Thinking of picking up a G4 iMac. Thoughts?

[LachlanH]

Hey Guys.

Over the past couple of years I have become fascinated with Apple hardware over the years. I have grown to adore the G4 iMac, I just think it looks totally awesome and wish the current iMac kept that design.

I found a seller near me who has 2 of them going cheap, both in working order. One comes with the external speakers. Because it has external speakers that means it isn't the base model right?

Anyway my question is, how well do these machines function with the internet of 2013? I don't expect they can play HD video on youtube, what about standard definition?

As a computer I suspect it would probably be pretty useless right? As a piece of art/history however I think I would still love to have one sitting on my desk.

[justperry]

Originally Posted by LachlanH

Anyway my question is, how well do these machines function with the internet of 2013? I don't expect they can play HD video on youtube, what about standard definition?

As a computer I suspect it would probably be pretty useless right? As a piece of art/history however I think I would still love to have one sitting on my desk.

Forget about smooth playback of flash on a PPC machine in a browser, you can though play in other apps like MacTubes.

Not Useless, I have a Powerbook G4 1.67 with 10.5.8 and it does work fairly well, it also depends on how much RAM you have, Max it out if you can, makes a difference, If it is the last one out it can have 2 GB Maximum which is OK if you run 10.5.8, this is also the last OS you can run provided you have a later year.

[Ariii]

Originally Posted by LachlanH

Hey Guys.

Over the past couple of years I have become fascinated with Apple hardware over the years. I have grown to adore the G4 iMac, I just think it looks totally awesome and wish the current iMac kept that design.

I found a seller near me who has 2 of them going cheap, both in working order. One comes with the external speakers. Because it has external speakers that means it isn't the base model right?

Not necessarily.

Anyway my question is, how well do these machines function with the internet of 2013?

For lightweight webpages like MacRumors they are fine; they struggle with JavaScript-bloated sites like FaceBook, though the mobile versions are much quicker when the full version is unusable; more RAM will improve this, and the faster models don't have as many issues with web browsing.

I don't expect they can play HD video on youtube, what about standard definition?

Yes, they can play stantard and HD video, with MacTubes.

As a computer I suspect it would probably be pretty useless right? As a piece of art/history however I think I would still love to have one sitting on my desk.

Depending on what you want to do, they can be your main machine or can handle a lot of tasks. The biggest problem is not having the latest editions available for most software.

[LachlanH]

Thanks guys, sounds like I will go ahead with the purchase.

[tom vilsack]

-what are the specs?
-price? (they go pretty cheap on craigs)
-get the external speakers! (you will be blown away by the sound) if nothing else,a old G4 Imac with the external speakers can serve as a home stereo system.

[AQUADock]

Originally Posted by LachlanH

Thanks guys, sounds like I will go ahead with the purchase.

Just curious what are the specs on it?

[rjcalifornia]

Originally Posted by LachlanH

Hey Guys.

Over the past couple of years I have become fascinated with Apple hardware over the years. I have grown to adore the G4 iMac, I just think it looks totally awesome and wish the current iMac kept that design.

They look awesome and feel awesome.

I found a seller near me who has 2 of them going cheap, both in working order. One comes with the external speakers. Because it has external speakers that means it isn't the base model right?

Not really. Any pictures of it? Full Specifications?

Anyway my question is, how well do these machines function with the internet of 2013? I don't expect they can play HD video on youtube, what about standard definition?

It depends. Is it a 1+ Ghz model? How much RAM? You can do some heavy browsing. If it has 512MB/1GB of RAM with Tiger, you can install TenFourFox and you will get decent web browsing. Youtube? I have not tried the 'Click to Plugin' in Tiger, but give it a try. Also you could use YouView which in my case is better for me.

As a computer I suspect it would probably be pretty useless right? As a piece of art/history however I think I would still love to have one sitting on my desk.

[/QUOTE]

Not quite. My dad uses his for accounting stuffs with Microsoft Office 2008

In the end, it you adapt to its limitation, you will get a great experience! I adapted to 'Click To Plugin' and it is sooo much better than having flash

[skateny]

Originally Posted by LachlanH

Thanks guys, sounds like I will go ahead with the purchase.

Good for you.

Many others here also love the design, though it isn't a favorite of mine. Given that, I might get one for what you describe as a "cheap price," just to play around with. (A NIB iMac G4 went of on eBay for $2700.00, though of course there's no way to know whether or not the seller actually got that price.)

I coordinated a study at a university hospital soon after the iMac was available, and one of the departments ordered a whole bunch of them. They loved working with them. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised as to what it can handle, given its age and limitations.

You'll also find that you can make it snappier by applying a range of hardware/software optimizations. A lot of folks still use them as their main computers.

[InuNacho]

Originally Posted by LachlanH

Anyway my question is, how well do these machines function with the internet of 2013? I don't expect they can play HD video on youtube, what about standard definition?

HD is going to be out of the picture, but you can comfortably watch some Youtube videos in Safari by change the user agent to iPad. SD videos play alright on a 1.33 iBook running Leopard.