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Thinking of buying a PM G4 MDD to use OS 9...

post #1 of 4
11/28/09 at 11:08pm
Thread Starter 
I think I know the answer to my question but I want to see if I am missing something from another persons opinion. Basically I am thinking about buying a used Power Mac G4 to use primarily with OS 9 (9.2.2) to play games. These games are not supported in any way with any OS X version or by running in classic mode, so this is why I have decided to invest in the old technology.

I have been researching a bit, and have found that that last and most powerful OS 9 compatible G4 Power Mac is the Mirrored Drive Door which was released in 2002.

Money is slightly an issue but not something that would persuade me from buying the better product.

So here are a few questions regarding my decision.

Does OS 9 in any way support USB 2.0 speeds?

Does having dual processors make a difference in OS 9?

If yes, do they effect running games?

Basically I am asking all of this because I have been offered a G4 Quicksilver Power Mac. Its an 800mhz dual I believe, and they are offering it to me fairly cheap. However I think would rather spend a few extra dollars for a MDD Power Mac which has better cpu speeds and better graphic cards.

Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.
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post #2 of 4
11/29/09 at 1:38am
You would be better getting a G4 Mac Mini. It's better for games having one faster CPU and it has a decent GPU - the 64MB Radeon 9200, which is pretty much on par performance-wise with the GMA 950 in the early Intel models but with more feature support:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mac-Mini-G4-1-25...#ht_730wt_1167

When you get tired of the games, you can use it as a media center and it doesn't take up much space. You would even be able to sell it on again.

You do get OS 9 emulators (e.g SheepShaver) but sometimes emulators don't work too well.
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post #3 of 4
11/29/09 at 2:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin View Post

You would be better getting a G4 Mac Mini. It's better for games having one faster CPU and it has a decent GPU - the 64MB Radeon 9200, which is pretty much on par performance-wise with the GMA 950 in the early Intel models but with more feature support:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mac-Mini-G4-1-25...#ht_730wt_1167

When you get tired of the games, you can use it as a media center and it doesn't take up much space. You would even be able to sell it on again.

You do get OS 9 emulators (e.g SheepShaver) but sometimes emulators don't work too well.

Currently my main computer is a PB G4 1Ghz with OS 10.4 so emulators are out I would think. I know its not much of a machine but its all have at the moment.

I did do some looking around and found out that all mac mini boot into OS X only.

The G4 MDD tower seems like the best logical choice. The high end MDD has a 1.25Ghz dual and a Radeon 9000 Pro/64mb card and it boots directly into OS 9. The only problem is that it seems that the way Apple was selling these at the time, if it was sold with that particular OS that is the OS the system will only boot into. I may be understanding this incorrectly so maybe some can explain this to me. If I am understanding this correctly, then trying to acquire one off of ebay that boots into 9 may be a risky proposition.
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post #4 of 4
11/29/09 at 9:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by masstrkiller View Post

Currently my main computer is a PB G4 1Ghz with OS 10.4 so emulators are out I would think. I know its not much of a machine but its all have at the moment.

I did do some looking around and found out that all mac mini boot into OS X only.

It seems from the support list here (pretty much ignore the first block):

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1835

there are only a select few older models that can boot OS 9. I thought all the PPC machines could boot OS 9 but now I remember using classic for a short time and then never needing OS 9 again.

Quote:
Originally Posted by masstrkiller View Post

The G4 MDD tower seems like the best logical choice. The high end MDD has a 1.25Ghz dual and a Radeon 9000 Pro/64mb card and it boots directly into OS 9. The only problem is that it seems that the way Apple was selling these at the time, if it was sold with that particular OS that is the OS the system will only boot into. I may be understanding this incorrectly so maybe some can explain this to me. If I am understanding this correctly, then trying to acquire one off of ebay that boots into 9 may be a risky proposition.

Yeah, it seems if it shipped with OS X then you won't be able to install OS 9. You'd be best to get one with OS 9 verified and running on it.

You can even pick up a cheap laptop:

http://cgi.ebay.com/APPLE-12-IBOOK-5...ht_4744wt_1167

It's not that fast but if it runs the games you want, it might do.

If the games have Windows equivalents, perhaps rather than spending $250 on an obsolete machine, you could sell your 1GHz G4 for around $300 and then buy a Macbook Pro like this one for $689:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-MacBook-Pr...#ht_500wt_1182

This will also give you access to a much larger range of games as well as being a much more powerful main machine.
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