Going from a PC to a Mac

[UNCMo96]

I currently have my Slimserver running off of my PC using Flac/mp3 files. I manage my library with MusicIP.

I'm thinking about switching my music server to to a 2001 Quicksilver Mac and use Slimserver and MusicIP. My Music is stored/backed up in external USB HDs. I plan on getting a USB2 card for the Mac as it only has USB1.

Will I face any issues? Will I see any benefits running slimserver off the mac? My PC is dying and the Mac has been collecting dust, but still works well.

[patrickw59]

I am a totally fanatic user of Apple computers, have several at work and at home. They are just great. I will never touch a PC again. I do not experience any kind of software problems, except with the Slimserver who makes the life of a music lover sometimes painful. Bugs, trouble. Not always a quiet path. And a new release of the server solves problems and creates 5 new ones!

I do not know what MusicIP is and does, no comment possible.
I work exclusively with ITunes, a great and convenient tool, appropriate for managing comprehensive libraries with thousands of artists/tracks/CDs.

My concern with your post is about the processing power of your computer vs the size of your music library.
- processor type...G3...G4?
- RAM size?
- number of tracks to manage?

The slimserver requires some processing power to handle the management of the library, and I doubt that an old processor (eg G3) will handle the workload.

Have you considered to purchase a cheap Mac mini or a second hand IMAC? the mac mini makes a great multimedia file server and you can dedicate it to the management of your music.

[UNCMo96]

My big issue with my PC is that when I run Slimserver it slows down some. The Mac is a 733mgtz G4 tower. It has 128mb of ram. I was planning on upgrading the RAM to a gig and buying a USB 2.0 card and using that to run Slimserver. (about $130 bucks).

I thought about going the MacMini route, but for my purposes (just sharing the music) I thought the G4 should do fine and I'd rather spend 130 on the mac rather than 600 on the mini. I'm thinking about buying an iMac for my main computer.

My media files are in FLAC which doesn't work with Itunes. MusicIP aka Music Magic rocks since it works with flac, lets you make on the fly "mood based" playlists which I use a lot. I have about 11,000 songs mostly in flac but some in mp3.

[mflint]

I thought about going the MacMini route, but for my purposes (just sharing the music) I thought the G4 should do fine...

I have about 11,000 songs mostly in flac but some in mp3.

Another reason to avoid the Mini is that you'd struggle to fit your 400Gb library on there! (Sure there are external firewire drives, but it just wouldn't feel right to me)

Matthew

[SuperQ]

My big issue with my PC is that when I run Slimserver it slows down some. The Mac is a 733mgtz G4 tower. It has 128mb of ram. I was planning on upgrading the RAM to a gig and buying a USB 2.0 card and using that to run Slimserver. (about $130 bucks).

I thought about going the MacMini route, but for my purposes (just sharing the music) I thought the G4 should do fine and I'd rather spend 130 on the mac rather than 600 on the mini. I'm thinking about buying an iMac for my main computer.

My media files are in FLAC which doesn't work with Itunes. MusicIP aka Music Magic rocks since it works with flac, lets you make on the fly "mood based" playlists which I use a lot. I have about 11,000 songs mostly in flac but some in mp3.

That mac would make a fine Slimserver. Upgrading the ram is a good idea, but I don't think adding an external USB2 disk would be that great an idea. With a machine of that age, you're better off replacing the internal disk with a more modern drive.. simply to improve system speed and reliability.

[UNCMo96]

I don't mind using USB drives. Currently I have 4 USB drives: 2 250s and 2 200s. 2 of the drives have all the music and the other 2 are the back up.