Do Macs (G3 and G4, if that makes a difference) use PC100 or PC133 memory? Apple’s prices on DIMM’s seems steep, figure I can shave a few dollars by going third-party. (If it is ‘normal’ Pc100/133 SDRAM)
Speed-wise: I see a lot of well-priced G4’s on E-Bay, but they are 400/500mhz models. Is this going to be fast enough for ‘utilitarian’ needs? (I will not be rendering my own version of Lord of the Rings or anything like that). Were there any known problems I should look out for with the early G4’s?
For a new mac, is buying from Apple pretty much the way to go? I went to Club Mac, but pricewise, it seemed a wash.
(Moderators, if this belongs in one of the other forums, please move it over, and I apologize in advance.)
The memory requirements vary depending on the unit. Go to Apple’s “Knowledge Base” and search for memory reqs for your machine type. You can frequently get away with using PC 133 in a PC 100 bus, but not visa-versa. Slot loading iMacs, for instance, are speced at 100, but will use 133 (at the slower speed) just fine.
The OSX Finder is a bit slow at 4-500 MHz, but most normal applications are snappy enough.
IMHO Apple pissed a lot of people off over the last few years with the inept way they’ve handled online sales. YMMV.
Yes, Macs use standard PC133 DIMMs. You can buy them cheaply from a third party supplyer and they’ll work fine.
The PPC and x86 processor architectures are completely different - so comparing clock speeds is pretty meaningless. A 500mhz G4 is plenty fast for Plain Ol’ Computing.
Squink,
The memory issue was my biggest concern, as I have some nice pc133/256mb sticks I’d like to recycle. During a quick visit to the support forum, I found out the with the eMac (If I get a new Mac, I will most likely get a eMac. Nice specs, and, well, they look nice.) has only been tested with PC133, and that is what is officially recommended, although PC100 should work fine.
Pricewise, they may be similar, but be warned: the Apple store might charge you sales tax, whereas another online vendor may not. Factor that into your price calculations. Also, other vendors will frequently have nice “bonus” packages, like free extra memory or rebates or software or printers. Do some pokin’ around.
Also note that the latest set of firmware in the Macs is a bit strict on the quality of the memory, and it does a check during startup. If you’re using generic no-brand memory and the startup process detects that it’s below par, it won’t use it. This is not a problem if you’re buying memory from reliable vendors, but Primus knows there’s lots of no-name el cheapo parts in the computer world these days. And all the streetwise Mac users know not to buy memory from Apple; it’s always cheaper elsewhere.
As for comparing processor speeds between PowerPCs and Intel-compatable Pentiums, my rough rule of thumb is to take the PowerPC’s speed, multiply it by 1.5, and that’s a ballpark estimate of its equivalent Intel speed. Performance will differ widely based on other aspects of the system design (bus speed and cache being the biggest factor), which makes processor speed even more meaningless than it already is.
I would recommend buying the Mac from any store - Apple or independent - where they are polite and helpful, spend time explaining everything, and look to be the sort of people you could go to in future for advice/purchase of software, peripherals, upgrades, etc.
A Mac really does become the digital hub of your life. You are bound to want to add more new cool peripherals as they appear. So I would suggest going somewhere where they make you feel welcome, and you are happy to go back. It’s an extra bonus if they are good enough to recognise you and remember your purchase (or at least have your details in their database to call up) so they can double check they are selling you the right things.
I have a stash of Muskin PC133 Cas2 256mb, so I think I will be cool there. I also checked to see if my Sony digicam will work, and it looks like I’ll be fine.
Istara, I am going to go to a recommended Apple store this weekend. (In a college town, go figure). I think I am set on a eMac, but I’ll be nice to get some hands-on with the different models.
Again, thanks to all for the help. Those who read my pit thread know, getting a Mac will (hopefully) help me kick my video game addiction
