Confirmation that I made the right decision

[wdlove]

I have a Power Mac G4 dual 450 with a 17" Studio Display purchased 9/1/00. Last evening I heard crackles in the display. The CRT went dark. Had a metal burning smell. I disconnected the CRT from the G4. Then used the power button to shut the G4 down.

This evening I visited the Chestnut Hill Apple Store. The Mac Genius checked my display. The Tube us dead. Base repair $699.00 plus tax. I decided is wasn't worth it to fix a 3 year old CRT, when it didn't cost that much new. The are going to dispose of it for me.


I looked at a new 17" LCD $699.00. They happened to have a 20" Cinema Display that was returned due to one dead pixel. They booted it up for me. The dead pixel is near the edge at the approximate 4:20 position. It is white and to me barely noticeable, size of a pin.
20" $1,299.00. I got it for $1,099.00 plus tax.

Now should I take the G4 in next week to have Panther installed?

[Fender2112]

I'm not sure how the two relate. But sure go ahead and have Pather installed. You'll be glad you did.

[latergator116]

Wow! Thats a great save for only one dead pixel. Go ahead, I think you deserve Panther after all these years of OS 9. (Don't get me wrong, I love OS 9.)

[Horrortaxi]

Originally posted by wdlove
Now should I take the G4 in next week to have Panther installed?

Have Panther installed? Unless it's a free service I wouldn't. Even if it's free I don't think it's worth the trouble of lugging the computer in. Do it yourself. Can you put a CD in a drive? Click a mouse? Then you have the necessary skills to do it.

[slipper]

wdlove, i dont understand why you would have any doubts at all.

[MacAztec]

I don't know if I would have gotten that screen. Sure, Apple screens are nice, and the 20" is by far the best (IMO).

I would have gotten two Dell 19" LCDs on eBay. I think you can get em for about 550 a piece. They are really nice.

[bousozoku]

I'm not sure why the tube and labour would have been that much. I'm sure a competent t.v. repair shop could have done it for half that price, even in Boston. The 20 inch is a nice display and I'm certain you'll be happy with it.

On installing Panther, I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to do it yourself, but i'm sure they'll take care of you just fine.

[michaelrjohnson]

i would say you got a heck of a deal, when i buy an external LCD, it probably won't be apple's (too much $$) but because of the discount, you did good.

as for panther, as stated above, get it. however you need to. it will knock your socks off! ;)

[encro]

A lot of TV repair shops simply refuse to deal with monitors.

Rare components, Bad Schematics etc

[jrv3034]

That's a great deal on the Cinema Display. And I agree it wasn't worth trying to fix the CRT. You can buy new ones for MUCH cheaper than that.

As for Panther, I would have to say go for it. I've had very limited experience with OS9, so I can't comment on it really, but 10.3 is superb (at least coming from Windows).;)

[Mr. Anderson]

I'm sure you did the right thing - it would have been a waste of money to get the crt fixed. I had my 21" Apple Studio Display die on me last year - I replaced it with an el cheapo 17" CRT to tide me over until I got a new G5.

I never thought I'd still be sitting hear working on it still a year later. But things will change soon enough - I just didn't want to drop money on a new display unless I had a new machine to go with it.

You got a good deal - and are enjoying the extra real estate.

And, just out of curiosity, why are you having the Apple guys install Panther? Its not that hard to do it yourself and it won't cost you anything....

D

[Kwyjibo]

Geez WDlove, with all you post here you should be an expert in installing panther before you even post the software.

Thats an awesome find in terms of the LCD. Just make sure you do a thorough backup of your stuff and a clean install for best results.

[wdlove]

Thanks everyone for making a comment. I figured that I did the right thing, just wanted validation from my friends.

The reason that I want the Mac Genius to install Panther is to have some expert advise in person. My wifes HD on her iBook died with the install of Jaguar. She still had Apple Care, the only cost was software related. The Genius told me that if the HD crashes, it would be on Apple. Also I will feel more confident with my setup.

Currently I'm waiting for a call back from the Genius. I booted up the G4, the display turned gray and then black. Tried it twice, the G4 sounded OK.

[Westside guy]

Originally posted by wdlove
Thanks everyone for making a comment. I figured that I did the right thing, just wanted validation from my friends.

Just curious... what if everyone had said "NO, YOU FOOL! IT WAS A BIG MISTAKE???" :D

Personally I avoid asking for validation after the fact - there's no real upside, and the downside can be a bummer.

[wdlove]

Originally posted by Westside guy
Just curious... what if everyone had said "NO, YOU FOOL! IT WAS A BIG MISTAKE???" :D

Personally I avoid asking for validation after the fact - there's no real upside, and the downside can be a bummer.

I have done this most of my life. It has worked to my benefit most of the time.