Newbie's Buying Guide for Old G4 Power Macs
Your first Mac for fan video editing (vidding) with Final Cut.
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This is a companion page for Mac Vidding on the Cheap. If you haven't already, I recommend you jump back to that page to read my overview on getting a G4 Power Mac for Vidding on the Cheap.
In this page I'll attempt to give you more information on the various G4 Power Macs available for sale on eBay, and give you some opinions and recommendations for buying your first Mac for vidding.
PLEASE NOTE, THESE ARE JUST MY OPINIONS, AND I DON'T PRETEND TO BE AN EXPERT. Please read the resources and links I provide for more in-depth info and before making any final purchasing or upgrading decisions. Don't hesitate to sign up for Mac forums and ask as many questions as you need. Mac folk are usually pretty helpful.
Be realistic in your expectations
Before we start looking at the different Power Macs, a word: Remember, these are old Macs. With a speed of 533 MHz up to 1.0-1.42 GHz, these are not your powerful Intel-based Macs of today. Please keep that in mind. They'll still run Photoshop and Final Cut just fine and they still have a lot of life left in them. But they are not going to be screaming fast! (But also bear in mind that the clock speed of a G4 does not directly compare to an Intel processor bearing the same speed—so a 533 MHz G4 is probably a lot faster than a 533 MHz Intel CPU.)
Also, if you've never used Mac OS X (or Final Cut) before, give yourself time to get used to it. It's different. Many say "easier" and "better," but that will always be subject to opinion. When adjusting to this new computer system, be open-minded, and don't hesitate to consult user manuals and tutorials to help you learn faster.
Mac Vidding Recommendations for Fan Vidding (fan video editing).
Also shipped as a 533 MHz Dual Processor (highly recommended if the price is right), 667 MHz, and 733 MHz. The most recent OS this Mac can run (without tweaking) is OS 10.4 "Tiger." The 533 MHz is the lowest you are recommended to go, because Final Cut Pro 5 and Final Cut Express 3.5 both require at least a 500 MHz CPU. This was my first G4 Mac, and it was my primary machine for several years. It served me very well, did a lot of graphics work and a little bit of video editing. It's possible to find this model of G4 on eBay for $50 or even less. It takes a maximum of 1.5 GB of RAM, and there is room for 4 internal hard drives. (Buy an ATA-133 or ATA-100 drive which can be "piggy-backed" on top of the drive that ships with the Mac.) More drives can be added by purchasing a hard drive controller (installed into one of the 4 open PCI slots) and connecting faster SATA drives to this controller. NOTE: If you "piggyback" another drive on top of the ATA drive that ships with the G4 Digital Audio, you can only get a maximum of 128 GB recognized on a drive. Read more about which G4s support "big drives" (over 128 GB). To get around this limitation, you can connect larger drives to a PCI hard drive controller card, or hook up an external Firewire drive. (There's also supposedly some software you can buy which can break through the 128 GB barrier, but it didn't work well for me.) A PCI USB 2.0 card can be added for about $10 (purchased on eBay) because these Macs only come with USB 1.0. It has two Firewire ports. To add a DVD burner, it's easier to buy an external DVD burner drive. An external Firewire drive is also easy to add. Read more about the Digital Audio G4 on Low-end Mac. |
G4 Power Mac "
Also ships as an 800 MHz (dual processor) which is recommended with caveats. Bump up to the next generation of Quicksilver (2002 models) for 933 MHz and 867 MHz (dual processors), 1 GHz (dual processors), all which are also highly recommended. (The dual processor 1 GHz is actually more "high end" than mid-range!) The 867 MHz processor model is recommended (while the slower 733 MHz is not) because the 867 MHz can run Mac OS 10.5 "Leopard" while 733 MHz cannot. (Not without tweaking, anyway.) The dual processor 800 MHz won't run Leopard (only Tiger), but since it is dual-processor, it'll have a lot more speed. Both Final Cut and Photoshop are "dual processor aware," so they will actually use both the processors, and you'll be getting up to double the speed! I recently bought an 867 Mhz Power Mac and it's been great! (And only $80 on eBay, including shipping!) It runs Final Cut Studio 1 (everything but Motion), and Final Cut Express 3.5. It'll also run Dreamweaver and Photoshop CS3. (Haven't tried CS4 yet.) I've maxed out the RAM to 1.5 GB, and have added the PCI USB 2.0 card, plus a PCI controller card to add more hard drives. (Like the Digital Audio model, it'll take up to 4 internal hard drives.) All these installations were easy. (I'll be giving upgrade tutorials links lower on this page.) Because my Quicksilver Power Mac has the 128 GB limitation (as described here), I connected my larger internal drives (a 250 and 320 GB drive) to the PCI hard drive controller. (I used a PATA controller purchased on eBay to connect ATA drives, but it's better to get a newer SATA controller and hook up faster SATA drives.) If the thought of adding internal drives is too daunting, it's easy to connect an external Firewire drive to one of the two available Firewire ports. The newer model "Quicksilver 2002" Power Macs do not have the 128 GB hard drive limitation, thankfully! Read more about the Quicksilver and Quicksilver 2002 Power Macs on Low End Mac. |
G4 Power Mac "
This is as fast as you're going to go with a G4. With dual-processors, Final Cut Pro 5 or 6 will run well. But like with the older Quicksilver Macs, the highest this Mac can go is OS 10.5 Leopard. (Snow Leopard 10.6 is only for Intel Macs.) This MDD line also has a 1.25 GHz model (also dual processor). Any of these Macs will be excellent for Final Cut editing (but cannot compare to the speed of current Intel Macs, obviously!). Be sure to take note if a Mac is dual or single processor. Since you're interested in using Final Cut, this can really matter! Final Cut will use both those processors and that can speed up editing time by quite a lot. These Macs use a different (faster) kind of RAM, and take up to 2 GB (instead of the Quicksilver's limit of 1.5 GB). Be warned, however—reports say that the Mirrored Drive Door Macs tend to have a higher-than-average failure of the power supply. This is not too bad apparently, but you'll see some old MDD Macs regularly for sale on eBay, being sold for "parts only" because the power supply failed. I've also heard reports that the interior of the MDD G4 is more cramped, and that if you stuff it full of internal drives, things can get rather toasty. (There are differing opinions on this.) I am pretty sure I'll be getting a MDD Mac eventually, and when I do, I'll probably only add one additional internal drive. Read more about the Mirrored Drive Door (Firewire 800) G4s on Low End Mac. Also check out the earlier Mirror Drive Door G4s on Low End Mac. |
TIPS ON SHOPPING FOR A USED G4 ON EBAY:
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Don't be overeager. Shop around, look at what is available. Take your time. Don't go the "Buy it Now" route unless you've looked around and are sure that it is a good deal.
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Consult Low-End Mac and EveryMac for information on any model that interests you. Look at the size of the hard drive that it shipped with, what optical drive it supposedly has, and what graphics card.
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Look through the "Completed Auctions" in eBay to see how much other Macs of a similar configuration were selling for. That gives you a realistic idea of what the going rate is at the time.
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DO NOT PAY MORE FOR MACS WITH A LOT OF SOFTWARE INSTALLED, UNLESS THE SOFTWARE COMES WITH SERIAL NUMBERS AND INSTALL DISKS. I can't emphasize this enough. I see people fighting over Macs which are "loaded" with software, but no serials and no CDs are included. Basically these buyers are fighting to pay more for bootleg software. Why pay for bootlegged software? Use that money to buy a legitimate, registerable copy of the software, or if you have no qualms about using bootlegged software, just download it from a torrent and save your money. But DO NOT PAY MORE FOR IT! It doesn't make you morally better if you pay for it, if it's still bootleg.
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If you're not afraid to do a little upgrading, then save money and go for the G4s on sale that come with less RAM and hard drive. Add it yourself. Let other people pay much more than necessary for that G4 which contains an extra stick of 512 MB RAM (which you can get for about $16 on eBay).
Buying Peripherals and upgrades for your G4:
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External Firewire 400 hard drive: If you decide to buy an external Firewire drive, get one that has an AC adapter (plugs into the wall). Do not get a "bus powered" one, that uses power from the firewire port. It's not fast enough. Look for a speed of 7200 rpm in an external firewire drive, with a cache of at least 8 MB (16 MB or more is better). Make sure that your Firewire drive is compatible with the Mac. (Most are, but make sure.) Some older Firewire drives can be troublesome, so to be on the safe side, only buy new or recently manufactured Firewire external drives.
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Buying an external DVD-RW or DVD drive: If the DVD drive on your G4 gets busted (or you want a CD or DVD burner and your G4 doesn't have one), you can make do with a Firewire DVD-RW drive, but it must be Firewire. All old Macs can boot off of Firewire 400 (so you could reinstall Mac OS X from a Firewire DVD drive) but they may not be able to boot off of USB.
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USB 2.0: None of the old G4s have USB 2.0 ports, only USB 1.0 (which is very slow). If you need USB 2.0, you can add it yourself, by buying a PCI USB 2.0 card (about $10 on eBay, $21 from a good Mac upgrade place like OWC). I have been told that most any PCI USB 2.0 card will work with Macs.
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Buying RAM (memory): Most (but not all) old G4s use standard PC-133 RAM, but it needs a particular kind. When searching for RAM (which can sell for as little as $16 for 512 MB on eBay) make sure that the RAM is compatible with your G4. Here's some RAM from OWC that would be compatible with a Digital Audio and Quicksilver G4.
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Buying hard drives: All G4 Power Macs take the "old fashioned" IDE/ATA 3.5 type hard drives. (See OWC's listings of some of these kinds of hard drives.) If you want to add another hard drive to "piggy back" on top of the hard drive that shipped with your Mac, you must buy one of these types of hard drives. They can sell for less on eBay—about $45-50 for a 320 GB drive if you look around.
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Adding more hard drives with a controller card: If you want to add a drive through a PCI controller (a special card added to one of your Mac's PCI slots) you can use the faster and more modern SATA hard drives. (See OWC's listings of SATA drives.)
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Shopping for a PCI controller card: There are several kinds of PCI controller cards which you can use on your G4. Here's one available from OWC. When shopping for a PCI controller, look for what kinds of hard drives it supports, what models of Macs it supports, and also, whether it supports BOOTABLE hard drives or not. "Bootable" means, can you install Mac OS X on it and boot off of that hard drive. I suggest you look for a controller which supports "bootable" because you never know when you might need that functionality.
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Monitors, keyboards, and mice: Almost any USB mouse or keyboard will work with your G4 Power Mac. And most modern monitors should be fine too, but if your G4 does not support DVI, you'll have to connect the Mac through your monitor's VGA port.
BE BRAVE, SAVE MONEY, AND UPGRADE YOUR OWN MAC!I know that some of you are hearty souls who have already opened the case of your PC to add RAM or maybe a PCI card or hard drive. So for you, upgrading an old Mac will be a walk in the park. But for the rest of us—we're big quivering cowards or "technophobes" who couldn't contemplate the thought of doing such a horrible thing! I am definitely one of the most cowardly. When I added RAM to my first G4, I was literally quaking with fear as I tried to add that RAM. Absolute TERROR ruled me. But I did it! Now that I know I can get an old G4 for as little as $40 or so, it's less scary. What's the worst that can happen? I hose a $40 system. I don't want to ruin it, but it's a far cry from messing up a $700 system, isn't it? So, if you consider yourself a huge coward, take my bit of advice: Start on a low-end cheapo Mac at first. The pressure will be off of you that way. Once you see how easy it can be, you can purchase a little faster G4 (but it's still going to be relatively cheap) and do more upgrading. And remember—even if you mess up at first, remind yourself that it can happen to anyone. So keep trying! Before going any further, I will impart my one big tip about upgrading: TOUCH METAL. TOUCH METAL before sticking your monkey paws inside that case and fiddling around. Touch metal every time you put your hands in there again. Touch metal, touch metal, touch metal. (It can just be some metal paneling on the side of the Mac.) If you don't, you might accidentally have a bit of static on you, and one little static "spark" can hose the innards of your Mac. Touch metal! Video Tutorials:(These are just a sampling. There are an abundant supply of G4 upgrade videos to be found on YouTube and elsewhere.) OWC has some great tutorials for adding just about anything to your Mac. Here are their collection of video tutorials for the Quicksilver model: Upgrading a Quicksilver G4. It's not exactly a Digital Audio, but these video tutorials from OWC will give you an idea of how to upgrade an older G4 Power Mac. OWC's set of video tutorials for upgrading your Mirrored Drive Door G4 Power Mac. Kyle's Tech Tips on YouTube. Kyle is awesome. Subscribe to Kyle. What is great about Kyle's tutorials is that they get right in there and show you what's going on. I wouldn't have been able to have had the courage to do my upgrading had it not been for Kyle. Kyle on adding RAM (memory) to your G4. (It's for a Quicksilver, but it'll work for Digital Audio too.) Kyle on adding ("piggybacking") another ATA-133 hard drive on top of the ATA drive that shipped with your Mac. (For Digital Audio and Quicksilver models.) It really is just about as easy as it looks like in that tutorial. Another YouTube channel (by memoryten) on adding RAM to a MDD Mac. Note the information about grounding yourself and "touching metal" in order to avoid static discharge. A quirky YouTube tutorial (by qlet) on adding a second hard drive to a Quicksilver G4. (I think he's joking about refusing to ground himself! LOL.) Also he talks about using the special software to enable the Quicksilver to recognize more than 128 GB. I haven't had much luck with this software, but perhaps it works better for others. Detailed written tutorials for upgrading:Piggyback another hard drive on top of the drive that shipped with your Mac. Wonderfully detailed, a must-read. How to add a THIRD hard drive to your G4. One of the best and most comprehensive tutorials on upgrading your hard drive using a controller card. This tutorial is old; now you can get a PCI controller card that supports the newer SATA hard drives. But most of the information contained in this tutorial is golden. |
These are just little odds and ends I learned as I was researching how to upgrade my G4.If you're a pathetic newbie like I am, perhaps some of them will be helpful to you.Buying extra computer screws: You might need extra screws for upgrading your Mac, screwing in the PCI cards, securing your hard drive to a hard drive bracket. Go to the hardware store and ask for 6-32 unc or uts (don't know what that means) with 1/4" or 3/16" height. If possible, bring a sample screw with you so you know what to look for. I got some 6-32 screws with the rounded head. Here's Wikipedia's page on computer screws, with a section about the 6-32 kind. Cable connector for IDE/ATA (ATA-133, etc) hard drives: You may never need to get more of these, but just in case, you want the 40 pin, 80 wire kind. The 40 pin 40 wire kind are for connecting optical drives (like CD or DVD drives). These connectors look like wide ribbons. Typical length is 18" which is sufficient for connecting drives in a G4 Power Mac. Here's a Wikipedia page about Parallel ATA cables, with pictures of these "ribbon"-like connectors. Hard drive jumpers and "Master/Slave" settings: Jumpers are kind of like mini "sleeves" that cover these weird pins at the end of your ATA hard drive. Here's a PC tutorial page (look under "Master/Slave" entry) which gives you a better look at jumpers, and explains what their purpose is. Even though the tutorial is for PCs, concept of jumpers is the same when adding a hard drive to a Mac. You can remove a jumper from a hard drive by usng an unfolded end of a paper clip, then slip it into the right slot for "slave." (It's presumed that the hard drive already present in your Mac is set to "Master," so the hard drive you "piggy back" on top of it will be slave.) There should be a silk-screened illustration on the top of the ATA hard drive that you purchase, which shows you which position the jumper should be in for slave or master. If you need to buy more jumpers (I got some spares, just in case), you can buy them on eBay (use keywords like "hard drive jumpers" or "hard drive shunts"), or ask for them at your local PC supply store. |
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