running Panther on a G3 iMac?

[rikers_mailbox]

wondering about the possibility of running Panther on one of those old G3 iMacs. . .

I'm interested in having an internet station in my kitchen, and I see those G3 iMacs for sale all the time on craigslist for ~$150. It seems like the cheapest solution. I need it to run Panther so I can also play music to my AEx (played from a shared library, since I'm not gonna put a 40 GB drive in some Bondi Blue iMac, that'd be stupid)

So, will the G3 iMac run Panther on original specs? Will I have to upgrade the memory? Any help?

-rik

 

[kgarner]

Definitely have to upgrade the memory. OS X requires 128 MB minimum. I had 192 MB in my old Bondi (may it RIP) and it worked fine on all versions of OS X. Not a speed demon, but fine for average use (internet, iTunes, etc.) I did add a 40GB 7200 RPM to mine and it did seem a little faster to me, but you have to remember to leave the first partiion at 8 GB or it won't work.

 

[Thom_Edwards]

wondering about the possibility of running Panther on one of those old G3 iMacs. . .

I'm interested in having an internet station in my kitchen, and I see those G3 iMacs for sale all the time on craigslist for ~$150. It seems like the cheapest solution. I need it to run Panther so I can also play music to my AEx (played from a shared library, since I'm not gonna put a 40 GB drive in some Bondi Blue iMac, that'd be stupid)

So, will the G3 iMac run Panther on original specs? Will I have to upgrade the memory? Any help?

-rik

for your purposes, it will be great as long as you bump the memory. i put 512 in my 233 imac and it works like a charm. only thing, youmay not be able to put an airport card in it. some of the newer older models (hope that makes sense) have an adapter available, but for the first (2, i believe) generations, you'll have to go with a non-apple wifi usb dongle.

and is putting a *20gb* hard drive in a bondi blue stupid? i hope not!

 

[wordmunger]

I run Panther in my Rev a iBook with 160 MB RAM no problem. I did have to upgrade the hard drive, though. I'd recommend a minimum of 10 GB.

 

[rikers_mailbox]

I run Panther in my Rev a iBook with 160 MB RAM no problem. I did have to upgrade the hard drive, though. I'd recommend a minimum of 10 GB.

I'm not really going to store anything on it, just want it for internet and iTunes. I think I'll try and score a later rev. g3 iMac, something with 333Mhz+ and a little larger HD. Craigslist is awesome for these older computers. Also, I'm not too worried about the lack of an Airport card, I can connect to the ethernet jack in my AEx which sits in the same room.

This is a really cheap (and fun) addition to my home network. My roommates are spoiled by my Mac obsession. Thanks for the help.

-rik

 

[Jigglelicious]

Try to get a slot loading iMac and avoid the tray loading models. The slot loading models are faster, come with more RAM, have better video cards, and are quieter (no fan, they are convention cooled). Slot loading models are 350mhz and up. Avoid anything 333mhz and lower. Panther runs just fine on my 500mhz slot loading iMac.

 

[makisushi]

I'm not gonna put a 40 GB drive in some Bondi Blue iMac, that'd be stupid

Can someone please explain to me why this is stupid?

 

[jeremy.king]

(no fan, they are convention cooled)

Never heard of this before


I'm *sure* you meant convection

 

[rhpenguin]

If its stupid to put a 40gb drive in an old iMac, i must be a moron for putting 1TB into my B&W PowerMac...

HDD space is a good thing

 

[paxtonandrew]

I believe the older iMacs, would not support Airport Extreme cards, but Airport was supported from the Slot-loading revisions upwards. I have an non-partitioned 120Gb, 7200 rpm HDD in my 333Mhz iMac, and it reads the whole 120Gb. A G3 will run panther at an acceptable speed, just make sure the computer is loaded with ram, >512Mb is best, and a fast Hard Disc Drive will also make the use of a G3 better.

 

[rdowns]

I just replaced my G3/600 iMac with an iMac G5. The G3 iMac ran Panther beautifully with 512MB RAM. Was able to run 3 or 4 apps comfortably and only got the beach ball occasionally. Nothing too heavy. I know my step-father will love it to replace his 333? iMac. Now, what should i do with the 333?

 

[rikers_mailbox]

HDD space is a good thing

Agreed, it's a good thing of you're going to use it.

Can someone please explain to me why this is stupid?

Just saying that it wouldn't be a good idea for what I want to use the iMac for. . There's no need for that much space for mearly surfing the internet and playing shared music. I'm sure some people have completely legitimate reasons for putting 1TB drives in a G3.