Question about the iMac G4, opinions?

[joekix]

hi everyone,

i recently made the switch to mac about 2 months ago and i now own a macbook pro c2d. i wish i made the switch a few years ago when the imac g4's were out.

my question is, is the imac g4 still worth getting? i love the design of that model. it looks so cool to me. i've been seeing them on ebay, i'm not sure if i should pull the trigger or not. what's the going price for a 17"?

i have wanted one since they came out because of how they look. is it too outdated already? i really wouldn't mind having a desktop. i wish they kept that design with the current imacs. anyways, your comments will be greatly appreciated, and if i posted in the wrong area, i'm sorry. thanks

[Angrist]

I've got a 17" 800MHz (See Sig).

It's getting to the point where it's starting to drag. The RAM is slow, and pretty limited, the graphics card is kinda weak, and the Proc is slow.

That being said ... I can still email, browse, watch DVDs, watch Dvix, write papers (yuck) and run iTunes.

If you can find one of the later models with the 1.25GHz chip, it'll take up to 2Gb of RAM, and be much faster all around. I'd say if you can get one under $500 that'd be worth considering (depending on specs). It'll be comparable in performance to a G4 powerbook, which (see sig) is still a capable machine for WoW, photoshop, iMove, etc.

[joekix]

I've got a 17" 800MHz (See Sig).

It's getting to the point where it's starting to drag. The RAM is slow, and pretty limited, the graphics card is kinda weak, and the Proc is slow.

That being said ... I can still email, browse, watch DVDs, watch Dvix, write papers (yuck) and run iTunes.

If you can find one of the later models with the 1.25GHz chip, it'll take up to 2Gb of RAM, and be much faster all around. I'd say if you can get one under $500 that'd be worth considering (depending on specs). It'll be comparable in performance to a G4 powerbook, which (see sig) is still a capable machine for WoW, photoshop, iMove, etc.


thanks for the reply. my mbp is fast and i'm not expecting too much from the imac. i think i want it more for decor. why does it have to look so freakin' cool??? the ones i've been eyeing on ebay, are athe ones with >1ghz and >1 ram of memory. the funny thing is, i'm 30 years old, and when i was a pc user, i didn't really care about computers, but ever since i got my mbp, i want to learn as much about macs and now i want a 3 year old computer. apple as warped my little mind.

[Gosh]

I was looking on eBay with a view to getting an iMac G4 (cheap) for my Mum plus iSight camera. The later 15" 1.0 GHz and 17" 1.25 GHz - still have some life left and the benefit of USB 2.0 rather than 1.1 of earlier models.

In the UK demand exceeds supply and I saw the auction price of a 17" go to £485 (over $900) ouch! Now I'm looking for Mac mini's but they're tending to go for £350+ (near $700)!

Unfair - Macs hold their value too well!:)

[Jazzbolicious]

Tell me about it. I bought a G4 Cube two years ago on ebay and have been obsessed with collecting macs ever since!

[IJ Reilly]

IMO, the G4 iMac is the best computer design Apple has ever produced, which arguably means it was the best computer ever designed by anybody. Functionally, this Mac is about as perfect as it gets. We'll probably have to part with ours pretty soon, and I'm sure it will be missed.

That being said, they are now pretty old, so if you buy one, beware of worn out display backlighting. I don't know if or how you you'd replace the backlights if it was required.

[Eidorian]

700 MHz - 1 GHz G4 machines are still great for iTunes, Safari, and iPhoto. Just make sure you load up on as much RAM as possible.

[MacDonaldsd]

I would love to get one, but you can't get one cheap

In the UK the last generation of iMac G4s with USB 2.0 etc always go for £450+

[FadeToBlack]

Try to find one of the 1.25GHz ones. Those have USB 2.0 and should be plenty fast enough for normal use. I had a 1.25GHz eMac and it was fine. I also think that the iMac G4 is one of the best designed computers ever.

[supermario19]

The g4's were really nice. The good old lamp model. I still love my g3 though.