newbie: upgrade CPU?

[Cow Loon]

I think I know the answer to this, but I'm hoping I'm wrong. With a PC, if I want to get a new CPU depending on what I have, I can either:

1. Buy a new cpu
2. Buy a new motherboard and cpu
3. Buy a new motherboard, new ram and a cpu
4. Buy a new case and new motherboard, new ram and a cpu

To get just next to the latest and greatest generally costs about $300.

So, with a mac, can I do the same thing, or do I really have to buy a whole new computer, or get one of those hackish accelerator card dealies?

I have a 400Mhz G4 grey (silver) colored mac, with a ATI graphics card, not the cube. I was thinking I'd like to get a much faster cpu and an nvidia graphics card (like maybe a 1Ghz G4 cpu and one of those fancy geforece 4s, heh).

No one sells G4 innards?

 

[rinse]

a new graphic card wouldn't be a bad idea... i don't know out the GeForce 4, but the ATI radeon looks sweet to me.

but no, generally, a CPU upgrade isn't done with a mac.

 

[Cow Loon]

Originally posted by testuser
You can upgrade to a dual G4/500 (see this link) for $700.

Thanks for the info.

If you think upgrading a PC is simple, read this thread for a dose of reality. Upgrading a CPU will speed up certain tasks, buy you will still be hampered by:
* slower RAM
* slower bus
* slower video card
* slower, smaller hard drive

For the money you can spend on new CPUs, video cards, and hard drives, you could instead buy a new Mac that will perform even faster.

Well, the guy's story is not typical. I have upgraded pcs many times for little money, and I know many people who have and continue to do the same.

It's true that the older your system is, the more expensive an upgrade is going to be. But the difference between a 400mhz G4 and a 1Ghz G4 should not be great.

I helped my girlfreind go from a 400mhz pentium 2 to a 1Ghz pentium 3 a couple weeks ago. The total cost was $250: mb = $100, 1Ghz pentium 3 = $150. I'd say that's roughly equivelent to going from a G3 to a 700+Mhz G4.

If I don't have slower ram, or a slower hard drive, I should be able to just upgrade what needs to be upgraded. There is a big advantage pc users have in being able to do that. I hope that macs will get popular enough to have competing companies making hardware, again.

I won't have the equivelent of $3000 to upgrade my mac, until I get a much better job. Meanwhile, the same type of upgrade is 10 times less for my pc.

 

[Boyko]

I'd also like to point out (as a guy who used to make a living doing stuff like mobo & chip upgrades) that there comes a point in which it's not worth it to upgrade - this point is usually after A) the case design is radically changed (From AT to ATX, from ATX to BX, from BX to whatever the hell they use now.) the bus speed is radically changed, or the RAM config is radically changed.

I went with a PC because I assumed that I could upgrade it ad infinitum. This was back in the Socket 7 days. Then, out comes the P2 with it's socket processor - essentially a chip on a daughterboard - that just kicks my computer's butt 4 ways from friday. It was cheaper to finally get a new computer (and that's when I chose to switch to Mac anyway). Processor - yeah, since I'm getting a 733mhz I could see how I'd want to get a processor upgrade eventually but since Macs retain their value I think I'll just go with the "get a new one" every 5-6 years or so - compared with 'get a new one" every 2 years with the PC market.

 

[Cow Loon]

You all seem to be missing the point. I can go from a 500mhz Pentium 3 to a 1Ghz pentium 3 for $150, if I don't need to upgrade all the other things. If I do need to upgrade other things as well, I can just upgrade what I need to upgrade. If that means I have to replace the entire computer, then you are right. It's probably cheaper to get a whole new computer. In 10 years, and many many many upgrades of my own computer and others, I have never encountered that situation.

With a mac, your choices appear to be limited. I would not dish out $700 for a motherboard and dual 500mhz G4s when there are much faster G4s out there.

I hope that that changes.

I have to wonder though. If you spill coffee on your motherboard and it's fried, what do you do? Can you replace it? If so, it seems like you should be able to replace your motherboard and cpu with with a motherboard and cpu from a faster mac (provided that the RAM is compatiable blah blah blah).