Mac OS X on Yikes

longsunnyday · August 4, 2003 8:15AM

I'm planning to buy a cheap computer for my mom. Not a "advanced" user if i say so ;-) Most email, internet, ms word and itunes i guess.

Now to the question....

How well does Jaguar run on a 400MHZ Yikes (PCI)? Have anyone tested Panther in these machines. I would like to know what you think about it.

luca · August 4, 2003 8:42AM

I'd strongly recommend AVOIDING a Yikes! PowerMac G4 if possible. Here's why:

1. It's exactly the same as a blue G3, the only difference is the G4 processor, the lack of ADB, and the different case.

2. They normally cost quite a bit more than blue G3s, even though you can easily pop a ZIF G4 upgrade into a blue G3 (making it basically the same as a Yikes!) for less than the cost of the Yikes!

If you find a Yikes! G4/400 for, say, $400 with the stock setup (I believe it shipped with 64MB of RAM, 10GB hard drive, Rage 128, and CD-ROM), go for it. Otherwise, either get a Sawtooth or a blue G3 (and upgrade the blue G3 to a G4). Both are usually better values.

By the way my brother has a blue G3 upgraded to G4/400 and it has a Radeon PCI and it works great. Fine for Jaguar. Not super silky-smooth the way dual G4s are (or any of the faster single G4s), but still good.

If you want a good deal on a PowerMac go to www.macofalltrades.com . They usually have the cheapest refurbs available. Right now it's $550 for a G4/400 Sawtooth, $600 for a G4/450 Sawtooth, $700 for a G4/500, and $800 for a dual G4/450. eBay is another good option if you want a wider selection but be careful not to spend too much (many people do).

longsunnyday · August 4, 2003 12:09PM

thanks for your thoughts. i like to know even more...

i found a 400mhz, 128mb ram yikes for 2000SEK (Swedish). That is 250$. i live in sweden you see. that price is OK, i guess.

luca · August 4, 2003 12:47PM

Sounds like a great deal to me... $250 USD for a used G4/400? Awesome. Just remember that it isn't as expandable as Sawtooth PowerMacs, and also remember that it can't take 512 MB RAM modules. I'd recommend at least 384 MB for general OS X use.

Main problem with the Yikes! is the price. It's not worth more than $100 more than a blue G3, but it's often sold for MUCH more. But if you get a good price, then by all means get one. It's not like they were bad machines.

longsunnyday · August 4, 2003 1:56PM

could i install a superdrive 4x in Yikes, i have a powerbook without that. and those superdrives are not so expensive as a firewirebased one

isn't there anyone who have tested panther on those machines

luca · August 4, 2003 2:47PM

A 4x Superdrive should work fine in a Yikes!, I think the main issue would be that it's a somewhat slow computer so it might not work so well.

As far as Panther on a Yikes!, my brother has used Panther on his blue G4/400 which is the same thing. It was slow. Quite slow. It should work fine once Panther is released. FWIW, it was very slow on my 800 MHz iBook as well, especially QuickTime. I found that any movie larger than 640x480 was horribly laggy.

gizzmonic · August 4, 2003 4:03PM

I'm running OS X on Yikes! and I have a superdrive, and it works just fine. I can burn at the maximum speed (2x) with absolutely no problems.

OS X is much faster on my machine than it is on my friend's TiBook-500

ryaxnb · August 8, 2003 12:52PM

Avoid the Yikes! G4. I recommend either the Blue & White G3 or the AGP G4. For more information on why to avoid the Yikes! G4, check out Yikes! This Power Mac G4 just isn't worth the money on Low End Mac.

luca · August 8, 2003 2:44PM

ryaxnb, the main reason Low End Mac rated the Yikes! poorly is because it's normally too expensive for what you get. It's really not worth anything more than a blue G3. But if you get a good price, there's no reason not to get one.

ryaxnb · August 10, 2003 2:11PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Luca Rescigno

ryaxnb, the main reason Low End Mac rated the Yikes! poorly is because it's normally too expensive for what you get. It's really not worth anything more than a blue G3. But if you get a good price, there's no reason not to get one.

True.

Mac OS X on Yikes

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