PPC to Intel Upgrade

So, here is my situation, I have had my PPC G5 for about 2 years and my wife for about a year. Shortly there after, BAM, Intel based Macs hit the shelves. After all of the money invested in these machines (upgraded ram, air port cards, etc.) I don't really feel that dropping that sort of cash is the best move, but I want to upgrade to an Intel based mac...for obvious reasons.
The question, is it possible to update the hardware of a PPC to Intel? The way Macs are set up, my first thought is no, but hey, beyond gaming and graphic design, I know jack about computers. If it is not possible, is anyone aware of a trade in program, one where you could get credit for your current tower to put toward a new one?
Thanks for the help!

No. The designs are very different.
The best trade-in program is taking advantage of one of the key differences between Macs and Windows PCs - Higher resale value. Sell it on eBay or locally through Craigslist.
I have had my PPC G5 for about 2 years and my wife for about a year.
Not sure how the wife is part of the picture here...
If you added a hard drive, you can keep that for your new Mac (if it's a Mac Pro) or use it in an external case for Time Machine on any new Mac. You should remove all the extra RAM and just keep the stock RAM installed. You generally get more if you sell your upgrades separately, such as the RAM module matched pair(s) and the AirPort kit. If you bought Leopard, install the original Mac OS X installation and sell the Leopard license. But be sure to include the original discs and manual with the Mac; the discs are always part of the Mac package.
There are plenty of people who want the last and fastest of the PowerPC Macs, like the one you have. It can run PowerPC (non-Universal) apps better and faster without the Rosetta emulation needed by Intel Macs, and run Classic apps under Tiger. If it's two years old, it's probably one of the "dual core" models (as opposed to he earlier dual single core models), which to me is more valuable. And it's still pretty fast running Leopard, if you have at least 2GB of RAM, compared to dual core Intel Macs like iMacs and MacBook Pros.

Similar Messages

PPC G5 intel upgrade.

Hello,
I know this is a silly question but I'd figure I'd throw it out there...
Is it possible to upgrade the mother board from PPC to Intel? I love my machine but don't want to spend the $$$ on a new tower.
I have a PPC G5 Dual 1.8GHz w/ 4 GB of Ram

FYI, for future questions, the forum for G5 towers is here:
Power Mac
It's quite active with a lot of real G-series gurus living there.

Does 10.4.6 have two different install CDs for PPC vs Intel?

Does 10.4.6 have two different install CDs for PPC and Intel?
Also, is only CD 1 required for OS install?
Thanks!

I tried my black OS X 10.4.6 CDs on a G4 yesterday specifically to see if an install from disk 1 only is possible. Sadly it is not. It requires about 400 GB from disk 2 no matter how minimal you try to make it. My disk 2 contains the following and the install needs everything except languages:
AdditionalEssentials.pkg
AdditionalSpeechVoices.pkg
AddressBook.pkg
Automator.pkg
BrazilianPortuguese.pkg
BSD.pkg
Danish.pkg
Dutch.pkg
Finnish.pkg
French.pkg
German.pkg
iCal.pkg
iChat.pkg
Italian.pkg
iTunes.pkg
Japanese.pkg
Java.pkg
Korean.pkg
Mail.pkg
MediaFiles.pkg
MigrationAssistant.pkg
Norwegian.pkg
OxfordDictionaries.pkg
Safari.pkg
SimplifiedChinese.pkg
Spanish.pkg
Swedish.pkg
TraditionalChinese.pkg
Have you considered upgrading to Leopard? Here is my general upgrading advoce:
OS numbers and names
OS X 10.4.x - Tiger
OS X 10.5.x - Leopard
OS X 10.6.x - Snow Leopard
OS X 10.7.x - Lion
OS X 10.8.x - Mountain Lion
More about Macs
The Apple History site has specifications for every Mac ever produced: http://www.apple-history.com/
Upgrade to Leopard
Those wishing to upgrade to Leopard should be aware that install disks can be expensive unless you contact Apple. Details: http://lowendmac.com/deals/best-os-x-leopard-prices.html Standard Leopard installers impose several hardware limitations including speed and RAM size but all these restrictions can be overcome. Google for details. Leopard works well at 500 MHz with 1 GB of RAM and many happy users have less than this.
Upgrade beyond Leopard
OSs beyond OS X 10.5.8 require an Intel processor. If in doubt check this: Click the apple at the top left of your screen and select 'About this Mac'. This will give you your OS number. Then click 'More Info' to see which processor you have. If it says PowerPC you cannot upgrade to Snow Leopard and above. If you have an Intel Mac it is well worth upgrading to Snow Leopard now and then considering other options after that. You can buy Snow Leopard here: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A
Upgrade beyond Snow Leopard
Information about upgrading Snow Leopard to Lion or Mountain Lion: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD256Z/A
Important
Check that your Mac complies with any requirements. If you are not in the US you should use the Change Country link at the bottom of Apple pages.

PPC to INTEL

Hi I'm about to upgrade my G5 to a Mac Pro.
Right now in my G5 I have so much stuff that I need to keep.. it's not even big things like Applications. It's little things like, Plug-Ins, bits and bobs that are attached to specific Applications that I wouldnt even know how to transfer to the new Mac.
So I was wondering is it possible to just take out the internal HD from my G5 and put it in the Mac Pro?
Would the PPC to Intel transition mean that my old apps wouldnt work? Or would the whole thing (the HD ) even register?

The quickest and best is actually to just go and reinstall everything. Data is fine, prefs are too. PPC and migration assistant can cause mischief.
Before you modify a system, make a backup! clone it. and work on a test system for awhile. always have a prior copy of working system in fact.

Difference in sound between Logic on PPC and Intel (64 Bit)

hi,
I'm using PPC for Logic Pro. Is there any difference in sound between using logic pro on PPC and running it on Intel Macs. I'm not good in tecnical things, but someone told me, Logic would sound better on Intel based Macs, because the system is 64 bit instead of 32 bit on PPC. Is that true? Any experiences?
Thanx,
grooveX

There are no differences!
the "sound quality" is stryctly relted with the Audio equipment.
(the new Intel Xeon processors are faster than PPC... in 2008... obviously... but in 2003/4/5 PPC G5 was much faster than same year 2003 Intel Xeon release
If you work with DAE TDM HD accell in PPC or on Intel the sound will be the same...
obviosly if some update shoot down the compatibilty with PPC side you will cannot use the future upgrades...
if you use a Motu 828 Mk3 the sound will be great... and same as ppc or Intel or Windows and Linux
(but Logic works on Mac... PPC and Intel... is the same... logic is the master of the sound).
Anyway... I think the analog recording studio in the 1970 1990 gives you a super great sound... in some cases the analog recording studio sonds much better that digital studios..
I'm talking about a simple example.. the audio frequency are from 20 to 20.000 HZ... the music quality... (artistically) is not related with the quality of the machine that you use for make it....
I suggest you not follow the mode ... and run to buy the last model .. most often are money thrown to the wind.
if you buy a good new interface.... you are in the rigth way...
but the very important thing is:
MAKE YOUR MUSIC AND DON'T MATTER ABOUT these unnecessary competitions ... is only useful to those who sells computer!
I know people that doing good music with old G4 ...
...music with highest quality ...
is not the machine that makes the music .... Only MEN can obtain a piece of art ... even using dirt!
G

External hard drive for both a PPC and Intel Mac?

I have 2 LaCie Hard Drives (500GB & 750GB) that I'd like to use for backing up my 2 laptops and for storing photo and music files.
When I got the MacBook Pro, I partitioned the 500GB drive into 3 volumes and used SuperDuper! to make "bootable" copies of the MBP on one volume, theiBook on one volume, and put photo files on the third. I don't know/can't remember how I dealt with the directions below from Disk Utility and I fear I may have done the impossible or at least done the wrong thing.
"If you will use a volume as a Mac OS X startup disk, click Options and choose the appropriate partition scheme. To use a volume to start up an Intel-based Mac, choose the GUID partition scheme. To use a volume to start up a PowerPC-based Mac, choose the Apple partition scheme."
As I ask these questions, I find myself getting tongue-tied so please bear with me and read on...
#1 - Is it *even possible* to do what I want and have the bootable copies of both of these laptops on the same HD since one is PPC and the other Intel? If the answer if yes, it's OK then the rest of this is moot.
#2 - I can easily delete one or the other laptop backup from the 500 LaCie and put it on the virgin 750 and partiton it - problem is, is there a way to know how I partitioned the 500 HD so I won't have to redo it -I don't want to have to recopy the thousands of photo files already on the HD. If I knew how it was partitioned - Intel or PPC - I could just delete the appropriate laptop and move it to the other LaCie, assuming I have to.
#3 - And, is it possible to use a drive that has been partitioned for PPC or Intel with the other type computer - will I be able to access the jpg photo files from both the MBP and my G4 both of which are Tiger no matter which way the HD is partitioned? Now I as able to do this, but as I said, I don't remember which way I partitioned the HD - all I remember is that I did choose to include OS 9 drivers since I still use Classic and OS 9 on the G4. ( I have yet another LaCie that I use exclusively to back up my G4 and it is not part of this issue)
Mrs H

So "To use a volume to start up a PowerPC-based Mac, choose the Apple partition scheme." really means it will work for my Intel MBP too?
Yes.
Is there a way to tell if that is what I already choose?
Select the existing drive in the Disk Utility and find the Partition Map Scheme text at the bottom of the window.
(34529)

Can PPC and Intel OS's be on the same hard drive?

I do a lot of work on Apple computers for clients.
I have made it a habit to bring firewire hard drives with OS X installed to my work locations so I can boot peoples' computers from my own, clean OS for numerous troubleshooting purposes.
I was hoping to take a big hard drive I have, partition it into 4 parts, and install 10.4 Intel, 10.4 PPC, 10.5 Intel, and 10.5 PPC.
But after I installed the PPC 10.4, I went to my macbook pro and tried to install 10.5 Intel.....and it wouldn't let me!
So now I am learning about the Apple Partition Map format for a drive versus the GUID format and that basically one is for PPC and the other for Intel.
But I would like to know if there is any way to format a drive in such a way that I can indeed install PPC and Intel version of an OS onto one physical drive in separate partitions???
anyone?

It's not intuitive but it's possible. You must set up your external drive using the APT partition map. Install the PPC version of OS X on one partition. Now here's the trick: You must install an Intel version of Leopard on a drive that has been partitioned using GPT. Then clone that installed version to another partition the external drive that now has the PPC version of Leopard. You now have a PPC version of Leopard on one partition and in Intel version on the other partition. You will find you can boot an Intel Mac from that partition even though the drive is partitioned APT.
The problem is that Leopard will not allow itself to be installed on an APT partitioned drive. But an Intel version of Leopard will work just fine from an APT partitioned drive.

PPC to Intel 10.5 migration

So, I have a G4 running 10.5 server. I want to move it to a intel machine. What is the best way to migrate at 10.5 > 10.5 server, but going from PPC to Intel.
Thanks,Scott

How much you do is up to you. I'd boot the G4 from a DVD or another drive and use Apple Disk Utility to repair disk, repair permissions and then Restore to another volume which you will use on the Intel server. Make sure the Intel drive is formatted GUID in Disk Utility>Parition>Options.
The G4 drive module will be formatted incorrectly (Apple partition map) for Intel which needs GUID, but you can clone using Carbon Copy Cloner or Apple Disk Utility to a new GUID drive for the intel. The intel should run the cloned disk fine, switch off the old server before booting the new one.

Finally G4 to Intel Mac. Photoshop CS to Intel upgrade or plug-in?

Finally G4 to Intel Mac. Photoshop CS to Intel upgrade or plug-in? Do I have options?

No way. You need to buy CS6 or sign up for Creative Cloud. There's no magic switch and upgrade eligibility for CS ended by the time around CS3... You are way behind the times...
Mylenium

PPC Migrator Intel MacBookPro: Stalling

Hey all,
I just got my new MacBook Pro the other day. It's been way too long since I purchased a new Mac... in fact my previous machine was a trusty 1GHz Titanium Powerbook that has served me very well. Unfortunately, the screen is fading to white in the middle and the power management unit won't reset, its overheating the battery and itself and I think the logic board is getting a bit toasty.
Well, I opened the box, fired up the new 'Book and jumped right in to attempt a migration, seemed simple enough. Unfortunately , the new MacBook Pro is only FW800 and the old 'Book is FW400. So I first attempted a direct ethernet patch cable connection as described in the manual. No luck, the machines won't communicate. Next I tried a network connection, things ran fine for hours and then evidently the old 'Book stopped transmitting. I tried resuming this process after some restarts but it continued to stall.
Next I tried setting up an ad hoc wireless connection between the two and things would run smooth for a while and then they would stall.
So, now digging into these forums I read that most consider a PPC-to-Intel migration a "no-no". Great. I hate when you take Apple's tech information for granted only to find out the often more knowledgeable community here knows better (jab).
Okay, I'll concede here and accept that I should really just move stuff manually. I have a MobileMe account so getting calendars, etc. will be no problem. Applications may be a bit more tricky but I'll persevere.
The big concern I have is that now some things have been transfered and I'm not sure what they are or where they are... can I reset my new 'Book back to "out of the box factory settings, content, and configuration"?
Please help me Kappy-wan-kenobi, you're my only hope.
Heathmun

heathmun wrote:
Hey all,
I just got my new MacBook Pro the other day. It's been way too long since I purchased a new Mac... in fact my previous machine was a trusty 1GHz Titanium Powerbook that has served me very well. Unfortunately, the screen is fading to white in the middle and the power management unit won't reset, its overheating the battery and itself and I think the logic board is getting a bit toasty.
Well, I opened the box, fired up the new 'Book and jumped right in to attempt a migration, seemed simple enough. Unfortunately , the new MacBook Pro is only FW800 and the old 'Book is FW400.
you can get a FW800 to FW400 cable.
another option is to clone your old hard drive to an external drive which has both FW 800 and FW 400 connectors. or just use a USB drive. you can then plug it into the new computer and migrate from that.
So I first attempted a direct ethernet patch cable connection as described in the manual. No luck, the machines won't communicate. Next I tried a network connection, things ran fine for hours and then evidently the old 'Book stopped transmitting. I tried resuming this process after some restarts but it continued to stall.
Next I tried setting up an ad hoc wireless connection between the two and things would run smooth for a while and then they would stall.
So, now digging into these forums I read that most consider a PPC-to-Intel migration a "no-no".
It's not really a non-no. It's just something to be wary of. many people do it without a problem but you should know what you are jumping into when doing it.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=435350&tstart=0
Great. I hate when you take Apple's tech information for granted only to find out the often more knowledgeable community here knows better (jab).
Okay, I'll concede here and accept that I should really just move stuff manually. I have a MobileMe account so getting calendars, etc. will be no problem. Applications may be a bit more tricky but I'll persevere.
The big concern I have is that now some things have been transfered and I'm not sure what they are or where they are... can I reset my new 'Book back to "out of the box factory settings, content, and configuration"?
sure. just boot from the install disk 1 that came with your computer and do an erase and install. to boot from the DVD insert it, reboot and hold "c" at the chime.
Please help me Kappy-wan-kenobi, you're my only hope.
Heathmun

PPC to INTEL migration - Logic crashing every song

a couple plugs aren't available that were in the original song, but I just migrated from ppc to intel mac pro, and logic is crashing on every song i try to open! any ideas?

Joshua Bessom wrote:
I can't even GET to the audio prefs, Logic is autoloading my last song, and crashes before I can do anything.
Put your last song away from its folder.
Logic will show you some warning as "file not found" but you will be able to adjust your preference settings
G

X crashes with YouTube video pages after xf86-video-intel upgrade

X crashes when trying to view a YouTube video page after the last xf86-video-intel upgrade. I think it happens with other websites as well but most of them work just fine. If I downgrade xf86-video-intel to the previous version the problem is gone.
Xorg.0.log shows:
Backtrace:
0: /usr/bin/X (xorg_backtrace+0x3b) [0x809d93b]
1: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x5cc55) [0x80a4c55]
2: (vdso) (__kernel_rt_sigreturn+0x0) [0xb77fc40c]
3: /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/intel_drv.so (0xb7275000+0x3458e) [0xb72a958e]
4: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0xacc80) [0x80f4c80]
5: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x93c97) [0x80dbc97]
6: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x94b3f) [0x80dcb3f]
7: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x402e7) [0x80882e7]
8: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x1a685) [0x8062685]
9: /lib/libc.so.6 (__libc_start_main+0xe6) [0xb7418b86]
10: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x1a271) [0x8062271]
Bus error at address 0xb5fe2000
Fatal server error:
Caught signal 7 (Bus error). Server aborting

Confirmed. Same behaviour here.
EeePC 901, xf86-video-intel 2.10.0-1.
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GME Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
Backtrace:
0: /usr/bin/X (xorg_backtrace+0x3b) [0x809d93b]
1: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x5cc55) [0x80a4c55]
2: (vdso) (__kernel_rt_sigreturn+0x0) [0xb771340c]
3: /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/intel_drv.so (0xb71a6000+0x3458e) [0xb71da58e]
4: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0xacc80) [0x80f4c80]
5: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x93c97) [0x80dbc97]
6: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x94b3f) [0x80dcb3f]
7: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x402e7) [0x80882e7]
8: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x1a685) [0x8062685]
9: /lib/libc.so.6 (__libc_start_main+0xe6) [0xb7343b86]
10: /usr/bin/X (0x8048000+0x1a271) [0x8062271]
Bus error at address 0xb5a4d000
Fatal server error:
Caught signal 7 (Bus error). Server aborting
Last edited by hw-tph (2010-02-13 12:32:51)

Upgrade/Replace G4 Dual MDD PPC to Intel Desktop

I've been on on SSI Disability since 2004, being a 24 year survivor of a anaplastic Oligodendroglioma brain tumor diagnosis in 1988, with a need to replace my old PPC Mac to new hardware and software for compatibility with the newest Apple software, Adobe Design Premium, Acrobat Pro 9, Photoshop Extended and QuarkXPress 9 software. I have a two-monitor configuration with a USB Wacom Stylus pad, separate keyboard and 800 Firewire.
With my disability I have limited funds to upgrade, but have been a loyal Mac user since 1991 when I was permanently laid off as Art Director for a large commercial print shop, because of my medical condition. I then started my own freelancing business as a graphic design concept specialist from that time until the present. I just finished designing a new logo for a new medical research lab at UCSD and Annual Report for Berger Hospital Foundation.
I recently had my 3rd craniotomy surgery 02/06/2012 and am recovering well. I am one lucky guy!
I thought I'd start asking for help in this forum to see what anyone here, or at Apple, might suggest or recommend in the way of financial help. You can find me on facebook and LinkedIn by sending a request to friend Ted Abel. I can also send more info in a Word.doc with more details or contact info. Any suggestions would be most appreciated!
Thanks, Ted

I was able to transfer all my Address book contacts from my PPC G4 over to an Intel PowerBook Pro that my brother gave me, and I re-installed most of my main apps. The only problem I have now is getting my old PPC Mail Mailboxes transferred to the PowerBook Pro. I have a lot of email info stored in each one of the PPC created mailboxes and don't know if I can even do what I want to do. Is there any way I can do this?
Thanks for any suggestions or recommendations.

Upgrade G5 PPC to Intel?

Is it possible to upgrade my G5 quad PPC 2.5 GHz with 5 GB DDR2 SDRAM running 10.4.11 to an Intel processor? Many of the things I now need to use will not run on a PPC and require 10.5 and Intel (like a lot of games).
<Post Relocated by Moderator>

Kenneth Griffin,
There is no supported method of making that upgrade. Even the "maybe" solution offered in this thread would not work, and if somehow managed to make it work definitely not be supported. In addition it would be more expensive than a new machine.
There is a solid market for used Macs, especially high end PPC machines like yours because some businesses and others have not made the transition to Intel yet. For example some are still using business or education applications that require Classic. I am not making a guarantee or suggesting you would be able to sell your current machine, but rather suggesting it as something to look into.
If you are primarily looking to make the change for games and not other applications, in addition to the Mac Pro, you may want to consider an iMac. All of the current Intel based Macs are multicore, even the Mac Mini. The Mac Pro's offer up to an 8-core configuration.
Hope this helps,
Nathan C.

Upgrading PPC G5 & intel Macbook

Hi
I currently have a PPC G5 dual 2G and a Macbook intel core 2 duo, both system are currently on 10.4.11.
My question is, if I buy the Snow Leopard Box set, will I be able to upgrade/install 10.5 on the PPC G5, using those discs, or do I need to source a stand alone Leopard disc from somewhere.
Thanks

As far as I can tell, the Mac Box Set does not come with Leopard at all. Just SL, iLife and iWork. So, I think you will need to find a Leopard disk somewhere.

PPC to Intel Upgrade

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