Special-K Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 So I just bought a G4 from the pawnshop and I was wondering, is it upgradable? Like can I shove in a G5 processor or up the RAM? Possibly the GFX card (I do video editing)? I'm naturally assuming that I can up the HDD too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user2 Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 No on the G5 but you can update the G4 ram and video. What model did you get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUKKU Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 You can't drop in a G5 but you can drop in a faster G4, up to 1.8ghz or so. You can also upgrade graphics, memory, and yes the hard drive. You might even have some expansion slots available. G4 upgrades aren't cheap though, I hope you got a really good deal on that powermac or the upgrade won't be worthwhile given how cheap and powerful current macs are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benwinship Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I was considering doing this too, but the parts are insanely expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special-K Posted November 23, 2007 Author Share Posted November 23, 2007 I paid $300 for it. And can I get any hard drive? Cause I looked up hard drives on MacSales and there's wasn't much of a choice. I don't know what the model name is, but it's number M5183. I think it's the Sawtooth one cause of the Airport card slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactobacillus P Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 a new intel macmini might be a better choice. I did upgrade my G4 a while ago but it turns out pretty expensive if you are not careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special-K Posted November 23, 2007 Author Share Posted November 23, 2007 I don't think the Mini is that great graphic-wise, which is something I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tayklor Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 What is the speed of the CPU in it? and if it is a sawtooth, leo will not work, KPs with "Can not find driver for Powermac 3.1". My GE 400 comes back with "Can not find driver for Powermac 3.3". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyhighmac Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 MacLife had a review for a processor upgrade for the g4. Here is MacLife's article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special-K Posted November 25, 2007 Author Share Posted November 25, 2007 The CPU is 400MHz. Thanks for the article Sky. And I looked up the upgrades for it and found that 1) They are really pricey and 2) The airport card for it has been discontinued and is incredibly hard to find. I think I might just give it to someone as a Christmas present or sell it to one of my buddies. That way I'll have some cash for a MBP. Thanks for the help guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbetts Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 For older macs that aren't on DDR memory, it's not worth the upgrade because you'll still be limited by the speeds of the memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glassJAw Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 You paid 300 bucks for a 400 Mhz G4? I would have rather gotten a Macmini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tayklor Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Hate to say it but I paid $10 for one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special-K Posted November 25, 2007 Author Share Posted November 25, 2007 Pawnshop. That's all I need to say. Seemed smart at the time cause I needed a Mac. Only to later find out that everyone I know is chipping in to get me a decked-out MBP for graduation. I'm just hoping that the MBP gets some sort of upgrade at MacWorld. And I'm not a fan of the Minis. I never really liked them all that much. That and I'm a fan of integrated graphics. Oh, I've got a question about Time Machine as well even though this is completely off the original topic. I know you need to use another hard drive for it so I'm wondering, could I use 1 hard drive for Time Machine and storing things like say, all my videos and music? or would I need to make the drive Time Machine only. (for future reference) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyhighmac Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 From what I've asked of the apple guys they say you have to have a separate drive, not a partition for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synaesthesia Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 You can have one Partition for time machine and another for your movies, music etc on an external drive, yes. Just format it to HFS+. I think the Macbook Pro is pretty awesome. Everything is top of the range, and the graphics are great too. What's to complain about? But they will probably be upgraded to Penryn/45nm as soon as possible, seeing as they are an Apple flagship product, which is a nice little boost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special-K Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 Well then, hooray for partitions! Now I know what I'm asking for Christmas. Yay 500GB external! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyhighmac Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Oh, woops. Wow, the apple guy didn't even know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special-K Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 Was it one of those Geniuses from the Apple Store? Cause they're REALLY smart. (Can't you smell the sarcasm?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheese N' Pancakes Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 any IDE hard drive will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Nonny Moose Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Go here to upgrade your Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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