Using Leopard on Older Macs

Apple has raised the bar for using Leopard on a PowerPC based Mac: 867 MHz or faster. This makes older Macs obsolete to make way for Intel based machines to become the company’s main focus. However, you can get an older Mac running Leopard, it just won’t be so easy.

Processor Upgrade

If you own a PowerMac, you’ll have the easiest upgrade path: a processor upgrade. The PowerMac uses a ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) based daughter card to interface with a PowerPC based CPU.

NewerTech, PowerLogix, Sonnet, and OWC all offer various upgrade options for your PowerMac that allow you to reach speeds equivalent to some Intel based Macs, including dual processor options up to 2.0 GHz. All G4 processor upgrades available from NewerTech, PowerLogix, OWC, and some Sonnet (G4 only) processors are all Leopard compatible in speed requirements.

The installation process differs for each processor, and you can read my review of NewerTech’s 7448 1.8 GHz G4 processor upgrade here, but to I’ll do a quick recap.

NewerTech’s G4 upgrades are Mac OS 9.2.2 and 10.3.5 (and later) compatible; even use under Leopard surpasses Tiger, and more so with the latest 10.5.1 update. However, you’ll have to patch your Firmware in order to use the processor under either OS 9 or OS X. There are some downsides such as your PowerMac’s Bus Speed being too slow for the G4’s max potential and the somewhat difficult upgrade if you aren’t careful.

Hacking Up An Install DVD And Speeding Up Your Video Card

If your Mac falls short of the G4 867 MHz cut, don’t fret, you still have one option available besides buying a new Mac. While you might regret doing this due to speed constraints, you can hack up a new Install DVD so you can have Leopard on any Mac.

The only thing you’ll need is a DVD burner (obviously) to burn your new Disk Image when done. Mac Rumors has the complete guide for doing so and it’s quite easy.

Also, you may need to upgrade your Video Card for use with Leopard. It’s not essential but some apps won’t work on a Mac with slow graphics processing. I tested Leopard on my PowerMac with a measly ATi Rage 128 Pro 16 MB VRAM. The Interface ran fine but DVD Player would not run, giving an initialization error. Front Row would launch but give me a black screen of death and Time Machine would hang forever on a target window, temporarily freezing my Mac.

An ATi Radeon 9200 gave better results, but the visuals were slightly scaled down to accommodate my slower Mac (I go over this more at my Blog), but I got the full visual package on a PowerBook sporting an ATi Radeon 9700.