Apple's Mac OS X is a fantastic operating system for your Macintosh and if you are still using OS 9, you really should step up to the plate and make the leap. But which Mac OS X should you get?

Don't fall for the party line and blindly buy the latest, which is Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. This is the only OS officially sold by Apple, but depending on your Macintosh model, RAM configuration, Hard Drive capacity and computer usage, you might be better served purchasing an older Mac OS right here on eBay & enjoying a faster, more stable working environment without investing a lot of money. After all, you don't want to upgrade the OS & end up spending more money than that upgrading the rest of the computer too?! At that point, you might as well make Apple shareholders happy & buy a new Mac ;-)

So, which OS X is the right OS for you?


Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar



Introduced in 2002, Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar requires 128 MB of RAM and a G3 or G4 processor. Its highest iteration is v10.2.8. It is perfectly suited to PowerMac G3 Beige, iBook G3 Clamshell, iMac G3 Tray Loading & PowerBook G3 computers that have a 66 MHz front side bus. If you have a limited budget for RAM, stay with this OS X to achieve most of the functionality found in later OSes. Apple's ultra-modern browser (Safari) and programs such as iChat work very well in this OS though you wouldn't know it if you just looked at the box. One of the main reasons for NOT getting this OS is if you purchase an iPod Nano or Video. Those iPods have out-of-the-box requirements of Mac OS X 10.3. Other applications that require atleast 10.3: Skype, the popular VOIP package & NetNewsWire, the RSS news aggregator. But if your main usage is word processing, email and simple internet browsing, Jaguar is more than adequate for the task.

Mac OS X 10.3 Panther



Introduced in 2003, Mac OS X 10.3 Panther requires 128 MB of RAM and a built in USB port. Its highest iteration is v10.3.9. It is the most stable & fastest OS for running G4 based computers such as the iBook G4, iMac G4 Flat Panel, eMacs, PowerMac G4 & PowerBook G4. Several programs such as the latest iTunes (required if you purchase a new iPod Nano, Video or iPhone), Skype and NetNewsWire (the RSS news aggregator) need a minimum of 10.3 before they can function. Apple's ultra-modern browser (Safari v1.3.2) and programs such as iChat AV work very well in this OS, in some cases even better than their later revisions (many people have complained that iChat AV doesn't run as smoothly in Tiger as it does in Panther). Using free 3rd party applications like Yahoo! Widgets and Easy Find (from Devon Tech), one can replicate 2 of the most popular features of the latest OS (Tiger) in 10.3 Panther- Dashboard & Spotlight. From speedy internet surfing to state of the art programs like Microsoft Office & Skype, Panther is the most versatile OS ever.

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger



Introduced in 2005, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger requires 256 MB of RAM and a built in Firewire port. Its highest iteration is v10.4.10. It is well suited for high end G4s and G5 based computers such as the PowerMac G4 Mirror Drive Door, iMac G5 & PowerMac G5, Since the OS itself takes up 256 MB of RAM, any system that you plan to run this OS on should have atleast 512 MB of Memory, if not more. Therefore you need to think twice before upgrading to this OS since many of its main features, such as Dashboard and Spotlight, can be easily replicated in Mac OS X 10.3 using free 3rd party utilities such as Yahoo! Widgets & EasyFind (from Devon Tech). But don't get the wrong idea: there are many positive aspects too! One of the main reasons for upgrading to this OS is for use of Java 1.5 technology. This latest Java codec is only available in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. If you are an online gambler or stock trader, this could be reason enough to upgrade to this OS. If you use your Mac for video processing, Tiger's Core Video technology is very useful in speeding up post processing tasks and freeing up applications to make them appear more responsive. For professional use, there is no better Mac OS X than 10.4 Tiger!

See also: http://www.apple.com/macosx/upgrade/compare.html

Last updated on 6/21/07. Pls note that this guide is a work in progress. More to follow. If you have immediate or additional questions, please don't hesitate to send us an email. If you are unsure about what model of Mac you have, please consult our website at www.allmac.com for help in identifying your computer. There you can visually drill down to find your specific Macintosh model.