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Which OS the best upgrade for my G4 iMac?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009 / Mac OS X
I am running system 10.2.8 on my old iMac. I want to install a new program that requires 10.4.8 or earlier. Without going to a huge expense before buying a new Mac, which operating system should I update to.
This is what I have:
– Version 10.2.8
– Memory 256
– Processor 800 MHz
It’s what, 5 years old?
Thanks,
Claudia
Your current configuration is probably fairly stable, but you would certainly achieve better performance by upgrading to Tiger and upgrading the RAM. Tiger will run on 256MB of RAM but it will perform much better with another 512MB of iMac RAM installed. Adding RAM to a G4 iMac is easy and the best upgrade for that system.
Tracking down a used copy of OS X 10.4 Tiger will be a little more difficult than buying RAM. Tiger is no longer produced, so used versions of that OS sell fast. You may want to call a PowerMax sales person and have them try to track down a copy for you. If you have other Mac friends, then it may be possible that they would give you their unused copies, provided they moved onto Leopard.
Hope that helps,
Jacob
