What Can You Do With a PowerPC Mac?

[z970]

@lepidotós The Intel 945 chipset (which can go up to at least a Core 2 Duo) is the last chipset where the ME / AMT does not exist anywhere in any capacity whatsoever. And even then, the Intel P965 and P35 / X38 chipsets do not contain any traces of the ME (or AMT, which is a subset of the ME) either unless the southbridge chip in question is the Digital Office (Q965 / Q35) varient, which is the only version that contains the ME and is then capable (but not to an intrinsic degree) of using the bundled AMT module at all, and even so, there still exist ways to circumvent its ability to phone home.

From what I understand (but have not recently verified; so my memory may be fuzzy on this), the P45 / X48 chipsets (save for one specific ME-free variant) appear to contain the ME by default for offline system operation purposes, but not the AMT module, making the Q45 chipset the only version of that family that carries the potential to be dangerous (which again, can still be easily circumvented if necessary). In contrast, all X58 / Nehalem-based systems may contain both the ME and AMT module by default, but just in an unactivated state when not using the Digital Office-specific chip. Unfortunately, further details are unclear due to Intel choosing to remain extremely tight-lipped about their embedded black box backdoor that nobody wanted.

Further information can be found in the following thread I assembled back in 2020:

A Semi-Comprehensive Guide to The Intel Management Engine and Circumvention Thereof (+ AMD PSP Notes)

For almost two years now, I have avoided all Intel systems with the 965 chipset and newer, instead opting to stay with the 945 chipset and older in order to bypass the security issues surrounding the Intel Management Engine within the unclear 2006 to 2008 general period of initiation. However...

forums.macrumors.com

For pre-Nehalem systems (Core 2-based CPUs only) that do not use Digital Office chipsets, I'd be much more concerned about Spectre, Meltdown, and the other hardware vulnerabilities that require significant performance penalties in order to patch. Case in point, my primary workstation is currently a Core 2 Quad running on the X38 chipset - with no ME in sight, according to the various methods described in the above thread that can be used to specifically check for its presence.

Anyway, C2D's x86_64 backwards compatibility with modern software (which is almost always dependent on the newest SSE instruction set the CPU revision has) is still a much bigger assurance for most people than the small handful of dedicated developers still maintaining specialty software for PowerPC machines as personal projects in their free time. We won't be around forever - the recent discontinuation of TenFourFox and planned halt of Void Linux PPC, coupled with the slowly reducing number of functional machines in the wild, are small reminders of this inevitable fact - which is why Web 1.1 is such a good idea, because it keeps their online relevance perpetually alive regardless.

-

If you haven't reapplied new paste to your Radeon 9800, I would highly recommend doing so, as well as adding heatsinks to its VRAM chips (more info here). If either the underside of the CPU die or VRAM chips are getting too hot to touch at any point in time and / or its overall video quality is even slightly reduced from what it normally should be, I would even suggest flashing the card's BIOS to the Non-Pro version (the decrease in performance is minor) in order to better preserve the card for more years of service.

ATi clocked almost all of their R300 cards too high for reliability in most cases (opting instead to prioritize a more favorable public image through slightly higher benchmarks), and the vast number of dead or artifacting 9700 and 9800 boards out there compared to other GPUs of the era is solid proof. Therefore, exercising ample caution with these now 20-year-old cards in particular is heavily advised if you wish for longevity.

 

[VirtuallyInsane]

Here's some:

- You don't have to use iCloud and need 2-factor authentication every time you accidentally click something. Or just have to use iCloud in general. I use localhost now, and it's a heck of a lot better.

- You can't use Lion, El Capitan, or Catalina, and you never will be able to, which is a perk in itself.

- You can play old games and use obsolete software that you used to love, or still love that can get the job done.

- They're so easy to upgrade, compared to modern macs. On the iMac G5, you can just pop in a new SSD, and some RAM, and BOOM. Off you go. The WiFi Cards are easy to install, too. Just slip it in, click, and there you go.

- You can still browse the internet with them, BUT unfortunately we don't have a few websites like Github, Discourse, or Discord working because they updated. If there was a way to view them, I'd use my M1 Macbook a lot less.

- They're a talking point. If you go out in public or use an older model, especially an iBook G4, people are like "wutz that?" and suddenly you're popular for a moment.

- No subscription-based services. You either buy the program with the license or get a free trial. Or find a license code for it. Once you have it, you own it. There is a tremendous amount of free software/abandonware on Macintosh Garden, and similar websites, and from Macrumors members as well, who continue to code on and support this wonderful pre-Intel platform.

- iTunes 10. Coverflow, simple organization, no Apple Music apps/integration, syncs well with iPods.

- The old aesthetic and layout of versions 10.0 (and older) - 10.6.8 were user-friendly, simple, and pleasant on the eyes. Much less like an iPhone of the modern-day era, or Windows 8-11 with their dumb apps.

- No "app update" notifications. No need to update the apps/install them, and less crashing (in my experience).

- They can be used as a distraction-free machine to get real work done (i.e. music, writing, designing) if the internet is slow, or nonexistent on it. I read somewhere on the forums about a woman who writes on a super old Apple machine, using Microsoft Office X, and using FTP to send her work off (I think), and just using a tablet/phone for leisurely scrolling/entertainment. That's pretty rad, to me, at least.

- The keyboards are amazing, on most models. The older iBooks are heaven compared to a butterfly keyboard, or even the Magic Keyboard (which is still a good keyboard for its time and a major improvement over the butterfly one), and the 4:3 form factor on the older 12-inch Power/iBooks is great for watching old shows on. It doesn't cut anything out.

- USB PORTS! None of this USB C nonsense. Getting 2-3 USB ports is a treat in the modern era. Even the Early Intel machines were good for this (my 17-inch MBP '09 has three, and I've never been more glad in my life for this). No need for adaptors, or USB socket extenders for a while.

And that's it for now. If I think of anything else, I'll add it to the thread.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Post a photo of one switched off or switched on doing nothing with the title "Just got this bad boi" on Reddit and get triple figure upvotes

 

[mortlocli]

Here's some:

- You don't have to use iCloud and need 2-factor authentication every time you accidentally click something. Or just have to use iCloud in general. I use localhost now, and it's a heck of a lot better.

- You can't use Lion, El Capitan, or Catalina, and you never will be able to, which is a perk in itself.

- You can play old games and use obsolete software that you used to love, or still love that can get the job done.

- They're so easy to upgrade, compared to modern macs. On the iMac G5, you can just pop in a new SSD, and some RAM, and BOOM. Off you go. The WiFi Cards are easy to install, too. Just slip it in, click, and there you go.

- You can still browse the internet with them, BUT unfortunately we don't have a few websites like Github, Discourse, or Discord working because they updated. If there was a way to view them, I'd use my M1 Macbook a lot less.

- They're a talking point. If you go out in public or use an older model, especially an iBook G4, people are like "wutz that?" and suddenly you're popular for a moment.

- No subscription-based services. You either buy the program with the license or get a free trial. Or find a license code for it. Once you have it, you own it. There is a tremendous amount of free software/abandonware on Macintosh Garden, and similar websites, and from Macrumors members as well, who continue to code on and support this wonderful pre-Intel platform.

- iTunes 10. Coverflow, simple organization, no Apple Music apps/integration, syncs well with iPods.

- The old aesthetic and layout of versions 10.0 (and older) - 10.6.8 were user-friendly, simple, and pleasant on the eyes. Much less like an iPhone of the modern-day era, or Windows 8-11 with their dumb apps.

- No "app update" notifications. No need to update the apps/install them, and less crashing (in my experience).

- They can be used as a distraction-free machine to get real work done (i.e. music, writing, designing) if the internet is slow, or nonexistent on it. I read somewhere on the forums about a woman who writes on a super old Apple machine, using Microsoft Office X, and using FTP to send her work off (I think), and just using a tablet/phone for leisurely scrolling/entertainment. That's pretty rad, to me, at least.

- The keyboards are amazing, on most models. The older iBooks are heaven compared to a butterfly keyboard, or even the Magic Keyboard (which is still a good keyboard for its time and a major improvement over the butterfly one), and the 4:3 form factor on the older 12-inch Power/iBooks is great for watching old shows on. It doesn't cut anything out.

- USB PORTS! None of this USB C nonsense. Getting 2-3 USB ports is a treat in the modern era. Even the Early Intel machines were good for this (my 17-inch MBP '09 has three, and I've never been more glad in my life for this). No need for adaptors, or USB socket extenders for a while.

And that's it for now. If I think of anything else, I'll add it to the thread.

 

[mortlocli]

oops - sorry guys...had a mis-hap while using an old ipad mini...hence the no content posting.

Meant to say: Ive had a complete turn around re my PPC ibook..and 17 inch Imac..thanks to z970s work. Been trying to find ways to keep those machines up to date, but discovered I should be going back in time.

Shuriken is rather fun to use..and with all the free treasures in the garden..theres enough to keep me entertained..I can use other machines for other online needs. Ive enjoyed it so much Im thinking of having it on my intel 17inch Imac...just for fun.

I gave my PPC imac away...and sounded out the owner to see if they still wanted it...they use it for playing DVDs..and they love the retro look. Ive installed sorbet on it for them.

(kinda ironic that the PPC ibook and iMac dvd drives are still working while the dvd drives on both my intel iMacs fail.)

 

[TheShortTimer]

(kinda ironic that the PPC ibook and iMac dvd drives are still working while the dvd drives on both my intel iMacs fail.)

The optical drive on my 2006 MBP has failed twice now. My 2012 cMBP was purchased in late 2013 and its drive failed shockingly quickly: I think it lasted three or four years max. In comparison the DVD drives in my PPC Macs continue to work without issue.