Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is $400 for a 15" G4 iMac a good deal?
- Thread starter appledu
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
tobefirst ⚽️
macrumors 601
miles01110
macrumors Core
It depends a lot on the specs, but I'd say its a pretty good deal. Is it the lamp-like model, or the flat panel?
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
miles01110 said:
G4 is the lamp style with the super adjustable display - [guide]iMac G4[/guide].
appledu said:
Get a 1GB of RAM in there and it'll fly in Tiger. However, I would recommend a later 17" iMac G4 or a used Mac Mini if you could afford it.
dmw007
macrumors G4
appledu said:
Well, there was never a 830MHz iMac G4 that I know of- so the processor probably runs at 800MHz. But at that price, I think that you would be getting a good deal. 🙂
The iMac G4 in question should be fine for getting acquainted with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger- my only advice would be to upgrade the RAM. 🙂
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
appledu said:
Well it all depends on your current location. I know Crucial sell in Europe but can't think of any others. As for the installation it's a simple case of popping off a few screws, plugging in the RAM (it's a bit like adding a block of Lego 🙂) and putting the screws back.
As for a speed comparison to a 2 GHz P4, it'll be only slightly slower providing that PC has over 512 MB RAM.
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
appledu said:
There will be very little difference then. The G4 would feel slightly slower in things like photo editing. But for surfing the web, email, iTunes etc. it'll be just as fast as the P4.
miles01110
macrumors Core
I found that the hardest part about getting new RAM into my iMac G4 was figuring out a way to hold it so that the screen wouldn't get damaged. I finally settled for putting it between my legs and wrapping a towel around the screen just in case it fell.
Other than that, popping in the new RAM is really easy-you just insert the chip and push it back into the horizontal position so you can close the lid again. You really can't mess it up...assuming you want your computer to run correctly.
Other than that, popping in the new RAM is really easy-you just insert the chip and push it back into the horizontal position so you can close the lid again. You really can't mess it up...assuming you want your computer to run correctly.
miles01110
macrumors Core
appledu said:
Yikes....the resolution change will definitely take some getting used to.
About the language issue- just make sure that whoever you are buying from includes the Tiger installation DVD (also make sure that it has a DVD player!) and boot from the CD to install Tiger. You can choose your language then.
miles01110 said:
Yeah, I know, it's going to really be difficult, but it's a temp machine, as I'll be getting an MBP later on...
Also, I know you can change language in Tiger, but what about Office and iLife?
How wrong would it be to "obtain" copies of these and use the foreign serial?
appledu
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
miles01110 said:
All 800 MHz iMac G4s have either Combo or Superdrives so you're fine. But now that you've told us about the resolution change, I would strongly recommend at least the 17" iMac G4.
You can pick up some 15" models on ebay or craigslist for around 300-350ish.
If this looks like a good seller...then just buy from him for security. 😀
If this looks like a good seller...then just buy from him for security. 😀
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
appledu said:
IMO its quite a big difference, but its all a matter of opinion I guess. If you want to see if you can handle it, try setting your current monitor to 1024x768 and see if you can use it (if its an LCD it may look a bit blurry at 1024x768 so ignore that). As for software, I'm sure the install disks would sort it all out.
BlizzardBomb said:
I just have set my screen (laptop) to that...and it's horrible!!! 😱
I'm not sure if you can install stuff like Office in other languages, as they seem to sell them in only one language, and I know you can't change the Windows versions' language...
Should I bother...or wait for a better deal?
I guess that I could get it now, and always give it to my parents when I get my MBP, as they are on a 2Ghz Celeron...
appledu
dmw007
macrumors G4
appledu said:
That is your call, the iMac G4 seems like a good deal for the price. If you think that you need something with a higher resolution, then consider getting a used Mac Mini G4. 🙂
appledu said:
I am sure that they would really appreciate that, an iMac G4 would be a nice upgrade for them over a 2GHz Celeron. 🙂