Use for the original Mini?

[Micky Do]

I have my first Mac Mini (early 2005 G4, up graded to 500 kb RAM in 2007 so I could use a wireless modem) sitting in a cupboard, crippled and unused. It came leaded with Tiger (which had just been released) and the trial Office for Mac "cracked". I didn't know what "cracked" meant at the time, but became aware that I could continue to use Office after the trial period was over, without paying the licence fee.

In 2009 the HDD packed up, and the power supply needed replacing (having suffered the ravages of a widely fluctuating mains voltage, a UPS without AVR, and no earth; all since rectified). Repair and buying a legit copy of Office for Mac would have set me back half the cost of a new Mini, so I went new. I am still well pleased with the early 2009 Mini, now loaded with Mountain Lion.

Now I am probably not far off moving on. Should I just chuck the G4 Mini, or should I take it with me, get it repaired, and put it back to use?

If the latter, does anybody have any interesting suggestions on how I could use it?

Could it be loaded with Linux , so I can play around to see how it goes?

 

[GoCubsGo]

Not sure about Linux but do you have a kid? Give it to them. Otherwise, maybe a music server?

 

[aicul]

Are you sure it is a G4 powerPC ?

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I wish I had an answer, but right now my mini is sitting in a box, and it's sole use is to serve as a stand for my SLR :\

 

[California]

Upgrade the ram to full one gig, drop an ssd in it, put Leopard on it, it's totally usable.

But check to see if you didn't get the silent upgrade G4 mac mini 1.5ghz -- it had a 64mb video card as opposed to standard 32mb. I ran a 23" Cinema Display off mine back in the day.

 

[PaulD-UK]

drop an ssd in it, put Leopard on it, it's totally usable.

Hi
How do you fit an SSD to an ATA bus?

 

[Chupa Chupa]

It's great as a music server, esp. if you have an iPad or iPhone w/ the Remote app. (Assuming you also have WiFi).

 

[MechaSpanky]

To me it depends on what you plan to use it for. A music server is a good idea. Replace the hard drive and add some RAM and sell it if nothing else. Or while it wouldn't be a fast computer, I think it would make a good computer for someone with low computer needs (like a parent or a kid). If you have a family member who isn't a hardcore computer user, give it to them.

I have the same computer (an original early 2005 Power PC 1.42 GHz) and it has been performing nicely for me for the past 7 years. That is pretty remarkable for any computer. Sure it isn't a speed demon but it gets the job done. It wouldn't work for many people but for what I use it for, it works.

 

[Paulywauly]

It would still make a fine little iTunes/file/print server if you have other devices in the house which could benefit from such a thing

 

[Micky Do]

Thanks for some ideas, some appropriate for my situation, some not. I live in an apartment here in Phuket. the building does not have a phone line or cable, so my internet connection is by "mobile broadband".

When I do move (probably about Q2 2013) it will be back to New Zealand. My living arrangements will depend on where I land up working. I am likely to be itinerant for a bit, at least. Though i have never been keen on mobile computers. I prefer turn my back on tech when i leave my desk. Heck, I seldom even carry a mobile phone with me. Still I might land up going for a MB Air when I do get back home.

Upgrade the ram to full one gig, drop an ssd in it, put Leopard on it, it's totally usable.

But check to see if you didn't get the silent upgrade G4 mac mini 1.5ghz -- it had a 64mb video card as opposed to standard 32mb. I ran a 23" Cinema Display off mine back in the day.

No silent upgrades; it was originally loaded with Panther, but as Tiger had just come out the guy in the shop told me to came back when he had loaded it for me. He said he would "crack" the Office for Mac too. I had no idea what he was talking about, but took it home, plugged it in, and went straight to work. The last time I had touched a Mac was in 1987.... I hadn't used windows PCs much either. The ones i had used crashed a lot, and hardly seemed worth the hassle.

To me it depends on what you plan to use it for. A music server is a good idea. Replace the hard drive and add some RAM and sell it if nothing else. Or while it wouldn't be a fast computer, I think it would make a good computer for someone with low computer needs (like a parent or a kid). If you have a family member who isn't a hardcore computer user, give it to them.

I have the same computer (an original early 2005 Power PC 1.42 GHz) and it has been performing nicely for me for the past 7 years. That is pretty remarkable for any computer. Sure it isn't a speed demon but it gets the job done. It wouldn't work for many people but for what I use it for, it works.

Give it to a family member is a good idea, but actually my own computing needs are not that great. It is the base model that came with a 1.25 Ghz chip and 20 GB HDD. It served my needs ok but did have some shortcomings, which influenced the decision to buy new instead of repairing the old one at the time. Additionally, I needed something then and there to work on. Fortunately most of my files were backed up, so it was all fairly seamless.

It's great as a music server, esp. if you have an iPad or iPhone w/ the Remote app. (Assuming you also have WiFi).

No, I don't have a suite of tech gear. My Mac Mini with a dongle for mobile broadband, and a base model (monochrome screen) Nokia mobile phone is as far as it goes. For music, I mainly listen to the radio.