebay only like go for like 300.00 ?

and there dual too!

(I actually bought if off eBay )

That is surprising. I'm not one to trust Ebay prices.

http://www.lowendmac.com/ppc/deals.html

Make your own decision here. I think my estimate was a bit high too.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Used G4 prices actually went up a little when the Mac Mini first came out, due to increased interest in the Mac. Since then prices have stabilized, but the resale value on G4 towers remains pretty healthy, especially the duals.

Right now the reseller prices on a dual 500MHz G4 are anywhere from $500 to insane prices like at PowerMax, which wants $900 for one. They do a little refurbishing, offer a warranty and have huge profit margins, plus a snazzy website. DVWarehouse has a nice selection of used G4s (including Cubes) at average reseller prices. But the reseller prices are always well above what you could realistically expect to get by selling your Mac.

Expect to sell your G4 on ebay for maybe $300 or so if it has the factory stock video card or equivalent. Seriously though, the rumored new Mini (when it shows up) will probably blow any G4 tower away. As long as you don't need the expandability of a tower the x86-powered Mini is the only way to fly for people looking for a cheap Mac (plus you'll get Tiger, iLife '06 and maybe even Front Row).

 

[crazyfortech]

DANG

I'm really mad. I thought I would of got 450.00 ? Well now I'm not sure what to do, I could buy an intel mac mini? OR I could keep my powermac for 2 more years so it can be a slow old junk? Will I get my money out of it? I paid 264.00 for it, then a 12.00 5 port pci card, then a 20.00 motorola pci like airport thing, then 79.00 for tiger , I think I may be able to resell tiger,

thanks

I really wanted the mac mini, it would be a NEW computer!

 

[blackfox]

Just to throw the idea in the ring - you can find a rev a (or perhaps b) iMac G5 for around $800.

As the owner of a rev b, I can say they are damn fine machines.

for your consideration...

 

[crazyfortech]

well the iMac really I don't want, I already have a brand new dell ultrasharp 17" display. If I'm going to get a different computer I'm going to get a mac mini, I'm just not sure I'll get what I paid for my mac, and I'll have to wait like 2 months after that to get the funds

 

[crazyfortech]

Well do you think I'll get what I paid for it?

I paid 300.00 w/ shipping. 300.00

I added 5 more usb ports. 12.00

I added a motorola pci wireless card 15.00

Tiger 70.00