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#4775 - 12/29/02 04:21 PM Is a 1999 Mac G3 Powerbook still a reliable computer for sequencing?
simonp Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 12/29/02
Posts: 5
Loc: USA
To any current G3 Powerbook users/musicians:
I have an opportunity to buy an older 1999 Apple Mac G3 Powerbook from a friend of mine for a very good price, but I was curious to know if it's still a good enough computer to use for sequencing electronic music when I
get a Cubase program for it. Its processing speed is 400 Mhz and it has a 6 gigabyte hardrive. I believe he expanded the RAM memory to 320 Mb. Is this computer model too outdated by now to run the latest Cubase software or is it still reliable and powerful enough to run an older version of Cubase? Would you recommend that I just go out and buy the new more powerful I-Book since it runs on the OS-X operating system?
This would obviously be a lot more expensive than the US$500 that my friend is selling me his computer for. If you recommend that I can stick with this older G3 Powerbook just fine, than what reliable version of Cubase
or Logic or Cakewalk would you suggest I buy to run on it? Any help or feedback regarding this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a bunch.

Regards,
Simon P.

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#4776 - 12/29/02 05:36 PM Re: Is a 1999 Mac G3 Powerbook still a reliable computer for sequencing?
kaboombahchuck Offline
Member

Registered: 07/19/01
Posts: 275
Loc: Arizona USA
First I think that $500 is not a good deal for the computer. If it had all the needed sofware already installed, and functioning, maybe....
Other than that it should work just fine....
If you have never dealt with cubase I would go with cakewalk metro 5. The learning curve is not nearly as steep. Also if you have never dealt with a mac, and midi sequencing, you are in for a rough road.
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#4777 - 12/29/02 05:38 PM Re: Is a 1999 Mac G3 Powerbook still a reliable computer for sequencing?
Cloakboy Offline
Member

Registered: 01/23/99
Posts: 523
Loc: Racine, Wisconsin USA
For $500, I'd consider it.

It all depends what you want to do with it. Are you just sequencing MIDI? Then it would be perfect, and you wouldn't need the latest version of whatever program you're looking at. If you're concentrating more on VST instruments, plug-ins, and digital audio, then things can get sticky, but I think those specs should be able to run anything, just not as many things at once as a newer system.

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#4778 - 12/30/02 02:47 AM Re: Is a 1999 Mac G3 Powerbook still a reliable computer for sequencing?
tekminus Offline
Member

Registered: 04/20/00
Posts: 1287
Yeah. Some people still use G3s for audio. It's not like buying an old 486 from a friend. It's not that old. Don't compare the 400MHz to PCs either. It's a different CPU altogether.

-tek

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#4779 - 12/30/02 10:21 AM Re: Is a 1999 Mac G3 Powerbook still a reliable computer for sequencing?
rooks Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 12/30/02
Posts: 8
Loc: Sweden
I use G3 350 B/W tower 640ram MacOS 9.2.2 with Cubase 5.1 or Logic Platinum 4.8.1 without problems. ( I think the same for Logic 5.).
Should be the same for you if you gonna use sequencing with a few audio tracks, fx,s and vst.
Cakewalk has not made to the Mac platform yet.

The only difference with the faster ibook or even faster computers is that you can run more audio tracks, more quality fx,s and more power vst plugins.
OS X also runs much better if you gonna use Cubase SX and Logic 5.3.
But the plugin front on the OS X is still under deveopment.

Which ever way you decide, You still need an extra firewire hard disk for better audio performance.
( Mind you Im still looking to buy one myself.).

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#4780 - 12/30/02 03:54 PM Re: Is a 1999 Mac G3 Powerbook still a reliable computer for sequencing?
kaboombahchuck Offline
Member

Registered: 07/19/01
Posts: 275
Loc: Arizona USA
rooks,
You say that cakewalk has not made a program for mac..... Just what was metro 5? http://store.yahoo.com/cakewalkdirect/metro6upgrades.html
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kaboombahchuck

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#4781 - 12/30/02 08:33 PM Re: Is a 1999 Mac G3 Powerbook still a reliable computer for sequencing?
rooks Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 12/30/02
Posts: 8
Loc: Sweden
Oops.. kaboombah..
I stand to be corrected. Thought they only had the Sonar.
I have heard of Digital performer from MOTU, But Somehow I missed out on this one..

Sorry Folks

Im gonna download the 4.5 demo and check How this one ticks

[This message has been edited by rooks (edited 12-30-2002).]

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#4782 - 12/30/02 09:21 PM Re: Is a 1999 Mac G3 Powerbook still a reliable computer for sequencing?
kaboombahchuck Offline
Member

Registered: 07/19/01
Posts: 275
Loc: Arizona USA
rooks,
might as well skip the 4.5 and go for the metro 6 demo. I'm pretty shure that 5 will be killed soon. Check it out http://sagantech.biz/metro/products.shtml
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kaboombahchuck

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#4783 - 12/31/02 03:35 PM Re: Is a 1999 Mac G3 Powerbook still a reliable computer for sequencing?
800dv Offline
Member

Registered: 07/03/99
Posts: 549
Loc: atlanta, georgia, usa
I would get it ! Macs are not cheap , they are expensive when they are new and they retain more value than any windows machine used . Also Tek is right , you can't compair Mac processors to Pcs . A 400mhz Mac will perform as fast as a 800mhz PC . The basic reason is superior OS and processor instruction set . Not mention the fact that Mac has only one OS as to the Pc's 3 ( all three of which conflict with one another ) . Pc has Bios , DOS , and Windows . The mac OS is it's only operating system . I still have an old Mac 8600/300 which smokes my friends 600mhz PC ( that really pisses him off ) . Bottom line - BUY IT ! Try to talk him down though , it would'nt hurt .

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#4784 - 12/31/02 10:18 PM Re: Is a 1999 Mac G3 Powerbook still a reliable computer for sequencing?
MRT1212 Offline
Member

Registered: 09/12/00
Posts: 375
Loc: Foster City
fanboy alert!
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never sell out,
buy in
gone out back to shoot myself in the head on the advice of one cloakboy

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