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I have a 1st gen Mac Mini. G4, 1.42, w/ 1gb of RAM running OS X Tiger. Will Leopard be slower, faster, or about the same? Is it worth it?
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The best way to make such a Mac Mini faster is to upgrade to a new hard drive that spins at 7200 rpm. The original Mac Mini's had laptop hard drives that ran at 4200 rpm, which is very slow. Reading and writing to the hard drive is the main bottleneck in a computer. You can search eBay for the Seagate 500GB 7200RPM Laptop Hard Drive for Apple MacBook/Pro which will give you plenty of storage and double your speed for about $125! I would say this is worth it! No need to get new software.
There are many videos on YouTube which will show you how to open a Mac Mini up to replace the hard drive. The most difficult part is to pry open the case, because most people are unfamiliar with this type of case design. A shop will do it for you, but that would double the cost.
The other main bottleneck is the speed of the internet connection. I assume you have a cable modem that is hardwire connected via the ethernet port.
There are many videos on YouTube which will show you how to open a Mac Mini up to replace the hard drive. The most difficult part is to pry open the case, because most people are unfamiliar with this type of case design. A shop will do it for you, but that would double the cost.
The other main bottleneck is the speed of the internet connection. I assume you have a cable modem that is hardwire connected via the ethernet port.
source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macmini
http://www.methodshop.com/tech/articles/macmini-ram/index.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macmini
http://www.methodshop.com/tech/articles/macmini-ram/index.shtml
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Good information on how to speed up my Mac.
I would wait for Snow Leopard to come out, which would probably be faster. It is on its way out and should be coming out in less than 2 months or so.
Leopard would not slow down the system much at all, it is a better operating system so I would install it.
The new features are definitely worth it, these are my favorite ones:
Spaces
Time Machine
Leopard would not slow down the system much at all, it is a better operating system so I would install it.
The new features are definitely worth it, these are my favorite ones:
Spaces
Time Machine
Snow Leopard is Intel only. Leopard, which will run on the questoner's machine, is the end of the line for PowerPC Macs.
well according to hardware specs and recommendations for hardware to run the specific operating system your mac should run faster with the older system, Tiger
But, you could in fact install leopard for features and graphical layout but don't expect it to run faster.
But, you could in fact install leopard for features and graphical layout but don't expect it to run faster.
I'm OK with upgrading to Leopard as long as it doesn't make my Mac slower. If it can run at the same speed or faster, then I would consider doing it.
Leopard might run a bit faster. If you already own Leopard, you could try installing it. However, I wouldn't be putting any more money into a G4 trying to improve performance, better off putting the money toward a new Intel Mac. I do have a G4 desktop and have left it running Tiger for this reason.
I'm not really trying to improve its performance. Rather, I am trying to prolong its useful life. I am not at all unhappy with my current setup, but am worried no new programs (i.e. Chrome, Firefox 4.0, etc) will be supported for Tiger. My feeling is as long as Leopard doesn't slow things down, then I may upgrade. Still on the fence.
Leopard will not make much of a difference on your machine, but you will have more software available. If you like the new features, go for it.
I'm just worried Leopard would slow down my Mac. If it would be about the same speed, or faster, then I would do it. My Mac works fine for everything I want it to do, and I am not at all unhappy with Tiger. Just worried that when Snow Leopard comes out, any new software won't be able to run on Tiger.
I have the same computer and I upgraded as soon as it was released. It has gotten much better since the release with up dates and stuff. It will proably be a little slower on certain tasks if you do not opt to get some more ram. However, many of the current apps run better on it so I think it will balance out. If I were you I would upgrade.
Thanks. I upgraded the ram to 1 gb last year and I am pretty sure that is the max for this Mini model.
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I have a cable modem, so he internet connections is not an issue.
My fear is once Snow Leopard comes out, I am going to be almost forced to install Leopard because newer programs won't be supported on Tiger any longer. (i.e. Chrome) I didn't upgrade to Tiger until after Leopard came out for this same reason. Thanks goodness my IT guy had an extra Tiger disc laying around. I'm hoping to locate an extra Leopard disc in a similar fashion. I don't think I want to pay to upgrade, but if I can get it for free, then I may take the plunge.
I did upgrade the RAM about a year ago, so it is maxed out at 1gb. That made a significant improvement.