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Blueberry APPLE iMAC G3 400MHZ

K

kynrek

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 19, 2004
7
0
I have been a PC user all of my life and know zero about macs and always called them "gay" or "crap" so i decided to stop being ignorant and actually get one and learn a little about them and osx.

i just won this bid on ebay for a blueberry APPLE iMAC G3 400MHZ 128RAM. It has a slot loading dvd.

i just had some general questions

can anyone tell me the model or specs? is it a imac dv? what kind of video card should it have? can i upgrade the video card or video memory or RAM?

can i use a microsoft broadband router to connect it to the internet?
(not a joke)

can it play dvds smoothly? do i need software to play dvds?

can i run opengl?
 
Perhaps you could post a link to the auction?

It could be one of two systems, but I think only the DVs had DVD drives.

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/stats/imac_dv_400_indigo.html
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/stats/imac_400_indigo.html

Once you get it, you may want to u/g the RAM and install OS X. Should handle DVDs just fine for playing.

Should be able to use any router, they are usually platform independent - just make sure it has a web based admin interface, becuase if it requires a desktop appllication for config, you might be out of luck.

This should help too.
http://www.lowendmac.com/imacs/dv.shtml

Not sure about upgrading the video though.
 
Not a bad deal, my only concern would be not having the software discs. Hopefully you own or can acquire a copy of Panther cheap.

Definitely upgrade the RAM though and the HD, you won't be sorry.
 
The most important thing you can do with this computer is add RAM. 128mb is techincally the minimum for running Panther, but on a 400mHz G3, you'll fare much better with about 512mb of RAM. Things will slow down, but just remember that you're using a computer that is 5 years old.

But that said, the slot-loading CRT iMacs are wonderful computers, and great to learn OSX on. I just got my dad one, and other than a few glitches toward the beginning (but I'm sure you won't have the same problems, as a. my dad's computer experience previous was a WebTV and b. I am telling you right now to not use the D-Link USB wifi adapter).

I'm sure you'll like it. :)
 
after talking to you on aim, I think you will like this. It isn't a gaming rig, but it is a start to a virus-free BSOD-world...so have fun - and post with any questions you might have on Panther.
 
Welcome to world of Macintosh.

what you need to do is upgrade the ram, buy a copy of Panther, and you're all set to go(for now). :) ;)
 
Video not upgradeable. Can only swap out HD, RAM, WiFi card, and DVD ROM. All else is soldered onto the mainboard.

Not a bad unit, but it will be sluggish. Think P III 600-800 running XP.

Max
 
thanks guys :)

few last questions

i know it's not a gaming machine but can i run OpenGL? or Deus Ex (a game)?
 
kynrek said:
thanks guys :)

few last questions

i know it's not a gaming machine but can i run OpenGL? or Deus Ex (a game)?
Click to expand...

If I'm not mistaken, OpenGL works on macs, but not DirectX.
Deus Ex is available for macs, but only in OS9 (you can run it in Classic mode, or OS9 emulation in OSX, but it wont run well). However, your imac should boot into OS9 as well as OSX, so you should be set.
 
Welcome to the world of mac (like someone said down there). I can just see it now, you'll now see the world of a mac through your eyes. Then you'll save up for an iMac G5, then you'll get more people to use iMacs.... I should become the first Apple Missionary. OH YEAH!!! That would be fun lol. Maybe Apple would sponser it lol.
 
jtgotsjets said:
If I'm not mistaken, OpenGL works on macs, but not DirectX.
Deus Ex is available for macs, but only in OS9 (you can run it in Classic mode, or OS9 emulation in OSX, but it wont run well). However, your imac should boot into OS9 as well as OSX, so you should be set.
Click to expand...
On the Mac platform, OpenGL is the only feasible 3D option. DirectX is Microsoft-specific, which logically means that it has no direct Macintosh equivalent.
 
well, thanks a whole bunch you guys :)

can anyone tell me my model? (i'm trying to find more ram)
 
When you receive the iMac. Be sure to upgrade the firmware to the latest version from Apple's website. If the iMac does not have the latest firmware installed, and you boot to a Mac OS X installation CD, your iMac will go black! Very important!
 
RAM is good ol' PC100 or 133. Any vendor is fine as long as you are comfortable with their reputation. 2x256 is great 2x512 is spectacular for that machine.

Upgrade the HD to a 7200RPM drive. I think 120GB is the Max. Maybe less? Right now Microcenter.com has 80GB 7200RPM Samsungs for $60. No rebates. Very dependable drives!

If you plan to run any OS9 games or software natively partition your drive in two. One partition of 5-10GB for OS9. The rest for OSX. Install OS9 first. Upgrade firmware if necessary. Then Install OSX. This will yield a dual boot machine.

I can't find the site with the directions on how to replace the hard drive, but maybe someone here can find them for. Of course this upgrade is "at your own risk" as it was not in Apple's customers installable parts. Not too bad though.
 
joshuawaire said:
When you receive the iMac. Be sure to upgrade the firmware to the latest version from Apple's website. If the iMac does not have the latest firmware installed, and you boot to a Mac OS X installation CD, your iMac will go black! Very important!
Click to expand...

Read the auction. Firmware lready been upgraded and OS X Panther is installed.
 
Cool. I've already got a 60 GB 7200 RPM drive i've heard the 7200 drives run hotter or something and you shouldnt use anything higher than 5400 is that true?? cause 5400 is slow


and i just got a 256MB DIMM chip from an old pc hopefully it'll work

i also bought a smartdisk USB floppy drive (it claims to support OSX) in case i need to transfer files to school. Can i put a document onto a disk and have a windows box read it? or are they different formats??
 
kynrek said:
Cool. I've already got a 60 GB 7200 RPM drive i've heard the 7200 drives run hotter or something and you shouldnt use anything higher than 5400 is that true?? cause 5400 is slow


and i just got a 256MB DIMM chip from an old pc hopefully it'll work

i also bought a smartdisk USB floppy drive (it claims to support OSX) in case i need to transfer files to school. Can i put a document onto a disk and have a windows box read it? or are they different formats??
Click to expand...
There are 4 different points here, and I shall address each one separately:

1. What you heard about 7200 RPM drives running hotter is true - in fact, if you know anything about what RPM is (revolutions per minute), it should be obvious to anyone that something spinning faster will generate more heat.

2. I wouldn't just install it and hope it works. I'd check the specifics on the memory that PC uses and compare it to the specifics on memory that the computer you're going to put the chip into uses.

3. A driver is built in to Mac OS X, so your USB floppy drive should work just fine.

4. In order for a Windows machine to read your disk, the floppy needs to have a "DOS/Windows" format. To check the format, Get Info on the disk, and look at Format: under General. To format the disk (if necessary), open Disk Utility, select the floppy, click the Erase tab, and choose the appropriate format. If it won't let you select the format you need (because it isn't in the list, for example), you probably selected the wrong thing. Try selecting the icon that has the floppy underneath it with the manufacturer information, then try again. You could also format the floppy on a Windows machine - then your transfer would be guaranteed to work.
 
will a mac read and write to the disk if it is in windows format?
 
kynrek said:
will a mac read and write to the disk if it is in windows format?
Click to expand...
Yes, it will. Macs have a FAT16 and FAT32 driver built-in that can read and write FAT volumes. NTFS doesn't work so well, though.
 
There's something new.... it never occured to me that the when I was using my SD Card, Jump Drive, or copy things onto the network that I was copying from HFS+ to FAT, FAT16, FAT32 or NTFS.... I think my music drive is NTFS.
 
wrldwzrd89 said:
1. What you heard about 7200 RPM drives running hotter is true - in fact, if you know anything about what RPM is (revolutions per minute), it should be obvious to anyone that something spinning faster will generate more heat.
Click to expand...


While this is generally true, things have improved as technology gets better. The heat a 7200RPM drive used to produce in 1999/2000 is not what todays' drives produce. Just looking at the size of some of the new Maxtor drives shows you how much has been improved. We have 3 of these iMacs at work and they all have 7200RPM drives in them. They do great!

The heat difference between 5400 and 7200 RPM drives, even of the same era , is not significant compare to the heat difference between the 350 and 700 Mhz processors that were used in these iMacs, and the upgrade to the faster 16MB Rage 128 Ultra that was also used in the fastest models.
 
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