Another Day... Another PPC! This time a 1.25GHz iMac G4 17"

[gavinstubbs09]

So on craigslist there was a guy who had been trying to sell this iMac G4 with a "chromed stainless steel neck" for $200 roughly over two months. He then lowered the price to $150 so I figured I would send an offer to see what would happen, if he said no I wasn't really worried. I started texting with him and explaining how it's not worth that much and I couldn't even sell a dual 2GHz Power Mac G5 for $80. He asked what my offer was so I said $50 so he asked if I could do $60 which meant I was game!

So last night I drove 15 miles over to go pick it up and I found out the guy was the original owner and bought it new in 2004! First PPC Mac I've ever received with its original box too. On the box was a UPS shipping label and a sticker that said "Reconditioned" with a sale price of $1,499.95

So I turned on the iMac when I got home to find a lot of stuff like Photoshop 7 registered to the LA Times and I remember him telling me that he is a reporter for newspapers. I ended up wiping the iMac with Leopard to get rid of 10.3.9 and be able to run programs I would like such as Spotify.

So it's a Late 2003 17" with a 1.25GHz G4, SuperDrive, 64MB FX5200, 80GB HDD, and now 1.25GB Ram (was 512MB but I ripped it apart to install a full size 1GB DDR module). Speakers were also included and to be honest I've never owned a set of them but these are super nice! Also nice to own an iMac that isn't a 15" while also owning one with USB2.0 instead of the extremely-slow USB1.1 which was also another nice bonus.

And yes the second image is the box with my 800MHz 15" G4 on top! In the first image the background is a place called Mt. Meadows Reservoir or Walker Lake, a year ago it was full of water and PG&E drained it for hydropower and now there are a bunch of dead fish everywhere. Stopped by there on my way to pick up this iMac.

 

[Altemose]

was 512MB but I ripped it apart to install a full size 1GB DDR module

Did you do fresh thermal paste when putting it back together?

 

[128keaton]

Gorgeous! I need a 1GB stick for my 20" too. I also need to check if the original owner has the box in their attic. I just got a 17" ADC Acrylic for $30, no scratches either. Clean as a never used whistle!

 

[gavinstubbs09]

This iMac is super clean too, like it's never been used. Checked the hours on the hard drive and it's 6,240 which is equal to leaving it on for 260 days straight. Hardly used over an 11 year span!

Did you do fresh thermal paste when putting it back together?

No I didn't

Gorgeous! I need a 1GB stick for mine too. I also need to check if the original owner has the box in their attic. I just got a 17" ADC Acrylic for $30, no scratches either. Clean as a never used whistle!

I have a 15" SD over in the corner that I got with my cube, bummer that they broke the stand as I have a spare stand/hinge sitting in a box for a 17!

 

[Altemose]

@gavinstubbs09 The thermal paste must be reapplied to the contact points every time the dome is opened or else it will overheat and damage the machine.

 

[gavinstubbs09]

@gavinstubbs09 The thermal paste must be reapplied to the contact points every time the dome is opened or else it will overheat and damage the machine.

Thanks for the heads up... I've owned like 20 PPC Macs IIRC

 

[gavinstubbs09]

So the keyboard I received with the iMac was disgusting. Keys were yellowed pretty bad along with what looked like dirt around each key. I spent 3 hours taking the keyboard apart and cleaned the keys using a mix of rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, stain remover, and laundry detergent and they came out pretty well. Still not as white as my other white keyboard (seen in the second picture) but is a billion times better than before.

 

[Altemose]

So the keyboard I received with the iMac was disgusting. Keys were yellowed pretty bad along with what looked like dirt around each key. I spent 3 hours taking the keyboard apart and cleaned the keys using a mix of rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, stain remover, and laundry detergent and they came out pretty well. Still not as white as my other white keyboard (seen in the second picture) but is a billion times better than before.

View attachment 582555
View attachment 582556

That is an amazing difference!

 

[gavinstubbs09]

That is an amazing difference!

Quite a bit anyhow! Maybe one of these days I'll retr0bright it, everything else with the computer is a spotless white, even the mouse is clearer than day, just the keyboard was nasty.

 

[MultiFinder17]

I am so incredibly jealous

I've been on the hunt for a 17" G4 for a good, long while now - I have a pristine 15" on my desk that I love to death, but the 17" would be just that much more perfect for that spot

 

[gavinstubbs09]

I am so incredibly jealous

I've been on the hunt for a 17" G4 for a good, long while now - I have a pristine 15" on my desk that I love to death, but the 17" would be just that much more perfect for that spot

I've owned two of the 15" 800MHz G4s but never could come across a 17" and after three years I have one that I wanted from day one! A 20" is on my list but I highly doubt I'll own one anytime soon

 

[WalnutSpice]

So on craigslist there was a guy who had been trying to sell this iMac G4 with a "chromed stainless steel neck" for $200 roughly over two months. He then lowered the price to $150 so I figured I would send an offer to see what would happen, if he said no I wasn't really worried. I started texting with him and explaining how it's not worth that much and I couldn't even sell a dual 2GHz Power Mac G5 for $80. He asked what my offer was so I said $50 so he asked if I could do $60 which meant I was game!

So last night I drove 15 miles over to go pick it up and I found out the guy was the original owner and bought it new in 2004! First PPC Mac I've ever received with its original box too. On the box was a UPS shipping label and a sticker that said "Reconditioned" with a sale price of $1,499.95

So I turned on the iMac when I got home to find a lot of stuff like Photoshop 7 registered to the LA Times and I remember him telling me that he is a reporter for newspapers. I ended up wiping the iMac with Leopard to get rid of 10.3.9 and be able to run programs I would like such as Spotify.

So it's a Late 2003 17" with a 1.25GHz G4, SuperDrive, 64MB FX5200, 80GB HDD, and now 1.25GB Ram (was 512MB but I ripped it apart to install a full size 1GB DDR module). Speakers were also included and to be honest I've never owned a set of them but these are super nice! Also nice to own an iMac that isn't a 15" while also owning one with USB2.0 instead of the extremely-slow USB1.1 which was also another nice bonus.

And yes the second image is the box with my 800MHz 15" G4 on top! In the first image the background is a place called Mt. Meadows Reservoir or Walker Lake, a year ago it was full of water and PG&E drained it for hydropower and now there are a bunch of dead fish everywhere. Stopped by there on my way to pick up this iMac.

View attachment 582435 View attachment 582436

Super nice. I've always wanted one of these but just can't justify getting another PPC Mac, at least not until I have my own place.

 

[gavinstubbs09]

Super nice. I've always wanted one of these but just can't justify getting another PPC Mac, at least not until I have my own place.

I have 4 in my room and another 4 out in the shed, I should have stopped at two because when I move out (I'm 17) I'll have all these computers and GX620s everywhere

 

[jbarley]

I have 4 in my room and another 4 out in the shed, I should have stopped at two because when I move out (I'm 17) I'll have all these computers and GX620s everywhere

Just looking around me from where I'm sitting in my "man cave" and I can count 10 PPC and 1 Intel computers, I'm 79, been married for 60 years but the wife still jokingly says she'd like to throw me out.

 

[128keaton]

I have 4 in my room and another 4 out in the shed, I should have stopped at two because when I move out (I'm 17) I'll have all these computers and GX620s everywhere

Its gonna totally suck when I move out. I have only gotten rid of a single Mac, my classic. I'd like to donate them to a computer museum, but there isn't one here

 

[eyoungren]

@gavinstubbs09 and @128keaton

LOL at you guys.

Try being @bunnspecial and having to move out.

I think you guys will survive. ROTFL!

 

[128keaton]

@gavinstubbs09 and @128keaton

LOL at you guys.

Try being @bunnspecial and having to move out.

I think you guys will survive. ROTFL!

Bunn could build a house out of his Macs. Plus, he doesn't have parents who judge you for your computers. I'm getting a MDD and Kanga this weekend for free, I might not be alive after I bring those home. About four years ago, I told my dad I want to get my hands on all the macs I can, and he was behind me 120%. Now he is not liking it lol.

 

[eyoungren]

Bunn could build a house out of his Macs. Plus, he doesn't have parents who judge you for your computers. I'm getting a MDD and Kanga this weekend for free, I might not be alive after I bring those home. About four years ago, I told my dad I want to get my hands on all the macs I can, and he was behind me 120%. Now he is not liking it lol.

I understand. Different thing for me when I was a kid at home with my parents, but same concept so I get it.

 

[garirry]

I'm fairly certain I own that exact iMac I bought in 2013 off someone for 50-60$ I think. I still have to do a lot of internal polishing (cleaning, putting normal non-crap thermal paste, etc.) which I'll do as soon as I find out where to buy thermal paste and how to remove a kensington lock. Nice find!

Bunn could build a house out of his Macs. Plus, he doesn't have parents who judge you for your computers. I'm getting a MDD and Kanga this weekend for free, I might not be alive after I bring those home. About four years ago, I told my dad I want to get my hands on all the macs I can, and he was behind me 120%. Now he is not liking it lol.

Well, my parents have nothing against me having a lot of computers. They all sit in my basement, which is where I decided I wanted to live since it's the calmest place in my house. I'm a bit young compared to other people on this forum, I'm only 15 though (and I'm fairly certain this is my first time mentioning this on this forum).

 

[128keaton]

I'm fairly certain I own that exact iMac I bought in 2013 off someone for 50-60$ I think. I still have to do a lot of internal polishing (cleaning, putting normal non-crap thermal paste, etc.) which I'll do as soon as I find out where to buy thermal paste and how to remove a kensington lock. Nice find!

Well, my parents have nothing against me having a lot of computers. They all sit in my basement, which is where I decided I wanted to live since it's the calmest place in my house. I'm a bit young compared to other people on this forum, I'm only 15 though (and I'm fairly certain this is my first time mentioning this on this forum).

A good chunk of us are younger, like Cyb3rByt3, Gamer9430, GavinStubbs, Me, iModfrenzy, LightBulbFun, etc, nothing to be ashamed about. Do you have an iMessage, we have a group chat if you are interested.

 

[garirry]

A good chunk of us are younger, like Cyb3rByt3, Gamer9430, GavinStubbs, Me, iModfrenzy, LightBulbFun, etc, nothing to be ashamed about. Do you have an iMessage, we have a group chat if you are interested.

Well, I would like to, but the only computer I have that runs 10.8 or higher is barely functional so I can't use iMessage. Is there any way we can talk through Skype or IRC?

 

[Altemose]

I'm a bit young compared to other people on this forum, I'm only 15 though (and I'm fairly certain this is my first time mentioning this on this forum).

A good majority of us are teenagers. Myself included...

 

[eyoungren]

I'm only 15 though…

In 1985, I was 14 and I got involved in a local Commodore 64 users group. Through that group I found out about being online (at the time, Bulletin Board Systems, not the internet) and online interaction.

I got my first 300 baud modem when I was 15. One taste of being online and engaging with others about computers and other interests was all it took to have me hooked for life. I just turned 45 last Saturday.

You may be 15 now, but if you are anything like me, you'll still be involved 30 years later.

 

[bunnspecial]

Bunn could build a house out of his Macs. Plus, he doesn't have parents who judge you for your computers. I'm getting a MDD and Kanga this weekend for free, I might not be alive after I bring those home. About four years ago, I told my dad I want to get my hands on all the macs I can, and he was behind me 120%. Now he is not liking it lol.

I call dibs on the Kanga if you do get killed bringing them home (if you get tired of it, let me know!)

In any case, I do have some PPC Macs at my parents house...even a few tucked away that they probably don't know about

I still make heavy use of dual 1ghz G4 Quicksilver that Gavin sold me. It's set up with dual monitors and has two scanners connected to it plus a bunch of other stuff.

I was at home a few weeks ago, and my mom said something about how she'd found a laptop in a basket at the end of the couch. She pulled it out and it was the 12" Powerbook from the $40 lot that a bunch of us bought into a while back.

In any case, I occasionally open a closet door or look in a corner at my apartment and have to think for a minute about where I got a particular computer. Most of my stuff is on the top floor of a 3 story townhouse, and I can tell you that moving some of that stuff up there(esp. the 21" CRT) was NOT fun.

 

[128keaton]

I call dibs on the Kanga if you do get killed bringing them home (if you get tired of it, let me know!)

In any case, I do have some PPC Macs at my parents house...even a few tucked away that they probably don't know about

I still make heavy use of dual 1ghz G4 Quicksilver that Gavin sold me. It's set up with dual monitors and has two scanners connected to it plus a bunch of other stuff.

I was at home a few weeks ago, and my mom said something about how she'd found a laptop in a basket at the end of the couch. She pulled it out and it was the 12" Powerbook from the $40 lot that a bunch of us bought into a while back.

In any case, I occasionally open a closet door or look in a corner at my apartment and have to think for a minute about where I got a particular computer. Most of my stuff is on the top floor of a 3 story townhouse, and I can tell you that moving some of that stuff up there(esp. the 21" CRT) was NOT fun.

Hahah. I'm just imagining bunns parents living with random Macs scattered around them. "Bunny, I found this one in the dishwasher"
It could potentially not be a Kanga, but I'm pretty sure. I might trade it to you for a nice CPU, depending on what it is and how much I like it