Low End Mac Reader Specials
TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how
to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full
Tilt Poker Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.
Apple, Tech, and Gaming
Gaming on an Aluminum PowerBook
- 2009.08.04
Follow Low End Mac on Twitter.
Popularity: 
Tweet this article. Short link: http://bit.ly/gidZ4
As a follow up to The Last PowerBooks Have Plenty of Life Left, I would like to elaborate on the least productive (but greatest diversionary) use of your late model Aluminum PowerBook G4. That, of course, would be the simple act of gaming.
Many of us game, and to put it into perspective, anywhere between 50% and 70% of Americans play video games. The video game industry is now a $10+ billion/year giant. That's a serious business with a serious audience!
Macs currently account for about 10% to 12% of all personal computers, and although this sounds small by comparison to the Windows market, someone wants that piece of the pie! Any publisher looking to make extra profits can simply make a Mac OS X port of their game. If it's a title with a lot of hype behind it, you'll probably even be able to look forward to a simultaneous OS X release alongside its Windows counterpart!
In the later years of the PowerPC, there were quite a few impressive ports and releases of games that will simply blow you away (even by today's standards) when running on the heavy hitting G4 processors of any 2005 Aluminum PowerBook G4.
These hard-core games tended to run best on G5s and/or Intel hardware, but at the time when they were released, in order to play them on a G5 or Intel machine, your choices were to either be chained to your desktop or to ante up for a brand new MacBook Pro with the needed dedicated GPU (the 2006 versions of the consumer MacBook had the lame integrated GMA graphics, rendering those machines fairly useless for gaming).
Okay, so what about these games? What killer titles are out there for those who want to really get their money's worth for the cooling pads they bought for their 2005 Aluminum PowerBook G4s?
Which Games?
Yes, these machines can run a bit hot, but won't really turn into fire on your lap until you burn it up with the finest games from Aspyr that were released around the time of the 2005 PowerBook G4s: Call of Duty 2, Doom 3, Quake 4, and Prey, to name just a few (note - system requirements on Call of Duty 2 and Prey actually call for a 1.8 GHz G5, but they will run in low resolution with some of the effects turned down/off on a 1.67 GHz PowerBook G4). Doom 3 calls for a 1.5 GHz G4 with a Radeon 9600 or better, while Quake 4 calls for a 1.67 GHz G4 processor and a Radeon 9600 or better.
These titles all hit slightly above or right at the peak of the G4 in terms of minimum specifications and truly are the ultimate test for the PowerBook G4, but they stand the test of time so far for that reason. That's gaming at the high end of the G4, but at a low-end price today if you purchase a late model PowerBook G4, now several product lines old.
Give it a shot if you don't have the cash for a newer MacBook with the GeForce 9400M or a MacBook Pro . . . you won't be let down.
How Low Can You Go?
In summary, gaming on a late model PowerBook G4 still gives you an abundance of high-end gaming options, but at a fraction of the price of current hardware. I would not hesitate to recommend any of the titles I mentioned. In fact, besides these titles, there is a great wealth of games that will run on systems spec'd around a 700 MHz G4 and above, showing that even a 2002 iMac Flat Panel or a 667 MHz TiBook has some gaming potential.
Coming Soon: Gaming on a Pismo. There have been plenty of nice reviews of the Pismo PowerBook on Low End Mac. It's an obvious fact that the Pismo has a special place in the heart of us - and many Macintosh enthusiasts. The Pismo is still considered a workhorse by many. What about when you just want to take a quick break though?
I'll go over your gaming options with the limited 8 MB graphics
card, and a G3 400/500 or G4 550 spec'd machine. Stay tuned.
Dan Bashur lives in Ohio, loves writing, uses Tiger and Leopard on his various Macs, and is an avid gamer. He is currently working on Apple hardware and software certification.
Recent Apple, Tech, and Gaming Columns
- DVI-to-Mini DisplayPort Converters: A Ray of Hope for the 27" iMac, 11.13. The new iMac accepts DisplayPort input, but it won't work with the usual DVI-to-Mini DisplayPort adapters. It requires a more expensive converter.
- How to Connect Some VGA Macs to Analog HDTVs, 10.16. Using the Sabrent VGA to Component Video Converter to connect some VGA Macs to a 1080i high-def TV with no digital input.
- Re-imagining the Mac Cube for the Intel Era, 10.07. The Power Mac G4 Cube was one of Apple's most beautiful computers. Here's how Apple could resurrect the concept - and succeed this time.
- Teaching an Old iMac Some New Tricks, 10.02. Using a G3 iMac as part of your home entertainment center with remote control, audio out to your stereo, and video out to your TV.
- More in the Apple, Tech, and Gaming index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: iMac Core Duo, Jan. 2006 - The first Intel-based iMacs ran at 1.83-2.0 GHz, came with 17" and 20" displays.
- Group of the Day: Mac Pro List is for those using a Mac Pro.
- November 23 in LEM history: 99: Should I buy a USB card? - 01: Can a low-end Mac be an only Mac? - Palm Desktop without a PDA - CyberDog saves the day - 05: How Consumer Reports could compare Macs fairly - Speakers for your Mac - Living with the hi-res 15" PowerBook - Birth of the PowerBook - Daystar 1.9 GHz iMac G4 upgrade - 1.92 GHz PowerBook upgrade
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Apple's Tablet an End Run Beyond Netbooks, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 11.20. Whatever Apple has planned will leverage existing technologies while going beyond what its competitors can offer.
- i5 iMac Benchmarked, Mac mini 'Shouldn't Be Overlooked', Twitter Client for Classic Mac OS, and More, Mac News Review, 11.20. Also why Apple leaves the low end to others, 10.6.2 fixes video playback problem in 27" iMac, 3D Leopard and Snow Leopard performance, and more.
- Apple #4 in Reliability, Apple Tablet a Gadget for All?, HP's i7 Notebook Outdoes Mac Rivals, and More, The 'Book Review, 11.20. Also Flash 10.1 improves video on Hackintosh netbooks, thin-and-light notebooks impress, Windows XP finally on the way out, and more.
- NASA Chemical Sensor for iPhone, Smartphone Death Match, iPhone Earrings, and More, Ian R Campbell, 11.20. Also mobile phone dangers, new apps, GPS solution for iPod touch, new iPod and iPhone cases, and more.
- Replacing the Hard Drive in a Clamshell iBook, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 11.19. Yes, it is one of the most difficult Apple notebooks to disassemble and reassemble, but a 10 GB hard drive just will not do.
- IBM Model F: A Great Old Keyboard with an Outdated Layout, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 11.19. Although it used a different technology than the revered IBM Model M keyboard, the Model F was a great keyboard in its own right.
- Soft Touch Keyboards, Wireless Mouse Options, Loving SeaMonkey 2, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 11.18. Also the future of browsing with PowerPC Macs and the multiple mouse input bug introduced with OS X 10.5.8.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
- Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
- Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 11.17. Used 1.83 GHz, $750; 2.16, $800; 2.33, $900; refurb 2.4, $1,299; 2.53, $1,449; 2.66, $1,699; 2.8, $1,899; new 2.53, $1,579; 2.66, $1,799; more.
- Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, 11.17. Used 400 MHz, $50; 933 MHz, $80; 500 dual, $60; 867 dual, $90; 1 GHz dual, $150; 1.25 GHz dual, $225; 1.42 GHz, $499.
- Best Mac OS X 10.5 Deals, 11.17. "Leopard" upgrade, $80; single user license, $135; 5 users, $173; Mac Box Set, 5 users, $230; Server, 10 users, $340; unlimited, $850. Shipping included.
- Best Mac mini Deals, 11.16. Used 1.42 GHz G4 mini, $379; 1.66 GHz Core Solo, $419; 2.0 Core 2, $450; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $769; Server, $990.
- Best iBook G4 Deals, 11.16. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $210; 1.33 GHz, $298; 14" 1.33 GHz, $398; 1.42 GHz, $479; SuperDrive, $498.
- Best iPod shuffle Deals, 11.16. Used 1 GB, $35; 4 GB, $65; refurb 1 GB, $39; 2 GB, $59; new 2 GB, $55, 4 GB, $75. New and refurb prices include shipping.
- More deals in our archive.
