any super modest mac users out there who still think they can get 4 years from a mac?

[jefhatfield]

this month, my two laptops, ibook and pc laptop, turn three years old

but for my uses of computers, while for at least two hours per day, are very modest, i can see even going another year with my ibook

the pc laptop is truly obsolete and stuck with windows 98 but will take windows ME but i like the former...so that machine will be replaced soon sometime next year

but my bulletproof revision a clamshell ibook is perfect for what i use it for and since i have had limited exposure to 2002 era macs, i guess i don't know what i am missing

note:

since the computer hardware/software field is moving faster now than ever, i would get a 1 ghz tibook with maxed out RAM if i expected to get four years of modest use from it everyday from now until december, 2006

there will come a time when no laptop, mac or pc, will last a high school student or college student all four years of their schooling

and odds are the thing would get dropped once too much, spilled on, or stolen in that period of time

my guess is that the "average" high school or college mac laptop user goes through two machines in their four year stint

[howard]

i am really hopeing that the ibook i bought...700mhz 640mgs ram will last me for 3 years...that last year i'm sure i'll be desperatly wanting a brand new computer though...who knows though, if i come into some money i'll buy one in a year and a half

[cubist]

Windows ME is loaded with bugs, from what I hear, and doesn't offer anything beyond what you get with 98. Windows 2000 is probably Microsoft's best OS, but you'll need at least 256MB to run it well. Most PC laptops offer only very limited memory expansion capability, so you may be stuck with 32MB or whatever you have.

I've got a rev A iBook also, it has 160MB RAM which is maxed out according to Apple. It runs Mac OS 9 excellently. Battery life is superb, display is clear, sharp and bright; the case is rugged. I like that handle on the back, which the new ones don't have.

I've heard it's possible to put in a 256MB SO-DIMM, but I haven't tried it. I haven't installed Mac OS X because I think it won't work well with only 160MB; it has only one USB port, and no Firewire. Still, it's a very fine portable machine as it sits; I can play all of my games, too, since all the new games work just as well in 9 as in X.

As a programmer, tho, the siren song of Mac OS X is too great to resist.

Maybe it's just me, but I think the pace of technological obsolescence is slowing. In the PC world, there's no compelling reason to upgrade from a 500MHz P-II as long as you have enough memory and run Windows 2000. What more will you be able to do with a newer computer? I can't think of anything.

Similarly, if you bought the 1GHz PBG4, when the 970's come out a year later, what more will you be able to do? I'm not sure the 64-bit machines in either the Mac or PC world will have a big impact. Maybe there'll be some kind of killer database/multimedia/artificial intelligence program that will make everyone lust for 8-byte words, but I doubt it.

One way to cope with this is to buy a one-year-old used machine instead of a new machine. Then, if you get two or three years out of it, you're happy. If you get more, that's even better.

[MacBandit]

I personally think that a computer today can last you longer then it they did just 2 years ago. This is because just about anything you buy today is fast enought that even 4 years from now it should be capable of running any application that an average user could want to run.

Hell if you just wanted to email and do movie stuff with iMovie there is no reason that you couldn't use a new PowerMac nearly indefinitely. They are seriously faster then the average user could ever need.

I've posted this before but here it is again.



I have found recently that for me this is totally dependent on the computer and the software that I am running. My first mac a Performa 600 I replaced in a year and a half for a PowerMac 7100. This was because the Performa was slow when I got it and I wanted something faster as soon as I could afford it. The PowerMac 7100 only lasted a year. For the same reason. It was replaced by a PowerMac 8500. It lasted for 2 years but I upgraded the CPU in that time. It was replaced by a B/WG3 400 which lasted for 3 years. It lasted that long because quite frankly for most of that time it was faster then I needed with a new graphics card and faster hard drive. Well I wanted to run OSX and the B/W just wouldn't cut it for me with X so I got a new Dual/GHz/DDR I fully expect this machine will last me at least 3 years. The difference is when I got the B/W it was fast enough that most of the time it did the task nearly as fast as I could respond (opening programs etc..). My new dual does things way faster then me so in comparrison this machine should last me even longer then the B/W. This is unless I have for some reason I have some extra cash and the new machines have quadrupled the speed of this thing (real speed not MHz).

For reference from tests I ran on my machines here is the real world speed comparisons of all the Macs I have owned.

Performa 600/33 030 kept 1-1.5years.

PowerMac 7100/80 ppc601 twice as fast as the Performa. kept 1.5years.

PowerMac 8500/120 ppc604 twice as fast as the 7100 kept 1year.

PowerMac 8500/200 ppc604e upgrade twice as fast as the stock 8500 kept 1year.

PowerMac B/W 400 G3 2-3x as fast as the 8500/200 kept 3 years.

PowerMac Dual/Ghz/DDR G4 4-5x as fast as the B/WG3 last computer.

So as you can see the newer computers have been much faster in comparison to the computers they replace and in turn I have kept them longer.

[Over Achiever]

Originally posted by jefhatfield
note:

since the computer hardware/software field is moving faster now than ever, i would get a 1 ghz tibook with maxed out RAM if i expected to get four years of modest use from it everyday from now until december, 2006

there will come a time when no laptop, mac or pc, will last a high school student or college student all four years of their schooling

and odds are the thing would get dropped once too much, spilled on, or stolen in that period of time

my guess is that the "average" high school or college mac laptop user goes through two machines in their four year stint

Well thats exactly what I'm planning on doing. I'm getting the Superdrive pb maxed ram etc. and I'm expecting it to last me for four years through either med school or astro research in grad school.

My current PC laptop, a 550 MHz AMD K6-II with integrated video memory is fairly obsolete. But I've thrown it in my backpack, no special case for over three years now...and I think it has served me well through college. So no, I haven't had to buy multiple computers through college;) and I haven't treated it particularly well either :eek:

I guess I'm just different. :)

[AssassinOfGates]

I know I can, despite the fact I don't like to. Until last summer I was still using a iMac rev B

[bousozoku]

My PowerMac B&W G3/400 is doing quite well, thank you very much. It was first available in spring 1999 and, especially with the fast hard drive and full memory, is quite good and not so slow.

My dual G4/800 is not twice as fast as the G3 in applications which stress the whole system and which don't take advantage of both processors. The UltraATA hard drive is not so fast so, when it goes to virtual memory, it's virtually a lifetime compared to the G3. I think this machine will age the quickest of all I've had. Of course, it's already two generations away since it was replaced in January.

The problem with all this is--me. :D I wanted to go fast. I wanted faster, faster, faster all the time. I'll have to wait for Apple to make its operating system much more efficient and for the application developers to tune what they have. I think my G3 will still be there. :)

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by Over Achiever


Well thats exactly what I'm planning on doing. I'm getting the Superdrive pb maxed ram etc. and I'm expecting it to last me for four years through either med school or astro research in grad school.

My current PC laptop, a 550 MHz AMD K6-II with integrated video memory is fairly obsolete. But I've thrown it in my backpack, no special case for over three years now...and I think it has served me well through college. So no, I haven't had to buy multiple computers through college;) and I haven't treated it particularly well either :eek:

I guess I'm just different. :)

it means you are very careful and safe

if i need a physician in your neck of the woods, i will look you up

i used to have a dentist, i am sure rich as all heck, but he had the touch of a linebacker and i called him dr. black and decker ;)

my PC laptop has an AMD K6-II 366 mhz chip with a maxed out 160 MB of PC 66 RAM...it's too old to run windows 2000, which does minimally with at least 384 MB of RAM...same with os x for any mac

the hardware on the ibook is compatible with os x but not all the hardware on the pc laptop is compatible with w2k and there are no super old w2k hardware drivers available unless one writes their own...something a hardware techie like me does not know how to do...but programmers and driver writers come from all around the world to work here in and around san jose, ca...so many prorammers with windows programming saavy have run some windows 95 era machines on windows 2000...amazing but a real investment in time:p :eek: :)

btw...these highly talented programmers are ones i know who are musical recording buffs and don't actually consider themselves programmers or techies but poor, starving musicians who will go to any length to get that sound

[big]

I know people still using performas as their email, web & word processor.
they even do some excellent drawing off of them.

its all in your opinion, you dont have to update to the newest OS every time one comes out. My G3 is ungodly old, and the 600 mhz iBook will probably stay on 10.2 unless new OS's come out for free.

Really, I now have no reason to update, unless something happens like HDTV, where sooner or later, my old TV WILL be obsolete by what 2006? or something like that.

However, I do see a flat panel screen coming into my life in 2 years (when prices drop) and a McAlley 2 button scroll wheel, optical mouse *hint for Xmas*

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by cubist


I've heard it's possible to put in a 256MB SO-DIMM, but I haven't tried it.

i heard about it, too here on an old macrumors post

it's not a regular small outline double inline memory module, but a more expensive hack that still uses the 144 pin architecture

i don't know of amy makers now who make it, but it was on the internet back in the rev. a ibook days and the module was like $500 dollars (due to extreme scarcity) then since it was so rare and a specialty product...i wonder if a current 256 MB RAM chip will work on my 66 mhz bus sytem on the ibook

some manufacturer(s) must have end of lifed it sometime in early 2000 so you may want to find it on ebay on sun remarketing or some outlet like that

if you find it and it's under $200, PM me and let me know since i would be interested in having more RAM for os 9

with 32 MB of RAM with a 256 MB specialized module in the one available slot in my revision a ibook, that makes it for a grand total of 288 MB...almost 100 MBs short of what any os x enthusiast would recommend

most people i know who use os x have 512 MB to 1+ GB of RAM for the operating system and their apps

i also have photoshop and illustrator and i don't think the revision a ibook would be able to open those programs and still run os x...it would either crash with a kernel error or just be plain too slow

the mac dealer where i live have never heard of jaguar running on 256 MB of RAM on any mac so 288 is cutting it way too close

i will get a new mac next year and by then, i will be os x-ing:D

[vniow]

I just bought a blueberry iBook and it's in pretty good condition considering how old it is.
Runs Jag fine. Chimera's a bit clunky though.

May end up selling it and get a brand new combo-drive, a newer one may be a better investment since it's going to be my only computer when I move.

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by edvniow
I just bought a blueberry iBook and it's in pretty good condition considering how old it is.
Runs Jag fine. Chimera's a bit clunky though.

May end up selling it and get a brand new combo-drive, a newer one may be a better investment since it's going to be my only computer when I move.

must be the rev b. (feb, 2000) with more RAM capability (320 MB) and ability to take standard 256 MB small outline double inline memory module/144 pin/PC100, not the 160 MB ibook with the old 66 mhz bus and inability to take the 256 MB module

since i am a pc guy, what is chimera?

[wdlove]

Associate at my local Apple store opioned that I could keep my Mac past 3 years. That going to Mac Fixit etc I could find the need help. My fear would be the expense if a repair was needed after Apple Care expired.

[vniow]

Originally posted by jefhatfield


must be the rev b. (feb, 2000) with more RAM capability (320 MB) and ability to take standard 256 MB small outline double inline memory module/144 pin/PC100, not the 160 MB ibook with the old 66 mhz bus and inability to take the 256 MB module

since i am a pc guy, what is chimera?

Yeah, mine came with 320 MB RAM.
I just bought a 40 GB 5400 hard drive for it that should arrive Monday, should speed things up a bit.

You don't know what Chimera is?!?http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/veronica/eek21.gifhttp://img.ranchoweb.com/images/veronica/ppphhht.gif

It's by far the fastest internet browser I have ever used. You can get it from www.mozilla.org .

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by edvniow


Yeah, mine came with 320 MB RAM.
I just bought a 40 GB 5400 hard drive for it that should arrive Monday, should speed things up a bit.

You don't know what Chimera is?!?http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/veronica/eek21.gifhttp://img.ranchoweb.com/images/veronica/ppphhht.gif

It's by far the fastest internet browser I have ever used. You can get it from www.mozilla.org .

oh, that's right

works with PCs too, right?

[vniow]

Originally posted by jefhatfield


oh, that's right

works with PCs too, right?


Nope, Mac only. PC's (Linux too) have a version called Phoenix (although it's getting a name change this week)
It's not as fast as Chimera, but the fastest you can get on PCs.

[Durandal7]

I got about 3 years out of my old Performa. Then we dumped it for a iMac 333, it is going on 4 years soon. I had been using an old Blue & White tower I got used for the last 1.5 years. Not bad considering the B&W was already a couple of years old. I am planning on getting a new laptop soon though.

My C64 lasted me a looonnnggg time ;)

[Rower_CPU]

My 400MHz PB is getting passed down to my girlfriend when my new maxed out 1GHz PB arrives. It's been a great machine, and as my first Mac it will always hold a special place in my heart.

It's about 13 months old, and I expect for it to get some good use for another 2-3 years, barring any disastrous hardware problems. :)

[SPG]

I just got a new dual 867 as my video edit system at home, to replace the original G4, which was still running fine and could've easily done the job for another year, but hey $1700 for a quantum leap in rendering time?
At work I'm authoring DVD's on a G4 450 and that's more than enough since most of the heavy lifting is done by an encoding card. We also have a Media 100 edit system on a G3, and there is a couple of I can't even remember what kind of old beige boxes in use in the translation department. Sometimes the old ones get a little cranky, but for the most part they're doing fine and don't need to be upgraded. More than three years old and doing fine.

[Mr. Anderson]

I'm working over 3 years on a machine at home now, myself. Sawtooth 450 MHz G4 - and I won't buy another until the 970's come out or something similar in power. I want an order of magnitude in processing speed before laying down 5k-8k on a new system.

I do have a 667 G4 TiPB for work - but main computer at home is the original G4.

D

[Computer_Phreak]

I had:

Micron Home MPC
166 Mhz Pentium
32 MB RAM
1.6 GB Hard Drive
*4+ years

IBM Thinkpad 760 XL
166 Mhz Penium
32 MB RAM
2.1 GB Hard Drive
*1+ year

800 Mhz Duron
128 MB RAM
30 GB Hard Drive
2(?) years

iMac 700 Mhz
256 MB RAM
40 GB HD
??????


Already I want a different computer... not because my iMac is that slow, but thats just who I am, I want the latest and greatest.

[big]

I agree, I'll hold out until there's a new breed of Macs.
something absolutely amazing

[MacBandit]

I still have my B/W G3 for sale if anyone is interested.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11956


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2068474651

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by big
I agree, I'll hold out until there's a new breed of Macs.
something absolutely amazing

being a rev a ibook owner, when i saw the introduction of the tibook, that's what i thought

and still what i think

when the G5 comes out, or ibm 970, or whatever is next, i wouldn't mind if they just put that chip, and its chipset/mobo into that sexy cool titanium case

and the almost inevitable .13 micron processed chip would give owners the ability to wear shorts:p :p :p

[Macette]

i have my b&w G3, that I bought 3.5 years ago. it's my absolute best friend in the whole world. i'm going to buy something new in june next year... unless there's something really great just around the corner.

it's pretty slow with jag etc, but it really hasn't given me a moment of trouble in its whole life, and i feel it needs to be rewarded for long service. i don't think i could ever sell it. it will be four years old when i replace it.

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by Macette
i have my b&w G3, that I bought 3.5 years ago. it's my absolute best friend in the whole world. i'm going to buy something new in june next year... unless there's something really great just around the corner.

it's pretty slow with jag etc, but it really hasn't given me a moment of trouble in its whole life, and i feel it needs to be rewarded for long service. i don't think i could ever sell it. it will be four years old when i replace it.

four years and no compalints?

that was what i was looking for when i started this thread

did you add any hard drives or change out any cards?

just curious

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by jefhatfield


four years and no compalints?

that was what i was looking for when i started this thread

did you add any hard drives or change out any cards?

just curious

I had the same experience with mine. Absolutely loved it no complaints. I hate to part with it but I could use the money more then a second older computer. The only reason I upgraded is I want to be able to run some of the latest games and OSX with speed.

[GeeYouEye]

I personally probably couldn't do it, but my mom has had a G4 400 since Sept. '99, and despite a bad motherboard (can't use more than one RAM slot without the entire thing not working, and she "doesn't have time" (read: doesn't want to bother) to get it fixed), she'll probably have it for far longer than 4 years. After all, she had an SE/30 for something like 8 years, so I'm pretty sure the G4 is here for a LONG time.

[ChicagoMac]

I got you all beat. I have a Motorola Star Max 5500 at home that I bought in December of 1997. It still works fine and I use it all the time. I have os 9.1 installed with 64mb ram and a whopping 2.5gb hard drive. I did add a Sonnet G3 upgrade a couple years ago which didn't seem to do a whole lot except get my wife mad at me for spending money. Now I'm just waiting for the 17"Imac price to drop or for the new updates at MWSF. By that time I will have gotten five years from my Star Max which just happens to be how long the warranty was for. My three year old can't wait to inherit it for her Barbie and Blues Clues games.

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by ChicagoMac
I got you all beat. I have a Motorola Star Max 5500 at home that I bought in December of 1997. It still works fine and I use it all the time. I have os 9.1 installed with 64mb ram and a whopping 2.5gb hard drive. I did add a Sonnet G3 upgrade a couple years ago which didn't seem to do a whole lot except get my wife mad at me for spending money. Now I'm just waiting for the 17"Imac price to drop or for the new updates at MWSF. By that time I will have gotten five years from my Star Max which just happens to be how long the warranty was for. My three year old can't wait to inherit it for her Barbie and Blues Clues games.

the biggest performance jump that i know of is from the motorola 604e PPC to the G3
www.apple-insider.com

i wonder how G3 owners respond to G4 upgrade cards

[Catfish_Man]

Originally posted by jefhatfield
this month, my two laptops, ibook and pc laptop, turn three years old

but for my uses of computers, while for at least two hours per day, are very modest, i can see even going another year with my ibook

the pc laptop is truly obsolete and stuck with windows 98 but will take windows ME but i like the former...so that machine will be replaced soon sometime next year

but my bulletproof revision a clamshell ibook is perfect for what i use it for and since i have had limited exposure to 2002 era macs, i guess i don't know what i am missing

note:

since the computer hardware/software field is moving faster now than ever, i would get a 1 ghz tibook with maxed out RAM if i expected to get four years of modest use from it everyday from now until december, 2006

there will come a time when no laptop, mac or pc, will last a high school student or college student all four years of their schooling

and odds are the thing would get dropped once too much, spilled on, or stolen in that period of time

my guess is that the "average" high school or college mac laptop user goes through two machines in their four year stint

I just got a new machine, after my 5 year old beige G3 bit the dust. If I get it fixed, I'm still going to be using it (for Java development). I hope to keep this dual 867 for another 5 years.

[topicolo]

Would you guys believe that I owned an old mac LC II for 7 years before upgrading?

Yes, I know, I'm a freak. ;)

[jefhatfield]

i had a performa 600 at 33 mhz for 8 years before i updated that with a power tower pro 180 and kept that for two years

i originally thought that the 604e processor would do the same and i could keep that used machine from 1999 (it was built in 1996), and keep it until 2004 and run all coming apps and operating systems

well, even the os x beta won't run on it and it can't employ all the features of illustrator 9 and photoshop 7

and the RAM, while with a max of 1 GB, and a barely used hard drive, still make this machine too obsolete to get another 8 years, or 7 years, or 6 years...you get the message;)

computer hardware growth is bigger, faster, better, and cheaper every passing year

at least that is what ensures that i still have a computer business that can make me money (for bills, bills, bills) ;)

[springscansing]

Er... at the rate Reatkor eats up my CPU... no. :-)

I'm currently on a yearly cycle, we'll see what happens when the new G5s come out. Maybe I can get two years from those.

[groov']

sure I do 3

I had a Performa 630 DOS compatible for 6 years and last month I donated it to a nearby hospital. It still works perfect with the older software.

I have my imac revA now more than 4 years, cause the kids still use it. I have my G4-400 now more than 3 years: my wife uses it.

I just bought myself a cheap PC for the real work, just to survive untill apple gets a workable product out of the doors.

O my god, this thing is so fast, I cannot believe it. And that for the price of half a mac.

Way to go apple, but hurry. I want OSX, not windows.

[mc68k]

My computer running Jaguar w/XPostFacto:

9600/300 (introduction date: August 5, 1997)
390W Power Supply
768MB RAM
450MHz XLR8 G4
--
Radeon Mac Edition 32MB DDR
Adaptec U160 29160N
Adaptec FiWi/USB2 Combo Card
--
Actively cooled Cheetah 15K U160 HD
Original 4GB SCSI
--
Yamaha 16.10.40x CD-RW
Internal SCSI ZIP
--
Apple Adjustable ADB Keyboard
Logitech Wireless Optical Mouse
--
Ordered:
10/40x Pioneer SCSI DVD ROM
Future CPU:
Sonnet 800MHz w/1MB L3

Apple used to make machines with a long lifetime and ultra-upgradablity in mind. My machine has 4 5.25" bays, 12 RAM slots, 6 PCI slots, one processor slot, internal room for 3 Hard Drives, and 390W to power it all.

I don't plan on upgrading until Apple comes up with something "new" that's really worth my $. Most of the parts in this machine can still be upgraded, so I think I can hold out for years as long as my machine can still run X.

[bbarnhart]

I have a PowerMac 8500 that I still use every day for all of my computing needs. It was purchased in Sep 1995. I've upgraded the CPU and now have about 400 Megs of RAM. A few months ago my work office moved down the street and we cleared out tons of stuff that was laying around. I got a 9G hard drive and installed it on my 8500. I was totally thrilled beyond belief that I how had a 9G hard drive. I thought 'Wow, that is just so big.'

I did buy a video card for it (the older one was built into the motherboard). ATI somthing with 32 megs.

I installed Mac OS X 10.2 on it the other day (with xpostfacto? and a cache patcher) and liked it enough that I'm going to keep it on there.

We also have a clamshell iBook 466 (X 10.2) that my wife uses.

If I had a real need to get a new computer I would buy one. Yes, it is slow (50 MHz bus), but I guess I don't notice it because that is what I'm used to.

[mc68k]

Originally posted by bbarnhart
I installed Mac OS X 10.2 on it the other day (with xpostfacto? and a cache patcher) and liked it enough that I'm going to keep it on there.

If I had a real need to get a new computer I would buy one. Yes, it is slow (50 MHz bus), but I guess I don't notice it because that is what I'm used to. I feel the same way. The computer industry is geared to have you consume every 18 months. With a little self-control, we can see that modest speed gets the job done.

Ryan Rempel (XPF) is keeping our old machines alive, which would have certain doom if left to Apple's support.

[MacBandit]

I remember when I had a 80MB drive and I thought it was so big. I had the largest drive of any of my friends.

Well fast forward to today. I have an extremely fast computer now and that means I can fill a drive extremely fast. I currently have a 80GB drive and it is half full.

I really think that people that are hung up on there old machines that shipped with 601s need to wake up. Just because it can run OSX doesn't mean it should. You should stick with OS9 or 8. I had a B/W G3 400 with tons of upgrades faster drives, faster video cards everything and no it was not fast enough to run OSX properly. It was still very sluggish and jumpy. If you want to run X that bad buy a new machine and help out Apple.

How do you think Apple can afford to stay in business and one day produce a machine your picky brain might consider useable if you don't support them in any way. I would be willing to make a bet you didn't even buy your version of OSX.

I support Apple if I have the money to buy a new machine I do. As you can see from my previous posts that it is sometimes a few years between upgrades but I put my money where my mouth is. I love Apple I want them to do well and there is no way they can do this without money.

[Falleron]

I have a PowerMac 8600 + a Powerbook 1400 (117Mhz 603e) that still are used every day! They are both about 7 years old now. Solid a rock. No reason to get rid of them, they do the job still!

[pretentious]

I've got one better I'm currently using a PM 7200/75 I got it for free after I lost everything a year ago, and it was made way back in 1993. I also play a bit on an old PB 160 (as seen in sig). I'm amazed daily of what I can do on these old computers, I can use Office: 2001 or Office 5, or run IE 5.1 with minimal headaches, I even have QT 6 installed to see the switch commercials, but with a bit of lag they still come out fairly well. For minimalist (only 500 MB HD) basic (80 MB RAM) computing this is just fine, as long as the software says OS 8.6 support I'm pretty much in the clear; Not saying of course that this machine is would great for games, far from it, but I just happen to be a classic/shareware gamer. I like the old school games, classic SimCity's 1 & 2, the EVs and Apeiron, even Quake works well too on this, however I will admit I do miss Starcraft but its just too slow to be playable :( .
To the point, Macs have always seem to last forever, there prime is somewhere close to 5 years, much better than the PC’s 3. Even after the 5 years if you treat it with some TLC, you can coax it into a few more years if you turn off the heavy features, and don't expect it to able to do everything the newest Macs can do.
Now in my situation is a little on the absurd level but I do get the basics, and I know need a new computer but unfortunately, I need to eat too and they never seem to coninside together.

[scem0]

I start complaining after having the computer 2 months until
something better comes out. :rolleyes: . I did have my iMac for
3 years and it did what I needed it to do.

[MrMacMan]

:Thinks about what to talk about:
:Looks at computer:
Ah my iMac, original 233 Bondi Blue. I upgraded with 320 MB of RAM, hehe weird setup eh?
Well I kept the original stuff mostly, well execpt my CD-drive which for one reason or the other Was damaged and couldn't be fixed, but the guy got me a replacement with the right color and stuff. It's all good.
Over the past year I have tried just about everything possible to externaly increase speeds of my computer. Over time a outdated program did it. It added miminal proformance. The proformance was in the cache. It went from 116.6 -155.5 . Not a really big difference at all because Mac's (for a reason unknown to common man) have since the introduction of the G3 have had a lower speed of ram. For my iMac 66.7 (Slow!!!). It still serves my daily purposes.
But for gaming, no. Sure the good old ones. SC/BW work and run fine cause that was the years they released this. The gaming gets sour whenever I look into playing DII. I have a decent account but the game runs pritty poorly. I mean the FPS gets to the point where nothing can save the game. I have to run of 256 colors if I go into thousands (*gasp* never) the FPS slow to 2-5, EEK !:eek: For anyone that games in any game that is Pritty bad. Recently my screen is going. I mean once every 5 minutes it flashes and goes black (talking about Flashing not the screen shuts down). That means something but not sure what... (probably death)

Well soon enough I'm getting a Powermac or a iMac which should be good enough... for normal stuff like games and more. Photoshop Anyone. Oh yeah OS 10.2
I didn't even try running OS 10.2 on this cause I know it would run sllooww plus no disk space. So new world I'm getting a new comp. :)

I'm not sure what to do with this tho:
1. Let it be use it once in a while. Then store it intill it becomes worth $$$ when apple owns the free world
2. Overclock and trick it out with glowing lights and such. :D

[barkmonster]

I've had a beige G3 since about february of '98 I bought it as an end of line deal.

I've upped the RAM from the 64Mb it came with to 320Mb

I added a 60Gb 7200rpm drive for extra storage

Bought a modem and external CD writer

The only thing's that have needed replacing in 4 years or so is the mouse (button broke) and the CD Rom (MA$H1TA arn't a very good make I'm guessing).

The only major downside wasted £40 on a VRAM upgrade 'cos the company (http://www.cancomuk.com/) I bought it from sold me a REV A beige G3 instead of the REV C with Rage Pro I expected the 300Mhz G3 DT to be. Does nothing for gaming but I'm a total retro gaming freak anyway so aslong as lemmings is okay I don't mind.

I wouldn't say it's been a good performer over the past 18 months or so, I'm using more and more software that really needs altivec and the extra bandwidth a G4 would offer but the fact I can still scrape by is enough for now.

Personally speaking if I ever manage to save enough to buy a mac again I think I'll go for a used QS, either a dual Ghz or at a total push a Dual 800Mhz model. I'm put off the new models 'cos of all the problems hundreds of people have had with audio cards and the fact they're too noisy.

I suppose my next mac might get 18 months use out of it maybe. I decided when I bought my mac that I'd get a new one when the equivelent model in the range is at 1Ghz. After 4 years or so I'm still waiting for the entry tower to reach 1Ghz but now I've seen that on average it's barely over 3 times faster than my Beige G3 at running protools LE (till PT 6 is out), I think It's going to take significant power increases for a newer model of mac to really appeal to me, If I ever get the cash together and find one in good condition, a dual GHz would be fine till 2004 and I wouldn't be forced to use OS X either, I could gradually move over to it instead. The sheer cost of software upgrades would make a mac that can't boot into OS 9 something I can never afford to buy unless I had the upgrades already.