G4-->G5 upgrade available

[xob]

Hey all, first time poster... I have an old sawtooth G4 (400mhz) that has since been upgraded to 1ghz. Are there or will there be G5 upgrades available for the G4 based computers. There are G4 upgrades available for G3s so I figure I'd inquire.

As it stands, I am not even close being able to run the new Civ 4 game.

Thanks!

 

[macg4]

sadly i dont think we will ever see a g5 upgrade but who knows.

 

[MisterMe]

... Are there or will there be G5 upgrades available for the G4 based computers. ...

No. The PPC 970--aka G5--must be custom-matched at the factory to its cooling unit and delivered to the assembly line as a module. Apple engineers designed the cases for the Power Mac G5, the iMac G5, the Xserve G5 to accommodate the PPC 970/cooling unit modules. The case of the G4 cannnot be retrofitted to accommodate these modules.

Also, there are no G5-based Macs with plastic cases. I will give your three guesses why.

 

[xob]

Too bad... What do you think the ceiling is for the G4 based chips and will these make their way into the processor upgrade market? There is one 2ghz on the market (that I know of) as of now.. Thanks!

 

[Spock]

Also, there are no G5-based Macs with plastic cases. I will give your three guesses why.

Whats the iMac G5 made of?

 

[Danksi]

Whats the iMac G5 made of?

Ice...

 

[xob]

..Or perhaps there may be lower power (less heat) G5's in the future that could work in a G4 like setting..

 

[robbieduncan]

G4s are basically G3s with vector units. There are no major architectural changes between then. G5s are completely new chips from the ground up. The FSB difference between the G4 and the G5 chips and the totally different bus signalling used means that it's more or less impossible to put a G5 on a G4 logic board. Even if it were possible the G5 would be crippled by the bus speed. Note this is nothing to do with heat. It's like trying to run an AMD Athlon on an Intel Pentium IV motherboard. It won't work!

There is also a diminishing return with faster and faster G4s as they too are getting bus starved. You might be able to get a G4 faster than 2Ghz but it will spend much of it's time idle waiting for data to come over the slow bus.

As more people upgrade to newer Macs (which seem to be getting cheaper all the time) there will be less profit in upgrades so I personally don't seem many more being made for G4 era machines. 2Ghz might be as good as it ever gets for them.

 

[bbrosemer]

Yes vector units, personally they are my fav.

 

[xob]

I guess its time to relegate the beast to music server and pony up for a 'new' computer.. Whats a good buy for a used mac? I prefer desktops...

 

[robbieduncan]

I guess its time to relegate the beast to music server and pony up for a 'new' computer.. Whats a good buy for a used mac? I prefer desktops...

How much are you willing to spend? For the same price as many used Macs a brand-new CoreDuo Mac Mini offers a lot of bang for your buck but is very limited in terms of upgradability.

Other than that dual processor (or dual core) G5s are probably the way to go, although waiting till the Intel towers are launched might be a good idea as these will almost certainly drive down G5 prices.

 

[xob]

Thanks for all the help!

 

[brianus]

How much are you willing to spend? For the same price as many used Macs a brand-new CoreDuo Mac Mini offers a lot of bang for your buck but is very limited in terms of upgradability.

Other than that dual processor (or dual core) G5s are probably the way to go, although waiting till the Intel towers are launched might be a good idea as these will almost certainly drive down G5 prices.

I wouldn't recommend a Mini if he wants to play Civilization IV.

 

[robbieduncan]

I wouldn't recommend a Mini if he wants to play Civilization IV.

That's probably a good call...

 

[slu]

I wouldn't recommend a Mini if he wants to play Civilization IV.

While your point is valid, I would doubt it to be the case. If he wants to upgrade a 1 Ghz G4 or get a used G5, then it is not likely that playing that game is on his list of requirements.

It seems like everything is always about games here.

Also, check the refurb section of http://store.apple.com (Look for the Red Sale tag in the right navigation). There are some real good deals on iMacs right now.

For example (if you want a PPC):

Refurbished iMac G5 17-inch 1.9GHz SuperDrive
512MB memory (533MHz DDR2 SDRAM)
160GB Serial ATA hard drive
ATI Radeon X600 Pro (128MB DDR video memory)
Front Row with Apple Remote
Built-in iSight camera
Learn More
• Save 24% off the original price

Original price: $1,299.00
Your price: $999.00

Estimated Ship:
3-5 business days
Free Shipping

If you want Intel:

Refurbished iMac 17-inch 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo
512MB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
160GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Learn More
• Save 16% off the original price

Original price: $1,299.00
Your price: $1,099.00

Estimated Ship:
Within 24 hours
Free Shipping

There are some good deals on the 20 incher as well.

 

[bbrosemer]

Wait till WWDC at this point maybe you will be able to get a 64bit for the same price.

 

[combatcolin]

Sell on eBay and buy an Intel Mini.