- #UPGRADE MY MAC G4 HOW TO#
- #UPGRADE MY MAC G4 MAC OS#
- #UPGRADE MY MAC G4 UPGRADE#
- #UPGRADE MY MAC G4 PC#
From that perspective, this endeavor was clearly a success. Then again much, like many of the best Raspberry Pi projects, installing a new component in an outdated Power Mac G4 is a lot less about convenience or improved performance as it is about fun and figuring out what's possible.
#UPGRADE MY MAC G4 PC#
Of course, using a FireWire 400 (around 50 MB/s) connection would have been faster, but connecting a modern SSD over a FireWire interface to a 20-year-old PC would probably have been even trickier than using a PCI slot. And it is certainly easier to plug in a USB drive, but Apple's Power Mac G4 only features two USB 1.1 ports, which means a 12 Mb/s data rate (1.5 MB/s), an order of magnitude slower compared to what a 32-bit 33 MHz PCI interface provides. If you don't have DSL or your DSL provider does not use PPPoE (not sure if that is even possible…I have always had cable), then it might be a network setting that is messed up.After all that, there will still be performance limitations, such as the 133 MB/s bandwidth supported by a 32-bit 33 MHz PCI bus (keep in mind that we are talking about a half-duplex interface here), but this is to be expected.Ī legitimate question about installing a new SSD into a system with such a performance-capping interface is whether it would be far easier and faster to just plug in an external SSD using a USB connection. it works, but produces an error that does not really effect things).
#UPGRADE MY MAC G4 MAC OS#
It will not be completely the same as a "true" factory reset, but actually might be better as a set of recovery CD/DVDs for that model will actually only install Mac OS 10.2.7.Īs to the PPPoE error, what kind of Internet connection are you using? DSL? Cable? Fiber? If it is DSL, does your DSL provider use PPPoE? If so, then it is possible that the older OS version is not 100% compatible with your DSL system (i.e. More than likely, your better bet would be to get "retail" Mac OS discs (either 10.5.x or even 10.4.x) and using them. If you did not get those discs with the computer, then in theory you might be able to buy them on eBay, but they will be the "grey" label CD/DVDs and you will need to make sure you get the discs for YOUR EXACT MODEL. I say this because the largest 2.5" IDE drive you can get is a 320 GB drive, it will cost you quite a bit more than an external FireWire 800 drive with MUCH more storage space (here is a 1.5 TB FW 800 drive that cost less than a 320 GB 2.5" IDE internal drive: ), and upgrading the hard drive on this model is on the difficult side (aka not for the faint of heart…here is a guide if you want to see what is involved: ).Īs to reseting it to "factory", you would need the recovery/re-install discs that came with it for that.
#UPGRADE MY MAC G4 UPGRADE#
You could also upgrade the hard drive, but since it is an IDE/ATA drive rather than a SATA drive, realistically you are likely better off just using a FireWire 800 external drive for any additional storage that you need. If you want to do so, then here is the RAM you would use (assuming the link above is your correct model): The "colorful" labelled CD/DVDs are the "retail" version of the Mac OS and will install on any computer (that will run that specific version of the Mac OS).Īs to hardware upgrades, you can upgrade the RAM rather easily. The grey label CD/DVDs are model specific, so unless you happen to find one for YOUR SPECIFIC model, it will not work on your computer.
Note that if you do buy it used, make sure the disc looks like this:
It does look like there are also some sellers selling it on Amazon: Upgrade the RAM and storage of nearly any Apple computer at.
#UPGRADE MY MAC G4 HOW TO#
Assuming that they don't sell Leopard any more, then realistically the only way to get it is to buy it used from a site like eBay. In this video you will learn how to disassemble and completely upgrade a Mac Mini (G4) by installing memory, an optical drive and a hard drive. I don't believe that Apple sells Leopard anymore, but you could try calling and asking. If so, then the newest version of the Mac OS that you can run is 10.5.x (aka Leopard).