Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Mac Mini or Powermac G4

SteveS

SteveS

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 21, 2005
11
0
Hello

My first post here.

I am a PC user. I would to try and learn a Mac. :D My question is which is better for a low budget setup. A Mac Mini 1.25 or a G4 Powermac dual 1.2 processors with 1 gig ram,super drive and ATI 7000 video card. The powermac has a 133 mhz bus and the Mini is 167 bus. I plan to run Photoshop CS also Phase One C1pro and process digital photos.
 
I find it hard to imagine that you'll get a Power Mac with those specs for the same price as a Mac Mini, but if you do, congrats on a good find.

Keep in mind that either way you shouldn't expect to be cruising around with layers and filters processing instantly - you ARE talking about the current bare minimum system versus a 3 year old workstation, but you will definitely be happy with the Mac platform once you give it a shot.

If I were you, I would take the Power Mac, throw in a Radeon 8500 (roughly $70 on eBay,) and call it a day. That's still a great machine, but that video card was totally the last one picked during gym class.
 
I'd get the Powermac if it was the same price as a Mini. But if it's not; make sure it is still A LOT cheaper than an iMac G5, otherwise, go with the iMac.
 
Chasealicious said:
I find it hard to imagine that you'll get a Power Mac with those specs for the same price as a Mac Mini, but if you do, congrats on a good find.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the Dual 1.25GHz G4s are still going for pretty high on eBay. I doubt you could find one for the same price as a mini.

The Dual 1.25 will definitely be faster than the mini, but the mini will have a warranty. That's something to think about there, too.
 
If you can't find the Power Mac for a good price, you could always buy a Mac mini and an external drive to install OS X on. The 7200RPM hard drive would make it feel like you are using a Power Mac G4. But keep in mind, other upgrades are very limited, like the video card. Do whatever you think is best. If you're interested in a Mac mini, I suggest waiting until MacWorld 2006 on January 9th. A Yonah-equipped mini would definitely be an awesome starter machine. Good luck with the hunting!
 
Personally I would buy the used Powermac G4 - they are a better computer for the person who likes to tinker.

For the same money, a Mac Mini will have an equal or faster CPU, slower hard drive, wireless, and less expandability.
 
Well I hope I made the right move. I was going to get a iMac G5. I instead got a Powermac G4 Dual 1.25 with 2 gig ram.Combo drive,8x superdrive and 2 160 harddrives. All for 900.00 All that i read the G4 DP will beat the the early G5 iMac in Photoshop and many other programs. Plus i did not want to get stuck with a intergrated monitor. This has Applecare for another 6 months. I still have a 3.0ghz PC so I will have the both systems.
 
That's a pretty good deal for what you got. You may want to upgrade the video card at some point (depending on what it has) but beyond that you're pretty set.

I too am not so much a fan of all-in-one desktops.
 
The Power Mac will blow the mini out of the water with both speed and expandability right out of the box. A few weeks ago, I was playing around with a 1.42 GHz mini upgraded with 1 GB of RAM, and I couldn't bear the slowness of it compared to my Power Mac. Dual processors make a huuuuuge difference in OS X, you have to experience it to know what I'm talking about. Plus, you get the ability to upgrade the PM as far as you want to, while the mini can be upgraded in the RAM department and that's about it. Go with the PM, you won't be disappointed.
 
EricNau said:
I wasn't either until I got one. ;) :p :cool:
Click to expand...

I don't dislike all-in-ones pre se, but after having display problems with my CRT iMac I've decided to stick with Powermac towers from now on. More importantly, I've found that I'm too much of a tinkerer to buy a computer I can't open up and expand. It's hard to beat the compactness and neatness of an AIO though.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
That's a pretty good deal for what you got. You may want to upgrade the video card at some point (depending on what it has) but beyond that you're pretty set.

I too am not so much a fan of all-in-one desktops.
Click to expand...
Agreed
 
my vote is for powermac g4
way faster more expandable
you can have processors with 2mb of L3 cache in them (give it a big spped boot)

can you put a ATI 9800 pro mac ed. in a mac mini i dont think so
if you want to do anything else besides surf the web and listen to music you better get a powermac g4 or else you will be sory because everything will be super slow

good luck in your purchases, i hope you make the right decision ;)
 
I would hold off till January 10th on ANY single processor G4 purchases.
I understand you're looking at a dual G4 tower and they are great machines
but much could change in the current lineup at MWSF.
 
FFTT said:
I would hold off till January 10th on ANY single processor G4 purchases.
I understand you're looking at a dual G4 tower and they are great machines
but much could change in the current lineup at MWSF.
Click to expand...

i had thought the same thing as i am buying some upgrades for my sawtooth ... but a REV A of a complete architectural switch just doesn't appeal to me -- i'de rather buy the upgrades now ... and wait for the Rev B's
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back