After being so thrilled with my macbook, I would like to get a desktop. I would like a g4 or g5. I've been looking around, and so far the best place I've found is macofalltrades.com. They have some good deals for g4 macs for under 500. Is this a trustworthy site? Are there any more sites like this that I can search for used macs? I'd rather not go to ebay.
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Looking for a used g4/g5
- Thread starter Crow47
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For a desktop shipping might be a major factor.
I have had satisfactory business with these companies:
Expercom - in Utah
PawerMax - in Oregon
SmallDog - in Vermont
I have had satisfactory business with these companies:
Expercom - in Utah
PawerMax - in Oregon
SmallDog - in Vermont
What are you going to be doing with the desktop?
Web browsing, small stuff? G4 is okay...
Are you doing more intensive type work? Photoshop, FCP, etc. that requires more power? G5/Mac Pro would be better.
Just make sure that you know that the G4 is obsolete. Most will not run Leopard and will be slow.
The G5 is nice and powerful but it is slowly dying. They are a problem with heat so they can be noisy.
Also for $500, what speed is the G4??
~Crawn
Web browsing, small stuff? G4 is okay...
Are you doing more intensive type work? Photoshop, FCP, etc. that requires more power? G5/Mac Pro would be better.
Just make sure that you know that the G4 is obsolete. Most will not run Leopard and will be slow.
The G5 is nice and powerful but it is slowly dying. They are a problem with heat so they can be noisy.
Also for $500, what speed is the G4??
~Crawn
Don't waste your money on an obsolete architecture. A core duo mac mini will be much more useful to you and last much longer.
Why not get an iMac instead of shelling out the money for that Obsolete G4 otherwise get a G5 it's the only one worth it.
Because I want a desktop that I can easily throw more hard drives into, and hey, there's a big difference between 500 and 1200 dollars. That price gap is not worth it to me, no matter what the performance.
Also, I would only be using for fairly basic stuff like web browing, itunes, and possibly photoshop (hey i've done it on much older machines and it's fine). I simply prefer the experience of a desktop to that of a laptop.
Here is the PMG4 for 400 on macofalltrades.com. http://www.macofalltrades.com/G4_867MHz_Dual_Processor_Mirrored_Door_512_80GB_p/g4867dp1.htm
The iMac is a desktop. Fine though it's your money but most people on here are just going to recommend going to intel.
Yeah, but it'd be 1200 dollars of my money. Sadly, unlike many people on here, money isn't just lying around for a new mac (that was more a jibe at your comment than anything).
Yes, I fully realize that the iMac is a desktop. Perhaps I should have been more specific in my request for a tower.
For those of you who have posted HELPFUL comments, thank you, I appreciate it.
Yes, I fully realize that the iMac is a desktop. Perhaps I should have been more specific in my request for a tower.
For those of you who have posted HELPFUL comments, thank you, I appreciate it.
I said if you couldn't get one then Get a Power PC if you read past my iMac suggestion you would notice that. You can get a G5 for cheap why don't you get one of those instead of getting upset because is said the iMac is good. and I don't have money lying around I had to buy my own Macbook pretty hard when your under 18 so don't pull that one.
Where do you live
Have you tried craigslist? In the area I live their are plenty of macs g4, g5 for sale, very cheap. Deal locally that way you can ask the seller to let you see him or here fire it up, for you. Last week I had my eye on a g4 imac for $350. I just love the little g4 imac lamps their so cool. Also you can look in you yellow pages under computer repair for mac repair shops. And ask them if they have any working older macs for sale. I bought my son a emac for $150 That way.
Have you tried craigslist? In the area I live their are plenty of macs g4, g5 for sale, very cheap. Deal locally that way you can ask the seller to let you see him or here fire it up, for you. Last week I had my eye on a g4 imac for $350. I just love the little g4 imac lamps their so cool. Also you can look in you yellow pages under computer repair for mac repair shops. And ask them if they have any working older macs for sale. I bought my son a emac for $150 That way.
They are generally pretty quiet, it will definitely kill the G4 in performance and will also provide better support for upgrades, Since it seems you would like to keep it for home use later.
I found this G5 that seems to be a pretty good deal. http://www.macofalltrades.com/G5_1_8GHz_Single_Processor_1_0_160GB_SuperDrive_p/g518sp1.htm
I'm rather satisfied with the hd space on that. Any better deal?
A mac mini doesn't work because I want to do dual monitor (easily), and I want to be able to throw in hard drives when it suits me.
I'm rather satisfied with the hd space on that. Any better deal?
A mac mini doesn't work because I want to do dual monitor (easily), and I want to be able to throw in hard drives when it suits me.
I'll second that. A couple of months ago I bought a single processor 1.8 Ghz G5 (the one with 8 RAM slots and 900 mhz bus) with 2.5 GB RAM for $400. I don't know if the one you linked is the same as the one I bought or the more crippled one (4 RAM slots, 600 mhz bus), but either way, it's 175% the cost of what I paid.
$700 for a single processor G5? No thanks.
$700 for a dual 2.0 G5 should be possible. Any time you deal with a retailer, you're getting screwed when you buy used goods. They're able to buy the product for ~20% less than they sell it for, usually from private parties or at auction. There's no reason you can't do the same.
Keep in mind that you're not going to throw more than one extra drive into a G5. There's only space for one.
Craigslist and the classifieds on forums are your best bets.
$700 for a dual 2.0 G5 should be possible. Any time you deal with a retailer, you're getting screwed when you buy used goods. They're able to buy the product for ~20% less than they sell it for, usually from private parties or at auction. There's no reason you can't do the same.
Keep in mind that you're not going to throw more than one extra drive into a G5. There's only space for one.
Craigslist and the classifieds on forums are your best bets.
Ehhh... not reallyyyyy.. a dual 1.8 would trounce it, yes, but a SP wouldn't necessarily be as much faster as you'd think. Actually, the G5's performance wasn't as large an increase clock for clock as you'd have expected over the G4.
The benefit of a Dual 1.25 GHz, of course, is that a.) if you need it, you can boot OS 9, and b.) it actually has four hard drive bays than an early G5... which have only two.
Actually, they also have two optical bays (5.25" bays), vs. the G5's single drive bay.
Meaning, with a Dualie G4, you get four HDDs and two DVD-RWs (or, you know... whatever), and with a G5 you get... two HDDs and... one DVD-RW. That seemed important to you. I personally would be kind of annoyed to be limited to two 3.5" and a single 5.25"... I mean, come on, the old Desktop enclosures (desktop, not minitower) Apple used to sell had room for four 3.25" drives and an optical drive.
Anyway, thought you'd like to know that.
Aloha firefly2002,
I have a PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet, but I only have one DVD slot - the other one was made for a Zip drive (which I have yet to uninstall) - the metal carrier, which fits inside the computer itself, is shaped to only accept a full-size 3.5" optical drive and a Zip drive underneath (see the attachment). I think the Quicksilver and later models actually let the owner install two optical drives, but not in the Gigabit Ethernet model, and probably the Sawtooth model as well. I don't know about the Digital Audio model - it really depends on the model of PowerMac G4.
That being said, I can only run up to Tiger on my PMG4, so I'm OK with only one optical drive. I'm still not sure how I want to use it - some people use theirs as a file server, others as a network server (using Mac OS X Server). I let my nieces and nephew play online games (disney.com, nick.com, barbie.com, etc...) on it, as I don't have to worry about viruses, spyware, or other malicious Windows malware. Also, I just like the idea of replacing yet another Windows PC with a Mac!
HawaiiMacAddict
I have a PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet, but I only have one DVD slot - the other one was made for a Zip drive (which I have yet to uninstall) - the metal carrier, which fits inside the computer itself, is shaped to only accept a full-size 3.5" optical drive and a Zip drive underneath (see the attachment). I think the Quicksilver and later models actually let the owner install two optical drives, but not in the Gigabit Ethernet model, and probably the Sawtooth model as well. I don't know about the Digital Audio model - it really depends on the model of PowerMac G4.
That being said, I can only run up to Tiger on my PMG4, so I'm OK with only one optical drive. I'm still not sure how I want to use it - some people use theirs as a file server, others as a network server (using Mac OS X Server). I let my nieces and nephew play online games (disney.com, nick.com, barbie.com, etc...) on it, as I don't have to worry about viruses, spyware, or other malicious Windows malware. Also, I just like the idea of replacing yet another Windows PC with a Mac!
HawaiiMacAddict
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Aloha firefly2002,
I have a PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet, but I only have one DVD slot - the other one was made for a Zip drive (which I have yet to uninstall) - the metal carrier, which fits inside the computer itself, is shaped to only accept a full-size 3.5" optical drive and a Zip drive underneath (see the attachment). I think the Quicksilver and later models actually let the owner install two optical drives, but not in the Gigabit Ethernet model, and probably the Sawtooth model as well. I don't know about the Digital Audio model - it really depends on the model of PowerMac G4.
That being said, I can only run up to Tiger on my PMG4, so I'm OK with only one optical drive. I'm still not sure how I want to use it - some people use theirs as a file server, others as a network server (using Mac OS X Server). I let my nieces and nephew play online games (disney.com, nick.com, barbie.com, etc...) on it, as I don't have to worry about viruses, spyware, or other malicious Windows malware. Also, I just like the idea of replacing yet another Windows PC with a Mac!
HawaiiMacAddict
My Power Mac Digital Audio is the same way.
-iGrant