Mac Nerds...

[Jake]

You can run Leopard on a G4/G5/Intel. I have no idea about running it on a modified PC, though I would like to try it eventually.

As far as a legit Mac goes... for the least cost and best performance, I'd look into a G4 tower, one of the very last ones. They're nicknamed the Mirrored-Drive-Door (MDD) models because the optical drive cover is a huge mirror. That, with enough RAM, should run 10.5.5 just fine and last you probably two years ish.

The G5s and Mac Pros are in the same case. Huge, metal box that looks like a large cheese grater. If you can find a zillion-processor G5, it'll be pretty fast. There's one in the SMAD building that I use a lot - 4x 2.5 GHz G5 processors and I think 4.5 GB of RAM.

Actually, here's a picture of the G4 and G5, next to each other:


I'd suggest a Mac Mini, but the used ones go for almost as much as a new one on CL or eBay. People buy 'em and turn them into media center machines because of their size.

Let me know if you have more questions...