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How would I go about combining my Power Mac G4 and my new Mac Pro towers so that I can use the full processing power of both?

Kate DubenskyIf by ‘processing power’ you are referring to the CPU capacity of your computers, the closest creation to what you’re suggesting is known as a cluster, more specifically a Beowulf or a Mini cluster. If you are interested in dismantling your computers and constructing a combined machine with the components, then you can look up information about creating a Beowulf or a Mini cluster. Both are intense hardware computing projects and are nowhere near as simple as connecting your units with a network cable.

The long and short of it is that you can’t link up your different computers to combine the processing power of each. The most you can do in this respect, without needing a sophisticated tool kit and a blowtorch, is link up your different systems into a Local Area Network so they can share data, Internet connectivity and files. To do this you will need a router, wireless if you would like to keep the laptop mobile. Apple produces one called the Apple Airport Base Station. Plug in the computers and then enable files sharing on each computer. Now, when you open the

Finder Window in one, the others will appear in the sidebar menu.

Still, it is possible that this type of computer network may actually slow computer processes down as they ship data back and forth across the LAN. It is not as simple as if you wanted to increase the CPU processing speed or add more RAM. If you want to increase the power of your computers, you might think about considering upgrading the speed and capacity of one of your systems by purchasing additional RAM and higher speed and quality CPU chips. This is generally not possible in laptops, where the chips are usually smoldered into the motherboard, but is likely fairly straight forward in your towers.

If the computer you use most often for high speed processing is equipped with a 3.2Ghz processor like in the new Mac Pro tower, you can upgrade by removing the existing processor and replacing it with the faster model, although the latest model of this design is pretty fast.

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