Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

barny

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 4, 2009
56
0
Near London, England
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

Hey guys,

I dont own ANY apple computers as of yet but I've recently been looking around. I just want something to introduce me to the mac environment and operating system. The iMac g4 seemed perfect: really beautiful, relatively old (so I'm guessing cheaper) and very compact so will fit on my desk well. Only question is what kind of price do you think I could get a good spec one for that would be good enough to run relatively well nowadays? (perhaps a 17" eith a 1ghz processor and 768mb of ram) I'm from the uk so it would be good if the valuation was in pounds but if it is in another currency it's not a problem :)

Thanks

Barny :)
 

chrismacguy

macrumors 68000
Feb 13, 2009
1,979
2
United Kingdom
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

Hey guys,

I dont own ANY apple computers as of yet but I've recently been looking around. I just want something to introduce me to the mac environment and operating system. The iMac g4 seemed perfect: really beautiful, relatively old (so I'm guessing cheaper) and very compact so will fit on my desk well. Only question is what kind of price do you think I could get a good spec one for that would be good enough to run relatively well nowadays? (perhaps a 17" eith a 1ghz processor and 768mb of ram) I'm from the uk so it would be good if the valuation was in pounds but if it is in another currency it's not a problem :)

Thanks

Barny :)

Unfortunately for you, the iMac G4 is one of the more-soughtafter models due to its design, especially here in the UK (relatively few decent craiglist listings also hinder our searches for Macs). Id say a iMac G4 1Ghz goes for about 250 quid these days in good condition, which considering I just got my Dual 867 G4 Tower for less than half of that is a bit of a rip off. A better option to look for is either a G4 Mac Mini (faster) or a G5 iMac (Similar pricing and a lot more powerful, but watch out for PSU issues). If your looking to get into Macs on a budget, the cheapest method is actually a G4 Tower (100 quid gets you a Dual 867Mhz+ PowerMac G4, which will run all the way up to Mac OS X 10.5 just fine). They all tend to have either VGA or DVI plugs, and all have USB built in so you can use an existing Screen, USB Keyboard and Mouse.
 

barny

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 4, 2009
56
0
Near London, England
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

I have watched a couple on eBay and they have all gone under 100 quid so far buy maybe that's an exception. They are beautiful machines though. I did look at the mac mini but they go for so much considering you need to buy a screen, mouse and keyboard extra. Part of the apple experience is getting all the bits like keyboard and mouse and if I got the mini id just be lazy and get a bog standard screen plus standard windows designed keyboard and mouse which would kinda ruin it. Thats the same issue with the powermacs and all of the 'tower' style apple computers. Thanks for the advice though and hopefully I'll sort I out eventually. I also looked at the g3 which could be good as they are soooo cheap but hey are very old!

That brings me to a problem with buyin macs this old. I'm slightly sceptical about if macs are this age then there is a good chance there may be problems. I guess all I can do to get one is find one that's local on eBay with good quality pictures and won the original manuals and box. That'll show a very careful user. :)
 

cocacolakid

macrumors 65816
Dec 18, 2010
1,108
20
Chicago
Did they ever release the eMac in the UK?

They had them here in the U.S., it's an educational version of the iMac put geared towards college students. It was all white and was faster.

In the U.S. they are still very inexpensive, $50-$150.

I recently saw some on Craigslist in the Chicago area for $35, not that it helps you in London. :)
 

Nameci

macrumors 68000
Oct 29, 2010
1,944
13
The Philippines...
I got half of my PPC Macs from ebay. And I have never regretted one bit of it. I mostly go for the higher specs, study the actual pictures. Ask questions from the seller, at least you will have the idea of what you will get. Don't expect that it will be as good and shiny as new. Expect few scratches and scuffs. And lastly, don't take it so seriously, think about it as a hobby. It will not be perfect until you build it perfect.

I got my PMG4 1.42FW800 for 250usd, 89usd for 22" ACD, around 50usd for the wifi and BT card, and the most expensive one, my ATI Radeon 9700 Mac Edition BTO card and added an ASUS CD/DVD Writer combo drive for free. Well, it was amazing, i built my powermac g4 the way I wanted it to be. All in all I have invested around 550usd including shipping of those parts and I have never regretted any bit of it.

It works and performs more than I have expected it to perform. It is now my main computer.

So my advise, no matter how old it is, as long as you put your heart into it, it will fill your heart's content.

"Why people are collecting old cars?" --- same analogy
 

MacHamster68

macrumors 68040
Sep 17, 2009
3,251
5
first of all, to get a idea about problems google for "problems" of the Mac of your choice so you know what faults it might have and what these faults cost to sort out , then look at ebay(how many are sold as faulty ),

but read the descriptions carefully some know the" little fault" very well and know it will cost you £200 + to get the tiny fault like they say sorted , because pictures can be misleading depending on the ability of the photographer a totally scratched display can look like brandnew same for the casing ,so dont let a scratch for example at the back put you off , as you might never see that scratch when the Mac sits on your desk , the internals are far more important , as you can always look out for a scratch free broken one and change the casing later if a scratch is bothering you ,

prime examples where everything is perfect will always cost more, especially for example the iMac G41.25/ 20" ,as its the fastestand biggest and rare as it was the most expensive when new and most are already in the hands of collectors and set you back usually around the £300 mark , so most go for the next model down the iMac g4 1.25 17 inch which will push up the price to over £200 sometimes , so if you can live with a 15 inch screen and 1ghz ! (its not that much slower and has the same ram as the others (takes up to 2 GB) and already has usb 2.0 too) you can make great deals for around the £150 mark and sometimes even less

and look especially if it has already OSX tiger /leopard and that it comes with the disc's , its worth to pay a bit more as you will need the disc sooner or later anyway (for example to repair permissions on the HDD) and a leopard disc will set you back about £80 + and tiger around £50 so its worth for example to buy a iMac G4 1.25 /17" that comes with disc of leopard or tiger for £200 instead to buy one for £170 that comes without any disc's
 
Last edited:

chrismacguy

macrumors 68000
Feb 13, 2009
1,979
2
United Kingdom
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

I have watched a couple on eBay and they have all gone under 100 quid so far buy maybe that's an exception. They are beautiful machines though. I did look at the mac mini but they go for so much considering you need to buy a screen, mouse and keyboard extra. Part of the apple experience is getting all the bits like keyboard and mouse and if I got the mini id just be lazy and get a bog standard screen plus standard windows designed keyboard and mouse which would kinda ruin it. Thats the same issue with the powermacs and all of the 'tower' style apple computers. Thanks for the advice though and hopefully I'll sort I out eventually. I also looked at the g3 which could be good as they are soooo cheap but hey are very old!

That brings me to a problem with buyin macs this old. I'm slightly sceptical about if macs are this age then there is a good chance there may be problems. I guess all I can do to get one is find one that's local on eBay with good quality pictures and won the original manuals and box. That'll show a very careful user. :)

1) Old Macs are generally fine, as an example my PowerBook 1400s from 1997 are both still running just fine, as is my 1994(?) PowerMac 8100.
2) The ones under 100 quid are either broken, or 15" Models at 700Mhz with barely any RAM, so need quite a bit of upgrading, and they have a nasty habit of, if their a good deal, being shot up about 65% in the last minute of the auction.
3) If you buy the Apple Screen, Keyboard and Mouse on eBay, you can complete a G4 Tower system (with a 17" screen, a 22"er costs another 50quid or so), with keyboard and mouse for about 200quid, and itll be twice as powerful as an iMac G4.
 

fhall1

macrumors 68040
Dec 18, 2007
3,816
1,237
(Central) NY State of mind
I'll let you do the currency conversion but last October I picked up a used iMac G4 800 MHz with 17" screen and 768M RAM for $100 on Craigslist.

I upgraded it to 1 GB RAM, OS X 10.5, and a 120 GB hard drive...it's a cool little machine for not much money.
 

chrismacguy

macrumors 68000
Feb 13, 2009
1,979
2
United Kingdom
I'll let you do the currency conversion but last October I picked up a used iMac G4 800 MHz with 17" screen and 768M RAM for $100 on Craigslist.

I upgraded it to 1 GB RAM, OS X 10.5, and a 120 GB hard drive...it's a cool little machine for not much money.

The problem with doing a currency conversion is that in the UK you have to convert the US price and then double it before your in the right ballpark - nowhere near enough used macs floating about in the UK it has to be said. (And they go for more, supply and demand explains this)
 

barny

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 4, 2009
56
0
Near London, England
Ok. also what kind of speed can i expect from an iMac g4. Im used to really slow computers so really if it seems slow to you it might be ok for me lol.
 

chrismacguy

macrumors 68000
Feb 13, 2009
1,979
2
United Kingdom
Ok. also what kind of speed can i expect from an iMac g4. Im used to really slow computers so really if it seems slow to you it might be ok for me lol.

Well in PC Terms, my G4 Dual 867 under 10.5 is about as capable as my Pentium 4 2.8Ghz under Vista, and my PowerBook G4 Single 1.67Ghz G4 is about equivalent to my AMD Athlon 2600+ (2.1Ghz) under XP.
 

SimonUK5

macrumors 6502
Nov 26, 2010
476
7
If your going to get one i wouldn't go for one anything under the 800Mhz. but try and get a 1.25Ghz, and max the Ram. Should run nice under Leopard then
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.