Which one of these Power Macs is better?

[Phoenix]

Can someone help me out here? i want to purchase an old secondhand Power Mac, and these look like two that would do me quite well. It is basically for a little bit of video editing (not that much though, because i have a new PB that is strictly for that) and then things like some photoshop work and then probably just web surfing and word documents. Which one will be snappier? Can i upgrade either one cheaply? Which would you go for? Thanks for the help!
T

Processor: Dual 500 MHZ
Memory (RAM): 512 MB SD RAM
Storage (Hard Disk Drive): 40 GB
Optical device: DVD
Modem: Internal 56K V90
Sound: Built-in
Speakers: Internal
Fire Wire: 2 - Built-in
Operating System: OS X 10.0.3
Rocovery CD: None
Parallel Port: None
Serial Port: None
USB port: 2 (Built-in)
Network: built-in 10/100
Keyboad: Apple Original Keyboard
Mouse: Apple Optical Mouse
Monitor: Not Included
1 Month Warranty

OR

Processor: 867 MHZ
Memory (RAM): 640 MB SD RAM
Storage (Hard Disk Drive): 60GB
Optical device: DVD-RW
Modem: Internal 56K V90
Sound: Built-in
Speakers: Internal
Fire Wire: 2 - Built-in
Operating System: OS X 10.2
Rocovery CD: None
Parallel Port: None
Serial Port: None
USB port: 2 (Built-in)
Network: built-in 10/100/1000Base-T
Keyboad: Apple Original Keyboard
Mouse: Apple Optical Mouse

1 Month Warranty

[Brad]

That's a tough call. The latter beats the former by everything but raw processor speed. Are you willing to buy a newer version of Mac OS X to run on either? A fresh copy of Tiger (very soon to be released) along with another 512 MB stick of RAM would make either of those machines a very capable Mac.

I actually have a dual 500 sitting a few feet away from me. It has 960 MB of RAM (capable of holding 2 GB), three internal hard drives (original 36 GB plus a 60 GB and 120 GB), and a DVD/CD-RW that replaced the original DVD-ROM. It's still a fantastic machine for... well... everything! It's not the greatest machine for the latest fancy 3d games, but those don't interest me.

The dual 500 has a 100 MHz bus and the 867 has a 133 MHz bus. The dual 500 can take up to 2 GB of RAM and the 867 can take up to 1.5 GB of RAM. The chip used in the 867 (the PPC 7450, IIRC) is slower clock-for-clock than the chips used in the dual 500 (the PPC 7400). If you are willing to spend some cash on upgrades, I'd say the dual 500 would make a better base.

This is a tough call, really. How much do those Macs cost? For just $500-600 (plus some RAM), you can get a brand new Mac mini that would outpace them both.

[Phoenix]

The top one costs $1000 , and the bottom one costs $1200, that's Australian dollars. I guess the mini might be better. I would get a new version of tiger for them when it came out, but i might be better off with the mini around the time tiger is released. I wasn't even thinking of the mini. I used these beauties all through uni, so when i saw them i wanted one. I guess expandability would be the other thought. What would you do Brad? Is it stupid to go one of these over a mini?

[Wyatt]

Expandability is certainly limited with the mini, and the 32 MB of video memory will limit some tasks.

Personally, even as a computer science student, I feel the mini will suit my needs perfectly. I'll probably be buying the 1.42 GHz mini this summer and upgrading it to 1 GB of RAM. Remember if you do buy the mini, don't get RAM upgrades from Apple. They will charge you three times what you would pay for buying elsewhere it and installing it yourself. Look at the prices of memory upgrades at the Apple store, then search for the same size and speed of memory at NewEgg.com and you'll know what I mean.

[Brad]

I just configured a new Mac mini from the Apple Store for Australia to A$1,104.00 and got:

1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 processor
ATI Radeon 9200 with 32MB DDR
256MB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 DIMM
80GB Ultra ATA drive
SuperDrive (CD-RW/DVD-R)
56K v.92 Modem
Mac OS X
Accessory kit
with free shipping
Then, swap the RAM with a 1 GB stick from crucial.com (US$161.99 = A$211.70).

If you want Apple's own keyboard and mouse, they'll cost you A$100. You should be able to find good, third-party keyboards and mice for cheaper.

So, for A$1500 you'd get a brand new Mac mini with more memory, a substantially faster processor, a bigger hard drive, a newer (and MUCH faster) operating system, the iLife 05 suite of software (and AppleWorks, Nanosaur 2, and Marble Blast Gold), and a full year AppleCare warranty. Plus, you could probably sell off the included 256 MB stick of RAM to get back a little cash.

That's a lot more for just A$300.

Personally, I'd go for the mini. :) If you want expandability, you can always add external FireWire drives.

[Phoenix]

Thats great! Thanks for that. I was just in the process of trying to get all that info. I guess i'll make do until Tiger comes out then go for that. Thanks again.

[ast3r3x]

Edu discount of 1.6Ghz iMac = $1199

17" Screen
1.6GHz G5
533 FSB
256 (you'll need to spend at least $100 to upgrade it)
80GB Hard Drive
GeForce FX 5200 (64mb)
Slot loading optical

Why not go this route? You get all the benefits for almost exactly the price range you are looking for...plus you can't beat an...almost free beautiful 17" display.

Edit: I'll leave this so you can see my stupidity, but I never noticed this is aus dollars. Silly me :)

[Brad]

you can see my stupidity
Also, the educational discount only applies to U.S. residents.

[Phoenix]

no i can get educational discount. Haven't checked the details as yet though. Will have to have a look when i knock off work.

[Mac+]

Yeah, I was just going to suggest that Trav. I think essentially it knocks off the GST from hardware and software components. Not sure about accessories though - I seem to recall the iPod shuffle case was not available for edu pricing, for example.

[Brad]

Really? I'm just curious; do you have some other retail outlet offering educational prices? The Apple Store for Education's sales policy (http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/salespoliciesEdIndividual.html) reads:
U.S. SALES ONLY
The Apple Store sells and ships products only within the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. No shipments can be made to APO addresses, United States territories, or addresses outside the United States. You may not export any products purchased at the Apple Store

[Phoenix]

I go to this page and go from there: http://www.apple.com.au/education/store/
Also i got a shuffle with it a few weeks ago. Only a few dollars cheaper but still good enough for me.

[Brad]

D'oh!!

[Mac+]

D'oh!!Stardate: 2005 Wednesday April 6: 13:49.

There has been a sizeable shift in the cosmos. ;)