Power PC G4 - as slow as can be on internet

S

scottphoto

Registered
I'm running a 400MHz Power PC G4 with 256 MB SDRAM and Mac OSX 10.3.9 on the net via wireless and it is SUPER slow.

My Mac Geek buddy suggested I install a new hard drive (as it's only got its original 20gb hard drive) as it may increase the speed.

Does this sound feasable? The Hard drive isn't full and the mac will only be used for net use as I've given it to me Mum.

Any ideas would be greatley appreciated!

Thanks ::love::
 
No, that doesn't sound feasible at all... well, feasible in the sense that it's possible, yes, but to improve internet speed? Not in the slightest. Your hard drive has little to no bearing on the speed at which your internet connection works.

What exactly is "slow" about the internet on the computer? Does it take a long time to begin rendering the page, but once started, renders in a reasonable amount of time? Or does it begin to render, but just renders slowly overall? What happens if you download a large file (say, a Linux ISO image) -- do you see download speeds that are in line with what your internet connection is capable of?
 
A few things you can upgrade to help performance:
  • Upgrade the CPU with third party G4 upgrades that are available.
  • Install as much RAM as possible, preferably over 1 GB.
  • Upgrade the hard drive to one with larger storage space, cache, and RPM speed. Be aware that with the built-in IDE controller, you're limited roughly to 128 GB. You can get a SATA card for the PCI slots if you need to go beyond 128 GB, but you'd have to factor in the cost of the SATA card.
  • See if you can purchase a copy of Tiger after you've made these upgrades, as Tiger does run snappier than Panther, and still has a lot of application support.

You can find information on CPU upgrades for the Power Mac G4 here:
http://lowendmac.com/ppc/g4upgrades.html

To add, all of these should help your applications to run faster, but it won't make the Internet any more faster than your ISP connection has provided you. And it will be even slower when it comes to wireless since there are many factors that can affect wireless speeds and prevent you from getting optimal throughput through wireless.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top